Search

Objective: Previous studies found significant association of hypertension and hypertension-related phenotypes with genetic variation in SAH (Spontaneously hypertensive rat-clone A-Hypertension-associated). We sought independent confirmation of these findings in the European Project On Genes in Hypertension., Methods and Results: We randomly recruited 2603 relatives from 560 families and 31 unrelated subjects from six European populations (mean age 38.8 +/- 15.7 years; 52.1% women). We measured systolic/diastolic blood pressure (mean, 122.4/76.6 mmHg), body mass index (24.9 kg/m2), triceps skinfold (1.7 cm), waist-to-hip ratio (0.83 units), serum total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (5.14 and 1.33 mmol/l), serum triglycerides (1.95 mmol/l) and blood glucose (4.90 mmol/l). We genotyped the G-1606A and -962del/ins polymorphisms. In all subjects, the allele frequencies were 11.8 and 29.5% for -1606A and -962del, respectively. Lewontin's D' was 0.97 (P < 0.0001). Haplotype frequencies were 58.8% for -1606G plus -962ins, 29.5% for -1606G plus -962del, and 11.7% for -1606A plus -962ins. Both before and after adjustment for covariates, none of the phenotype-genotype associations approached statistical significance. Our study had 80% power to detect on two-sided tests (P = 0.05), effect sizes of 1.8/1.3 mmHg for systolic/diastolic blood pressure, 0.52 kg/m2 for body mass index, 0.01 units for the waist-to-hip ratio, 0.96 mm for the triceps skinfold, 0.13 and 0.05 mmol/l for total and HDL cholesterol, 0.18 mmol/l for serum triglycerides, and 0.11 mmol/l for blood glucose. The family-based analyses did not reveal population stratification (P > or = 0.67)., Conclusion: The evidence supporting an association of hypertension or hypertension-related phenotypes with the SAH gene remains equivocal in human studies.

Background: The role of body mass index (BMI) as a factor influencing longevity of the elderly subject is still under debate., Objective: To evaluate at a population level whether or not BMI is a risk factor of mortality in the elderly, highlighting possible gender-related differences., Methods: 3,282 Subjects aged 65-95 years, were recruited from an Italian general population and 12-year events were recorded. Blood tests and anthropometric measurements were performed. BMI as a continuous item was divided into quintiles and, for each quintile, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals for mortality was derived by classes of age and gender from Cox analysis., Results: BMI inversely predicted overall and cancer mortality in men only. Overall mortality rate was 64.7% (HR = 1.63 [1.23-2.71]) in the 1st quintile of BMI, 54.9% (1.21 [0.92-1.73]) in the 2nd, 54.1% (1.20 [0.85-1.67]) in the 3rd, 53.3% (1.04 [0.82-1.32]) in the 4th and 52.5% in the 5th; cancer mortality rate was 23.1% (HR = 2.35 [1.31-4.23]), 14.2% (HR = 1.19 [0.65-1.80]), 15.8% (HR = 1.49 [0.93-2.39]), 15.8% (HR = 1.36 [0.84-2.16]) and 13.4%, respectively. The relationship between BMI and mortality remained significant only in men aged 76 years or less. No relationship was found between BMI and coronary or cerebrovascular mortality., Conclusions: BMI <22.7 kg/m2 does not improve survival in the elderly, while it is an independent predictor of cancer mortality in men aged

Objective The relationship between body fatness and cognitive pattern at a population level was investigated. Methods Among 500 unselected subjects from the general population, the role of body mass index (BMI) and body fat mass (BFM) on a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and on a battery of paper and pencil neuropsychological tests was analyzed. Multiple linear regressions, accounting for potential confounders, were used. Results In fully adjusted models, MMSE (coefficient +0.027, 95% confidence intervals, 0.017-0.177), the clock drawing test (+0.141, 0.053-0.226), and the trail making test A (+1.542, 0.478-2.607) were positively associated with BMI. Adding BFM to the models, no associations were observed. The tests were also positively associated with BFM (+0.056, 0.021-0.091; +0.063, 0.025-0.101; +0.592, 0.107-1.077; respectively). At analysis of covariance, the same tests were significantly better performed over 29.4 kg m−2 of BMI. After adding BFM as further confounder, all differences in performance across BMI were no longer significant. The three tests were better performed over 34.6 kg of BFM. Conclusions Higher BMI and particularly higher BFM are positively associated with better performance at the cognitive tasks exploring selective attention and executive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine if postmenopausal women have different arterial stiffness, blood pressure (BP) values, or metabolic patterns in comparison to fertile women and to men at a population level. Methods: This is a population-based epidemiologic study of 1853 representative men and women aged 18-95 years. Clinostatic humeral BP was measured using Omron 705CP. Aortic BP, augmentation index (AI), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were determined using applanation tonometry. Body mass index (BMI) and subscapular skinfold thickness were used as measures of adiposity. Fasting and postload blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), low-density and high-density lipoprotein serum cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C) and triglycerides were assessed. Results: Age was higher in postmenopausal women than in fertile women (68.8±9.5 vs. 35.7±10.2 years, p<0.001), and BMI was 16% higher ( p<0.01) in the postmenopausal women after age adjustment. Humeral and aortic BP, carotid and radial AI, carotid-femoral PWV, BMI, LDL-C, LDL-C/HDL ratio, triglycerides, glucose tolerance, HOMA, and skinfold thickness were apparently higher in postmenopausal than in fertile women. Using multivariate analysis, however, all these differences were abolished after adjusting for confounders (age and, when appropriate, BMI), except for LDL-C, which remained 19% higher ( p<0.01) in postmenopausal women than in fertile women after adjusting for many confounders (age, BMI, cholesterol, ethanol intake, caloric intake, and triiodothyronine). Conclusions: Only LDL-C increases in postmenopausal women, whereas other differences attributed to menopause, including BP and arterial stiffness, seem to be confounding effects of age and BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of hypnotic suggestion of high performance was evaluated in 10 young healthy volunteers undergoing isometric exercise (hand grip) in basal conditions of usual normal consciousness and in profound hypnosis. To this aim, they were asked to perform dynamometric hand grip at maximal muscular strength and for the longest time compatible with individual tolerance. As a specific suggestion, a hallucination of drinking an 'energizing potion' capable of increasing muscular performance and abolishing the sense of fatigue and pain associated with isometric exercise was induced. Haemodynamic parameters were continuously measured. In comparison to basal conditions of usual consciousness, the exercise performer under hypnotic suggestion was associated with a 12% increase in maximal muscular strength and a 60% increase in exercise length. A greater increase of heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and double product-accompanied by a lower increase of stroke voLume and consequently of cardiac index-was recorded. Nevertheless, exercise-induced vasodilation was comparable in the two conditions, so that the increase in cardiac index observed during hypnotic suggestion was entirely sustained by heart rate increase. Such a condition can only be tolerated for a short time and at the expense of a reduced myocardial (particularly subendocardic) perfusion. It seems therefore that the hypnotic command 'perform over your natural limits' is followed by an increase in strength but particularly in exercise length. In such conditions, physical performance is actually greater than that achieved in normal conditions, as if the subject was able to draw on energies not usually employed in everyday life. This higher performance is unnatural and is sustained by muscular mechanisms activating unfavourable, and potentially dangerous, haemodynamic reflexes. Although hypnosis is a formidable tool in the study of human physiology, its use in the physical world (particularly sporting activities) should be limited to specific controlled con- ditions. In fact, by increasing muscular power and decreasing the sense of fatigue, hypnosis seems to be able to deprive subjects of the natural feedback mechanisms well-synthesized in the sentences 'It's too much for me' or 'I can't take it any more'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 288 men and women fromgeneral population in a cross-sectional survey, all neuropsychological tests were negatively associated with age; memory and executive function were also positively related with education. The hypertensives (HT) were less efficient than the normotensives (NT) in the test of memory with interference at 10 sec (MI-10) (-33%, P = 0.03), clock drawing test (CLOX) (-28%, P < 0.01), and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) (-6%, P = 0.02). Lower MMSE, MI-10, and CLOX were predicted by higher systolic (odds ratio, OR, 0.97, P = 0.02; OR 0.98, P < 0.005; OR 0.95, P < 0.001) and higher pulse blood pressure (BP) (OR 0.97, P = 0.02; OR 0.97,P < 0.01; and 0.95,P < 0.0001). The cognitive reserve index (CRI) was 6%lower in the HT (P = 0.03) and was predicted by higher pulse BP (OR 0.82,P < 0.001). The BP vectors of lower MMSE, MI-10, and CLOX were directed towards higher values of systolic and diastolic BP, that of low CRI towards higher systolic and lower diastolic. The label of hypertension and higher values of systolic or pulse BP are associated to worse memory and executive functions. Higher diastolic BP, although insufficient to impair cognition, strengthens this association. CRI is predicted by higher systolic BP associated to lower diastolic BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both low and high iron levels have been associated with cardiovascular outcome. The aim of this study was to determine if dietary iron intake is a cardiovascular predictor in women at a population level. Methods: A 138-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was administered to 906 women aged 61.1±17.1 years from an unselected general population followed for 10 years. The mass of dietary items was calculated, and each food was resolved into its chemical components according to food composition tables conceived for Italian food. Results: An inverse association between iron intake and cardiovascular morbidity was found. Incident nonfatal cerebrovascular events were 10 of 302 (3.3%), 4 of 302 (1.3%), and 2 of 302 (0.7%) in the first, second, and third tertiles of nonheme iron intake ( p for trend <0.01), respectively; fatal cerebrovascular events were 20 of 302 (6.6%), 13 of 302 (4.3%), and 5 of 302 (1.7%), respectively ( p<0.01); nonfatal coronary events were 24 of 302 (7.9%), 13 of 302 (4.3%), and 10 of 302 (3.3%), respectively, and fatal coronary events were 20 of 302 (6.6%), 15 of 302 (5.0%), and 10 of 302 (3.3%), respectively ( p<0.01). Independenly of confounders, hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of being the first rather than third tertile of nonheme iron intake were 5.00 (1.08-23.26), 3.18 (1.41-10.12), and 3.25 (1.39-7.59), respectively, for cerebrovascular and 2.48 (1.17-5.25), 2.25 (1.03-4.80), and 2.51 (1.39-4.53), respectively, for coronary events. Heme iron intake was not a predictor. Conclusions: Based on a longitudinal population analysis, low iron intake seems to be an independent predictor of cerebrovascular and coronary morbidity and mortality in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]