Key highlights of the Japanese Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension 2025 (JSH2025).

Japan has long maintained a robust national health system with universal health coverage and accessible antihypertensive therapy. Nevertheless, population-level blood pressure (BP) control remains suboptimal. To address this public health challenge, the Japanese Society of Hypertension published the Guidelines for the Management of Elevated Blood Pressure and Hypertension 2025 (JSH2025), integrating evidence-based recommendations and practical approaches to improve hypertension care.

The JSH Morning Hypertension Eradication Program Project.

Hypertension is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and significantly contributes to cardiovascular mortality. In Japan, the hypertensive population is estimated at 43 million, with only 27% achieving well-controlled blood pressure (BP). The onset of major cardiovascular events, including stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and aortic dissection, frequently occurs during the early morning hours.

Aged Garlic Extract Attenuates CaCl-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation by Inhibiting Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Expression in Macrophages.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a local enlargement of the abdominal aorta with the risk of its fatal rupture. With lack of established medical treatments reducing the AAA growth, the development of treatment strategies for AAA is warranted. In this study, we examined whether aged garlic extract (AGE), which reportedly has vasoprotective effects, attenuates AAA formation in an animal model.

Task Shifting in Cardiac Catheterization to Sustain Physicians and Acute Coronary Syndrome Response Centers - Findings From the 2024 Japanese Circulation Society Chugoku-Shikoku Regional Survey.

Background: Sustainability of the 24/7 acute coronary syndrome response system is at risk due to the Work Style Reform for physicians.

Methods And Results: A survey of 93 facilities in Chugoku-Shikoku region found that 30% of facilities expected acute coronary syndrome services to be restricted due to the Work Style Reform. Approximately 35% had implemented task shifting, which reduced physicians' workload by 30% and improved team care.

Decreased plasma cell-free mitochondrial DNA may be a new biomarker of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Objectives: To determine cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mt-cfDNA) levels in tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) and non-TIC among atrial fibrillation (AF) cases.

Backgrounds: TIC is a reversible cardiomyopathy resulting from tachyarrhythmias, such as AF. The exact cause of TIC is not fully understood, but mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported in a variety of cardiomyopathies and may be involved in TIC as well.

Cigarette Smoking and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.

The detrimental effects of cigarette smoking on cardiovascular health, particularly atherosclerosis and thrombosis, are well established, and more detailed mechanisms continue to emerge. As the fundamental pathophysiology of the adverse effects of smoking, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and thrombosis are considered to be particularly important. Cigarette smoke induces endothelial dysfunction, leading to impaired vascular dilation and hemostasis regulation.

Mitochondrial DNA is a key driver in cigarette smoke extract-induced IL-6 expression.

Smoking is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, the primary pathogenesis of which is inflammation. We recently reported that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) causes cytosolic and extracellular accumulation of both nuclear (n) and mitochondrial (mt) DNA, which leads to inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In this study, we examined whether inflammation induction depends more on cytosolic nDNA or mtDNA, and which chemical constituents of CSE are involved.

A possible role for proinflammatory activation via cGAS-STING pathway in atherosclerosis induced by accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks.

DNA damage contributes to atherosclerosis. However, causative links between DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and atherosclerosis have yet to be established. Here, we investigated the role of DSBs in atherosclerosis using mice and vascular cells deficient in Ku80, a DSB repair protein.

Impact of Tweet Content on the Number of Retweets - "Tweet the Meeting 2022".

Previous research has investigated the effectiveness of the "Tweet the Meeting" campaign, but the relationship between tweet content and the number of retweets has not been fully evaluated. We analyzed the number of tweets and retweets during the Japanese Circulation Society's 2022 annual meeting. The ambassador group had significantly more session- and symposium-related tweets than the non-ambassador group (P<0.

The time trend of information seeking behavior about salt reduction using Google Trends: infodemiological study in Japan.

Numerous initiatives have been implemented to reduce salt intake to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease. However, salt consumption remains high. No study worldwide has evaluated the public's awareness of salt reduction by analyzing Internet research activity.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blocker Prevents Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Progression in Osteoprotegerin-Deficient Mice via Upregulation of Angiotensin (1-7).

Background Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) have been shown to limit the growth of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), but their efficacy is controversial. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the protective effect of ARBs against AAA progression. Methods and Results Olmesartan, an ARB, was administered to wild-type and -knockout (-KO) mice starting 2 weeks before direct application of CaCl to aortas to induce AAA.

Cigarette smoke induces mitochondrial DNA damage and activates cGAS-STING pathway: application to a biomarker for atherosclerosis.

Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis. We previously reported that DNA damage was accumulated in atherosclerotic plaque, and was increased in human mononuclear cells by smoking. As vascular endothelial cells are known to modulate inflammation, we investigated the mechanism by which smoking activates innate immunity in endothelial cells focusing on DNA damage.

Role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a cause of coronary artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and stroke. The pathogenesis underlying atherosclerosis is complex but it is clear that inflammation plays a pivotal role. Inflammation in atherosclerosis is triggered by the recognition of intracellular contents released from damaged cells by pattern recognition receptors, and is therefore sterile and chronic.

Hospitalizations for Cardiovascular Diseases During the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.

Although reductions in hospitalizations for myocardial infarction and heart failure have been reported during the period of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, it is unclear how the overall number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) treatment changed in the early stages of the pandemic. We analyzed the records of 574 certified hospitals affiliated with the Japanese Circulation Society and retrieved data from April 2015 to March 2020. Records were obtained from the nationwide Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases-Diagnosis Procedure Combination database.

DNA Damage Induced by Radiation Exposure from Cardiac Catheterization.

Almost 40% of medical radiation exposure is related to cardiac imaging or intervention. However, the biological effects of low-dose radiation from medical imaging remain largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ionized radiation from cardiac catheterization on genomic DNA integrity and inflammatory cytokines in patients and operators.

Impact of Tweeting Summaries by the Japanese Circulation Society Official Account on Article Viewership - Pilot Trial.

Background: The impact of promotional tweets from the official journal account (forCirculation JournalandCirculation Reports) on article viewership has not been thoroughly evaluated.

Methods and results: We retrospectively collected journal viewership data forCirculation JournalandCirculation Reportsfrom March 2021 to August 2021. We compared viewership between articles with (n=15) and without (n=250) tweets.

Sporadic endemicity of zoonotic Paragonimus in raccoon dogs and Japanese badgers from Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic trematode infection caused by Paragonimus spp. To determine the recent status of Paragonimus infections in wild animals, this study investigated Paragonimus spp. in 39 raccoon dogs and 54 Japanese badgers from March 2019 to January 2021 in Miyazaki Prefecture, and examined metacercariae in freshwater crabs.