Identification and Assessment of Cardiac Amyloidosis by Myocardial Strain Analysis of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: We explored the usefulness of myocardial strain analysis on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) scans for the identification of cardiac amyloidosis.

Methods and results: The 61 patients with systemic amyloidosis underwent 3.0-T CMR, including CMR tagging and late-gadolinium enhanced (LGE) imaging.

Current status of lipid management in acute coronary syndrome.

The development of coronary revascularization has dramatically improved early cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, patients who have experienced myocardial infarction (MI) are at high risk of recurrence of cardiovascular events compared with those who are healthy or have stable coronary artery disease. Acute coronary events induce further inflammatory responses and plaque vulnerability in either a coronary culprit or whole vessels.

Long-Term Outcomes of Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Without Creatine Kinase Elevation - The J-MINUET Study.

Background: According to troponin-based criteria of myocardial infarction (MI), patients without elevation of creatine kinase (CK), formerly classified as unstable angina (UA), are now diagnosed as non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI), but little is known about their outcomes.

Methods and results: Between July 2012 and March 2014, 3,283 consecutive patients with MI were enrolled. Clinical follow-up data were obtained up to 3 years.

A case of pulmonary thromboembolism due to coagulation factor V Leiden in Japan ~ usefulness of next generation sequencing~.

Background: Because the venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) due to the coagulation factor V R506Q (FV Leiden) mutation is often seen in Caucasians, the VTE onset in Japan has not been reported.

Case Presentation: A 34-year-old man from north Africa experiencing sudden dyspnea went to a hospital for advice. The patient had pain in his right leg and a high plasma D-dimer level.

Venous Thromboembolism Due to Oral Contraceptive Intake and Spending Nights in a Vehicle -A Case from the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes.

A 40-year-old woman experiencing sudden dyspnea went to her personal doctor for advice. She was previously diagnosed with endometriosis and prescribed oral contraceptives for treatment. During earthquakes, she spent 7 nights sleeping in a vehicle.

Successful treatment of deep vein thrombosis caused by iliac vein compression syndrome with a single-dose direct oral anti-coagulant.

Background: Although vein stenting is popular for treatment for venous thromboembolism due to mechanical compression, some cases are forced to avoid inserting align agents because of immunodeficiency.

Case Presentation: An 82-year-old man with left extremity redness and swelling presented to a hospital for a medical evaluation. The patient was immunodeficient because of the adverse effects of his treatment for Castleman's disease.

Regulation of pairing between broken DNA-containing chromatin regions by Ku80, DNA-PKcs, ATM, and 53BP1.

Chromosome rearrangement is clinically and physiologically important because it can produce oncogenic fusion genes. Chromosome rearrangement requires DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at two genomic locations and misrejoining between the DSBs. Before DSB misrejoining, two DSB-containing chromatin regions move and pair with each other; however, the molecular mechanism underlying this process is largely unknown.

Correlation between microvascular dysfunction and B-type natriuretic peptide levels in non-ischemic heart failure patients with cardiac fibrosis.

Backgrounds: The relationship between microvascular dysfunction and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels remains unclear in heart failure (HF) patients with cardiac fibrosis.

Methods: This study evaluated 55 consecutive non-ischemic HF patients in an effort to determine the relationship between endothelial independent coronary microvascular dysfunction and plasma BNP levels, as well as whether each measure is correlated with myocardial fibrosis. We evaluated plasma BNP levels in patients with stable HF.

In Vivo optical coherence tomography visualization of intraplaque neovascularization at the site of coronary vasospasm: a case report.

Background: Coronary plaques in patients with coronary vasospastic angina have been characterized by diffuse intima-media thickening with homogeneous fibrous tissue, without confluent necrotic tissue. However, coronary vasospasm can trigger coronary thrombosis, and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes, though the precise morphological mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear.

Case Presentation: A 43-year-old man with a history of multivessel coronary vasospastic angina had been treated with long-acting diltiazem and fluvastatin since 2004.

Reduced trans-mitral A-wave velocity predicts the presence of wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis in elderly patients with left ventricular hypertrophy.

Wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRwt) is often overlooked in elderly patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Impaired atrial function, in addition to ventricular diastolic dysfunction, is one of the hallmarks of cardiac amyloidosis. Here, we assessed the hypothesis that atrial function evaluated by A-velocity in pulse Doppler echocardiography is useful to differentiate ATTRwt in elderly patients with LVH.

Relationship between asymptomatic intra-cranial lesions and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in coronary artery disease patients without stroke.

Little is known about the significance of asymptomatic intra-cranial lesions (ICL) identified by brain MRI in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Silent cerebral lesions are suggested to be associated with arterial stiffness in healthy subjects. We investigated whether subclinical ICL are associated with arterial stiffness and the prognosis in CAD patients without medical history of cerebrovascular diseases.

Diphenylcarbene Protected by Four ortho-Iodine Groups: An Unusually Persistent Triplet Carbene.

Diphenyldiazomethane with four iodine groups at the positions and two -butyl groups at the positions, i.e., bis(4--butyl-2,6-diiodophenyl)diazomethane (-N₂), was synthesized as a sterically hindered triplet carbene precursor.

Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity in Patients with Interleukin-1 Polymorphisms Is Significantly Associated with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection and interleukin-1 polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. We examined the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and interleukin-1 polymorphisms between ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients.

Methods: We recruited consecutive acute coronary syndrome patients, and 101 non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients and 103 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients were enrolled.

Clinical significance of pulse pressure in patients with heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Aims: Although pulse pressure (PP) is a recognized risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases, its association with cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is uncertain.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 512 of 951 consecutive HFpEF patients admitted to the Kumamoto University Hospital between 2007 and 2013 and divided them into five groups according to PP quintiles. Blood pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured by an ankle-brachial index device.

The clinical significance of plasma neopterin in heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Aims: Although inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF), the precise pathophysiological role of inflammation in HF with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF) still remains unclear. Hence, we examined the clinical significance of plasma neopterin, an inflammatory biomarker, in HFpEF patients.

Methods And Results: In the present study, we recruited consecutive HFpEF patients hospitalized in Kumamoto University Hospital, and further measured plasma neopterin by high-performance liquid chromatography and serum derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites (DROM), a new biomarker of reactive oxygen species.

Association of CYP2C19 variants and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids on patients with microvascular angina.

Categorization as a cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 poor metabolizer (PM) is reported to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are metabolites of arachidonic acid by CYP2C19 epoxygenases and anti-inflammatory properties, especially in microvascular tissues. We examined the association of CYP2C19 polymorphisms and EETs on microvascular angina (MVA) caused by coronary microvascular dysfunction.

Prognostic significance of circulating leukocyte subtype counts in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background And Aims: This study investigated the association of leukocyte subtype counts with vascular endothelial dysfunction and future cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: The study included 389 consecutive CAD patients (259 male, 130 female; mean age, 70.1 ± 9.

Prevalence of coronary macro- and micro-vascular dysfunctions after drug-eluting stent implantation without in-stent restenosis.

Background: The aim was to examine the prevalence and characteristics of epicardial vasomotor abnormality (EVA) and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) including endothelium-dependent (EDCMD) or -independent (EICMD) in patients following a second-generation drug-eluting stent (second DES) implantation without in-stent restenosis.

Methods And Results: In 105 patients who underwent second DES implantation in the left anterior descending coronary artery (74 men; mean age, 67.9±9.

Impact of aspirin on the prognosis in patients with coronary spasm without significant atherosclerotic stenosis.

Background: Coronary spasm is one of the mechanisms of myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aspirin on future cardiovascular events in patients with coronary vasospastic angina (VSA) with non-significant atherosclerotic stenosis.

Methods: This was the retrospective analysis of the 640 VSA patients with non-significant atherosclerotic stenosis (≤50% stenosis) among 1,877 consecutive patients who underwent acetylcholine (ACh)-provocation testing between January 1991 and December 2010.

Clinical and morphological presentations of acute coronary syndrome without coronary plaque rupture - An intravascular ultrasound study.

Background: Although acute coronary syndrome (ACS) mainly arises from plaque ruptures (PR), precise mechanisms underlying ACS without PR are unknown. We sought to examine clinical, angiographic and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) characteristics of ACS without PR.

Methods And Results: Culprit lesions of 161 ACS patients were categorized by the presence or absence of PR (PR group: n=57, Non-PR group: n=104).

Lipid profile associated with coronary plaque regression in patients with acute coronary syndrome: Subanalysis of PRECISE-IVUS trial.

Background And Aims: Although dual low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering therapy (DLLT) with statin-ezetimibe combination showed clinical benefit in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) confirming "the lower, the better," the underlying mechanisms of DLLT are still unknown.

Methods: PRECISE-IVUS trial evaluated the effects of DLLT on IVUS-derived coronary atherosclerosis and lipid profile, compared with atorvastatin monotherapy, quantifying the coronary plaque response in 100 ACS patients. We explored the potential predictors of plaque regression.

Impaired Peripheral Endothelial Function Assessed by Digital Reactive Hyperemia Peripheral Arterial Tonometry and Risk of In-Stent Restenosis.

Background: Drug-eluting stents are replacing bare-metal stents, but in-stent restenosis (ISR) remains a problem. Reactive hyperemia index (RHI) assessed by peripheral arterial tonometry evaluates endothelial function noninvasively. We prospectively assessed the prognostic value of RHI in predicting ISR after percutaneous coronary intervention.