The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity warrants preventive actions, particularly among people in transitional stages associated with lifestyle changes, such as occupational retirement. The purpose is to investigate the effect of a one year low-intensity computer-tailored energy balance programme among recent retirees on waist circumference, body weight and body ...

Adipose tissue is now considered to be an active physiologic system operating in concert with multiple other organs. Leptin is a peptide hormone that is primarily synthesized and secreted by adipose tissue whose principal action is the control of appetite and energy balance. However, current information suggests that leptin exerts ...

Background: Obesity and hypertension are often comorbid, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms that link them are not fully understood. Natriuretic peptides might play a role in this association. The majority of studies show lower brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations as well as lower concentrations of the N-terminal of the prohormone (NT-proBNP) ...

We measured dynamic biomechanics of loss-of-resistance (LOR) epidural placement in prone cadavers, focussing on the period immediately following LOR, to estimate forces acting on the tissue of the epidural space. An epidural syringe with 17G Hustead needle was instrumented to track force on the plunger, pressure in the chamber, and ...

BACKGROUND: Overweight, obesity and hypertension can be prevented through improvements in lifestyle including nutrition and physical activity. General practitioners (GPs) in Australia have access to over 90% of the population in the course of a year and therefore, the general practice setting may be ideal to assist patients with lifestyle ...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, although perceived to be high, is often difficult to demonstrate in disease free (healthy) obese adults. Changes in circadian blood pressure variability (CBPV) and endothelial function (EF) may be early correlates of cardiometabolic disorders. Asymptomatic men and women in 3 groups: normal weight (n = 10), ...

Observational studies and controlled experiments have provided evidence that airborne particulate matter (PM) is capable of acutely increasing blood pressure (BP) in certain scenarios. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether and to what extent obesity and community location affect relationships between fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) and blood ...

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of orlistat-assisted weight loss on endothelium-dependent vasodilation by ultrasonography in obese Chinese subjects with hypertension. Thirty obese hypertensive patients (mean age: 46.6 +/- 10.3 yr, male:12) were given 120 mg of orlistat 120 mg three times daily for 12 weeks, without a ...

Among hemodialysis patients, the assessment of dry weight remains a matter of clinical judgment because tests to assess dry weight have not been validated. The objective of this study was to evaluate and validate relative plasma volume (RPV) monitoring as a marker of dry weight. We performed RPV monitoring using ...

The leptin-deficient ob/ob mice are insulin resistant and obese. However, the control of blood pressure in this model is not well defined. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of leptin and of the renin-angiotensin system in the cardiovascular abnormalities observed in obesity using a model lacking ...

AIM: To identify which parameters could help to distinguish the "metabolically benign obesity", which is not accompanied by insulin resistance (IR) and early atherosclerosis. METHODS: Eighty two of 124 overweight/obese females formed the study population, which was divided into two groups (52 and 30 subjects, respectively) with and without IR ...

Hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Although the link between weight, sodium and hypertension is established in younger people, little is known about their inter-relationship in people beyond 80 years of age. Associations between blood pressure, anthropometric indices and sodium were investigated in 495 ...

In adults, hypertension has long been perceived as a public health problem. By contrast, its impact in childhood is far less appreciated. In fact, quite often, high blood pressure in children is not even diagnosed. Blood pressure is a vital sign that is routinely obtained during a physical examination of ...

Low birth weight, an indicator of intrauterine growth restriction, is associated with adult cardiovascular (CV) disease, type 2 diabetes, and adverse levels of CV risk factors. Impaired pulsatile arterial function is also an independent predictor of early vascular damage and related CV outcome. However, information is scant regarding the influence ...

Maternal obesity in rodents is associated with increased adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance, and hypertension in adult offspring. In this study we investigated the influence of maternal obesity in the rat on blood pressure and blood pressure regulatory pathways in juvenile and adult offspring. Obesity was induced before pregnancy in female ...

Although numerous studies suggest an inverse relationship between birth weight and cardiovascular disease, the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon is not fully understood. Here, we postulate that alterations in plasma concentration of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and growth factors might show different associations between birth weight, blood pressure levels, and vascular ...

BACKGROUND: Obesity has made obesity-related diseases a worldwide problem. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of diet-oriented intervention on obese children with hypertension in China and to determine the relationship between anthropometric indexes and hypertension. METHODS: A total of 469 obese children, aged 6 to 18 years, were ...

This study determined the percentiles of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and theABSTRACT This study determined the percentiles of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension among 789 primary-school children aged 7-12 years in the city of Eghbalieh, Islamic Republic of Iran. Mean systolic and diastolic blood ...

Obesity and overweight are a significant public health problem that affects the quality of life of the individuals concerned. We studied the prevalence and related risk factors for obesity among academics. This descriptive cross-sectional study sampled 499 academic staff at Elazig Firat University, Turkey. Height, weight and blood pressure values ...

The objective of this study was to examine the differences in arterial distensibility between overweight/obese and normal weight pre- and early pubescent boys and girls. Arterial distensibility was measured in 65 children (43 normal weight and 22 overweight/obese) between the ages of 9 and 12 years. Weight classification was based ...

The aim of this paper was to study the correlations between blood pressure and other health variables in Spanish adolescents. 204 boys and 270 girls (aged 13-17 years, with written parental consent,) from 18 private and 17 public educative centers from 16 of 21 districts of the city of Madrid, ...

Hypertension and obesity are highly prevalent among African Americans (AAs). We have previously reported that both plasma aldosterone (PA) and body mass index (BMI) are higher in hypertensive than in normotensive AAs. This study evaluates the relative contributions of adiposity and PA to hypertension in AAs. A total of 466 ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess viability of the development of percentage body fat cutoffs based on blood pressure values in Brazilian adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 358 male subjects from 8 to 18 years old. Blood pressure was measured by the oscilometric method, and body composition ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The prevalence of children with hypertension is increasing, especially in obese children. This study was to assess the relationship between blood pressure, indexes of adiposity, body fat distribution and insulin resistance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sample: 1044 children (M/F: 484/560; aged 6-11 years). Anthropometry and blood pressure were ...

We aimed at investigating whether the degree of adiposity is related to haemodynamic variables such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and resting heart rate (HR), and to haemodynamic abnormalities such as hypertension and resting tachycardia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among young students in Ebonyi ...

OBJECTIVES: The German Environment Agency carried out its fourth German Environmental Survey (GerES IV) from 2003 to 2006, which was especially for children. 1048 children, 8-14 years of age, were randomly selected from all over Germany. The sample is representative of children in this age group living in Germany with ...

Obesity is becoming a worldwide problem of epidemic proportions, and its effect on the heart is increasingly being recognized. Obesity is often associated with an increased risk for heart failure. In this article, the authors review the evidence for obesity-related cardiomyopathy. The importance of metabolic disturbances in the development of ...

BACKGROUND: Morbid obesity (MO) is associated with increased renal plasma flow (RPL) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This type of obesity usually does not respond to medical treatment, with bariatric surgery being the current treatment of choice. The present study aimed to evaluate whether weight loss may reverse the glomerular ...

AIM: To determine whether blood pressure (BP)-LVM relationships depend in-part on the influence of an excess adiposity and whether this translates into a greater effect of hypertension on LVM in obese as compared with lean people. METHODS: In 399 randomly recruited participants from a general population with a high prevalence ...

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that in young, normotensive obese subjects, physical activity at a fixed, moderate workload, causes a more pronounced hypertensive effect than in lean subjects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 24 subjects (12 with BMI >30 kg/m(2), 12 with BMI <25 kg/m(2)), underwent a moderate-intensity physical activity protocol (cycling ...

PURPOSE: We investigated the association between nocturnal blood pressure and urine production in children with enuresis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 39 consecutive children with a mean age of 9.8 years (range 6.2 to 14.9) with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis completed a bladder diary, including 2 weeks of basic documentation ...

Obesity causes hypertension and sympathoactivation, a process proposed to be mediated by leptin. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a major new pharmaceutical target in the treatment of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus, constrains the metabolic actions of leptin, but the extent to which PTP1B regulates its cardiovascular effects is ...

PURPOSE: The present study evaluated whether an intervention using a short message service (SMS) by cellular phone and Internet would improve blood pressure, weight control, and serum lipids of obese patients with hypertension during 8 weeks. METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental design with pre- and follow-up tests. Participants were recruited ...

OBJECTIVE: To verify an association, if it exists, between obesity and blood pressure raised beyond the 90th percentile in children and adolescents, and to determine the measure of adiposity that best correlates with blood pressure in these subjects. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A school-based study in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: ...

BACKGROUND: Methods of estimating central obesity are important because of the increasing frequency of obesity related diseases worldwide. Here we evaluate the precision of measuring waist circumference and the waist to hip ratio with comparisons across ethnic groups. METHODS: The third Australian Risk Factor Prevalence Study (1989) of 9279 adults ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a correlation between body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure or clinical features such as hirsutism in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, 62 women with PCOS were allocated to one of 3 groups according to a BMI range ...

Hypertension, a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and obesity are becoming a health problem in many developed and developing countries, as Brazil. Although hypertension and obesity are both closely associated, there is no universal anthropometric marker of this association. This is probably due to distinct population characteristics, and in the ...

Use of beta-blockers in hypertensive obese patients remains controversial because of concerns about potential influences on weight, lipids, and glucose metabolism. The authors examined a pooled analysis of 3 multicenter randomized placebo-controlled trials. Patients were randomized to placebo or an increasing dose of nebivolol for 12 weeks. Primary outcome was ...

BACKGROUND: Elevated blood pressure at a young age is a predictor of blood pressure elevation later in life and has been associated with being overweight. However, it seems that there are other factors related to hypertension in childhood. OBJECTIVE: To determine the anthropometric, physical activity, and dietary factors associated with ...

Obesity is recognized as a major health problem throughout the world. Excess weight is a major cause of increased blood pressure in most patients with essential hypertension and greatly increases the risk for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and end-stage renal disease. Although the mechanisms by which obesity raises blood pressure are ...

Adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at higher risk for stroke and myocardial infarction. Increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and stiffness are associated with these adverse outcomes. We compared carotid arteries in youth who were lean, were obese, or had T2DM. Carotid ultrasound for cIMT measurement ...

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine metabolic dysfunction closely associated with obesity, which predisposes to pregnancy complications. PCOS is a common endocrine disorder affecting 5-10% of the population. It is characterized by chronic anovulation and hyperandrogenism with clinical manifestations of oligomenorrhea, hirsutism and acne. Obese females are at ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of blood pressure elevation with body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol levels in children who screened positive for proteinuria, glucosuria, and/or hamaturia. STUDY DESIGN: From 1992 to 2000, a mass urine screening program was conducted annually for nearly 3,000,000 students aged 6 to 18 ...

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence has suggested obesity as an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease. However, the temporal relation between body mass index (BMI) and early renal dysfunction is unknown. This study aimed at evaluating whether longitudinal variations in BMI would reflect on changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ...

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of obesity and low birth weight on both office and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) values, as well as on aortic-derived parameters in youths. A total of 422 white youths, from 10 to 18 years of age, were included. Subjects were ...

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to create a tool to screen more easily for children and adolescents who might have hypertension or prehypertension. METHODS: We took the existing tables from The Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents, which contain hundreds of ...

Obesity is related to multiple comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and sleep apnea. Comorbidities burden the health care system, such that in the United States, 6% to 8% of health care costs are related to obesity. Obesity-induced hypertension has multiple potential etiologic pathways, the most well established being increased renal ...

The increasing prevalence of obesity in the industrialized world is causing an alarming epidemic. Almost 70% of American adults are overweight or obese. The link between increasing body weight and hypertension is well established. Obesity hypertension through metabolic, endocrinic, and systemic hemodynamic alteration causes structural vascular and cardiac adaptations that ...

Masked hypertension has been proven to be associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine the direct associations of obesity-related anthropometric indices, including waist circumference, with masked hypertension. Participants in this population-based survey included 395 residents (> or = 35 years) of ...

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with chronic increases in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). The aim of the present study was to examine the correlation between the IAP and the number of obesity-related co-morbidities. METHODS: A total of 63 morbidly obese patients who were undergoing bariatric surgery had their IAP measured intraoperatively while ...