Impact of co-presence of malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis factors on prognosis in lower extremity artery disease patients after endovascular therapy.

Malnutrition and inflammation are common problems of adverse outcomes in various diseases as atherosclerosis. Recently, the concept of malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis (MIA) syndrome is known to a crucial prognostic factor in patients with end-stage renal disease. We investigated the prognostic impact of the co-presence of MIA factors in patients with lower-extremity artery disease (LEAD) after endovascular therapy (EVT).

Living alone predicts poor prognosis among patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Living alone as a proxy for social isolation has been considered to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. We thus investigated the impact of living alone on mortality in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients.

Methods: Subjects comprised 277 AMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Secondary rotational atherectomy is associated with reduced occurrence of prolonged ST-segment elevation following ablation.

Elevation of the ST segment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using rotational atherectomy (RA) for severely calcified lesions often persists after disappearance of the slow-flow phenomenon on angiography. We investigated clinical factors relevant to prolonged ST-segment elevation following RA among 152 patients with stable angina undergoing elective PCI. PCI procedures were divided into two strategies, RA without (primary RA strategy) or with (secondary RA strategy) balloon dilatation before RA.

Environmental risks of organic fertilizer with increased heavy metals (Cu and Zn) to aquatic ecosystems adjacent to farmland in the northern biosphere of Japan.

In Abashiri, Hokkaido, northern Japan, composted sewage sludge (CSS) containing a large amount of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) is used as fertilizer in agriculture. The local environmental risks of Cu and Zn from such organic fertilizers were studied. The study area, especially the brackish lakes located near the farmlands, is important for inland fisheries.

Discovery of Novel Substrate-Competitive Lysine Methyltransferase G9a Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents.

Identification of structurally novel inhibitors of lysine methyltransferase G9a has been a subject of intense research in cancer epigenetics. Starting with the high-throughput screening (HTS) hit - obtained from the chemical library of the University of Tokyo Drug Discovery Initiative, the structure-activity relationship of the unique substrate-competitive inhibitors was established with the help of X-ray crystallography and fragment molecular orbital (FMO) calculations for the ligand-protein interaction. Further optimization of the characteristics and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties led to the identification of (RK-701), which is a structurally distinct potent inhibitor of G9a/GLP (IC = 27/53 nM).

Visualization of the dynamic interaction between nucleosomal histone H3K9 tri-methylation and HP1α chromodomain in living cells.

Histone lysine methylation is an epigenetic mark that can control gene expression. In particular, H3K9me3 contributes to transcriptional repression by regulating chromatin structure. Successful mitotic progression requires correct timing of chromatin structure changes, including epigenetic marks.

Impact of Malnutrition on Prognosis and Coronary Artery Calcification in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease.

Nutritional status is an important factor affecting prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. We compared major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) between the malnutrition (geriatric nutritional risk index <92) and non-malnutrition (geriatric nutritional risk index ≥92) groups in 500 stable coronary artery disease patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and evaluated coronary calcification by intravascular ultrasound. Incidences of all-cause death and MACCE differed between the malnutrition and non-malnutrition groups (22% vs 5%, P < 0.

Association of wound, ischemia, and foot infection clinical stage with frailty and malnutrition in chronic limb-threatening ischemia patients undergoing endovascular intervention.

Objective: The Wound, Ischemia, and foot Infection (WIfI) clinical stage has been thought to have a prognostic value in Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) patients, and frailty and nutritional status appear to represent pivotal factor affecting prognosis among CLTI patients. The purpose of this study was to examine clinical factors (including frailty and nutritional status) relevant to WIfI clinical stage.

Methods: This retrospective study investigated 200 consecutive CLTI patients.

Impact of nutritional status on prognosis in acute myocardial infarction patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Malnutrition affects the prognosis of cardiovascular disease. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been a major cause of death around the world. Thus, we investigated the impact of malnutrition as defined by Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) on mortality in AMI patients.

Prognostic impact of malnutrition on cardiovascular events in coronary artery disease patients with myocardial damage.

Background: Stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with myocardial damage have a poor prognosis compared to those without myocardial damage. Recently, malnutrition has been reported to affect the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of malnutrition on prognosis of CAD patients with myocardial damage remains uncertain.

The Priority of Non-HDL-C Assessment to Predict New Lesions among Stable Angina Patients with Strong Statins.

Aim: In this study, we aim to examine the clinical meaning of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ＜70 mg/dL as assessed by Friedewald equation [LDL-C (F)] and Martin method [LDL-C (M)] and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ＜100 mg/dL on the occurrence of new lesions among Japanese patients with stable angina who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and were prescribed with strong statins.

Methods: Among the 537 consecutive stable angina patients who had underwent PCI and had been prescribed with strong statins, the association between the occurrence of new lesions with myocardial ischemia at the 9-month follow-up coronary angiography and ≤ 2 years after PCI and baseline characteristics were assessed.

Results: New lesions appeared 9 months and ≤ 2 years after PCI in 31 and 90 patients, respectively.

Coronary artery perforation secondary to lifesaving pericardiocentesis for cardiac tamponade: a case report.

Background: Pericardiocentesis is frequently performed when fluid needs to be removed from the pericardial sac, for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, however, it can still be a high-risk procedure in inexperienced hands and/or an emergent setting.

Case Presentation: A 78-year-old male made an emergency call complaining of the back pain. When the ambulance crew arrived at his home, he was in a state of shock due to cardiac tamponade diagnosed by portable echocardiography.

Malnutrition and Clopidogrel Non-Use Worsen Prognosis of Critical Limb Ischemia Patients After Revascularization.

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients have high risk for major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. This study investigated the risk factors of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular death in CLI patients with concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD). The association between baseline characteristics and cerebrovascular or cardiovascular death ≤2 years after revascularization for CLI was investigated in 137 CLI patients who previously underwent successful revascularization for CAD before treatment for CLI.

Use of proton pump inhibitors is associated with an increase in adverse cardiovascular events in patients with hemodialysis: Insight from the kids registry.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are known to increase the risk of mortality and cardiovascular events in the general population. However, in patients with maintenance hemodialysis, PPI effects are under investigated.

Methods: We analyzed the risk of PPIs for cardiovascular events using the Kagoshima Dialysis (KIDS) registry, a prospective, multicenter, observational study in patients with maintenance hemodialysis in Japan.

Validity of a Novel Method for Estimating Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Cardiovascular Disease Patients Treated with Statins.

Aim: The Friedewald equation is the standard method for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels [LDL-C(F)] and fixes the ratio of triglyceride (TG) to very LDL-C at 5. However, this has been reported to underestimate LDL-C, particularly in patients with LDL-C ＜70 mg/dL. A novel method for LDL-C estimation [LDL-C(M)] using an adjustable factor instead of a fixed value of 5 has recently been proposed.

Prospective Study on the Incidence of Cerebrovascular Disease After Coronary Angiography.

Aim: Previous studies have reported a 10.2%-22% rate of silent cerebral infarction and a 0.1%-1% rate of symptomatic cerebral infarction after coronary angiography (CAG).

Identification of Cyproheptadine as an Inhibitor of SET Domain Containing Lysine Methyltransferase 7/9 (Set7/9) That Regulates Estrogen-Dependent Transcription.

SET domain containing lysine methyltransferase 7/9 (Set7/9), a histone lysine methyltransferase (HMT), also methylates non-histone proteins including estrogen receptor (ER) α. ERα methylation by Set7/9 stabilizes ERα and activates its transcriptional activities, which are involved in the carcinogenesis of breast cancer. We identified cyproheptadine, a clinically approved antiallergy drug, as a Set7/9 inhibitor in a high-throughput screen using a fluorogenic substrate-based HMT assay.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Prevents the Worsening of Renal Function in the Late Phase after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Aim: The amount of contrast media and renal atheroemboli are risk factors for acute kidney injury after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the chronic kidney injury after PCI has not been fully characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting renal function in the late phase after PCI by measuring serum Cystatin C (CysC).

Effects of regional climate changes on the planktonic ecosystem and water environment in the frozen Notoro Lagoon, northern Japan.

Diatom fossils from core sediments and living diatoms from water samples of Notoro Lagoon in northern Japan were examined to evaluate natural climate effects on lagoon environmental changes. In 1974, the artificial inlet was excavated. Immediately after, the anoxic bottom water in Notoro Lagoon began to disappear due to an increasing water exchange rate.