Severe hypoglycaemia is a major predictor of incident diabetic retinopathy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aim: Hypoglycaemia is a common complication in diabetes patients. However, its relationship with retinopathy has not been well documented in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to investigate the associations between hypoglycaemia and the incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy and Blindness in Indonesian Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Purpose: To report the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and DR-related blindness in an Indonesian population with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Setting: Community health centers.

Evaluating retinal vessel diameter with optical coherence tomography in normal-tension glaucoma patients.

Purpose: To investigate a novel optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived variable, circumpapillary mean retinal shadow width (cpMRSW), and to elucidate its association with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG).

Methods: For the purpose of validation, we measured retinal vascular calibers in 68 arterioles and 100 venules of 12 NTG patients and 12 healthy subjects and compared the width of the visible retinal shadows in spectral-domain OCT images and the caliber of retinal vessels in retinal photographs. Then we calculated cpMRSW in 78 NTG eyes and 25 age-matched healthy control eyes.

Comparisons of retinal vessel diameter and glaucomatous parameters between both eyes of subjects with clinically unilateral pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

Purpose: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX), the most common identifiable cause of open-angle glaucoma, might affect the retinal hemodynamics. To test this, we compared retinal vessel diameter and glaucoma-related parameters between eyes with pseudoexfoliation material (PE+) and fellow unaffected (PE-) eyes of patients with clinically unilateral PEX.

Methods: The medical records of 30 consecutive Japanese subjects were reviewed retrospectively.

Dynamic Allostery Modulates Catalytic Activity by Modifying the Hydrogen Bonding Network in the Catalytic Site of Human Pin1.

Allosteric communication among domains in modular proteins consisting of flexibly linked domains with complimentary roles remains poorly understood. To understand how complementary domains communicate, we have studied human Pin1, a representative modular protein with two domains mutually tethered by a flexible linker: a WW domain for substrate recognition and a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) domain. Previous studies of Pin1 showed that physical contact between the domains causes dynamic allostery by reducing conformation dynamics in the catalytic domain, which compensates for the entropy costs of substrate binding to the catalytic site and thus increases catalytic activity.

[Disruption of Matsui-Kitamura Stent-graft Six Years after Treatment for Rupture of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm].

Matsui-Kitamura stent-graft (MKSG) is a home-made device for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) developed in Japan. A 76-year-old man who had been treated by TEVAR (zone 3) with a MKSG for ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm was diagnosed as having type Ia endoleak caused by suture disruption and aneurysmal sac expansion 6 years later. He underwent TEVAR (zone 1) with debranching and type Ia endoleak disappeared.

Calcium-deficient Hydroxyapatite as a Potential Sorbent for Strontium.

A calcium (Ca)-deficient hydroxyapatite was investigated for its potential to remove Sr from environmentally relevant water. We conducted sorption tests on solutions containing magnesium ion (Mg) and calcium ion (Ca) as competing cations at a strontium ion (Sr) concentration of 0.05 mmol/L.

Cataract Surgery and Visual Acuity in Elderly Japanese: Results of Fujiwara-kyo Eye Study.

The aim of this study was to determine the presence of prior cataract surgery and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in an elderly Japanese cohort. The Fujiwara-kyo Eye Study was a prospective, population-based, cross-sectional epidemiological study. The subjects were ≥68 years who lived in the Nara Prefecture and responded to recruitment notices.

Impact of restrictive lung disorder on cardiovascular mortality in a general population: The Yamagata (Takahata) study.

Background: Obstructive lung disorder (OLD) is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease. However, the impact of restrictive lung disorder (RLD) on cardiovascular mortality has not been fully investigated in the apparently healthy general population.

Objectives: To clarify whether RLD is associated with cardiovascular mortality in the general population.

A New Method of Magnification Correction for Accurately Measuring Retinal Vessel Calibers From Fundus Photographs.

Purpose: To report a semiautomated retinal vessel caliber measurement system that measures central retinal artery (vein) equivalent (CRAE [CRVE]) with individual correction for magnification errors under conditions assuming optimal focus.

Methods: The focusing condition of the subject eye fundus camera optical system was individually determined by constructing an optical model of each eye applying its refractive error, corneal curvature, and axial length (AL) to Gullstrand's schematic eye, and by adjusting the position of the camera's focusing lenses using each eye's refractive error. Once the focusing condition of the entire optical system was fulfilled, magnification of the fundus images was calculated using paraxial ray tracing.

Sparse shape model for fibular transfer planning in mandibular reconstruction.

In this paper, we propose an automated preoperative planning method that estimates a plan fitted to the data of a new patient using a planned dataset of previous patients. Although mandibular reconstruction with fibular segments needs preoperative planning for the precise placement of segments, recent interactive planning software cannot secure objectivity of the planning and time-consuming trial-and-error processes are required. The proposed method employs sparse shape modeling; in this modeling, we select a subset of the data from a prepared preoperative planning dataset to make an example or instance of reconstruction via a linear combination of the data.

Epoetin beta pegol ameliorates flow-mediated dilation with improving endothelial nitric oxide synthase coupling state in nonobese diabetic rats.

Background/aims: Patients with diabetic nephropathy have a high cardiovascular mortality. Epoetin beta pegol (continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, C.E.

Intracellular delivery and passive tumor targeting of a self-assembled nanogel containing carborane clusters for boron neutron capture therapy.

Boron neutron capture therapy, based on the release of thermal neutron irradiation from boron, is a targeted radiation therapy for cancer. Targeted and sufficient accumulation of boron in tumor cells to achieve cytotoxic efficacy and reduce off-target effects remains a challenge. Carborane has been investigated for use as a delivery agent in boron neutron capture therapy because of its high boron content and chemical stability; however, it is cytotoxic, making safe delivery difficult.

Rationale and Methodology for a Community-Based Study of Diabetic Retinopathy in an Indonesian Population with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Jogjakarta Eye Diabetic Study in the Community.

Purpose: There are no available data about diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the Indonesian population. This report summarizes the rationale and study design of the Jogjakarta Eye Diabetic Study in the Community (JOGED.COM), a community-based study to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of DR in persons with type 2 diabetes in Jogjakarta, Indonesia.

Retinal vascular caliber associated with cardiac and renal target organ damage in never-treated hypertensive patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between retinal vascular caliber and target organ damage in HT patients.

Methods: Data were collected on cardiac, renal, vascular, and retinal variables in 88 consecutive never-treated HT subjects. Retinal vascular calibers were measured from fundus photographs by using a semi-automated computer-assisted program and summarized as CRAE and CRVE.

The association between skin autofluorescence and mean deviation in patients with open-angle glaucoma.

Background: It has been suggested that local and systemic oxidative stress levels are causal risk factors for glaucoma.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of age on the role of systemic oxidative stress in open-angle glaucoma (OAG).

Methods: This study included 502 eyes of 251 Japanese patients with OAG.

Retinal Vascular Changes and Prospective Risk of Disabling Dementia: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Aim: To investigate the association of retinal vascular changes with a risk of dementia in longitudinal population-based study.

Methods: We performed a nested case-control study of 3,718 persons, aged 40-89 years, enrolled between 1983 and 2004. Retinal vascular changes were observed in 351 cases with disabling dementia (average period before the onset, 11.

Serum ferritin level is a prognostic marker in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Introduction: The prognostic value of serum ferritin level in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) remains unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 78 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PTCL that were treated with anthracycline-containing regimens between 1998 and 2011.

Results: The patients consisted of 50 males and 28 females with a median age of 64 years (range, 16-83 years).

A high-fat diet temporarily renders Sod1-deficient mice resistant to an oxidative insult.

Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease may subsequently develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis after suffering from a second insult, such as oxidative stress. Aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenesis of the liver injury caused when lipids accumulate under conditions of intrinsic oxidative stress using mice that are deficient in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and the leptin receptor (Lepr). We established Sod1::Lepr mice and carried out analyses of four groups of genetically modified mice, namely, wild type, Sod1, Lepr and Sod1::Lepr mice.

Analysis of Macular Drusen and Blood Test Results in 945 Macaca fascicularis.

Age-dependent formation of macular drusen caused by the focal accumulation of extracellular deposits beneath the retinal pigment epithelium precede the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. It is established that inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of drusen and AMD. However, development of a preemptive therapeutic strategy targeting macular drusen and AMD has been impeded by the lack of relevant animal models because most laboratory animals lack macula, an anatomic feature present only in humans and a subset of monkeys.

The Impact of Superoxide Dismutase-1 Genetic Variation on Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality in a Prospective Cohort Study: The Yamagata (Takahata) Study.

Background: Oxidative stress is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) is an antioxidant that protects against oxidative stress. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) variations such as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or haplotypes within the SOD gene are reportedly associated with the development of cardiovascular disease.

Association of Visual Acuity and Cognitive Impairment in Older Individuals: Fujiwara-kyo Eye Study.

Both visual impairment and cognitive impairment are essential factors that determine the quality of life in the aged population. The aim of this study was to determine if a correlation existed between visual acuity and cognitive impairment in an elderly Japanese population. The Fujiwara-kyo Eye Study was a cross-sectional study of individuals aged ≥68 years who lived in Nara Prefecture of Japan.

Reconstruction of the Fatty Acid Biosynthetic Pathway of Exiguobacterium antarcticum B7 Based on Genomic and Bibliomic Data.

Exiguobacterium antarcticum B7 is extremophile Gram-positive bacteria able to survive in cold environments. A key factor to understanding cold adaptation processes is related to the modification of fatty acids composing the cell membranes of psychrotrophic bacteria. In our study we show the in silico reconstruction of the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway of E.

Development of Health Parameter Model for Risk Prediction of CVD Using SVM.

Current methods of cardiovascular risk assessment are performed using health factors which are often based on the Framingham study. However, these methods have significant limitations due to their poor sensitivity and specificity. We have compared the parameters from the Framingham equation with linear regression analysis to establish the effect of training of the model for the local database.

Percutaneous retrograde recanalization of an occluded celiac artery complicating acute aortic dissection.

A 79-year-old woman with a complaint of persistent upper abdominal pain was admitted to our hospital for the treatment of thrombosed acute type B aortic dissection. Computed tomography showed the complete static occlusion of the celiac artery. Because of progressive symptom with elevation of liver enzymes and metabolic acidosis 11 h after admission, endovascular revascularization was attempted on an emergent basis.