Inhibitory effect of oolong tea polyphenols on glycosyltransferases of mutans Streptococci

Oolong tea extract (OTE) was found to inhibit the water-insoluble glucan-synthesizing enzyme, glucosyltransferase I (GTase-I), of Streptococcus sobrinus 6715. The GTase-inhibitory substance in the OTE was purified successive adsorption chromatography on Diaion HP-21 and HP-20 columns; this was followed by further purification by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. A major fraction that inhibited GTase activity (fraction OTF10) was obtained, and the chemical analysis of OTF10 indicated that it was a novel polymeric polyphenol compound that had a molecular weight of approximately 2,000 and differed from other tea polyphenols. Catechins and all other low-molecular-weight polyphenols except theaflavin derived from balck tea did not show significant GTase-inhibitory activities. It was found that OTE amd PTF10 markedly inhibit GTase-I and yeast alpha-glucosidase, but not salivary alpha-amylase. Various GTases purified from S. sobrinus and Streptococcus mutans were examined for inhibition by OTE and OTF10. It was determined that S. sobrinus GTase-I and S. mutans cell-free GTase synthesizing water-soluble glucan were most susceptible to the inhibitory action of OTF10, while S. sobrinus GTase-Sa and S. mutans cell-associated GTase were moderately inhibited; no inhibition of S. sobrinus GTase-Sb was observed. Inhibition of a specific GTase or specific GTases of mutants streptococci resulted in decreased adherence of the growing cells of these organisms. The inhibitory effect of OTF10 on cellular adherence was significantly stronger than that of OTE.

Secondary structural changes of large and small fragments of bovine serum albumin in thermal denaturation and in sodium dodecyl sulfate denaturation

The helicities in various fragments of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were examined in the thermal denaturation and in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) denaturation. The thermal denaturation was examined in a temperature range between 2 and 65 degrees C. The helicity decreased with a rise of temperature and it recovered to some degree upon cooling temperature. A rather high reversibility was observed in the BSA fragments, which were located in the N-terminal of the parent protein and then contained the first large loop with no disulfide bridge. The high reversibility was available also for the helicity in the first large loop of the fragment, disulfide bridges of which were reduced. The fragments, which were smaller than one domain, became unstable in the SDS denaturation. The helicities of such fragments decreased in lower SDS concentrations compared with those of the intact BSA and the large fragments, which contained one or more domains. A resistance to the SDS denaturation appeared in the helices of every large loop even after the fragmentation. On the other hand, helicities of the fragments decreased to 20-25% upon the reduction of disulfide bridges. However, the helicities of these fragments increased to 35-40% in the SDS denaturation.

Production of high concentrations of ethanol from inulin by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Pure nonhydrolyzed inulin was directly converted to ethanol in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process. An inulinase-hyperproducing mutant, Aspergillus niger 817, was grown in a submerged culture at 30 degrees C for 5 days. The inulin-digestive liquid culture (150 ml) was supplemented with 45 g of inulin, 0.45 g of (NH4)2SO4, and 0.15 g of KH2PO4. The medium (pH 5.0) was inoculated with an ethanol-tolerant strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 1200, and fermentation was conducted at 30 degrees C. An additional 20 g of inulin was added to the culture after 15 h of fermentation. S. cerevisiae 1200 utilized 99% of the 65 g of inulin during the fermentation, and produced 20.4 and 21.0% (vol/vol) ethanol from chicory and dahlia inulins, respectively, within 3 days of fermentation. The maximum volumetric productivities of ethanol were 6.2 and 6.0 g/liter/h for chicory and dahlia inulins, respectively. The conversion efficiency of inulin to ethanol was 83 to 84% of the theoretical ethanol yield.

[Detection of myocardial damage in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy using ultrafast CT]

The myocardial characteristics of DCM patients were investigated by ultrafast CT (UFCT), left ventriculography (LVG) and T1 myocardial scintigraphy (SCINTI). Late enhancement, focal wall thinning and intramyocardial fatty components were detected as focal abnormal findings by UFCT. The regions of asynergy detected by LVG and perfusion defect detected by SCINTI were well correlated with those of focal abnormal findings detected by UFCT. There were significant differences between patients with and without focal abnormal findings, in ejection fraction and end-diastolic pressure of left ventricle and the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia. It is possible that these focal abnormal findings represented focal ischemic myocardial damage in DCM patients. DCM patients were divided into two different functional groups by UFCT findings.

[Detection of myocardial fatty components with ultrafast CT]

Intramyocardial fatty components are sometimes depicted by CT of the thorax. However, no studies have investigated the distribution, frequency and cause of these components by using statistical analysis. Three hundred forty-five patients with various cardiac diseases were examined with an ultrafast CT scanner, and intramyocardial fatty components were detected in 15 (4.3%) of them. The frequency of intramyocardial fatty components in each disease was as follows: 6% in ischemic heart disease, 7% in Kawasaki disease, 11% in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), 18% in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and 33% in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). Except for patients with HCM, the segments of the ventricles, where the fatty components were detected, agreed well with the segments with asynergy in left ventriculography and/or the segments with perfusion defect in T1 myocardial scintigraphy. Thus, ischemic fatty degeneration was considered to be a main factor in the production of intramyocardial fatty components in these diseases. The focus of arrhythmia was sometimes detected in the segments with intramyocardial fatty components in DCM and ARVD cases. It is suspected that intramyocardial fatty components sometimes produce arrhythmia in these diseases.

Effects of selected surfactants on purified glucosyltransferases from mutans streptococci and cellular adherence to smooth surfaces

The inhibitory effect of non-ionic, anionic, cationic and ampholytic surfactants on cellular growth of Streptococcus mutans MT8148 and S. sobrinus 6715, on glucan synthesis by the purified glucosyltransferase (GTase) from these organisms, and on bacterial adherence to glass surfaces was examined in vitro. Cationic surfactants exhibited marked bactericidal activities. Anionic and ampholytic compounds were less strongly bactericidal and non-ionic surfactants produced only slight inhibition of cell growth under the conditions tested. Some non-ionic compounds had no effect on this. Glucan synthesis by GTase from mutans streptococci was inhibited by anionic and cationic surfactants. Among various GTase proteins, insoluble glucan synthesising GTases, i.e., S. mutans CA-GTase and S. sobrinus GTase-I were those most effectively inhibited by these agents. However, it was noted that whereas lower concentrations of cationic surfactants enhanced these GTase activities, higher concentrations of the surfactants were inhibitory. Non-ionic detergents stimulated soluble glucan synthesis from S. mutans CF-GTase and cationic and ampholytic surfactants enhanced or inhibited glucan synthesis depending on the concentrations of the surfactants. Sucrose-dependent cellular adherence of resting cells of mutans streptococci to glass surfaces was inhibited by the addition of surfactants that annulled the GTase activities.

Oolong tea polyphenols inhibit experimental dental caries in SPF rats infected with mutans streptococci

An extract of oolong tea (semifermented tea leaves of Camellia sinensis) and its chromatographically isolated polyphenolic compound was examined for in vitro inhibitory effects on glucosyltransferases (GTases) of mutans streptococci and on caries development in Sprague-Dawley rats infected with mutans streptococci. The samples showed no detectable effect on the growth of mutans streptococci. However, insoluble glucan synthesis from sucrose by the GTases of Streptococcus mutans MT8148R and Streptococcus sobrinus 6715 was markedly inhibited, as was sucrose-dependent cell adherence of these mutans streptococci. The administration of the oolong tea extract and the isolated polyphenol compound into diet 2000 and drinking water resulted in significant reductions in caries development and plaque accumulation in the rats infected with mutans streptococci. The active components in the oolong tea extract were presumptively identified as polymeric polyphenols which were specific for oolong tea leaves. These results indicate that the oolong tea polyphenolic compounds could be useful for controlling dental caries.

A pitfall in ultrafast CT scanning for the detection of left atrial thrombi

We studied 41 patients with mitral stenosis by ultrafast CT (UFCT) and transesophageal echocardiography to detect left atrial thrombi. Cardiac UFCT was performed twice after contrast medium injection to obtain early (during injection lasting 40-60 s) and late (approximately 5 min after beginning injection) phase images. There were 10 patients (24%) in whom a filling defect detected in the early phase disappeared in the late phase. The site of filling defects was the left atrial appendage in nine patients and the left atrium in one patient. All of the filling defects were in the ventral side of the left atrium. Furthermore, all of those patients had chronic atrial fibrillation. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed no thrombus in the area of the filling defect in the early phase. We believe that blood stasis existed in those patients. This finding leads to a false-positive result when only early phase images are obtained. The diagnosis of thrombi should be made only when a filling defect is observed in both phases. Late phase scanning is necessary in the diagnosis of left atrial thrombi.

Enhancing the visualization of gymnasts

Visualizations under hypnosis enabled nationally ranked Stanford male gymnasts to execute for the first time several complex tricks that they had been working on for over a year. The gymnasts were able to eliminate timing errors in the tricks, to increase flexibility, and, possibly, to concentrate strength. The rationale for the effectiveness of trance visualizations, the induction and deepening strategies used, and the effects are described. Also included is an example of the use of a translator for the induction of a subject with a minimal fluency in English. Implications for further use of hypnosis with athletes are suggested.

Changes with time in the oral microflora and dental caries induction in hyposalivated rats fed on sucrose diet

The effects of hyposalivation on the induction of dental caries and the change in oral microflora were examined at weekly intervals in Sprague-Dawley rats fed on diet 2000 containing 56% sucrose. In hyposalivated rats, significant dental caries was induced within one week and its severity increased with the experimental period. Bacteriological examinations demonstrated that the number of total cultivable microorganisms, lactobacilli and Staphylococcus aureus increased significantly shortly after surgical induction of hyposalivation, while the number of streptococci and yeasts did not increase significantly until the 7th week, beyond which time remarkable gross caries developed. A positive correlation was found between the caries score and the recovery of lactobacilli from mandibles of hyposalivated rats, while there was no statistically significant correlation between the caries score and the recoveries of S. aureus. On the other hand, dental caries was not induced in control rats fed on sucrose diet with no surgically-induced hyposalivation. It was also found that the number of lactobacilli increased significantly shortly after diet 2000 was given to control rats, but S. aureus was rarely recovered from the mandibles of control rats throughout the experiments. The roles of lactobacilli and S. aureus in the induction of dental caries under the hyposalivated condition were discussed and it was suggested that lactobacilli may play some significant role in the induction of dental caries in hyposalivated rats.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with soft-tissue contractures

We report four patients with a form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome associated with soft-tissue contractures from birth and skin hyperalgesia. In early infancy, these cases were thought to be forms of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Larsen's syndrome or Marfan's syndrome. The characteristic triad of signs of Ehlers-Danlos disease gradually appeared from four to six years of age, allowing us to establish the correct diagnosis. We discuss the differential diagnosis of these connective-tissue disorders and the problems of the orthopaedic treatment of the associated joint deformities. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a heterogeneous group of metabolic diseases of collagen and our cases constitute a group which is distinct from the conventional types.

Immunochemical and biological characterization of outer membrane proteins of Porphyromonas endodontalis

Outer membrane proteins (OMP) of Porphyromonas endodontalis HG 370 (ATCC 35406) were prepared from the cell envelope fraction of the organisms. The cell envelope that had been obtained by sonication of the whole cells was extracted in 2% lithium dodecyl sulfate and then successively chromatographed with Sephacryl S-200 HR and DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow. Two OMP fractions, OMP-I and OMP-II, were obtained, and their immunochemical properties and induction of specific antibodies were examined. The OMP-I preparation consisted of a major protein with an apparent molecular mass of 31 kDa and other moderate to minor proteins of 40.3, 51.4, 67, and 71.6 kDa, while the OMP-II preparation contained 14-, 15.5-, 27-, and 44-kDa proteins as revealed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis. OMP-I was found to form hydrophilic diffusion pores by incorporation into artificial liposomes composed of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine and dicetylphosphate, indicating that OMP-I exhibited significant porin activity. However, the liposomes containing heat-denatured OMP-I were scarcely active. Spontaneous and antigen-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM)-, IgG-, and IgA-secreting spot-forming cells (SFC) enzymatically dissociated into single-cell suspensions from chronically inflamed periapical tissues and were enumerated by enzyme-linked immunospot assay. In patients with radicular cysts or dental granulomas, the major isotype of spontaneous SFC was IgG. In radicular cysts, the OMP-II-specific IgG SFC represented 0.13% of the total IgG SFC, while the antigen-specific IgA or IgM SFC was not observed. It was also found that none of these mononuclear cells produced antibodies specific for OMP-I or lipopolysaccharide of P. endodontalis.

Electric current precedes emergence of a lateral root in higher plants

Stable electrochemical patterns appear spontaneously around roots of higher plants and are closely related to growth. An electric potential pattern accompanied by lateral root emergence was measured along the surface of the primary root of adzuki bean (Phaseolus angularis) over 21 h using a microelectrode manipulated by a newly developed apparatus. The electric potential became lower at the point where a lateral root emerged. This change preceded the emergence of the lateral root by about 10 h. A theory is presented for calculating two-dimensional patterns of electric potential and electric current density around the primary root (and a lateral root) using only data on the one-dimensional electric potential measured near the surface of the primary root. The development of the lateral root inside the primary root is associated with the influx of electric current of about 0.7 muA.cm(-2) at the surface.

Aortic aneurysms: growth rates measured with CT

Because of a lack of information about the rates of growth of aortic aneurysms, such rates in thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms were determined. One hundred seventy-one patients with atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm managed nonoperatively were followed up for more than 6 months with sequential computed tomography (CT). There were 211 aneurysms (thoracic aortic, 82; abdominal aortic, 129). The growth rates of thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms were 0.42 and 0.28 cm/y, respectively. Aneurysms at the aortic arch (n = 34) grew at a faster average rate (0.56 cm/y) than aneurysms arising at other levels, even when the rate was corrected for the initial diameter. It is recommended that thoracic aortic aneurysms, especially aortic arch aneurysms, be followed frequently with CT examination of size.

Molecular characterization and expression of the cell-associated glucosyltransferase gene from Streptococcus mutans

A gene encoding cell-associated glucosyltransferase (CA-GTase) was cloned from Streptococcus mutans MT8148 into Escherichia coli DH5 alpha by using a low-copy-number plasmid, pMW119. After screening of a gene library with the oligonucleotide probe designed on the basis of a partial amino acid sequence of CA-GTase, a recombinant plasmid, pSK6, that had a 5.6 kb insert carrying the CA-GTase gene was selected. The gene product (recombinant CA-GTase) of pSK6 was expressed by using a lac promoter in pMW119. Western blotting revealed that rCA-GTase reacted with antibody to CA-GTase. rCA-GTase was found to synthesize water-insoluble glucans. Southern blotting indicated that the MT8148 chromosome contained another gene which was homologous to pSK6. A plasmid harboring this gene (pSK16) was also isolated from the gene library, the gene product of pSK16 exhibited GTase activity but ten times lower than that of pSK6.

[Detectability of diagonal branch disease by 201TlCl exercised myocardial scintigraphy]

The detectability of diagonal branch disease in 10 patients (five with angina pectoris, five with myocardial infarction) with isolated diagonal branch lesions (more than 75% luminal stenosis in coronary angiography) was reviewed. In exercised 201TlCl myocardial scintigraphy, chest pain occurred in four of 10 patients, electrocardiographic change indicating myocardial ischemia was seen in four, and diagonal branch lesion was detected in only four patients by planar images. In contrast, diagonal branch lesions were detected in 10 of 10 patients by SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography). In planar images, perfusion defects appeared high in the anterolateral, posterolateral, and anterior walls of the left ventricle. In SPECT images they appeared high in the anterior to anterolateral wall. The extent of diagonal branch lesions could be quantitatively evaluated by coronary territory maps developed from unfolded maps of exercised SPECT. The mean ratio of the extent of diagonal branch lesion to left anterior descending branch territory was 24.7%, and the extent of myocardial infarction was significantly larger than that of angina pectoris (p < 0.05). In conclusion, SPECT is useful for detecting diagonal branch lesions and can quantitatively show the extent of these lesions by coronary territory map.

Effects of phenytoin on dental caries and plaque in Streptococcus sobrinus-infected rats

Effects of phenytoin (PHT) administration on dental caries in rats infected with Streptococcus sobrinus 6715 were investigated. Twenty-day-old specific pathogen-free Fischer male rats were infected with S. sobrinus 6715 and fed diet 2000 containing 56% sucrose with or without PHT for 52 days. Antibody responses against anti-S. sobrinus in serum and saliva failed to show a statistical difference between PHT-treated and nontreated rats. These results indicate that PHT treatment increased plaque deposition and dental caries in the rats infected with S. sobrinus 6715 and fed diet 2000 containing PHT (1-2 mg/g), as compared with those similarly infected and fed diet without PHT (P < 0.001).

Evaluation of myocardium in ischemic heart disease by ultrafast computed tomography

In this study we evaluated quantitatively the contrast enhancement of the myocardium of 27 patients with infarction and ischemia by ultrafast CT (Imatron C-100) with a scan time of 100 msec. We defined three parameters from the CT numbers of the myocardium and the ventricle in both the early and the late phase (about 4 min) after the injection of non-ionic contrast material; the difference of the CT numbers of myocardium between the early and the late phase (delta CT#), and the ratios of the CT numbers of the myocardium and the ventricular lumen (M/L) in both the early phase and the late phase. The delta CT# for myocardial infarction and severe ischemia were -20 +/- 10HU and -8 +/- 10HU, respectively. These values were significantly lower than the mild ischemic myocardium and normal myocardium (p less than 0.001). The average M/L values for myocardial infarction and ischemia in the early phase were 19 +/- 8% and 16 +/- 6%, respectively. These values were significantly lower than those in normal myocardium (p less than 0.001). The average M/L values for infarction and severe ischemia in the late phase were 90 +/- 18% and 63 +/- 20%, respectively. These M/L were significantly dissociated (p less than 0.001). Our results indicate that with contrast UFCT it is feasible to detect quantitatively the myocardial characteristics of ischemia and infarction.

Quantitative assessment of myocardial enhancement with iodinated contrast medium in patients with ischemic heart disease by using ultrafast x-ray computed tomography

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

The authors report the quantitation of myocardial enhancement using iodinated contrast medium in patients with ischemic heart disease. Twenty-eight patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and 11 controls were examined by ultrafast computed tomography (CT) using 100-msecond scans.

METHODS

The authors analyzed M/L (ratio of post-contrast incremental increases in the left ventricular myocardial and luminal CT number) in early and late phases after contrast injection.

RESULTS

In controls, mean values of early and late M/L were 30% and 51%, respectively. In infarcted or severely ischemic segments, early M/Ls (19%, 16%) were significantly small (P less than .001), whereas late M/Ls (90%, 63%) were higher (P less than .001, .01) than controls. Segments with infarction or severe ischemia were differentiated from mild or nonsignificant ischemia by using this parameter (sensitivity, 99%; specificity, 88%).

CONCLUSIONS

M/L is useful for detection of the ischemic myocardium.

[Growth rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms as measured by Computerized tomography]

To evaluate the growth rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms, sequential computed tomography (CT) examinations were performed on 125 nonoperated patients (M/F 101/24, mean age 67 +/- 8 years, 129 lesions) at intervals of at least 6 months. Growth rates of aneurysms were obtained by subtracting the first from the last diameter and adjusting for examination interval. Mean growth rate was 0.28 +/- 0.26 cm/year. Aneurysms with an initial diameter exceeding 4 or 5 cm showed significantly faster growth than smaller aneurysms. There was no significant correlation between growth rate and atherosclerogenic factors, but systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in patients whose aneurysms ruptured. Our study showed quantitatively that aneurysms with a large diameter have a rapid growth rate, the growth rate of infrarenal aneurysms is significantly faster than that of suprarenal aneurysms, and blood pressure control is important to prevent rupture.

Amplitude abnormalities in the scalp far-field N18 of SSEPs to median nerve stimulation in patients with midbrain-pontine lesion

Various amplitude ratios were measured in 20 normal controls and 36 patients with midbrain-pontine, thalamic or putaminal lesions in order to evaluate the amplitude abnormalities in scalp far-field N18 following median nerve stimulation. A study of normal controls showed that the distributions of P9/N18, P14/N18 and N18/P14 + N18 resembled a gaussian distribution and could be used as criteria for determining the decrease in N18 amplitude in each patient. There was a decrease in N18 amplitude, or the absence of N18, in patients with midbrain-pontine lesions, but not in those with thalamic or putaminal lesions. Nine amplitude ratios (P11/P9, P14/P9, N18/P9, P9/P11, P9/P14, P9/N18, N18/P14, P14/N18 and N18/P14 + N18) were compared statistically for normal controls and 3 groups of patients based on non-parametric, Wilcoxon's non-pairs and signed-rank tests. A decrease in N18 amplitude in midbrain-pontine lesion was shown by significant changes in N18/P9, P9/N18, N18/P14, P14/N18 and N18/P14 + N18, no amplitude decreases in P11 and P14 being found from the amplitude ratios of P11/P9, P9/P11, P14/P9 and P9/P14. No significant changes were seen in any of the 9 amplitude ratios when the normal controls and patients with thalamic and putaminal lesions were compared. The amplitude ratios of N18 can be used to detect a decrease in N18 amplitude in patients with midbrain-pontine lesions. The data obtained support the hypothesis that N18 originates in the midbrain-pontine region and that neither the thalamus nor thalamocortical radiation make major contributions to the formation of the N18 peak.

Dependence of reaction rate of 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) to free sulfhydryl groups of bovine serum albumin and ovalbumin on the protein conformations

The effect of protein conformations on the reaction rate of Ellman's reagent, 5,5'-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) with sulfhydryl (SH) groups of proteins was examined. The stopped-flow method was applied to follow the reaction of DTNB with SH group of two proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA), at various concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride and urea. The rates for both the proteins were faster in guanidine than in urea. The rate sharply depended on the protein conformations, which were monitored by changes of helix contents on the basis of the circular dichroism measurements. The reaction rate of DTNB with SH groups of BSA was maximal around 2 M guanidine and 5 M urea. On the other hand, the reaction rate of DTNB with OVA was maximal at 3.5 M guanidine, while it gradually increased with an increase in the urea concentration. The amount of reactive SH group participating in the reaction with DTNB was also estimated by the absorbance change at 412 nm. The magnitudes of absorbance change for the reaction with free SH groups of OVA at low concentrations of the denaturants were appreciably smaller than those for BSA with one free SH group. Most of the four SH groups of OVA might react with DTNB above 5 M guanidine, although only a part of them did even at 9 M urea.

Type A aortic dissection: evaluation with ultrafast CT

The authors examined 17 patients with type A aortic dissection with ultrafast computed tomography (CT). Forty sections with 1-cm intervals, from the aortic arch to the aortic bifurcation, were scanned serially without breath holding within only 74 seconds. Except for two thrombosed dissections, all intimal flaps in the ascending aorta were demonstrated, and 14 (93%) of the 15 surgically proved intimal tears were depicted. An intimal tear in the aortic arch was missed. Since conventional scanning tends not to depict type A aortic dissection, millisecond-order ultrafast CT scanning has the potential to become the modality of choice for imaging of aortic dissection.

[Usefulness of 201Tl myocardial scintigraphy after dipyridamole infusion in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease]

To determine the utility for detecting ischemic heart disease (IHD), Dipyridamole thallium myocardial images (DIP-Tl) have been performed in the 103 patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who can't exercise fully. Of 103 patients, there were 36 patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO), 31 patients with aneurysm of the abdominal aorta (AAA), 24 patients with aneurysm of the thoracic aorta (TAA) and 12 patients with dissecting aortic aneurysm (DAA). Clinical evidence of IHD was found in 20 patients with ASO, 10 with AAA, 7 with TAA and 4 with DAA respectively. Positive evidence of DIP-Tl was identified in 66% of 41 patients who had clinical evidence of IHD, and particularly in the patients with AAA (80%) and ASO (65%). On the other hand, in the patients without clinical evidence of IHD, positive evidence of DIP-Tl was identified in 19% of 62 patients and particularly in the patients with AAA (39%). In all patients, the percentage of the positive DIP-Tl ratio was 38%. And, when the 38% patients of the positive DIP-Tl were added to the patients of the negative DIP-Tl who had clinical evidence of IHD, almost half patients (51%) were considered to be complicated with IHD. This study suggests that the atherosclerotic vascular disease is highly complicated with IHD and DIP-Tl is useful to detect IHD.