"Job strain" (defined as high psychological demands and low decision latitude on the job) has been previously reported to be associated with increased risk of hypertension and increased left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in a case-control study of healthy employed men, aged 30-60 years, without evidence of coronary heart disease. ...

Twenty female regular cigarette smokers and coffee drinkers performed a numerical Stroop task in a 2 x 2 (caffeine x smoking) prepost crossover design. In the easier of the two different versions, caffeine and smoking reduced the reaction times (RT's) when given alone, but there was no additive effect. The ...

In order to evaluate the effects of 'espresso' Italian coffee on resting flow, blood pressure, and peripheral resistance, 15 non-coffee drinking healthy volunteers received 2 cups of regular coffee, 200 mg purified caffeine or placebo in a latin square double-blind crossover protocol. Before and 30, 60, 90 and 120 min ...

Growth hormone (GH), blood pressure, and pulse rate responses to clonidine (100 micrograms IV) were studied three times during the first week of alcohol withdrawal in 19 alcohol-dependent patients. Fifteen healthy men were used as controls. The results suggest reduced sensitivity of the alpha-2-adrenoceptors involved in GH secretion for at ...

This study tested the hypothesis that differences in the processing of raw coffee beans can account for some of the variability in gastric effects of coffee drinking. Coffees were selected to represent several ways that green coffee beans are treated, ie, processing variables. These included instant and ground coffee processing, ...

Inhalation of cigarette smoke has been shown to induce bronchoconstriction which should stimulate slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors (PSRs). To test this possibility, the activity of PSRs was recorded from fine afferent filaments of the vagus nerve before and after 120 ml of smoke generated from high-nicotine cigarettes was delivered ...

The effect of heavy drinking and sauna bathing on cardiac rhythm, blood pressure, and serum electrolyte and cortisol concentrations was studied in 10 healthy male volunteers. Sauna bathing induced a comparable, significant increase in heart rate with and without alcohol consumption. During sauna bathing without alcohol, systolic blood pressure remained ...

The effect of a moderate oral dose of ethanol/(0.5 g.kg-1 body weight) on nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was evaluated in nine male patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), (median forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 0.9 l, arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) 9.3 kPa, arterial carbon dioxide ...

A group of 297 building labourers from the northernmost province of Sweden was monitored for 2 years in order to register health changes associated with unemployment. Blood pressure before and after the observation period was compared with the subjects' experience of unemployment during that period. More than 60% of the ...

This investigation evaluated the diagnostic value of medical thermology for the documentation of myofascial trigger points. Previous investigators have suggested that circumscribed 'hot spots' reflect the thermal activity of trigger points. A total of 365 patients participated in the four separate experiments. Upper back trigger points were isolated via palpation. ...

A cross-sectional study was performed in the Paris area, with a total of 7901 subjects; 432 of them were exposed to occupational noise greater than or equal to 85 dBA. Noise was measured by the worksite physicians, and length of exposure was collected through interview. The subjects exposed to noise ...

The relation between alcohol consumption and blood pressure is well recognized, and advice to reduce alcohol plays an important part in the management of hypertensive patients. We have evaluated the effectiveness of this advice in a randomized, controlled, single-blind clinical study. After a 2-week run-in period, hypertensive men regularly consuming ...

The relationship between regular alcohol consumption and blood pressure elevation is now firmly established. Outstanding issues which will be discussed relate to the nature of the dose response curve, interactions between alcohol and other dietary and behavioural factors, mechanisms involved and the question of any protective influence of alcohol on ...

The often disparate and contrasting effects of nicotine on subjective arousal in smokers may be due in part to differences in presmoking subjective state. In Study 1, on each of 2 days, 10 male smokers were divided into high- and low-baseline subgroups on the basis of median split of resting ...

An observational study was conducted of participants in a 4-km race with the object of identifying risk factors for a poor outcome. Sixteen individuals were identified who required medical assistance at the end of the race. Pulse and lying and standing blood pressure were measured and a brief history was ...

The influence of the level of serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, a biological marker of alcohol consumption, on elevations of blood pressure and on the development of hypertension related to increases in alcohol consumption was determined in a cross-sectional study of 1,492 middle-aged male workers and in a subsequent 5-year follow-up study ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects on blood pressure of modifying dietary caffeine intake in patients with mild and borderline hypertension by monitoring ambulatory and clinic blood pressure. DESIGN: Four way, randomised, crossover trial of four consecutive two week dietary regimens: normal diet, caffeine free diet alone, caffeine free diet with ...

The question of whether long-term elimination of coffee from the diet lowers blood pressure has not been settled. Consumption of Scandinavian-style "boiled coffee" is associated with coronary heart disease. However, little is known about the effect of brewing method on the blood pressure-raising potential of coffee. We have studied the ...

This study tested the efficacy of relaxation therapy as sole treatment for mild hypertension in 110 men and women recruited from a five-stage worksite blood pressure screening program. Participants were randomized to 12-weeks of relaxation therapy or support therapy. Outcome blood pressure assessments made by assessors who were unaware of ...

An epidemiological survey of blood pressure was carried out among men employed at a single factory in Ibadan, Nigeria. All available employees participated, with only four persons excluded at the time of analysis for missing data. Hypertension was uncommon (blood pressure greater than or equal to 160/95 = 8%) and ...

The suppression of heart rate variation reflects cardiac autonomic nervous dysfunction and is known to be associated with a poor prognosis or sudden death in diabetic patients. We investigated consecutive changes in the heart rate variation in 51 alcoholics using the coefficient of variation of R-R interval (CVRR). To correct ...

Learning and memory processes were compared in 20 men with untreated blood pressure elevation and 20 normotensive control subjects matched for age, education, and average alcohol consumption. Subjects were identified from a larger sample of 469 factory workers who had participated in an epidemiologic investigation. Three measures (e.g., Symbol-Digit Learning ...

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Vasodilator prostaglandins have been claimed to be responsible for the coronary haemodynamic and venodilator effects of glyceryl trinitrate, although conflicting results have been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether vasodilator prostaglandins play a role in the effect of glyceryl trinitrate on the distensibility of ...

Hamsters were fed 50% alcohol instead of drinking water for up to 42 weeks (average serum alcohol levels were 0.12 +/- 0.06 gm/dl during the 42 weeks). One group of hamsters (28 weeks) was given verapamil 3 days before they were killed. Two groups were withdrawn from alcohol acutely (3 ...

Phenylpropanolamine, a widely consumed over-the-counter drug, is known to elevate blood pressure, but the mechanism is unknown; it may be both a direct and indirect sympathomimetic. This study investigated the effects of 75-mg sustained-release phenylpropanolamine, 75-mg phenylpropanolamine plus 400-mg caffeine, and 150-mg phenylpropanolamine on blood pressure, plasma norepinephrine, and epinephrine ...

The effects of 0.5 g ethanol/kg body weight and of an iso-volumic control drink were compared in eight normotensive subjects aged 70-96 years. Blood alcohol concentration reached a mean (+/- SEM) maximum of 44.4 +/- 5.0 mg/dl at 50 minutes after the start of drinking. Compared to control, alcohol increased ...

This study was conducted in 1986, with the objective of finding out whether high blood pressure is a problem in the urban and rural populations of Kitui, and the risk factors that may be contributing to the problem. 360 people were visited at home and work places and their blood ...

The effect of local instillation of alcohol on sphincter of Oddi motor activity was determined by endoscopic manometry. Sphincter of Oddi pressures and motor function were compared in eight cholecystectomized subjects with normal sphincter of Oddi motor function and in four patients with chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. The effect of local ...

To determine whether moderate ingestion of alcohol for protracted periods of time affects normal cardiac performance and produces myocyte damage, male Fischer 344 rats at 4 mo of age were given 30% ethanol in their drinking water every day for a period of 8 mo. Experimental animals and age-matched controls ...

Alcoholics' blood pressures (BP) are typically elevated during withdrawal. Do such elevations predict future blood pressure dysregulation or are they simply a transitory effect of alcohol toxicity? Thirty-two patients admitted to the hospital for alcohol detoxification were tested to examine the relationship between admission BP and response to isometric handgrip ...

The acute haemodynamic effects of Italian coffee and 200 mg purified caffeine were investigated in 15 healthy non-coffee-drinkers compared to individuals who consumed placebo (highly decaffeinated coffee for regular coffee, and china bitter extract for caffeine). Before coffee and caffeine consumption and 30, 60, 90 and 120 min afterwards, rest ...

The grip strength in both hands of thirty-two heavy vehicle drivers and twenty-two nondrivers ranging from 30 to 60 years of age was investigated. Blood pressure, heart rate and other physical parameters were also investigated. The subjects were drawn at random from the employees of the North Bengal State Transport ...

The hypothesis that the action of alcohol on blood pressure is rapidly reversible and that its effect is therefore mainly due to very recent alcohol consumption was examined in this study. Five hundred and seventy-seven subjects were screened in an occupational survey. Alcohol consumption, documented with a 1-week retrospective diary ...

Caffeine produces an acute increase in blood pressure in the research laboratory, but its effect on the ambulatory blood pressure during normal daily activities is unknown. In 25 normotensive, caffeine-naive subjects, daily administration of 400 mg caffeine produced a small increase (+3/+3 mm Hg, P less than .001) in ambulatory ...

1. From an earlier cross-sectional survey of 343 public servants, 15 pairs of non-smoking teetotallers and heavy drinkers (alcohol intake more than 350 mL/week) were matched for age and adiposity and utilized for a case-control study of the effects of alcohol on 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-OHSD) activity and blood ...

BACKGROUND: Although blood pressure tends to increase with average alcohol consumption, little is known about the effects of drinking patterns on blood pressure. Therefore, the effects of average drinks per day and drinking pattern (defined as the independent and interactive effects of quantity and frequency) on blood pressure were compared. ...

To study the effects of caffeine on serum lipids and blood pressure, we conducted a double-blind, randomized trial with two parallel groups in 69 young, healthy subjects. After a 3-wk run-in period, subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups receiving either 4-6 140-mL cups filtered decaffeinated coffee per ...

I examined two young men who developed cerebral infarction associated with heavy marijuana smoking. Both were light tobacco smokers, but they did not drink alcohol or use other street drugs. Diagnostic work-up for nonatherosclerotic causes of stroke was unremarkable. I postulate that marijuana-associated alterations in systemic blood pressure resulted in ...

While there is a clear consensus in the epidemiologic literature on the direct association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure, the shape of this relation and its strength in blacks are uncertain. Therefore, the association between alcohol and blood pressure was examined in a community-based random sample of 1,784 black ...

In a double-blind, randomized trial the effects of caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks on postprandial hemodynamic and neurohumoral changes were studied in seven fit, elderly subjects after a standard 2.4MJ meal. There was a significant difference in supine postprandial systolic blood pressure between the placebo and caffeine phases (P less than ...

The interactive effects of caffeine and nicotine were studied in twelve subjects. Mood and physiologic responses to the pharmacologic components nicotine and caffeine were measured, while controlling for the sensory/behavioral aspects of smoking and coffee drinking. Two experimental sessions presented a caffeine x nicotine design, with caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee ...

A cannabis smoking trial was conducted using paid volunteers. Subjective intoxication, measured using a visual analogue scale, was compared with heart rate and with salivary delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels at various times after smoking a cigarette containing 11 mg THC. Subjective intoxication and heart rate elevation were significantly correlated with the ...

It has been reported that calcium intake may effectively modulate the expression of hypertension affected by sodium. The present study extends our previous analysis of this calcium-sodium interaction, additionally demonstrating that calcium, sodium, and alcohol intake further contribute to both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in normotensive subjects. Calcium intake ...

The pressor response to acute alcohol loading is variable and the factors influencing it are unknown. Data from 34 standardized alcohol loading studies were analysed to try to identify any factor(s) that might predict the pressor response to oral alcohol. The maximum blood pressure rise following an acute alcohol load ...

While the renin-angiotensin system has traditionally been considered part of a larger homeostatic process that regulates blood pressure and fluid/electrolyte balance, the data summarized in this review suggest a new and different kind of function- that of regulating the behavior of alcohol consumption. Using a wide variety of drug, genetic, ...

The echocardiographic and psychometric effects of amitriptyline or imipramine combined with alcohol have been studied in a double-blind cross-over trial in 7 healthy volunteers. Amitriptyline or imipramine 25 mg b.d. were given for three days and then the dose was doubled. On Days 1 and 10-13 echocardiographic measurements were done, ...

In a study sample consisting of 388 unselected, consecutive acute stroke patients, 27 with systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 200 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 115 mmHg were compared with the other 361 patients. The patients with high blood pressure were younger ...

The present study examined the influence of consumer status and anxious disposition on the hypertensive effects of caffeine. A secondary aim of the study was to investigate possible gender differences in response to caffeine. Sixty normotensive subjects were assigned to 4 groups representing high and low scorers on the variables ...

The acute effects of consuming alcohol after a single oral dose of 200 mg of metoprolol or placebo were examined in eight healthy men in a randomized, controlled study. Alcohol, in a dose of 0.75 g/kg body weight, did not abolish the antihypertensive effect of metoprolol upon supine systolic blood ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between the prevalence of deviation and the mean for the whole population in characteristics such as blood pressure and consumption of alcohol. DESIGN: Re-examination of standardised data from the Intersalt study, an international, multicentre study on the determinants of blood pressure. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Samples ...