Search

Abstract We have previously shown that masked hypertension (MH) and sustained hypertension (SH) contribute to the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Although the risk of target organ damage and cardiovascular events in MH and SH is significantly higher than that in normotension and white coat hypertension, the role of MH or SH in cardiovascular events has never been reported in studies specific to diabetic patients. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine whether blood pressure control status contributes to the development of new cardiovascular events. A longitudinal study of 1082 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and no history of cardiovascular events was conducted. Patients were instructed to have their blood pressure measured three times, every morning and evening, for 14 consecutive days. Hypertension status was classified into four groups based on the systolic blood pressure measurements in the clinic and at home. The primary endpoint was the first cardiovascular event. After a median follow‐up of 7.0 (interquartile range, 4.0–9.0) years, 119 patients developed cardiovascular events. The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for the risk of developing cardiovascular events was significantly higher in the SH group than in the controlled blood pressure group (1.63 [1.02–2.59]). SH is a useful predictor of cardiovascular events. Both at home and in the clinic, blood pressure monitoring should be assessed in routine clinical practice to predict future cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Abstract Background Hypertension is present in more than 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Dietary salt restriction is recommended for the management of high blood pressure. Instructions on dietary salt restriction, provided by a dietitian, have been shown to help patients reduce their salt intake. However, appointments for the dietitians in hospitals are often already fully booked, making it difficult for patients to receive instructions on the same day as the outpatient clinic visit. Aim The aim of this trial is to test a new intervention to assess whether guidance on dietary salt restriction provided by physicians during outpatient visits is effective in reducing salt intake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have an excessive salt intake. Methods In this unblinded randomized controlled trial (RCT), a total of 200 patients, male or female, aged between 20 and 90 years, who have type 2 diabetes mellitus and consume excessive salt will be randomly assigned to two groups: an intervention group and a control group. In addition to being given routine treatment, participants in the intervention group will be given individual guidance on restricting their dietary salt intake by a physician upon enrollment. The control group will only be given routine treatment. Participants will be followed up for 24 weeks. The primary outcome will be dietary salt intake, which will be assessed at baseline and at 8, 16, and 24 weeks. The secondary outcomes, including body weight, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c level, blood pressure, blood glucose level, serum lipid profile, and urinary albumin excretion level, will be assessed at baseline and at 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Discussion The results of this RCT have the potential to provide a simple and novel clinical approach to reduce salt intake among patients with type 2 diabetes, making regular visits to their physician, in outpatient facilities. This protocol will contribute to the literature because it describes a practical intervention that has not been tested previously, and it may serve as guidance to other researchers interested in testing similar interventions. Trial registration University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN), UMIN000028809. Registered retrospectively on 24 August 2017. http://www.umin.ac.jp.

Abstract Aims/Introduction The maximum value of home systolic blood pressure is correlated with damage to target organs, including diabetic nephropathy. However, the precise relationship between the development of diabetic nephropathy and maximum home systolic blood pressure has not been elucidated. Materials and Methods In this prospective 2‐year cohort subanalysis of the KAMOGAWA‐HBP study, the patient population was 477 Japanese patients with normoalbuminuria. We investigated the effects of mean and maximum home blood pressure on the development of diabetic nephropathy, which we defined as a urinary albumin excretion value ≥30 mg/g creatinine. Among the 477 patients, 67 developed diabetic nephropathy. Results In our multivariate logistic regression analyses, the maximum morning home systolic blood pressure was significantly positively associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy after adjusting for patient sex and age, smoking status, the diabetes mellitus duration, body mass index, creatinine, total cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, and antihypertensive medication use (odds ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.42, P = 0.021). Conclusions Maximum home blood pressure can be identified at a glance, and its measurement would thus be helpful to healthcare providers who treat patients with diabetes and normoalbuminuria.

Organ transplantation has progressed with the comprehension of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). It is true that the outcome of organ transplantation largely relies on how well rejection is managed. It is no exaggeration to say that to be well acquainted with MHC is a shortcut to control rejection. In human beings, MHC is generally recognized as human leukocyte antigens (HLA). Under the current circumstances, the number of alleles is still increasing, but the function is not completely understood. Their roles in organ transplantation are of vital importance, because mismatches of HLA alleles possibly evoke both cellular and antibody-mediated rejection. Even though the control of cellular rejection has improved by recent advances of immunosuppressants, there is no doubt that antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), which is strongly correlated with donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA), brings a poor outcome. Thus, to diagnose and treat AMR correctly is a clear proposition. In this review, we would like to focus on the detection of intra-graft DSA as a recent trend. Overall, here we will review the current knowledge regarding MHC, especially with intra-graft DSA, and future perspectives: HLA epitope matching; eplet risk stratification; predicted indirectly recognizable HLA epitopes etc. in the context of organ transplantation.

Regulation of allo-immune responses is proposed as a topic for investigation in the current field of organ transplantation. As a regulator, regulatory T cells (Tregs) have received attention due to their ability to control allograft rejection. Concurrently, however, the independent action of Tregs is not enough to achieve tolerance status in many situations. Meanwhile, as a multi-functional regulator, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) can suppress effector T cells as well as induce Tregs or regulatory B cells (Bregs) in certain circumstances. Furthermore, the importance of a crosstalk between MDSCs and natural killer T cells to induce tolerance has been reported. Thus, orchestration between MDSCs, myeloid regulators, T/Bregs and other lymphoid/myeloid regulators can shed light on achieving allogeneic tolerance. Here, we review the current knowledge in terms of immunological regulatory function displayed by MDSCs in the context of organ transplantation. Ideal control of MDSCs would lead to a reduction of allograft rejection and subsequent long-term allograft acceptance.

Background: Biliary complications (BCs) following liver transplantation are very serious. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain which components influence the incidence of BCs the most. Material/Methods: A consecutive sample of 74 adult recipients who underwent living-donor liver transplantation were enrolled in this study. BCs that were Clavien-Dindo classification grade II or higher were determined as BCs. Results: There were 11 out of the 74 recipients who experienced BCs. There were no differences in preoperative background factors between the BCs+ and BCs- group. Unexpectedly, the number of bile duct orifices did not contribute to the BCs (p=0.722). In comparison with the BCs- group, the frequency of post-operative bleeding requiring re-operation was relatively higher (27.3% vs. 7.9%, p=0.0913) and this complication was the only independent risk factor (p=0.0238) for the onset of BCs. Many of the BCs+ recipients were completely treated by endoscopic or radiological intervention (81.8%). However, surgical revision was required for 2 recipients (18.2%). Conclusions: Given these results, it is reasonable to believe that definite hemostasis is required to prevent future BCs. In addition, bile duct multiplicity was not associated with BCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Maximum home systolic blood pressure has been shown to predict target organ damage. We aimed to clarify the association between maximum home systolic blood pressure and urine albumin to creatinine ratio, an indicator of early-phase diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In 1040 patients, we assessed the relationship of mean or maximum home systolic blood pressure and urine albumin to creatinine ratio, and compared the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of mean or maximum home systolic blood pressure for diabetic nephropathy (urine albumin to creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g Cr). Results: Multivariate linear regression analyses indicated that mean morning systolic blood pressure (β = 0.010, p < 0.001) and maximum morning systolic blood pressure (β = 0.008, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with urine albumin to creatinine ratio. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval) for diabetic nephropathy in mean and maximum morning systolic blood pressure was 0.667 (0.634-0.700; p < 0.001) and 0.671 (0.638-0.703; p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: Maximum home systolic blood pressure, as well as mean home systolic blood pressure, was significantly associated with diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the mean and the variability of home blood pressure (HBP) from the logbook correlate with albuminuria as well as HBP from the stored memory in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS This study is a post hoc analysis of a cross-sectional multicenter study. HBP measurements were performed for 14 consecutive days in 276 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients were requested to write down their HBP values in logbooks and were not informed about the memory function of their BP monitoring devices. RESULTS HBP values from the logbook were significantly lower and less variable than those from the stored memory. The mean of morning systolic BP (SBP) from the logbook (adjusted β = 0.326, P < 0.001) as well as that from the stored memory (adjusted β = 0.336, P < 0.0001) was signifi- cantly associated with logarithm of urinary albumin excretion (UAE). The SD of morning SBP (adjusted β = 0.134, P = 0.017) from the stored memory was significantly associated with logarithm of UAE, in contrast, the SD of morning SBP (adjusted β = 0.104, P = 0.057) from the logbook was not associated with logarithm of UAE. CONCLUSIONS Patients with type 2 diabetes might report inaccurate HBP measurements and, as a result, the variability of HBP from the logbook is underestimated and poorly correlates with albuminuria. The use of stored BP measurements is recommended to accurately evaluate the relationship with diabetic nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Rare disease. Background: Splenic cysts are rare. Most are due to previous trauma, infection, or infarction. They are generally handled by laparoscopic surgical removal if they are larger than 5 cm. However, very large cysts may require splenectomy. Another factor in the choice of therapy is the patient's underlying condition. We present the case of a giant splenic cyst in a woman 1 year after a renal transplant. Case Report: A 28-year-old woman presented with acute abdominal pain and nausea. One year before, she had received an ABO-identical living donor renal transplantation from her father, and was maintained on oral tacrolimus and prednisolone. A CT scan with contrast showed enteric ileus and an abnormal position of the spleen, which was involved by a cyst measuring 12×12.5×9 cm. A nasogastric tube, and later a small bowel tube, were inserted to decompress the ileus. The patient underwent laparotomy 11 days after admission. We confirmed an internal hernia with volvulus due to migration of the spleen; however, there was no evidence of necrosis. The patient was treated with splenectomy and reduction of the hernia. There were no complications. Conclusions: This was a very unusual emergency following renal transplantation. Splenectomy has been performed in the past for immunosuppression in cases of donor ABO-incompatibility. We therefore considered that it would be more expedient to remove the spleen than to remove the cyst and perform splenopexy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. We investigated the expression of cyclooxygenase (Cox-1 and Cox-2) in mammary tissues from patients with breast cancer. Methods. We used reverse transcriptase?polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Results. The cancer cells showed very weak expression of Cox-1, but strong expression of immunoreactive Cox-2. In contrast, immunoreactive Cox-2 was very weak in all of the benign mammary tumors examined, including fibroadenoma (FA) and mastopathy (MP). Immunoreactive Cox-1 was also very weak in these benign tumors. The extent and intensity of immunoreactive Cox-2 polypeptides was significantly greater in the cancer cells than in the FA cells or MP cells. RT-PCR analysis showed enhanced expression of Cox-2, but not Cox-1 in breast cancer tissue, and faint expression of Cox-2 in benign tissue. Conclusions. These results demonstrated that human breast cancer cells generated Cox-2, indicating that Cox-2 might play an important role in the proliferation of breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Living-related renal transplantation is the optimal therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Normally, complications are rare in living-related donor nephrectomy. However, we experienced a case of pulmonary embolism (PE). The incidence of PE in living donor nephrectomy is rare, but the total incidence of PE in surgical operations has recently increased. The patient in the case reported here was diagnosed relatively early and recovered with appropriate treatment. It is very important for surgeons to realize that serious complications such as PE can develop in any case of living donor nephrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]