The TG/HDL-C could predict the incident fatty liver. Thus, it is important to check TG/HDL-C and lifestyles modification is needed for preventing future fatty liver disease in patients with high TG/HDL-C.

Long-term immunization against the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor caused EAD and APD prolongation and decreased the K-channel density, suggesting that an arrhythmic substrate via autoimmune mechanisms is present in cardiomyopathic patients who have autoantibodies directed against the receptors.

Recent studies have suggested that the inter-arm blood pressure difference (IAD) is associated with cardiovascular events and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess whether the IAD could be a marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a cross-sectional retrospective study of 206 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes aged 49-76 years, we examined the correlation of the IAD with the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), ankle-brachial index (ABI) or cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI). The IAD was positively correlated with the maximum IMT (r=0.266, P<0.0001), mean IMT (r=0.209, P=0.00726) or CAVI (r=0.240, P=0.0005). The IAD was higher in patients with CVD than in those without (P=0.0020). A multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that the IAD was an independent determinant of maximum IMT (β=0.169, P=0.0167), mean IMT (β=0.178, P=0.0153), ABI (β=-0.222, P=0.0033) or CAVI (β=0.213, P=0.0011) after adjusting for known risk factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the IAD as a predictor of subclinical atherosclerosis was similar to the AUC of the Framingham 10-year coronary heart disease risk score. In conclusion, the IAD could be a novel risk marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Calcium overload plays a key role in the development of atrial electrical remodeling. The effect of an L-type Ca channel blocker in preventing this remodeling has been reported to be short lasting, partly due to down-regulation of this channel and persisting Ca entry through the T-type Ca channel. To prove if efonidipine, a dual L- and T-type Ca channel blocker exerts a greater effect than an L-type Ca channel blocker verapamil, 21 dogs underwent rapid atrial pacing at 400 bpm for 14 days, pretreatment with efonidipine in 7 (E), verapamil in 7 (V), and none in 7 (C). We measured the atrial effective refractory period (ERP) serially during 14 days of rapid pacing. In response to rapid pacing, ERP decreased progressively in C. In contrast, in E and V, ERP remained greater than ERP in C (P < 0.01) on days 2 through 7. However, on the 14th day, ERP in V decreased to the level seen in C, whereas ERP in E remained significantly longer than ERPs in C or V (P < 0.01). The blockade L-type Ca channel alone is not sufficient, but the addition of a T-type Ca channel blockade shows a more sustained effect to prevent atrial electrical remodeling.

Twenty cases of malignant lymphomas (ML) of the oral cavity were reviewed in the light of recent histologic classification. They occurred in 12 male and 8 female patients, with the age range of 11–80 years (median 51 years of age). Eighty percent of patients were stages IE and HE. Histologically, 15 cases (75%) were ordinary non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with diffuse large cell type being the most common. The remaining 5 cases, undefinable by classification scheme for ordinary NHL, were designated as malignant histiocytosis of the oral cavity (3 cases) and peripheral T‐cell lymphoma (2 cases), respectively. There were no cases of follicular lymphoma. The present cases comprised 45% of high grade. 40% of intermediate grade, and 15% of low grade malignancy. A follow‐up study showed that the stage of diseage, histologic classification, and frequency of mitosis correlated well with survival.

Phase 2 reentry (P2R) is known to be one of the mechanisms of malignant ventricular arrhythmias, especially those associated with Brugada syndrome. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism for P2R. Our aim in this study was to simulate P2R in a mathematical model to enable us to understand its mechanism and identify a potential therapeutic target. A mathematical model of the L-type Ca current was composed according to whole cell current data from guinea pig ventricular myocytes recorded at 37 degrees C. Our mathematical model was incorporated into the modified Luo-Rudy phase 2 model. We set a dispersion in transient outward current (I(to)) density within the theoretical fiber, composed of 80 serially arranged epicardial cells with gap junctions and then observed the P2R. The dispersion in I(to) density within an only 0.8-cm epicardial theoretical fiber generated P2R with our Ca channel but not with the original model. When the P2R developed in the theoretical fiber, the calculated extracellular field potential showed coved-type ST segment elevation. We succeeded in generating P2R in our model for the first time. The local epicardial P2R may contribute the genesis of coved-type ST segment elevation in the Brugada syndrome.

AimsPhrenic nerves (PNs) can be damaged during interventional cardiovascular therapy because of the nerves' proximity to the heart. This study aimed to analyse the anatomy of the PN by performing three-dimensional (3-D) imaging and pace mapping. Methods and resultsForty consecutive patients with atrial fibrillation referred for catheter ablation were enrolled in this study and underwent preoperative cardiovascular computed tomography (CT). In 10 patients with sinus rhythm during tomography, 3-D images of the right and left pericardiophrenic bundles (PBs), consisting of the ipsilateral PN and accompanying vessels, were reconstructed from the CT data. During the electrophysiological study, PN pace mapping was performed from both atria. The course of the PBs generated by CT imaging and the PN pace map generated by the 3-D mapping system were compared. By electrical pacing, the PNs were captured in 40 individuals (100%) from the superior vena cava and the right atrium, and in 17 patients (43%) from the left atrial appendage. Clear 3-D images of PBs were reconstructed in all cases in which CT-reconstruction was performed. The distance between the locations of the right PB generated by CT imaging and those of the right PN-capture sites in the right-sided heart on the mapping system was 8.7 + 5.8 mm. ConclusionsThe 3-D routes of the bilateral PNs passing near the heart were verified by pace mapping. The preoperatively reconstructed 3-D course of the PB succeeded in locating the PN, which may facilitate the comprehension of PN anatomy to avoid its injury during interventional cardiovascular therapy.--

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