Restoration of endothelial function after repaired coarctation of the aorta--a case report

According to current literature, there is no clinical report regarding coronary spasm in the presence of aortic coarctation. There are no cases in which endothelial function was restored after the repair of aortic coarctation. A 29-year-old woman with aortic coarctation and acute myocardial infarction due to coronary spasm experienced restoration of endothelial function after the repair of aortic coarctation. This case may increase knowledge of the mechanism of coronary damage in human coronary arteries not only with a coarcted aorta but also with hypertensive heart.     

Effects of angiotensin III (DES-1-asp-angiotensin II) and angiotensin III analogue (DES-1-asp-8-ile-angiotensin II) upon adrenal steroidogenesis and blood pressure.

Effects of angiotensin III and angiotensin III analogue upon adrenal steroidogenesis and blood pressure were studied in rats, rabbits and a man. Pressor effect of angiotensin III was about one fifth of that of angiotensin II in all the species. Degradation rate of pressor effect of angiotensin III in plasma was more rapid than that of angiotensin II. Different from the effects of angiotensin III upon blood pressure, its effect upon aldosterone was similar to that of angiotensin II. The effect of angiotensin III upon other adrenal steroids, such as DOC and cortisol, however, seemed to be slightly less than that of angiotensin II. Angiotensin III producted an additive effect to that of ACTH, but it didn't produce an additive effect to that of angiotensin II. Angiotensin III analogue, itself, stimulated adrenal steroidogenesis, but it inhibited the effects of angiotensin III and angiotensin II upon aldosterone. Effects of ACTH upon plasma DOC and cortisol were not inhibited by angiotenesin III analogue, but the effect of ACTH upon aldosterone was blunted slightly.     

Two components of use-dependent block of Na+ current by disopyramide and lidocaine in guinea pig ventricular myocytes.

We studied the kinetics of the use-dependent block of the Na+ current (INa) by disopyramide and lidocaine. INa was recorded from isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes by using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The use-dependent block of INa by disopyramide with 20- and 200-msec depolarizing pulses developed in two exponential functions. The degree of the use-dependent block and the amplitude of the fast (Af) and slow (As) components with the short (20-msec) pulse protocol were comparable to those with the long (200-msec) pulse protocol. When pH was raised from 7.3 to 8.0, disopyramide increased Af without a change in As. At pH 6.5, INa block developed with a single exponential function revealing only the slow component. The fast and slow components of INa block by disopyramide could be explained by binding of the uncharged and charged forms, respectively, to the activated state of the channel. Development of INa block by lidocaine also was expressed by two exponentials at all pulse durations (5-200 msec). As pulse durations were prolonged or holding potentials were depolarized, the degree of the use-dependent block and Af increased. When pH was lowered to 6.5, the short pulse produced only the slow component, whereas the long pulse caused two exponentials with decreased Af and increased As. Internal application of QX-314, a permanently charged lidocaine analogue, produced a single exponential block of INa with a very slow onset rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness) syndrome associated with myocardial disease

A 30 year old man with DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness) syndrome associated with myocardial disease is reported. Echocardiographic study revealed a marked symmetric left ventricular hypertrophy. Histology of the endomyocardial biopsy specimen from the right ventricle showed severe glycogen deposition in the myocytes. This case may indicate that DIDMOAD syndrome is a hereditary systemic disease affecting multiple organs, including the myocardium.     

A case of subacute thrombosis associated with clopidogrel resistance after implantation of a zotarolimus-eluting stent

A 73-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with anterior acute myocardial infarction due to subacute thrombosis after coronary stenting with a zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES), which is a newly developed drug-eluting stent that has been widely used since May 2009 in Japan. Five days before, she underwent implantation with a ZES in the left anterior descending artery due to stable angina pectoris. After stenting, the intravascular ultrasonography showed no malapposition from the proximal to the distal edge of the stent. She received aspirin 100 mg/day and clopidogrel 75 mg/day from 2 weeks before the stent was implanted. When we investigated the single nucleotide polymorphisms of CYP2C19 in this patient, both CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 were detected, and she was classified as a poor metabolizer. This report is the first to describe subacute stent thrombosis following the implantation of a newly developed ZES in a Japanese patient, which may be related to clopidogrel resistance.     

Application of a quantitative 1H-NMR method for the determination of amygdalin in Persicae semen, Armeniacae semen, and Mume fructus

A quantitative ¹H-NMR method (qHNMR) was used to measure the amygdalin content of Persicae semen, Armeniacae semen, and Mume fructus, in each of which amygdalin constitutes a major component. The purity of amygdalin was calculated from the ratio of the intensity of the amygdalin H-2 signal at δ 6.50 ppm in pyridine-d ₅ to that of the hexamethyldisilane (HMD) signal at 0 ppm. The HMD concentration was corrected by the International System of Units (SI) traceability with certified reference material (CRM)-grade bisphenol A. qHNMR revealed the amygdalin contents to be 2.72 and 3.13 % in 2 lots of Persicae semen, 3.62 and 5.19 % in 2 lots of Armeniacae semen, and 0.23 % in Mume fructus. Thus, we demonstrated the utility of this method for the quantitative analysis of crude drugs.