Beneficial effects of statin treatment on coronary microvascular dysfunction and left ventricular remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Statin treatment has been shown to improve coronary endothelial function, irrespective of lipid-lowering effects. This study's aim was to elucidate the effects of statin treatment on coronary microvascular dysfunction and left ventricular remodeling in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients.

Methods: Thirty-five patients undergoing successful reperfusion following AMI were assigned to a statin-treated (Group S, 16) or a non-statin-treated (Group NS, 19) group, according to fasting serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

Number of endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral artery disease as a marker of severity and association with pentraxin-3, malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein and membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase.

Aims: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were mobilized in cardiac ischemia, heart failure and vascular injuries associated with endothelial damage. Despite the occurrence of endothelial dysfunction in peripheral artery disease (PAD), few data are available on EPC mobilization in this setting.

Methods: We investigated the correlations between EPC and disease severity and also other biomarkers in PAD.

Acarbose treatments improve arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Unlabelled: Aims/Introduction:  Although the improvement of postprandial hyperglycemia by an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor (α-GI) has been associated with a risk reduction of cardiovascular events, the relationship between postprandial hyperglycemia and arterial stiffness has not been well understood. We therefore examined whether ameliorating the postprandial state by α-GI leads to an improvement in arterial stiffness.

Materials And Methods:   A total of 22 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were treated with acarbose.

Relationship between microcirculatory dysfunction and resolution of ST-segment elevation in the early phase after primary angioplasty in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Backgrounds And Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate relationships between the degree of resolution of the ST-segment elevation (ST segment resolution; STR) and the extent of microcirculatory dysfunction in infarct-related area (IRA) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) using (13)N-ammonia positron emission tomography (N-PET).

Methods: The subjects comprised 33 patients with STEMI who underwent successful reperfusion. Serial 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) was performed at the baseline and at 100 min after reperfusion to calculate STR.