Fulminant Streptococcus suis Infection Causing Myocardial Damage and Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome: A Case Report.

There have been no prior reports of direct myocardial damage caused by , and understanding the clinical course of myocardial involvement is crucial for early diagnosis and initiation of treatment for this infection. A male pig farmer presented as an outpatient with a fever and sore throat, but within hours, his cardiac function declined, and his general condition deteriorated. Despite receiving comprehensive treatment, he succumbed to complications associated with toxic shock-like syndrome (TSLS).

Potential Effects of Ischemic Postconditioning and Changes in Heat Shock Protein 72 in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction without Prodromal Angina.

The effectiveness of ischemic postconditioning (iPoC) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) without ischemic preconditioning has not been determined. Therefore, we investigated the impact of iPoC and its potential mechanism related to heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) induction on myocardial salvage in patients with STEMI without prodromal angina (PA).We retrospectively analyzed data from 102 patients with STEMI with successful reperfusion among 323 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Salvage percutaneous coronary intervention for failed graft itself three days after minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass.

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass is preferred due to its less invasive nature; however, it carries the risk of graft failure owing to inherent technical challenges. We present a case where minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting was performed and graft failure was detected via coronary angiography 3 days post-operation. Successful percutaneous coronary intervention was subsequently performed on the failed graft itself to salvage myocardial cellular damage.

Back somersault-induced atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia - A case of a 15-year-old promising gymnast.

A male 15-year-old promising gymnast suffered palpitations, which emerged only after landing a round-off back somersault. The performance induced an attack of regular narrow QRS complex tachycardia that was highly reproducible. Not a single element of the performance, but a whole sequence of round-off back somersault was required to induce the attack.

Comparison between unattended automated office blood pressure and conventional office blood pressure under the environment of health checkup among Japanese general population.

Unattended automated office blood pressure (AOBP) measurement has been endorsed as the preferred in-office measurement modality in recent Canadian and American clinical practice guidelines. However, the difference between AOBP and conventional office blood pressure (CBP) under the environment of a health checkup remains unclear. We aimed to identify the clinical significance of AOBP as compared to CBP under the environment of a health checkup.

Acute Myocardial Infarction in a 17-year-old High-school Girl.

We report an unusual case of acute myocardial infarction in a high school girl. The patient was 17 years of age and had multiple coronary risk factors, including marked obesity with a body mass index (BMI) of 42.7 kg/m, dyslipidemia and glucose intolerance.

Assessment of suitable antihypertensive therapies: Combination with high-dose amlodipine/irbesartan vs triple combination with amlodipine/irbesartan/indapamide (ASAHI-AI study).

Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) plus calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are a widely used combination therapy for hypertensive patients. In order to determine which combination was better as the next-step therapy for standard-dose combination of ARBs and CCBs, a combination with high-dose CCBs or a triple combination with diuretics, the authors conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label trial to determine which of the following combination is better as the next-step treatment: a combination with high-dose CCBs or a triple combination with diuretics. Hypertensive outpatients who did not achieve their target blood pressure (BP) with usual dosages of ARBs and amlodipine 5 mg were randomly assigned to treatment with irbesartan 100 mg/amlodipine 10 mg (Group 1: n = 48) or indapamide 1 mg in addition to ARBs plus amlodipine 5 mg (Group 2: n = 46).

High-risk screening for Anderson-Fabry disease in patients with cardiac, renal, or neurological manifestations.

Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by abnormalities in the α-galactosidase (Gal) A gene (GLA; MIM:300644). The reduced activity of the lysosomal enzyme, α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) leads to classic early manifestations and vascular disease of the heart, kidneys, and brain. As a high-risk screening for symptomatic AFD using an enzymatic assay on dried blood spot samples, we enrolled 2325 individuals (803 females and 1522 males; median age: 66 years) with cardiac, renal, or neurological manifestations that met at least one of the following criteria: (a) family history of early-onset cardiovascular diseases; (b) typical classic manifestations, such as acroparesthesias, clustered angiokeratoma, cornea verticillata, and hypo-anhidrosis; (c) proteinuria; (d) receiving dialysis; (e) left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiography or echocardiography; or (f) history of stroke.

Successful Simultaneous Revascularization for Acute Limb Ischemia and Concomitant Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, even with the advent of technical advances. Although myocardial infarction is one of the causes of ALI along with intraventricular thrombus formation and subsequent embolism, ALI with concomitant acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is extremely rare. Here, we report a complicated ALI case with concurrent AMI and prolonged limb ischemic duration.

Cerebral Microbleeds Remain for Nine Years: A Prospective Study with Yearly Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are refined neuroimaging findings detected on T2*-weighted gradient echo (GRE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and are widely accepted as an important marker of the vulnerability of cerebral small vessels. It is necessary to further clarify the natural history of CMBs by a longitudinal study. This study aimed to reveal the natural history of CMBs and find a better way to track CMBs by a prospective long-term observation.

Pulmonary artery compression by a localized epicardial hematoma in a patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura after percutaneous coronary intervention: a case report.

Background: The most common complication of coronary artery perforation, a rare complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is hemopericardium with cardiac tamponade. However, localized extra-coronary bleeding can lead to epicardial hematoma, which is a rare phenomenon. We report the case of an unusual delayed presentation of post-PCI hematoma with unrecognized guidewire perforation.

Insight into specific pro-arrhythmic triggers in Brugada and early repolarization syndromes: results of long-term follow-up.

The pro-arrhythmic triggers in Brugada and early repolarization syndromes (BrS, ERS) have not been analyzed systematically except for case reports. We clinically investigated the circumstances which precede/predispose to arrhythmic events in these syndromes during long-term follow-up. A detailed history from the patients/witnesses was taken to investigate the antecedent events in the last few hours that preceded syncope/ventricular fibrillation (VF); medical records, ECG and blood test from the emergency room (ER) were reviewed.

Late Gadolinium Enhancement on Cardiac MRI Correlates with QT Dynamicity Represented by QT/RR Relationship in Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias.

Background: The distribution of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on the cardiac MRI (CMR) indicates myocardial fibrosis and provides information of possible reentry substrates. QT dynamicity reflecting repolarization abnormalities has gained attention as a potential prognostic predictive factor.

Objective: To clarify the correlation between the LGE distribution on CMR and QT dynamicity represented by the QT/RR relationship.

Late gadolinium enhancement of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging indicates abnormalities of time-domain T-wave alternans in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with ventricular tachycardia.

Background: The presence of myocardial scar detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has been described as a good independent predictor of mortality in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Time-domain T-wave alternans (TWA) is also a potential predictor of cardiac mortality in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between LGE distribution and TWA in patients with HCM.

Visit-to-visit variability and seasonal variation in blood pressure: Combination of Antihypertensive Therapy in the Elderly, Multicenter Investigation (CAMUI) Trial subanalysis.

Background: Combination antihypertensive therapy with an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) and a calcium channel blocker (CCB) or diuretics is common. This subanalysis investigated blood pressure (BP) variability in patients receiving ARB-based combination therapy.

Methods: In a prospective, randomized, open-label trial, hypertensive outpatients (≥65 years) who did not achieve their target BP with ARB monotherapy switched to losartan 50 mg/hydrochlorothiazide 12.

Late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance represents the depolarizing and repolarizing electrically damaged foci causing malignant ventricular arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: The presence of a myocardial scar detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been described as a predictor of all-cause mortality in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, the detailed spatial relationship between LGE site and electrical abnormality is unclear in high-risk HCM with malignant arrhythmia.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the detailed relationship between the site on CMR imaging and the electrically damaged site, a potential origin of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with HCM.

Initial reduction of oxidative stress by angiotensin receptor blocker contributes long term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: It remains unclear whether administration of ARB with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging effects improves the prognosis of patients undergoing PCI.

Objectives: This study investigated whether the pre-intervention antioxidant effect of angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) affects long-term outcomes in patients after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without early adverse events.

Methods: Fifty-two patients who underwent elective PCI were randomly assigned for treatment with or without ARB, which was administered within 48 hours before PCI.

Repolarization characteristics in early repolarization and brugada syndromes: insight into an overlapping mechanism of lethal arrhythmias.

Introduction: We reported impaired QT-rate dependence in early repolarization syndrome (ERS); however, contemporary data have shown peak incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in ERS and Brugada syndrome (BrS) at mid-night and early morning. Taken together, we analyzed the nocturnal QT-rate dependence in both syndromes.

Methods And Results: A total of 172 subjects were enrolled: 11 ERS, 11 BrS patients, 50 subjects with an uneventful ER pattern (ERP), and 100 non-J-wave control subjects.

Successful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for the treatment of renovascular hypertension with an atrophic kidney.

Renovascular hypertension is an important cause of secondary hypertension. We present the case of a 61-year-old man with renovascular hypertension caused by chronic total occlusion of the left renal artery resulting in an atrophic kidney. Although renography indicated almost no residual function of the left kidney, renal vein sampling showed a significant increase of renin secretion in the left kidney.

Three cases of corticosteroid therapy triggering ventricular fibrillation in J-wave syndromes.

We describe three cases of J-wave syndrome in which ventricular fibrillation (VF) was probably induced by corticosteroid therapy. The patients involved were being treated with prednisolone for concomitant bronchial asthma. One of the three patients had only one episode of VF during her long follow-up period (14 years).

Dipstick proteinuria as a surrogate marker of long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Proteinuria and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are associated with an increased risk of mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it is unknown whether there is a difference in prognostic value for all-cause mortality between proteinuria and eGFR during post-AMI.

Methods: A consecutive series of 101 patients admitted with AMI who received angioplasty were enrolled.