Twisting method for reducing friction during insertion of a sheath introducer and a sheathless guiding catheter.

A sheathless system that inserts a catheter directly into the artery can reduce puncture site-related complications through a 2-Fr reduction of the outer diameter. However, the gap between the dilator and the guiding catheter of the sheathless system is larger than the gap between the dilator and sheath of the introducer system, resulting in stronger insertion resistance. A twisting method with rapid alternating rotation of a device to the left and right during insertion can reduce the insertion resistance. This method can be effective with the sheathless system which has a larger gap. To examine the effect of size reduction on the sheathless system and the effect of insertion resistance reduction using the twisting method, we developed an insertion simulator and compared insertion resistance to a 5-Fr sheath introducer and a 5-Fr sheathless system, with and without the twisting method. The insertion simulator pushed a sheath introducer or a sheathless system toward a mock artery consisted with a 5-mm urethane and a 1-mm rubber sheet by an electrical motor with or without twisting motion generated by a crank shaft. Insertion resistance during the penetration was measured by a tension meter. The insertion resistance was less with the 5-Fr sheathless system than with the 5-Fr sheath introducer. The resistance reduced further with use of twisting for both the sheathed and sheathless catheters. In conclusion, the experiment suggests the benefits of twisting insertion of a sheathless guiding catheter for reduction of puncture site-related complications.

Impact of longitudinal status change in metabolic syndrome defined by two different criteria on new onset of type 2 diabetes in a general Japanese population: the Tanno-Sobetsu Study.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the effect of longitudinal status change in metabolic syndrome (MetS) assessed by two different criteria on new onset of type 2 diabetes (NODM) in a Japanese population. METHODS: The participants were 827 non-diabetic citizens who had undergone medical examinations in 1994 and 2003 or 2004. We used two different criteria of MetS: the interim criteria by 6 institutions (MetS-INT) and Japanese criteria (MetS-JP). According to the interim criteria, individuals defined as having MetS have any three of the following five components of MetS: obesity, hyperglycemia, high blood pressure, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL cholesterolemia. According to the Japanese criteria, individuals defined as having MetS must have abdominal obesity plus any two of the following three factors; hyperglycemia, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (hypertriglyceridemia and/or low HDL-cholesterolemia). According to the status change in MetS, participants were divided into four groups: a non-MetS to non-MetS group, a non-MetS to MetS group, a MetS to non-MetS group and a MetS to MetS group. We calculated odds ratios of these four groups for NODM. RESULTS: NODM occurred in 65 participants. The odds ratios for NODM were 4.86, 4.97 and 7.50 in the non-MetS-INT to MetS-INT group, MetS-INT to non-MetS-INT group and MetS-INT to MetS-INT group, respectively. On the other hand, the odds ratios were 4.28 and 15.55 in the non-MetS-JP to MetS-JP group and MetS-JP to MetS-JP group, respectively. After adjustment for high fasting plasma glucose at baseline, magnitude of the odds ratio of MetS to MetS group was larger in the Japanese criteria group than in the interim criteria group. CONCLUSIONS: Determining the status of MetS routinely and paying attention to status change in MetS may be important for prevention of type 2 diabetes. MetS defined by the criteria which includes obesity as a prerequisite component may be a stronger risk for type 2 diabetes than MetS defined by the criteria which includes obesity as one of components.

Combination of type 2 diabetes and smoking increases total cancer mortality in Japanese men using competing risk analysis: the Tanno-Sobetsu study.

AIMS: We assessed the impact of the combination of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and smoking on total cancer mortality using cohort data of a general Japanese population. METHODS: Of 1908 residents who received health checkups in two towns in 1994, 794 males were included as study participants. Smoking status was defined as three categories: never smoker, ex-smoker and current smoker. Individuals with T2DM were defined as individuals with fasting plasma glucose ≥7.0 mmol/l and/or receiving medication for T2DM. Participants were divided into six groups according to T2DM and smoking status: non-DM (NDM) and never smoker, NDM and ex-smoker, NDM and current smoker, DM and never smoker, DM and ex-smoker, and DM and current smoker groups. All participants were followed up for a maximum of 13 years. We calculated the hazard ratio (HR) using Cox's proportional hazard model and subhazard ratio (SHR) using competing risk regression analyses in each group. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, there were 169 all-cause deaths (62 cancer deaths and 40 CVD deaths). When using Cox regression analysis, HRs were higher in the ex-smoker and current smoker groups than in the never-smoker group, and HRs were also higher in the DM groups than in the NDM groups. When using competing risk analysis, SHRs were almost the same as the HRs of Cox regression analysis (DM and ex-smoker 6.06, DM and current smoker 10.12). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of T2DM and smoking is a strong risk factor for total cancer mortality in Japanese men.

Cardiac tamponade leading to the diagnosis of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome): a case report and review of the literature.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), which was previously called Churg-Strauss syndrome, is a necrotizing systemic vasculitis of unknown cause accompanied by prominent eosinophilia. Cardiovascular complications, including eosinophilic myocarditis, are a major cause of mortality in this disorder. Acute pericarditis with slight pericardial effusion is a typical manifestation in EGPA, though hemodynamically significant pericardial effusion has been reported in a few cases. We report a case that initially presented with isolated cardiac tamponade, which was followed by systemic manifestations of EGPA over 3 weeks. Including the present case, previous EGPA cases with cardiac tamponade are reviewed to delineate its clinical characteristics.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 secretory function as an independent determinant of blood pressure: analysis in the Tanno-Sobetsu study.

AIMS: Roles of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in extra-pancreatic tissues remain unclear. The aim of this study was to examine determinants of GLP-1 secretory function and possible contribution of GLP-1 to blood pressure (BP) regulation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We recruited 128 subjects who received annual examinations and 75g-oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) in the Tanno-Sobetsu cohort. Subjects on regular medications for cardiovascular and/or metabolic diseases were excluded, and data for the remaining 103 subjects were used for the univariate and multivariate analyses. Age, plasma glucose (PG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), plasma insulin, and serum lipids were not selected as independent determinants of fasting GLP-1 level by multiple linear regression analysis. However, age and female sex were selected as independent positive determinants of the area under the curve of GLP-1 level during OGTT (AUCGLP-1), an index of GLP-1 secretory function. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that AUCGLP-1 was an independent negative predictor of systolic BP (SBP), while AUCGLP-1 was not correlated with fasting PG or HbA1c level. In subgroup analyses using the median of AUCGLP-1 to divide the study subjects into high and low GLP-1 response groups, AUCGLP-1 was significantly correlated with both SBP and diastolic BP (r = 0.40 and 0.28, respectively) in the low GLP-1 response group but not in the high GLP-1 response group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that GLP-1 secretory function is involved in prevention of BP elevation and that the GLP-1 response to oral glucose rather increases with aging perhaps as an adaptive phenomenon.

Associations of metabolic factors, especially serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), with blood pressure in Japanese--the Tanno and Sobetsu study.

Excess secretion of various adipocyte-derived molecules has been linked with insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), one of the new adipocytokine, is recently reported to provide a link between insulin resistance and features of metabolic factors. Hypertension is one of the most influential risk factors among cardiovascular disease. We examined the relationship between systolic blood pressure (BP) levels and metabolic factors including homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-R), high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin, and RBP4. The subjects were 153 men aged 59 ± 14 years and 224 women aged 57 ± 14 years who had undergone medical check-ups in rural communities in 2007. Systolic BP was positively correlated with HOMA-R, hs-CRP and RBP4 but not with adiponectin in women. There was a positive significant relationship between serum RBP4 levels and blood pressure in women, but such a relationship was not found in men. Serum RBP4 levels were not correlated with HOMA-R in either men or women. Serum RBP4 levels negatively were correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in women but not in men. Multiple regression analysis revealed that serum RBP4 levels significantly were related to systolic BP independently of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol levels and eGFR. Our study showed that increased levels of RBP4 as well as HOMA-R and hs-CRP in women were significantly associated with increased levels of systolic BP.

Incidence of hypertension in individuals with abdominal obesity in a rural Japanese population: the Tanno and Sobetsu study.

Although abdominal obesity (AO) assessed by waist circumference (WC) is an important component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), the usefulness of AO as a predictor of hypertension (HT) is not known. In this study, we investigated the incidence of HT in residents of two rural communities in Japan. The subjects were 187 men and 209 women selected from 712 residents who had undergone medical examinations in the towns of Tanno and Sobetsu, Hokkaido, in 1994 and 2002. Participants with HT in 1994 were excluded. Participants with AO were determined according to the WC criteria in the Japanese definition of MetS (> or = 85 cm for men, > or = 90 cm for women). The participants were divided into two groups: a non-AO group and an AO group. We compared the incidence of HT between the two groups and found a significantly higher incidence in the AO group. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the relative risk of developing HT in individuals with AO was 2.33 (p = 0.017; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-4.63) and that the risk per 1-cm increase in WC from 1994 to 2002 was 1.06 (p = 0.003; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10), both adjusted for several confounding factors. The results of this study suggest that, to prevent HT in Japanese, it is important to manage abdominal obesity and to monitor WC in individuals with or without abdominal obesity.