The goal of this study was to analyze the incidence of intracranial bleeding in patients who underwent procedures guided by microelectrode recording (MER) rather than by macroelectrode stimulation alone. Between March 1994 and July 2001, 178 patients underwent 248 functional neurosurgical procedures performed by the same team at the University ...

RATIONALE: Severe pulmonary hypertension occurs occasionally in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but no detailed description of these patients is available. OBJECTIVES: To identify and characterize patients with COPD and severe pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: Retrospective study of 27 patients with COPD with severe pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary artery mean ...

OBJECTIVES: To explore how patients and general practitioners (GPs) construct the concept of appropriateness in the context of hypertension management. METHOD: Q-methodology was used. The study involved 120 patients and 12 GPs ranking 42 statements according to their degree of agreement or disagreement when considering appropriate hypertension management. The statements, ...

The failure to achieve blood pressure (BP) control in the general population makes a substantial contribution to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and subsequent renal failure. Each year, in the United States, more than 94,000 people develop end-stage renal disease; about 65% of these cases are directly attributable ...

BACKGROUND: Despite repair of aortic coarctation, hypertension is frequent in adults and premature coronary and cerebrovascular disease remain of concern. Persistent impairment of arterial dilation has been suspected to contribute to abnormal blood pressure regulation. We tested the hypothesis that arterial reactivity is more likely to be impaired in patients ...

The authors examined the relationship between hypertension and cognitive performance in 34 African-American patients with probable Alzheimer disease. Multiple regression analyses indicated that hypertension was associated with poorer overall performance on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, particularly the Initiation/Perseveration and Conceptualization subscales, after controlling for gender, age, and education. The ...

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease that can potentially involve all tissues and organs of the human body. Based on the extent of the disease and organ involvement, different subsets of patients and organ involvement, different subsets of patients have been identified and several classifications proposed have been ...

OBJECTIVE: Improved recognition of the importance of systolic blood pressure (SBP) has been identified as one of the major public health and medical challenges in the prevention and treatment of hypertension (HTN). SBP is a strong independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease but no information is available on whether patients ...

The dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan has been approved in several countries for pulmonary arterial hypertension, and patients with portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) have not specifically been excluded. However, no data have been published on the efficacy and safety of bosentan in this patient population. Here, the first clinical experiences with ...

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate and compare the relative cost-benefit of Doppler sonography, MR angiography, and captopril-enhanced renal scintigraphy as techniques for predicting a patient's clinical response to renal angioplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Estimations of positive and negative predictive values of baseline and captopril-enhanced renal scintigraphy and Doppler sonography examinations ...

Accurate assessment of cardiovascular risk is a key step toward optimizing the treatment of hypertensive patients. We analyzed the impact and cost-effectiveness of routine, thorough assessment of target organ damage (TOD) in evaluating risk profile in hypertension. A total of 380 never-treated patients with essential hypertension underwent routine work-up plus ...

There is no controlled clinical trial on the treatment of de novo arterial hypertension after liver transplantation (LT) a common complication using calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) for immunosuppressive therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker, and carvedilol, an alpha1- ...

Preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, knowing that the superobese patient carries a higher risk than the normal population or the regular obese patient. Future studies with larger numbers of patients should be able to demonstrate the effectiveness this procedure in reducing ...

Impaired pulmonary release of nitric oxide (NO) is one of the characteristic phenotypic changes of vascular cells in pulmonary hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent whole body NO production in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. NOS-dependent whole body NO production was assessed by ...

We examined symptom experiences, symptom attributions, and causal attributions reported by patients hospitalized for a first-time myocardial infarction (MI). We also explored the roles of symptoms, negative affect, and risk factors in promoting stress and other causal attributions. Patients (N = 65) completed measures of symptom experiences and attributions, perceived ...

OBJECTIVES: This multicenter, three-armed, open-labeled study investigated patient compliance of patients receiving irbesartan, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or calcium-channel blockers (CCB) for essential hypertension for a 6-month period. Patients were either newly diagnosed or switched from existing antihypertensive medication due to lack of efficacy or side-effects. METHODS: Patients were started ...

A 54-year-old man suffered from a relapse of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and developed quadriplegia and somnolence requiring mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure. Serum Na concentration remained at low levels during the clinical course, and a diagnosis of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) was made. The present case ...

The present study was conducted to evaluate some of the components of antioxidant defense system and oxidative damage in 20 male patients of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The results were compared with 20 healthy male smokers and 20 healthy male non-smokers volunteers. Patients were subjected to detailed clinical examination and ...

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a syndrome in which the principal symptom is apnea during sleep. Hypoxia in OSAS is a stress condition, which when prolonged in time, could alter hypothalamo-hypophysial-suprarenal control and the cortisol cicadian rhythm. We studied 28 patients with OSAS (30-60 years old), 20 female and ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of antihypertensive drugs and blood pressure (BP) levels in relation to current guidelines for BP control in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in six renal outpatient clinics in Oslo and the surrounding area. The hospital ...

AIMS: This post-marketing surveillance study assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the treatment with nifedipine OROS in hypertensive patients in Taiwan. RESULTS: A total of 2044 patients were included in 204 outpatient clinics. Patients received 30 mg or 60 mg of nifedipine OROS. Mean treatment duration was 15.8 weeks. ...

BACKGROUND: Dipyridamole stress transesophageal echocardiography (STEE) is a feasible method for the evaluation of coronary flow velocity reserve (CFR). AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate CFR in hypertensive patients with or without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). METHODS: The study comprised 73 patients with a negative coronary ...

BACKGROUND: Portal hypertension is a common disease. The surgical therapy of this disease focuses on the resultant upper digestive tract bleeding, which can imperil patients' life directly. This study was to evaluate the effect of triplex operation (mesocaval C shunt with artificial graft, ligation of the coronary vein and splenic ...

Elevated levels of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The risk profile of white-coat hypertension (WCHT) is not yet completely clear. In this study, we aim to determine the levels of plasma Hcy in a group of patients with WCHT, and to obtain clinical results ...

OBJECTIVE: Concerns exist about heavily prescribing of new drugs when the evidence on hard outcomes is still limited. This has been the case for the newer classes of antihypertensives, especially in hypertensive patients without additional comorbidity. The association between comorbidity and trends in prescribing of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and ...

BACKGROUND: The endoscopic appearance of portal hypertensive intestinal vasculopathy is well described in the stomach, the jejunum, and the colon, but there is no description of changes that occur in the ileum. METHODS: The terminal ileum was intubated at colonoscopy in 44 patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension and 46 ...

The capacity of microalbuminuria to predict an increased cardiovascular and renal risk is well established in diabetic patients, as well as in essential hypertensive patients and in general population. Detection of microalbuminuria could then be relevant to select specific therapeutic strategies for reducing or preventing cardiovascular events in patients with ...

BACKGROUND: Portal hypertensive gastropathy is a potential cause of bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis. Studies on its natural history have often included patients submitted to endoscopic or pharmacological treatment for portal hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 222 cirrhotic patients with mild degree of portal hypertension (i.e., with ...

There are limited data regarding the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in arterial hypertension. The aim of the present study was to determine some markers of vascular function, including VEGF, active renin and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in patients with endocrine hypertension. The study comprised: 30 patients with primary ...

Adequate control of blood pressure (BP) is important to slow the progression of chronic renal failure (CRF). The Joint National Committee (JNC) VI recommends BP <130/85 mmHg, or <125/75 mmHg if urinary protein excretion exceeds 1 g/d. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) are considered as first-line agents. The current study ...

Moxonidine is a centrally active imidazoline receptor agonist that effectively lowers blood pressure and has been shown to have beneficial effects on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. We assessed the efficacy of moxonidine in a postmarketing surveillance study (CAMUS) conducted in 772 practices in Germany, documenting 4005 patients with hypertension, who ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As part of a recent study, cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPETs) were used to evaluate and follow up patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These patients were more impaired than those in other published series evaluating CPET reproducibility. We used these patient tests to assess patient performance variability ...

Fifty years ago, Jerome Conn described 'a new clinical syndrome which is designated temporarily as primary aldosteronism' in a young patient with hypertension, severe hypokalaemia and a benign adrenocortical tumour, for whom an adrenalectomy cured both the hypertension and hypokalaemia. His report identified the condition known as aldosterone-producing adenoma, a ...

BACKGROUND: This study tested the hypothesis that sympathetic nerve activity is increased in pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), a rare disease of poor prognosis and incompletely understood pathophysiology. We subsequently explored whether chemoreflex activation contributes to sympathoexcitation in PAH. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography, ...

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), also known as pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), is a condition characterized by increased intracranial pressure without clinical, laboratory or radiologic evidence of an intracranial space-occupying lesion, meningeal inflammation or venous outflow obstruction. Previous population-based studies evaluated the presenting clinical features of IIH in North-Eastern Libya, Iowa, ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Blood pressure (BP) control is considered essential in patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke, and it is recommended that BP be monitored every 15 minutes to 1 hour for 24 hours in these patients. We postulated that patients whose BP is not initially ...

BACKGROUND: Although patients with primary pulmonary hypertension and patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension with distal lesions may share similar pathophysiological characteristics, scarce information is available on the usefulness of epoprostenol in this form of secondary pulmonary hypertension. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety and ...

There have been numerous studies of the relationship between intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and meteorological conditions, but their conclusions have been inconsistent. Poor discrimination of ICH subtypes (primary or secondary) may have obscured the conclusions. Although most studies have analyzed seasonal or monthly variation, daily meteorological data are more appropriate for ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients' adherence to antihypertensive drug regimens is a complex but important factor in achieving blood pressure control and reducing adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Approximately one half of patients with hypertension adhere to prescribed medications, and fewer than one in three patients have controlled blood pressure. RECENT FINDINGS: Several ...

The majority of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are hypertensive. Drug therapy for hypertension in hemodialysis (HD) patients includes all classes of antihypertensive drugs, with the sole exception of diuretics. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers may decrease morbidity and mortality by reducing the mean arterial pressure ...

BACKGROUND: An association between midlife blood pressure levels and late-life cognitive impairment has been reported. Hypertension is one of the most important factors related to the presence of cerebral white matter lesions, which is a prognostic factor for the development of cognitive impairment. Studies have shown a relationship between white ...

The aim of this study was to look at the effect of age on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), left ventricular mass (LVM), QTc dispersion and Lown score of arrhythmia in patients with essential hypertension compared with normal healthy subjects. One hundred and fifteen (115) hypertensive patients (67 men, 48 women) ...

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular problems are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Endothelial dysfunction (ED) and intima-media thickness (IMT) are predictors for the development and progression of atherosclerosis. In the present study, ED and IMT were investigated in patients with ADPKD. METHODS: ...

Pulmonary hypertension is an extremely serious and potentially fatal disorder. Although pulmonary hypertension is a potential complication of connective tissue disease, it has been reported rarely in patients with dermatomyositis. Similarly, multiple myeloma is rare in patients with dermatomyositis. We describe a patient with severe pulmonary hypertension who also had ...

OBJECTIVES: We report on a subanalysis of the effects of losartan and atenolol on cardiovascular events in black patients in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) study. BACKGROUND: The LIFE study compared losartan-based to atenolol-based therapy in 9,193 hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Overall, the ...

We sought to assess the relation between circulating levels of inflammation markers, such as neopterin and C-reactive protein, and the development of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension but without obstructive coronary artery disease. We observed that patients who developed adverse events during follow-up had significantly higher neopterin levels ...

In a retrospective study, the characteristics of a group of patients (n = 9) with a postnatally expressed Crouzon syndrome were described. Although they do not always display the physical signs of craniosynostosis, such patients are highly at risk of developing symptoms secondary to multiple suture synostosis. By reviewing the ...

Secondary hypertension (SH) including endocrine hypertension has been reported to be uncommon. We estimated the prevalence of SH among hypertensive patients. We prospectively studied 1,020 hypertensive patients. As an initial screening, we measured plasma aldosterone concentration, plasma renin activity, serum cortisol concentration and plasma catecholamine concentration and conducted abdominal ultrasonography ...

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) constitute a subgroup of high-risk hypertensives, but controlled studies on 24-h blood pressure (BP) and diurnal variation of BP are lacking. This study was performed in order to test the hypothesis that office BP (OBP) may underestimate 24-h BP in PAD patients in comparison ...

AIM: The treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension remains a challenge. We set out to investigate the use of sildenafil, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5, in patients with this disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten patients (8 females, mean age 34.5+/-3.3 years) with pulmonary hypertension underwent right heart ...