Current status and recent changes in blood pressure and dietary salt consumption in Japanese individuals.

: Treatment of hypertension has recently shown remarkable advances. It is quite important to survey the current general status of blood pressure (BP) and recent changes to verify whether people are benefitting from these advances. The present study aimed to investigate the current status of, and recent changes in, BP, the prevalence and treatment rate of hypertension, the achievement rate of target BP, and salt intake in Japanese individuals.

Central blood pressure predicts the development of hypertension in the general population.

Although elevated blood pressure results in arterial stiffening, the converse could also be true. Previous studies have suggested that increased arterial stiffness precedes the development of hypertension. Since central blood pressure is augmented following arterial stiffening, the predictive value of central blood pressure for detecting new-onset hypertension was investigated in the general population.

Colchicine therapy for deep vein thrombosis in a patient with vascular-type Behçet disease: A case report.

Rationale: Behçet Disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis with thrombogenicity and multisystem involvement. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the lower extremities is the most frequent manifestation of vascular involvement in BD. The causes of thrombosis vary widely and include congenital predisposition and acquired factors, but of all the thrombosis, the cause is rarely BD.

Influence of thyroid dysfunction on brain natriuretic peptide level in health examination participants.

The tissue-specific circulating markers of thyroid hormone action on cardiac function have not been established. Although the relationship between thyroid function and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels has been evaluated in patients with thyroid disorders, the relationship between these parameters in the general population has not been yet studied. We conducted retrospective cohort study by health examination with concurrent measurements of TSH, free T4, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin, and estimated glomerular filtration rate from participants who visited the Department of Health Checkup, Enshu Hospital between July 2008 and March 2017.

Intraventricular thrombus and severe mitral regurgitation in the acute phase of takotsubo cardiomyopathy: two case reports.

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by chest symptoms, electrocardiographic changes, and new regional wall motion abnormality in the apical segment of the left ventricle in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. Particularly, apical ballooning is broadly recognized as the classic form of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Although the prognosis of most patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy is generally favorable, complications associated with the morphological features of transient apical ballooning are not uncommon.

Effect of combined therapy with catheter-directed thrombolysis and factor Xa inhibitor for inferior vena cava thrombosis: A case report.

Rationale: Inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis is an under-recognized entity that is associated with a mortality rate approaching twice that of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Thrombolytic therapy not only results in greater lysis, but also results in higher complication rates than anticoagulation alone. Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT), which is effective in accomplishing local resolution whilst reducing bleeding complications, has been established as an alternative treatment for patients with extensive DVT.

Recent changes in blood pressure levels, hypertension prevalence and treatment rates, and the rate of reaching target blood pressure in the elderly.

Antihypertensive treatment has beneficial effects in the elderly. Surveying the situation of blood pressure in the elderly is quite important for planning strategies to manage elderly hypertensives. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in blood pressure in the elderly over the past 15 years.

Intracellular Renin Inhibits Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore via Activated Mitochondrial Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (ERK) 1/2 during Ischemia in Diabetic Hearts.

Although beneficial effects of non-secreting intracellular renin (ns-renin) against ischemia have been reported, the precise mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the roles of ns-renin and mitochondrial extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) 1/2 on mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening during ischemia in diabetes mellitus (DM) hearts. When isolated hearts from Wistar rats (non-DM hearts) and Goto-Kakizaki rats (DM hearts) were subjected to ischemia for 70 min by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation, DM hearts exhibited higher left ventricular (LV) developed pressure and lower LV end-diastolic pressure than non-DM hearts, suggesting ischemic resistance.

Purulent Pericarditis with Salmonella enterica Subspecies arizona in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Purulent pericarditis is a life-threatening disorder, even in the modern antibiotic era. Although diabetes mellitus is known to be associated with an increased risk of multiple types of infections, purulent pericarditis is extremely rare. We herein report an unusual case of pericarditis caused by Salmonella enterica subspecies arizona that was not associated with any evident underlying immunosuppressive disorder apart from uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Microtubule disorganization affects the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in cardiac myocytes.

Background: Microtubule (MT) disorganization is related to cardiac disorders. To elucidate the mechanism by which disorganization of the MT network deteriorates cardiac function, the relationship between MT disorganization and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in cardiac myocytes was investigated.

Methods And Results: The effects of MT stabilization (by paclitaxel) and MT disruption (by nocodazole) on mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and the opening of mPTP were measured in permeabilized Sprague-Dawley rat myocytes.