Evaluating the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline-Recommended and Contemporary Pretest Probability Models in a Mixed Asian Cohort: The Contribution of Coronary Artery Calcium.

Background: Most pretest probability (PTP) tools for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) were Western -developed. The most appropriate PTP models and the contribution of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in Asian populations remain unknown. In a mixed Asian cohort, we compare 5 PTP models: local assessment of the heart (LAH), CAD Consortium (CAD2), risk factor-weighted clinical likelihood, the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology PTP and 3 extended versions of these models that incorporated CACS: LAH, CAD2, and the CACS-clinical likelihood.

Smoking and drinking habits relating to development of ulcerative colitis in Japanese: A multicenter case-control study.

Background And Aim: The number of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) has been increasing in Japan. To elucidate the risk factors for developing UC in Japan, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted. This study examined the association between smoking/drinking habits and UC onset in detail.

Effects of aging and exercise habits on blood flow profile of the ocular circulation.

Purpose: We examined the effects of aging and exercise habits on the ocular blood flow (OBF) and its profiles throughout the optic nerve head region and choroidal area. We hypothesized that exercise habits reduce the stiffness of vessels in the ocular circulation, which generally increases with aging.

Methods: Participants in a medical checkup program (698 males and 192 females aged 28 to 80 years) were categorized into 2 groups (with and without exercise habits) based on participant self-reporting and the definition of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan (MHLW).

Association of maternal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy with sleep and developmental problems in 1-year-old infants: A cohort study.

Background And Aims: Maternal hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy is reported to be associated with various perinatal outcomes and may also be associated with infant development. This study aims to investigate the association between maternal hemoglobin levels during early or mid-pregnancy and sleep and developmental problems in 1-year-old infants.

Methods: We used the data of 66,935 pregnant women who were participants of the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide cohort study in Japan, between 2011 and 2014.

Prognostic impact of p53 and/or NY-ESO-1 autoantibody induction in patients with gastroenterological cancers.

Background And Aim: We evaluated the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of serum p53 (s-p53-Abs) and serum NY-ESO-1 autoantibodies (s-NY-ESO-1-Abs) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patients And Methods: A total of 377 patients, 85 patients with ESCC, 248 patients with gastric cancer, and 44 patients with HCC were enrolled to measure s-p53-Abs and s-NY-ESO-1-Abs titers by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before treatment. The clinicopathological significance and prognostic impact of the presence of autoantibodies were evaluated.

Relationship Between Platelet Reactivity and Ischemic and Bleeding Events After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in East Asian Patients: 1-Year Results of the PENDULUM Registry.

Background The balance between ischemic and bleeding events and their association with platelet reactivity in patients receiving antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which differs among regions, is not fully evaluated for East Asians. We examined ischemic/bleeding events and platelet reactivity in Japanese patients undergoing PCI and determined associations between high/low platelet reactivity and clinical outcomes. Methods and Results PENDULUM (Platelet Reactivity in Patients with Drug Eluting Stent and Balancing Risk of Bleeding and Ischemic Event) is a prospective, multicenter registry of Japanese patients with PCI.

Diagnostic impact of high serum midkine level in patients with gastric cancer.

Aim: We evaluated the diagnostic impact of serum midkine (s-MK) levels in patients with gastric cancer using a monoclonal antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system (ELISA) to detect s-MK levels.

Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 131 patients with gastric cancer including stage I (n = 71), stage II (n = 28), stage III (n = 16), and stage IV (n = 16) before surgery. Serum samples were analyzed using ELISA to detect soluble midkine.

Assessment of ocular microcirculation in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

Purpose: To determine the impact that end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has on ocular microcirculation in the optic nerve head (ONH) and choroid area shown by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG).

Methods: We studied 24 consecutive Japanese patients with ESKD who visited the department of Nephrology at our hospital and 55 age- and gender-matched subjects who had undergone polysomnography. The mean blur rates (MBRs) in vessels (MBR-Vessel), in the tissue (MBR-Tissue), throughout the ONH (MBR-All), and throughout the choroid (MBR-Choroid) were analyzed.

Arterial stiffness shown by the cardio-ankle vascular index is an important contributor to optic nerve head microcirculation.

Propose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were significant correlations between the pulse waveform in the capillary area of the optic nerve head (ONH) microcirculation shown by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and parameters of the systemic condition, especially the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI).

Method: We studied 130 men (ages 60.5 ± 10.

Distinct preoptic-BST nuclei dissociate paternal and infanticidal behavior in mice.

Paternal behavior is not innate but arises through social experience. After mating and becoming fathers, male mice change their behavior toward pups from infanticide to paternal care. However, the precise brain areas and circuit mechanisms connecting these social behaviors are largely unknown.

Pulse waveform analysis of optic nerve head circulation for predicting carotid atherosclerotic changes.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between the parameters of pulse waveform analysis in the optic nerve head using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and intima-media thickness (IMT) and severity of carotid arterial plaque.

Design: Prospective and cross-sectional study.

Methods: One hundred seventy-six subjects were studied.

Epidermal tight junction barrier function is altered by skin inflammation, but not by filaggrin-deficient stratum corneum.

Background: The tight junction (TJ) barrier is located in the granular layer of the epidermis. Filaggrin deficiency predisposes patients to atopic dermatitis (AD) by impairing stratum corneum (SC) barrier function. Altered TJ barrier function has been observed in the skin of patients with AD; however, it remains unclear whether TJ function is influenced by filaggrin deficiency directly or secondarily via skin inflammation.

Improvement of cardio-ankle vascular index by glimepiride in type 2 diabetic patients.

Aims: Glimepiride, a third generation sulfonylurea (SU), is known to have extrapancreatic effects, but its vascular effect is unclear. We investigated the efficacy of glimepiride in improving arterial stiffness assessed by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in type 2 diabetic patients, compared with glibenclamide, a conventional SU.

Methods: Forty type 2 diabetic patients were randomly assigned to two groups.

Spontaneous ectopic pregnancy occurring in the remnant tube after ipsilateral salpingectomy: a report of 2 cases.

Ectopic pregnancy occurring in the remnant tube after ipsilateral salpingectomy is assumed to be rare. We report 2 cases of spontaneous ectopic pregnancy occurring in the remnant tube that were treated surgically. Even in spontaneous pregnancy, attention should be paid to the remnant tube so as not to miss an ectopic pregnancy after previous salpingectomy.

Preheparin serum lipoprotein lipase mass might be a biomarker of metabolic syndrome.

Lipoprotein lipase mass in preheparin serum (preheparin LPL mass) is assumed to reflect some of the LPL production in the whole body and insulin sensitivity. While metabolic syndrome is a common underlying condition for cardiovascular diseases, biological marker of this syndrome has not been fully established. To clarify the characteristics of preheparin LPL mass in metabolic syndrome, 362 Japanese subjects were studied to examine the relationship between symptoms of metabolic syndrome and preheparin LPL mass and compare with plasma adiponectin.

The angiotensin II receptor antagonist valsartan enhances lipoprotein lipase mass in preheparin serum in type 2 diabetes with hypertension.

Recent studies suggest that blockade of angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor may have some effect on glucose and lipoprotein metabolism. Serum level of preheparin lipoprotein lipase (LPL) reflects LPL production mainly in adipocytes and is believed to be related to insulin sensitivity. We studied the effect of a selective AT1 antagonist, valsartan, on glucose, lipid metabolism and the preheparin LPL mass in 55 patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

[Clinical significance and problems of sentinel node identification for individualization of rectal cancer therapy].

In the surgical treatment of advanced rectal cancer, wide lymphadenectomy has been replaced by autonomic nerve preservation because of serious problems such as postoperative urinary and sexual dysfunction. This may offer a considerable clue to as whether metastasis of lateral lymph node can be diagnosed by a new technique in order to provide more benefits to many patients with advanced rectal cancer. Moreover the sentinel lymph node (SLN) concept has lately attracted attention as a new technique.

Reduction of visceral adiposity after operation in a subject with insulinoma.

Generally, it is considered that visceral fat brings insulin resistance and hyper-insulinemia, in the mechanisms of metabolic syndromes. However, whether hyperinsulinemia brings about accumulation of visceral fat is not clear. We followed a case of insulinoma that caused primary hyperinsulinemia, and measured the change in visceral fat and insulin resistance before and after surgical resection of the insulinoma.

[Evaluation of obesity and diagnostic criteria of obesity as a disease for Japanese].

Obesity causes many undesirable health disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and so on. Recently, those life style-affecting diseases is increasing, especially the increment of diabetes mellitus is prominent. In 2000, Japan obesity society issued the new standard of the evaluation of obesity and new diagnostic criteria of obesity as a disease for Japanese.