Depressive mood is independently related to stroke and cardiovascular events in a community.

By means of a multivariate Cox model, we investigated the predictive value of a depressive mood on vascular disease risk in middle-aged community-dwelling people. In 224 people (88 men and 136 women; mean age: 56.8 +/- 11.2 years) of U town, Hokkaido (latitude: 43.45 degrees N, longitude: 141.85 degrees E), a chronoecological health watch was started in April 2001. Consultations were repeated every 3 months. Results at the November 30, 2004 follow-up are presented herein. 7-day/24-h blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) monitoring started on a Thursday, with readings taken at 30-min intervals between 07:00 h and 22:00 h and at 60-min intervals between 22:00 h and 07:00 h. Data stored in the memory of the monitor (TM-2430-15, A and D company, Japan) were retrieved and analyzed on a personal computer with a commercial software for this device. Subjects were asked to answer a self-administered questionnaire inquiring about 15 items of a depression scale, at the start of study and again after 1-2 years. Subjects with a score higher by at least two points at the second versus first screening were classified as having a depressive mood. The other subjects served as the control group. The mean follow-up time was 1064 days, during which four subjects suffered an adverse vascular outcome (myocardial infarction: one man and one woman; stroke: two men). Among the variables used in the Cox proportional hazard models, a depressive mood, assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), as well as the MESOR of diastolic (D) BP (DBP-MESOR) and the circadian amplitude of systolic (S) BP (SBP-Amplitude) showed a statistically significant association with the occurrence of adverse vascular outcomes. The GDS score during the second but not during the first session was statistically significantly associated with the adverse vascular outcome. In univariate analyses, the relative risk (RR) of developing outcomes was predicted by a three-point increase in the GDS scale (RR = 3.088, 95% CI: 1.375-6.935, P = 0.0063). Increases of 5 mmHg in DBP-MESOR and of 3 mmHg in SBP-Amplitude were associated with RRs of 2.143 (95% CI: 1.232-3.727, P = 0.0070) and 0.700 (95% CI: 0.495-0.989, P = 0.0430), respectively. In multivariate analyses, when both the second GDS score and the DBP-MESOR were used as continuous variables in the same model, GDS remained statistically significantly associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular death. After adjustment for DBP-MESOR, a three-point increase in GDS score was associated with a RR of 2.172 (95% CI: 1.123-4.200). Monday endpoints of the 7-day profile showed a statistically significant association with adverse vascular outcomes. A 5 mmHg increase in DBP on Monday was associated with a RR of 1.576 (95% CI: 1.011-2.457, P = 0.0446). The main result of the present study is that in middle-aged community-dwelling people, a depressive mood predicted the occurrence of vascular diseases beyond the prediction provided by age, gender, ABP, lifestyle and environmental conditions, as assessed by means of a multivariate Cox model. A depressive mood, especially enhanced for 1-2 years, was associated with adverse vascular outcomes. Results herein suggest the clinical importance of repetitive assessments of a depressive mood and the need to take sufficient care of depressed subjects. Another result herein is that circadian and circaseptan characteristics of BP variability measured 7-day/24-h predicted the occurrence of vascular disease beyond the prediction provided by age, gender, depressive mood and lifestyle, as assessed by means of a multivariate Cox model. Earlier, we showed that the morning surge in BP on Mondays was statistically significantly higher compared with other weekdays. Although a direct association between the Monday surge in BP and cardiovascular events could not be demonstrated herein, it is possible that the BP surge on Monday mornings may also trigger cardiovascular events. We have shown that depressive people exhibit a more prominent circaseptan variation in SBP, DBP and the double product (DP) compared to non-depressed subjects. In view of the strong relation between depression and adverse cardiac events, studies should be done to ascertain that depression is properly diagnosed and treated. Chronodiagnosis and chronotherapy can reduce an elevated blood pressure and improve the altered variability in BP and HR, thus reducing the incidence of adverse cardiac events. This recommendation stands at the basis of chronomics, focusing on prehabilitation in preference to rehabilitation, as a public service offered in several Japanese towns.

Arterial stiffness independently predicts cardiovascular events in an elderly community -- Longitudinal Investigation for the Longevity and Aging in Hokkaido County (LILAC) study.

We investigated the predictive value of arterial stiffness to assess cardiovascular risk in elderly community-dwelling people by means of a multivariate Cox model. In 298 people older than 75 years (120 men and 178 women, average age: 79.6 years), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured between the right arm and ankle in a supine position. The LILAC study started on July 25, 2000, consultation was repeated yearly, and the last follow-up ended on November 30, 2004. During this follow-up span of 1227 days, there were nine cardiovascular deaths, the cause of death being myocardial infarction for two men and three women or stroke for two men and two women. In Cox proportional hazard models, baPWV as well as age, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hasegawa Dementia Scale Revised (HDSR) and the low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio showed a statistically significant association with the occurrence of cardiovascular death. A two-point increase in MMSE and HDSR score significantly protected against cardiovascular death, the relative risk (RR) being 0.776 (P = 0.0369) and 0.753 (P = 0.0029), respectively. The LF/HF ratio also was significant (P = 0.025), but the other indices of HRV were not. After adjustment for age and HDSR, a 200 cm/s increase in baPWV was associated with a 30.2% increase in risk (RR = 1.302, 95% CI: 1.110-1.525), and a 500 cm/s increase in baPWV with a 93.3% increase in risk (RR = 1.933, 95% CI: 1.300-2.874, P = 0.0011), whereas the LF/HF ratio was no longer associated with a statistically significant increase in cardiovascular mortality. In elderly community-dwelling people, arterial stiffness measured by means of baPWV predicted the occurrence of cardiovascular death beyond the prediction provided by age, gender, blood pressure and cognitive functions. baPWV should be added to the cardiovascular assessment in various clinical settings, including field medical surveys and preventive screening. The early detection of risk by chronomics allows the timely institution of prophylactic measures, thereby shifting the focus from rehabilitation to prehabilitation medicine, as a public service to several Japanese towns.

Fractal analysis of heart rate variability and mortality in elderly community-dwelling people -- Longitudinal Investigation for the Longevity and Aging in Hokkaido County (LILAC) study.

AIM: Fractal analysis of heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) has been used as a new approach to evaluate the risk of mortality in various patient groups. Aim of this study is to examine the prognostic power of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and traditional time- and frequency-domain analyses of HR dynamics as predictors of mortality among elderly people in a community. METHODS: We examined 298 people older than 75 years (average age: 79.6 years) and 1-h ambulatory ECG was monitored. During the last 10 min, deep respiration (6-s expiration and 4-s inspiration) was repeated six times in a supine position. Time-domain and frequency-domain measures were determined by the maximum entropy method. Scaling exponents of short-term (<11 beats, alpha 1) and longer-term (>11 beats, alpha 2) were determined by the DFA method. Six estimates, obtained from 10-min segments, were averaged to derive mean values for the entire recording span. These average values were denoted Alpha 1 and Alpha 2, estimates obtained during the first 10-min segment Alpha 1 S and Alpha 2 S, and those during the last 10-min segment Alpha 1E and Alpha 2E, respectively. The LILAC study started on July 25, 2000 and ended on November 30, 2004. We used Cox regression analysis to calculate relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for all-cause mortality. Significance was considered at a value of P < 0.05. RESULTS: Gender, age and Alpha 2E showed a statistically significant association with all-cause mortality. In univariate analyses, gender was significantly associated with all-cause mortality, being associated with a RR of 3.59 (P = 0.00136). Age also significantly predicted all-cause mortality and a 5-year increase in age was associated with a RR of 1.49 (P = 0.01809). The RR of developing all-cause mortality predicted by a 0.2-unit increase in Alpha 2E was 0.58 (P = 0.00390). Other indices of fractal analysis of HRV did not have predictive value. In multivariate analyses, when both Alpha 2E and gender were used as continuous variables in the same model, Alpha 2E remained significantly associated with the occurrence of all-cause mortality (P = 0.02999). After adjustment for both gender and age, a 0.2-unit increase in Alpha 2E was associated with a RR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.42-0.90, p = 0.01151). CONCLUSION: An intermediate-term fractal-like scaling exponent of RR intervals was a better predictor of death than the traditional measures of HR variability in elderly community-dwelling people. It is noteworthy that the longer-term (alpha 2) rather than the short-term fractal component (alpha 1) showed predictive value for all-cause mortality, which suggests that an increase in the randomness of intermediate-term HR behavior may be a specific marker of neurohumoral and sympathetic activation and therefore may also be associated with an increased risk of mortality.

Common carotid intima-media thickness is predictive of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in elderly community-dwelling people: Longitudinal Investigation for the Longevity and Aging in Hokkaido County (LILAC) study.

Several cohort studies have examined the association of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) with the risk of stroke or myocardial infarction in apparently healthy persons. We investigated the predictive value of IMT of cardiovascular mortality in elderly community-dwelling people, beyond the prediction provided by age and MMSE, assessed by means of a multivariate Cox model. Carotid IMT and plaque were evaluated bilaterally with ultrasonography in 298 people older than 75 years (120 men and 178 women, average age: 79.6 years). The LILAC study started on July 25, 2000. Consultations were repeated every year. The follow-up ended on November 30, 2004. During the mean follow-up span of 1152 days, 30 subjects (21 men and nine women) died. Nine deaths were attributable to cardiovascular causes (myocardial infarction: two men and three women; stroke: two men and two women). The age- and MMSE-adjusted relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of developing all-cause mortality was assessed. A 0.3 mm increase in left IMT was associated with a RR of predicted 1.647 (1.075-2.524), and a similar increase in right IMT with a RR of 3.327 (1.429-7.746). For cardiovascular mortality, the corresponding RR values were 2.351 (1.029-5.372) and 2.890 (1.059-7.891), respectively. Carotid IMT assessed by ultrasonography is positively associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death in elderly community-dwelling people.

Effect of aging on blood pressure in Leh, Ladakh, a high-altitude (3524 m) community, by comparison with a Japanese town.

The effect of aging on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) was investigated in a cross-sectional study in the high-altitude community of Leh, Ladakh (altitude: 3524 m) and a Japanese community in U town, Hokkaido (altitude: 25 m). BP and HR were obtained in a sitting position from 332 subjects 13-81 years of age in Ladakh, and from 216 Japanese citizens, 24-79 years of age. Measurements were taken after a 2-min rest, using a semi-automated BP device (UA-767 PC, A and D Co. LTD, Tokyo). High-altitude people showed higher diastolic BP and HR values than lowland people (83.2 vs. 76.9 mmHg and 78.6 vs. 69.2 bpm, P < 0.001), but no difference in systolic BP. Highland people also showed a steeper BP increase with age than the lowland people (systolic BP: 0.7476 vs. 0.3179 mmHg/year, P < 0.0005; diastolic BP: 0.3196 vs. 0.0750 mmHg/year, P < 0.001). This chronoecologic investigation in Ladakh examined the circulation as a physiological system at high-altitude. Our data indicate the need for a more comprehensive cardiovascular assessment for a better diagnosis and a more fruitful treatment. Longitudinal observations of effects of socio-ecologic factors on the cardiovascular system should help prevent strokes and other cardiovascular events, especially at high altitude.

Chronoecological health watch of arterial stiffness and neuro-cardio-pulmonary function in elderly community at high altitude (3524 m), compared with Japanese town.

Effects of high altitude on arterial stiffness and neuro-cardio-pulmonary function were studied. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured in a sitting position on resting Ladakhis, living at an altitude of 3250-4647 m (Phey village, 3250 m: 17 men and 55 women; Chumathang village, 4193 m: 29 men and 47 women; Sumdo village, 4540 m: 38 men and 57 women; and Korzok village, 4647 m: 84 men and 70 women). The neuro-cardio-pulmonary function, including the Kohs block design test, the Up and Go, the Functional Reach and the Button tests, was examined in 40 elderly subjects (19 men and 21 women, mean age: 74.7 +/- 3.3 years) in Leh, Ladakh (altitude: 3524 m), for comparison with 324 elderly citizens (97 men and 227 women, mean age: 80.7 +/- 4.7 years) of Tosa, Japan (altitude: 250 m). Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) was measured as the heart-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) in these subjects using a VaSera CAVI instrument (Fukuda Denshi, Tokyo). SpO(2) decreased while Hb and diastolic BP increased with increasing altitude. At higher altitude, residents were younger and leaner. Women in Leh vs. Tosa had a poorer cognitive function, estimated by the Kohs block design test (3.7 +/- 3.6 vs. 16.4 +/- 9.6 points, P < 0.0001) and poorer ADL functions (Functional Reach: 13.7 +/- 7.0 cm vs. 25.3 +/- 8.7 cm, P < 0.0001; Button test: 22.5 +/- 4.8 vs. 14.8 +/- 5.7 s, P < 0.0001). Time estimation was shorter at high altitude (60-s estimation with counting: 41.1% shorter in men and 23.0% shorter in women). A higher voltage of the QRS complex was observed in the ECG of Leh residents, but two times measurement of CAVI showed no statistically significant differences between Leh and Tosa (two times of CAVI measures; 9.49 vs. 10.01 m/s and 9.41 vs. 10.05 m/s, respectively), suggesting that most residents succeed to adapt sufficiently to the high-altitude environment. However, correlation of CAVI with age shows several cases who show an extreme increase in CAVI. Thus, for the prevention of stroke and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including dementia, CAVI may be very useful, especially at high altitude. In conclusion, elderly people living at high altitude have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than low-latitude peers. To determine how these indices are associated with maintained cognitive function deserves further study by the longitudinal follow-up of these communities in terms of longevity and aging in relation to their neuro-cardio-pulmonary function.

Electron beam intraoperative radiation therapy (EBIORT) for localized pancreatic carcinoma.

Treatment results for 37 patients with localized pancreatic carcinoma treated using electron beam intraoperative radiation therapy (EBIORT) with curative intent from 1978 to 1990 in National Shikoku Cancer Center Hospital and the related hospitals were presented in comparison with those of a control group comprising 40 patients treated with no use of EBIORT. With additional treatment of EBIORT, 37 patients survived longer than the control 40 patients (p less than 0.05 during the 19th and 31st month). In the macroscopically total or partial resection, patients treated with EBIORT survived slightly longer than the controls. In the unresectable lesions, patients treated with EBIORT survived longer than the control patients (p less than 0.05 during the 7th month). In this group, there was one 5-year survivor who received EBIORT plus postoperative external radiation therapy (ERT) to the unresectable pancreatic head lesion but died 5 years later of massive bleeding from the duodenal ulcerations. Patients with unresectable carcinoma treated by EBIORT plus ERT survived longer than patients treated with EBIORT alone (p = 0.065). Pain relief was obtained in 95.0% of the unresectable patients with pain. Major adverse effects caused by irradiation were gastrointestinal troubles in five patients (leakage of choledochojejunostomy, gastric ulcerations, duodenal stenosis, gastric ulcerations and duodenal stenosis, duodenal perforation and ulcerations). EBIORT proved to be effective in the relief of serious pain and in the improvement of the survival of patients with localized pancreatic carcinoma.

A method for computing the derivative of noisy time-activity curves and its application to radioisotope dynamic analysis.

A method for computing the slope or the derivative of time-activity curves containing statistical fluctuations is described. The algorithm presented employs digital differentiation as a digital filter. In designing an effective differentiating filter the Chebyshev-type min-max method and Remez exchange algorithm are used to minimise the weighted Chebyshev error. The validity of this method has been investigated using computer-based Monte Carlo simulation. Renogram curve analysis is presented as an example of an application of this method to radioisotope dynamic analysis. The ratio of the bilateral slopes of the renogram's second segments estimated using this method correlated well with the renal plasma flow ratio (r = 0.97, n = 16). The functional images of the slope of the renogram's second segments have been constructed and ascertained to be clinically useful. This method is considered to provide a powerful tool for extraction of quantitative information both in research and in routine nuclear medicine clinical work, and may be useful in various other fields.

A unified design algorithm of two-dimensional digital filters for radioisotope image processing.

A unified design algorithm of two-dimensional digital filters for radioisotope image processing based on the Fourier-Bessel transform and the weighted least-squares method is described. The algorithm presented here can treat the various kinds of two-dimensional digital filters in a unified approach. Design examples are presented and several graphs are included to show the relationships between the design parameters as an aid in practical applications. The application of the method in radioisotope image processing is also presented. Several low-pass, Wiener and band-pass filters were designed using the method and applied to some clinical data in nuclear medicine including SPECT images. The digital filter design technique proposed here is considered to provide a powerful tool for extraction of additional qualitative information and improvement of the quality of nuclear medicine images both in research and in routine clinical work.

Gallium-67 citrate scintigraphy in Wegener's granulomatosis involving the stomach.

67Ga-citrate scintigraphy was performed on a 68-year-old woman with Wegener's granulomatosis of the right orbita and nasal cavity to search for other involved sites. Seventy-two-hour images demonstrated an abnormal accumulation on the left upper abdomen, in addition to her head and chest. Upper gastrointestinal series revealed marked deformation of the upper part of the stomach and a large shallow ulcer on its posterior wall. The histological diagnosis from biopsied specimens on gastroendoscopy was an involvement of Wegener's granulomatosis. 67Ga-citrate scintigraphy was helpful in detecting the sites of involvements of this disease.

Carcinoma of the esophagus simulating "downhill" varices.

A case of esophageal carcinoma which showed an upper mediastinal mass shadow on plain chest X-ray film and varicoid lesions on esophagogram is reported. The findings seemed compatible with "downhill" varices, an unusual form of esophageal varices caused by superior vena caval obstruction. In this case, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) was useful for the differential diagnosis between varices and varicoid tumor.

Early and delayed I-123 IMP SPECT in epileptic patients with partial seizures and normal CT.

Forty-six epileptic patients with partial seizures and normal CT underwent 48 examinations of early and delayed SPECT using I-123 IMP in the interictal phase. One of them underwent a follow-up SPECT in a more stable state compared to the first SPECT. Another patient, with informed consent, underwent a follow-up SPECT in combination with pharmacologic activation with bemegride. Early SPECT was performed 30 minutes after an IMP injection and delayed SPECT 4 to 4 1/2 hours later. Temporal changes in uptake pattern were visually classified into six types and compared with known patterns of SPECT uptake in relation to ischemic, hyperemic, and other changes. These were also correlated with the amount of epileptic activity seen on the EEG.