The association of serum adiponectin level with activities of daily living in hospitalized elderly patients with heart failure.

Background: Several studies have reported a relationship between elevated serum adiponectin levels and poor outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). However, data on the activities of daily living (ADL) in elderly patients with HF are limited.

Methods: We evaluated 218 hospitalized elderly (≥65 years) patients with HF who underwent a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program during hospitalization.

Predictive value of abdominal aortic calcification index for mid-term cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

The utility of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) for prediction of cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains to be determined. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the predictive value of the abdominal aortic calcification index (ACI), a semi-quantitative measure of AAC, for CVEs in patients with ACS. We evaluated 314 patients with ACS.

Differential effect of concomitant antidiabetic agents on carotid atherosclerosis: a subgroup analysis of the PROLOGUE study.

Accumulated evidence shows that some antidiabetic agents attenuate the progression of carotid atherosclerosis assessed as intima-media thickness (IMT). Although some studies have demonstrated an inhibitory effect of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors on carotid IMT progression, in the PROLOGUE study sitagliptin failed to slow progression relative to conventional therapy for 24 months. We hypothesized that differences in the concomitant antidiabetic agents between the groups have influenced the progression of carotid IMT.

A case of floating thrombus in the ascending aorta that caused recurrent peripheral arterial embolic events.

We report the case of a 62-year-old man with recurrent arterial embolisms to his arms caused by a thrombosis of the ascending aorta. He had developed a left brachial artery embolism 8 years previously, but presented with a right brachial artery embolus on this occasion. A clot-like mass was seen in the ascending aorta on computed tomography without significant atherosclerosis.

Long-term outcome of drug-eluting vs. bare-metal stents in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Subgroup analysis of the nagoya acute myocardial infarction study (NAMIS).

Background: The purpose of the present study was to compare the 5-year clinical outcomes after implantation of drug-eluting stent (DES) and bare-metal stent (BMS) in Japanese patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods And Results: This study was a subgroup analysis of the Nagoya Acute Myocardial Infarction Study (NAMIS). It included 658 AMI patients, of which 280 were treated with a DES and 378 with a BMS.

Intravascular ultrasound-guided percutaneous coronary intervention for total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery caused by spontaneous coronary dissection in a young woman.

A 35-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of a sudden cardiac arrest caused by an acute anterior myocardial infarction. Emergency coronary angiography showed total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD). We performed an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to detect the LAD orifice and successfully inserted the guidewire to the occluded LAD.

Evaluation of subjective treatment satisfaction with antipsychotics in schizophrenia patients.

Adherence to antipsychotic treatment is particularly important in the long-term management of schizophrenia and other related psychotic disorders since poor adherence to medication is associated with poor health outcomes. Although the patients' subjective satisfaction with the medication is crucial for adherence to medication, few studies have examined the relationship between subjective satisfaction with antipsychotics and adherence. In this study, we investigated subjective satisfaction with antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia by using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM), a self-reporting instrument to assess the major dimensions of patients' satisfaction with their medication.

Concentration of chlorophenols in water to dialkyated catinonic surfactant-silica gel admicelles.

Chlorophenols including monochlorophenol, dichlorophenol, trichlorophenol, tetrachlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol in water were extracted into dialkylated cationic surfactant-silica gel admicelles. The dialkylated cationic surfactants such as didecyldimethylammonium bromide (DC10) and didodedyldimethylammonium bromide (DC12) sorbed on silica gel surfaces to form admicelles at pH 9. Approximately 200mg of DC10 was quantitatively sorbed on 1g of silica gel.

Increased susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus colonization of the skin of the NOA mouse: a potentially useful animal model for evaluating antiseptic effects.

Isolation of bacteria from wet skin lesions was attempted using Naruto Research Institute Otsuka Atrichia (NOA) mice, which develop such lesions spontaneously at a high rate. As a result, Staphylococcus aureus was demonstrated to have colonized the wet skin lesions at high density. In addition, the isolated S.

Development of dry skin in the NOA mouse under individual housing conditions: a potentially useful animal model for evaluating moisturizing effects.

In a previous study, we reported the development of grossly observable dry skin in all of the Naruto Research Institute Otsuka Atrichia (NOA) mice that were housed individually. In the present study, dermal physiological function tests were conducted and the usefulness of this dry skin model for evaluating the efficacy of topical moisturizers was assessed. As a result, we have confirmed a marked reduction in the water content of the stratum corneum in these animals.

Effects of housing conditions on the development of wet skin lesions in the NOA mouse.

The effects of housing on the onset time and prevalence of wet skin lesions were investigated in NOA mice, which spontaneously develop these lesions at a high rate. Wet skin lesions developed earliest in mice that were housed individually. For mice that were housed in groups, the lesions developed earlier in mice with non-littermate group housing than in mice with littermate group housing.

Mechanisms of acute lumen gain following cutting balloon angioplasty in calcified and noncalcified lesions: an intravascular ultrasound study.

Several studies have shown that mechanisms for lumen enlargement following conventional balloon angioplasty (BA) consist of plaque reduction and vessel expansion. To assess the mechanisms of lumen enlargement after Cutting Balloon (CB) angioplasty, intravascular ultrasound images were analyzed in 180 lesions (89 CB and 91 BA). External elastic membrane (EEM) cross-sectional area (CSA), lumen CSA, and plaque plus media (P+M) CSA were measured before and after angioplasty.

Reduction of early elastic recoil by cutting balloon angioplasty as compared to conventional balloon angioplasty.

Background: Restenosis after successful balloon angioplasty remains problematic. Early elastic response after angioplasty is significant when considering the possible development of restenosis. The purpose of this study was to compare early elastic recoil within 10 minutes after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and early lumen loss at 24 hours after angioplasty in a cutting balloon group and a conventional balloon group.