Impact of Frailty and Age on Clinical Outcomes in Patients Who Underwent Endovascular Therapy.

Purpose: Information on the relationship between frailty and the outcome of endovascular therapy (EVT) in elderly patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is scarce. This study aimed to reveal the impact of frailty on the prognosis of super-elderly patients who underwent EVT.

Materials And Methods: From August 2015 to August 2016, 335 consecutive patients who underwent EVT were enrolled in the I-PAD registry from 7 institutes in Nagano prefecture.

Body composition and mortality in patients undergoing endovascular treatment for peripheral artery disease.

An inverse correlation between body mass index and mortality in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) has been reported. However, little information is available regarding the impact of body composition on the clinical outcomes in patients with PAD. This study evaluated the relationships between the lean body mass index (LBMI), body fat % (BF%), and mortality and major amputation rate in patients with PAD.

Prognostic ability of mid-term worsening renal function after percutaneous coronary intervention: findings from the SHINANO registry.

Chronic kidney disease is a prognostic factor for cardiovascular disease. Worsening renal function (WRF), specifically, is an important predictor of mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We evaluate the prognostic impact of mid-term WRF after PCI on future cardiovascular events.

Association of the Prognosis of Ankle-brachial Index Improvement One Year Following Endovascular Therapy in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease: Data from the I-PAD NAGANO Registry.

Objective Despite reports on the effects of ankle-brachial index (ABI) improvement following endovascular therapy (EVT) on the limb prognosis, studies evaluating cardiovascular events are limited. We investigated whether or not ABI improvement 1 year following EVT was associated with cardiovascular events. Methods The I-PAD NAGANO registry is an observational multicenter cohort study that enrolled 337 patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) who underwent EVT between August 2015 and July 2016.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Patients at Risk for Heart Failure.

Background: The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a simple and objective nutritional assessment tool for elderly patients. Lower GNRI values are associated with a worse prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). However, few data are available regarding the prognostic effect of the GNRI value for risk stratification in patients at risk for HF.

Ankle-brachial Index for the Prognosis of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Mild Renal Insufficiency.

Objective A low ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a known predictor for future cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). While most prior studies have defined CKD as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m, recent reports have suggested that the cardiovascular risk may be increased even in early stages of renal insufficiency.

Impressive predictive value of ankle-brachial index for very long-term outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease: IMPACT-ABI study.

Background: The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a marker of generalized atherosclerosis and is predictive of future cardiovascular events. However, few studies have assessed its relation to long-term future cardiovascular events, especially in patients with borderline ABI. We therefore evaluated the relationship between long-term future cardiovascular events and ABI.

Prognostic Impact of Diastolic Wall Strain in Patients at Risk for Heart Failure.

Diastolic wall strain (DWS) is based on the linear elastic theory, according to which decreased wall thinning during diastole reflects reduced left ventricular compliance and thus increased diastolic stiffness. Increased diastolic stiffness as assessed by DWS is associated with a worse prognosis in patients who have heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction. However, there are no data about the prognostic value of DWS derived by M-mode echocardiography in patients at risk for HF.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with High Ankle-Brachial Index from the IMPACT-ABI Study.

Background: Reduced ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a predictor of cardiovascular events. However, the significance of high ABI remains poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the characteristics and outcomes of patients with high ABI.

The usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in predicting long-term cardiovascular events in younger patients.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is known as a significant predictor of cardiovascular events. However, the previous studies have not considered age, which can affect the baPWV value. We evaluated the predictive value of baPWV for cardiovascular events in various age groups.

Prediction of 1-year clinical outcomes using the SYNTAX score in patients with prior heart failure undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: sub-analysis of the SHINANO registry.

Although coronary artery disease (CAD) is common in patients with heart failure (HF), little is known about the prognostic significance of coronary lesion complexity in patients with prior HF undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the coronary Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with TAXus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score could improve risk stratification in HF patients with CAD. Two hundred patients (mean age 73 ± 11 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 49 ± 15 %) with prior HF who underwent PCI were divided into two groups stratified by SYNTAX score (median value 12) and tracked prospectively for 1 year.

Prognostic value of ankle brachial index for future incident heart failure in patients without previous heart failure: data from the impressive predictive value of ankle brachial index for clinical long term outcome in patients with cardiovascular disease examined by ABI study.

The ankle brachial index (ABI) is regarded as a predictor of future cardiovascular events. However, the relationship between ABI and incident heart failure (HF) in patients without previous HF is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of ABI for incident HF in patients without previous HF.

Long-Term Prognostic Implications of the Admission Shock Index in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Who Received Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

The admission shock index (SI) enables prediction of short-term prognosis. This study investigated the prognostic implications of admission SI for predicting long-term prognoses for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The participants were 680 patients with AMI who received percutaneous coronary intervention.

Comparison of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Outpatients With Prior Myocardial Infarction.

Inflammatory biomarkers have been proposed for use in the risk stratification of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined the value of inflammatory biomarkers over clinical features for predicting cardiovascular (CV) events in stable outpatients with MI. We enrolled 430 post-MI patients and measured their levels of high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and the interleukin-1 receptor family member called ST2 (ST2), one month after AMI.

Impact of combination therapy with statin and ezetimibe on secondary prevention for post-acute myocardial infarction patients in the statin era.

Background: Little is known concerning the effect of ezetimibe for secondary prevention in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients. In this study, we investigated the secondary prevention effect of ezetimibe for post-MI patients.

Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of Assessing Lipophilic vs.

Prognostic Significance of Neuroadrenergic Dysfunction for Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: The dysregulation of systemic blood pressure (BP) variation or cardiac neuroadrenergic dysfunction is associated with adverse cardiovascular events. We aimed to clarify the prognostic significance of neuroadrenergic dysfunction for cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods and results: We enrolled 63 AMI patients (mean age, 67±12 years) underwent ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and cardiac iodine-(123)metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging within 4 weeks after AMI onset.

Impact of endovascular therapy on oxidative stress in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Background: Atherosclerosis is believed to be caused by oxidative stress. Endovascular therapy (EVT) is effective for claudication of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, its effect on oxidative stress in PAD patients is unknown.

A 2-year follow-up of oxidative stress levels in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a subanalysis of the ALPS-AMI study.

We sought to determine whether serial measurements of oxidative stress levels could serve as a predictive marker for cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Biological antioxidant potential (BAP) levels were measured at admission and at 6, 12, and 24 months in 69 patients with STEMI. The CV events abruptly increased 6 to 10 months after successful percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with STEMI, and the 6-month BAP levels were significantly lower in patients with CV events (2456 μmol/L [interquartile range: 2237-2615 μmol/L]) than in those without (2849 μmol/L [2575-2987 μmol/L], P < .

B1-to-B2 structural transitions in rock salt intergrowth structures.

The rock salt (B1) structure of binary oxides or chalcogenides transforms to the CsCl (B2) structure under high pressure, with critical pressures P(s) depending on the cation to anion size ratio (R(c)/R(a)). We investigated structural changes of A(2)MO(3) (A = Sr, Ca; M = Cu, Pd) comprising alternate 7-fold B1 AO blocks and corner-shared MO(2) square-planar chains under pressure. All of the examined compounds exhibit a structural transition at P(s) = 29-41 GPa involving a change in the A-site geometry to an 8-fold B2 coordination.

Development of 5-silylethynyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one as a new prochiral template for asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis.

Phase-transfer catalyzed asymmetric alkylation and Michael addition of 5-silylalkynyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one were developed as a novel strategy to provide highly modular tertiary α-alkyl-α-hydroxy acids bearing an alkyne moiety.

Phase-transfer-catalyzed asymmetric alkylation of alpha-benzoyloxy-beta-keto esters: stereoselective construction of congested 2,3-dihydroxycarboxylic acid esters.

Highly enantioselective phase-transfer-catalyzed alkylation of tert-butyl 2-benzoyloxy-3-oxobutanoate was realized by the use of an N-spiro chiral quaternary ammonium salt, as a complementary approach to the asymmetric hydroxylation of alpha-alkyl-beta-keto esters. The synthetic utility of the alkylated compounds is highlighted by the diastereoselective reduction and alkylation of the remaining ketone moiety to give various enantiomerically enriched congested 2,3-dihydroxycarboxylic acid esters.

A case of left atrial involvement of cardiac sarcoidosis manifesting as atrial flutter treated with corticosteroids.

The clinical diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis can be elusive, because the clinical manifestations are non-specific, and the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic modalities are limited. A 60-year-old woman suffered atrial flutter and diffuse thickening of the left atrial wall accompanied with gallium-67 uptake, both of which were successfully treated with corticosteroid therapy. The diagnosis of cutaneous sarcoidosis had been made two years previously; therefore, we diagnosed the patient as having atrial involvement of cardiac sarcoidosis, and discuss here the importance of noninvasive evaluation of cardiac sarcoidosis using echocardiography.

[Basic investigation of software named "Heart Risk View" to estimate the probability of cardiac events, for the purpose of evaluating the availability in clinical practice].

We validated Heart Risk View (HRV) software for estimating cardiac event probability in patients with suspected ischemic heart disease. This software is based on the results of the J-ACCESS (Japanese Assessment of Cardiac Events and Survival Study by Quantitative Gated SPECT). The HRV software can calculate stress summed scores (SSS), summed rest scores (SRS), and summed difference scores automatically using the 5 point, 20 or 17 segment model of myocardial SPECT images.

Effects of dietary oyster extract on lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and blood glucose in SD rats, hypertensive rats, and diabetic rats.

Oyster extract was prepared by hydrolysis of oyster protein with proteases, Aloase (a protease from Bacillus subtilis), and Pancitase (a protease from Aspergillus oryzae). Rats were fed a diet containing 20% casein (the control diet) or 15% casein and 5% oyster extract (the oyster extract diet) as the protein source. The oyster extract diet exerted a significant reduction in serum cholesterol and liver triglyceride concentrations as compared with the control diet in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed cholesterol-supplemented diets for 4 weeks.