Transcriptomic analysis of plasma-derived small extracellular vesicles reveals the pathological characteristics of normal tension glaucoma.

Aim: Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is a common optic neuropathy that can be challenging to diagnose due to the intraocular pressure remaining within the normal range. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for the effective lifelong management of patients.

Methods: This study recruited a total of 225 participants.

Circulating Small Extracellular Vesicles Involved in Systemic Regulation Respond to RGC Degeneration in Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and is characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration and vision loss. Since irreversible neurodegeneration occurs before diagnosable, early diagnosis and effective neuroprotection are critical for glaucoma management. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are demonstrated to be potential novel biomarkers and therapeutics for a variety of diseases.

Total protein intake and subsequent risk of chronic kidney disease: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study.

Background: Whether dietary protein intake worsens renal function in the general population has been discussed but not yet determined. We aimed to examine the longitudinal association between dietary protein intake and risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: We conducted a 12-year follow-up study with 3,277 Japanese adults (1,150 men and 2,127 women) aged 40-74 years, initially free from CKD, who participated in cardiovascular risk surveys from two Japanese communities under the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study.

Predictors of herpes zoster severity and immune responses according to pain trajectories: A community-based prospective cohort study.

The authors aimed to identify determinants of the clinical course of herpes zoster and immunological responses, focusing on pain trajectories. This prospective community-based cohort study involved the analysis of responses to a valid pain survey provided by 375 patients diagnosed with herpes zoster based on clinical symptoms and virus identification by polymerase chain reaction. The authors analyzed most patients for humoral/cell-mediated immune response against varicella-zoster virus at the onset and 3 months post-onset.

Breakfast Type and Cardiovascular Mortality: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

Aim: Little is known regarding the association between breakfast type and cardiovascular mortality. We examined the associations between breakfast type and risks of mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and total cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: A total of 85,319 males and females aged 40 to 79 years who were free from CVD and cancers at baseline were involved in this study.

Changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors during menopausal transition in Japanese women: the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Objective: We aimed to longitudinally clarify the changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors associated with menopause in Japanese women in the 2000s.

Methods: Of the 4,596 women who underwent health examinations between 2007 and 2012 in three communities of the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study, 263 women who reported going through menopause during that period were included in the study. We randomly selected 1,665 men as control subjects who participated in a health examination at least once between 2001 and 2009 and at least once between 2010 and 2018 by 1:1 pair-matching for age, community, and examination year.

Trends in the incidence of stroke and its subtypes from 1963 to 2018 in Japanese urban and rural communities: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Background: Few studies have provided observational data on long-term trends in the incidence of stroke and its subtypes, and shown the urban-rural disparities of stroke incidence in Japan.

Methods: A multiple-source, community-based stroke surveillance was performed since 1963/1964 to determine all first-ever stroke cases among Japanese residents aged ⩾40 years living in the Minami-Takayasu district in Yao city, an urban community, and Ikawa town, a rural community. Sex-specific, age-standardized incidence per 1000/year with 95% confidence intervals was calculated during seven periods of 1963/1964-1971 (urban population (% men): 3242 (47.

Trends for the Association between Body Mass Index and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among the Japanese Population: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Aim: This study aimed to investigate whether the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has changed among the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s in Japan.

Methods: The study population consisted of residents in Japan aged 40-69 years who had no history of CVD. The baseline surveys have been conducted every year since 1963.

Alcohol Consumption and Long-Term Mortality in Men with or without a History of Myocardial Infarction.

Aims: The evidence for the impact of alcohol consumption on long-term mortality among myocardial infarction (MI) survivors was limited. We aimed to examine whether alcohol consumption was associated with cause-specific and all-cause mortality in men with or without a history of MI.

Methods: A total of 32,004 men aged 40-79 years with no history of MI and 1,137 male MI survivors, free of stroke and cancer, were followed through the end of 2009.

Smoking Cessation and Mortality from Aortic Dissection and Aneurysm: Findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study.

Aims: Active cigarette smoking was intensively reported to increase the risk of aortic mortality while research on the association between smoking cessation and aortic mortality remains scarce. This study aimed to reconfirm the associations of exposure to cigarettes and smoking cessation associated with aortic mortality in a large Japanese population.

Methods: In the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study, 91,141 residents (57±10 years; men, 43%) who were free of stroke, coronary heart disease, and cancer were followed up from 1989-90 until 2009 during which 110 deaths from aortic dissection and 112 deaths from aneurysm were identified.

Relationships between Age at Menarche and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality among Japanese Women: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC) Study.

Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between age at menarche and risk of cardiovascular disease mortality.

Methods: In total, 54,937 women aged 40-79 years old between 1988 and 1990 without a history of cardiovascular disease were eligible for analysis and were followed through December 2009. We used the Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between age at menarche and risk of cardiovascular disease.

The Associations between Evacuation Status and Lifestyle-Related Diseases in Fukushima after the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between evacuation status and lifestyle-related disease risks among Fukushima residents following the Great East Japan earthquake.

Methods: Fukushima health management survey respondents were classified into non-evacuees, returnees, evacuees in lifted areas, and evacuees in banned areas. During a seven-year follow-up, 22,234 men and 31,158 women were included.

Body Mass Index and Mortality from Nonrheumatic Aortic Valve Disease among Japanese Men and Women.

Aim: We aimed to examine the impact of overweight and obesity on mortality from nonrheumatic aortic valve disease.

Methods: In the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study, we analyzed data of 98,378 participants aged 40-79 years, with no history of coronary heart disease, stroke, or cancer at baseline (1988-1990) and who completed a lifestyle questionnaire including height and body weight; they were followed for mortality until the end of 2009. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of nonrheumatic aortic valve disease mortality according to body mass index (BMI) after adjusting for potential confounding factors.

Association between Dietary Manganese Intake and Mortality from Cardiovascular Disease in Japanese Population: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

Aim: Manganese (Mn) is an essential element in the human body, and it has a significant impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. However, no research has been conducted on the association between Mn and cardiovascular disease (CVD), to the best of our knowledge. This study thus examined the association between dietary Mn intake and CVD mortality in the general Japanese population.

Retinal microvascular abnormalities and risks of incident stroke and its subtypes: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between retinal microvascular abnormalities and the risk of incident stroke and its subtypes in the general Japanese population.

Methods: A total of 12 965 residents aged 40-74 years without a history of stroke and/or coronary heart disease underwent retinal photography during the annual health checkups of four Japanese communities between 1990 and 1999. Retinal microvascular abnormalities, such as the presence or absence of generalized arteriolar narrowing, focal arteriolar narrowing, arteriovenous nicking, enhanced arteriolar light reflex, and retinal hemorrhages were graded using standard protocols.

Association between Serum Uric Acid and Impaired Endothelial Function: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study.

Aims: Higher serum uric acid (UA) may impair endothelial function. However, population-based evidence examining the association between serum UA levels and endothelial function remains to be limited. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate this in the general population.

Risk Classification for Metabolic Syndrome and the Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in Japan With Low Prevalence of Obesity: A Pooled Analysis of 10 Prospective Cohort Studies.

Background It is uncertain whether risk classification under the nationwide program on screening and lifestyle modification for metabolic syndrome captures well high-risk individuals who could benefit from lifestyle interventions. We examined the validity of risk classification by linking the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods and Results Individual-level data of 29 288 Japanese individuals aged 40 to 74 years without a history of CVD from 10 prospective cohort studies were used.

Supper Timing and Cardiovascular Mortality: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

Evidence on the role of supper timing in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is limited. In this study, we examined the associations between supper timing and risks of mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and total CVD. A total of 28,625 males and 43,213 females, aged 40 to 79 years, free from CVD and cancers at baseline were involved in this study.

Dietary intake of tocopherols and risk of incident disabling dementia.

Tocopherols, strong antioxidants, may be useful in preventing dementia, but the epidemiological evidence is insufficient. We performed a community-based follow-up study of Japanese, the Circulatory Risk in Community Study, involving 3739 people aged 40-64 years at baseline (1985-1999). Incident disabling dementia was followed up from 1999 through 2020.

Non-alcoholic beverages intake and risk of CVD among Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Center study.

The association between the intake of non-alcoholic beverages and CVD in Asians is uncertain. The intake of non-alcoholic beverages was estimated in 77 407 participants of the Japan Public Health Centre-based cohort study aged 45-74 years. The Cox regression calculated the hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI for incident CVD according to sex-specific quintiles of intake of non-alcoholic beverages.

Smoking cessation, weight gain and risk of cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To examine whether the relationship between smoking cessation and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was modified by weight gain.

Methods: A total of 69 910 participants (29 650 men and 46 260 women) aged 45-74 years were grouped into six groups by smoking status in the first and 5-year surveys: sustained smokers, recent quitters according to postcessation weight gain (no weight gain, 0.1-5.

Leukocyte Count and Risks of Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the associations of leukocyte count with the risks of stroke and coronary heart disease among the general Japanese population.

Methods: A total of 5,242 residents aged 40-69 years living in two Japanese communities underwent leukocyte count measurements between 1991 and 2000, and the data were updated using 5- or 10-year follow-ups or both. Participants who had histories of stroke, coronary heart disease, or high values of leukocyte count (＞130×10 cells/mm) were excluded.

Impact of Major Cardiovascular Risk Factors on the Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease among Overweight and Non-Overweight Individuals: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).

Aim: We aimed to examine the impact of high-risk levels of cardiovascular risk factors on the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in overweight and non-overweight individuals without treatment for the risk factors.

Methods: A total of 8,051 individuals aged 40-74 years without a history of CVD and/or without treatment for hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and kidney disease at baseline in 1995-2000 were followed up for a median of 14.1 years.