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R Nijmeijer

Publications and source records attributed to R Nijmeijer.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine depositions in intramyocardial blood vessels in human and rat acute myocardial infarction: a predictor or reflection of infarction?

OBJECTIVE: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), such as N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), are implicated in vascular disease. We previously reported increased CML accumulation in small intramyocardial blood vessels in diabetes patients. Diabetes patients have an increased risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, we examined a putative relationship between CML and AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Heart tissue was stained for CML, myeloperoxidase, and E-selectin in AMI patients (n=26), myocarditis patients (n=17), and control patients (n=15). In AMI patients, CML depositions were 3-fold increased compared with controls in the small intramyocardial blood vessels and predominantly colocalized with activated endothelium (E-selectin-positive) both in infarction and noninfarction areas. A trend of increased CML positivity of the intima of epicardial coronary arteries did not reach significance in AMI patients. In the rat heart AMI model, CML depositions were undetectable after 24 hours of reperfusion, but became clearly visible after 5 days of reperfusion. In line with an inflammatory contribution, human myocarditis was also accompanied by accumulation of CML on the endothelium of intramyocardial blood vessels. CONCLUSIONS: CML, present predominantly on activated endothelium in small intramyocardial blood vessels in patients with AMI, might reflect an increased risk for AMI rather than being a result of AMI.

Aged↗

C-reactive protein and complement depositions in human infarcted myocardium are more extensive in patients with reinfarction or upon treatment with reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: Impaired perfusion of the heart induces a local inflammatory response, which involves deposition of C-reactive protein and complement activation products C3d and C5b-9. We investigated whether reperfusion or reinfarction enhances these phenomena in humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Depositions of C-reactive protein and complement were quantified in tissue samples of infarcted myocardium from 76 patients who had died after acute myocardial infarction. The extent of depositions in patients treated with reperfusion or suffering from reinfarction was compared with that in patients who had no reperfusion or reinfarction. RESULTS: Patients with reinfarction had significantly more extensive depositions of C-reactive protein and complement (C3d and C5b-9) in the infarcted myocardium than patients without reinfarction. Similarly, patients who received reperfusion therapy had more extensive depositions also than those who had not received this therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Both reinfarction and reperfusion therapy significantly increase the extent of C-reactive protein and complement depositions in human myocardial infarcts.

Aged↗

Type II secretory phospholipase A2 binds to ischemic flip-flopped cardiomyocytes and subsequently induces cell death.

Type II secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) is a cardiovascular risk factor. We recently found depositions of sPLA2 in the necrotic center of infarcted human myocardium and normally appearing cardiomyocytes adjacent to the border zone. The consequences of binding of sPLA2 to ischemic cardiomyocytes are not known. To explore a potential effect of sPLA2 on ischemic cardiomyocytes at a cellular level we used an in vitro model. The cardiomyocyte cell line H9c2 or adult cardiomyocytes were isolated from rabbits that were incubated with sPLA2 in the presence of metabolic inhibitors to mimic ischemia-reperfusion conditions. Cell viability was established with the use of annexin V and propidium iodide or 7-aminoactinomycin D. Metabolic inhibition induced an increase of the number of flip-flopped cells, including a population that did not stain with propidium iodide and that was caspase-3 negative. sPLA2 bound to the flip-flopped cells, including those negative for caspase-3. sPLA2 binding induced cell death in these latter cells. In addition, sPLA2 potentiated the binding of C-reactive protein (CRP) to these cells. We conclude that by binding to flip-flopped cardiomyocytes, including those that are caspase-3 negative and presumably reversibly injured, sPLA2 may induce cell death and tag these cells with CRP.

Animals↗

Apoptosis in myocardial ischaemia and infarction.

Recent studies indicate that, in addition to necrosis, apoptosis also plays a role in the process of tissue damage after myocardial infarction, which has pathological and therapeutic implications. This review article will discuss studies in which the role and mechanisms of apoptosis in myocardial infarction were analysed in vivo and in vitro in humans and in animals.

Apoptosis↗

Localisation of C reactive protein in infarcted tissue sites of multiple organs during sepsis.

This report hypothesises an active role for the acute phase protein, C reactive protein (CRP), in local inflammatory reactions. This was studied in infarction sites from liver and kidney in a patient who died as a result of multiple complications after cholecystectomy. In this patient, a general acute phase protein reaction was induced, with an increase in plasma CRP. In infarction sites of kidney and liver, colocalisation of CRP and activated complement were found, whereas non-infarct sites were negative for CRP and complement. These results suggest that CRP directly participates in local inflammatory processes, possibly via complement activation, after binding of a suitable ligand.

C-Reactive Protein↗