Effects of interleukin-1 gene polymorphisms on the development of coronary artery disease associated with Chlamydia pneumoniae infection

OBJECTIVES

This study was done to elucidate the effects of interleukin (IL)-1 gene polymorphisms on coronary artery disease (CAD) associated with Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) infection.

BACKGROUND

It was suggested that CP was associated with CAD. However, genetic factors involved in CAD associated with CP infection are unknown.

METHODS

We evaluated CP immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity and IL-1 beta (a C/T transition at -511) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) (a variable-number repeat in intron 2) gene polymorphisms in 292 patients undergoing coronary angiography.

RESULTS

Seropositivity for CP was present in 61% of patients with CAD versus 51% without CAD (p = NS). The percentage of patients having IL-1 beta (-511) C/C genotype and/or IL-1Ra (intron 2) 2- or 3-repeat allele was higher in patients with CAD than without CAD (29 vs. 16%, p < 0.025). To clarify the effects of these CAD-associated variants (IL-1 beta C/C and/or IL-1Ra 2- or 3-repeat), patients were divided into four groups. A stepwise increase in CAD prevalence was observed depending on CP seropositivity and the variants. Odds ratios (ORs) for CAD were 1.4 in the group with seropositivity alone, 1.7 with the variants alone and 3.8 with seropositivity and the variants. Such variants were associated with CAD in both patients with and without seropositivity. Interestingly, high prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI) was confined to the group with seropositivity and the variants (OR, 2.8). The variants were associated with MI only in patients with CP seropositivity.

CONCLUSIONS

The IL-1 gene polymorphisms were found to play a role in the development of CAD, especially MI, in patients with CP infection.

[Cost-effectiveness of exercise 201Tl myocardial SPECT in patients with chest pain assessed by decision-tree analysis]

To evaluate the potential cost-effectiveness of exercise 201Tl myocardial SPECT in outpatients with angina-like chest pain, we developed a decision-tree model which comprises three 1000-patient groups, i.e., a coronary arteriography (CAG) group, a follow-up group, and a SPECT group, and total cost and cardiac events, including cardiac deaths, were calculated. Variables used for the decision-tree analysis were obtained from references and the data available at our hospital. The sensitivity and specificity of 201Tl SPECT for diagnosing angina pectoris, and its prevalence were assumed to be 95%, 85%, and 33%, respectively. The mean costs were 84.9 x 10(4) yen/patient in the CAG group, 30.2 x 10(4) yen/patient in the follow-up group, and 71.0 x 10(4) yen/patient in the SPECT group. The numbers of cardiac events and cardiac deaths were 56 and 15, respectively in the CAG group, 264 and 81 in the follow-up group, and 65 and 17 in the SPECT group. SPECT increases cardiac events and cardiac deaths by 0.9% and 0.2%, but it reduces the number of CAG studies by 50.3%, and saves 13.8 x 10(4) yen/patient, as compared to the CAG group. In conclusion, the exercise 201Tl myocardial SPECT strategy for patients with chest pain has the potential to reduce health care costs in Japan.

[Cardiac sarcoidosis complicated by multivessel coronary spasm: a case report]

A 63-year-old woman with abnormal Q waves in leads II, III, aVF developed ventricular tachycardia after an operation for thyroid carcinoma. Coronary arteriography revealed no organic stenosis, but acetylcholine induced total occlusion of the right coronary artery and severe narrowing of the left coronary artery. Left ventriculography showed inferoposterior and septal akinesis, and echocardiography revealed slight thinning of these affected walls. She had old myocardial infarction due to spasm. One year later, she developed bilateral uveitis and recurrence of tachycardia. Cardiac sarcoidosis was diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy. In our patient with cardiac sarcoidosis, the presence of multivessel coronary spasm made the diagnosis difficult and may have contributed to cardiac dysfunction. Coronary arteries are rarely involved, but the development of coronary spasm may be linked to sarcoidosis.

Maternally transmitted susceptibility to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and left ventricular hypertrophy

OBJECTIVES

We studied the association of diabetes transmission with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).

BACKGROUND

It is suggested that NIDDM has a strong genetic basis and that maternally transmitted NIDDM is associated with mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mutations. However, genetic factors for LVH in NIDDM are unknown.

METHODS

We investigated the family history of diabetes and the prevalence of LVH using electrocardiography in 834 patients with NIDDM, of whom 199 also underwent echocardiography.

RESULTS

Of the 834 patients, 121 had diabetic mothers, 122 had diabetic fathers and 30 had both. The LVH criterion of S(v1) + R(V5) or R(v6) >35 mm was met in 148 patients. The percentage of patients having diabetic mothers was higher in those with LVH criterion (29%) than without it (16%) (p < 0.001), but the percentage of patients having diabetic fathers was similar in those with LVH (18%) and without it (18%). Compared with the 683 patients with nondiabetic mothers, the 151 patients with diabetic mothers were younger and had earlier onset of diabetes. The percentage of patients having diabetic siblings was also higher in those with diabetic mothers (31%) than in those with nondiabetic mothers (18%) (p < 0.001). On electrocardiograms, the prevalence of LVH was higher in patients with diabetic mothers (28%) than in those with nondiabetic mothers (15%) (p < 0.001). Echocardiograms showed that patients with diabetic mothers had greater left ventricular wall thickness and mass than those with nondiabetic mothers. In multivariate analysis, the family history of diabetes in mothers was an independent factor to LVH, but the family history of diabetes in fathers was not.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal transmission of diabetes was associated with LVH in patients with NIDDM. Some genetic factors of diabetes, such as mitochondrial DNA abnormalities, may contribute to the development of LVH in maternally transmitted NIDDM.

Rapid progression of cardiomyopathy in mitochondrial diabetes

Cardiac involvement and its clinical course in a diabetic patient with a mitochondrial tRNA(Leu)(UUR) mutation at position 3243 is reported in a 54-year-old man with no history of hypertension. At age 46, an electrocardiogram showed just T wave abnormalities. At age 49, it fulfilled SV1 + RV5 or 6>35 mm with strain pattern. At age 52, echocardiography revealed definite left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, and abnormally increased mitochondria were shown in biopsied endomyocardial specimens. He was diagnosed as having developed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated with the mutation. However, at age 54, SV1 and RV5,6 voltages were decreased, and echocardiography showed diffuse decreased LV wall motion and LV dilatation. Because he had mitochondrial diabetes, the patient's heart rapidly developed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and then it seemed to be changing to a dilated LV with systolic dysfunction. Rapid progression of cardiomyopathy can occur in mitochondrial diabetes.

Exercise-induced T-wave alternans as a marker of high risk in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Microvolt-level T-wave alternans (alternating morphology from beat to beat) during atrial pacing and exercise may predict ventricular tachycardia (VT) and fibrillation (VF) in ischemic heart disease. We tested whether such alternans during exercise could identify high-risk patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We studied 14 HCM patients and 9 normal control subjects for T-wave alternans u sing the CH2000 system with 7 multisegment electrodes in a Frank orthogonal (XYZ) configuration. Bicycle ergometer exercise was used to increase the heart rate (HR) to 95-110 beats/min. Seven patients were at high risk for ventricular arrhythmias (1 with sustained VT, 3 with abnormal paced ventricular electrograms as seen in VF survivors, and 3 with nonsustained VT and/or an adverse family history), and the other 7 were at low risk. T-wave alternans was present if alternans > 1.9 microV was consistently present with the HR in excess of a patient-specific HR threshold. Alternans was found in 5 of 7 high-risk patients (71%) vs none of 7 low-risk patients or 9 control subjects (p < 0.025 and p < 0.01, respectively). Notably, all 4 patients with sustained VT or abnormal ventricular electrograms showed alternans. Thus, high-risk patients with HCM often show T-wave alternans. Microvolt-level alternans during exercise may be a useful marker for ventricular arrhythmic risk in patients with HCM.

[Chest radiographic diagnosis of dissecting thoracic descending aorta]

Widening of the aortic shadow on chest radiography is one of the first indicators of aortic dissection. The degree of widening of the aortic shadow was estimated on two successive chest radiographs (mean [+/-SD] interval 0.8 +/- 0.7 years) before and after aortic dissection in 11 patients (four with DeBakey classification type I, seven with type III dissection). The distance between the center of each thoracic vertebra and the lateral margin of the descending aortic shadow (L) was measured. Since only a supine frontal film is usually available in acute aortic dissection, chest radiographs in both erect and supine positions were compared in 18 patients with hypertension. On supine films, L was larger than that on erect films, but the difference (delta L) was minimal (+2.6 mm) at the level of the tracheal bifurcation. Therefore, the L at the level of tracheal bifurcation (Lb) was best suited for comparing films taken in different positions. On supine films, Lb was significantly longer in patients with aortic dissection than in patients with hypertension (60.5 +/- 8.2 vs 46.0 +/- 7.9 mm, p < 0.001), and none with dissection showed Lb < 50 mm. Serial change of L over the follow-up of 1.4 +/- 0.7 years in patients with hypertension was also examined in erect films and was less than +1 mm. When the index film in a supine position was compared with the previous films in an erect position, delta Lb in patients with aortic dissection was +12.7 +/- 5.6 mm, which was significantly greater than that in patients with hypertension (+2.9 +/- 2.8 mm, p < 0.001). All 11 patients with aortic dissection showed delta Lb > or = +7 mm, but only one patient with hypertension (6%) exhibited this finding. Chest radiography is useful for identifying patients with aortic dissection, who characteristically show Lb > or = 50 mm on presentation and delta Lb > or = +7 mm, compared with previous films.

ECG differentiation of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy from coronary artery disease with left ventricular dysfunction

To elucidate electrocardiographic differences of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and coronary artery disease (CAD) with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, 12-lead electrocardiograms in 23 patients with DCM, 36 patients with CAD and LV dysfunction, and 63 normal subjects were analyzed. Abnormal Q waves were seen in 69% of CAD patients and in 26% of DCM patients. Abnormal Q waves in leads II, III, aVF, or V2-V4 were present in 61% of CAD patients compared with 4% of DCM patients (P < .001). The R wave in lead RV6 voltage in DCM was the highest among the three groups and correlated with the degree of LV dilatation. RV6 voltage in CAD was the lowest and decreased in proportion to the severity of the apical thallium-201 defect RV6 voltage of 15 mm or more was present in 78% of DCM patients compared with 11% of CAD patients (P < .001). The R waves in leads I, II, and III (RI, RII, RIII) were also low in DCM. Therefore, all voltage ratios of RV6/RI, RII, RIII were the highest in DCM. In particular, the ratio of RV6 over the maximum R wave in leads I, II, and III (RV6/Rmax) in DCM correlated with the degree of LV dilatation and inversely with ejection fraction. RV6/Rmax was significantly higher in the DCM group compared with the CAD and control groups (3.3 vs 1.2, 1.2, respectively; P < .001). This ratio of 3 or more was present in 61% of the DCM patients but in none of the CAD patients or normal subjects (P < .001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

ECG characteristics of dilated cardiomyopathy

To elucidate the electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the authors analyzed the 12-lead ECGs and echocardiograms in 45 patients with DCM, 54 patients with left ventricular (LV) dilatation secondary to valvular heart disease (VHD), 101 hypertensive patients with LV hypertrophy, and 63 normal control subjects. In addition, serial ECG and echocardiographic changes in DCM during a mean follow-up period of 1.6 years were evaluated. Sokolow's criterion (S wave in lead V1 [SV1] + R wave in lead V5 or V6 [RV5 or RV6] > 35 mm) was met comparably in patients with DCM (69%), VHD (61%), and hypertension (74%) (P = NS). Notably, RV6 in DCM was the highest among the four groups and correlated with the degree of LV dilatation. In contrast, the R waves in leads I, II, and III (RI, RII, RIII) in DCM were the lowest and were not affected by the degree of LV dilatation, although RII and RIII in VHD and RI in hypertension correlated with the degree of LV dilatation and hypertrophy, respectively. As a result, all voltage ratios of RV6/RI, RII, RIII in DCM were not only the highest, but also increased linearly as the LV dilated progressively during the follow-up period. In particular, RV6 over the maximum R wave in leads I, II, and III (RV6/Rmax) in DCM correlated with the degree of LV dilatation and inversely correlated with ejection fraction. Subjects with DCM had a significantly higher RV6/Rmax than did patients with VHD, hypertension, and normal subjects (3.4 vs 1.7, 1.4, 1.2, respectively; P < .001), and this ratio of > or = 3 was seen in 67% of the DCM patients versus 4% of the VHD patients, 1% of the hypertensive patients, and 0% of the normal subjects. Thus, DCM commonly shows the ECG signs of LV hypertrophy, but characteristically has the high voltage ratios of RV6/RI, RII, RIII.

A case of cavernous hemangioma in the internal auditory canal

A case of cavernous hemangioma in the internal auditory canal was reported. The chronology of this case was similar as one of Ménière's disease. The neurotological findings in this case were no specific findings to differentiate cavernous hemangioma from acoustic neurinoma. The high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) revealed calcium stippling in the lesions, whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a low signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images. Comparison of HRCT and MRI findings is most useful for differential diagnosis of intracanalicular tumors.

Velar activity and timing of eustachian tube function in swallowing

Velar motion for dry and liquid swallows was investigated. as well as velar activity in speech, based on X-ray microbeam pellet tracking data. Electromyographic recordings for tensor and levator veli palatini were obtained simultaneously. Velar pellet trajectories for swallowing were more complex than for speech, since there was a high-velocity anterior component in swallowing. For some swallows this anterior component was integrated with velar elevation (especially in liquid swallows), but in other cases initial velar elevation occurred considerably earlier (chiefly in dry swallows). The burst of tensor and levator veli palatini activity characteristic of swallowing was associated with the anterior component of velar pellet motion, but not consistently with velar elevation per se. The conventional view on timing of tensor veli palatini contraction in a swallow, which governs Eustachian tube opening, is that this is associated with velar closure. The X-ray microbeam data suggest rather that Eustachian tube ventilation is more closely associated in time to the onset of pharyngeal peristalsis, which may or may not coincide with initial velar elevation.

[Nasal resistance in school children and students]

In terms of the nozzle active anterior rhinomanometry, nasal resistance was measured in 297 school children and students with no history of nasal and respiratory diseases (151 males and 146 females), aged 6 to 17 years. Nasal resistance was evaluated at rest and after physical exercise. Single master two-step test was employed as physical exercise. Then, the relationships among the nasal resistance, age and the effect of exercise were studied. Subjects were divided into four groups by means of nasal resistance at rest and their response to the physical exercise: the age of 6 to 8, 9 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15 to 17 years. 1) Nasal resistance at rest From 6 to 8 years, nasal resistance was very high. This high value may be due to the large anatomical size of their adenoid. From 9 to 11 years, the older the age was, the smaller the nasal resistance became. The difference between mean values of the nasal resistance of 9 and 11 year old children was statistically significant. However, from 12 to 14 years, nasal resistance once increased and then decreased again during this particular period. This chronological change of resistance may be contributed to the discrepancy of the anatomical maturation of the nasal structure. That is, the nasal turbinates seems to develop prior to the growth of the nasal frame work. Therefore nasal air passage may relatively be narrow until the nasal frame work is well developed. This transient increment of nasal resistance was statistically significant. Thereafter, from 15 to 17 years, nasal resistance was continuously decreased and approaching to the adult value. 2) Effect of physical exercise From 10 to 14 years, nasal resistance was significantly decreased after physical exercise. From 6 to 7 and 15 to 17 years, changes after exercise were unpredictable. This may be attributed to the prematurity of the autonomic nervous system in 6 to 7 years and the instability of autonomic control in 15 to 17 years. These results suggest that the autonomic nervous system gives much influence to the regulation of the nasal resistance.