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1.
Tofogliflozin does not delay progression of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes: a prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group comparative study.
Katakami, N, Mita, T, Yoshii, H, Shiraiwa, T, Yasuda, T, Okada, Y, Torimoto, K, Umayahara, Y, Kaneto, H, Osonoi, T, et al
Cardiovascular diabetology. 2020;(1):110
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of tofogliflozin, a selective sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, on atherosclerosis progression in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients without apparent cardiovascular disease (CVD) by monitoring carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). METHODS This prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, multicenter, parallel-group, comparative study included 340 subjects with T2DM and no history of apparent CVD recruited at 24 clinical units. Subjects were randomly allocated to either the tofogliflozin treatment group (n = 169) or conventional treatment group using drugs other than SGLT2 inhibitors (n = 171). Primary outcomes were changes in mean and maximum common carotid IMT measured by echography during a 104-week treatment period. RESULTS In a mixed-effects model for repeated measures, the mean IMT of the common carotid artery (mean-IMT-CCA), along with the right and left maximum IMT of the CCA (max-IMT-CCA), significantly declined in both the tofogliflozin (- 0.132 mm, SE 0.007; - 0.163 mm, SE 0.013; - 0.170 mm, SE 0.020, respectively) and the control group (- 0.140 mm, SE 0.006; - 0.190 mm, SE 0.012; - 0.190 mm, SE 0.020, respectively). Furthermore, the tofogliflozin and the conventional treatment group did not significantly differ in the progression of the mean-IMT-CCA (mean change (95% CI) 0.008 (- 0.009, 0.025) mm, P = 0.34), along with the right (mean change (95% CI) 0.027 (- 0.005, 0.059) mm, P = 0.10) and the left max-IMT-CCA (mean change (95% CI) 0.020 (- 0.030, 0.070), P = 0.43). Similar findings were obtained even after adjusting for traditional CV risk factors and/or administration of drugs at baseline. Relative to the control treatment effects, tofogliflozin significantly reduced the HbA1c, blood glucose level, body weight/body mass index, abdominal circumference, and systolic blood pressure, and significantly increased the HDL-C. The total and serious adverse events incidences did not significantly vary between the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION No IMT changes were observed between the tofogliflozin and the conventional treatment groups. However, tofogliflozin is a safe and effective treatment option for managing primary CVD risk factors in this population. Clinical Trial Registration UMIN000017607 ( https://www.umin.ac.jp/icdr/index.html ).
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2.
How immunological profile drives clinical phenotype of primary Sjögren's syndrome at diagnosis: analysis of 10,500 patients (Sjögren Big Data Project).
Brito-Zerón, P, Acar-Denizli, N, Ng, WF, Zeher, M, Rasmussen, A, Mandl, T, Seror, R, Li, X, Baldini, C, Gottenberg, JE, et al
Clinical and experimental rheumatology. 2018;(3):102-112
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the influence of the main immunological markers on the disease phenotype at diagnosis in a large international cohort of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SjS). METHODS The Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium is an international, multicentre registry created in 2014. As a first step, baseline clinical information from leading centres on clinical research in SjS of the 5 continents was collected. The centres shared a harmonised data architecture and conducted cooperative online efforts in order to refine collected data under the coordination of a big data statistical team. Inclusion criteria were the fulfillment of the 2002 classification criteria. Immunological tests were carried out using standard commercial assays. RESULTS By January 2018, the participant centres had included 10,500 valid patients from 22 countries. The cohort included 9,806 (93%) women and 694 (7%) men, with a mean age at diagnosis of primary SjS of 53 years, mainly White (78%) and included from European countries (71%). The frequency of positive immunological markers at diagnosis was 79.3% for ANA, 73.2% for anti-Ro, 48.6% for RF, 45.1% for anti- La, 13.4% for low C3 levels, 14.5% for low C4 levels and 7.3% for cryoglobulins. Positive autoantibodies (ANA, Ro, La) correlated with a positive result in salivary gland biopsy, while hypocomplementaemia and especially cryoglo-bulinaemia correlated with systemic activity (mean ESSDAI score of 17.7 for cryoglobulins, 11.3 for low C3 and 9.2 for low C4, in comparison with 3.8 for negative markers). The immunological markers with a great number of statistically-significant associations (p<0.001) in the organ-by-organ ESS- DAI evaluation were cryoglobulins (9 domains), low C3 (8 domains), anti-La (7 domains) and low C4 (6 domains). CONCLUSIONS We confirm the strong influence of immunological markers on the phenotype of primary SjS at diagnosis in the largest multi-ethnic international cohort ever analysed, with a greater influence for cryoglobulinaemic-related markers in comparison with Ro/La autoantibodies and ANA. Immunological patterns play a central role in the phenotypic expression of the disease already at the time of diagnosis, and may guide physicians to design a specific personalised management during the follow-up of patients with primary SjS.
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3.
Comparison of concurrent treatment with vitamin K2 and risedronate compared with treatment with risedronate alone in patients with osteoporosis: Japanese Osteoporosis Intervention Trial-03.
Tanaka, S, Miyazaki, T, Uemura, Y, Miyakawa, N, Gorai, I, Nakamura, T, Fukunaga, M, Ohashi, Y, Ohta, H, Mori, S, et al
Journal of bone and mineral metabolism. 2017;(4):385-395
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of concurrent treatment with vitamin K2 and risedronate compared with treatment with risedronate alone in patients with osteoporosis and to explore subsets of patients for which concurrent treatment is particularly efficacious. Women with osteoporosis aged 65 years or older were recruited from 123 institutes in Japan and allocated to take either vitamin K2 (45 mg/day) and risedronate (2.5 mg/day or 17.5 mg/week) or risedronate (2.5 mg/day or 17.5 mg/week) alone. The primary end point was the incidence of any fracture (vertebral and nonvertebral). The secondary end points were bone mineral density, height, undercarboxylated osteocalcin concentration, quality of life, and safety. Over a 2-year follow-up, vertebral or nonvertebral fractures occurred in 117 or 22 sites respectively among 931 patients in the risedronate and vitamin K2 group and in 104 or 26 sites respectively among 943 patients in the risedronate alone group. The rates of any incident fracture were similar between the two groups (incidence rate ratio 1.074, 95 % confidence interval 0.811-1.422, p = 0.62), implying that the primary end point was not met. There were no differences in the degree of increase in bone mineral density between the two groups. Undercarboxylated osteocalcin concentration decreased from 5.81 ± 3.93 ng/mL to 2.59 ± 1.52 ng/mL at 6 months in the risedronate and vitamin K2 group, whereas the change in the risedronate alone group was minimal (from 5.96 ± 4.36 ng/mL to 4.05 ± 3.40 ng/mL at 6 months) (p < 0.01). The treatment discontinuation rate was higher in the risedronate and vitamin K2 group than in the risedronate alone group (10.0 % vs 6.7 %). No unknown adverse drug reactions were reported. In conclusion, concurrent treatment with vitamin K2 and risedronate was not efficacious compared with monotherapy with risedronate in terms of fracture prevention.
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4.
Efficacy and safety of porous hydroxyapatite/type 1 collagen composite implantation for bone regeneration: A randomized controlled study.
Sotome, S, Ae, K, Okawa, A, Ishizuki, M, Morioka, H, Matsumoto, S, Nakamura, T, Abe, S, Beppu, Y, Shinomiya, K
Journal of orthopaedic science : official journal of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association. 2016;(3):373-80
Abstract
BACKGROUND Porous hydroxyapatite/collagen composite (HAp/Col) is a bioresorbable bone substitute composed of nano-scale HAp and porcine type 1 collagen. In this study, the efficacy and safety were assessed in comparison to commercially available porous β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP). METHODS Patients with bone defects caused by benign bone tumors, fractures, or harvesting of autografts were randomly allocated for implantation of porous HAp/Col (n = 63) or porous β-TCP (n = 63). X-ray images were scored and used to evaluate the efficacy of the implantation until 24 weeks after surgery. Blood tests and observation of the surgical site were also performed to evaluate the safety of the implants. In total, 59 and 60 cases were analyzed in the porous HAp/Col and β-TCP groups, respectively. RESULTS At 18 and 24 weeks after surgery, the highest grade of bone regeneration was more frequent in the porous HAp/Col group than in the porous β-TCP group (p = 0.0004 and 0.0254 respectively). Wilcoxon's rank sum test confirmed the superiority of porous HAp/Col from early time points onward (p = 0.0084, 4 w; p = 0.0037, 8 w; p = 0.0030, 12 w; p < 0.0001, 18 w; and p = 0.0316, 24 w). The incidence of adverse effects was higher in the porous HAp/Col group than in the β-TCP group. However, no serious adverse events were reported and no cases needed to drop out of the clinical trial. CONCLUSIONS The superiority of porous HAp/Col for bone regeneration in comparison to an established porous β-TCP was confirmed. Although the incidence of side effects associated with the porous HAp/Col implant was higher than that in the β-TCP group, no serious adverse events occurred that resulted in rejection of the implants.
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5.
Higher response with bone mineral density increase with monthly injectable ibandronate 1 mg compared with oral risedronate in the MOVER study.
Nakano, T, Yamamoto, M, Hashimoto, J, Tobinai, M, Yoshida, S, Nakamura, T
Journal of bone and mineral metabolism. 2016;(6):678-684
Abstract
We examined response to bone mineral density (BMD) gains in the MOVER study following treatment with intravenous (IV) ibandronate 1 mg/month, and investigated the characteristics of a non-responder group. At 1 year, responder rates for patients with BMD increases >0 % were similar with IV ibandronate 0.5 or 1 mg/month and oral risedronate 2.5 mg/day. However, after 3 years, responder rates with BMD increases ≥3 % were highest with ibandronate 1 mg at all bone sites (>80 % at the lumbar spine [L2-L4] and >50 % at all femur sites, which was significantly higher than with risedronate). Non-responders were defined by BMD increases ≤3 % at L2-L4 or ≤0 % at total hip, and ≤50 % reduction in creatinine-corrected urinary collagen type 1 cross-linked C-telopeptide (uCTX) from baseline to 1 year. There were a small number of non-responders in the ibandronate 1 mg group: 3.3 % (10/299) with ≤0 % total hip BMD increase and ≤50 % uCTX reduction from baseline. These non-responders had lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels than responders, but no differences in kidney function, L2-L4 BMD or bone turnover marker baseline values. Throughout the study, non-responders failed to show any increases in BMD. Our analysis demonstrates significantly higher responder rates with IV ibandronate 1 mg/month than with risedronate at 3 years. A small number of non-responders in the ibandronate group had lower 25(OH)D baseline levels than responders, suggesting that 25(OH)D levels could be a useful indicator of BMD response to therapy.
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6.
Anagliptin, A Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Ameliorates Arterial Stiffness in Association with Reduction of Remnant-Like Particle Cholesterol and Alanine Transaminase Levels in Type 2 Diabetic Patients.
Tahara, N, Yamagishi, SI, Bekki, M, Kodama, N, Nakamura, T, Sugiyama, Y, Oshige, T, Kumashiro, Y, Honda, A, Tahara, A, et al
Current vascular pharmacology. 2016;(6):552-562
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) has been proposed as a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Arterial stiffness, a predictor of future cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, is augmented in these patients. However, effects of DPP-4 inhibitors on arterial stiffness remain unknown. In this study, we compared effects of anagliptin, an inhibitor of DPP-4 on arterial stiffness evaluated by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) with those of an equipotent glucose-lowering agent, glimepiride in patients with T2DM. METHODS The study involved 50 consecutive outpatients (33 males and 17 females; mean age of 72.5±9.5 years) who visited our hospitals for a risk-screening test or treatment for T2DM. They underwent complete history and physical examination, and determination of blood chemistry and anthropometric variables, and then were randomized to receive either anagliptin (n=26) or glimepiride (n=24) for 6 months. RESULTS After 6-months treatment, fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c values were comparably reduced in both groups. Anagliptin, but not glimepiride treatment significantly decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde-modified LDL, remnant-like particle (RLP) cholesterol, CAVI, alanine transaminase (ALT), γ-glutamyl transferase and visceral fat volume. In multiple regression analysis, absolute changes from baseline of RLP cholesterol and ALT after anagliptin treatment for 6 months (ΔRLP cholesterol and ΔALT) were independently correlated with ΔCAVI (R2=0.445). CONCLUSION The present study suggests that anagliptin may exert a beneficial effect on arterial stiffness in patients with T2DM, which is independent of its blood glucose-lowering property. Anagliptin may ameliorate arterial stiffness partly via reduction of RLP cholesterol and improvement of liver function.
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7.
Comparison of the reperfusion efficacy of thrombus aspiration with and without distal protection during primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
Satoh, S, Inoue, H, Omura, S, Ejima, E, Shimozono, K, Hayashi, M, Mori, T, Takenaka, K, Kawamura, N, Numaguchi, K, et al
The American journal of cardiology. 2013;(11):1725-9
Abstract
We evaluated a hypothesis that thrombus aspiration with distal protection is superior to simple thrombus aspiration in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A total of 176 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were enrolled in this study and assigned to either the thrombus aspiration group (A, n = 104) or the thrombus aspiration with distal protection group using a filter device system (A + DP, n = 72). We compared the angiographic reperfusion grade, left ventricular (LV) function, and clinical outcomes between the 2 groups. There were no significant differences in age, gender distribution, the onset-to-reperfusion time, the peak levels of creatine kinase, or 6-month mortality between the 2 groups. The rate of achieving a Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade of 3 and a myocardial blush grade of 3 was higher in the A + DP group than in the A group. Among the patients who underwent follow-up catheterization 6 months after PCI (A, n = 62; A + DP, n = 52), there were no significant differences in the LV end-diastolic volume index, LV end-systolic volume index, or LV ejection fraction between the 2 groups at the time of PCI or 6 months after PCI. In conclusion, thrombus aspiration with distal protection may be more effective in initially restoring the coronary blood flow than thrombus aspiration alone, although it may not be superior to thrombus aspiration in preventing LV remodeling or preserving the LV function in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
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8.
Effect of intensive statin therapy on regression of carotid intima-media thickness in patients with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis (a prospective, randomized trial: PEACE (Pitavastatin Evaluation of Atherosclerosis Regression by Intensive Cholesterol-lowering Therapy) study).
Ikeda, K, Takahashi, T, Yamada, H, Matsui, K, Sawada, T, Nakamura, T, Matsubara, H, ,
European journal of preventive cardiology. 2013;(6):1069-79
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis often advances before symptoms appear. It remains uncertain whether intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy with statin is beneficial when compared with moderate cholesterol-lowering therapy in patients with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS The PEACE study was a prospective, randomized, open-labeled, blinded end points, two-arm parallel treatment group comparison study conducted at 15 centers in Japan. A total of 303 patients with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) thickening (>1.1 mm) whose low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level was more than 100 mg/dl were enrolled, in which 223 patients completed the 12 months' follow-up study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either moderate (target LDL-C; 100 mg/dl) or intensive (target LDL-C; 80 mg/dl) cholesterol-lowering therapy with pitavastatin. The primary end point was the change in mean far wall common CIMT. RESULTS LDL-C level declined to 89.4 ± 20 mg/dl in the intensive group, while it declined to 95.1 ± 22.5 mg/dl in the moderate group at 12 months' follow-up (p < 0.05 between the groups). The change in mean CIMT was -0.024 (95% confidence interval -0.046 to -0.0014) mm/year (p < 0.05 vs. baseline) in the intensive group, and -0.0078 (95% confidence interval -0.028 to 0.012) mm/year (p = 0.4406 vs. baseline) in the moderate group. However, there was no significant difference in the change in mean far wall common CIMT between the groups (p = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS Intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy did not show superior effects on the progression of CIMT to moderate cholesterol-lowering therapy, whereas only intensive cholesterol-lowering therapy regressed the carotid atherosclerosis over one year.
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9.
Efficacy of immunoglobulin plus prednisolone for prevention of coronary artery abnormalities in severe Kawasaki disease (RAISE study): a randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoints trial.
Kobayashi, T, Saji, T, Otani, T, Takeuchi, K, Nakamura, T, Arakawa, H, Kato, T, Hara, T, Hamaoka, K, Ogawa, S, et al
Lancet (London, England). 2012;(9826):1613-20
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence indicates that corticosteroid therapy might be beneficial for the primary treatment of severe Kawasaki disease. We assessed whether addition of prednisolone to intravenous immunoglobulin with aspirin would reduce the incidence of coronary artery abnormalities in patients with severe Kawasaki disease. METHODS We did a multicentre, prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoints trial at 74 hospitals in Japan between Sept 29, 2008, and Dec 2, 2010. Patients with severe Kawasaki disease were randomly assigned by a minimisation method to receive either intravenous immunoglobulin (2 g/kg for 24 h and aspirin 30 mg/kg per day) or intravenous immunoglobulin plus prednisolone (the same intravenous immunoglobulin regimen as the intravenous immunoglobulin group plus prednisolone 2 mg/kg per day given over 15 days after concentrations of C-reactive protein normalised). Patients and treating physicians were unmasked to group allocation. The primary endpoint was incidence of coronary artery abnormalities during the study period. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network clinical trials registry, number UMIN000000940. FINDINGS We randomly assigned 125 patients to the intravenous immunoglobulin plus prednisolone group and 123 to the intravenous immunoglobulin group. Incidence of coronary artery abnormalities was significantly lower in the intravenous immunoglobulin plus prednisolone group than in the intravenous immunoglobulin group during the study period (four patients [3%] vs 28 patients [23%]; risk difference 0·20, 95% CI 0·12-0·28, p<0·0001). Serious adverse events were similar between both groups: two patients had high total cholesterol and one neutropenia in the intravenous immunoglobulin plus prednisolone group, and one had high total cholesterol and another non-occlusive thrombus in the intravenous immunoglobulin group. INTERPRETATION Addition of prednisolone to the standard regimen of intravenous immunoglobulin improves coronary artery outcomes in patients with severe Kawasaki disease in Japan. Further study of intensified primary treatment for this disease in a mixed ethnic population is warranted. FUNDING Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
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10.
A comparison of the efficacy of combined ezetimibe and statin therapy with doubling of statin dose in patients with remnant lipoproteinemia on previous statin therapy.
Nakamura, T, Hirano, M, Kitta, Y, Fujioka, D, Saito, Y, Kawabata, K, Obata, JE, Watanabe, Y, Watanabe, K, Kugiyama, K
Journal of cardiology. 2012;(1):12-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It remains undetermined whether the addition of ezetimibe to ongoing statin therapy is more effective than increasing the dose of statin for reducing remnant lipoprotein levels in patients with remnant lipoproteinemia on previous statin treatment. This study examined whether combined ezetimibe and statin therapy resulted in a greater improvement in remnant lipoprotein levels and endothelial function than with the dose of statin in patients with remnant lipoproteinemia on previous statin treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 63 patients with stable coronary artery disease and high levels of remnant-like lipoprotein particle cholesterol (RLP-C) (≥5.0 mg/dL) on statin treatment were assigned randomly to two groups and treated with either addition of ezetimibe (10mg/day, n=32) or doubling of statin dose (n=31). The lipid profiles and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery were measured at enrollment and after 6 months of treatment. Statin and ezetimibe combined therapy reduced RLP-C and improved FMD to a greater extent than doubling the statin dose (% reduction in RLP-C, 48 ± 18% vs. 33 ± 24%, respectively, p=0.01; % improvement in FMD, 47 ± 48% vs. 24 ± 23%, respectively, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS The addition of ezetimibe to ongoing statin treatment reduced RLP-C levels and improved endothelial dysfunction to a greater extent than doubling the statin dose in patients with high RLP-C levels on previous statin treatment. The present results are preliminary and should be confirmed by further studies on a larger number of study patients.