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Purpose: This study aimed to prospectively determine the prevalence, duration, and severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) during menopause in a Chinese longitudinal cohort.Methods: This longitudinal cohort study recruited 187 participants from an urban Chinese community. The presence, frequency, degree, and duration of VMS were measured and analyzed.Results: A total of 83.4% of participating women experienced hot flashes and 82.9% reported night sweats, with nearly half reporting moderate to severe VMS (more than 3 times per day, or rated 4 or greater on a 1-8 severity scale). The median duration for both hot flashes and night sweats was 4.5 years. In a generalized linear mixed model, presence of VMS was significantly related to menopause stages, serum follicle stimulating hormone concentrations, general distress levels, and baseline body mass index.Discussion and conclusions: The prevalence of VMS in this longitudinal cohort was higher than that of previous Chinese cross-sectional studies and consistent with prior studies in western women. Meanwhile, the duration of symptomatic years in our study was shorter than that of western women. These results indicate that the difference in VMS between western and Chinese women appears to be in terms of the duration of symptoms, not prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Our study aimed to disclose the relationship of cardiac sympathetic nerve innervation and excitability to myocardial hypertrophy in very old elderly male hypertensive patients with low serum testosterone level. Methods: A total of 80 elderly male hypertensive patients aged from 80 to 95 years were recruited. Heart rate variability is determined by 24 h dynamic electrocardiogram and heart rate variability analysis system. Cardiac function and left ventricular mass index were determined using color Doppler ultrasound. Results: Standard deviation of all normal sinus R-R intervals over 24 h (SDNN) significantly decreased in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy patients as compared with those without cardiac hypertrophy. SDANN and Standard deviation of the average normal sinus R-R intervals for all 5-min segment index, time-domain index reflecting sympathetic nerve tension, obviously decreased and LFnu and LFnu/HFnu, frequency-domain index representing sympathetic nerve excitability, significantly increased in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy patients as compared with those without cardiac hypertrophy. Myocardial norepinephrine content significantly increased while tyrosine hydroxylase expression significantly lowered in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy patients, and a negative correlation between myocardial tyrosine hydroxylase expression and myocardial norepinephrine content was present. Serum total testosterone level decreased in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy patients and was an independent risk factor for the increase in myocardial norepinephrine content and decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase expression. Conclusions: These data confirm that cardiac sympathetic nerve hypoinnervation and relative increase in cardiac sympathetic nerve excitability are closely related to cardiac hypertrophy in very old hypertensive patients. A lower serum total testosterone level was the independent risk factor of cardiac sympathetic nerve hypoinnervation and relative increase in excitability in very old male hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cardiovascular regulatory changes in childhood contribute to the development and progression of cardiovascular events at older ages. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of air pollutant exposure on the child sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) system, which plays a vital role in regulating and controlling the cardiovascular system. Two plasma biomarkers (plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine) of SAM activity and heart rate were measured in preschool children (n = 228) living in Guiyu, and native (n = 104) and non-native children (n = 91) living in a reference area (Haojiang) for >1 year. Air pollution data, over the 4-months before the health examination, was also collected. Environmental PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 and CO, plasma norepinephrine and heart rate of the e-waste recycling area were significantly higher than for the non-e-waste recycling area. However, there was no difference in plasma norepinephrine and heart rate between native children living in the non-e-waste recycling area and non-native children living in the non-e-waste recycling area. PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 and NO 2 data, over the 30-day and the 4-month average of pollution before the health examination, showed a positive association with plasma norepinephrine level. PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 and CO concentrations, over the 24 h of the day of the health examination, the 3 previous 24-hour periods before the health examination, and the 24 h after the health examination, were related to increase in heart rate. At the same time, plasma norepinephrine and heart rate on children in the high air pollution level group (≤50-m radius of family-run workshops) were higher than those in the low air pollution level group. Our results suggest that air pollution exposure in e-waste recycling areas could result in an increase in heart rate and plasma norepinephrine, implying e-waste air pollutant exposure impairs the SAM system in children., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Blood pressure (BP) responses to the cold pressor test (CPT) and to dietary sodium intake might be related to the risk of hypertension. We examined the association between BP responses to the CPT and to dietary sodium and potassium interventions., Methods: The CPT and dietary intervention were conducted among 1906 study participants in rural China. The dietary intervention included three 7-day periods of low sodium intake (3 g/d of salt [sodium chloride] [51.3 mmol/d of sodium]), high sodium intake (18 g/d of salt [307.8 mmol/d of sodium]), and high sodium intake plus potassium chloride supplementation (60 mmol/d). A total of 9 BP measurements were obtained during the 3-day baseline observation and the last 3 days of each intervention using a random-zero sphygmomanometer., Results: Blood pressure response to the CPT was significantly associated with BP changes during the sodium and potassium interventions (all P < .001). Compared with the lowest quartile of BP response to the CPT (quartile 1), systolic BP changes (95% confidence intervals) for the quartiles 2, 3, and 4 were -2.02 (-2.87 to -1.16) mm Hg, -3.17 (-4.05 to -2.28) mm Hg, and -5.98 (-6.89 to -5.08) mm Hg, respectively, during the low-sodium intervention. Corresponding systolic BP changes during the high-sodium intervention were 0.40 (-0.36 to 1.16) mm Hg, 0.44 (-0.35 to 1.22) mm Hg, and 2.30 (1.50 to 3.10) mm Hg, respectively, and during the high-sodium plus potassium supplementation intervention were -0.26 (-0.99 to 0.46) mm Hg, -0.95 (-1.70 to -0.20) mm Hg, and -1.59 (-2.36 to -0.83) mm Hg, respectively., Conclusions: These results indicate that BP response to the CPT was associated with salt sensitivity and potassium sensitivity. Furthermore, a low-sodium or high-potassium diet might be more effective to lower BP among individuals with high responses to the CPT.