Suppression of B-type natriuretic peptide gene expression in cardiomyocytes under anoxic conditions.

Several cell biology studies have focused on the effects of hypoxic environments on cardiomyocytes. However, the effect of anoxic conditions on cardiomyocytes remains largely unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the direct effects of anoxia on B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene expression in cardiomyocytes.

Blunted increase in plasma BNP during acute coronary syndrome attacks in obese patients.

Background: Unexpectedly low natriuretic peptide (NP) levels in proportion to heart failure severity are often observed in obese individuals. However, the magnitude of NP elevation in response to acute cardiac stress in obesity has not yet been extensively studied. This study aimed to determine the impact of obesity on the increase in plasma NP in response to cardiac hemodynamic stress during acute coronary syndrome (ACS) attacks.

Effects of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio on renal function following acute myocardial infarction: A retrospective observational study.

Increased platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which indicate accelerated thrombus formation and inflammatory response, potentially have prognostic implications. Given that cardiovascular disease and renal function exacerbate each other, an elevated PLR and NLR at admission for AMI may worsen renal function after AMI. However, only a few clinical studies have addressed this issue.

URAT1 is expressed in cardiomyocytes and dotinurad attenuates the development of diet-induced metabolic heart disease.

We recently reported that the selective inhibition of urate transporter-1 (URAT1), which is primarily expressed in the kidneys, ameliorates insulin resistance by attenuating hepatic steatosis and improving brown adipose tissue function in diet-induced obesity. In this study, we evaluated the effects of dotinurad, a URAT1-selective inhibitor, on the hearts of high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mice for 16-20 weeks and on neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) exposed to palmitic acid. Outside the kidneys, URAT1 was also expressed in cardiomyocytes and indeed worked as a uric acid transporter.

Inhibitory action of B-type natriuretic peptide on adrenocorticotropic hormone in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

In addition to the classical actions of hemodynamic regulation, natriuretic peptides (NPs) interact with various neurohumoral factors that are deeply involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. However, their effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is activated under acute high-stress conditions in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), remain largely unknown. We investigated the impact of plasma B-type NP (BNP) on plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-cortisol levels during the acute phase of ACS ischemic attacks.

Unique crosstalk between platelet and leukocyte counts during treatment for acute coronary syndrome: A retrospective observational study.

In the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), platelet (PLT) and neutrophil (Neu) crosstalk may be important for activating coagulation and inflammation. It has been speculated that PLTs and Neu may affect each other's cell counts; however, few studies have investigated this hypothesis. In this study, we measured changes in blood cell counts in 245 patients with ACS during treatment and investigated the mutual effects of each blood cell type.

Exogenous ANP Treatment Ameliorates Myocardial Insulin Resistance and Protects against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Diet-Induced Obesity.

Increasing evidence suggests natriuretic peptides (NPs) coordinate interorgan metabolic crosstalk. We recently reported exogenous ANP treatment ameliorated systemic insulin resistance by inducing adipose tissue browning and attenuating hepatic steatosis in diet-induced obesity (DIO). We herein investigated whether ANP treatment also ameliorates myocardial insulin resistance, leading to cardioprotection during ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in DIO.

Substantial impact of 3-iodothyronamine (T1AM) on the regulations of fluorescent thermoprobe-measured cellular temperature and natriuretic peptide expression in cardiomyocytes.

There is growing interest in 3-iodothyronamine (T1AM), an active thyroid hormone metabolite, that induces negative inotropic and chronotropic actions in the heart and exerts systemic hypothermic action. We explored the direct impact of T1AM on cardiomyocytes with a focus on the regulation of the intracellular temperature and natriuretic peptide (NP) expression. A thermoprobe was successfully introduced into neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, and the temperature-dependent changes in the fluorescence intensity ratio were measured using a fluorescence microscope.

Conventional medical therapy in heart failure patients eligible for the PARADIGM-HF, DAPA-HF, and SHIFT trials.

Background: Recent trials on novel heart failure (HF) treatments (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, and ivabradine) emphasize the use of conventional medical therapy (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers [BB], and mineral corticosteroid receptor antagonists). We aimed to evaluate the prescription rate of conventional medical therapy and its association with long-term outcomes in patients eligible for recent trials.

Methods: We examined 1295 consecutive patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) from a multicenter registry (WET-HF registry).

A case of cardiac strangulation following epicardial pacemaker implantation in an adult: a case report.

Background: Cardiac strangulation (CS) is a rare but potentially devastating complication caused by the leads of an epicardial pacemaker (EP). Most cases have been reported in paediatric patients, and there has been no report wherein the diagnosis was made in a living, adult patient, and treated successfully.

Case Summary: A 31-year-old woman with a history of atrial septal defect (ASD) patch closure and EP implantation for congenital atrial stand-still presented with dyspnoea on exertion.

URAT1-selective inhibition ameliorates insulin resistance by attenuating diet-induced hepatic steatosis and brown adipose tissue whitening in mice.

Objective: Accumulating evidence indicates that high uric acid (UA) is strongly associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome and drives the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and insulin resistance. Although urate transporter-1 (URAT1), which is primarily expressed in the kidneys, plays a critical role in the development of hyperuricemia, its pathophysiological implication in NAFLD and insulin resistance remains unclear. We herein investigated the role and functional significance of URAT1 in diet-induced obese mice.

Treatment with atrial natriuretic peptide induces adipose tissue browning and exerts thermogenic actions in vivo.

Increasing evidence suggests natriuretic peptides (NPs) coordinate inter-organ metabolic crosstalk with adipose tissues and play a critical role in energy metabolism. We recently reported A-type NP (ANP) raises intracellular temperature in cultured adipocytes in a low-temperature-sensitive manner. We herein investigated whether exogenous ANP-treatment exerts a significant impact on adipose tissues in vivo.

A pilot cohort study assessing the feasibility of complete revascularization with balloon pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty improves prognosis by alleviating pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, even with incomplete revascularization. However, hypoxia or the requirement for pulmonary vasodilators often remain even after pulmonary hypertension relief. With this cohort study, we aimed to examine whether complete revascularization by additional balloon pulmonary angioplasty on residual lesions, even after pulmonary hypertension relief, could resolve hypoxia or the requirement for pulmonary vasodilators.

Successful treatment of pulmonary hypertension following hematopoietic stem cell transplant with a single oral tadalafil: a case report.

A 46-year-old man who had undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplant twice because of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with recurrence presented with dyspnea, leading to a diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension which was quickly and effectively treated with the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor tadalafil. To our knowledge, pulmonary arterial hypertension related to hematologic malignancies requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplant is rarely reported. Importantly, the present case suggests that early diagnosis and treatment with a pulmonary vasodilator, such as tadalafil, can greatly decrease pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension after hematopoietic stem cell transplant and can then improve other symptoms.

A Pilot Evaluation Study of Diffuse Coronary Arterial Contraction Causing Ischemia by Double Measurement of Left Ventriculography Before and After Intracoronary Administration of Nitrates.

Abnormal diffuse coronary artery contraction is not easily diagnosed. In order to evaluate its true risk, we performed double left ventriculography (LVG) before and after intracoronary administration of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN). We also investigated the relationship between changes in coronary lumen area and changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after ISDN.

Xanthine oxidase inhibition attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in mice.

Accumulating evidence suggests that high serum uric acid (UA) is associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Although xanthine oxidase (XO) activation is a critical regulatory mechanism of the terminal step in ATP and purine degradation, the pathophysiological role of cardiac tissue XO in LV dysfunction remains unclear. We herein investigated the role and functional significance of tissue XO activity in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Evaluation of Enhanced Lipid Oxidation and Compensatory Suppression using Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases.

Malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL) is recognized as a surrogate marker of lipid oxidation and is associated with arteriosclerosis. However, there are limited reports on the relationship between heart failure and MDA-LDL. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether MDA-LDL is activated in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and examine our hypothesis that the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) masks the enhancement of MDA-LDL in patients with LV dysfunction by its strong antioxidative action.

Possible Association Between Body Temperature and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases.

Background: In addition to various biological effects of natriuretic peptides (NP) on cardiovascular systems, we recently reported that NP raises intracellular temperature in cultured adipocytes. We herein examined the possible thermogenic action of NP in consideration of hemodynamic parameters and inflammatory reaction by proposing structural equation models.

Methods And Results: The study population consisted of 1985 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac catheterization.

A Rare Complication of Chronic Active Epstein-Barr Virus Infection.

A 42-year-old man with a 6-month-long fever was found to have chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection complicated by aneurysmal coronary arteries with other arteries. In adult patients with this infection, coronary aneurysms are rare but are a poor prognostic factor. ().

Increase in oxidized low-density lipoprotein level according to hyperglycemia in patients with cardiovascular disease: A study by structure equation modeling.

Aims: Malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL) level has been reported to be strongly associated with the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. We focused on diabetic status and investigated its possible contribution to MDA-LDL level.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 2705 patients who were admitted to our hospital and underwent cardiac catheterization.