title: Folate therapy improves the stress-to-rest mean LV volume ratio in myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with diabetes have higher stress-to-rest mean left ventricular volume (SRLVV) ratio in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and hyperhomocysteinemia. We studied the effect of folate therapy on SRLVV ratio and plasma homocysteine levels in patients with diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients were enrolled and thirty-two completed the study. The patients underwent a 2-day pharmacological stress test and rest MPI before and 2 months after treatment with either 5 mg folic acid or placebo. SRLVV ratios were calculated, and plasma homocysteine levels were measured, before and after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 32 patients who completed the study, 15 received folic acid and 17 received placebo. The age of subjects (folate 51.5 ± 6.1 years; placebo 50.6 ± 8.1 years), male/female ratio (folate 6/11; placebo 9/6),or MPI findings (proportion of normal results: folate 80.0 %; placebo 94.1 %) were similar between the two groups. The baseline SRLVV ratio was similar between groups (folate: 1.00 ± 0.09 vs. placebo: 0.97 ± 0.13); however, the post-treatment SRLVV ratio was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the folate group than in the placebo group (folate: 0.93 ± 0.10 vs. placebo: 1.04 ± 0.17). A general linear repeated-measures model showed a significant difference in the change in SRLVV ratio between participants receiving folate and those receiving placebo. Post-treatment homocysteine level was lower after folate treatment (from 14.5 ± 4.6 to 11.5 ± 5.3 µmol/L), as compared to placebo (from 13.7 ± 5.0 to 17.9 ± 4.5 µmol/L) (P = 0.01). The changes in SRLVV ratio and homocysteine level were correlated (r = 0.45; P = 0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term folate therapy reduced SRLVV ratio and plasma homocysteine level.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Emami-Ardekani
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esteghamati
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Vali-Asr Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farzanefar
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadtaghi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abousaidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Vali-Asr Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. meabbasi@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mehrshad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Soraya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fallahi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Davood
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beiki
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Armaghan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fard-Esfahani
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Manouchehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakhjavani
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eftekhari
mesh_terms: D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D012146:Rest; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid
keywords: Diabetes; Endothelial dysfunction; Folate; Homocysteinemia; Myocardial perfusion imaging; Stress-to-rest mean left ventricular volume