Appropriate Circadian-Circasemidian Coupling Protects Blood Pressure from Morning Surge and Promotes Human Resilience and Wellbeing.

Background: Blood pressure (BP) variability is involved in the appraisal of threat and safety, and can serve as a potential marker of psychological resilience against stress. The relationship between biological rhythms of BP and resilience was cross-sectionally assessed by 7-day/24-hour chronobiologic screening in a rural Japanese community (Tosa), with focus on the 12-hour component and the "circadian-circasemidian coupling" of systolic (S) BP.

Subjects And Methods: Tosa residents (N = 239, 147 women, 23-74 years), free of anti-hypertensive medication, completed 7-day/24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring.

Repeated ambulatory monitoring reveals an evening rise in blood pressure in a Japanese population.

Recent studies have revealed 2 peaks in the onset of cardiovascular events, 1 in the morning and another in the evening. We evaluated whether blood pressure (BP) also rises in the morning/evening and identified the determinants of evening BP rise using 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring for 7 consecutive days. We identified 2 BP peaks, 1 in the morning (0-3 hours after waking) and 1 in the evening (9-12 hours after waking).

Impact of outdoor temperature on prewaking morning surge and nocturnal decline in blood pressure in a Japanese population.

Seasonal variations in blood pressure (BP) have often been attributed to meteorological factors, especially changes in outdoor temperature. We evaluated the direct association between meteorological factors and circadian BP variability. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP was monitored continuously for 7 days in 158 subjects.

Enhanced expression of the S100A8/A9 complex in acute myocardial infarction patients.

Background: S100A8/A9 complex (S100A8/A9) is expressed in activated human neutrophils and macrophages. Enhanced expression of S100A8/A9 in atherosclerotic plaque of patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) has been demonstrated, but its profile in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been clarified.

Methods And Results: Serum S100A8/A9 levels were serially measured in patients with AMI (n=55) and UAP (n=16) during the acute period.

Cardio-ankle vascular index as a predictor of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling elderly people: four-year follow-up.

Background/aim: The relation between markers of generalized atherosclerosis and cognitive impairment in old age is controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) as a predictor of longitudinal changes in cognitive function in older individuals.

Methods: We evaluated the cognitive function in elderly people with high (AS(+)) and low (AS(-)) values of CAVI each year over 4 years.

Lifestyle intervention reversed cognitive function in aged people with diabetes mellitus: two-year follow up.

To clarify the reversibility of cognitive decline in elderly people with type 2 diabetes, we evaluated cognitive function in 55 elderly people with diabetes and 74 control subjects before and after lifestyle intervention. Lifestyle intervention has a beneficial effect on cognitive decline in elderly people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Comparison of frequency of thromboembolic events and echocardiographic findings in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and coarse versus fine electrocardiographic fibrillatory waves.

In patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, the electrocardiographic fibrillatory wave reflects the structural and electrical remodeling of the atria. This study examined whether the fibrillatory wave amplitude could predict the risk of thromboembolism and demonstrated that this amplitude was related to the duration of atrial fibrillation. We also showed that the presence of fine fibrillatory waves (<1 mm in amplitude) could predict the thromboembolic potential in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Weekly variation of home and ambulatory blood pressure and relation between arterial stiffness and blood pressure measurements in community-dwelling hypertensives.

Although blood pressure (BP) is a major determinant of pulse wave velocity (PWV), some treatments have independent effects on BP and arterial stiffness. Although both ambulatory BP (ABP) and self-measured BP at home (HBP) have become important measures for the diagnosis and management of hypertension, single day recordings may be insufficient for a proper diagnosis of hypertension or the evaluation of treatment efficacy. To evaluate weekly variations in BP using 7-day HBP and 7-day ABP monitoring and to determine the relation between arterial stiffness and BP measurements in community-dwelling patients with hypertension.

Repeated ambulatory monitoring reveals a Monday morning surge in blood pressure in a community-dwelling population.

Background: Although weekly variations with a peak on Monday have been reported in the incidence of cardiovascular events, few studies have investigated weekly variations in blood pressure (BP).

Methods: One hundred and thirty-five community-dwelling subjects had 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring for 7 days. We calculated the mean awake, asleep, morning (during the first 3 h after awaking) BP, and morning BP surge (mean morning systolic BP minus mean asleep systolic BP) for each day.