The aim of this work - to estimate an association of metabolic syndrome (MS) with ischemic heart disease (IHD) in middle-aged Kaunas population and to propose the model for preventing prevalence of MS. Material and methods. Analysis was performed for 1336 persons aged 35-64 years (603 men and 733 women) - the participants of health survey which has been carried out according to the MONICA study protocol. MS was defined by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for the presence of three or more from five components: central obesity (waist circumference >102/88 cm (men/women)); fasting plasma glucose ≥6.1 mmol/l; triglycerides ≥1.7 mmol/l; high density lipoprotein cholesterol <1.04/1.3 mmol/l (men/women); systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥130 and/or 85 mmHg. IHD was diagnosed as previous myocardial infarction, angina pectoris or ischemic changes in electrocardiogram. Lifestyle habits were evaluated using frequency questionnaire. The relationship between MS and IHD in consideration of age and smoking habits was estimated using logistic regression. Results. Prevalence of MS in the study population was 19.4 percent for men and 26.3 percent for women. Prevalence of MS among men and women increased with age. Hypertension was the most frequent component of MS (64.1 percent for men and 54.2 percent. for women). The rate of IHD was 14.3 percent for men and 19.4 percent for women. Risk of IHD in subjects with MS in comparing to subjects without MS was higher: odds ratio 1.98 (95 percent... [to full text]

Tyrimo problema – išeminės širdies ligos išsivystymui yra svarbūs keli faktoriai, kurių pavienė įtaka yra įrodoma, tačiau svarbu išsiaiškinti, ar egzistuoja šių rizikos veiksnių tarpusavio sąsajos. Tyrimo tikslas - nustatyti išemine širdies liga sergančiųjų pacientų psichologinės – elgesio rizikos veiksnių ypatumus stacionarinės reabilitacijos laikotarpiu. Tyrime dalyvavo 204 Abromiškių Reabilitacinės Ligoninės kardiologinio skyriaus pacientai (110 vyrų, 94 moterys; amžiaus vidurkis – 64,29m.). Tyrimo metodika: remiantis klausimynu, buvo įvertinti tiriamųjų demografiniai rodikliai – amžius, lytis, išsilavinimas. Iš pacientų ligų istorijų buvo surinkti duomenys apie išeminės širdies ligos formą ar kitą diagnozę, arterinį kraujo spaudimą bei antsvorį. Požiūris į rūkymą, alkoholio vartojimą, taip pat fizinio aktyvumo lygmuo bei subjektyvus sveikatos vertinimas buvo nustatyti pagal tiriamųjų atsakymus į atitinkamus klausimus. Stresogeninis elgesys įvertintas Rosenman‘o elgesio tipo interviu. Tyrimo metu buvo gauti tokie rezultatai: vyrai yra labiau linkę vartoti tabaką bei alkoholį, jų fizinio aktyvumo lygmuo aukštesnis, lyginant su moterimis. Jaunesnio amžiaus moterys buvo labiau linkusios vartoti alkoholį nei vyresnės, o jaunesnio amžiaus vyrai buvo fiziškai aktyvesni nei vyresni. Aukštesnio išsilavinimo pacientai buvo labiau fiziškai aktyvūs nei žemesnio išsilavinimo. Išeminės širdies ligos forma ir arterinis kraujo spaudimas nėra susiję nei su tabako, nei su alkoholio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / There are some factors, which are significant for ischemic heart disease development; their discrete influence is evidence – based, but it is important to ascertain if there are relationships among these factors. The purpose of the study is to evaluate ischemic heart disease patients‘ psychological – behavioral risk characteristics, during in - patients’ rehabilitation period. The subjects of this study were 204 ischemic heart disease patients from Abromiskes Rehabilitational Hospital, cardiological department (110 men, 94 women; mean age – 64,29m.). The demographical patients‘ indicators – age, gender, education, were gathered using a questionnaire. The data about ischemic heart disease form or other diagnosis, arterial blood pressure, overweight were taken from medical history. The attitude towards smoking, alcohol use also physical activity level, subjective health status was measured by using special questions. Stressogenic behavior was valuated by using Rosenman‘s behavior type‘s interview. The results of the study showed that men are more likely to use tobacco and alcohol, their physical activity level is higher, comparing with women. Younger women were more likely to use alcohol, comparing with older women. Younger men were more physically active, comparing with older men. Patients with higher education were more physically active, comparing with patients with lower education. Ischemic heart disease form and arterial blood pressure were not related with tobacco or... [to full text]

The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of the remodeling of the heart right ventricle as well as the changes in the interstitial fibrillar collagen network of myocardium during pre-infarction, acute myocardial infarction and post-infarction development stages of IHD.Indications of right ventricle remodeling are estimated in all development stages of IHD. The concentric type of the right ventricle hypertrophy develops in patients with chronic IHD yet till the first acute MI occurs, i.e. in the pre-infarction period, due to the prolonged myocardial ischemia: its mass and endocardial surface area was bigger than the same parameters of the control group. In this stage of the development of the IHD the variation of right and left ventricle geometrical (endocardial area) and mass parameters was toughly related (linear relationship, r≥0, 5, p<0,05) and irrespective from the total stenotic lesion of the coronary arteries (index of stenosis). In the periods of acute MI and post-infarction IHD these parameters did not vary significantly, i.e. the concentric type hypertrophy of the right ventricle persists. The percentage volume, perimeter, number of bundles areas of the interstitial fibrillar collagen network increase significantly in the pre-infarction period, comparing with the control group and persists in later stages of IHD.

No description available.

Growing evidence from animal and clinical studies suggests that cardiac cell therapy can restore perfusion and improve function in the ischemic/infarcted myocardium. However, cell therapy is hindered by insufficient cell numbers, inefficient cell homing and engraftment, and inadequate cellular interactions. Furthermore, the biological mechanisms and local effects of transplanted cells have not been well-elucidated. The research presented herein attempts to address some of these issues. In manuscript #1, a new subpopulation of circulating progenitor cells (CPCs), termed derived CD133+ cells, was generated from the CD133- fraction of human peripheral blood. The derived CD133+ progenitors appeared to have superior vasculogenic potential in vitro, which may prove to be beneficial in inducing vasculogenesis in ischemic tissues. Positron emission tomography (PET) with direct cell labeling and reporter gene techniques were employed to assess the fate of transplanted human CPCs in vivo at different subjects of investigation, and different stages of cell transplantation. In manuscript #2, PET imaging with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) direct cell labeling was used to demonstrate that collagen-based matrices improve the early homing and retention of delivered CPCs in a rat ischemic hindlimb model. This mechanism conferred by the matrix may have implications on cell therapy at the early stages after transplantation. In manuscript #3, a more efficient, stable and accurate labeling method, hexadecyl-4-[18F]fluorobenzoate (18F-HFB) direct cell labeling, was developed to quantify cell distribution of transplanted CPCs in a rat myocardial infarction model. PET imaging of 18F-HFB-CPCs revealed significant cell washout from the myocardium immediately after intramyocardial injection, with only a small proportion of transplanted CPCs remaining in the target area in the first 4 hours after delivery. In manuscript #4, human CPCs transduced with lentiviral vectors showed stable expression of PET reporter genes. This reporter gene based-cell labeling technique can be developed for noninvasive tracking cells within a bioengineered matrix by PET, while preserving cell phenotype, viability and function. These studies contribute important insights into the biology and physiology of transplanted stem cells and the ability of delivery matrices to improve transplanted cell engraftment, survival, and function. I believe with further refinement, cell expansion, tissue engineering and PET imaging could facilitate the clinical applications of cell therapies in years to come.

Abstract There is substantial evidence on the associations between cold ambient temperature and adverse health effects. Less is known about the role of prolonged episodes of cold weather denoted as cold spells. This study assessed relations between cold spells and adverse health effects globally, and quantified and elaborated the associations between cold spells and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in northern Finland. Based on random-effects models in the meta-analyses of evidence from 9 studies around the world, cold spells were associated with increased mortality rates from all or all non-accidental causes (RR 1.10; 95% CI: 1.04–1.17), cardiovascular diseases (RR 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03–1.19), and respiratory diseases (RR 1.21; 95% CI: 0.97–1.51). Suggestive evidence of other health effects was identified. Investigating 51-years of coordinate-specific weather data at the home coordinates of autopsy-verified cases of SCD, conditional logistic regression in a case-crossover setting produced an estimate for the association between cold spells and the risk of SCD (OR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.00–1.78). A greater number of cold days preceding death increased the risk of SCD approximately 19% per day (OR 1.19; 95% CI: 1.07–1.32). The association between season-specific cold spells and SCD was strongest during autumn and winter, and lowest during spring and summer. The association was stronger for ischemic (OR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.12–2.13) than for non-ischemic SCD (OR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.32–1.45) (Q-statistic 3.85, p 0.05), confirmed by the autopsy finding. Among cases suffering ischemic SCD, the association seemed stronger in those without a prior diagnosis of ischemic heart disease than in those diagnosed during lifetime. The association seemed stronger with severe coronary stenosis (OR 1.60; 95% CI: 1.11–2.30), and weaker with moderate stenosis (OR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.37–2.55). The use of aspirin, β-blockers, and nitrates seemed to decrease the risk of ischemic SCD during cold spells. In conclusion, cold spells increased the risk of ischemic SCD, and patients without appropriate diagnosis and medications for ischemic heart disease seemed most susceptible. The results indicate that coronary stenosis plays a central role in the cold-related pathogenesis of SCD. Timely diagnosis and treatment of ischemic heart disease might reduce weather-related SCDs in a community. / Tiivistelmä Kylmän lämpötilan ja terveyshaittojen välisistä yhteyksistä on vahva tutkimusnäyttö. Vähemmän tiedetään pitkittyneiden kylmäjaksojen ja terveyshaittojen välisistä yhteyksistä. Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin kylmäjaksojen ja terveyshaittojen välisiä yhteyksiä globaalisti, ja määritettiin kylmäjaksojen ja sydänperäisen äkkikuoleman (SÄK) välisiä yhteyksiä Pohjois-Suomessa. Yhdeksän eri puolella maailmaa toteutetun tutkimuksen tulosten meta-analyysissa satunnaisvaikutusten malli osoitti yhteyden kylmäjaksojen ja kaikkien tai luonnollisien syiden (RR 1.10; 95% CI: 1.04–1.17), sydän- ja verisuonisairauksien (RR 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03–1.19), ja hengityselimistön sairauksien (RR 1.21; 95% CI: 0.97–1.51) kuolleisuuden välillä. Viitteellistä näyttöä havaittiin muista terveyshaitoista. Tutkittaessa 51-vuoden koordinaattikohtaista säätä case-crossover-asetelmassa oikeuslääketieteellisesti vahvistettujen SÄK-tapausten kotiosoitteissa, ehdollisen logistisen regression mukaan SÄK:n riski oli yhteydessä kuolemaa edeltävään kylmäjaksoon (OR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.00–1.78). Lisääntyvä kylmien päivien lukumäärä ennen kuolemaa lisäsi riskiä keskimäärin 19% päivää kohden (OR 1.19; 95% CI: 1.07–1.32). Yhteys kausikohtaisten kylmäjaksojen ja SÄK:n välillä oli vahvin syksyllä ja talvella, ja heikoin keväällä ja kesällä. Yhteys oli vahvempi kylmäjaksojen ja iskeemisen SÄK:n (OR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.12–2.13) kuin kylmäjaksojen ja ei-iskeemisen SÄK:n (OR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.32–1.45) välillä (Q-statistic 3.85, p 0.05). Iskeemisen SÄK:n kokeneilla yhteys vaikutti vahvemmalta tapauksilla joilla ei ollut aiempaa iskeemisen sydänsairauden diagnoosia, kuin tapauksilla jotka oli diagnosoitu elinaikana. Yhteys vaikutti vahvemmalta vaikea-asteisesta sepelvaltimostenoosia sairastavilla (OR 1.60; 95% CI: 1.11–2.30), kuin lievempi-asteisessa stenoosissa (OR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.37–2.55). Aspiriini, β-salpaajat, ja nitraatit vaikuttivat vähentävän iskeemisen SÄK:n riskiä kylmäjakson aikana. Yhteenvetona, kylmäjaksot lisäsivät iskeemisen SÄK:n riskiä, ja potilaat vailla iskeemisen sydänsairauden diagnoosia ja lääkityksiä vaikuttivat olevan alttiimpia kylmäjaksojen haittavaikutuksille. Tulokset viittaavat sepelvaltimostenoosin keskeiseen rooliin kylmään liittyvän SÄK:n patogeneesissä. Varhainen iskeemisen sydänsairauden diagnoosi ja siihen liittyvä sydäntä suojaava lääkitys voisivat vähentää säähän liittyviä SÄK:a.

Background Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) is an under-diagnosed disease with a prevalence of approximately 10%, highly dependent on age and smoking habits. Comorbidities are common in COPD and of these, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most common. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death globally, and CVD probably contribute to the high mortality. Within CVD, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is the most common. It is highly clinically relevant to identify signs of ischemic heart disease, other cardiac conditions, and risk factors for CVD in COPD. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a simple but still major diagnostic tool in clinical cardiology, including disturbances in the electric conduction system and ischemia. Due to the under-diagnosis of COPD, there is limited knowledge regarding the prevalence and prognostic impact of ECG abnormalities in COPD. Arterial stiffness is a risk factor for CVD, which has raised an increased interest, however not evaluated in population based studies of COPD. Aim The overall aim was to describe cardiovascular aspects on COPD, with a specific focus on arterial stiffness, prevalence and prognostic impact of ischemic ECG abnormalities and prolonged QT interval, by comparing subjects with and without obstructive lung function impairment in a population-based cohort. Methods The thesis is based on the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) COPD study; a population-based longitudinal cohort study. During the years 2002-2004, all participants in clinical examinations from previously recruited large population-based cohorts were invited to re-examination including spirometry and a structured interview. All subjects with obstructive lung function impairment (n=993) were identified, together with 993 age and sex-matched referents without airway obstruction. The study population (n=1986) has been invited to annual examinations since 2005 including spirometry and structured interview. Papers I-III are based on data from 2005 when electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded in addition to the basic program. All ECGs were Minnesota coded and QT-time was measured. Paper IV is based data from 2010 when non-invasive measurements of arterial stiffness, assessed as pulse wave velocity (PWV), was added to the program. Spirometric data were classified as normal lung function (NLF), restrictive spirometric pattern (RSP) and airway obstruction (COPD). The following spirometric criteria for COPD were used: post-bronchodilator FEV1/VC&lt;0.70 (papers I-IV, in paper III labelled GOLD-COPD) and lower limit of normal, LLN (LLN-COPD) (paper III). Spirometric classification of COPD severity was based on FEV1 % predicted as a continuous variable or according to the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), divided into GOLD 1-4. Results The prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD), both self-reported and assessed as probable and possible ischemic ECG abnormalities (I-ECG) according to the Whitehall criteria, was similar among subjects with NLF and COPD. The prevalence of both self-reported and probable (I-ECG) according to Whitehall increased by GOLD grade.  Among those with COPD, self-reported IHD was associated with disease severity, assessed as FEV1 % predicted also after adjustment for age and sex (paper I). In both COPD and NLF, those with I-ECG had a higher cumulative mortality over 5 years than those without I-ECG (29.6 vs. 10.6%, p&lt;0.001 and 17.1 vs. 6.3 %, p=0.001). When analysed in a multivariate model, the Mortality Risk Ratio (MRR, 95%CI) was increased for subjects with COPD and I-ECG (2.4, 1.5-3.9), and non-significantly so for NLF with I-ECG (1.65, 0.94-2.90), when compared to NLF without I-ECG.  When analyzed separately among subjects with COPD, the increased risk for death associated with I-ECG persisted independent of age, sex, BMI-class, smoking habits and disease severity assessed as FEV1 % predicted (1.89, 1.20-2.99). The proportion without reported IHD was high among those with I-ECG; 72.4% in NLF and 67.3% in COPD. The pattern was similar also among them; I-ECG was associated with an increased risk for death in COPD and non-significantly so in NLF (paper II). Mean corrected QT-time (QTc) and prevalence of QTc prolongation was higher in RSP than NLF but similar in NLF and GOLD-COPD. The prevalence of borderline as well as prolonged QTc increased by GOLD grade (test for trend p=0.012 for both groups). Of those with GOLD-COPD, 52% fulfilled the LLN-criterion (LLN-COPD). When comparing LLN-COPD and NLF, the pattern was similar as when comparing NLF and GOLD-COPD. The cumulative mortality over 5 years was higher among subjects with borderline and prolonged QTc than those with normal QTc in subjects with GOLD-COPD and LLN-COPD but not in NLF and RSP (paper III). Arterial stiffness, assessed as PWV, was higher in GOLD 3-4 compared to non-COPD (10.52 vs. 9.13 m/s, p=0.042). Reported CVD and age &gt;60 were both associated with significantly higher PWV in COPD as well as in non-COPD. In a multivariate model, GOLD 3-4 remained associated with higher PWV when compared with non-COPD, also when adjusted for sex, age group, smoking habits, blood pressure, reported CVD and pulse rate (paper IV). Conclusion In this population-based study, the prevalence of ischemic ECG abnormalities was similar among subjects with normal lung function and COPD, but increased by disease severity among subjects with COPD. Ischemic ECG abnormalities were associated with an increased mortality among subjects with COPD, independent of common confounders and disease severity, also among those without known heart disease. Whilst the prevalence of QTc prolongation was similar in NLF, COPD and LLN-COPD, it was associated with an increased mortality only in the COPD-groups. ECG is a simple non-invasive method and seems to identify findings of prognostic importance among subjects with COPD. Central arterial stiffness, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, was increased among subjects with severe and very severe COPD when compared to subjects without COPD independent of common confounders.

Growing evidence from animal and clinical studies suggests that cardiac cell therapy can restore perfusion and improve function in the ischemic/infarcted myocardium. However, cell therapy is hindered by insufficient cell numbers, inefficient cell homing and engraftment, and inadequate cellular interactions. Furthermore, the biological mechanisms and local effects of transplanted cells have not been well-elucidated. The research presented herein attempts to address some of these issues. In manuscript #1, a new subpopulation of circulating progenitor cells (CPCs), termed derived CD133+ cells, was generated from the CD133- fraction of human peripheral blood. The derived CD133+ progenitors appeared to have superior vasculogenic potential in vitro, which may prove to be beneficial in inducing vasculogenesis in ischemic tissues. Positron emission tomography (PET) with direct cell labeling and reporter gene techniques were employed to assess the fate of transplanted human CPCs in vivo at different subjects of investigation, and different stages of cell transplantation. In manuscript #2, PET imaging with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) direct cell labeling was used to demonstrate that collagen-based matrices improve the early homing and retention of delivered CPCs in a rat ischemic hindlimb model. This mechanism conferred by the matrix may have implications on cell therapy at the early stages after transplantation. In manuscript #3, a more efficient, stable and accurate labeling method, hexadecyl-4-[18F]fluorobenzoate (18F-HFB) direct cell labeling, was developed to quantify cell distribution of transplanted CPCs in a rat myocardial infarction model. PET imaging of 18F-HFB-CPCs revealed significant cell washout from the myocardium immediately after intramyocardial injection, with only a small proportion of transplanted CPCs remaining in the target area in the first 4 hours after delivery. In manuscript #4, human CPCs transduced with lentiviral vectors showed stable expression of PET reporter genes. This reporter gene based-cell labeling technique can be developed for noninvasive tracking cells within a bioengineered matrix by PET, while preserving cell phenotype, viability and function. These studies contribute important insights into the biology and physiology of transplanted stem cells and the ability of delivery matrices to improve transplanted cell engraftment, survival, and function. I believe with further refinement, cell expansion, tissue engineering and PET imaging could facilitate the clinical applications of cell therapies in years to come.

The final publication is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2013.11.054. Motoaki Ohnaka, Akira Marui, Kenichi Yamahara, Kenji Minakata, Kazuhiro Yamazaki, Motoyuki Kumagai, Hidetoshi Masumoto, Shiro Tanaka, Tadashi Ikeda, Ryuzo Sakata, Effect of microRNA-145 to prevent vein graft disease in rabbits by regulation of smooth muscle cell phenotype, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Volume 148, Issue 2, August 2014, Pages 676-682.e2, ISSN 0022-5223. / 京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第18544号 / 医博第3937号 / 新制||医||1006(附属図書館) / 31444 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 木村 剛, 教授 野田 亮, 教授 瀬原 淳子 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Although overall mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) has decreased, there are subsets of patients, particularly youngwomen, in whom the mortality rate has increased. Underlying sex differences in CHD may be an explanation. Women have more frequent symptoms, more ischemia, and higher mortality than men, but less obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite this, traditional risk factor assessment has been ineffective in risk stratifying women, prompting the emergence of novel markers and prediction scores to identify a population at risk. Sex differences inmanifestations and the pathophysiology of CHD also have led to differences in the selection of diagnostic testing and treatment options for women, having profound effects on outcomes. The frequent finding of nonobstructive CAD in women with ischemia suggests microvascular dysfunction as an underlying cause; therefore, coronary reactivity and endothelial function testing may add to diagnostic accuracy in female patients. In spite of evidence that women benefit from the same therapies as men, they continue to receive lessaggressive therapy, which is reflected in higher healthcare resource utilization and adverse outcomes. More sex-specific research is needed in the area of symptomatic nonobstructive CAD to define the optimal therapeutic approach.