Indocyanine Green Fluorescence-Guided Partial Cystectomy and Pelvic Lymphadenectomy for Urachal Carcinoma.

Intraoperative indocyanine green near-infrared fluorescence guidance is an emerging optical imaging technology to facilitate better understanding of surgical landmarks. Herein, this technique was applied during the surgery for urachal carcinoma. A 50-year-old man with urachal carcinoma underwent laparoscopic partial cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND).

Finger blood flow after the cold challenge with primary Raynaud's syndrome: a case report.

Background: Raynaud's syndrome is a commonly encountered disorder. The relationship between the grade of Raynaud's phenomenon and severity of vasoconstriction is unclear. Recently, various methods including colour Doppler ultrasonography have been used for assessment of vascularity of the extremities including fingers.

Smoking status and endothelial function in Japanese men.

It is established that smoking is a major risk factor of atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction occurs in the initial step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between smoking status and endothelial function in detail in men.

[The neuroprotective role of EAAC1 in hippocampal injury following ischemia-reperfusion].

Ischemic stroke is one of the most prevalent brain disorders and the major cause of long-term disability. In particularly, hippocampal injury after ischemia-reperfusion is a serious problem as it contributes to vascular dementia. Many researches have revealed that ischemia-reperfusion causes increase in reactive oxygen species production and disruption of neuronal Zn homeostasis in the hippocampus, which induces hippocampal neuron death.

Bach1 plays an important role in angiogenesis through regulation of oxidative stress.

Bach1 is a known transcriptional repressor of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene. The purpose of this study was to determine whether angiogenesis is accelerated by genetic ablation of Bach1 in a mouse ischemic hindlimb model. Hindlimb ischemia was surgically induced in wild-type (WT) mice, Bach1-deficient (Bach1) mice, apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice, and Bach1/ApoE double-knockout (Bach1/ApoE) mice.

Therapeutic effects of losartan on prostatic hyperplasia in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Aims: We investigated the therapeutic effects of losartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, on prostatic hyperplasia in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

Main Methods: Male SHRs (age, 36 weeks) were perorally treated with losartan (3 or 10 mg·kg) or vehicle once daily for 18 weeks. Age-matched Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs) were used as vehicle-treated controls (n = 8).

Relaxing music reduces blood pressure and heart rate among pre-hypertensive young adults: A randomized control trial.

Prevalence of pre-hypertension is higher among young adults and may increase the risk for hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity. Music therapy has been investigated to reduce the blood pressure in the hypertensive population; however, its efficacy on blood pressure in pre-hypertensive young adults is not known. Thirty pre-hypertensive (systolic blood pressure [SBP] = 120-139 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] = 80-89 mmHg) young adults were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups.

Extremely-slow, half-number shockwave lithotripsy for asymptomatic renal stones <20 mm.

Purpose: To compare the treatment success rate and safety of reduced (30 shocks/min, 1,200 shocks/session) versus standard (60 shocks/min, 2,400 shocks/session) extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for the management of renal stones.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 404 patients who underwent extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for 5-20-mm renal stones between April 2011 and March 2019. Patients selected the reduced or standard protocol (group R and S) after explaining the potential benefits and disadvantages.

Endothelial function is preserved in light to moderate alcohol drinkers but is impaired in heavy drinkers in women: Flow-mediated Dilation Japan (FMD-J) study.

Light to moderate alcohol consumption has protective effects on all-cause death and coronary artery disease in women. It is thought that light to moderate alcohol consumption has a beneficial effect on vascular function in women. We measured flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in 702 women aged 17-86 years who provided information on alcohol consumption.

Potency of gastrointestinal colonization and virulence of Candida auris in a murine endogenous candidiasis.

Background: Candida auris infections have recently emerged worldwide, and this species is highly capable of colonization and is associated with high levels of mortality. However, strain-dependent differences in colonization capabilities and virulence have not yet been reported.

Objectives: In the present study, we aimed to clarify the differences between clinically isolated invasive and non-invasive strains of C.

Low Levels of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Endothelial Function in Subjects without Lipid-Lowering Therapy.

An elevation of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels has been associated with endothelial dysfunction in statin naïve subjects. However, there is no information on endothelial function in subjects with extremely low levels of LDL-C. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship of LDL-C levels, especially low levels of LDL-C, with endothelial function.

The role of diurnal fluctuations in excitatory amino acid carrier 1 levels in post-ischemic hippocampal Zn accumulation.

Accumulating evidence indicates time-of-day variations in ischemic neuronal injury. Under ischemic conditions, Zn is massively released from hippocampal glutamatergic neurons, and intracellular Zn accumulation results in neuron death. Notably, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1), known as a cysteine transporter, is involved in Zn homeostasis, and its expressions exhibit a diurnal fluctuation.

Upstroke Time Is a Useful Vascular Marker for Detecting Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Among Subjects With Normal Ankle-Brachial Index.

Background Upstroke time is the transit time from the nadir to peak of the waveform of pulse volume recording. The purpose of this study was to determine whether upstroke time at the ankle is a useful vascular marker for detecting patients with advanced atherosclerosis in combination with ankle-brachial index (ABI). Methods and Results We measured upstroke time and ABI in 2313 subjects (mean age, 61.

Relationship between cell number and clinical outcomes of autologous bone-marrow mononuclear cell implantation in critical limb ischemia.

Cell therapy using intramuscular injections of autologous bone-marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) improves clinical symptoms and can prevent limb amputation in atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the number of implanted BM-MNCs on clinical outcomes in atherosclerotic PAD patients with CLI who underwent cell therapy. This study was a retrospective observational study with median follow-up period of 13.

Decreased Recurrence of Urolithiasis After Simultaneous Ureteroscopic Surgery for Ureter and Ipsilateral Renal Calculi: Comparison to Shockwave Lithotripsy for Ureter Calculi Alone.

Objective: To compare follow-up outcomes of ureteroscopy (URS) and shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) for ureter calculi in the setting of asymptomatic renal calculi <15 mm.

Methods: This study included 789 patients who underwent URS (n = 301) or SWL (n = 488) as primary treatment for ureter calculi and who had ipsilateral renal calculi <15 mm between January 2012 and December 2019. For the URS group, all renal calculi were simultaneously treated unless contraindicated.

Measuring material parameters using a tunable monochromatic terahertz wave source.

We measured complex refractive indices of materials that transmitted well in the terahertz (THz) range using a tunable, monochromatic pulsed THz wave source and a high-sensitivity semiconductor detector. This approach is based on simple monochromatic transmission power measurements. Contrast enhancement by refractive index cladding was employed to measure the complex refractive indices.

The SGLT2 inhibitor Empagliflozin attenuates interleukin-17A-induced human aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration by targeting TRAF3IP2/ROS/NLRP3/Caspase-1-dependent IL-1β and IL-18 secretion.

Chronic inflammation and persistent oxidative stress contribute to the development and progression of vascular proliferative diseases. We hypothesized that the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17A induces oxidative stress and amplifies inflammatory signaling in human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) via TRAF3IP2-mediated NLRP3/caspase-1-dependent mitogenic and migratory proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Further, we hypothesized that these maladaptive changes are prevented by empagliflozin (EMPA), an SGLT2 (Sodium/Glucose Cotransporter 2) inhibitor.

Daily Low-intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Ameliorates Renal Fibrosis and Inflammation in Experimental Hypertensive and Diabetic Nephropathy.

The estimated morbidity rate of chronic kidney disease is 8% to 16% worldwide, and many patients with chronic kidney disease eventually develop renal failure. Thus, the development of new therapeutic strategies for preventing renal failure is crucial. In this study, we assessed the effects of daily low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) therapy on experimental hypertensive nephropathy and diabetic nephropathy.

Volume Elastic Modulus, Vascular Function, and Vascular Structure in Patients with Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Aims: Volume elastic modulus (V), an index of arterial elasticity, and arterial diameter of the brachial artery can be automatically measured by a newly developed oscillometric device. We investigated the associations of V with flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), an index of endothelium-dependent vasodilation, nitroglycerine-induced vasodilation (NID), an index of endothelium-independent vasodilation, and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the brachial artery and association of oscillometrically measured brachial artery diameter with ultrasonographically measured brachial artery diameter in patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: Oscillometric measurements of V and brachial artery diameter and ultrasound measurements of brachial artery diameter, FMD, NID, and IMT of the brachial artery were performed in 50 patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

Association between Carotid Artery Calcification and Periodontal Disease Progression in Japanese Men and Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: To evaluate the association between alveolar bone loss (ABL) detected on panoramic radiographs and carotid artery calcification (CAC) detected on computed tomography (CT).

Methods: The study subjects included 295 patients (mean age ± SD: 64.6 ± 11.

Ionizing Irradiation Induces Vascular Damage in the Aorta of Wild-Type Mice.

There has been a recent upsurge of interest in the effects of ionizing radiation exposure on the circulatory system, because a mounting body of epidemiological evidence suggests that irradiation induces cardio- and cerebrovascular disease at a much lower dose and lower dose rate than previously considered. The goal of our project is to determine whether dose protraction alters radiation effects on the circulatory system in a mouse model. To this end, the use of wild-type mice is pivotal albeit without manifestation of vascular diseases, because disease models (e.

Low Detection Rate of Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Single-Centre UK Study.

Purpose: Critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at increased risk of thrombosis. There are limited data on PE rates in COVID-19 patients at presentation to the emergency department (ED). In this study, we evaluated the detection rates of PE in patients presenting to the ED with suspected and proven COVID-19.