Association of an acute reduction in lipoprotein(a) with coronary artery restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], which structurally resembles-tissue-type plasminogen, is reported to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis. We examined whether the acute change in Lp(a) by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is related to restenosis after PTCA. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured serum Lp(a) and other lipid parameters (triglycerides and total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol) before and 1 day after PTCA in 143 procedures and 3 days after and 4 months after PTCA in 62 procedures. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed, and restenosis was defined according to three criteria: (1) clinical recurrence of ischemic symptoms, (2) a final stenosis > 50%, and (3) an absolute decrease in minimal lumen diameter > 1/2 of the acute gain in the dilated segment. Restenosis was recognized in 25.9%, 35.7%, and 38.5% of the cases 4 months after PTCA for each criterion, respectively. Although triglyceride and LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol levels were similar in the restenosis and no-restenosis groups before PTCA, Lp(a) was significantly higher in the restenosis group. We found a significant reduction in Lp(a) in the restenosis but not the no-restenosis group 1 day after PTCA. At 3 days after and 4 months after PTCA, Lp(a) was similar in the two groups. A multivariate-analysis revealed that the absolute change in Lp(a) (before versus 1 day after PTCA) to be the sole significant predictor of restenosis among the clinical, angiographic, and plasma lipid parameters examined. CONCLUSIONS: Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in the restenosis group, and they fell significantly after PTCA in the restenosis group.     

Alternation in the coronary blood flow velocity pattern in patients with no reflow and reperfused acute myocardial infarction

1. The effects of fluvastatin, a new 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, on the vascular angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity in hyperlipidaemic rabbits were compared with those of enalapril, an ACE inhibitor. 2. Rabbits were fed a 1.5% cholesterol containing diet or normal diet for 16 weeks and treated with either fluvastatin or enalapril in the diet at the respective doses of 2 and 10 mg kg-1 day-1. The total cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels in serum were significantly increased in rabbits fed the high cholesterol diet. Treatment with fluvastatin but not enalapril resulted in a decrease in serum lipids. 3. The vascular ACE activities assessed via the cleavage rate from synthetic substrate in the aortic arches and upper thoracic aortae were increased by 8 to 10 times when the rabbits were made hyperlipidaemic. Fluvastatin as well as enalapril significantly lowered the tissue ACE in the aortae. 4. The ACE activities in serum did not alter in hyperlipidaemic rabbits either in the presence or absence of fluvastatin. The serum ACE activity was lowered by enalapril. 5. The lipid peroxide in serum as well as the plaque area in the thoracic aorta was significantly increased in the cholesterol diet-fed rabbits. Treatment with fluvastatin or enalapril reduced both serum lipid peroxide and plaque formation. The relaxant responses to acetylcoholine (ACh) were significantly suppressed in the cholesterol-fed rabbits. Treatment with fluvastatin or enalapril significantly reversed the suppression of ACh-induced relaxation. 6. It seems that the reduction of vascular ACE is not coupled to lipids and ACE activity in serum, but rather to lipid peroxidation. Thus, the decrease in vascular ACE activity by fluvastatin as well as the lipid-lowering effect may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis progression in the vasculature.     

A 1 ns, 1 W, 2.5 V, 32 Kb NTL-CMOS SRAM macro using a memory cellwith PMOS access transistors

While an ECL-CMOS SRAM can achieve both ultra high speed and high density, it consumes a lot of power and cannot be applied to low power supply voltage applications. This paper describes an NTL (Non Threshold Logic)-CMOS SRAM macro that consists of a PMOS access transistor CMOS memory cell, an NTL decoder with an on-chip voltage generator, and an automatic bit line signal voltage swing controller. A 32 Kb SRAM macro, which achieves a 1 ns access time at 2.5 V power supply and consumes a mere 1 W, has been developed on a 0.4 μm BiCMOS technology     

All-optical wavelength converter based on Er-doped laser cavity andintracavity LD amplifier

An optical wavelength converter is proposed based on a laser cavity that has a laser-diode amplifier as an optically driven gain modulator and an Er-doped, slow-response gain medium. The device converts ASK signal wavelengths over ~8.7 nm. Though the converted NRZ data signal is inverted, it is amplified by 18 dB with its extinction ratios improved to nearly unity. Although the data rate converted in the experiment is no more than 0.5 Mb/s, high-gain planar-waveguide technology may reduce the cavity length and increase the data rate     

Reduction of arsenic acid with aqueous sulfur dioxide

The reduction of arsenic acid with aqueous sulfur dioxide in sulfuric acid solutions is presented. First order kinetics with respect to arsenic acid and sulfur dioxide concentrations are observed. Appreciable reduction occurs only when tetravalent sulfur is present as sulfur dioxide. The protonation of arsenic acid in strong sulfuric acid solutions decreases the rate of pentavalent arsenic reduction.     

Distinction of Leu and Ile Using a Ruthenium(II) complex by MALDI-LIFT-TOF/TOF-MS analysis

The novel N-terminal labeling method using a ruthenium(II) complex derivative characteristically indicated a(n) and d(n) (N-terminal) fragment ions in high sensitivity by MS/MS analysis (MALDI-LIFT or ESI-CID). Although these fragment ions depended on a fragmentation process by MS/MS analytical methods to some degree, each case indicated similar side-chain cleavage patterns. The labeling method allows accurate distinction of amino acid residues by MS/MS analysis even if the residues are structural isomers such as leucine and isoleucine. The method was applied to long-chain peptides and provided easy and rapid N-terminal sequencing.     

In-line type micropulse lidar with an annular beam: experiment

An in-line type compact micropulse lidar (MPL) with an annular beam was developed for low-altitude cloud measurement. An optical circulator and a couple of axicon prisms for an annular beam were installed on the lidar optics. The advantage of using the in-line MPL is its ability to obtain a near-range measurement with a narrow field of view of 0.1 mrad and to obtain a depolarization measurement of the orthogonally polarized echoes caused by ice crystals of a low-altitude cloud. The total insertion loss of the lidar optics was 3 dB. Detectors such as avalance photodiode detectors can be operated in an analog mode near the breakdown voltage because of the high isolation of the optical circulator. The ideal lidar echo variation from the nearest distance was verified by measuring the mountain echoes at various distances. The depolarization measurement of a low-altitude ice cloud was also demonstrated.