The six-minute walk test is a submaximal exercise test that can be performed even by a
patient with heart failure not tolerating maximal exercise testing. To elucidate the clinical …

Background—Plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level increases in proportion to the
degree of right ventricular dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension. We sought to assess the …

Background—Pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into a variety of cells,
including cardiomyocytes and vascular endothelial cells. However, little information is …

OBJECTIVES.: The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy and validity of a newly
developed tissue Doppler imaging system in in vitro and in vivo studies. BACKGROUND …

Background—Ghrelin is a novel growth hormone–releasing peptide that also induces
vasodilation, inhibits sympathetic nerve activity, and stimulates feeding through growth …

OBJECTIVES To determine the morphologic features of coronary plaques associated with
acute coronary syndrome, we prospectively followed patients with atherosclerotic disease …

An attempt was made to determine whether mitral regurgitation could be detected and its
severity evaluated semiquantitatively by newly developed real-time twodimensional Doppler …

OBJECTIVES.: This study was performed to assess a new indicator of regional left
ventricular contraction determined by a two-dimensional tissue Doppler imaging technique …

The influence of aging on the left ventricular (LV) function in diastole was investigated from
the aspect of the mitral inflow pattern using 2-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. The …

Serum uric acid (UA), the final product of purine degradation, has been proposed to be a
marker for impaired oxidative metabolism and a possible predictor of mortality in patients …