BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia is the one of the major risk factors causing the atherosclerosis of coronary arteries. Treatment of hyperlipidemia with drugs has been confirmed the effects of therapy showing a decreased incidence of coronary artery disease. Pravastatin is one of the new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and we studied the short-term hypolipidemic effects and safety of pravastatin in patients with hyperlipidemia. METHODS: We studied 31 patients(7 males and 24 females ; range of age, 36-67 years) for 12 weeks whose plasma levels of total cholesterol were higher than 250mg% after one month period of diet therapy. Pravastatin was administered 10mg/day and measured lipid profiles at 4 week interval. RESULTS: Pravastatin reduced the plasma total cholesterol from 286.2mg% to 212.3mg% (25.9%), the LDL-cholesterol from 204.2mg% to 143.6mg% (29.7%), the triglyceride from 226.0mg% to 161.4mg% (28.6%) after 12 weeks treatment. The HDL-cholesterol increased from 25.8mg% to 46.4mg% (20.5%) after pravastatin therapy. These changes were disclosed all statistically significant compared to baseline levels(p<0.01). The clinical and laboratory examinations before and after pravastatin treatment showed no particular abnormal findings. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that short-term pravastatin therapy in patients with hyperlipidemia seems to be very effective and safe.
Atherosclerosis ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Diet Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Incidence ; Male ; Plasma ; Pravastatin* ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides

To evaluate the effect of Perindopril in patients with essential hypertension, we administered Perindopril 4 to 8mg/day once daily to 30 patients(18 males, 12 females) for 12 weeks. Baseline blood pressure after 4 weeks with placebo was 150.4+/-7.5/102.0+/-4.3mmHg. The blood pressures of the patients were declined significantly at 4th(140.6+/-14.9/95.4+/-6.5), 8th(136.7+/-11.4/91.7+/-7.6), and 12th(132.3+/-11.1/87.5+/-6.9) week(p<0.01) without change of heart rate. The blood pressure of the patients was normalized below 140/30mmHg in 24 patients(80%) and declined diastolic blood pressure more than 10mmHg in one patients. Therefore the response rate of perindopril was 83.3%. There were reported 3 patients who revealed mild adverse reactions as follows; cough, indigestion, dizziness in one each. In conclusion, these results indicate that antihypertensive therapy with perindopril single daily dose was effective in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension and well tolerated.
Blood Pressure ; Cough ; Dizziness ; Dyspepsia ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Male ; Perindopril*

BACKGROUND: The cardiac troponin I (cTnI), one of the subunits of the troponin regulatory complex, binds to actin and inhibits interactions between actin and myosin. cTnI is highly sensitive and specific marker for myocardial injury and is useful in diagnosis and detection of reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this study, we measured the serum concentration of cTnI according to serial time after chest pain in patients with AMI and compared serum concentration of cTnI with CK-MB and echocardiographic data to evaluate the significance of measuring serum concentration of cTnI in AMI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on 16 patients with first attack of AMI within 6 hours of chest pain. All patients were performed thrombolytic therapy and reperfusion was confirmed by coronary angiography. Blood samples for measuring of CK-MB and cTnI were collected at 4-h intervals during the first 24 h, 12-h intervals until 48 h, and 24-h intervals until fourth days after hospitalization. Echocardiography were performed before thrombolytic therapy in all patients. RESULTS: 1) The mean age of subjects was 63.6+/-11.5 years (range:44 - 84 years) and 11 patients were men and 5 patients were women. The site of infarction was anterior in 11 patients and inferior in 5 patients. 2) The peak concentrations of CK-MB and cTnI were reached from 4-h to 12-h after admission in all patients (7.3+/-2.6-h, and 9.0+/-3.1-h, respectively), but there was no significant difference in peak time. 3) Serum concentration of CK-MB was normalized at 72-h after admission, but cTnI was remained in increased state until 96-h after admission. The numbers of the patients with above cutoff value of CK-MB and cTnI at different time after admission were significantly different after 72-h (p<0.05). 4) The peak cTnI and sigma cTnI level were significantly correlated with peak CK-MB and sigma CK-MB level, respectively (r 2 =0.7955, p<0.0001 and r 2 =0.6378, p=0.0002, respectively). 5) The ejection fraction was not correlated with peak cTnI concentration (r 2 =0.0948, p=0.2461) and sigma cTnI (r 2 =0.1867, p=0.0946). 6) The wall motion score index was not correlated with peak cTnI concentration (r 2 =0.2135, p=0.0716), but significantly correlated with sigma cTnI (r 2 =0.2540, p=0.0465). CONCLUSION: The serum concentration of cTnI was useful in late diagnosis of AMI and cTnI release in patients with AMI was correlated with myocardial infarct size.
Actins ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infarction ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myosins ; Reperfusion ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Troponin I* ; Troponin*

BACKGROUND: The goal of antihypertensive therapy will be to extended the life expectancy of hypertensive patients to that of subjects without high blood pressure. Hypertension treatment in the 1990s will focus on the mechanisms by which blood pressure is lowered by various antihypertensive agents, as will as individualization of drug therapy. In recognition of their lack of adverse lipid effects and their tolerability, first line therapy with alpha blocker, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium antagonists will become increasingly commom. We studied a new dihydropyridine calcium antagonist barnidipine to evaluate the efficacy and safety in patients with essential hypertension. METHODS: The rabit aortic rings were cut and mounted on the force transducer to record an isometric tension on polygraph. To elucidate the mechanism of saponin effect on vascular smooth muscle, the contractility of the vascular smooth muscle were measured under vatying experimental condition. RESULTS: 1) The baseline sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 4 weeks washout period were 154.+/-15.9mmHg and 1.0+/-8.2mmHg. At the end of 8 weeks of therapy sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 126+/-9.5mmHg and 84.5+/-4.6mmHg which declined statistically significant(p<0.05). 2) The pulse rates did not change significantly during treatment period(70.0+/-6.6 beats / min at baseline, 70.9+/-7.2 beats / min at 2 weeks, 71.2+/-5.0 beats / min at 4 weeks, 72.8+/-8.5 beats / min at 6 weeks, and 71.9+/-6.8 beats / min). 3) The adverse reactions due to branidipine were reported in 2 patients(6.5%) with headache, 2 patients(6.5%) with facial flushing, 1 patient(3.4%) with dizziness and 1 patients(3.4%) with nausea and vomiting). 4) The abnormal laboratory findings due to barnidipine were reported in 1 patient with increased total bilirubin and GPT, 1 patient with increased transaminase and 1 patient with CK but another findings were normal. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that barnidipine is effective and safe antihypertensive agent in the treatment of essential hypertension.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Bilirubin ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Dizziness ; Drug Therapy ; Flushing ; Headache ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Life Expectancy ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Nausea ; Saponins ; Transducers

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of oral angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension has been well documented. Fosinopril is a member of a new class of phosphorous containing ACE inhibitors and is a cleared almost equally by both renal and hepatic routes. METHODS: To evaluate the effects of fosinopril, a new angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension, we administered fosinopril 10~40mg/day once daily to 32 patients(14 males, 18 females; range of age, 40~71 years old) with dose titration every 2 weeks. RESULTS: The baseline blood pressure after 4 weeks wash-out period was 156.3+/-22.3/104.8+/-5.93mmHg. After fosinopril therapy, the blood pressure declined to 150.0+/-27.8/96.4+/-12.2mmHg with 10mmg/day and 144.4+/-20.0/95.21+/-9.95mmHg with 20mg/day, 139.6+/-18.3/85.1+/-9.71mmHg with 30mg/day.During the period of maintenance after dose titration of fosinopril every 2 weeks for 8 weeks, the blood pressure were declined statistically significant (p<0.05). But the heart rate was not changed throughout the period of treatment. The efficacy of fosinopril therapy disclosed 26 patients(81.3%) with normalized diastolic blood pressure and 4 patients(11.8%) with more than 10mmHg decline of diastolic blood pressure. Therefore, the efficacy of fosinopril in these particular patients was 93.1% and two patients(6.9%) showed a failure of fosinopril therapy. The adverse reaction due to fosinopril were reported in 3 patients(9.4%) with dry cough, 1 patients(3.1%) with palpitation and 1 patients(3.1%) with dizziness, but there were patients who discontinued fosinopril due to adverse reaction. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that antihypertensive therapy with fosinopril was effective and well tolerated in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Angiotensins ; Blood Pressure ; Cough ; Dizziness ; Female ; Fosinopril* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Male

No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography, Stress*

BACKGROUND: It is known from the extensive experimental and clinical experiences that dipyridamole infusion can provoke myocardial ischemia in the presence of coronary artery stenosis. Conversely, the decrement of regional contractile function is directly related to the regional subendocardial blood flow with acute progressive stenosis and during stress induced ischemia. METHODS: To assess the clinical usefulness of dipyridamole echocardiography test and 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile(MIBI) single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) in detecting coronary artery disease(CAD), 33 patients(21 males, 12 females, mean age : 56 years) RESULTS: Dipyridamole echocardiography and MIBI SPECT identified 15(75%) and 12 (60%) out of the 20 patients with significant CAD(defined as> or =75% diameter stenosis). The sensitivity and specificity for ditecting individual diseased vessels were 67% and 83% for dipyridamole echocardiography and 46% and 91% for MIBI SPECT respectively. Dipyridamole echocardiography test had slightly higher sensitivity than SPECT in detecting isolated left anterior descending coronary stenosis(75% vs 50%, p<0.05). No patients had significant side effects with dipyridamole injection. CONCLUSION: Both dipyridamole echocardiography test and 99mTC-MIBI SPECT may be useful noninvasive methods for the evaluation of suspected coronary artery disease.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dipyridamole* ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Stress ; Female ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

BACKGROUND: The electrocardiogram may provide valuable information regarding the identity of the culprit coronary artery and the location of obstructing lesion within the artery, which may be of guidance in selecting the therapeutic modality. Previous studies have concluded that changes in lateral leads (I, aVL, V5, V6) are predictive of left circumflex coronary artery obstruction in inferior wall acute myocardial infarction. Elect-rocardiographic criteria for determining the location of the obstructing lesion, however, have not been well established. The purpose of this study is to investigate the patterns of ST segment depression in lateral leads in inferior wall acute myocardial infarction and the obstruction site of culprit artery according to ST segment depression in lateral leads. METHODS: We examined 78 patients with inferior wall acute myocardial infarction analizing their electrocardiogram and coronary angiography which performed during acute hospitalization. RESULTS: Of the fifty-five patients in which the culprit artery could be determined, 1)in 41 the culprit artery was the right coronary artery (19 proximal to the right ventricular branch and 22 distal), and in 14 the left circumflex coronary artery (7 proximal to the first obtuse marginal branch or involving a high first obtuse marginal branch, and 7 with distal obstruction). 2)Significant ST depression (ST< or =1 mm) in leads I and aVL was more common in right coronary artery obstruction (p<0.05 and p=0.01 respectively) than left circumflex artery. 3)It was difficult to define the location of obstruction with ST segment change of lateral precordial leads (V5, V6). CONCLUSIONS: In acute inferior wall myocardial infarction, ST segment depression in lateral limb leads (I, aVL) can be indicative of the right coronary artery obstruction and the ST segment depression pattern in lateral precordial leads was not indicative of the site of obstruction.
Arteries ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Depression* ; Electrocardiography ; Extremities ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction*

BACKGROUND: Exercise echocardiography(ECG) has widely accepted as a simple screening test for coronary artery disease(CAD). But this technique also has well known limitations.Recently numerous studies supports the usefulness of exercise echocardiography(ECHO) for detection of CAD. To determine the value of exercise ECHO for detecting CAD, 54 patients without resting wall motion abnormalities were studied. METHOD: Two-dimensional echocardiogram of parasternal and apical view were recored at rest and immediately after treadmill exercise.The rest and corresponding post-exercise images were analyzed side by side in a continous loop. An abnormal exercise ECHO was defined as wall motion abnormalities after exercise. These wall motion abnormalities were used to predict the extent and distribution of CAD. Significant CAD was difined as a stenosis of luminal diameter more than 50% by coronary arteriography. RESULTS: In 36 patients with significant CAD, exercise ECHO had a higher sensitivity than exercise ECG(86.1% vs 55.6%, P<0.005). The two test had similar specificity (88.9%, respectively). Among 19 patients with single vessle disease, exercise ECHO was significantly than exercise ECG(84.2% vs 42.1%, P<0.05). Among 17 patients with multivessle disease, the two test had similar sensitivity(88.2% vs 70.6%). The sensitivity detection of individual vessle involvement with exercise ECHO was 82.1% for the left anterior descending artery, 76.9% for the right coronary artery and 66.7% for the left circumflex artery. CONCLUSIONS: These results seggest that exercise ECHO is highly specific and more sensitive than exercise ECG for the detection of CAD. The inclusion of exercise ECHO improves the sensitivity of treadmill stress test and aids in localizing the region of ischemia.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography* ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Mass Screening ; Phenobarbital ; Sensitivity and Specificity