Normotensive adults homozygous for glycine (Gly) of the Arg16/Gly beta2-adrenergic-receptor polymorphism have 1) greater forearm beta2-receptor mediated vasodilation and 2) a higher heart rate (HR) response to isometric handgrip than arginine (Arg) homozygotes. To test the hypothesis that the higher HR response in Gly16 subjects serves to maintain the pressor ...

BACKGROUND: The genes responsible for obesity are candidate genes for obesity-related diseases, such as hypertension. Functional polymorphisms in the beta2- and beta3-adrenergic receptors have been reported to be associated with hypertension and obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: To longitudinally clarify the relevance to alterations in beta-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms related to weight ...

Exaggerated response to alpha2-adrenergic receptor (alpha2-AR) blockade by yohimbine in normotensive subjects is an intermediate phenotype that predicts increased risk for development of hypertension. Here, we assessed the 3 alpha2-AR loci (alpha2A, alpha2B, alpha2C) as candidate genes for their influence on baseline and yohimbine-mediated increase in mean arterial pressure. Because ...

PURPOSE: In rats, chronic aldosterone administration with high diet intake increases aortic stiffness independent of mechanical stress. In hypertensive humans, enhanced plasma aldosterone and arterial stiffness are positively associated. Whether the aldosterone synthase gene polymorphism (ASGP) CYP11B2 influences the age-related changes in blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness in hypertensive ...

A complex segregation analysis of systolic and diastolic blood pressure has been performed on pedigree data from rural populations inhabiting Middle Dalmatian islands of Brac, Hvar and Korcula and the Peljesac peninsula. The purpose of the performed analysis was to possibly elucidate a signal of a large-effect gene responsible for ...

OBJECTIVE: Data on the association of the ACE I/D and AT1R A1166C polymorphisms with hypertension are conflicting. Most studies, however, have focused on office blood pressure (BP) only. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association of BP with the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE I/D) and angiotensin ...

Hypertension is the most common chronic disease in the Western world, and while there are many drug classes from which to choose therapy, only 34% of North Americans currently have their blood pressure controlled. The potential clinical utility of pharmacogenomics in helping to guide antihypertensive drug therapy selection is described. ...

Reduced nitric oxide production is associated with pathological changes in the cardiovascular system. In a study of randomly chosen families, we analysed the relationship between two polymorphisms (Glu298Asp and intron 4) of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and vascular ...

Different polymorphisms of the ADRB2 gene encoding the beta-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) are associated with changes in a variety of responses of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). In this study, we have investigated the distribution of frequencies of ADRB2-related allelic variants (Arg16Gly, Gln27Glu, Thr164Ile) in the Colombian population, as well as ...

OBJECTIVES: Alpha-2B adrenoceptors (AR) mediate vasoconstriction in the mice. A human alpha-2B AR deletion (D) variant has been associated with loss of short-term agonist-promoted receptor desensitization, which may lead to increased vasoconstriction upon alpha-2 AR activation. This study tested the hypothesis that alpha-2 AR activation will induce enhanced vasoconstriction in ...

Hypertension is related to sodium intake, and many patients with essential hypertension are overweight and have the metabolic syndrome. We therefore studied microsatellite markers close to the thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter on chromosome 16 and a quantitative trait locus for abdominal obesity-metabolic syndrome (AOMS2) on chromosome 17, which have been found ...

Genetic loci influencing the long-term levels and trends of blood pressure over time were investigated using 775 white siblings, ages 13 to 43 years, enrolled in the Bogalusa Heart Study, and 357 microsatellite markers on the 22 autosomal chromosomes. Subjects had been examined serially 2 to 12 times with 4365 ...

BACKGROUND: A rapid laboratory test for diagnosis of acute aortic dissection (AAD) has not been available. We performed this prospective study to determine the utility of a rapid bedside D-dimer (DD) assay for detection of AAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with suspected AAD were recruited and their DD levels were ...

BACKGROUND: The interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene promoter G-174C polymorphism has been associated with insulin resistance, hypertension, and coronary artery disease; however, its relationship with plasma PAI-1 level has not yet been studied. METHODS: The G-174C genotypes and plasma PAI-1 antigen and activity were determined in 424 Chinese subjects, 207 with hypertension ...

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide is involved in the regulation of vascular basal tone and blood pressure. Polymorphisms of NOS3, the gene that codes for endothelial nitric oxide synthase, have been associated with essential hypertension. OBJECTIVE: To look for linkage and association of three di-allelic polymorphisms (Glu298Asp, intron 4 VNTR and T-786C) ...

BACKGROUND: The angiotensin converting enzyme insertion deletion polymorphism (ACE I/D) has been associated with much cardiovascular pathology, including posttransplantation hypertension. Hypertension is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after cardiac transplantation. We investigated the influence of the ACE I/D polymorphism on posttransplantation hypertension. METHODS: A total of 211 heart ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of lipoprotein lipase gene intron 8 polymorphisms and Essential Hypertension in Han race Chinese. METHODS AND RESULTS: 116 patients with Essential Hypertension were enrolled and another 116 normal people were served as controls. All cases were examined for the genotypes of intron 8 in lipoprotein ...

OBJECTIVES: alpha2-Adrenoreceptors restrain sympathetic nervous outflows and inhibit release of noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves. In-frame deletion of the alpha2C-adrenoreceptor subtype (alpha2CDel322-325) increases the risk of congestive heart failure. Increased delivery of catecholamines to cardiovascular receptors might explain this increased risk. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy African-Americans genotyped for alpha2-adrenoreceptor subtype polymorphisms underwent ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Arterial remodelling contributes to the development of hypertension. Stromelysin-1 (MMP-3), a member of the matrix metalloproteinase family may contribute to this process. Stromelysin-1 gene expression is partly regulated by a common polymorphism in the promoter region of either five or six consecutive adenosine bases (5A/6A). METHODS AND ...

OBJECTIVE: In both humans and rats, polymorphisms of the alpha adducin (ADD1) gene are involved in renal sodium handling, essential hypertension and some of its organ complications. Adducin functions within cells as a heterodimer composed of various combinations of three subunits that are coded by three genes (ADD1, 2, 3) ...

BACKGROUND: Alpha-2B adrenoceptor is the vasoconstrictive subtype in the mouse. Human alpha2B-AR deletion (D) allele has been associated with loss of short-term agonist-promoted receptor desensitization, which may lead to increased vasoconstriction on alpha2 activation. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that alpha2B-adrenoceptor activation induces enhanced vasoconstriction ...

PGC-1alpha is a coactivator of numerous transcription factors and is expressed in tissues with high energy demands and abundant in mitochondria. It is induced in the myocardium on fasting and physical exercise, and cardiac-specific overexpression stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis in mice. The common Gly482Ser polymorphism of PGC-1alpha has previously shown association ...

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) has repeatedly been associated with blood pressure and prevalent and incident hypertension, but whether a causal link exists is uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the cross-sectional relations of CRP to systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and prevalent hypertension in a representative sample of >3500 British ...

OBJECTIVES: Idiopathic orthostatic intolerance (IOI) is a common disorder that is characterized by chronic orthostatic symptoms and substantial increases in heart rate and plasma norepinephrine concentrations that are disproportionately high while standing. Several features of the syndrome, including the tachycardia, tremulousness, and exaggerated norepinephrine have been considered potentially due to ...

We measured 366 microsatellite markers genome-wide to search for loci contributing to subcortical white matter ischemic damage (leukoariosis) and brain atrophy in 488 non-Hispanic white subjects (193 men, 295 women; mean age+/-SD=64.1+/-7.7 years; 79% hypertensive) from 223 sibships recruited through > or =2 members with essential hypertension diagnosed before age ...

Adducin is a heterodymeric cytoskeleton protein, the 3 subunits of which are encoded by genes (ADD1, ADD2, ADD3) mapping to 3 different chromosomes. A long series of parallel studies in the Milan hypertensive rat strain model of hypertension and humans indicated that an altered adducin function may cause hypertension through ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the influence of angiotensinogen (AGT) A-20C, M235 T, and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1) A1166C genotypes on resting blood pressure (BP) response to strength training (ST) in older men and women. DESIGN: Prospective intervention study with retrospective genotyping. SETTING: University of Maryland Exercise Physiology Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: ...

The efficiency of gene therapy as a pretreatment for saphenous vein coronary artery bypass grafts can be improved by increasing the transport of vector into the tunica media. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of increasing transmural pressure on vector delivery depth in human saphenous vein ...

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: The Pro12Ala and the 4a/b polymorphisms of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and the endothelial nitric oxide-synthase (eNOS) genes, respectively, have been associated with hypertension in some but not all studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between these polymorphisms and hypertension ...

The renal 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta HSD2) enzyme inactivates 11-hydroxy steroids in the kidney, thereby protecting the nonselective mineralocorticoid (MR) receptor from occupation by glucocorticoids. Loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding 11beta HSD2 (HSD11B2) result in overstimulation of the MR and cause salt-sensitive hypertension. We have investigated the role ...

Left ventricular hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in adults. Left ventricular (LV) mass varies substantially among individuals, and several studies suggest that genetic factors make a significant contribution to the observed variability in LV mass. However, to date, the specific polymorphisms that may ...

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major determinant of heart damage. Scientific evidence suggests the influence of genetic factors, but these have yet to be completely clarified. This study investigates a possible relationship between LVH and two chemokine receptor (CCR) gene polymorphisms: CCR5delta32 and CCR264I. Essential hypertensive out-patients (n=118, grade ...

Hypertension is prevalent, affecting approx 20--25% of the adult population in the Western world. Primary hypertension is a multifactorial, complex disorder where many genes and genetic variants are assumed to interact with environmental factors in order to produce the specific blood pressure level for a given individual. Family and twin ...

The molecular mechanisms underlying essential hypertension are not fully elucidated. Although Benazepril is being widely used in antihypertensive medication, the agent is efficacious in only a portion of hypertensive patients. To evaluate the interaction of alpha-adducin gene Gly460Trp and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene I/D polymorphisms in regard to baseline ...

In a protected environment, humans have the longest lifespan of all primates. However, during the emergence of Homo sapiens from pre-hominids, the expectation of life at birth would have been quite low. On the basis of reasonable assumptions, an average expectation of life of less than 20 years is sufficient ...

Renal control of Na(+) regulation is a critical component to blood pressure regulation. It has recently been suggested that the beta-2 adrenergic receptor plays a role in blood pressure regulation possibly via renal epithelial sodium channels (ENaC). In the kidneys, gain of function mutations of the ENaC leads to increased ...

OBJECTIVE: Function of the renin-angiotensin system is important to human hypertension, but its genetic etiology remains elusive. We set out to examine a hypothesis that multiple genetic variants in the system act together in blood pressure regulation, via intermediate phenotypes such as blood pressure reactivity. METHODS: A sample of 531 ...

The incidence of hypertension is increasing and it is more common in man than in women. Up to date, MMP-3 5A/6A polymorphism has been associated with artery stiffening and elevated blood pressure, whereas results considering association of endothelial NOS (eNOS) G894 T polymorphism with hypertension are controversial. The aim of ...

BACKGROUND: About 15-37% of the adult population worldwide suffers from hypertension. Hypertension is responsible for one-third of all global deaths. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is one of the most important characteristics of hypertension target organ damage and is also an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. Therefore, effective regression of ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: I review recent knowledge on the interference of neuropeptide Y with energy balance and cardiovascular and renal disease and on the central regulation of bone mass. RECENT FINDINGS: Although neuropeptide Y is mainly seen as a vasoconstrictor, rats overexpressing the neuropeptide Y gene show reduced blood pressure ...

BACKGROUND: Pulse pressure (PP), a marker of cyclic strain on the arterial wall, is a significant predictor of cardiovascular (CV) risk, particularly regarding the incidence of coronary arterial stenosis. Genes related to haemostatic and/or fibrinolytic factors are consistently influenced in vitro by mechanical strain. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present ...

This study analyzed the relationship between four renin-angiotensin system (RAS) gene polymorphisms and the response to blood pressure lowering and development of microalbuminuria in 206 patients with essential hypertension treated once daily for 12 months with telmisartan 80 mg. Seated cuff blood pressure and urinary albumin excretion (UAE) were measured ...

Summary Several recent studies have linked human chromosome 1p to essential hypertension (EH) or blood pressure (BP) levels. In an independent population of 148 hypertensive families from China we tested these findings. Thirty highly informative microsatellite markers spanning about 284 cM were genotyped. Qualitative linkage analysis was conducted using non-parametric ...

It is known that increased plasma levels of inflammatory markers, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), are associated with atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to reveal the contribution of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the IL-6 gene on the blood pressure regulation and progression of atherosclerosis ...

TH01 is a tetrameric short tandem repeat locus located in intron 01 of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene. The tyrosine hydroxylase catalyzes the hydroxylation of L-tyrosine to L-DOPA and is the rate limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines like noradrenaline or adrenaline, which are pivotal in the regulation of blood ...

BACKGROUND: The recessive disorder trimethylaminuria is caused by defects in the FMO3 gene, and may be associated with hypertension. We investigated whether common polymorphisms of the FMO3 gene confer an increased risk for elevated blood pressure and/or essential hypertension. METHODS: FMO3 genotypes (E158K, V257M, E308G) were determined in 387 healthy ...

BACKGROUND: Oceans cover approximately 70% of the Earth's surface with an average depth of 3800 m and a pressure of 38 MPa, thus a large part of the biosphere is occupied by high pressure environments. Piezophilic (pressure-loving) organisms are adapted to deep-sea life and grow optimally at pressures higher than ...

The possibility of obtaining tolbutamide polymorphs was investigated using the solvents acetonitrile and 1-octanol. Tolbutamide is an oral hypoglycemic agent that exists in four polymorphic forms. Characterization of the various polymorphs was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical microscopy and dissolution ...

Angiotensinogen and its cleaved forms angiotensin I and angiotensin II are important regulators of blood pressure. The gene for angiotensinogen (AGT) carries two common polymorphisms, T207M and M268T (previously described as T174M and M235T). To investigate the role of haplotypes formed by these polymorphisms for angiotensinogen levels we examined blood ...

We tested the hypothesis that the presence of a CYP3A5*1 allele is associated with increases in blood pressure in 2 studies of subjects with a total of 683 participants. The first study involving 271 subjects was part of a longitudinal study conducted at Indiana University Medical Center that consisted of ...