Trends in the Clinical Characteristics and Outcome of Infective Endocarditis: A Nationwide Study From 2016 to 2021.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is still a fatal disease, and given its rarity, ongoing updates to patient characteristics and outcomes of IE are essential for providing precision diagnoses and effective treatments. This study sought to examine temporal trends in the clinical characteristics and in-hospital occurrence of adverse outcomes of IE.

Methods And Results: Using the Japan nationwide administrative database, we identified patients with IE in Japan from 2016 to 2021.

Aging and cell expansion enhance microRNA diversity in small extracellular vesicles produced from human adipose-derived stem cells.

Unlabelled: Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and their small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) hold significant potential for regenerative medicine due to their tissue repair capabilities. The microRNA (miRNA) content in sEVs varies depending on ASC status; however, the effects of aging and cell passage on miRNA profiles remain unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of donor age and cell expansion on ASC characteristics and transcriptome using ASCs obtained from three young and three old donors.

Hospitalized Patients, Treatments, and Quality of Care for Cardiovascular Diseases in Japan - Outline of the Nationwide JROAD Investigation.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have imposed a substantial burden on population health and society. In Japan, the National Plan for the Promotion of Measures Against Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Disease, grounded in national legislation, seeks to improve the quality of care and standardize treatment for cerebrovascular disease and CVD. The plan emphasizes the need to develop standardized systems for collecting and disseminating medical information, as well as promoting data-driven research.

Stepwise cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with type 2 diabetes based on coronary CT assessment.

Background: We aimed to examine the stepwise risk stratification for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with DM and suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).

Method: 1187 patients with suspected CAD enrolled in a prospective cohort study were examined. The patients were evaluated step-by-step with coronary artery calcification (CAC), coronary artery stenosis (CAS), and FFR analysis.

Contemporary Use of β-Blockers in Heart Failure Patients With and Without Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Database Analysis.

Evidence of the effectiveness of β-blockers in heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) in a contemporary cohort is controversial. This study investigated the association between the use of β-blockers and prognosis in hospitalized HF patients with and without AF in Japan. Patients hospitalized with the first episode of acute HF were identified from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan between April 2014 and March 2021.