title: Height is an indicator of vascular maintenance capacity in older men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bone-derived circulating CD34-positive cells are reported to play an important role in vascular maintenance. Additionally, height might influence age-related hematopoietic bone marrow decline, as it positively correlates with total bone marrow volume. As hypertension should mask the beneficial effects of circulating CD34-positive cells, hypertension status should account for this correlation. The present study aimed to clarify the clinical importance of height on vascular maintenance in older Japanese men.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a cross-sectional study of 343 older men aged 65-69 years who underwent a general health checkup from 2013 to 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, height was found to be slightly, but significantly, positively correlated with the log number of circulating CD34-positive cells in systolic, but not non-systolic, hypertensive men. Multilinear regression analysis showed a parameter estimate (B) and standardized parameter estimate (β) of 3.23 × 10-2, 0.28 (P = 0.003) for systolic hypertensive men and -0.49 × 10-2, -0.04 (P = 0.495) for non-systolic hypertensive men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Height positively correlates with circulating CD34-positive cells in systolic, but not non-systolic, hypertensive men. As the beneficial effects of circulating CD34-positive cells on endothelial repair might be masked by hypertension where the production of CD34-positive cells is stimulated by hypertension-induced vascular damage, among individuals with systolic hypertension, circulating CD34-positive cells should indicate the limits of endothelial repair. Therefore, height might indicate the capacity for adequate vascular maintenance in older men. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1729-1736.
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.|Department of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Osaka, Japan.
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Shimizu
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors: Shimpei
authors: S
authors: Sato
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Koyamatsu
authors: Department of Island and Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors: Hirotomo
authors: H
authors: Yamanashi
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors: Mako
authors: M
authors: Nagayoshi
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors: Koichiro
authors: K
authors: Kadota
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.|Department of Island and Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018952:Antigens, CD34; D001827:Body Height; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34
keywords: CD34-positive cell; elderly man; height; vascular maintenance