Publications by authors named "Kazuhiro Nako"

Introduction: Electrolyzed hydrogen-rich water (EHW) is known to have suppressive effects on oxidative stress (OS). However, its benefit in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of EHW on T2DM.

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Aims: The effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) on fasting blood glucose concentration (FBG) in patients with unstable FBG despite undergoing intensive insulin therapy (IIT) remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the effects of SGLT2Is on unstable FBGs.

Materials And Methods: Thirty brittle diabetic patients with unstable FBGs despite undergoing IIT were included in the study.

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Background/aims: In diabetic patients, reduced urinary pH (UpH) is a predictive factor for cardiorenal-vascular disorders. Synthesis of glutathione, an anti-oxidative stress substance, is induced to counteract renal oxidative stress. UpH declines as glutamate is consumed, as does the synthesis of ammonia from glutamate.

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We frequently encounter brownish-red, cloudy urine in some obese subjects, which occurs due to pink urine syndrome (PUS). PUS is a phenomenon in which uric acid precipitates into the urine due to reduced urinary pH (UpH). The mechanism underlying urinary acidification has not been elucidated so far.

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Aims/introduction: The nature of the action of concomitant liraglutide to stabilize postprandial blood glucose level (PBG) in patients on intensive insulin therapy with unstable PBG remains unclear. The aim was to identify the nature of liraglutide's actions to stabilize PBGs.

Materials And Methods: The study participants consisted of 20 diabetes patients showing unstable PBGs after dinner despite undergoing intensive insulin therapy.

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Background And Objectives: A lower urinary pH (UpH) is closely linked to diabetes. However, its relation to diabetic renovascular damage is unclear. This study aimed to identify the relationship between UpH and the exacerbation of diabetic renovascular disorders.

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Background: Pink urine syndrome (PUS) is attributed to the precipitation of uric acid caused by low urinary pH (U-pH). However, the reasons for the lower U-pH are unclear.

Objectives: To investigate the occurrence of PUS and verified the cause of U-pH reduction.

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Background: Hemodialysis is known to decrease blood glucose concentration (BGC), insulin, and methylglyoxal levels. However, the effects of decreases in these factors on the increase in post-hemodialysis BGC remain unknown. This study identifies the effects of hemodialysis-induced changes in concentrations of these elements on post-hemodialysis BGC.

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Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids mainly contained in the blue-backed fish oil, and are effective in decreasing the lipids disorder and the cardiovascular incidence among diabetic patients. Moreover, it has been suggested that EPA and DHA may improve the insulin resistance and glucose metabolism. However, the clinical effects of EPA and DHA on glucose metabolism remain unclear.

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Background: In diabetic patients with renal artery arteriosclerosis (RAAS), the factors associated with a greater risk for cardiovascular-renal events (CVREs) remain unclear: the decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) caused by RAAS or the advance of arteriosclerosis that causes RAAS. Hence, the features to determine which best predicts the onset of CVREs in such patients were compared.

Methods And Results: The renal arteries of 162 type 2 diabetes patients were assessed by using magnetic resonance angiography (RAAS diagnosed as arteriosclerotic stenosis ≥50%) and they were studied longitudinally over 7 years.

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Background: It is unclear when angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) produce their strongest antialbuminuric effect (AAE) in patients with diabetic nephropathy. ARBs produce stronger AAEs when urinary excretion of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or of angiotensinogen (AGT) is higher before treatment, although the relationship between ROS, AGT, and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) is unclear. We sought to define the relationship between ROS and ACR and establish the stage at which ARBs exert maximal AAEs.

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Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disease characterized by severe morbid obesity in association with hyperphagia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 analog that controls appetite, decreases body weight and improves glycemic control. However, it is unclear if PWS patients with diabetes experience similar benefits of liraglutide therapy.

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Objective: To examine the effects of a huge tsunami resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake on blood pressure (BP) control and glycaemic control in diabetic patients.

Design: A retrospective study.

Setting: Tohoku University, Japan.

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Sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, is a newly developed oral hypoglycemic agent. Sitagliptin increases the level of glucagon-like polypeptide (GLP)-1 that increases insulin secretion. In addition, GLP-1 decreases salt intake and increases urinary salt excretion.

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We test whether plasma level of methylglyoxal (MG) is an independent risk factor predicting the progression of diabetic macroangiopathy or microangiopathy in type 2 diabetic patients. We measured in 50 type 2 diabetic patients plasma levels of MG and 3-deoxyglucosone (DG) using an electrospray ionization-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We assessed the correlations between baseline levels of MG or DG and the percentage changes after 5 years of clinical parameters linked to diabetic macroangiopathy or microangiopathy, that is, intima-media thickness (IMT), systolic blood pressure (SBP), the amount of urinary albumin excretion (ACR), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

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Objective: To demonstrate that the administration of an angiotensin (Ang) II type 1 receptor (AT1R) blocker (ARB) inhibits the vicious cycle of high glucose (HG)-reactive oxygen species (ROS)-angiotensinogen (AGT)-Ang II-AT1R-ROS by suppressing ROSs and inflammation, thus ameliorating diabetic nephropathy (DN).

Research Design And Methods: Thirteen hypertensive DN patients were administered ARBs, and the following parameters were evaluated before and 16 weeks after the treatment: urinary AGT (UAGT), albumin (albumin-creatinine ratio: ACR), 8-hydroxyde-oxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha(8-epi-PGF2alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10.

Results: ARB treatment reduced the blood pressure and urinary levels of AGT, ACR, 8-OHdG, 8-epi-PGF2alpha, MCP-1, and IL-6 but increased the urinary levels of IL-10.

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We encountered two patients who developed daytime hyperglycemia and early morning hypoglycemia because of insulin antibody (IA) that the affinity was extremely lower and the capacity extremely higher than those of IA in the insulin autoimmune syndrome, after their insulin treatment were changed from human insulin to analog insulin.

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A calcium channel blocker (CCB), azelnidipine (AZ), is reported to inhibit oxidative stresses, particularly when administered under blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether AZ inhibits oxidative stresses more potently than other CCBs under blockade of RAS and exerts renoprotection in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. Subjects were hypertensive type 2 diabetics with nephropathy, taking RAS inhibitors.

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Background And Objectives: Sarpogrelate has been shown to reduce albuminuria in diabetic nephropathy. For examination of whether this is based on the same mechanisms as angiotensin II receptor blockers or thiazolidinedione, effects of sarpogrelate on atherosclerotic inflammatory molecules and their relations to albuminuria in patients who had diabetes and had already been treated with angiotensin II receptor blockers and with or without thiazolidinedione were examined.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Forty patients who had diabetes with nephropathy and arteriosclerosis obliterans and had already been treated with angiotensin II receptor blocker (n = 40) were randomly assigned to sarpogrelate (300 mg/d; n = 20) or aspirin group (100 mg/d; n = 20).

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We examined the effects of increasing the recommended initial doses of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), or of switching to combination therapy with both drugs, on diabetic nephropathy. Hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients with urinary albumin excretion (ACR) between 100 and 300 mg/g creatinine (Cre) were assigned to the following five groups in which an antihypertensive drug was administered at a recommended initial dose for 48 weeks, and then either the dose was doubled or an additional drugs was added to regimen for the following 48 weeks: N, nifedipine-CR (N) 20 mg/day (initial dose); T, ACEI temocapril (T) 2 mg/day; C, ARB candesartan (C) 4 mg/day; T+C, T first and then addition of C; C+T, C first and then addition of C. ACR decreased in the T (n=34), C (n=40), T+C (n=37) and C+T (n=35) groups, but not in the N group (n=18).

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1. Over the course of treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), plasma levels of aldosterone have been shown to increase and this increase would blunt the effectiveness of the ACEI (aldosterone escape phenomenon). 2.

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We tested the hypothesis that blockade of angiotensin II type 1 receptors reduces oxidative stress markers in parallel with urinary albumin and type IV collagen excretions. Sixty-six diabetic patients with nephropathy were randomly assigned to either the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB; n=33) or trichlormethiazide (n=33) group. The majority of patients had been treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or calcium channel blockers for > or =1 year before the present study.

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