Objectives: The number of elderly patients with hypertension has been steadily increasing. However, there are limited data on the safety and efficacy of the new angiotensin type 1 receptor blocker (ARB) azilsartan in elderly patients with hypertension. We investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of azilsartan in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has various morphological and clinical features. A decade has passed since the previous survey of the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Japanese HCM patients. The Aichi Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (AHC) Registry is based on a prospective multicenter observational study of HCM patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are now clinically available. However, few studies have demonstrated which patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) actually receive NOACs in a clinical setting. We analyzed 182 NVAF patients who received oral anticoagulants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTakotsubo cardiomyopathy is a disorder characterized by left ventricular apical ballooning with preceding emotional and/or physical stressors. This condition is also an important differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. We herein describe a case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a significant clinical phenomenon, triggered by delayed-onset rhabdomyolysis following the administration of long-term statin treatment, without any preceding stressors or changes in the patient's medical condition, in association with complaints of non-specific muscle-related symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The aim of this study was to address the association of lipid profiles with periprocedural myocardial infarction (pMI) after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Methods And Results: Of the 302 consecutive patients who received elective PCI at the Chubu Rosai Hospital, Nagoya, Japan between June 2009 and December 2010, data from 231 native coronary lesions were analysed. Various biomarkers including serum troponin T (TnT), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid (AA), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured at baseline and at 18 hrs after PCI.
Objectives: Cigarette smoking is associated with atherosclerosis and is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the impact of cigarette smoking on coronary plaque composition using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS).
Methods: A total of 143 consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a cause of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and an independent predictor of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Cathepsin K (CatK) is a lysosomal cysteine protease which affects vascular calcification and glucose metabolism disorder. We investigated the relationships among CatK, CAC, diabetes mellitus (DM) and MACCE in CKD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Indoxyl sulfate (IS), a uremic toxin, has cardiovascular as well as uremic toxicity. We evaluated the prognostic value of blood IS level for long-term outcome.
Methods And Results: This study followed 311 patients with coronary artery disease.
In repetitive measurements of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), the duration of the interval between measurements remains controversial. In this pilot study, we conducted three sequential measurements of low-flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC), FMD and flow-mediated total dilation (FMTD; L-FMC+ FMD) at baseline and intervals of 15 and 60 min in 30 healthy males. FMD15, L-FMC15, and FMTD15 were significantly lower than the respective first measurements, but all indices showed full recovery at 60 min in all subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe sought to determine the morphologic predictors of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES), using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS). Conventional IVUS and IB-IVUS were performed in 260 consecutive patients who underwent PCI with DES. Three-dimensional analyses were performed to determine plaque volume and the volume of each plaque component (lipid, fibrous, and calcification).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and high fasting glucose levels are reportedly risk factors for contrast-induced nephropathy after invasive coronary angiography in patients with renal dysfunction. Cystatin C (CyC) is a sensitive marker for detecting early impairment of renal function. Using CyC, we investigated whether DM would be a risk for worsening renal function after coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in patients with preserved renal function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recently, neoatherosclerosis within the neointima after bare metal stent (BMS) implantation, which could cause late restenosis and very late stent thrombosis, has been a cause of concern. Renal dysfunction has been related to late cardiovascular events after coronary intervention. The present study was conducted focusing on the relationship between renal dysfunction and neointimal tissue characteristics with BMS restenosis using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a member of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid family, prevents cardiovascular disease. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of inflammation, which promotes atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among EPA, CRP, and the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which is a manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The purpose of the present study was to compare the 5-year clinical outcomes after implantation of drug-eluting stent (DES) and bare-metal stent (BMS) in Japanese patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Methods And Results: This study was a subgroup analysis of the Nagoya Acute Myocardial Infarction Study (NAMIS). It included 658 AMI patients, of which 280 were treated with a DES and 378 with a BMS.
Coronary plaques can be reduced by some medications. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 2 angiotensin II receptor blockers (olmesartan at 20 mg/day or valsartan at 80 mg/day) on coronary plaque by coronary intravascular ultrasound. One hundred hypertensive patients with stable angina pectoris who underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly selected to receive 1 of the 2 angiotensin II receptor blockers after coronary intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cathepsin K (CatK) is one of the most potent mammalian collagenases involved in atherosclerosis-based vascular disease. We investigated whether circulating CatK is associated with the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD).
Methods: Two-hundred fifty-two consecutive subjects were enrolled from among patients who underwent coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound analyses.
Background/aims: Although contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) is a major complication associated with angiography, the prophylaxis is not well established. Use of a low dose of carperitide for preventing CIAKI remains controversial. We examined the protective effect of carperitide on CIAKI after coronary angiography with a small contrast volume in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with coronary artery disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The pathogenesis of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to analyse tissue characterizations of neointima in restenosis lesions after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES), comparing with those after bare metal stent (BMS) using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS).
Methods And Results: A total of 54 consecutive patients who had ISR lesions after SES (n = 20) or BMS (n = 34) implantation were enrolled.
Objective: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is frequently seen in hemodialysis patients, endovascular therapy (EVT) often being performed in such cases. We examined combined prognostic utility of pre-procedural serum albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) in combination for predicting clinical outcome after EVT in HD patients with PAD.
Methods: A total of 450 hemodialysis patients successfully undergoing EVT for PAD were followed-up for up to 8 years.
The prognosis of patients with diastolic heart failure (HF) is as poor as that of patients with systolic HF. Greater chronic kidney disease-associated mortality occurs in patients with left ventricular (LV) diastolic HF than in those with systolic HF. Indoxyl sulfate (IS), a uremic toxin, directly affects cardiac cells adversely in in vitro experiments.
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