Publications by authors named "Hirokazu Konishi"
Article Synopsis
- Commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) has limited wear resistance, making it less ideal for use in tough environments despite its strong and corrosion-resistant qualities.
- This paper introduces a new method for creating wear-resistant TiNi coatings using nickel plating and electron beam (EB) irradiation, alongside experiments to test the best conditions for forming the TiNi phase.
- Results indicate that a uniform TiNi layer could be achieved through controlled multi-track melting, highlighting the potential for using EB additive manufacturing to develop coatings with desirable traits like shape memory and pseudoelasticity.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on a new technique called ARCADIA for treating complex, calcified lesions in peripheral arteries where stenting isn't possible.
- This method involves guiding a wire through the calcified area, then using special balloons to dilate the plaque, showing significant improvement in artery lumen size based on intravascular ultrasound results.
- The results were promising with only 2 cases needing follow-up procedures after a year and an 85.7% success rate for keeping the artery open, suggesting ARCADIA is a safe and effective option for these challenging cases.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of different plaque areas on the effectiveness of drug-coated balloons (DCB) in patients undergoing stent-less percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for new coronary artery lesions.
- A total of 247 patients were analyzed, revealing that a plaque area of 58.5% or greater was associated with significantly higher rates of target lesion failure (TLF).
- The findings suggest that properly preparing the lesion to achieve a plaque area of less than 58.5% is crucial for improving outcomes when using DCB.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare the effects of beta-blockers on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease, focusing on those with mid-range ejection fraction (mrEF) and reduced ejection fraction (rEF).
- After analyzing data from 3,508 patients, it was found that beta-blockers did not significantly impact the outcomes for those with mrEF, while they were linked to better outcomes for patients with rEF.
- The research concluded that beta-blockers may be beneficial for rEF patients, but not for mrEF patients in terms of long-term survival and cardiovascular events.
Article Synopsis
- PPARα is a crucial nuclear receptor involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation, which may influence the development of atherosclerosis by lowering inflammation.
- Pemafibrate, a selective PPARα modulator, was tested for its effects on coronary atherosclerosis in a study using LDLR-KO pigs that underwent balloon injury.
- Results showed that pemafibrate reduced inflammation markers and lowered the ratio of macrophages to plaque area compared to the control group, suggesting its potential benefits in managing coronary artery atherosclerosis.
Article Synopsis
- * Among 369 patients analyzed, those with high Lp(a) levels (≥21.6 mg/dL) experienced significantly worse cumulative event-free survival compared to those with low levels.
- * High Lp(a) was identified as an independent predictor of adverse outcomes, suggesting it may be a valuable risk factor to monitor in this patient population.
Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a well known risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer. We investigated the long-term impact of hs-CRP on cancer mortality in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).
Methods and results: This study was a retrospective analysis of 2,867 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for stable CAD from 2000 to 2016.
Article Synopsis
- C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker for vascular inflammation and may predict adverse cardiovascular events in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but its prognostic value remains debated.
- A study involving 3507 CAD patients identified 1605 with follow-up hs-CRP data, stratifying them into groups based on their hs-CRP levels to assess the risk of all-cause death and acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
- Results showed that higher hs-CRP levels at follow-up were linked to an increased risk of adverse long-term clinical outcomes, including greater chances of all-cause death and ACS.
Article Synopsis
- The study introduces a new nutritional index, Total Cholesterol Body Weight Index (TCBI), aimed at evaluating nutritional status in patients with coronary artery disease after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
- An analysis of 3,567 patients revealed that a higher TCBI is linked to lower mortality rates from all causes, cardiovascular issues, and cancer over an average follow-up of 6.3 years.
- TCBI shows a modest correlation with the previously established Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), suggesting it can serve as a practical prognostic tool for assessing nutrition in CAD patients.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the long-term effects of body mass index (BMI) on East Asian patients with coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2000 and 2013, involving 3,571 patients.
- It categorized patients into five BMI groups and found that underweight individuals had a higher risk of all-cause and cardiac death compared to those with normal weight, while overweight patients did not show a significantly different risk.
- The research concluded that being underweight is linked to greater mortality in these patients, challenging the "obesity paradox" theory that posits overweight individuals might fare better in certain health conditions.
Article Synopsis
- Malnutrition's impact on prognosis in heart failure is known, but this study investigates its significance in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) using the prognostic nutritional index (PNI).
- The research included 1988 CAD patients who underwent elective procedures, calculating the PNI to assess its association with major cardiac events (MACE) like death and heart attacks over a median follow-up of 7.5 years.
- Results indicated that lower PNI levels correlated with higher MACE rates, concluding that PNI could be valuable for risk assessment in CAD patients undergoing procedures.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the unclear relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and augmentation index (AIx) in patients who underwent coronary angiography.
- Out of 144 diabetic patients, the median AIx was found to be 0.256, indicating a potential marker of cardiovascular health.
- A significant connection was identified between female gender and high AIx levels, with women showing nearly three times higher odds of having a high AIx in the diabetic population.
Background And Aims: An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, the long-term prognostic value of NLR in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to determine whether NLR is an independent predictor of long-term cardiac outcomes after PCI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recently, malnutrition has been shown to be related to worse clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure. However, the association between nutritional status and clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) remains unclear. We investigated the prognostic value of malnutrition assessed by the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT; range 0-12, higher = worse, consisting of serum albumin, cholesterol and lymphocytes) score in patients with CAD.
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- Epidemiological research links low serum albumin levels to increased risks of coronary artery disease (CAD) and higher mortality rates, but its long-term effects in patients undergoing PCI are not fully understood.
- A study involving 2,860 CAD patients who underwent their first PCI revealed that lower pre-procedural serum albumin levels correlated with a higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during an average follow-up of 7.4 years.
- The findings highlight that low serum albumin predicts worse long-term outcomes for CAD patients post-PCI, suggesting that monitoring albumin levels could aid in risk assessment and management.
Article Synopsis
- A study explored the relationship between serum albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and major cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
- Out of 2,164 patients monitored over 7.5 years, those with low serum albumin and high CRP levels had significantly higher rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including deaths and non-fatal heart attacks.
- The findings suggest that low serum albumin and high CRP levels together increase the risk of long-term cardiac issues, highlighting the importance of monitoring these biomarkers in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Article Synopsis
- Malnutrition is a significant factor affecting clinical outcomes in heart failure patients, and this study focuses on its impact in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
- The research involved 2,853 CAD patients analyzed using the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), revealing that lower GNRI levels correlated with older age and higher rates of acute coronary syndrome and chronic kidney disease.
- Findings indicate that lower GNRI levels were linked to higher all-cause mortality and cardiac death over a median follow-up of 7.4 years, suggesting that nutritional status is a crucial predictor for long-term outcomes in CAD patients and may influence treatment strategies.
Aims: Cardiovascular risk persists despite intensive lipid lowering therapy using statins. Serum levels of lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] can be a residual cardiovascular risk for adverse events. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of Lp(a) on long-term clinical outcomes in patients treated with statin after percutaneous coronary intervention.
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- This study investigates the outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in diabetes patients over three different treatment eras (POBA, BMS, DES) at Juntendo University from 1984 to 2010.
- The research found that while the baseline health of patients worsened over time, the use of medications like aspirin and statins increased.
- Interestingly, although the event-free survival rate for cardiovascular issues was lower in the DES-era, the overall incidence of cardiovascular events decreased by 46% when comparing the DES-era to the POBA-era.
Article Synopsis
- High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a useful biomarker for predicting long-term cardiac events in Japanese patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
- A study involving 3,039 CAD patients revealed that those with higher hs-CRP levels experienced significantly more major adverse cardiac events (MACE) over a median follow-up of 6.5 years.
- The research indicates that higher hs-CRP correlates with higher risks of MACE and all-cause mortality even after adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors, reaffirming its importance for clinical assessments.
Article Synopsis
- * The study analyzed 1,546 diabetic patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), dividing them into high and low Lp(a) level groups based on median values.
- * Findings indicated that while overall death rates were similar, the high Lp(a) group showed a significantly increased risk for cardiac death and acute coronary syndrome, suggesting high Lp(a) levels are linked to worse cardiac outcomes post-PCI.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers created low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLR-KO) pigs to study coronary atherosclerosis, as existing animal models were insufficient for this purpose.
- The LDLR-KO pigs, fed a high-cholesterol diet, showed significant coronary artery lesion progression after balloon injury, with notable lipid accumulation and an increase in inflammatory cells over time.
- This new model of rapid coronary atherosclerosis could be valuable for testing new medications or devices, as well as for exploring the mechanisms behind plaque development.
Article Synopsis
- Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) poses significant health risks, with women previously reported to have worse outcomes compared to men following treatment.
- A study analyzed data from 676 patients undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ACS, revealing that women tended to be older and had higher rates of certain health issues.
- Although women showed a higher cumulative rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at one year, this difference diminished when accounting for age and other risk factors, suggesting that sex differences in outcomes may not be as pronounced when these variables are considered.
Article Synopsis
- * Among 3,580 patients treated with PCI, a significant portion were under statin therapy, and the study noted higher LDL cholesterol and prevalence of hypertension in women compared to men.
- * While the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) seemed higher in women (19.7%) than men (16.0%), statistical analysis indicated that gender was not a significant factor affecting MACE after considering age and other variables, suggesting similar long-term outcomes for both genders.