The long-term effects of niceritrol on lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]), lipids, apolipoproteins, and fibrinogen and fibrinolytic factors were evaluated in 20 outpatients who had serum Lp(a) levels higher than 20 mg/dL. The mean ( +/- SE) levels of Lp(a) decreased from 33.6 +/- 2.3 mg/dL to 23.5 +/- 3.5 mg/dL after 12 months of niceritrol treatment (P < 0.01). Serum levels of triglycerides and apolipoprotein E decreased significantly and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increased significantly after 12 months (P < 0.05). There were no significant changes overall in fibrinogen and fibrinolytic factors, although fibrinogen concentrations showed a tendency to decrease with treatment. PAI-1 levels decreased significantly (P < 0.05) after 6 months of niceritrol treatment. A significant correlation of percent reduction between Lp(a) and apolipoprotein B levels (P < 0.01) was observed, suggesting that the Lp(a)-lowering effects of niceritrol may be due to niceritrol inhibition of apolipoprotein B synthesis, the major apolipoprotein of Lp(a). The ability of niceritrol to decrease Lp(a) levels and increase HDL-C levels, together with its tendency to lower fibrinogen levels, may help prevent coronary events in patients with high levels of Lp(a).

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a chimeric interleukin-2 receptor monoclonal antibody, basiliximab, in renal transplantation: a comparison between Japanese and non-Japanese patients.

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Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Successful use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist in a patient with pulmonary endometriosis.

A 26-year-old single female was admitted to hospital with recurrent chest pain, cough and hemoptysis. The symptoms developed 5 months before admission coinciding with menstruation. The disease was diagnosed as pulmonary endometriosis. She was treated with a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH agonist; sustained-release leuprolide acetate, 3.75 mg/month, i.m.) for 6 months. She remained asymptomatic for 16 months with regular menstruation even after discontinuing the treatment. This indicates that the initial treatment of pulmonary endometriosis with a GnRH agonist is an acceptable medical alternative, especially in patients with a short duration of the disease from the onset of the chest symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Association of a deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene with left-ventricular hypertrophy in Japanese women with essential hypertension; multicenter study of 1,919 subjects.

The relationship of an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene to left-ventricular hypertrophy in individuals with essential hypertension (EH) was investigated in a large population of Japanese men and women. The ACE genotype of 762 subjects with EH (425 men and 337 women) and 1,157 healthy controls (604 men and 553 women) was determined by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The distribution of ACE genotypes did not differ significantly between patients with EH and control in both men and women. For women with EH, the DD genotype was positively associated with the thickness of the interventricular septum and inversely associated with the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, both determined by echocardiography. In contrast, the DD genotype was not associated with any echocardiographic parameter in men with EH. These results indicate that the DD genotype is a risk factor for left-ventricular hypertrophy in Japanese women with EH, but not for Japanese men.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interactive fusion of three-dimensional images of upper abdominal CT and FDG PET with no body surface markers.

The aim of this study was to propose and validate a new method of making fused images from CT and FDG PET images for the upper abdominal area with no body surface marker. PET and CT were carried out in patients with pancreatic cancer (N = 5) and mass-forming pancreatitis (N = 2). First, we determined the midsagittal plane from PET and CT data. From the difference in location of the midsagittal planes, rotations of Y (from back to front) and Z axes (from foot to head) and X translation (from right to left) were calculated. An upper pole of the kidney was determined from PET and CT data. It showed Y and Z translations. The images of the three-dimensional data sets were fused on a workstation. Reproducibility was assessed with randomly misaligned PET and CT data sets. Pancreatic cancer and its lymph node metastases were identified easily on fused images. In reproducibility assessment, the average error of rotation was 0.77 degree. The average errors of translation were 3.43, 4.70, and 9.23 mm on the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. In conclusion, this PET/CT image registration technique is feasible and practical. It allows precise anatomical assessment of normal and abnormal FDG accumulation.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Blood loss and ICG clearance as best prognostic markers of post-hepatectomy liver failure.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatic failure after hepatic resection is a lethal complication. Various factors affecting the occurrence of hepatic failure were examined. METHODOLOGY: The subjects were 315 patients who underwent hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma during the 11-year period between 1985 and 1995. Univariate analyses of 14 variables were performed among living and dead patients after hepatic resection. With the significant prognostic variables obtained in the multivariate analysis, the predicted probability of death (PPD) was calculated for each patient. RESULTS: There were 291 survivors and 24 patients with post-operative liver failure. Among the factors showing statistical or near significance in the univariate analysis, KICG and blood loss were disclosed to be factors independently correlating with survival. PPD was calculated for each patient according to the following equation: PPD = 1/Exp(1.6766 - 0.0004394 x blood loss + 16.69 x KICG) + 1. Assessing the goodness-of-fit model by Hosmer-Lemeshow test indicated the model seemed to fit quite well. CONCLUSIONS: Minimizing the blood loss during hepatic resection is important to avoid post-operative liver failure. Careful hemostatic procedure is necessary for patients with unexpected massive blood loss during hepatic resection so as to prevent post-operative bleeding.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of intraportal administration of prostaglandin E1 on liver blood flow and liver function.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) exerts a hepatic cytoprotective action directly and indirectly through enhancing hepatic blood flow. Although PGE1 is usually administered systemically, more than 60% of PGE1 is inactivated during only a single passage through the lung. By administering PGE1 intraportally the intrahepatic level of this drug can be increased effectively and liver dysfunction might be prevented. In this study, the effect of intraportal administration of PGE1 to patients who underwent hepatectomy was estimated. METHODOLOGY: Twenty patients who underwent hepatectomy from January 1995 to December 1996 were divided into 2 groups, i.e., a PGE1 group (n=8) and a control group (n=12). Laboratory data and hepatic portal blood flow were examined before and after hepatectomy. In the PGE 1 group, PGE 1 was continuously infused at a dose of 120 microg/day for 5 days through a catheter inserted into the portal vein via the gastroepiploic vein. RESULTS: There was no difference in the post-operative change in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) between the 2 groups. Elevation of total bilirubin was more significantly suppressed in the PG group than in the control group. Total branched-chain amino acids and the tyrosine ratio reached their peak on the 5th post-operative day (POD) and were significantly higher in the PG group. Post-operative portal blood flow was significantly increased in the PG group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that continuous intraportal administration of small doses of PGE1 is effective for the protection of hepatic function after hepatectomy.

Adult↗