BACKGROUND: Age-related low-grade inflammation causing endothelial disruption influences sarcopenia, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. We reported previously that maintenance of muscle strength in elderly hypertensive men with high platelet levels is positively associated with subclinical atherosclerosis but not in those with low platelet levels. Since reduced tongue pressure is related to sarcopenia, tongue pressure may be associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive elderly subjects, and platelet levels may function as an indicator of the association between tongue pressure and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 342 hypertensive elderly Japanese men aged 60-89 who participated in an annual health check-up in 2015 and 2016. Subclinical carotid atherosclerosis was defined as a common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) of 1.1 mm or more. RESULTS: In the overall study population, 171 subjects demonstrated low platelets (< 21.4 × 10/μL). Tongue pressure was significantly inversely associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in these subjects, but not in subjects with high platelets. The known cardiovascular risk factor adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis for a 1 standard deviation (SD) increment in tongue pressure (10.4 kPa) were 0.54 (0.35, 0.85) and 1.31 (0.87, 1.96), respectively. CONCLUSION Tongue pressure is inversely associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive elderly men with low platelet levels, but not in those with high levels. This finding may thus constitute an efficient tool for clarifying the background mechanism of age-related diseases such as sarcopenia, hypertension, and atherosclerosis.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; blood ; physiology ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; blood ; physiopathology ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Confidence Intervals ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; physiopathology ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Platelet Count ; Pressure ; Risk Factors ; Tongue ; physiology

BACKGROUND: Hypertension and atherosclerosis are bidirectionally related, while platelet count could serve as an indicator of endothelial repair. Therefore, high platelet counts could be associated with hypertension by indicating more intense endothelial repair activity. Furthermore, short stature has been shown to constitute a risk of atherosclerosis. Since inflammation-related single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP (rs3782886)) is reportedly associated with myocardial infarction and short stature, rs3782886 could be associated with a high platelet count and thus more intense endothelial repair activity. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 988 elderly Japanese who participated in a general health check-up. Short stature was defined as a height of at or under the 25th percentile of the study population, and high platelet count as the highest tertiles of the platelet levels. RESULTS: High platelet counts were found to be independently and positively associated with hypertension while rs3782886 was independently associated with high platelet levels and short stature. The classical cardiovascular risk factor-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of high platelet count for hypertension was 1.34 (1.02, 1.77). With non-minor homo of the rs3782886 as the reference group, the adjusted OR and 95% CI for high platelet count and short stature of minor home were 2.40 (1.30, 4.42) and 2.21 (1.16, 4.21), respectively. CONCLUSION SNP (rs3782886) was shown to be associated with high platelet count and short stature. This result partly explains how a genetic factor can influence the impact of height on endothelial repair.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Platelets ; metabolism ; Body Height ; genetics ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Endothelium, Vascular ; physiology ; Female ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Platelet Count ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

BACKGROUND: Hemoglobin concentration reportedly is positively associated with muscle strength, for example, handgrip strength. However, hemoglobin cannot repair muscle directly, but is beneficial only in a supportive role. Since hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) regulates muscle satellite cell production and differentiation, which is stimulated by organ injury, the supportive effect of hemoglobin should thus be stronger for participants with high HGF than for those with low HGF. However, the association between hemoglobin concentration and handgrip strength in relation to HGF levels remains unknown. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 255 Japanese elderly men aged 60-69 years who participated in annual health check-ups in 2014-2015. The study population was categorized on the basis of a median value of HGF of 300.6 pg/mL. RESULTS: Among present study population, 128 participants showed low HGF. For participants with low HGF, hemoglobin concentration showed no significant association with handgrip strength (standardized parameter estimate (β) = 0.03, p = 0.767), but for those with high HGF, hemoglobin concentration was significantly positively associated with handgrip strength (β = 0.23, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS A significant positive association between hemoglobin level and handgrip strength was established for elderly Japanese men aged 60-69 years with high HGF but not for participants with low HGF. Our finding indicates that HGF levels could determine the relationship of hemoglobin concentration with handgrip strength in elderly Japanese men aged 60-69 years. This result can be expected to serve as an effective tool for the clarification of the roles played by HGF and hemoglobin concentration in maintenance of muscle strength.
Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Hand Strength ; physiology ; Hemoglobins ; metabolism ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) may act as a possible biochemical index for vascular damage, although evidence for the association between HGF and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is limited. Since both HGF and circulating CD34-positive cells play an important role in endothelial repair, circulating CD34-positive cell levels may influence the association between HGF and CIMT. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 269 elderly Japanese men aged 60-69 years who had undertaken an annual medical checkup from 2014 to 2015. RESULTS: The median value for circulating CD34-positive cells was 0.93 cells/μL. Among the study population, 135 men showed low circulating CD34-positive cell levels (≤ 0.93 cells/μL). By multivariable linear regression analysis, HGF was found to be significantly positively associated with CIMT only to participants with low circulating CD34-positive cell levels, with a multi-adjusted β of 0.26 (p = 0.005) and 0.002 (0.986) for low and high circulating CD34-positive cell levels, respectively. In addition, a significant interaction was observed between HGF and circulating CD34-positive cell levels (low and high) on CIMT (multivariable p value of 0.049). A positive association exists between HGF and CIMT in elderly Japanese men, limited to participants with low circulating CD34-positive cell levels. CONCLUSION A positive association exists between HGF and CIMT in community-dwelling elderly Japanese men, which is limited to participants with low numbers of circulating CD34-positive cells. Our findings indicate that circulating CD34-positive cell levels could determine the influence of HGF on CIMT in elderly Japanese men.
Aged ; Antigens, CD34 ; blood ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged