Interventional Medicine and Applied Science最新文献

Background and aims: P wave dispersion (PWD) has been reported to be a non-invasive electrocardiographic predictor for atrial fibrillation. The aim of this study is to evaluate PWD between men with erectile dysfunction (ED) and healthy controls in order to investigate whether PWD was prolonged in patients with ED and related to severity of the disease.

Methods: This study included a total of 72 men (42 patients with ED and 30 healthy controls). Demographic data and clinical features were recorded on admission. An electrocardiographic evaluation was obtained to measure PWD values for both patients and controls.

Results: Maximum P wave duration was 108.5 ± 4.7 and 108.3 ± 4.3 in ED group and control group, respectively (p = 0.748). Minumum P wave duration was significantly higher in the control group than in the ED group. PWD was 48.1 ± 5.9 in the ED group. As a result, PWD was prolonged in patients with ED (48.1 ± 5.9 vs. 38.0 ± 3.9, p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between IIEF score and PWD values (p < 0.05, r = -0.662).

Conclusions: Patients with ED exhibited prolonged PWD values compared with normal controls. In addition, PWD was found to be associated with severity of the disease.

Background and aims: The aim of this study is to exploratively evaluate the effect of Tsumura Daikenchuto Extract Granules (DKT, TJ-100) on abdominal symptoms, body weight, and nutritional function following colorectal cancer surgery.

Methods: The subjects included 20 patients for curative resection of colorectal cancer. A TJ-100 administration group (n = 10) and non-administration group (n = 10) were randomized and compared. In the administration group, TJ-100 was administered from 2 days prior to surgery up to 12 weeks following surgery. The endpoints included body weight gain, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), and blood biochemical factors. For the purpose of observing safety, drug adverse events were evaluated including liver function tests.

Results: Excluding one patient, we compared 9 cases in the administration group and 10 cases in the non-administration group. No obvious adverse events were observed in any of the cases. In the comparison of body weight gain, the TJ-100 administration group showed significantly higher values at 2, 4, and 12 weeks following the surgery. There was a tendency for lower stable GSRS scores in the administration group overall, with no statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: It is suggested that TJ-100 can be safely administered in the perioperative period for cases undergoing colorectal cancer surgery, potentially preventing weight loss during the early postoperative period.

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Chronic total occlusions (CTO) are frequently observed among patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Methods: A total of 128 CTO patients were included. Mehran score, lesion characteristics, interventional procedure, serological specimens and devices were recorded. The first group was administered with 1 ml · kg^-1 · h^-1 saline (0.9% NaCl) infusion that started 12 h before the procedure and continued 12 h post procedure as recommended by the guidelines. The second group was administered with saline infusion of 12 ml · kg^-1 · h^-1 only during CTO-PCI procedure, which is called as intensive infusion.

Results: CIN development was similar in two groups (four patients in standard hydration group and five patients in intensive hydration group). The amount of saline was significantly higher in the standard group (1,767 ± 192.2 vs. 1,043.6 ± 375; p < 0.001). Patients with higher creatinine levels prior to PCI had a higher rate of CIN development after procedure. Interestingly, age, left ventricular ejection fraction, and diabetes mellitus independently predicted CIN.

Conclusion: Intensive hydration administration appears to be an effective and cost-effective method in CTO-PCI patients, especially in patients without left ventricular function failure.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that homocysteine and asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) levels were strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of plasma homocysteine and ADMA levels in the pathogenesis of coronary slow flow (CSF) phenomenon.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with CSF and 25 controls with normal coronary flow were included in this study. The quantitative measurement of coronary blood flow was performed using the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count method. Plasma homocysteine and ADMA levels were determined using enzymatic assays from venous blood samples.

Results: The patients with CSF had significantly higher plasma homocysteine levels than controls (16.2 ± 7.6 vs. 12.2 ± 2.2 μM/L; p = 0.023). The uric acid levels were significantly higher in CSF group than controls (5.4 ± 1.1 vs. 4.6 ± 0.9 mg/dl; p = 0.011). Plasma ADMA levels were also higher in the CSF group; however, this was not statistically significant (0.6 ± 0.1 vs. 0.5 ± 0.2 μM/L; p = 0.475).

Conclusions: Increased homocysteine and uric acid levels may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CSF. Further large scale studies are required to determine the relationship between ADMA levels and CSF.

Introduction: Impaired coronary microcirculation, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction were reported etiological factors for microvascular angina (MVA). Recently, increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness has been associated with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and coronary artery disease in general population. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the EAT thickness in patients with MVA.

Methods: This study enrolled 200 patients (83 males; mean age: 55.4 ± 8.2 years) who have been diagnosed with MVA and 200 controls (89 males; mean age: 54.4 ± 8.5 years). All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography, and EAT thickness was measured from a parasternal long-axis view as the hypoechoic space on the right ventricular free wall.

Results: The mean EAT thickness was significantly higher in MVA patients than the controls (5.5 ± 1.1 vs. 4.9 ± 0.7 mm; p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that increased EAT thickness was an independent predictor of MVA (OR = 1.183, 95% CI = 1.063-1.489; p = 0.023). In receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, EAT thickness above 5.3 mm predicted MVA with a sentivity of 68% and a specificity of 63% (AUC = 0.711, 95% CI = 0.659-0.762; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The EAT thickness was observed significantly higher in MVA patients as compared to controls. Increased EAT thickness may be associated with mechanisms that play a major role in the pathogenesis of MVA.

Background and aims: The etiology and pathophysiology of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) has not been fully elucidated. A rapid rise in plasma copeptin has been observed in cardiovascular diseases, stroke, sepsis, and shock. This increase has diagnostic and prognostic value. The aim of this study was to investigate whether copeptin has a relationship with CAE.

Methods: This observational prospective study was carried out between October 2012 and March 2013 in the cardiology catheter laboratory with the inclusion of 44 subjects with a diagnosis of CAE and 44 age- and gender-matched individuals with normal coronary arteries. Blood samples obtained from the patients were stored at -70 °C until analysis and copeptin levels in sera were measured by ELISA.

Results: This study comprised 88 study participants, among whom 44 were patients meeting ectasia criteria [mean age: 58.0 ± 11.5 years; 59% (n = 26) male], and 44 were control subjects with angiographically normal coronary anatomy [mean age: 49.2 ± 10.1 years; 30% (n = 13) male]. Copeptin levels were similar between the groups (p > 0.05). In addition, there was no correlation between copeptin levels and CAE.

Conclusion: In this study, it is examined that copeptin levels were not elevated in CAE patients.

Objectives: Treatment of paravisceral aortic infections poses several challenges because standard therapy with excision of all infected tissues and extraanatomic reconstruction is frequently not possible without jeopardizing visceral perfusion. In situ reconstruction with rifampin-soaked prosthetic graft or endovascular repair with stent grafts runs the risk of reinfection. We present a case of a paravisceral aortic infection, where cryopreserved allograft was used for the reconstruction of the aorta.

Methods: Medical documentation and CT angiography studies were retrospectively reviewed for a patient in a tertiary care center.

Results: A 62-year-old male patient presented with an infected pseudoaneurysm of the paravisceral aorta at the level of the celiac artery. He had previously undergone multiple orthopedic surgical interventions and developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. We successfully repaired the paravisceral pseudoaneurysm with excision of all infected tissues and in situ aortic replacement with a cryopreserved allograft.

Conclusion: In case of infected aortic pseudoaneurysm, the use of cryopreserved aortic allograft is a reliable choice for reconstruction of the aorta.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the anthropometric, body composition, and somatotype characteristics of Japanese young women and to focus on normal-weight obesity syndrome and sarcopenia diagnosis criteria.

Methods: A total of 124 Japanese university freshmen women were measured at body mass index (BMI), percent body fat and skeletal muscle index (SMI), usual gait test, and handgrip strength. The subjects were divided into obesity (≥30% body fat; BMI: ≥25.0 kg/m²), normal-weight obesity (≥30% body fat; BMI: 18.5-24.9 kg/m²), sarcopenia (handgrip, <18 kg; gait speed: ≤0.8 m/s; SMI: <5.7 kg/m²), or presarcopenia (SMI: <5.7 kg/m²). There were no subjects below the sarcopenia diagnosis criteria in usual gait speed, but not for handgrip (0.8%) and SMI (36.3%).

Results: The prevalence of presarcopenia group (36.3%) is higher than in the normal-weight obesity (16.9%) and obesity (4.8%) groups. Anthropometry and sarcopenia diagnosis assessments were significantly higher in normal-weight obesity and standard groups compared with presarcopenia group.

Discussion: The number of young women was higher in the presarcopenia group than in the normal-weight obesity group, suggesting that the improvement of intrinsic skeletal muscle mass rather than fat mass is important for Japanese young women.

Cerebral ischemia in the perioperative period is a major risk factor for stroke, encephalopathy, and cognitive decline after cardiothoracic surgery. After coronary artery bypass grafting, both stroke and encephalopathy can result in poor patient outcomes and increased mortality. Neuroprotection aims to lessen the severity and occurrence of further injury mediated by stroke and encephalopathy and to aid the recovery of conditions already present. Several pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of neuroprotection have been investigated in experimental studies and in animal models, and, although some have shown effectiveness in protection of the central nervous system, for most, clinical research is lacking or did not show the expected results. This review summarizes the value and need for neuroprotection in the context of cardiothoracic surgery and examines the use and effectiveness of several agents and methods with an emphasis on clinical trials and clinically relevant neuroprotectants.

The article presents the results of lipid peroxidation activity in blood serum, which were assessed on the base changes in the level of oxidative modification of proteins, TBA-active products, and total amount of nitrogen (II) oxide metabolites (NO₂ ^- + NO₃ ^-). Indices were determined on the 14^th day of development in experimental periodontitis both without correction, and in condition treatment with a water-soluble flavonol quercetin (corvitin). The treated animals take intramuscular injections of corvitin in a dose 100 mg/kg weight for 7 days. For further testing, blood serum was selected. The results were statistically analyzed using parametric and non-parametric indices. In this investigation, characterized dynamics of changes in the indices of oxidative processes activity were revealed both during the period of formation and the course of periodontitis. In particular, it was found that, for the period of the most expressed inflammatory reaction in the periodontal complex, intensive increase in the level of reactive forms of oxygen. The treatment with flavonol quercetin for 7 days resulted in stabilization of free radical processes and the suppression of the inflammatory reaction.