OBJECTIVES:: Production of nitric oxide by the vascular endothelium is crucial for the maintenance of vascular tone, an important determinant of blood pressure. L-Arginine and its homolog L-homoarginine are competitive substrates of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), whereas asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a NOS inhibitor. We evaluated the relationships between physiological ...

BACKGROUND:: Hypertension results in high morbidity and mortality. Its management is predominantly undertaken in the primary care setting. The aim of this study was to assess trends in blood pressure (BP) and hypertensive management in primary care in Australia. METHODS:: A retrospective analysis of patient-based electronic medical records was conducted. ...

Accurate measurement of arterial pressure is necessary for diagnosis of hypertension and for assessment of its therapy. The development and growing application of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) furthers these goals. Use of ABPM has defined white coat hypertension (WCH) and masked hypertension (MH), important prognostic diagnoses. ABPM categorizes blood ...

AT1 receptor subtype a (AT1Ra) expression is increased in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) compared with Wistar Kyoto controls. However, the chronic role of AT1Ra in the NTS for cardiovascular control is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that ...

The frequency of hypertension events increases after a strong stress, but the mechanism has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to investigate its prevalence and risk factors after the Wenchuan earthquake (8.0 on the Richter scale), so as to provide a scientific basis for the prevention of hypertension in ...

Microalbuminuria (MAU) and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with hypertension. However, in hypertensive patients with normal or minimally reduced eGFR (≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) and with normo- or MAU, the value of combined estimation of eGFR and urine microalbumin for the ...

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in elderly women. Several previous studies evaluated various cardiovascular risk factors, such as brachial blood pressure (BP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse pressure (PP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), central aortic pressure (CAP), and so on. More recently, measurement ...

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent cardiovascular risk factor; however, the key strategy necessary for LVH regression in hypertensive patients is not clear. A meta-analysis was conducted to study the effect of blood pressure reduction on LVH regression. We explored the relationship between different degrees of systolic blood pressure ...

Adipokines are secreted from adipose tissue, influence energy homeostasis and may contribute to the association between obesity and hypertension. Among 1897 participants enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, we examined associations between blood pressure and leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), resistin and total adiponectin. The mean age and body ...

OBJECTIVE: Randomized controlled trials in hypertension demonstrate cardiovascular benefits when systolic blood pressures are reduced from higher values to<160 mm Hg. The value of lower targets has not been fully defined, although major guidelines recommend achieving systolic blood pressures of<140 mm Hg. This study was conducted to explore cardiovascular outcomes ...

Observational clinical studies have demonstrated that only 30-40 % of patients with arterial hypertension achieve the recommended blood pressure goals (below 140/90 mmHg). In contrast, interventional trials consistently showed that it is possible to achieve effective blood pressure targets in about 70 % of treated hypertensive patients with different cardiovascular risk profiles, especially ...

This paper examines relationships between metrics of visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of blood pressure (BP) to determine which metrics should be calculated in studies of the association of VVV with health outcomes. We examined correlation and agreement between quintiles for standard deviation (s.d.), standard deviation independent of the mean (SDIM), coefficient ...

BACKGROUND: Few epidemiological investigations evaluated the role of smoking cessation on blood pressure (BP), and the results are not univocal. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of smoking cessation on the risk to develop hypertension (HPT) and on BP values. METHODS: This longitudinal study, with ...

We updated the evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in adults for 2013. This year's update includes 2 new recommendations. First, among nonhypertensive or stage 1 hypertensive individuals, the use of resistance or weight training exercise does not adversely influence blood pressure (BP) (Grade D). ...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the most prominent risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). Treatment of hypertension is therefore important for reducing cardiovascular events and the progression of atherosclerosis. Several treatment strategies are common in clinical practice for example the use of ACE-blockers or angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs), ...

OBJECTIVE: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) secretes various inflammatory mediators and growth factor, and has endocrine and paracrine effects on myocardium and body. We planned the present study in order to evaluate the possible relationship between EAT and left ventricular mass (LVM), a potent predictor of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, independent ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To document the stroke volume to pulse pressure ratio (SV/PP, an index of total arterial compliance) and its correlates in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) aged over 50 years whose peripheral neuropathy and silent myocardial ischemic (SMI) status were known. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of ...

Perioperative blood pressure (BP) management is important to prevent cardiovascular complication, especially for hypertensive patients. In the present study, we investigated perioperative BP variability and contributing factors in hypertensive patients. Subjects were 28 treated hypertensive patients who underwent total or subtotal gastrectomy. Ambulatory BP monitoring was carried out before and ...

Suboptimal maternal dietary intake during pregnancy might lead to fetal cardiovascular adaptations and higher blood pressure in the offspring. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations of maternal first-trimester dietary intake with blood pressure in children at the age of 6 years. We assessed first-trimester maternal ...

BACKGROUND: Various studies have shown that sodium intake is related to increased blood pressure. However, the relationship between sodium intake and cognitive function and depression has not previously been studied. AIM: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between 24-h sodium excretion with cognitive function, depression and ...

Hypertension is associated with reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF). Intensive (<130/80 mm Hg) blood pressure (BP) lowering in older people might give greater reduction in cardiovascular risk, but there are concerns that this might produce hypoperfusion which may precipitate falls and possibly stroke. We determined the effect of intensive compared ...

High blood pressure is considered an important risk factor for cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) in the aging population. In a longitudinal population-based study of 665 nondemented persons, we investigated the longitudinal relationship of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse pressure with annual progression of WMLs. Means of ...

Abstract Background: High levels of circulating advanced glycation end products (AGEs) can initiate chronic low-grade activation of the immune system (CLAIS) with each of these factors independently associated with cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Therefore, our objective was to characterize the relationship between serum AGEs, CLAIS and other risk factors ...

Object: Smoking is a major risk factor for the development and progression of cardiovascular disease and cigarettes contain a slight amount of mercury. Mercury has been causally linked to cardiovascular diseases. This study evaluated the mercury content in hair according to smoking exposure status and the influence of the mercury ...

The objective of this study (follow-up of 26 113 people) was to investigate differences in the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality among hypertensive people according to the control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). People with a history of coronary heart disease, heart failure, ...

In Asian populations, a high prevalence of stroke, high salt intake and high salt sensitivity, the effects of which are partly augmented by epidemic obesity, are associated with hypertension. These factors are closely associated with resistant hypertension, especially with the disrupted circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP), that is, non-dipper ...

CONTEXT: Palliative services have historically been offered to terminal patients with cancer, but much less so in other chronic illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) because of difficulties in predicting the trajectory to death. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine if the change over time ...

OBJECTIVE: Nitroglycerine-induced vasodilation has been used as a control test for flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) to differentiate endothelium-dependent from endothelium-independent response when evaluating endothelial function in humans. Recently, nitroglycerine-induced vasodilation has also been reported to be impaired in patients with atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic value of interarm difference of blood pressure (IAD) measured in acute ischemic stroke and to investigate its association with systemic atherosclerosis. METHODS: This was a hospital-based retrospective observational study. Survival data and systolic/diastolic IAD were collected in patients with ...

PURPOSE: Monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis is a common disorder seen in childhood, and many factors play a role in its etiopathology to varying degrees. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible association between nocturnal enuresis and 24-h blood pressure profiles of enuretic children. METHODS: A total of 45 ...

BACKGROUND: Morning hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Furthermore, it is a useful measure for definitive diagnosis of hypertension, and patients who self-assess their own blood pressure (BP) in the morning tend to exhibit better compliance with antihypertensive medication than those who do not. OBJECTIVE: The ...

Failure to show benefit in some cardiovascular and renal outcome trials may be a consequence of masked hypertension, a blood pressure in the hypertensive range outside the office setting. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and home blood pressures obtained by the patient are superior to office blood pressure for assessing individual ...

Background/Objectives:As salt preference is known to cause hypertension (HTN), the present study was conducted to assess the impact of preference for salt on sympathovagal imbalance in prehypertensives by spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV).Subjects/Methods:Body mass index (BMI), basal heart rate, blood pressure (BP), rate pressure product and spectral indices ...

Background: Blood pressure derangements are common in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and are potentially associated with adverse outcomes if they are sustained. While this concept is often believed to be true, few have rigorously demonstrated the validity of this claim, especially in likely vulnerable OLT patients.. Methods: We retrospectively investigated ...

The European Society of Hypertension has recently published its recommendations on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Taking this contribution as a starting point the Study Group of Hypertension of the Italian Society of Pediatrics together with the Italian Society of Hypertension has conducted ...

INTRODUCTION: We studied the variations in vital parameters and anthropometric variables in Antarctica to identify the effect of extreme weather and isolation on the vital parameters and adipose tissue distribution in humans. METHODS: A descriptive observational cohort study on three vital parameters and nine anthropometric measurements was conducted among the ...

Background: In patients on hemodialysis (HD), hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In this study we tested the effectiveness of a clinical audit in improving blood pressure (BP) control in HD patients. 
Methods: 177 adult, prevalent patients undergoing dialysis in NephroCare centers in Italy were audited. At the ...

Recent genome-wide association studies have identified genetic variants associated with blood pressure (BP). We investigated whether genetic risk scores (GRSs) constructed of these variants would predict incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. We genotyped 32 common single nucleotide polymorphisms in several Finnish cohorts, with up to 32 669 individuals after exclusion ...

A number of exotic structures have been formed through high-pressure chemistry, but applications have been hindered by difficulties in recovering the high-pressure phase to ambient conditions (i.e., one atmosphere and 300 K). Here we use dispersion-corrected density functional theory [PBE-ulg (Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof flavor of DFT with the universal low gradient correction ...

Background/Aims: Natriuretic peptides have been reported to be a valuable biomarker for predicting cardiac events and mortality for haemodialysis patients. However, there has been a debate as to whether these biomarkers can be used to assess volume overload and help determine dry weight. Methods: We measured the N-terminal probrain natriuretic ...

High hydrostatic pressure as a kind of non-thermal processing might maintain the quality of thermo-sensitive watermelon juice. So, the effect of high hydrostatic pressure treatment on enzymes and quality of watermelon juice was investigated. After high hydrostatic pressure treatment, the activities of polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and pectin methylesterase of juice ...

Recent studies indicate that the pro-inflammatory action of aldosterone (ALDO) or the activation of mineralocorticoid receptors contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the grade of the inflammatory activation, in relation to ALDO levels, in a large cohort of ...

Although globalization can contribute to increased blood pressure by spreading unhealthy behaviors, it also provides powerful means to tackle hypertension. The dissemination of information about and advice on cardiovascular prevention and facilitated contact with health services are valuable resources. To investigate the effects of urbanization, geographical area, and air temperature ...

Alterations in blood pressure and components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) contribute to the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), resulting in changes that can lead or contribute to cognitive decline. Aspartyl aminopeptidase (ASAP), aminopeptidase A (APA), aminopeptidase N (APN) and aminopeptidase B (APB) catabolises circulating angiotensins, whereas insulin-regulated ...

The study determined the diastolic and systolic pressure, anthropometric parameters, serological parameters comprising fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) as well as the socio-economic status (SES) of inhabitants of Ilora with a view to providing information on impact of SES on metabolic syndrome (MetS). ...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is associated with antivascular endothelial growth factor treatment, but the clinical implications of hypertension are uncertain. To assess the prognostic and predictive value of bevacizumab-related hypertension, a comprehensive analysis of whether hypertension and efficacy outcomes are associated was conducted on seven company-sponsored placebo-controlled phase III studies of bevacizumab. ...

BACKGROUNDMasked hypertension (MH) entails an increased cardiovascular risk. Therefore, it is important to identify those individuals who would benefit the most from out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurement. We sought to determine the prevalence and identify predictors of MH among adult hypertensive patients under treatment.METHODSTreated hypertensive patients aged ≥ 18 years ...

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems in those with physical ailments are often overlooked, especially in the former Soviet Union (fSU) where this comorbidity has received little attention. Our study examines the comorbidity of psychological distress and hypertension in the fSU. METHODS: Nationally representative household survey data from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, ...

Although distinguishing features of masked hypertension in diabetics are well known, the significance of antihypertensive treatment on clinical practice decisions has not been fully explored. We analyzed 9691 subjects from the population-based 11-country International Database on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Relation to Cardiovascular Outcomes. Prevalence of masked hypertension in untreated ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Few studies have used time-dependent correction to analyze the relationship between blood pressure and all-cause mortality, and to our knowledge none has been performed in older people from the Mediterranean area. This study aimed to estimate the relationship between baseline blood pressure and blood pressure as a ...