BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr (EB) virus infection stimulates the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which contributes to the progression of angiogenesis. Angiogenesis plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Since serum anti-early antigen EB virus IgG (EBV EA-IgG) titer is a sign of active EB virus infection, EBV EA-IgG titer could be associated with atherosclerosis. The number of minor (T) alleles in VEGF polymorphism rs3025039 has been reported to be inversely associated with serum VEGF concentration, suggesting that rs3025039 might have a strong influence on the association between EBV EA-IgG titer and atherosclerosis. By focusing on the role of VEGF in the development of atherosclerosis, this study aimed to investigate the association between active EB virus infection and atherosclerosis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 2,661 older Japanese individuals aged 60-89 years who participated in annual health check-ups during 2017-2019 was conducted. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between EBV EA-IgG titer and atherosclerosis in relation to rs3025039 genotype. The influence of rs3025039 (T) allele carrier status on the association between EBV EA-IgG titer and atherosclerosis was also evaluated by using logistic regression. RESULTS: Among rs3025039 CC-homozygotes, with the lowest EBV EA-IgG titer tertile as the reference, the multivariable odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.11 (0.82, 1.50) for the medium tertile and 1.07 (0.78, 1.47) for the high tertile. Among rs3025039 (T) allele carriers, the corresponding values were 1.44 (0.88, 2.36) and 1.88 (1.15, 3.05), respectively. There was a significant interaction between rs3025039 (T) allele carrier status and the association between EBV EA-IgG titer and atherosclerosis (adjusted p = 0.0497). CONCLUSION EBV EA-IgG titer was significantly positively associated with atherosclerosis only among participants who are genetically less likely to have progressive angiogenesis. An angiogenesis-related genetic factor was revealed as a determinant of the association between EBV EA-IgG titer and atherosclerosis. These findings introduce a novel concept that could explain the association between viral infection and atherosclerosis.
Humans ; Aged ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Atherosclerosis/virology* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics* ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/virology* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Antigens, Viral/immunology* ; Antibodies, Viral/blood* ; Immunoglobulin G/blood* ; Genotype ; East Asian People

BACKGROUND: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has been reported to be associated with lower endothelial progenitor (CD34-positive) cell count, whereas an inverse association between circulating CD34-positive cell count and height loss is documented. Reports indicate height loss to be associated with all-cause mortality, and a higher CD34-positive cell count has been shown to predict longer life. Therefore, evaluating the association between SCH and height loss provides mechanistic insights underlying the association between height loss and mortality risk. METHODS: A prospective study involving 1,599 participants with normal free triiodothyronine (T3) and free thyroxine (T4) levels was conducted to determine the association between SCH and height loss.Since the free T4 level influences the supply of active thyroid hormone (free T3), the analysis was stratified by the median free T4 level. Height loss was defined as the highest quintile of annual height decrease. RESULTS: SCH was positively associated with height loss in participants with low-normal free T4 levels (below the median), but not in those with high-normal free T4 levels (at or above the median). After adjusting for sex, age, free T3 level, atherosclerosis, and known cardiovascular risk factors, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for height loss were 1.88 (1.02, 3.47) and 1.92 (1.02, 3.62) in the low-normal free T4 group. The corresponding values in the high-normal free T4 group were 0.37 (0.08, 1.69) and 0.43 (0.09, 1.97). CONCLUSION SCH could influence height loss, and free T4 might influence the association between SCH and height loss in euthyroid individuals. These results clarify the mechanisms underlying the association between height loss and mortality risk.
Humans ; Hypothyroidism/epidemiology* ; Thyroxine/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Body Height ; Adult ; Aged ; Risk Factors

We report a case of 2X-year-old man with G4 chronic kidney disease (CKD G4). He had a decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after the initiation of BEP (cisplatin, etoposide, bleomycin) therapy followed by VelP (ifosfamide, cisplatin, vinblastine) therapy for mixed germ cell testicular tumor. The patient’s eGFR did not recover during 59 months after chemotherapy, but showed a tendency to improve after treatment with yojinkodakuto. Yojinkodakuto was prepared by the IPCD (immersing powdered crude drugs) method. The IPCD method was adopted to ensure convenience and good quality prescription herbal medicines. Although eGFR fluctuated after yojinkodakuto treatment, at 3 years, serum creatinine (sCr) and eGFR progressed well, with sCr reducing from 3.98 mg/dL at initiation to 2.6 mg/dL and eGFR increasing from 16 mL/min/1.73 m2 to 25.4 mL/min/1.73 m2. In addition, a long-term eGFR plot analysis confirmed the 3-year improvement trend.

BACKGROUND: Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) activates inflammatory cascades by activating the NF-κB pathway. The minor allele of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in breast cancer suppressor BRCA1-associated protein (BRAP), which has a common etiology with HTLV-1 infection, has been reported to be positively associated with carotid atherosclerosis, but inversely associated with hypertension. Therefore, HTLV-1 infection may be inversely associated with hypertension by activating endothelial maintenance, including atherosclerosis. To clarify these associations, a cross-sectional study was conducted using 2989 Japanese individuals aged 60-99 years participating in a general health check-up. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to clarify the association between HTLV-1 and hypertension. Platelet levels stratified analyses were also performed since platelet production, which plays a crucial role in endothelium maintenance, can be stimulated by activating the NF-κB pathway. RESULTS: HTLV-1 infection was found to be significantly inversely associated with hypertension, particularly in subjects with high platelet levels (≥ second tertiles of platelet levels); the fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.75 (0.62, 0.92) for total and 0.64 (0.50, 0.82) for high platelet levels, respectively. Further analysis of the non-hypertensive subjects demonstrated that HTLV-1 infection was significantly positively associated with atherosclerosis in subjects with the highest tertile of platelet levels (2.11 [1.15, 3.86]) but not in subjects with low platelet levels (first and second tertiles of platelet level) (0.89 [0.57, 1.39]). CONCLUSION Asymptomatic HTLV-1 infection is inversely associated with hypertension, possibly by activating endothelial maintenance, including atherosclerosis progression.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carotid Artery Diseases/virology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HTLV-I Infections/complications* ; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1/physiology* ; Humans ; Hypertension/virology* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Aging is a process that increases oxidative stress. Increased oxidative stress leads to the development of atherosclerosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria contribute to energy production that might have a beneficial influence on maintaining muscle strength. Therefore, the height-related single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17081935, which is also reported to be associated with mitochondrial metabolism, might be associated with reduced muscle strength and this association might be affected by atherosclerosis status. To clarify those associations, a cross-sectional study of 1374 elderly Japanese individuals aged 60-89 years was conducted. METHODS: Logistic regression was used to clarify the association between rs17081935 and reduced handgrip strength. Since atherosclerosis might affect handgrip strength, participants were stratified by atherosclerosis status. Reduced handgrip strength was defined as being in the lowest quintile of handgrip strength (< 25.6 kg for men and < 16.1 kg for women). RESULTS: No significant associations were found between a minor allele of rs17081935 and reduced handgrip strength among elderly participants without atherosclerosis. A significant inverse association was observed among elderly participants with atherosclerosis. After adjusting for known cardiovascular risk factors and height, the adjusted odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for reduced handgrip strength and a minor allele of rs17081935 were 1.13 (0.86, 1.43) for elderly participants without atherosclerosis and 0.55 (0.36, 0.86) for those with atherosclerosis, respectively. CONCLUSION A minor allele of the height-related SNP rs17081935 was significantly inversely associated with reduced handgrip strength among older individuals with atherosclerosis, but not among those without atherosclerosis.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Atherosclerosis/epidemiology* ; Body Height ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence

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

Pseudogout is a crystal-induced arthritis that often occurs in senile individuals. We report a case of an acute attack of pseudogout that was successfully treated with bofutsushosan and orengedokuto. The patient was an 87-year-old man who visited our clinic and complained of left wrist joint pain 2 days after onset. His physical examination revealed tenderness in his left wrist joint. Plain roentgenogram revealed slight calcification of the left wrist joint, and an inflammatory reaction was found on blood examination. Thus, he was diagnosed with an acute attack of pseudogout in his wrist joint. We prescribed bofutsushosan and orengedokuto. After internal use, his left wrist joint symptoms gradually improved. At the follow-up visit 3 days after his first visit, his left wrist joint pain was resolved completely, and after 9 days, his laboratory data were normalized. Thus, bofutsushosan and orengedokuto were effective in the treatment of an acute attack of pseudogout.

In our clinic, patients with relatively positive diseases, which form the orthopedic conditions with inflammation, were successfully treated with eppikajutsuto and daiobotampito after reisenjotsuin. Patients with pain due to orthopedic disorders where NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) were difficult to be used or ineffective were successfully treated with eppikajutsuto and daiobotampito. We present the representative cases and bibliographically discuss them.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although studies using conventional animal models have shown that specific stressors cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is unclear whether depression itself causes IBS. Our aim was to establish a rat model to determine if depression itself promotes the onset of IBS and to elucidate the role of gut microbiota in brain-gut axis pathogenesis during coincident depression and IBS. METHODS: Rat models of depression were induced using our shuttle box method of learned helplessness. Visceral hypersensitivity was evaluated by colorectal distension (CRD) to diagnose IBS. Gut microbiota compositions were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. In the subanalysis of rats without depression-like symptoms, rats with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were also examined. RESULTS: The threshold value of CRD in depressed rats was significantly lower than that in control rats. Microbial community analysis of cecal microbiota showed that the relative abundance of Clostridiales incertae sedis, the most prevalent microbe, was significantly lower in depressed rats than in control rats. The distribution pattern of the microbiota clearly differed between depressed rats and control rats. Neither visceral hypersensitivity nor the composition of gut microbiota was altered in rats with PTSD-like phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our rat model of depression is useful for clarifying the effect of depression on IBS and suggests that depression itself, rather than specific stressors, promotes the onset of IBS. Further, we provided evidence that various psychiatric diseases, viz., depression and PTSD, are associated with unique gut microbiota profiles, which could differentially affect the onset and progression of coincident IBS.
Animals ; Clostridiales ; Depression ; Dysbiosis ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Helplessness, Learned ; Hypersensitivity ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Methods ; Microbiota ; Models, Animal ; Phenotype ; Rats ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

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