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99mTc-pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) uptake in the skeletal muscles is minimal in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) when assessed qualitatively and quantitatively. We previously demonstrated moderate- to high-grade 99mTc-PYP uptake in the subcutaneous abdominal fat of some patients with ATTR-CA and showed that this abnormal finding could reflect the regional amyloid burden of this tissue. We aimed to investigate the frequency of 99mTc-PYP uptake in skeletal trunk muscles of patients with ATTR-CA.Chest- and abdomen-centered 99mTc-PYP scintigraphy images were obtained 2 hours after IV injections of the tracer (20 mCi) in 36 patients with ATTR-CA. The frequency of 99mTc-PYP uptake in the following 11 skeletal trunk muscles was investigated: pectoralis major, deltoid, subscapularis, infraspinatus, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, psoas major, abdominal oblique, rectus abdominis, and the gluteus muscles.Ten of the 11 muscles were involved in patients with the highest number of 99mTc-PYP uptake in the skeletal trunk muscles examined, whereas no muscle was involved in a patient with the least uptake. The muscle with the highest rate of 99mTc-PYP uptake, observed in 34 of 36 patients (94.4%), was the abdominal oblique. No tracer uptake was observed in the psoas major. The frequency of radiotracer uptake in the remaining examined muscles was between those of abdominal oblique and psoas major muscles.Radiotracer uptake was often detectable in some skeletal trunk muscles of ATTR-CA, although the muscles of patients examined and the skeletal trunk muscles of 1 patient showed heterogeneity in the uptake of 99mTc-PYP.

Intracoronary ergonovine (ER) testing is useful for the detection of epicardial spasm (ES) and coronary microvascular spasm (CMS). We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of ES and CMS in consecutive Japanese patients with unobstructed coronary artery disease. From January 1991 to February 2019, we performed intracoronary ER testing of 1196 patients. Among these patients, a total of 505 consecutive patients (207 women, mean age 64 ± 11 years) who underwent first diagnostic angiography for suspected myocardial ischemia and had unobstructed coronary arteries ( 50%) were enrolled. Resting chest pain was reported by 229 patients, exertional chest pain was reported by 62 patients, exertional and resting chest pain was reported by 61 patients, and another chest symptom (not typical chest pain but suspected to be myocardial ischemia) was reported by 153 patients. ES was defined as ≥ 90% stenosis and usual chest symptoms and ischemic ECG changes, while CMS was defined as 75% stenosis (no epicardial spasm) and usual chest symptoms and ischemic ECG changes. We performed intracoronary ER testing on both coronary arteries in 86% (432/505) of all subjects. Overall, ES was found in 82 patients (16%), whereas CMS was revealed in 12 patients (2%). In patients with ES, women made up 9%, and 70% of the patients had resting chest pain. In contrast, women composed 67% (8/12) of those with CMS, and 5 patients with CMS had another chest symptom. Ventricular fibrillation was observed in two patients who had sinus rhythm after thump version or cardiac resuscitation. However, we observed no irreversible complications during ER testing. CMS was recognized in only 2% of consecutive Japanese patients with unobstructed coronary artery disease by intracoronary ER testing, whereas ES was revealed in 16% of those patients. CMS was often observed in women.

Radionuclide imaging using bone-avid tracers plays a critical role in diagnosing transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA), but technetium-99m-pyrophosphate (PYP) rarely allows the detection of extracardiac amyloid infiltration. We retrospectively investigated the frequency of PYP uptake in the subcutaneous abdominal fat of patients with ATTR-CA and its relevance to the results of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of this tissue.Chest-centered images of PYP scintigraphy were obtained 2 h after the intravenous injection of the tracer (20 mCi), and the frequency of PYP uptake in the subcutaneous abdominal fat was evaluated. Amyloid deposits of fat smears taken by subcutaneous abdominal fat FNAB were assessed by Congo red staining.Twenty-four patients with ATTR-CA were included. Ten (41.7%) patients showed some PYP uptake in the subcutaneous abdominal fat (positive PYP group), and 14 patients did not (negative PYP group). Amyloid deposits were detected by subcutaneous abdominal fat FNAB in 7/10 patients (70.0%) of the positive PYP group versus 0/14 patients (0%) of the negative PYP group, and the difference was significant.In patients with ATTR-CA, abnormal PYP uptake in the subcutaneous abdominal fat could reflect the regional amyloid deposition confirmed by FNAB of this tissue.

Coronary artery spasm-induced acute myocardial infarction (CASIAMI) is one of the etiologies of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). We retrospectively analyzed the incidence and clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with CASIAMI and non-obstructive coronary arteries. We experienced 62 patients with MINOCA (10 thrombosis, 7 unknown causes, and 45 CASIAMI) among 991 patients with suspected AMI. Pharmacological spasm provocation testing was performed in 37 patients. CASIAMI without obstructive coronary arteries was found in 4.5% of patients with suspected AMI and was observed in 73% of patients with MINOCA. Patients with CASIAMI were frequently males and had relatively small AMIs. Spontaneous spasm was recognized in 8 patients. We could reproduce provoked spasm in 37 patients with MINOCA, including 23 patients with multiple spasm. No patients died during the follow-up period. The clinical outcomes in patients with CASIAMI under optimal coronary vasodilators were satisfactory.

In a patient with variant angina of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery, myocardial ischemia changed the QRS-ST-T configurations without J-waves into those resembling “lambda” waves at maximal ST-segment elevation, and couplets or triplets of supraventricular extrasystole (SVE) changed the ischemia-induced “lambda” waves into QRS-ST-T configurations resembling a “tombstone” morphology or “monophasic QRS-ST complex.” At the resolution phase of coronary spasm, the QRS-ST-T configurations returned to those without J-waves and were changed by SVE into “lambda” waves. Interestingly, neither ischemia- nor SVE-induced “lambda” waves or SVE-induced “tombstone” morphology or “monophasic QRS-ST complex” were complicated by ventricular tachyarrhythmia.

Objective A pathological acetylcholine (ACh) test was observed at lower ACh doses in females compared with males in European populations. We retrospectively analyzed the sex-related differences in Japanese patients with provoked positive spasm by ACh spasm provocation testing. Methods We performed the ACh spasm provocation tests in 1,854 patients from Jan 1991 until Mar 2019. ACh was injected in incremental doses of 20/50/100/200 μg into the left coronary artery and 20/50/80 μg into the right coronary artery. Positive spasm was defined as >90% stenosis and usual chest pain or ischemic ECG changes. We compared the clinical characteristics, angiographical findings during ACh testing, and clinical outcomes between female and male patients with and without provoked positive spasm. Results Positive provoked spasm was diagnosed in 917 patients including 737 (80.4%) males and 180 (19.6%) females. The incidence of provoked positive spasm in females was significantly lower than that in males (33.5% vs. 56.0%, p

Objective The decision to perform medical or mechanical therapy in patients with aborted sudden cardiac death (ASCD) due to coronary spasm is controversial. The Japanese Circulation Society guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with coronary spastic angina mentioned that implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is one option in patients with ASCD due to coronary spasm. We investigated the usefulness of spasm provocation tests under medications in five patients with ASCD due to coronary spasm. Methods We performed the spasm provocation tests under medications in five ASCD patients due to coronary spasm. Pharmacological spasm provocation tests, including five acetylcholine (ACh) tests, two ergonovine (ER) tests, and two ACh added after ER tests, were performed to estimate the effect of medications to suppressing the next fatal spasms. Results ACh tests under medications did not provoke spasm in one patient but did provoke in two patients. In the remaining two patients, neither the ACh test nor the ER test provoked spasm, but the ACh added after ER test induced a focal spasm in one coronary artery. We increased the medication dosage in four patients. An ICD was implanted in two patients, including one with refractory spasm and one with left main trunk spasm. One patient died due to pulseless electrical activity without ventricular fibrillation, while the remaining four patients survived. Conclusion Spasm provocation tests under medication in patients with ASCD due to coronary spasm may be an option when deciding on medical or mechanical therapy.

Sex-related differences in the prevalence of cardiac disorders have been elucidated beyond races. Angina/ischemia with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (AINOCA) is often observed in females. Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) and coronary epicardial spasm (CES) are the principal cause of AINOCA. The clinical outcomes of Western patients with CMD were less satisfactory than expected, while the prognosis of Japanese patients with CES treated with medications including calcium channel blockers was favorable. However, the incidence and clinical features of coronary spasm endotypes were different between Western and Japanese populations. Furthermore, sex-related differences in the clinical manifestations and outcomes of patients with different spasm endotypes remain uncertain beyond race. In this article, we will review the sex differences in Japanese AINOCA patients with coronary vasomotor disorders, including CMD and CES, and compare them with those of Western patients.

Background The intracoronary acetylcholine (ACh) and ergonovine (ER) test is employed as a pharmacological spasm provocation test. ACh causes vasoconstriction in patients with coronary endothelial dysfunction such as coronary atherosclerosis, while ER induces coronary vasoconstriction through the activation of coronary smooth muscle. Case summary An 84-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital due to resting angina and syncope. Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCAG) revealed severe proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery stenosis, but hybrid images of CTCAG and thallium-adenosine myocardial scintigraphy revealed no ischaemia. During syncope, inverted T waves on V5, V6 leads were recognized. After coronary arteriography, mild atherosclerotic stenosis (50%) was found at the proximal LAD artery, and we administered intracoronary ER 104 µg and 80 µg into the left and right coronary arteries because of suspected coronary spasm. However, no provoked spasm was obtained in either vessel. We administered 20, 50, and 100 µg intracoronary ACh into the left coronary artery (LCA) for 30 s without a pacemaker, because neither bradycardia nor cardiac arrest has occurred. Diffuse distal spasm was provoked after the administration of 100 µg ACh and the patient complained of typical chest pain and prodrome before syncope. The patient was diagnosed with coronary spastic angina by the ACh test but not the ER test. Discussion Different coronary responses between ACh and ER were observed in this case. Intracoronary ACh testing without a pacemaker may be one option in the LCA if no bradycardia or arrest occurs.

Rationale: Recent studies have shown that QT interval prolongation is associated with disease severity and predicts mortality in systemic inflammatory diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. Systemic pro-inflammatory cytokines released from synovial tissues in rheumatoid arthritis, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, could have direct effects on cardiac electrophysiology, particularly changes in the expression and function of potassium and calcium channels, resulting in QT interval prolongation on surface electrocardiogram (ECG) and an increased predisposition to develop lethal ventricular arrhythmias. However, reports on torsade de pointes (TdP) due to acquired long QT syndrome in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are limited. Patient concerns: An 85-year-old Japanese woman with active PMR developed first syncope. Diagnosis: Frequent premature atrial contractions (PACs) with multiple patterns of aberrant conduction, QT interval prolongation, and morphological T-U wave variability followed by TdP were documented. PACs were the first beat of TdP. Interventions: Amiodarone, together with magnesium and potassium, was intravenously administered. However, TdP resulted in a ventricular arrhythmic storm, for which sedation with mechanical ventilatory support, temporary overdrive cardiac pacing, and intravenous landiolol administration in addition to multiple direct current shocks were effective. Outcomes: Approximately 2 years later, the patient was treated with amiodarone, propranolol, and prednisolone. She did not undergo implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation and was quite well, with no recurrence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Lessons: IL-6 hyperproduction in inflamed tissues has been widely confirmed in PMR. Frequent PACs with various patterns of aberrant conduction, QT interval prolongation, and morphological T-U wave variability followed by TdP, for which IL-6-mediated enhancement of L-type Ca2+ current and inhibition of the rapid component of the delayed rectifier K+ current are the most likely mechanisms, were documented in an elderly Japanese woman with PMR. ECG may be recorded once in patients with active PMR even when these patients do not complain of palpitation or syncope. If QT interval prolongation or arrhythmia, including even PACs, is observed, follow-up ECG may be warranted, particularly for patients with some risk factors for QT prolongation that could lead to TdP, such as advanced age, female sex, hypopotassemia, and polypharmacy.

A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to effort angina. His electrocardiogram (ECG) showed broad ST-segment depression, and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I level was significantly increased, indicating non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Emergent coronary

Objectives The clinical characteristics in patients with catheter-induced spasm in the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) are controversial. We performed a clinical analysis of catheter-induced spasm in the RCA. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 5,296 consecutive patients who underwent diagnostic or follow-up angiography during a 26-year period. During this period, we found 40 patients with catheter-induced spasm in the RCA. We compared the clinical characteristics and procedures of cardiac catheterization in patients with catheter-induced spasm in the RCA with those in patients without such spasm. Results The frequency of catheter-induced spasm in the RCA was 0.75% (40/5,296). We performed pharmacological spasm provocation tests in 36 of 40 patients after spasm relief. Positive spasm was observed in 32 patients (88.9%), and 25 patients (78.1%) had multiple spasms. The catheter procedures, including the approach sites (radial/brachial/femoral), catheter size (4/5/6Fr) and catheter type (Judkins right/Sones/Shared/Judkins left 3.5/Amplatz) were not markedly different between the two groups. A multivariate analysis showed that positive spasm [odds ratio (OR): 7.030, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.920-25.700], a younger age (OR: 0.937, 95% CI: 0.910-0.965) and diabetes mellitus (OR: 0.278, 95% CI: 0.083-0.928) were the determinant factors for the catheter-induced spasm. Conclusion Approximately 80% of patients with catheter-induced spasm in the proximal RCA had coronary spastic angina. Positive provoked spasm was the most powerful determinant factor for catheter-induced spasm.

Aims Intracoronary acetylcholine (ACh) testing is useful for the detection of epicardial spasm (ES) and coronary microvascular spasm (CMS). We retrospectively analysed the incidence of ES and CMS in consecutive Japanese patients with unobstructed coronary artery disease. Methods and results From January 1991 to February 2019, we performed intracoronary ACh testing of 1864 patients. Among these patients, a total of 746 consecutive patients (254 women, mean age 64 ± 11 years) who underwent first diagnostic angiography for suspected myocardial ischaemia and had unobstructed coronary arteries ( Conclusions Coronary microvascular spasm was recognized in only 5% of consecutive Japanese patients with unobstructed coronary artery disease, whereas ES was revealed in 44% of those patients. Coronary microvascular spasm was often observed in women and in the LCA.

Truss structures can be found in many buildings and civil infrastructure such as bridges and towers. But as these architectures age, their maintenance is required to keep them structurally sound. A legged robotic solution capable of climbing these structures for maintenance is sought, but determining the size and shape of such a robot to maximise structure coverage is a challenging task. This paper proposes a model in which the size of a multi-legged robot is optimised for coverage in a truss structure. A detailed representation of a truss structure is presented, which forms the novel framework for constraint modelling. With this framework, the overall truss structure coverage is modelled, given a robot’s size and its climbing performance constraints. This is set up as an optimisation problem, such that its solution represents the optimum size of the robot that satisfies all constraints. Three case studies of practical climbing applications are conducted to verify the model. By intuitive analysis of the model’s output data, the results show that the model accurately applies these constraints in a variety of truss structures.

There is no report regarding the correlation between spontaneous documented coronary spasm and acetylcholine (ACh)-inducible spasm. We retrospectively analyzed the coincidence between angiographical spontaneous coronary spasm and ACh-inducible spasm in the same patients. We recruited 28 patients with 30 angiographical spontaneous coronary spasm in 6009 patients with diagnostic and follow-up coronary arteriography from Jan 1991 and Mar 2019 in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. We could perform intracoronary ACh testing in 19 patients with 20 vessels. ACh was injected in incremental dose of 20/50/100 μg into the left coronary artery and 20/50/80 μg into the right coronary artery. Positive spasm was defined as > 90% stenosis and ischemic ECG changes. Angiographical documented spontaneous coronary spasm was observed in 0.47% (28/6009) of patients with diagnostic and follow-up coronary angiography. Intracoronary administration of ACh reproduced 15 spontaneous coronary spasm and no provoked spasm was observed in the remaining 5 vessels due to the administration of nitroglycerine or under medications. Spasm-provoked sites by ACh tests and ACh-inducible spasm configurations were almost similar to spontaneous spasm. Coincidence of provoked spasm site (93.3% vs. 6.7%, p

When cardiologists diagnose patients with coronary spastic angina, Japanese Circulation Society (JCS) guidelines recommend the intracoronary injection of acetylcholine (ACh) and ergonovine (ER) as class I. However, the pharmacological difference between ACh and ER is controversial in the clinic. We performed both ACh and ER tests in the same 528 patients during 26 years. We investigated the provoked spasm configuration, spasm site, and clinical characteristics of provoked spasm between ACh and ER, retrospectively. We defined positive spasm as ≥90% luminal narrowing. Provoked positive spasm was observed in 161 right coronary arteries (RCA) including 83 ACh just positive, 35 ER just positive, and 43 both positive. In contrast, positive spasm was documented in 172 left coronary arteries (LCA) including 94 ACh just positive, 28 ER just positive, and 50 both positive. ACh provoked spasm more distally and diffusely, while ER induced spasm more proximally and totally or focally in the RCA. In the LCA, ACh provoked spasm more proximally, whereas ER induced spasm more distally. ER testing after the negative ACh tests of RCA and LCA documented new positive spasms in 10.3% (35/340) and 7.4% (28/376), respectively. Coronary artery trees may each have a sensitive receptor on each segment. We recommend the supplementary use of ACh and ER to document coronary artery spasm in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a relatively rare cause of acute coronary syndrome compared with atherosclerotic plaque rupture and predominantly occurs in young women. SCAD is associated with various conditions, such as emotional stress, pregnancy, hormonal therapy, collagen diseases, fibromuscular dysplasia, or vasospasm. Long-term cardiovascular events are common including the recurrence of SCAD. We report a case of SCAD with de novo recurrence at only 4 days after the first attack.

BACKGROUND Temporary pace maker is necessary because of transient block or bradycardia during the intracoronary acetylcholine spasm provocation tests based on the Japanese Circulation Society guidelines. OBJECTIVES We examined the feasibility and safety of the acetylcholine spasm provocation test via the radial artery and brachial vein approach. METHODS We tried to perform the acetylcholine spasm provocation tests in 252 patients via the radial artery and brachial vein approach procedures during 5 years. Acetylcholine was injected in incremental doses of 20/50/80 μg into the right coronary artery (RCA) and 20/50/100/200 μg into the left coronary artery (LCA). Back-up pacing rate was set at 40 beats/min. Positive spasm was defined as transient ≥90% luminal narrowing and ischemic electrocardiographic change or usual chest pain. RESULTS The procedure success of radial artery and brachial vein access was 94.4% (238/252) and 93.3% (235/252), respectively. We performed 221 patients (87.7%) with acetylcholine tests by radial artery and brachial vein approach. We changed to the brachial approach due to the failures of radial artery access in 14 patients. We also changed to the femoral vein in 11 patients and internal jugular vein in two patients. Back-up pace maker rhythm was observed in 92.1% (232/252) of all study patients, while it was significantly higher in the RCA testing than that in the LCA tests (84.9% (191/225) vs. 52.2% (131/251), P < 0.001). No irreversible complication was found. CONCLUSIONS We recommend the radial artery and brachial vein approach for safety and convenience when performing the acetylcholine spasm provocation tests.

We examined the clinical usefulness of treadmill exercise tests (TETs) in diagnosing coronary spastic angina (CSA).We performed the TETs and 24-h Holter monitoring in 300 CSA patients consisting of 152 patients with rest angina, 77 patients with effort angina, and 71 patients with rest and effort angina. Organic stenosis (75%) was observed in 44 patients. Multiple spasms were recognized in 204 patients (68%).Positive TETs were recognized in 113 patients (38%) and borderline was observed in 30 patients (10%). Positive response was significantly higher in patients with organic stenosis than those without fixed stenosis (63.6% vs. 33.2%, p0.001). Moreover, ST elevation was more frequent in patients with organic stenosis than those without fixed stenosis (27.3% vs. 1.2%, p0.001). Positive response in patients with effort angina (46.8%) was higher than those in patients with rest angina (33.6%) and rest and effort angina (36.6%), but not significant. Positive response was not different between single spasm and multiple spasms. In all 300 patients, ST segment elevation was observed in only four patients (1.3%) on the 24-h Holter monitoring.TET was useful in documenting ischemia in patients with CSA. More than a third of patients with CSA had positive TETs. Moreover, we obtained the pathologic TET response in approximately half of patients with CSA.

Background and aims Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common disease; however, its exact pathogenesis remains unknown, and no specific medical therapies are available. Interleukin (IL)-18 plays a crucial role in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization and is a strong predictor of cardiovascular death. Here, we investigated the role of IL-18 in AAA pathogenesis using an experimental mouse model. Methods and results After infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) for 4 weeks and β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) for 2 weeks, 58% of C57/6J wild-type (WT) mice developed AAA associated with enhanced expression of IL-18; however, disease incidence was significantly lower in IL-18−/− mice than in WT mice (p Conclusions These findings indicate that IL-18 plays an important role in the development of AAA by enhancing OPN expression, macrophage recruitment, and MMP activation. Moreover, IL-18 represents a previously unrecognized therapeutic target for the prevention of AAA formation.

Patients with generalized left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) frequently have overlapping conditions which could complicate diagnosis and prognosis. The relative apical sparing pattern (RASP) of left ventricular longitudinal strain (LS) is determined on the strain polar map while measuring global

Positive provoked spasm in the left circumflex artery (LCX) is lower than that in the left anterior descending artery and right coronary artery (RCA).We examined the provoked positive spasm in the LCX between the maximal acetylcholine (ACh) 100 μg period (January 1991 to July 2012, 1474 patients: the former period) and the maximal ACh 200 μg period (August 2012 to August 2018, 336 patients: the latter period). ACh was injected in incremental dose of 20/50/100/200 μg into the left coronary artery and of 20/50/80 μg into the RCA. Positive spasm was defined as at least 90% stenosis and usual chest symptoms or ischemic ECG changes.Provoked positive spasm in the latter period was significantly higher than that in the former period (65.5 vs. 39.1%, P0.001). The positive spasm increase of RCA and left anterior descending artery was 143 and 159%, whereas the increase of LCX was 204%. Multiple-vessel spasm was also increased in the latter period.Maximal ACh dose into the left coronary artery may affect the positive spasm in the LCX and multiplevessel spasm.

We examined the clinical usefulness of sequential spasm provocation tests as follows: first, acetylcholine (ACh) test, second, ergonovine (ER) test, and finally, the ACh test following the ER test.We performed the ACh and ER tests in 461 patients (294 men, 64.4±11.3 years of age) during a 23-year period. In addition, we administered an intracoronary injection of ACh after the ER tests in 240 patients. First, ACh [right coronary artery (RCA): 20/50/(80) μg, left coronary artery (LCA): 20/50/100/(200) μg] was administered incrementally over 20 s. Second, ER (RCA: 40 μg, LCA: 64 μg) was administered over 2-4 min. If a provoked spasm did not occur, we administered an intracoronary injection of ACh (50/80 μg into the RCA and 100/200 μg into the LCA) just after the ER tests. A positive spasm was defined as more than 99% transient luminal narrowing.A positive spasm was observed in 221 (47.9%) patients including 181 ACh-positive (39.3%) and 119 ER-positive (25.8%) patients by the ACh or ER tests. In the 240 patients with a negative spasm in the ACh and ER tests, 48 (10.4%) patients developed provoked spasms on adding ACh after the ER test. The distributions of various cardiac disorders and provoked spasm vessels were similar among the three positive groups. Focal spasm was frequently observed in the ER-positive group, whereas diffuse spasm was frequently obtained in the ACh-positive group and by adding ACh after ER in the positive group. No major complications were recognized during the sequential spasm provocation tests.Sequential spasm provocation tests might overcome a limitation of standard spasm provocation tests.

OBJECTIVE The majority of cardiologists do not perform spasm provocation tests in patients with non-ischemic heart disease (non-IHD) or non-obstructive coronary artery disease (non-ob-CAD). We herein examined the frequency of provoked spasms in non-IHD and non-ob-CAD patients, including those with atypical chest pain (Aty), valvular heart disease (Val), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), congestive heart failure (CHF), and others (Oth). METHODS & RESULTS We performed acetylcholine (ACh) spasm provocation tests over a period of 22 years (1991-2012) among 1,440 patients, including 981 IHD and 459 non-IHD subjects. A total of 43 patients with significant organic stenosis were excluded, and the remaining 416 patients with non-IHD or non-ob-CAD disease were assessed. ACh was injected in incremental doses of 20/50/80 μg into the right coronary artery (RCA) and 20/50/100/(200) μg into the left coronary artery (LCA). Positive coronary spasms were defined as transient luminal narrowing of >99%. Positive coronary spasms were noted in 17.3% of the non-IHDs patients (72/416), compared to 11.4% (15/132), 19% (8/42), 16.7% (5/30), 23.9% (16/67), and 19.3% (28/145), in the patients in the Aty, Val, HCM, CHF, and Oth groups, respectively. The rate of positive provoked spasms was higher in men than women, although not significantly [20.6% (46/223) vs. 13.4% (26/193), ns], and significantly higher in the late period (2001-2012) than in the early period (1991-2000) (36.8% vs. 7.0%, p

Highly contaminated puddles were found outside the apparatus hatch in No.3 reactor building in Fukushima Daiichi NPS. These puddles indicated a possibility of cooling water leakage from Primary Containment Vessel (PCV). Therefore, it was necessary to survey whether there was a leakage or not. However surveying was impossible for human because of two main reasons, the narrow access route of 100mm width and the high ambient radiation level. Accordingly, to realize the survey, a small remotely-controlled robot and an overlook camera device were developed by TEPCO Research Institute (TRI). This robot system was deployed in Fukushima Daiichi, going through several tests and a risk assessment for confirming its reliability. The survey was executed successfully by the combination of human and the robot system in November 2015, and finally traces of water leakage were found on the edge of the apparatus hatch.