Akira Yamazaki

Amlodipine improves vascular function in patients with moderate to severe hypertension.

The long-term effects of amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker, were examined in patients with moderate to severe hypertension. Eighteen never-treated patients with moderate to severe essential hypertension (49 ± 8 years) were studied. In all patients, forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured by plethysmography before and 6 months after amlodipine treatment. Endothelium-nondependent and endothelium-dependent vasodilations were assessed by intrabrachial infusion of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and acetylcholine (ACh), respectively. FBF modification by vitamin C, an oxygen radical scavenger, was also assessed under ACh infusion. The results were compared with those of 13 normal subjects. Blood pressure was significantly lowered (from 176 ± 17/97 ± 13 to 144 ± 12/82 ± 10 mm Hg) after treatment (P < 0.01). Forearm vascular resistance was increased in the hypertensive patients before treatment; however, it was normalized after treatment during SNP infusion and was improved during ACh infusion. Since vitamin C improved FBF under ACh infusion both before and after the amlodipine treatment, it is suggested that the production of free radicals was not canceled by amlodipine. The analysis of heart rate variability showed that amlodipine does not activate sympathetic nerve function. Therefore, amlodipine is effective in lowering blood pressure associated with the improvement of vascular function, and is suggested to be an effective antihypertensive agent for patients with moderate to severe hypertension.

Continuous intravenous administration of a low dose of epoprostenol greatly decreased serum concentrations of endothelin-1 in primary pulmonary hypertension--a case report.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to be a principal factor in the pathogenesis of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Recently intravenous administration of epoprosterol improved the survival rate in PPH. However, the effect of epoprosterol on ET-1 remains to be investigated. Therefore, we studied a patient with PPH who was treated with a low dose of epoprosterol and examined the serum concentration of ET-1 during the treatment. Epoprosterol greatly decreased the serum concentration of ET-1 in parallel with improvement of the clinical course, suggesting that ET-1 level may be a marker for treatment of PPH.

Development of inexpensive continuous emission monitors for feedback control of combustion devices that minimize greenhouse gases, toxic emissions, and ozone damaging products

This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Combustion is the major cause of poor urban air quality, of depletion of the ozone layer, and a major source of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Careful control of combustor conditions is important for minimizing the effects of combustion on the environment. The authors have developed sensitive, inexpensive continuous emission monitors that will assist in direct feedback of turbine power systems and provide assurance to the public and the operators of the facilities that their facility emissions lie within the accepted bounds. These include a robust solid-state Fourier transform spectrometer for rapid gas analysis, based on the use of ferroelectric liquid crystal technology, and an infrared helium-neon probe for real time measurement of combustor air-to-fuel ratios.