A Novel Cardiac Computed Tomography-Based Calcium Scoring System for Predicting the Use of Atherectomy Devices in Severely Calcified Coronary Lesions.

Background: Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is a well-established process used to diagnose coronary artery disease; however, its specific advantages in predicting the use of atherectomy devices during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for moderate to severe calcified lesions remain to be determined. This study aimed to develop a risk scoring system for predicting the use of atherectomy devices in PCI on the basis of morphological findings obtained by preoperative cardiac CT.

Methods: In this retrospective, multicenter, observational study, we screened patients who underwent cardiac CT 6 months before PCI for the target lesion.

Symptomatic Trends and Time to Recovery for Long COVID Patients Infected During the Omicron Phase.

Since the pathophysiology of long COVID is not yet fully understood, there are no specific methods for its treatment; however, its individual symptoms can currently be treated. Long COVID is characterized by symptoms that persist at least 2 to 3 months after contracting COVID-19, although it is difficult to predict how long such symptoms may persist. In the present study, 774 patients who first visited our outpatient clinic during the Omicron period from February 2022 to October 2024 were divided into two groups: the early recovery (ER) group (370 cases; 47.

[Metabolic insights into cellular senescence and in therapeutic approaches].

Aging serves as a risk factor for various age-associated disorders, such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. The study of aging is linked with metabolic research, due to the metabolic changes associated with aging. For example, chronic inflammation and the accumulation of DNA damages associated with aging lead to a decrease in NAD levels and mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting in cells becoming irreversibly cell cycle arrested, known as senescent cells.

Efficacy and Safety of High-Intensity Statins in Japanese Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention - Insights From the Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System (CLIDAS).

Background: Lipid-lowering therapy with high-intensity statins has not been widely implemented in Japan for patients with coronary artery disease who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We examined the efficacy and safety of high-intensity statin therapy in a real-world setting.

Methods And Results: We used the Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System (CLIDAS) to accumulate multimodal data from the electronic medical records of 7 cardiovascular centers.

Long-term bleeding events post-percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with malignancy with and without anticoagulant therapy.

The prevalence of malignancies in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is increasing with aging. Active malignancy is a significant contributor to high bleeding risk. For cancer patients requiring oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, the choice between direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) and warfarin is critical.

Proton Pump Inhibitor Use, Gastrointestinal Bleeding Reduction, and Long-Term Prognosis After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) reduce gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but their impact on mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) remains unclear. This study investigated the association between PPI-related GIB reduction and MACE and mortality using a real-world database. We analyzed 6,457 patients undergoing PCI (2013 to 2019), using the Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System including electronic medical records from 7 Japanese hospitals.

Clinical Characteristics of Vitamin D Deficiency Detected in Long COVID Patients During the Omicron Phase.

To characterize the clinical significance of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) detected in long COVID, a retrospective observational study was performed for outpatients who visited our clinic during the period from May 2024 to November 2024. Clinical trends in long COVID patients diagnosed with VDD who showed serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) lower than 20 ng/mL were compared with those in long COVID patients in a non-deficient vitamin D (NDD) group. Of 126 patients with long COVID, 97 patients (female: 50) who had been infected during the Omicron phase were included.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a male patient with haemophilia A: a case report.

Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is characterized by the unexpected formation of an intramural haemorrhage within the wall of an epicardial coronary artery with or without an intimal tear, resulting in an acute coronary syndrome. Haemophilia A and B are inherited X-linked recessive bleeding disorders caused by the absence or dysfunction of clotting factors VIII (FVIII) or IX.

Case Summary: A 50-year-old male patient with a history of haemophilia A, type 2 diabetes and smoking presented to our facility with prolonged chest pain.

Effect of PCSK9 inhibitor usage on coronary endothelial dysfunction in patients with hypercholesterolemia after coronary stenting: The CuVIC-2 trial.

Background: The effects of evolocumab on coronary endothelial dysfunction (CED), a hallmark of atherogenesis, are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether evolocumab, in combination with high-dose statins, could ameliorate CED in patients who underwent coronary stenting.

Methods: The CuVIC-2 trial was a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Impact of Lifestyle Changes on Body Weight Gain During Nationwide Lockdown Due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, people in Japan were urged to stay at home as much as possible, and this resulted in significant changes in lifestyle behavior. The new lifestyle included factors affecting both energy intake and energy consumption, and it is now thought that weight gain during the lockdown was the result of complex effects. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships among lifestyle habits, laboratory data, and body weight gain during the lockdown using medical check-up data.

Involvement of a Novel Variant of Detected in an Adult Patient with Kallmann Syndrome in Regulation of Gonadal Steroidogenesis.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), also known as KAL2, is a tyrosine kinase receptor, and variants of have been detected in patients with Kallmann syndrome (KS), which is a congenital developmental disorder characterized by central hypogonadism and anosmia. Herein, we report an adult case of KS with a novel variant of . A middle-aged male was referred for a compression fracture of a lumbar vertebra.

Is subclinical hypothyroidism associated with cardiovascular disease in the elderly?

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is diagnosed when thyroid function tests show that the serum thyrotropin (TSH) level is elevated and the serum free thyroxine (FT4) level is normal. SCH is mainly caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the prevalence of which increases with aging. Recently, it has been revealed that SCH is associated with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia and hypertension, leading to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Course of General Fatigue in Patients with Post-COVID-19 Conditions Who Were Prescribed Hochuekkito: A Single-Center Exploratory Pilot Study.

: After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, general fatigue in patients with long COVID and post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) became a medical issue. Although there is a lack of evidence-based treatments, Kampo medicine (traditional Japanese medicine) has gained attention in Japan. At an outpatient clinic in Japan specializing in long COVID, 24% of all prescriptions were Kampo medicines, and 72% of Kampo medicine prescriptions were hochuekkito.

Interrelationships Between Plasma Levels of Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Prolonged Symptoms Due to Long COVID.

Evidence for the usefulness of biomarkers that aid in diagnosis, assessment of severity, and prediction of prognosis in patients with long COVID is limited. The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in long COVID. We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients who visited the COVID-19 aftercare outpatient clinic at Okayama University Hospital from February 2021 to April 2024.

Trends in the growing impact of group A Streptococcus infection on public health after COVID-19 pandemic: a multicentral observational study in Okayama, Japan.

Purpose: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection has been surging worldwide. We aimed to compare the disease burden between notified cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) and unreported GAS infections.

Methods: This is a multicentral observational study, retrospectively performed at seven hospitals in Okayama prefecture in Japan from January 2022, to June 2024.

Phase-dependent trends in the prevalence of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) related to long COVID: A criteria-based retrospective study in Japan.

Background: The characteristics of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) related to COVID-19 have remained uncertain. To elucidate the clinical trend of ME/CFS induced by long COVID, we examined data for patients who visited our outpatient clinic established in a university hospital during the period from Feb 2021 to July 2023.

Methods: Long COVID patients were classified into two groups, an ME/CFS group and a non-ME/CFS group, based on three diagnostic criteria.

Achievement of guideline-recommended target blood pressure is associated with reducing the risk of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke in Japanese coronary artery disease patients -the CLIDAS study.

The Japanese Society of Hypertension have established a blood pressure (BP) target of 130/80 mmHg for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated the data of 8793 CAD patients in the Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System database who underwent cardiac catheterization at six university hospitals and the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center (average age 70 ± 11 years, 78% male, 43% with acute coronary syndrome [ACS]). Patients were divided into two groups based on whether or not they achieved the guideline-recommended BP of <130/80 mmHg.

Importance of Blood Glucose Measurement for Predicting the Prognosis of Long COVID: A Retrospective Study in Japan.

The present study aimed to clarify the effects of a hyperglycemic condition on the clinical consequences of long COVID. Among 643 patients who visited the outpatient clinic of our hospital from February 2021 to September 2023, long COVID patients were classified into a hyperglycemic (HG) group with casual blood glucose levels above 140 mg/dL and a normoglycemic (NG) group. The patients' backgrounds, clinical symptoms, health status including the QOL evaluation scale (EQ-5D-5L), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and F-scale questionnaire (FSSG), blood test data, and recovery periods were analyzed.

Clinical and endocrine features of orthostatic intolerance detected in patients with long COVID.

Orthostatic intolerance (OI) is a key symptom of long COVID; however, the pathophysiology remains unknown. Among 688 long COVID patients who visited our clinic during the period from February 2021 to April 2023, 86 patients who were suspected of having OI and who underwent an active standing test (ST) were investigated to elucidate the clinical characteristics of OI in patients with long COVID. Of the 86 patients, 33 patients (38%) were ST-positive.

Changes in Working Situations of Employed Long COVID Patients: Retrospective Study in Japanese Outpatient Clinic.

: The present study aimed to uncover the impact of long COVID on the working situations of Japanese patients. : Changes in the working situations of the patients who visited our long COVID clinic were evaluated from medical records for the aspects of physical status, quality of life (QOL), and mental conditions. : Of 846 long COVID patients who visited our clinic from February 2021 to December 2023, 545 employed patients aged between 18 and 65 years were included in this study.

Trends of correlations between serum levels of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I in general practice.

Serum levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I are crucial in the diagnosis and management of GH-related diseases. However, these levels are affected by nutritional and metabolic status. To elucidate the correlations between GH and IGF-I in various conditions, a retrospective analysis was performed for adult patients in which GH levels were examined by general practitioners during the period from January 2019 to December 2021.