Self-measurement of blood pressure at home using a cuff device for change in blood pressure levels: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The effect of self-measurement of blood pressure (BP) at home (home BP measurement, HBPM) has been evaluated over the past decade. This meta-analysis included the latest studies to determine whether HBPM reduced BP (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023442225). PubMed, Cochrane Library Database, and IchuShi-Web were searched for randomized controlled trials after the year 2000 which demonstrated the effect of HBPM on BP change compared with usual care (UC).

Combined effects of blood pressure and glucose status on the risk of chronic kidney disease.

This study aimed to assess the combined effects of blood pressure (BP) and glucose status on chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence in young and middle-aged adults. We examined data from 1,297,341 Japanese individuals aged <60 years (60.1% men; mean age 41.

A Reduction in the Number of Hospitalized Cases of Acute Meningitis during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.

Objective The changes in the prevalence of acute meningitis during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of acute meningitis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the Japanese nationwide administrative medical payment system database, Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC), from 2016 to 2022.

Diagnostic approach with Z-score mapping to reduce artifacts caused by cerebral atrophy in regional CBF assessment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease by [Tc]-ECD and SPECT.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a novel approach that enhanced diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD) using cerebral perfusion SPECT by minimizing artifacts caused by cerebral atrophy.

Materials And Methods: [Tc]-ECD and SPECT studies were performed on 15 cognitively normal patients, 40 patients with MCI, and 16 patients with AD. SPECT images were compared using SPM.

Aberrant brain dynamics of large-scale functional networks across schizophrenia and mood disorder.

Introduction: The dynamics of large-scale networks, which are known as distributed sets of functionally synchronized brain regions and include the visual network (VIN), somatomotor network (SMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), salience network (SAN), limbic network (LIN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and default mode network (DMN), play important roles in emotional and cognitive processes in humans. Although disruptions in these large-scale networks are considered critical for the pathophysiological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, their role in psychiatric disorders remains unknown. We aimed to elucidate the aberrant dynamics across large-scale networks in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and mood disorders.

The impact of clinical inertia on uncontrolled blood pressure in treated hypertension: real-world, longitudinal data from Japan.

We aimed to quantify the impact of inadequate pharmacological therapy on uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) using Japanese real-world data. This retrospective cohort study used databases provided by DeSC Healthcare, Inc (Tokyo, Japan). We identified 27,652 patients with hypertension (age, 60.

Precise Discrimination for Multiple Etiologies of Dementia Cases Based on Deep Learning with Electroencephalography.

Introduction: It is critical to develop accurate and universally available biomarkers for dementia diseases to appropriately deal with the dementia problems under world-wide rapid increasing of patients with dementia. In this sense, electroencephalography (EEG) has been utilized as a promising examination to screen and assist in diagnosing dementia, with advantages of sensitiveness to neural functions, inexpensiveness, and high availability. Moreover, the algorithm-based deep learning can expand EEG applicability, yielding accurate and automatic classification easily applied even in general hospitals without any research specialist.

Actual impact of angiotensin II receptor blocker or calcium channel blocker monotherapy on renal function in real-world patients.

Objective: This observational retrospective cohort study investigates the effect of antihypertensive therapy with angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) or dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (dCCBs) monotherapy on renal function using longitudinal real-world health data of a drug-naive, hypertensive population without kidney disease.

Methods: Using propensity score matching, we selected untreated hypertensive participants ( n  = 10 151) and dCCB ( n  = 5078) or ARB ( n  = 5073) new-users based on annual health check-ups and claims between 2008 and 2020. Participants were divided by the first prescribed drug.

A 12-session relapse prevention program vs psychoeducation in the treatment of Japanese alcoholic patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: Alcoholism is the most prevalent substance use disorder in Japan; the estimated number of patients and high-risk drinkers is in the millions. Although studies in the West have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatment strategies for alcoholic patients, there is a dearth of efficacy studies of CBT-based intervention for those patients in the non-Western setting. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of a 12-session CBT-based relapse prevention program for Japanese alcoholic patients.

Association between urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio and home blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure: the Ohasama study.

Objective: No studies have demonstrated the association between urinary sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio and all out-of-office blood pressure (BP) [home morning and evening BP (self-measured at home), and 24-h, daytime, and night-time ambulatory BP] in the same cohort. We aimed to assess, which type of out-of-office BP is more strongly associated with urinary Na/K ratio in the general population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the general population of Ohasama, Japan.

Whole-body vibration exercise and training increase regional CBF in mild cognitive impairment with enhanced cognitive function.

Objectives: Preclinical and non-medicinal interventions are essential for preventing and treating cognitive decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise is conducted on a platform that generates vertical sinusoidal vibrations, and WBV training may improve regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and cognitive function, however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether WBV exercise and a 24-week WBV training protocol increased rCBF and enhanced cognitive function in patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI).

Detailed association between serum uric acid levels and the incidence of chronic kidney disease stratified by sex in middle-aged adults.

Background And Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health burden. Previous studies have shown a J- or U-shaped association between serum uric acid (SUA) and cardiovascular mortality. We assessed the risk of CKD incidence in a refined SUA category in middle-aged adults stratified by sex.

Determining whether occupational therapy goals match between pairs of occupational therapists and their clients: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study examined the degree to which goals perceived by occupational therapists (OTs) matched those perceived by their clients.

Methods: A total of 100 clients and 79 OTs were recruited from seven subacute rehabilitation wards in Japan. Matched pairs of OTs and their clients were independently asked for their perception about the clients' occupational therapy goals through semi-structured interviews.

Short-term outcomes following elective transcatheter arterial embolization for splenic artery aneurysms: data from a nationwide administrative database.

Background: Splenic artery aneurysm (SAA) rupture is life-threatening. Although elective transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) suggested low in-hospital death in previous studies, there has been no large multi-center study of elective TAE for SAA.

Purpose: To examine the short-term outcomes of TAE for splenic artery aneurysm (SAA) and analyze the factors associated with the outcomes, including liver cirrhosis, using a nationwide administrative inpatient database.

Clinical features of isolated dissections of abdominal aortic branches.

Isolated dissection of an abdominal aortic branch is a rare entity, and previous reports regarding the condition have been based only on small case-series studies. Using a national inpatient database in Japan, we describe the clinical features of patients with isolated celiac, superior mesenteric, splenic, and hepatic artery dissections (ICAD, ISMAD, ISAD, and IHAD). We extracted data on inpatients who were diagnosed with ICAD, ISMAD, ISAD, or IHAD from the Japanese diagnosis procedure combination database, including patients' age and sex, putative risk factors (smoking status and specific comorbidities), treatments (blood transfusion, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and surgical procedures), and outcomes (in-hospital complications and death).

[Survey report on magnetic resonance equipment damage in areas in Miyagi Prefecture affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake].

A questionnaire comprising 14 items, inquiring about the state of damage, whether safety could be ensured, and progress of repair and restoration was distributed to 984 facilities in seven prefectures on the Pacific coast as part of a fact-finding survey of damage caused to magnetic resonance (MR) devices by the Great East Japan Earthquake. In all, 458 responses (46.6%) were collected.

Assessment of valvular regurgitation using cine magnetic resonance imaging coupled with phase compensation technique: comparison with Doppler color flow mapping.

To elucidate whether or not a newly developed technique in cinematic-displayed (cine) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can improve the semiquantitative evaluation of valvular regurgitant flow, 20 patients with valvular lesions were studied. Three pulse sequences of cine MRI, ie, standard, short echo time (TE), and rephasing scans, were compared with reference obtained by Doppler color flow mapping. Short TE technique and rephasing scan technique improved image quality remarkably as compared with standard technique.