Automated analysis of a novel object recognition test in mice using image processing and machine learning.

The novel object recognition test (NORT) is one of the most commonly employed behavioral tests in experimental animals designed to evaluate an animal's interest in and recognition of novelty. However, manual procedures, which rely on researchers' observations, prevent high throughput analysis. In this study, we developed an automated analysis method for NORT utilizing machine learning-assisted exploratory behavior detection. We recorded the exploratory behavior of the mice using a video camera. The coordinates of the mouse nose and tail base in recorded video files were detected using a pre-trained machine learning model, DeepLabCut. Each video was then segmented into frame images, which were categorized into "exploratory," or "non-exploratory" frames based on manual observation. Mouse feature vectors were calculated as vectors from the nose to the vertices of the object and were utilized for SVM training. The trained SVM effectively detected exploratory behaviors, showing a strong correlation with human observer assessments. Upon application to NORT, the duration of mouse exploratory behavior towards objects predicted by the SVM exhibited a significant correlation with the assessments made by human observers. The novelty discrimination index derived from the SVM predictions also aligned well with that from human observations.

From Optional to Default　- Enhancing Article Viewership Through X (Formerly Twitter) Posting.

Background: The influence of a change to a default X summary posting strategy on article viewership has not been investigated. Methods and Results: We conducted a retrospective analysis of X-posting rates and journal viewership data for both the Circulation Journal and Circulation Reports from April 2022 to September 2023. Following protocol modifications in March 2023, there was a notable increase in the X-posting rate from 12.4% to 61.7%, along with an uptick in median access counts to article pages within 30 days, from 175 to 231.5. Conclusions: Trend analysis of journal viewership after a default X-posting strategy revealed an increase in viewer access.

Public awareness of palliative care for heart failure in Japan: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care (PC) benefits cancer patients and those with heart failure (HF), improving quality of life and symptom burden. Despite guidelines recommending the integration of PC into HF care, its use remains inadequate, partly due to insufficient public awareness. This study aimed to assess the public awareness of PC for HF in Japan and identify factors associated with awareness. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March 6-13, 2023, using a panel operated by Intage Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), which has a pool of 3.78 million potential Japanese respondents. The survey included 51,790 participants, matched for sex, age, and region of residence. Participants were asked about their awareness of PC eligibility for HF, along with demographic information, history of hospitalization for sudden illness, outpatient visits, and health status in the previous 2 years. The χ2 test and Cramer's V were used to analyze associations between awareness and variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate awareness predictors. RESULTS: In total, 91 % of participants were unaware of PC eligibility for HF. Age group, healthcare professional occupation, and history of hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction, acute HF, acute pulmonary embolism, and ruptured aortic aneurysm had weak to moderate associations with awareness. Multivariate analysis revealed that a history of hospitalization for sudden cardiovascular illness and being a healthcare professional were positively related to awareness, while age, female sex, and being married were associated with lower odds of awareness. CONCLUSION: The low public awareness of PC for HF in Japan underscores the importance of increasing awareness of the eligibility of PC for HF, as well as cancer, to integrate PC into HF practice as basic care.

Lower body bone fractures have high mortality rates and poor prognosis in the patients with hemodialysis.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of the current study was to investigate the association between lower body bone fractures occurring during maintenance hemodialysis and prognosis. METHODS: This study included 151 hemodialysis patients at the dialysis center of our hospital as of December 2017, and data were systematically gathered from medical records over a period of 5 years, concluding in December 2022. RESULTS: Fourteen patients, 3.0 per 100 person-years, in 151 hemodialysis patients suffered from lower body bone fractures. The ratio of males was significantly lower, and age was significantly higher in the lower body bone fracture group than in the no lower body bone fracture group. Duration of hemodialysis prior to entry into this study was significantly shorter in the lower body bone fracture group than in the no lower body bone fracture group. Serum albumin was significantly lower and alkaline phosphatase was significantly higher in the lower body bone fracture group than in the no lower body bone fracture group. Mortality rate was significantly higher in the lower body bone fracture group (85.7%) compared to no lower body bone fracture group (28.5%) (p = 0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival curves for mortality showed that lower body bone fracture group had poor prognosis compared to no lower body bone fracture group. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for mortality were significantly higher for cases with lower body bone fractures. CONCLUSION: Lower body bone fractures have high mortality rates and poor prognosis in the patients with hemodialysis.

Cardiac sympathetic nerve activity trends after renal denervation in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

This case report describes the application of ultrasound renal denervation (uRDN) using the Paradise System in a patient with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Initially, the cardiac sympathetic nerve activity of the patient exhibited a late heart/mediastinum (H/M) ratio of 2.00 and a washout rate of 66.0% by cardiac iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) scintigraphy. Subsequently, the patient underwent transfemoral uRDN targeting the left, right upper, and right lower renal arteries. At the 6 month follow-up, no significant change was observed in 123I-MIBG findings; however, the estimated stressed blood volume (eSBV) decreased from 1722 to 1029 mL/70 kg. At 18 months, 123I-MIBG findings improved, with the late H/M ratio reaching 2.76 and the washout rate decreasing to 43.1%. This case report highlights the potential of uRDN in reducing eSBV within 6 months and subsequently improving cardiac sympathetic nerve activity at the 18 month follow-up.

Improvement trend for individual health guidance intervention according to Japan clinical guidelines by public health nurses for type 2 diabetes mellitus who visited for medical checkups regularly: a case-control preliminary report.

We conducted a retrospective case-control study to assess the efficacy of personalized health guidance interventions on individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. A selection was made of individuals in regular visits to the Takagi Hospital for medical checkups between January 2017, and October 2021. Totally, 108 subjects (cases) with health guidance were divided into 2 groups: one group without pharmacotherapy for diabetes mellitus in medical institutions (n = 92) and another group with pharmacotherapy (n = 116). Cases were provided with personalized health guidance interventions by public health nurses for 30 min, in accordance with the Japanese clinical guidelines for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Sex- and age-matched controls were chosen from individuals with diabetes mellitus without health guidance. The intervention without pharmacotherapy resulted in improvements in health indicators, including body weight, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride levels, and γ-glutamyl trans-peptidase. These positive effects were not observed in the control group without health guidance. The therapeutic effects of health guidance were observed in cases where pharmacotherapy was administered. In conclusion, the implementation of individual health guidance interventions may prove to be effective for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity who regularly attend medical checkups.

Gastrointestinal bleeding among 151 patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure: A 5-year follow-up study.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is one serious complication of patients undergoing hemodialysis with end-stage renal failure. The present study aimed to evaluate risks and clinical features of real-world clinical data on upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding in patients undergoing hemodialysis during a 5-year longitudinal observation period. This study included 151 patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis at Takagi Hospital between December 2017 and December 2022. Clinical data from December 2017 were recorded, and upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, mortality, prescribed medications, and bone fractures were examined during the five-year observation period. Of 151 patients, 32 (21.2%:4.2% per year) experienced bleeding, 24 had upper gastrointestinal bleeding, 7 had lower gastrointestinal bleeding, and one had an unknown origin of bleeding. Ulcers or erosions primarily cause upper gastrointestinal bleeding without Helicobacter pylori infection, whereas patients with H pylori eradication are more likely to experience bleeding caused by vascular lesions, often accompanied by underlying comorbidities. The prophylactic effects of proton pump inhibitors and histamine-2 receptor blockers were limited in hemodialysis patients, as 15 out of 24 patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (62.5%) were prescribed these medications. The mortality rate in patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding (71.4%) was higher than that in those without bleeding (33.6%) (P < .05). All patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding were prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or aspirin. In this study, endoscopic hemostasis was successfully achieved. The present study indicated that the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding during hemodialysis was relatively high. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding may develop even with the prescription of proton pump inhibitors. Lower gastrointestinal bleeding was a complication in hemodialysis patients under serious pathological condition with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and or aspirin.

A prospective pilot trial of the health data monitoring system without educational content for patients with hypertension.

In Japan, a hypertension treatment aid application (CureApp Co., Ltd.) with educational content on hypertension was the first in the world to show significant blood pressure (BP) reduction in hypertensive patients in 2021. Omron Healthcare Corporation and I developed the Health data Monitoring System (HMS) without educational content, which allows patients to check their home BP values periodically and allows physicians to check their home BP data before the hospital visit. As a pilot study, nineteen patients with hypertension used HMS for six months. The percentage of patients achieving their antihypertensive goal increased from 16% to 37%. Mean home systolic BP decreased from 138.1 ± 11.8 mmHg to 130.2 ± 7.8 mmHg. The increase in number of home BP measurements was significantly associated with the amount of homed systolic BP reduction in men. In conclusion, HMS without educational content may be an adjunct to hypertension treatment.

Interstitial-fluid shear stresses induced by vertically oscillating head motion lower blood pressure in hypertensive rats and humans.

The mechanisms by which physical exercise benefits brain functions are not fully understood. Here, we show that vertically oscillating head motions mimicking mechanical accelerations experienced during fast walking, light jogging or treadmill running at a moderate velocity reduce the blood pressure of rats and human adults with hypertension. In hypertensive rats, shear stresses of less than 1 Pa resulting from interstitial-fluid flow induced by such passive head motions reduced the expression of the angiotensin II type-1 receptor in astrocytes in the rostral ventrolateral medulla, and the resulting antihypertensive effects were abrogated by hydrogel introduction that inhibited interstitial-fluid movement in the medulla. Our findings suggest that oscillatory mechanical interventions could be used to elicit antihypertensive effects.

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

Background: 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. Methods and Results: 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<0.001), associated with the nubmer of retweets. Symposium-related tweets with figures generated more retweets than those without figures (mean [±SD] 3.47±3.31 vs. 2.48±1.94 retweets per tweet, respectively; P=0.001). Conclusions: The study revealed that official meeting-designated Twitter ambassadors disseminate more educational content than non-ambassadors, and generated more retweets.

Mortality, Outcomes, Costs, and Use of Medicines Following a First Heart Failure Hospitalization: EVOLUTION HF.

BACKGROUND: There are few contemporary data on outcomes, costs, and treatment following a hospitalization for heart failure (hHF) in epidemiologically representative cohorts. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to describe rehospitalizations, hospitalization costs, use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) (renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, sacubitril/valsartan, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors), and mortality after hHF. METHODS: EVOLUTION HF (Utilization of Dapagliflozin and Other Guideline Directed Medical Therapies in Heart Failure Patients: A Multinational Observational Study Based on Secondary Data) is an observational, longitudinal cohort study using data from electronic health records or claims data sources in Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Adults with a first hHF discharge between 2018 and 2022 were included. The 1-year event rates per 100 patient-years (ERs) for death and rehospitalizations (with a primary diagnosis of heart failure (HF), chronic kidney disease [CKD], myocardial infarction, stroke, or peripheral artery disease) were calculated. Hospital health care costs were cumulatively summarized. Cumulative GDMT use was assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates. RESULTS: Of 263,525 patients, 28% died within the first year post-hHF (ER: 28.4 [95% CI: 27.0-29.9]). Rehospitalizations were mainly driven by HF (ER: 13.6 [95% CI: 9.8-17.4]) and CKD (ER: 4.5 [95% CI: 3.6-5.3]), whereas the ERs for myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral artery disease were lower. Health care costs were predominantly driven by HF and CKD. Between 2020 and 2022, use of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, sacubitril/valsartan, beta-blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists changed little, whereas uptake of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors increased 2- to 7-fold. CONCLUSIONS: Incident post-hHF rehospitalization risks and costs were high, and GDMT use changed little in the year following discharge, highlighting the need to consider earlier and greater implementation of GDMT to manage risks and reduce costs.

Clarification of hypertension mechanisms provided by the research of central circulatory regulation.

Sympathoexcitation, under the regulatory control of the brain, plays a pivotal role in the etiology of hypertension. Within the brainstem, significant structures involved in the modulation of sympathetic nerve activity include the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), and paraventricular nucleus (paraventricular). The RVLM, in particular, is recognized as the vasomotor center. Over the past five decades, fundamental investigations on central circulatory regulation have underscored the involvement of nitric oxide (NO), oxidative stress, the renin-angiotensin system, and brain inflammation in regulating the sympathetic nervous system. Notably, numerous significant findings have come to light through chronic experiments conducted in conscious subjects employing radio-telemetry systems, gene transfer techniques, and knockout methodologies. Our research has centered on elucidating the role of NO and angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor-induced oxidative stress within the RVLM and NTS in regulating the sympathetic nervous system. Additionally, we have observed that various orally administered AT1 receptor blockers effectively induce sympathoinhibition by reducing oxidative stress via blockade of the AT1 receptor in the RVLM of hypertensive rats. Recent advances have witnessed the development of several clinical interventions targeting brain mechanisms. Nonetheless, Future and further basic and clinical research are needed.

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. This research aims to assess trends in the public's attention to salt reduction using Google Trends. We evaluated the relative search volume (RSV) of "salt reduction" in Google Trends from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2021. Regression coefficients indicated that RSVs increased 0.0091 (95% CI, 0.0085-0.0097, p < 0.001) per year for salt reduction. Among related search terms, search for "salt component," "soy sauce," and "pickled plum" contributed to 9.9 ± 3.2%, 5.8 ± 2.0%, and 3.9 ± 5.5% of total RSVs for salt reduction. Google Trends revealed that the Japanese public's awareness of salt reduction has increased. Related searches might provide insights when people search for salt reduction, which could be helpful for future effective interventions for understanding salt reduction. The trends of Relative search volumes (RSVs) for "salt reduction" and "salt reduction filtered" have significantly increased RSV in 2021 compared to 2004. Google Trends is an effective tool for salt reduction awareness research that provides large amounts of real-time search data.

Age distribution and disease severity of COVID-19 patients continued to change in a time-dependent manner from May 2021 to April 2022 in the regional core hospital in Japan.

The present retrospective study aimed to examine the real-world data regarding time-dependent changes in the age distribution of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as the severity and infectivity in a regional core hospital in Japan. Patients with COVID-19 who visited the fever outpatient branch in Takagi Hospital during phase I (May 1 to December 31, 2021), and during phase II (January 1 to April 30, 2022) were evaluated. The age distribution of outpatients and the characteristics of inpatients aged > 75 years were compared between phases I and II. The age distribution of outpatients shifted from the older generation in phase I to the younger generation in phase II (p < 0.01). Disease severity might be reduced in a time-dependent manner with a decrease in the hospitalization rate (phase I: 145/368 (39.4%); phase II: 104/1496 (7.0%); p < 0.01) and mortality rate (phase I: 10/368 (2.7%); phase II: 7/1496 (0.5%); p < 0.01). The number of patients increased in phase II (374.0/month) compared to that in phase I (36.8/month). Regarding the older inpatients, the disease severity of COVID-19 and hospitalization days were reduced in phase II compared to those in phase I (p < 0.01, each). In conclusion, the present study suggests a change in the age distribution of patients with COVID-19, a decrease in toxicity, and an increase in infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in a time-dependent manner.

Long COVID and hypertension-related disorders: a report from the Japanese Society of Hypertension Project Team on COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects infected patients even after the acute phase and impairs their health and quality of life by causing a wide variety of symptoms, referred to as long COVID. Although the evidence is still insufficient, hypertension is suspected to be a potential risk factor for long COVID, and the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases seems to be a key facet of multiple conditions observed in long COVID. Nonetheless, there are few reports that comprehensively review the impacts of long COVID on hypertension and related disorders. As a sequel to our previous report in 2020 which reviewed the association of COVID-19 and hypertension, we summarize the possible influences of long COVID on hypertension-related organs, including the cardiovascular system, kidney, and endocrine system, as well as the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with the disorders in this review. Given that the clinical course of COVID-19 is highly affected by age and sex, we also review the impacts of these factors on long COVID. Lastly, we discuss areas of uncertainty and future directions, which may lead to better understanding and improved prognosis of clinical problems associated with COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic and hypertension: an updated report from the Japanese Society of Hypertension project team on COVID-19.

The number of reported cases with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exceeded 620 million worldwide, still having a profound impact on people's health and daily lives since its occurrence and outbreak in December 2019. From the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a concern that the rapid spread of this communicable disease can negatively influence non-communicable diseases. Accumulating data indicate that the restriction on the access to medical care, psychological distress, and life-style changes triggered by the pandemic have indeed affected blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. Since our previous report in 2020 that summarized the findings of the literature related to COVID-19 and hypertension, there has been a considerable progress in our understanding of the association between these two disorders; nonetheless, there are remaining challenges and emerging questions in the field. In this article, we aim to summarize the latest information on the impact of the pandemic on blood pressure control, the use of the renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in patients with COVID-19, and the blood pressure changes as one of the possible post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (also known as long COVID). We also summarize the evidence of telemedicine and COVID-19 vaccination in hypertensive subjects, based on data available as of June 2022.