Association of serum uric acid with subsequent arterial stiffness and renal function in normotensive subjects.

Serum uric acid (SUA) is correlated with an increased risk of not only gout but also cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to longitudinally evaluate the effects of SUA level on renal function and arterial stiffness in a population-based sample of normotensive subjects. The subjects completed a health checkup in 2002 at baseline and in 2011 or 2012 at the end of the follow-up period.

Relationships between Lifestyle, Living Environments, and Incidence of Hypertension in Japan (in Men): Based on Participant's Data from the Nationwide Medical Check-Up.

This study aims to investigate factors that contribute to the differences in incidence of hypertension between different regions in Japan, by accounting for not only individual lifestyles, but also their living environments. The target participants of this survey were individuals who received medical treatment for hypertension, as well as hypertension patients who have not received any treatment. The objective variable for analysis was the incidence of hypertension as data aggregated per prefecture.

Relationships of alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotypes with alcohol sensitivity, drinking behavior and problem drinking in Japanese older men.

Objectives: Many East Asians have the genetic polymorphisms rs1229984 in alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) and rs671 in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). Here we analyzed the relationships of the two genotypes with alcohol sensitivity, drinking behavior and problem drinking among older and younger men living in rural areas of Japan.

Methods: The subjects were 718 Japanese men aged 63.

Orthostatic Blood Pressure Changes and Subclinical Markers of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Using a simple standing-up test in normotensive subjects, we evaluated orthostatic upright postural blood pressure (BP) changes and autonomic nervous function, as well as the relationship between orthostatic BP changes and subclinical markers of atherosclerosis.

Methods: A total of 515 normotensive subjects aged 35-75 years (58.4±10.

Quadrantal macular retinal thickness changes in strabismus subjects with abnormal binocular vision development.

Purpose: To investigate retinal morphological changes in strabismus patients with abnormal binocular vision development by comparing differences in quadrantal macular retinal thickness.

Methods: Six strabismus patients (6 dominant and 5 non-dominant eyes) with abnormal binocular vision (mean age 22 years), and 11 control subjects (11 dominant and 11 non-dominant eyes) (mean age 21 years) were enrolled. Macular retinal thickness measurements were performed by optical coherence tomography, with total macular retinal (TMR) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thicknesses measured in 3- and 6-mm regions in each quadrant.

Transvenous embolization of a dural arteriovenous fistula of the laterocavernous sinus through the pterygoid plexus.

We present a novel access for transvenous embolization of a dural arteriovenous fistula of the laterocavernous sinus through the external jugular vein and the pterygoid plexus. The anatomy of the laterocavernous sinus is reviewed, and its clinical implications discussed in light of the case of a patient whose management was modified after identifying this anatomical variation.

Prevalence and patterns of occult hip fractures and mimics revealed by MRI.

Objective: The diagnosis of hip fractures can be difficult on radiography alone. MRI is frequently used to confirm or deny the presence of a minimally displaced hip fracture. This study evaluates the patterns of injury seen on MRI that are difficult to diagnose on radiography.

Sonography of the scrotum.

Ultrasonography (US) with a high-frequency (7.5-10-MHz) transducer has become the imaging modality of choice for examination of the scrotum. US examination can provide information valuable for the differential diagnosis of a variety of disease processes involving the scrotum that have similar clinical manifestations (eg, pain, swelling, or presence of mass).