Search

The usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an index of arterial stiffness, is not fully known for the management of treated hypertensive patients with a history of coronary artery disease (CAD) who have blood pressure less than 130/80 mmHg, a recommended blood pressure target in the updated major hypertension guidelines. We analyzed data for 447 treated hypertensive patients with CAD enrolled in FMD-J Study A for assessment of the predictive value of baPWV for future cardiovascular events. The primary outcome was a composite of coronary events, stroke, heart failure, and sudden death. During a median follow-up period of 47.6 months, the primary outcome occurred in 64 patients. Blood pressure less than 130/80 mmHg was significantly associated with a lower risk of the composite outcome independent of other cardiovascular risk factors in treated hypertensive patients with CAD (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.35-0.99; P = 0.04). In treated hypertensive patients with CAD who had blood pressure less than 130/80 mmHg, baPWV above the cutoff value of 1731 cm/s, derived from receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis for the composite outcome was significantly associated with a higher risk of the composite outcome independent of conventional risk factors (hazard ratio, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.02-7.91; P = 0.04). baPWV was an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in treated hypertensive patients with CAD who had blood pressure less than 130/80 mmHg, for whom measurement of baPWV is recommended for cardiovascular risk assessment.

Hypertension is associated with endothelial dysfunction. Blood pressure significantly correlates with endothelial function in antihypertensive drug-naive subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment status affects the relationship between blood pressure and endothelial function. We measured flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in 2297 subjects, including 1822 antihypertensive drug-naive subjects and 475 treated hypertensive patients. FMD significantly decreased in relation to increase in systolic blood pressure (8.2±3.1% in subjects with systolic blood pressure of <120 mm Hg, 7.5±2.8% for 120-129 mm Hg, 7.1±2.8% for 130-139 mm Hg, and 6.7±2.6% for ≥140 mm Hg; P <0.001). Systolic blood pressure was independently associated with FMD in untreated subjects. In contrast, there was no significant relationship between systolic blood pressure and FMD in treated hypertensive patients (4.6±3.1% in treated hypertensives with systolic blood pressure of <120 mm Hg, 4.8±2.7% for 120-129 mm Hg, 4.9±2.8% for 130-139 mm Hg, and 4.5±2.3% for ≥140 mm Hg; P =0.77). Propensity score matching analysis revealed that the prevalence of endothelial dysfunction defined as FMD of less than the division point for the lowest tertile, and the middle tertile of FMD was significantly higher in treated hypertensive patients than in untreated subjects in all systolic blood pressure categories. Endothelial function assessed by FMD was impaired regardless of the level of blood pressure achieved by antihypertensive drug treatment in hypertensive patients., (© 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: Rho-associated kinases (ROCKs) play an important role in Ca sensitization and vascular resistance. Activation of ROCKs is associated with hypertension. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the calcium channel blocker amlodipine on ROCKs activity in patients with hypertension., Methods: We evaluated ROCK activity in peripheral leukocytes by Western blot analysis in 651 patients with hypertension treated with antihypertensive agents, 28 untreated hypertensive patients and 28 healthy individuals, and the effects of treatment with amlodipine or losartan for 12 weeks on ROCK activity in 28 untreated hypertensive patients who were randomly divided into an amlodipine group (n = 14) and a losartan group (n = 14). ROCK activity was defined as the ratio of phospho myosin-binding subunit (MBS) on myosin light-chain phosphatase to total MBS., Results: Leukocyte ROCK activity was greater in untreated patients with essential hypertension than in the healthy individuals (0.84 ± 0.24 vs. 0.61 ± 0.18, P = 0.03). In 651 patients with hypertension treated with antihypertensive agents, ROCK activity was significantly lower in the calcium channel blocker-treated group than in the groups treated with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, diuretics, and β-blockers (0.70 ± 0.24 vs. 0.85 ± 0.29, 0.83 ± 0.24, and 0.86 ± 0.31, P < 0.05, respectively). ROCK activity after 4 and 12 weeks of treatment was significantly decreased in the amlodipine group (0 weeks: 0.85 ± 0.25, 4 weeks: 0.66 ± 0.16, 12 weeks: 0.64 ± 0.15, P < 0.05, respectively) but not in the losartan group, whereas the antihypertensive effects were similar in the two groups., Conclusion: These findings suggest that calcium channel blocker amlodipine inhibits ROCK activity in patients with hypertension.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine pioglitazone treatment restores endothelial function in hypertensive patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)., Methods and Results: We evaluated the effects of pioglitazone treatment for 12 weeks on forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside in 34 hypertensive patients with IGT who were randomly divided into a pioglitazone group (n=17) and an amlodipine monotherapy group (n=17) and in 34 healthy subjects. Pioglitazone, but not amlodipine, increased the FBF response to acetylcholine and decreased urinary excretion of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. Pioglitazone did not alter sodium nitroprusside-stimulated vasodilation. NG-monomethyl-L-arginine abolished the augmentation of FBF response to acetylcholine after pioglitazone treatment. The increase in maximal FBF response to acetylcholine correlated with the decrease in urinary excretion of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine., Conclusion: Pioglitazone improved endothelial function in hypertensive patients with IGT through an increase in nitric oxide bioavailability by, in part, a decrease in oxidative stress., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent studies have revealed the existence of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). The number of circulating EPCs might reflect the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the number of EPCs and cardiovascular risk factors., Methods: Flow cytometry analysis was used to quantify the number of EPCs (CD34(+)AC133(+)CD45(low)) in 135 consecutive hospitalized patients with CVD and 25 healthy subjects., Results: The number of EPCs was less in the patients than in the healthy subjects (1,047.4 +/- 521.1 vs. 612.8 +/- 461.6/ml, P < 0.0001). The number of EPCs significantly correlated with the number of risk factors (r = 0.424, P < 0.0001). The numbers of EPCs in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus were less than those in patients without those diseases (762.6 +/- 579.5 vs. 495.2 +/- 297.7/ml, P < 0.01 and 666.8 +/- 505.5 vs. 477.0 +/- 290.4/ml, P < 0.05, respectively). In healthy subjects a reduced number of EPCs was found in smokers compared with nonsmokers (833.3 +/- 347.5 vs. 1,274.6 +/- 560.9/ml, P < 0.05), whereas smoking did not alter the number of EPCs in the patients group. In multivariate analysis, hypertension and age were independent predictors of reduced number of EPCs. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors increased the number of EPCs (464.7 +/- 252.1/ml vs. 617.5 +/- 343.5/ml, P < 0.05), while calcium antagonists, diuretics, and beta-blockers did not alter the number of EPCs in patients with hypertension., Conclusions: These findings suggest that both aging and hypertension are risk factors for reduced number of EPCs and that RAS inhibitors increase the number of EPCs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate endothelial function in patients with periodontitis. We evaluated forearm blood flow responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside in patients with periodontitis who had no other cardiovascular risk factors (32 men; 25+/-3 years of age), in a normal control group (20 men; 26+/-3 years of age), and in hypertensive patients with periodontitis (28 men and 10 women; 56+/-12 years of age) and without periodontitis (control group; 18 men and 6 women; 54+/-13 years of age). Forearm blood flow was measured using strain-gauge plethysmography. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were significantly higher in the periodontitis group than in the control group. Both in healthy and hypertensive subjects, forearm blood flow responses to acetylcholine were significantly smaller in the periodontitis group than in the control group. Sodium nitroprusside-stimulated vasodilation was similar in the 2 groups. Periodontal therapy reduced serum concentrations of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 and augmented acetylcholine-induced vasodilation in periodontitis patients with and without hypertension. After administration of N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine, an NO synthase inhibitor, forearm blood flow response to acetylcholine was similar before and after treatment. These findings suggest that periodontitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction in subjects without cardiovascular risk factors, as well as hypertensive patients, through a decrease in NO bioavailability and that systemic inflammation may be, at least in part, a cause of endothelial dysfunction, leading to cardiovascular diseases.