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Biomedical subjects

Masanori Emoto

Publications and source records attributed to Masanori Emoto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Association of serum fetuin-A with carotid arterial stiffness.

OBJECTIVE: Fetuin-A is a circulating glycoprotein which is well characterized as an inhibitor of ectopic calcification. Vascular calcification commonly found in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is a predictor of cardiovascular death. Recently, several groups have demonstrated that low fetuin-A levels are associated with mortality in uraemic patients, possibly through regulation of vascular calcification. However, the physiological significance of fetuin-A in atherosclerosis remains unknown, except in specific conditions, such as vascular calcification in CKD patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between serum fetuin-A levels and arterial stiffness, a functional property of atherosclerosis, in healthy subjects. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The study subjects comprised 141 healthy subjects. We measured serum fetuin-A levels and stiffness parameter beta for the common carotid artery, which was assessed by ultrasound using a phase-locked echo-tracking system. RESULTS: Simple regression analyses indicated that serum fetuin-A levels were significantly correlated with stiffness parameter beta (r = 0.200, P = 0.018). Multiple regression analyses showed that, besides age, fetuin-A (beta = 0.166, P = 0.033) independently contribute to the stiffness parameter beta (R(2) = 0.310, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum fetuin-A level is associated with carotid arterial stiffness, independent of known atherogenic factors in healthy subjects.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Association between plasma angiopoietin-like protein 3 and arterial wall thickness in healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is a liver-derived plasma protein that modulates plasma triglyceride clearance, angiogenesis and atherosclerosis in experimental models. So far, no study has examined its role in atherosclerosis in human subjects. We evaluated the possible association between plasma ANGPTL3 level and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) and femoral artery intima-media thickness (FA-IMT) in healthy human subjects. METHODS: The subjects were 381 healthy volunteers. Plasma ANGPTL3 was determined by a specific ELISA. CA-IMT and FA-IMT were measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: The plasma ANGPTL3 level was 764 +/- 291 ng/ml (mean +/- SD). CA-IMT showed a significant positive correlation with plasma ANGPTL3 and other classical risk factors such as age, blood pressure, and plasma glucose and lipid levels. The positive association between ANGPTL3 and CA-IMT remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, insulin resistance index, triglyceride, and high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. ANGPTL3 also showed a positive association with FA-IMT independent of these factors. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate for the first time that ANGPTL3 is closely associated with arterial wall thickness in human subjects.

Angiopoietin-Like Protein 3↗
PubMed2006

Low circulating endogenous secretory receptor for AGEs predicts cardiovascular mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease.

OBJECTIVE: Receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is involved in diabetic vascular complications. We have recently shown that plasma endogenously secretory RAGE (esRAGE), an alternatively spliced form of RAGE, is closely associated with metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Here, we evaluated if plasma esRAGE is a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of 206 (171 nondiabetic) patients with end-stage renal diseases (ESRD). METHODS AND RESULTS: The cohort was followed for a median of 111 months, and 74 deaths including 34 cardiovascular deaths were recorded. Plasma esRAGE was measured at baseline. Cumulative incidence of cardiovascular death by Kaplan-Meier estimation was significantly higher in subjects in the lowest tertile of plasma esRAGE than those in the middle or the highest tertile both in all and nondiabetic subjects alone. In all subjects, as compared with the lowest tertile of plasma esRAGE, the hazards ratios for the highest and middle tertile were 0.40 (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.89) and 0.26 (0.10 to 0.66), respectively. The higher risk for lower esRAGE was still significant even after adjusted either with body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia and vascular complications, but was confounded by age and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Low circulating esRAGE is a predictor for cardiovascular mortality in ESRD patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

A novel index of insulin resistance determined from the homeostasis model assessment index and adiponectin levels in Japanese subjects.

Insulin resistance is the principal cause of glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes and induces progression of severe atherosclerosis in these patients. Adiponectin, the adipose-specific proteins, is known to correlate negatively with insulin resistance in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of using serum adiponectin levels as a marker of insulin resistance in various states of insulin resistance. Furthermore, we attempted to establish a modified index of the homeostasis model assessment index (HOMA-IR), calculated from the product of serum insulin and plasma glucose levels divided by serum adiponectin levels (HOMA-AD). We recruited 117 Japanese subjects with various degrees of glucose tolerance and determined serum adiponectin levels and insulin sensitivity (M-value) by using the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. M-value, the gold standard index of insulin resistance, correlates significantly and independently with fasting insulin (r=-0.313, P<0.001), glucose (r=-0.319, P<0.001), and adiponectin (r=0.241, P<0.002) levels. M-values were more significantly correlated with HOMA-AD (r=-0.643, P<0.001) than HOMA-IR values (r=-0.591, P<0.001). In subjects with moderate hyperglycemia (fasting glucose levels>8.0mmol/L, n=30), HOMA-AD showed a more significant correlation with the M-value than HOMA-IR (r=-0.535, P=0.005 versus r=-0.461, P=0.010). We would therefore like to propose a novel index, HOMA-AD, as a simple and adequate index for determining insulin resistance even in diabetic patients with overt hyperglycemia.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2006

Regional arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Increased arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of death from cardiovascular disease, and aortic stiffness is more predictive than stiffness of other arterial regions. Because little is known about the effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on regional arterial stiffness, pulse wave velocity (PWV) of four different arterial segments was measured in patients who had type 2 diabetes with and without various stages of CKD. A total of 434 patients had type 2 diabetes, and there were 192 healthy control subjects who were comparable in age and gender. GFR was estimated by the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. The patients with diabetes were classified into CKD stages by the definition of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines. PWV was measured in the heart-femoral, heart-carotid, heart-brachial, and femoral-ankle segments simultaneously using an automatic pulse wave analyzer. PWV of each arterial region was increased in patients who had diabetes without kidney damage and was increased further in a stepwise manner with the advanced stages of CKD. The increase in PWV was greater in the heart-femoral and heart-carotid regions than in the heart-brachial and femoral-ankle segments. However, after adjustment for age, BP, and other confounding factors using a multiple regression model, decreased GFR was independently associated with increased PWV of the heart-femoral region but not with PWV of other arterial segments. In type 2 diabetes, CKD was associated with increased stiffness of arteries, particularly of the aorta. The cross-sectional result may explain the increased risk for cardiovascular disease in CKD, although longitudinal studies are needed to confirm it.

Arteries↗
PubMed2006

SREBP inhibits VEGF expression in human smooth muscle cells.

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are transcription factors that regulate expression of genes encoding enzymes for lipid biosynthesis. SREBPs are activated by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). Statins have been also reported to suppress vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Therefore, we hypothesized that SREBPs are involved in statin-mediated regulation of VEGF production in VSMCs. SREBP1 was robustly expressed, and was activated by atorvastatin in VSMCs, as demonstrated by increased levels of the mature nuclear form of SREBP1, and increased promoter activities of a reporter containing sterol regulatory elements by atorvastatin. Moreover, overexpression of SREBP1a dose-dependently suppressed VEGF promoter activity. Site-specific mutation or deletion of the proximal Sp1 sites reduced the inhibitory effects of SREBP1a on VEGF promoter activity. These data demonstrated that SREBP1, activated by atorvastatin, suppressed VEGF expression through the indirect interaction with the proximal tandem Sp1 sites in VSMCs.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

The association of plasma adiponectin level with carotid arterial stiffness.

Adiponectin plays important roles in protecting against both insulin resistance and the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical impact of plasma adiponectin on arterial stiffness, a functional property of atherosclerosis, in type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. We evaluated plasma adiponectin levels and stiffness index beta for the common carotid artery assessed by ultrasound using a phase-locked echo-tracking system for 98 type 2 diabetic subjects and 116 nondiabetic subjects as controls. Plasma adiponectin levels were significantly lower in the diabetic than in the nondiabetic group. The stiffness index beta was significantly higher in the diabetic than in the nondiabetic group. Plasma adiponectin level was significantly correlated with stiffness index beta in the group of all subjects (r=-0.189, P=.006) and the nondiabetic group (r=-0.187, P=.045), but not in the diabetic group (r=0.045, P=.665). On multiple regression analysis, plasma adiponectin level was found to be a significant independent contributor to stiffness index beta in the group of all subjects (beta=-0.232, P=.020) and the nondiabetic group (beta=-0.337, P=.016), but not in the diabetic group. In conclusion, adiponectin is significantly but weakly associated with carotid arterial stiffness independently of known atherogenic factors in the nondiabetic group and that of all subjects, although no significant association between these variables was found in the group of diabetic subjects.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2006

Effect of adiponectin on carotid arterial stiffness in type 2 diabetic patients treated with pioglitazone and metformin.

Adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific plasma protein, has been reported to exhibit protective effects against atherosclerosis as well as an insulin-sensitizing effect. This study was designed to investigate the effect of adiponectin on carotid arterial stiffness in type 2 diabetic patients treated with pioglitazone and metformin. Twenty type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled and divided into 2 groups, a pioglitazone-treated group (n = 10) and a metformin-treated group (n = 10). Before and after intervention, plasma adiponectin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and carotid arterial stiffness was evaluated by the stiffness parameter beta, measured by ultrasound equipped with a phase-locked echo-tracking system. In the pioglitazone group, plasma adiponectin level significantly increased and stiffness parameter beta significantly decreased, whereas in the metformin group neither of these parameters changed significantly. The changes in stiffness parameter beta were significantly and inversely correlated with change in plasma adiponectin level after treatment with pioglitazone or metformin in the group of all subjects (r = -0.472, P = .036). In conclusion, the present study is the first to demonstrate that increase in adiponectin level after treatment with the insulin sensitizers pioglitazone and metformin may improve arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2006

Impact of glycemic control on survival of diabetic patients on chronic regular hemodialysis: a 7-year observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of glycemic control during regular hemodialysis on the survival of diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a longitudinal observational study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 114 diabetic CKD patients on hemodialysis at Inoue Hospital (Suita, Japan) were surveyed from May 1995 to December 2002 (survey period 45.5 +/- 29.3 [means +/- SD] months). All subjects were categorized into three groups by mean HbA(1c) (A1C) level during the 3-month period on hemodialysis preceding entry, as follows: good (A1C <6.5%, 5.7 +/- 0.4%, n = 34), fair (6.5 or=8.0%, 9.2 +/- 0.9%, n = 41) A1C groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age at entry, initiation of hemodialysis, duration of hemodialysis, blood pressure, cardiothoracic ratio, serum creatinine level, or hemoglobin level among the three groups. The cumulative survival of the poor A1C group during the survey was significantly lower than that of the fair and good A1C groups as determined by Kaplan-Meier estimation (P = 0.041, log-rank test). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, both poor A1C group (hazard ratio 2.889, P = 0.010) and mean A1C (1.260 per 1.0%, P = 0.003) were significant predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS: In diabetic CKD patients on regular hemodialysis, poor glycemic control is an independent predictor of prognosis. This finding indicates the importance of careful management of glycemic control even after initiation of hemodialysis.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed2006

Regional arterial stiffness associated with ischemic heart disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Arterial stiffness is increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and diabetes preferentially affects arterial stiffness of the central (elastic, capacitive) over peripheral (muscular, conduit) arteries. We hypothesized that arterial stiffness of the central artery may be more closely associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD) than stiffness of peripheral arteries in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The subjects were 595 type 2 diabetes patients including 70 with IHD. Arterial stiffness was measured as pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the heart-carotid, heart-femoral, heart-brachial, and femoral-ankle regions. The PWV values of the four segments correlated with each other in patients without IHD. However, the correlations were less impressive in those with IHD, suggesting unequal stiffening of regional arteries in IHD. As compared with patients without IHD, the IHD group showed significantly higher PWV values of the four arterial segments, particularly of the heart-femoral region. The presence of IHD was significantly associated with higher heart-femoral PWV, and this association remained significant and independent of other factors in a multiple logistic regression analysis. Pulse pressure was more strongly correlated with PWV of the heart-femoral than other arterial regions. Thus, diabetic patients with IHD have increased stiffness of arteries, particularly of the aorta, supporting the concept that central arterial stiffness plays an important role in the development of IHD.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Platelet activation is associated with hypoadiponectinemia and carotid atherosclerosis.

Adiponectin, an adipokine secreted specifically from adipose tissue, has plurifunctions including antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, and antiinflammatory functions. Recently, platelet activation and the subsequent local inflammation have been implicated in progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of the study is to examine the interrelation among plasma adiponectin levels, platelet activation status and quantitatively determined carotid atherosclerosis. Subjects (n = 277) including 136 type 2 diabetic, 138 hypertensive, and 203 hypercholesterolemic patients participated in the study. Platelet activation was determined as percentage of polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) or monocytes aggregated with platelets analyzed by CD41-positivity determined by whole-blood flow cytometry. PMN-platelet aggregates were significantly and positively associated with carotid atherosclerosis (intimal-medial thickness, IMT) with the interaction stronger than that of monocyte-platelet aggregates. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that PMN-platelet aggregates were the third strongest determinant of carotid IMT, with age and HbA1c stronger independent determinants. Simple and stepwise regression analyses of the factors associated with PMN-platelet aggregates revealed that HbA1c (r = 0.423), serum adiponectin levels (r = -0.289) and age (r = -0.184) were the three independent determinants. Thus, our data unveil novel link between hypoadiponectinemia and platelet activation.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2005

Associations between physical activity, peripheral atherosclerosis and bone status in healthy Japanese women.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether physical activity and bone status may affect arterial thickening and stiffening in healthy Japanese women. Healthy women (n = 149; mean age, 54 years) were recruited from those who participated in a local health check program at the Osaka City University Hospital. Physical activity was assessed by physical functioning score of SF-36, and bone status by bone mineral density (BMD) in lumbar spine and calcaneus osteo-sono index (OSI). Arterial wall thickening assessed by intima-media thickness (IMT) in common carotid artery (CA) and femoral artery (FA), and arterial wall stiffening by peak wave velocity (PWV) in heart-carotid (hc) and heart-femoral (hf) as central segment and in heart-brachial (hb) and femoral-ankle (fa) as peripheral segment, respectively. By Spearman Rank correlation, lumbar spine BMD was correlated negatively with CA IMT (rho = -0.225, p < 0.05) and FA IMT (rho = -0.215, p < 0.05), and calcaneus OSI with FA IMT (rho = -0.330, p < 0.0001) but not CA IMT (rho = -0051, p = 0.5335). Both lumbar spine BMD and calcaneus OSI correlated negatively with PWV in all segments (all p < 0.05). Physical functioning score correlated weakly but significantly in a negative manner with all PWV segments (all p < 0.05) but not IMT. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant association of calcaneus OSI (beta = -0.240, p = 0.0039) but not lumbar spine BMD (beta = -0.067, p = 0.4541) with FA IMT, although neither lumbar spine BMD nor calcaneus OSI was associated with CA IMT. Furthermore, physical functioning score was independently associated with hb and fa PWV but not hc and hf PWV, suggesting the preferential association with peripheral segment including lower extremities. Neither lumbar spine BMD nor calcaneus OSI was associated with any segment of PWV. In conclusion, it was suggested that calcaneus OSI might be associated with arterial wall thickening preferentially in femoral artery, and that physical activity may be associated with arterial wall stiffening in peripheral segment including lower extremity but not in central segment in healthy Japanese women.

Atherosclerosis↗
PubMed2005

Plasma adiponectin level is associated with insulin-stimulated nonoxidative glucose disposal.

CONTEXT: Impaired nonoxidative glucose disposal and decrease in mitochondrial glucose oxidation both contribute to insulin resistance in diabetic subjects. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we investigated whether plasma adiponectin is associated with glucose oxidation and nonoxidative glucose disposal in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp was performed in 42 type 2 diabetic (T2DM) and 13 nondiabetic (non-DM) subjects. The whole-body glucose disposal rate (GDR) was evaluated as the mean of the glucose infusion rate during steady state of the clamp. Glucose and fat oxidation rates were assessed by indirect calorimetry, and nonoxidative glucose disposal rate was calculated by subtracting glucose oxidation rate from GDR. RESULTS: Plasma adiponectin level was significantly lower in T2DM than non-DM (2.87 +/- 1.40 vs. 3.96 +/- 2.39 microg/ml, P = 0.045). GDR (3.39 +/- 1.53 vs. 4.83 +/- 1.70 mg/kg x min, P = 0.006) and nonoxidative glucose disposal rate (1.89 +/- 1.39 vs. 3.11 +/- 1.76 mg/kg x min, P = 0.012) were significantly lower in T2DM, compared with non-DM, although no difference was found in glucose oxidation rate between the two groups. In all subjects, plasma adiponectin level was positively correlated with GDR (r = 0.351, P = 0.009) and nonoxidative glucose disposal rate (r = 0.324, P = 0.016) but not glucose oxidation rate. There was no significant correlation between plasma adiponectin level and fat oxidation, either before or during the clamp. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, plasma adiponectin level is associated with nonoxidative glucose disposal, which is reduced in type 2 diabetic subjects. Our results suggest that adiponectin controls insulin sensitivity by modulating the glycogen synthetic process in human skeletal muscle.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2005

Plasma level of endogenous secretory RAGE is associated with components of the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Advanced glycation endproducts, AGEs, and its specific receptor, RAGE, are involved in diabetic vascular complications. Endogenous secretory RAGE, esRAGE, has been identified as an alternatively spliced form of RAGE, and shown to act as a decoy receptor for AGE. Here, we measured plasma esRAGE level with a recently developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and examined its association with atherosclerosis in age- and gender-matched 203 type 2 diabetic and 134 nondiabetic subjects. METHODS AND RESULTS: Plasma esRAGE was inversely associated with carotid or femoral atherosclerosis, as quantitatively measured as intimal-medial thickness (IMT) by arterial ultrasound. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that plasma esRAGE was the third strongest and independent factor associated with carotid IMT, following age and systolic blood pressure. Plasma esRAGE was significantly lower in diabetic patients (0.176+/-0.092 ng/mL) than nondiabetic controls (0.253+/-0.111). Of note, in all, diabetic or nondiabetic group, plasma esRAGE was significantly and inversely correlated with components of the metabolic syndrome including body mass index, blood pressure, triglyceride, HbA1c, or an insulin resistance index. Stepwise regression analyses showed that body mass index or insulin resistance index was the major factor determining plasma esRAGE in all, nondiabetic or diabetic population. CONCLUSIONS: esRAGE is a novel and potential protective factor for the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Altered relationship between body fat and plasma adiponectin in end-stage renal disease.

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) show an inverse association between body mass index and risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Paradoxical epidemiology may suggest some beneficial effects of body fat in ESRD. Because an antiatherogenic adipocytokine adiponectin is increased in uremic plasma, we tested a hypothesis that, in ESRD, plasma adipocytokine profile may be less atherogenic or that the relationship between body fat and adipocytokines may be altered. The subjects were 103 patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis and 166 healthy subjects comparable in age and sex. We measured body fat mass by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and plasma levels of adiponectin and leptin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ESRD group showed a significant increase in plasma adiponectin, leptin, and adiponectin/leptin ratio than the healthy subjects. Although sex and fat mass were significant factors correlating with plasma adiponectin level in the healthy group, none of these were significantly associated with plasma adiponectin in the patients with ESRD. In contrast, leptin showed significant relationships with sex and fat mass regardless of the presence of ESRD. Plasma adiponectin correlated negatively with plasma triglycerides and positively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both healthy and ESRD groups, suggesting that uremic adiponectin retains its actions in favor of its antiatherogenicity. Thus, plasma adipocytokine profile was altered in ESRD, and the effects of body fat and sex on adiponectin were less significant in the patients with ESRD.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2005

The K469E polymorphism of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 gene is associated with plasma fibrinogen level in type 2 diabetes.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is involved in inflammation and development of atherosclerotic change of vascular endothelium. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether K469E polymorphism of the ICAM-1 gene is associated with various clinical factors including plasma fibrinogen in patients with type 2 diabetes. ICAM-1 gene polymorphism was examined using polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis in 360 type 2 diabetic patients. Plasma fibrinogen levels and other clinical variables were measured as well as circulating soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The distribution of ICAM-1 genotypes, EE, EK, and KK, was not significantly different between type 2 diabetes and 152 healthy control subjects. Among 3 groups according to ICAM-1 genotypes in type 2 diabetes, no difference was found in adiposity, glycemic control, lipid profile, insulin sensitivity evaluated by homeostasis model assessment, or sICAM-1. Regarding fibrinogen, the patients with E allele showed significantly lower plasma fibrinogen levels in a dose-dependent manner (P = .033). Spearman rank correlation analyses revealed that ICAM-1 genotype showed significant correlation with plasma fibrinogen level (P < .001). In multiple regression analysis, ICAM-1 genotype was independent contribution factor of plasma fibrinogen level as well as high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and urinary albumin excretion (R2 = 0.148, P < .001). In conclusion, K469E polymorphism of the ICAM-1 gene had impact on plasma fibrinogen level independently of other clinical factors in 360 type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting that fibrinogen is a candidate which links the ICAM-1 gene polymorphism to atherosclerosis.

Albuminuria↗