Journal of cardiology
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Journal of cardiology · Mar 2011
ReviewHeart failure due to abnormal filling function of the heart.
Symptoms of heart failure can be caused by the diastolic dysfunction even in patients with normal ejection fraction, and this condition has been called diastolic heart failure. After Kitabatake and his associates first used echo-Doppler to characterize the transmitral flow velocity in various disease states in 1982, there have been remarkable advances in the evaluation of diastolic function with Doppler echocardiography. Types of diastolic dysfunction can be classified into relaxation abnormality, pseudonormal, reversible restrictive physiology, and irreversible restrictive physiology. ⋯ The main hemodynamic abnormality in patients with diastolic dysfunction is the abnormal filling function of the heart. Therefore, if we expand the scope of diastolic heart failure, patients with constrictive pericarditis can also be categorized into diastolic heart failure. The purpose of this review is to refine our knowledge in the concept of diastolic dysfunction and to update the methods used in its' evaluation.
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Journal of cardiology · Sep 2010
Effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on continuous post-inflammatory vascular remodeling late after Kawasaki disease.
In Kawasaki disease (KD), it has been clinically and experimentally reported that post-inflammatory vascular remodeling would induce the development of arteriosclerosis or early onset of atherosclerosis in the future. The effects of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors on continuous vascular remodeling late after Kawasaki disease were clinically evaluated. ⋯ The results of this study suggested that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are useful as an alternative therapeutic strategy for stabilizing continuous post-inflammatory vascular remodeling that results in the development of arteriosclerosis late after KD or early onset of atherosclerosis in the future.
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Journal of cardiology · Jul 2010
Correlation between plasma B-type natriuretic peptide levels and left ventricular diastolic function using color kinetic imaging.
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been used widely as an objective marker for severity and prognostic predictor of heart failure. Recently it has been reported that plasma BNP level is associated with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. Color kinesis (CK), a technique based on acoustic quantification, has been developed to facilitate the evaluation of regional wall motion and LV function. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between plasma BNP levels and LV diastolic function using diastolic CK imaging. ⋯ Our results suggest that the plasma BNP level may be related to LV relaxation. The analysis of diastolic CK may be useful for quantitative assessment of LV diastolic function in patients with heart failure.
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Journal of cardiology · Jul 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyRationale and design of the NAGOYA HEART Study: comparison between valsartan and amlodipine regarding morbidity and mortality in patients with hypertension and glucose intolerance.
Inhibitors of the renin angiotensin system are recommended as the first-line medications for diabetic hypertensive patients. However, there is less evidence supporting this recommendation especially among East Asians, a population with a unique distribution of cardiovascular disease compared to the Western population. ⋯ The NAGOYA HEART Study will provide us with a relevant insight for appropriate treatment of hypertension with glucose intolerance.
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Journal of cardiology · Jul 2010
Differences in intravascular ultrasound findings in culprit lesions in infarct-related arteries between ST segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.
Previous studies have reported diffuse destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to assess coronary culprit lesions in ST segment elevation MI (STEMI) vs. in non-ST segment elevation MI (NSTEMI). ⋯ Culprit lesions in STEMI have more markers of plaque instability (more plaque rupture and thrombus, and larger plaque mass) compared with lesions in NSTEMI.