Short-term Rapid Atrial Pacing Alters the Gene Expression Profile of Rat Liver: Cardiohepatic Interaction in Atrial Fibrillation

13301甲第4490号博士（医学）金沢大学博士論文本文Full 以下に掲載：Heart Rhythm 13(12) pp.2368-2376 2016. Heart Rhythm Society. 共著者：Takanori Yaegashi, Takeshi Kato, Soichiro Usui, Naomi Kanamori, Hiroshi Furusho, Shin-ichiro Takashima, Hisayoshi Murai, Shuichi Kaneko, Masayuki Takamur

Separated right and left ventricular excitation during right ventricular septal pacing in a patient with narrow QRS wave: A case report

Introduction. Right ventricular septal pacing is thought to be better than right ventricular apical pacing for shortening the QRS duration and for preserving left ventricular function. However, right ventricular septal pacing may not be effective in all cases. In this case report, we present a rare case in which right ventricular septal pacing induced thoroughly separated right and left ventricular excitation despite the presence of a relatively narrow QRS wave during atrium-only pacing. Case presentation. We report a case of 63-year-old Japanese man with cardiomyopathy with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement for ventricular tachycardia. Three years after implantation, he developed second-degree atrio-ventricular block. Therefore, atrio-ventricular sequential pacing was started; then his heart failure was much worsened. His electrocardiogram showed a dissociated biphasic QRS wave during right ventricular high-septal pacing, despite the presence of a non-fragmented QRS morphology during atrium-only pacing. An activation map during right ventricular high-septal pacing showed that right ventricular conduction started at the pacing site and ended at the right ventricular basal inferior site. Subsequently after a 10ms interval, left ventricular conduction started at the left ventricular posteroseptum and ended at the left ventricular lateral wall. These data indicate that during right ventricular high-septal pacing, the first component of the QRS wave supposedly reflects only right ventricular excitation and the second component only left ventricular excitation. Also due to the intracardiac electrograms, it was assumed that this phenomenon was caused by transversely limited severe transseptal conduction disturbance. Conclusion: It should be noted that even ventricular septal pacing could evoke harmful interventricular dyssynchrony due to transversely limited severe septal conduction disturbance, despite the presence of a relatively narrow QRS wave. © 2014 Yaegashi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Comparison of Placental HSD17B1 Expression and Its Regulation in Various Mammalian Species

During mammalian gestation, large amounts of progesterone are produced by the placenta and circulate for the maintenance of pregnancy. In contrast, primary plasma estrogens are different between species. To account for this difference, we compared the expression of ovarian and placental steroidogenic genes in various mammalian species (mouse, guinea pig, porcine, ovine, bovine, and human). Consistent with the ability to synthesize progesterone, CYP11A1/Cyp11a1, and bi-functional HSD3B/Hsd3b genes were expressed in all species. CYP17A1/Cyp17a1 was expressed in the placenta of all species, excluding humans. CYP19A/Cyp19a1 was expressed in all placental estrogen-producing species, whereas estradiol-producing HSD17B1 was only strongly expressed in the human placenta. The promoter region of HSD17B1 in various species possesses a well-conserved SP1 site that was activated in human placental cell line JEG-3 cells. However, DNA methylation analyses in the ovine placenta showed that the SP1-site in the promoter region of HSD17B1 was completely methylated. These results indicate that epigenetic regulation of HSD17B1 expression is important for species-specific placental sex steroid production. Because human HSD17B1 showed strong activity for the conversion of androstenedione into testosterone, similar to HSD17B1/Hsd17b1 in other species, we also discuss the biological significance of human placental HSD17B1 based on the symptoms of aromatase-deficient patients

Comparison of Placental HSD17B1 Expression and Its Regulation in Various Mammalian Species

During mammalian gestation, large amounts of progesterone are produced by the placenta and circulate for the maintenance of pregnancy. In contrast, primary plasma estrogens are different between species. To account for this difference, we compared the expression of ovarian and placental steroidogenic genes in various mammalian species (mouse, guinea pig, porcine, ovine, bovine, and human). Consistent with the ability to synthesize progesterone, CYP11A1/Cyp11a1, and bi-functional HSD3B/Hsd3b genes were expressed in all species. CYP17A1/Cyp17a1 was expressed in the placenta of all species, excluding humans. CYP19A/Cyp19a1 was expressed in all placental estrogen-producing species, whereas estradiol-producing HSD17B1 was only strongly expressed in the human placenta. The promoter region of HSD17B1 in various species possesses a well-conserved SP1 site that was activated in human placental cell line JEG-3 cells. However, DNA methylation analyses in the ovine placenta showed that the SP1-site in the promoter region of HSD17B1 was completely methylated. These results indicate that epigenetic regulation of HSD17B1 expression is important for species-specific placental sex steroid production. Because human HSD17B1 showed strong activity for the conversion of androstenedione into testosterone, similar to HSD17B1/Hsd17b1 in other species, we also discuss the biological significance of human placental HSD17B1 based on the symptoms of aromatase-deficient patients

Traditional Japanese Medicine Daikenchuto Improves Functional Constipation in Poststroke Patients

Poststroke patients with functional constipation, assessed by the Rome III criteria, from 6 hospitals were recruited in a study on the effects of the traditional Japanese medicine Daikenchuto (DKT) on constipation. Thirty-four patients (17 men and 17 women; mean age: 78.1 ± 11.6 years) were randomly assigned to 2 groups; all patients received conventional therapy for constipation, and patients in the DKT group received 15 g/day of DKT for 4 weeks. Constipation scoring system (CSS) points and the gas volume score (GVS) (the measure of the intestinal gas volume calculated from plain abdominal radiographs) were recorded before and after a 4-week observation period. The total score on the CSS improved significantly in the DKT group compared to the control (P<0.01). In addition, scores for some CSS subcategories (frequency of bowel movements, feeling of incomplete evacuation, and need for enema/disimpaction) significantly improved in the DKT group (P<0.01, P=0.049, and P=0.03, resp.). The GVS was also significantly reduced in the DKT group compared to the control (P=0.03). DKT in addition to conventional therapy is effective in treating functional constipation in poststroke patients. This study was a randomized controlled trial and was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (no. UMIN000007393)