Relationship between doses of antihypertensive drugs and left ventricular mass index changes in hemodialysis patients in a Japanese cohort.

Left ventricular hypertrophy commonly occurs in dialysis patients and is associated with a risk of developing cardiovascular disease events and all-cause mortality. Although hypertension treatment reduces left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in hemodialysis patients, the relationships of prescription pattern, dose, and changes in the dose of antihypertensive drugs with LVMI have not been completely elucidated. Here, we hypothesized that volume reduction would lead to a decrease in the antihypertensive drug dose and subsequently to a reduction in LVMI; conversely, fluid retention would lead to an increase in the antihypertensive drug use and, subsequently, to LVMI progression.

Novel culture system of mesenchymal stromal cells from human subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the delivery of human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (hASCs) has great potential as regenerative therapy. This was performed to develop a method for expanding hASCs by reducing the amount of serum required. We demonstrate that hASCs were able to expand efficiently in media containing 2% serum and fibroblast growth factor-2.

Low circulating CD34+ cell count is associated with poor prognosis in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Circulating CD34-positive (CD34(+)) cells, a population that includes endothelial progenitor cells, are believed to contribute to vascular homeostasis. Here we determine the prognostic value of CD34(+) cell measurements in 216 chronic hemodialysis patients. A total of 43 cardiovascular events and 13 deaths occurred over an average 23 months follow-up in this cohort.

Comparison of percutaneous coronary intervention with medication in the treatment of coronary artery disease in hemodialysis patients.

It has been reported that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is beneficial for coronary artery disease (CAD) among the general population. However, its effects in patients who are on hemodialysis (HD) remain unclear. A prospective cohort study was performed to clarify whether PCI has a therapeutic advantage over medical therapy among HD patients with CAD.

Severe coronary stenosis is an important factor for induction and lengthy persistence of ventricular arrhythmias during and after hemodialysis.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias have been shown to be the major cause of sudden cardiac death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We investigated whether angiographic coronary stenosis was responsible for the induction of ventricular arrhythmias in HD patients.

Methods: HD patients (n = 150) showing ischemic signs in exercise electrocardiography or echocardiography were divided into 2 groups: the stenotic group (n = 61), with significant coronary stenosis (> or =75% in diameter), and the nonstenotic group (n = 89), without significant coronary stenosis on coronary angiography.