Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · Jun 2015
Observational StudyImpact of high lipoprotein(a) levels on in-stent restenosis and long-term clinical outcomes of angina pectoris patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents in Asian population.
Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is known to be associated with cardiovascular complications and atherothrombotic properties in general populations. However, it has not been examined whether Lp(a) levels are able to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES). A total of 595 consecutive patients with angina pectoris who underwent elective PCI with DES were enrolled from 2004 to 2010. ⋯ In multivariate analysis, the reference vessel diameter, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, total lesion length, and Lp(a) ≥ 50 mg/dL were predictors of binary restenosis. In the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, Lp(a) > 50 mg/dL was significantly associated with the 3-year adverse clinical outcomes including any myocardial infarction, revascularization (target lesion revascularization (TLR) and target vessel revascularization (TVR)), TLR-major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), TVR-MACE, and All-MACEs. In our study, high Lp(a) level ≥ 50 mg/dL in angina pectoris patients undergoing elective PCI with DES was significantly associated with binary restenosis and 3-year adverse clinical outcomes in an Asian population.
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · Jun 2015
The ventral portion of the anterior pretectal nucleus controls descending mechanisms that initiate neuropathic pain in rats.
Stimulating the dorsal anterior pretectal nucleus (dAPtN) in rats is more effective than stimulating the ventral APtN (vAPtN) at reducing tail-flick latency, whereas stimulation of the vAPtN is more effective at reducing postoperative pain behaviour. This study examines whether a cell lesion caused by injecting N-methyl-D-aspartate into the dAPtN or vAPtN changes the withdrawal threshold of a rat hind paw during different phases of the tactile hypersensitivity induced by a chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the contralateral sciatic nerve. The number of Fos immunoreactive cells in the APtN was also evaluated. ⋯ The tactile hypersensitivity of the rats whose dAPtN was lesioned 2 days before or 5 days after CCI was not different from that of the control on the second and seventh days after the CCI. The number of Fos immunoreactive cells in the vAPtN and dAPtN increased 2 days after CCI, but did not differ from that in the control 7 days after CCI. We conclude that vAPtN and dAPtN cells are activated by nerve injury; the vAPtN exerts inhibitory control of the initial phase of neuropathic pain whereas the dAPtN does not appear to exert an inhibitory effect in neuropathic processing.
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · May 2015
Effects of active and passive smoking on the development of cardiovascular disease as assessed by a carotid intima-media thickness examination in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Carotid intima-media thickness has been widely used as a surrogate end-point for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. This study aimed to assess the effects of active and passive smoking exposure on the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Seven hundred twenty-two patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited for the study. ⋯ Male active smokers had a significantly higher risk of carotid plaque (odds ratio = 2.88, 95% confidence interval: 1.4788-5.6094, P = 0.001). In conclusion, cumulative active and passive smoking exposures are significant risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Our results highlight the importance of endorsing a smoke-free environment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · May 2015
Curcumin ameliorates asthmatic airway inflammation by activating nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2/haem oxygenase (HO)-1 signalling pathway.
Previous studies have shown that curcumin alleviates asthma in vivo. However, the relationship between curcumin and the nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/haem oxygenase (HO)-1 pathway in asthma treatment remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms of curcumin involved in the amelioration of airway inflammation in a mouse asthma model. ⋯ Curcumin blocked lipopolysaccharide-upregulated expression of tumour necrosis factor-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. After the cells were transfected with HO-1 or Nrf2 small interfering RNA, lipopolysaccharide-induced pro-inflammation cytokine expression was significantly restored. In summary, curcumin might alleviate airway inflammation in asthma through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, potentially making it an effective drug in asthma treatment.
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · Apr 2015
Case ReportsNovel method for rapid reversal of drug toxicity: a case report.
Drug toxicity is traditionally treated by reducing the amount of the drug absorbed, enhancing elimination, and providing supportive care. Once the drug has been absorbed, there are few methods that help decrease morbidity and mortality caused by a toxic drug level. Albumin infusion is a new approach that changes that, as it can rapidly reverse a toxic drug level back to a therapeutic level. ⋯ Based on our calculations, it was predicted that a small amount of albumin would reverse the patient's toxic symptoms. With this approach, the patient's toxic symptoms improved when free phenytoin levels dropped from 15 to 8 μmol/L. Albumin infusion is a promising new therapy that can rapidly reverse a toxic drug level back to a therapeutic level by binding the free drug to albumin.