Serial Electrocardiographic Changes in Early Post-myocardial Infarction Pericarditis.

A 72-year-old man developed fever and chest pain, accompanied by an increase in C-reactive protein, four days after successful emergency catheter intervention for an acute wide anterior myocardial infarction (MI). A twelve-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) showed marked ST elevation in leads V1-6, I, and aVL, with reciprocal ST depression in leads II, III, and aVF. Although these ECG changes improved by day three, he developed fever and chest pain on day four, and an ECG at this timepoint showed ST elevation in leads II, III, aVF, and mild worsening of the ST elevation in the anterolateral leads, indicating diffuse ST-segment elevation consistent with acute pericarditis.

Effect of Anagliptin versus Sitagliptin on Renal Function: Subanalyzes from the REASON Trial.

Purpose: The effects of two types of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors on renal function remain unclear. Thus, we investigated the effect of anagliptin (ANA) and sitagliptin (SITA) on renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in the randomized evaluation of ANA versus SITA on low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in diabetes (REASON) trial.

Patients And Methods: We measured the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) before and after the REASON trial.

Blood pressure, frailty status, and all-cause mortality in elderly hypertensives; The Nambu Cohort Study.

Antihypertensive therapy is pivotal for reducing cardiovascular events. The 2019 Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension set a target blood pressure (BP) of <140/90 mmHg for persons older than 75 years of age. Optimal BP levels for older persons with frailty, however, are controversial because evidence for the relationship between BP level and prognosis by frailty status is limited.

The association between frailty and chronic kidney disease; cross-sectional analysis of the Nambu Cohort Study.

Background: Both frailty and chronic kidney disease (CKD) increase with age and share many similarities. Many studies have demonstrated an association between frailty and chronic kidney disease (CKD), but an association with dipstick proteinuria is limited.

Methods: This is the cross-sectional analysis of the Nambu Cohort Study at the beginning of observation.

Cause of Death and Associated Factors in Elderly Patients With Atrial Fibrillation - Long-Term Retrospective Study.

Oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study elucidated the causes of death and related factors in elderly Japanese AF patients. Over a median (interquartile range [IQR]) follow-up period of 46 (20-76) months, there were 171 all-cause deaths (28% cardiovascular, 46% non-cardiovascular, and 26% unknown causes) among 389 AF patients (median [IQR] age 80 [74-85] years; CHADDS-VASc score 5 [4-6]).

Prognostic Impact of Early Changes in Serum Chloride Concentrations Among Hospitalized Acute Heart Failure Patients - A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Serum electrolyte concentrations on admission and after the administration of loop diuretics may be associated with prognosis in patients hospitalized due to acute heart failure (AHF). This study investigated the prognostic impact of early changes in chloride (Cl) concentrations after diuretic administration, according to stratified Cl concentrations on admission, in AHF. In all, 355 consecutive patients hospitalized due to AHF were included in this single-center retrospective cohort study.

Differential Effects of DPP-4 Inhibitors, Anagliptin and Sitagliptin, on PCSK9 Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus who are Receiving Statin Therapy.

Aim: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) degrades the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, leading to hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular risk. Treatment with a statin leads to a compensatory increase in circulating PCSK9 level. Anagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, was shown to decrease LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to a greater extent than that by sitagliptin, another DPP-4 inhibitor, in the Randomized Evaluation of Anagliptin versus Sitagliptin On low-density lipoproteiN cholesterol in diabetes (REASON) trial.

Independent and Distinct Associations of FABP4 and FABP5 With Metabolic Parameters in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Among fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs), secreted forms of FABP4 and FABP5, which are expressed in adipocytes and macrophages, act as bioactive molecules. We investigated concentrations of FABP4 and FABP5 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. As a sub-analysis study of the Randomized Evaluation of Anagliptin vs.

Treatment with anagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, decreases FABP4 concentration in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a high risk for cardiovascular disease who are receiving statin therapy.

Background: Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) acts as a novel adipokine, and elevated FABP4 concentration is associated with obesity, insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, a class of antidiabetic drugs, have distinct structures among the drugs, possibly leading to a drug class effect and each drug effect. Sitagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, has been reported to decrease FABP4 concentration in drug-naïve and sulfonylurea-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Age-Dependent Efficacy of Ezetimibe for Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Reduction in Japanese Patients with or without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Ezetimibe reduces cardiovascular risk by lowering the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). However, there is limited information regarding the factors associated with ezetimibe-mediated LDL-C reduction. We investigated the factors associated with LDL-C reduction after ezetimibe administration in Japanese patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Cardiovascular risk profile and frailty in Japanese outpatients: the Nambu Cohort Study.

Epidemiologic findings indicate that unfavorable cardiovascular (CV) risk profiles, such as elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and overweight, decelerate with aging. Few studies, however, have evaluated the association between the CV risk profile and frailty. We performed a cross-sectional analysis using the baseline data of a prospective cohort study.

Author Correction: Randomized Evaluation of Anagliptin vs Sitagliptin On low-density lipoproteiN cholesterol in diabetes (REASON) Trial: A 52-week, open-label, randomized clinical trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Dissimilar Effects of Anagliptin and Sitagliptin on Lipoprotein Subclass in Standard or Strong Statin-Treated Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Subanalysis of the REASON (Randomized Evaluation of Anagliptin versus Sitagliptin on Low-Density LipoproteiN Cholesterol in Diabetes) Trial.

The effects of antidiabetic agents on lipoprotein subclasses are assumed to be pivotal, but this assumption has not been studied. We evaluated lipoprotein subclasses in patients, randomly selected from REASON (Randomized Evaluation of Anagliptin versus Sitagliptin On low-density lipoproteiN cholesterol in diabetes) Trial participants, with type-2 diabetes treated with either anagliptin or sitagliptin. We measured total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) in 4 (chylomicron (CM), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) lipoprotein classes and 20 (2 CM, 5 VLDL, 6 LDL, and 7 HDL) lipoprotein subclasses.

Prognostic Value of Lactate Dehydrogenase for Mid-Term Mortality in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: A Comparison to Established Biomarkers and Brain Natriuretic Peptide.

Background: Enzyme biomarkers-such as creatine phosphokinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase-are associated with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) severity and, therefore, have a prognostic value in ADHF. However, the prognostic value of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of LDH in ADHF.

Comparison of the prognostic values of three calculation methods for echocardiographic relative wall thickness in acute decompensated heart failure.

Purpose: Left ventricular (LV) wall thickness can be measured at the posterior wall (PW) and the intraventricular septum (IVS) in a parasternal long axis view by transthoracic echocardiography. Thus, there are three methods to calculate relative wall thickness as follows: RWT = 2 × PWth/LVDd; RWT = (IVSth + PWth) /LVDd; and RWT = 2 × IVSth/LVDd (IVSth = interventricular septum thickness; LVDd = LV internal dimension at end--diastole; PWth = posterior wall thickness). The aim was to compare the prognostic values of these RWTs in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Differences in lipid metabolism between anagliptin and sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes on statin therapy: a secondary analysis of the REASON trial.

Background: Anagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, is reported to reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The underlying mechanism of this effect and effect on lipid metabolism however remains uncertain.

Aim And Methods: We therefore evaluate the effects of anagliptin on lipid metabolism-related markers compared with those of sitagliptin.

Randomized Evaluation of Anagliptin vs Sitagliptin On low-density lipoproteiN cholesterol in diabetes (REASON) Trial: A 52-week, open-label, randomized clinical trial.

Additional reductions in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) via antidiabetic therapies should be considered in statin-using patients with sub-optimal LDL-C levels. We compared the efficacy of anagliptin and sitagliptin, two antidiabetic therapies, in reducing LDL-C in type 2 diabetic patients. A randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial was conducted at 17 centres in Japan between April 2015 and January 2018.

Incremental Prognostic Value of Platelet Count in Patients With Acute Heart Failure - A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Acute heart failure (AHF) triggers platelet aggregation and platelet markers are associated with the severity of AHF. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of platelet count (PLT) in patients with AHF.

Methods and results: This single-center retrospective observational study analyzed 425 consecutive patients with AHF.

Usefulness of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume to Predict Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation After Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation.

Although increasing evidence suggests that epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) is associated with post-ablation atrial fibrillation (AF), ranges of EATV predictive of post-ablation recurrence of AF remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated: (1) relationships between EATV and characteristics of AF, (2) impact of EATV on recurrent AF after radiofrequency ablation; , and (3) cut-off point for recurrent AF using a receiver operating characteristic curve. In 218 consecutive symptomatic patients undergoing who underwent ablation for AF (143 paroxysmal AF; 78 persistent AF), the EATV index (EATVI: EATV/body surface area, mL/m) was measured using 320-row multidetector computed tomography.

The prognostic impact of a concentric left ventricular structure evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: A retrospective study.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) wall thickening relative to the LV radius, known as a concentric LV structure, is a mechanism that compensates for pressure overload and is related to the risk of cardiovascular events and heart failure. The prognostic value of a concentric LV structure, however, has not been examined in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods: This single-center, observational, retrospective, cohort study analyzed 385 consecutive patients hospitalized due to ADHF.

Effect of the Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume on the Prevalence of Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Although increasing evidence suggests that epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), it is controversial whether there is a dose-response relationship of increasing EATV along the continuum of AF. We evaluated the effect of the EATV on the prevalence of paroxysmal AF (PAF) and persistent AF (PeAF) and the relationships with cardiac structure and functional remodeling.

Methods and results: Subjects who underwent multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography because of symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease were divided into sinus rhythm (SR) (n=112), PAF (n=133), and PeAF (n=71) groups.

Effect of Anagliptin and Sitagliptin on Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular Risk: Rationale and Study Design of the REASON Trial.

Background: Reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is important for patients with a high risk for atherosclerotic events, such as patients with diabetes and other risk factors. Anagliptin was reported to reduce LDL-C for 12 weeks in phase III trials regardless of the use of statins, but it is uncertain whether this effect is common to other dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.

Methods: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial was conducted to confirm the superiority of anagliptin to sitagliptin in terms of the primary endpoint of reduction of LDL-C for 52 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic vascular lesions, as well as the non-inferiority of anagliptin to sitagliptin in terms of change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).