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Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of AO in the population and to assess the association with socioeconomic factors according to the data of the ESSE-RF study (Epidemiology of Cardiovascular diseases in the Regions of the Russian Federation)., Materials and Methods: The object of the study is a random population sample of men and women aged 25-64 years from 13 regions of the Russian Federation (n=21 817). Abdominal obesity in men was defined as waist circumference (WC) >94 cm, and in women - WC >80 cm. Body mass index (BMI) >30.0 kg/m2 was adopted as the criterion of common obesity., Results: The prevalence of AO in Russia was 55% (61.8% in women and 44% in men), while the percent of people with obesity, defined by BMI was significantly lower (33.4%). The number of examined patients with AO increased with age among both men and women (p<0.0001). A person with AO more often were people with low and very low income and low education levels (p<0.0001). Direct association between employment status and family status and AO in present study did not find, but WC was statistically significantly important criterion among male workers in comparison with those who never worked (p<0.0001), young men and women married, as well as married men of older age groups (p<0.0001).

Aim: To study the oxidative damage of biopolymers (proteins and nucleic acids) in blood of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM)., Materials and Methods: In the blood of 50 patients with DM and 25 patients without disorders of carbohydrate metabolism were estimated: the level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) by immunochemical method, the content of SH-groups in plasma proteins, the activity of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocytes, the length of telomere in leukocyte DNA, the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxygunosine (8-oxo-dG) in plasma and urine., Results: It is shown that in DM patients the level of oxLDL increases and the content of SH-groups in proteins and peptides of the blood plasma decreases, which indicates the development of oxidative stress. In addition, a carbonyl-dependent modification of erythrocyte SOD was detected in DM patients, as well as oxidative DNA destruction (decrease in telomere length in leukocytes and an increase in the level of 8-oxo-dG in blood plasma and urine)., Conclusion: On the basis of the definition of a complex of correct indicators, a multiple oxidative modification of biopolymers of blood (proteins and DNA) was detected in patients with DM.

Aim: The purpose of this study lied in the examination of the clinical characteristics and assessment of the quality of treatment for patients with arterial hypertension (AH) with obesity according to the National Registry of the AH., Materials and Methods: The frequency of obesity in a sample of patients with AH, observed in 2010-2016. in polyclinics and cardiological dispensaries for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), was 38.3%, of which the incidence of severe obesity (grade III) was 8%. Women account for the majority of obese AH patients (72%)., Results: The study revealed the burden of AH patients with obesity in the following risk factors for CVD: dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and a history of early cardiovascular disease. Relatively often in patients with hypertension with obesity, there were lesions of target organs (hypertrophy of the left ventricle, chronic kidney disease of the third stage), CVD [ischemic heart disease (CHD), chronic heart failure (CHF) II-IV functional class NYHA] and diabetes mellitus type 2 These data indicate that patients with AH obesity refers to a high and very high cardiovascular risk., Conclusion: Conducted antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy (statins) in patients with AH obesity was not optimal, only 30% of patients achieved the target level of BP and 23.6% - the target level of total cholesterol.

Aim: The aim of current study was to estimate the economic burden of the chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in Russia based on patient registry., Materials and Methods: Cost of illness study was based on data derived from CTEPH patient registry that was developed at the Division of hypertension of FSBI "National Medical Research Center of Cardiology". Demographic and clinical patient characteristics were analyzed with descriptive statistic methods. Cost of illness study was performed from the state perspective and with bottom-up approach. Bootstrapping was used for calculation of average costs per patient/year. Within the study direct costs (medical costs: outpatient, inpatient, emergency, PAH-specific therapy, concomitant therapy; non-medical costs: pension due to disability status, payments for patients on sick-leave) and indirect costs (loss in GDP) were estimated., Results: Overall, 113 CTEPH patients (67 women and 46 men) from 33 Russian regions were included, mean age of patients with CTEPH was 54.6±13.95 years. Most of the patients (55%) were in able-bodied age. It was found that about half of patients with diagnosed CTEPH had a disability. Average duration of disease at the time of analysis was 6.88±11.41 years. Period from the first occurrence of symptoms to the confirmation of diagnosis of CTEPH was 2.58±5.21 years on average. More than 70% of patients had III and IV FC (WHO) at the time of diagnosis. Mean number of outpatient visits was 1.97±1.65 per patient/year, and inpatient visits were reported for 59% of patients. About 54% of patients used PAH-specific therapy, moreover 46% patients had interruptions of PAH-specific therapy (58.4±66.3 days). The total costs of CTEPH per patient/year were calculated as 805,901 RUB. The overall burden of CTEPH in Russia for total CTEPH population (470 patients) was 379 million RUB per year., Conclusion: CTEPH is the rare disease that is characterized with later diagnosis due to absence of disease-specific symptoms. Therefore economic burden of the CTEPH is significantly low in comparison to widespread cardiovascular diseases. Development of network of expert PH-centers and increase of the access for PAH-specific therapy will help to increase the quality of health care for patients with CTEPH.

Aim: to assess the state of vascular bed, parenchyma, and perfusion of lungs in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) using the method of subtraction computed tomography (CT)., Methods: CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was performed in 45 patients with verified CTEPH (18 men, 27 women, age 26-79 years) by CT scanner using the "Lung subtraction" standard protocol. Parameters analyzed were characteristics of the state of main pulmonary artery (MPA) and the right ventricle (RV), and calculated CT angiographic (CTA) obstruction and perfusion defect scores., Results: Significant correlation was found between CTA obstruction score and perfusion defect score (r=0.34, p=0.02). Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) correlated with MPA diameter (r=0.4, p=0.02), RV wall thickness (r=0.6, p=0.0003) and the ratio of MPA diameter to ascending aortic diameter (r=0.5, p=0.002). Significant correlation was also found between RV wall thickness and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) (r=0.4, p=0.04). Neither CTA obstruction score nor perfusion defect score correlated with PVR and mPAP. The data of CT did not correlate with results of 6-minute walk test., Conclusion: In patients with CTEPH subtraction CTPA allows carrying out complex diagnostics of the state of vascular bed, parenchyma and perfusion of the lungs.

Aim: In the present study was to investigate the quality of medical care for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) old age and compliance of the treatment current guidelines. The data is exported from the system of the Federal register OKS., Materials and Methods: Analyzed medical history 33 893 patients with ACS entered in the system registry of ACS for the period from 01.01.2016 to 31.12.2016. a comparison was made of the quality of care in patients with ACS elderly (75 years and older, n=8773) and in younger patients., Results: The results of the study showed that in patients of senile age, when compared with younger patients, comorbid conditions are significantly more often observed, as well as a significantly higher risk of hospital and 6-month death, calculated on the GRACE scale., Conclusion: Patients of senile age with ACS are almost twice less likely to undergo percutaneous coronary interventions than younger ones, which worsens the prognosis in these patients and increases mortality.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of insomnia symptoms and their association with socio-demographic characteristics in the regions participated in the study., Material and Methods: Data from participants of the cohort study Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in various regions of the Russian Federation (ESSE-RF), aged 25-64 years, from 13 regions of the Russian Federation were analyzed. They were interviewed about sleep complaints: difficulties falling asleep, maintaining sleep, sleepiness and sleeping pill intake (response variants: never, less than once a week, 1-2 times a week, three and more times a week). Responses with complaints occurring at least three times a week were considered as insomnia symptoms. Social and demographics characteristics from survey included: age, gender, education, marital status, job/employment, type of housing. The final analysis included 20 359 respondents., Results: Clinically significant frequent (≥3 times a week) difficulties of falling asleep were reported by 17.2% respondents, difficulties in maintaining sleep by 13.6%; drowsiness by 6.3%, taking sleeping pills by 2.9% respondents. Women reported sleep complaints twice more after comared to men. The occurrence of frequent difficulties to falling asleep and nocturnal awakenings increased with age - from 11.4% and 5.9% to 24.2% and 20.7%. The highest occurrence of insomnia symptoms to such as difficulties in falling asleep and nocturnal awakenings was found in women, older age groups, divorced subjects or living separately, those with primary education, retired or disabled and living in a communal apartment or 'other' type of housing., Conclusion: Symptoms of insomnia are widespread among participants of the ESSE-RF study and associated with socio-demographic characteristics. Groups with high risk of insomnia include women, older age groups, divorced or living separately, those with primary education, unemployed pensioners and people with disabilities living in a communal apartment or 'other' type of housing.

Aim: To evaluate the vascular bed and lung perfusion in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) by computed tomography (CT) and to compare the severity of pulmonary arterial (PA) thrombotic lesions concurrent with parenchymal perfusion disorders with angiopulmonographic findings and clinical and hemodynamic characteristics., Subjects and Methods: In the period from November 2015 to May 2016, 22 patients (7 men, 15 women) aged 27 to 67 years with a verified diagnosis of CTEPH were examined using an Aquilion ONE VISION Edition 640 (Toshiba Medical Systems, Japan) CT scanner with a 320-row detector. Perfusion defect in this study was evaluated with the new software allowing one to combine contrast and contrast-free images by a subtraction method. CT data analysis included visual assessment of the vascular bed and lung parenchyma and quantitative assessment with perfusion map construction and semi-automatic determination of the obstruction index (OI) and perfusion defect index (PDI). OI was compared with PDI and mean LA pressure according to the data of right heart catheterization and 6-minute walk test., Results: A statistically significant correlation was found between OI and PDI in patients with CTEPH (Pearson r=0.56; p=0.0065). There were no relationships between mean LA pressure and vascular perfusion indices (OI and PDI) or between vascular perfusion parameters and 6-minute walk test results., Conclusion: CT angiopulmonography in conjunction with pulmonary perfusion assessment (within one study) allows evaluation of the severity of vascular lesions and perfusion disorders and determination of the efficiency of treatment in patients with CTEPH.

The results of evaluating the efficacy and safety of bosentan in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), as shown by the data of foreign randomized controlled trials and the authors' own experience, convincingly demonstrate that the introduction of the drug into clinical practice has led to a significant improvement of the possibilities of drug therapy in patients with this serious illness. Bosentan substantially improves physical activity in patients, reduces the severity of clinical symptoms, slows down the rates of disease progression, and prolongs survival in patients with different forms of PAH.

Changes in the activity of β2-adrenergic receptors of human T-lymphocytes under the effect of salbutamol (a short-acting β2-agonist) have been evaluated with a new modified radioligand method utilizing [^(125)I]cyanopindolol and a specific ligand ICI 118551. In healthy volunteers, the receptor activity decreased after 30 min upon the inhalation of salbutamol and restored to the initial level after 2 h. At the same time, there were changes in the transcription level of the ADRB2 gene, which encodes the protein component of the β2-adrenoreceptor. The dynamics of β2-adrenergic receptor activity of T-lymphocytes after salbutamol treatment in patients with cardiorespiratory pathology significantly differed from that in healthy volunteers.

The paper gives current approaches to treating chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) from the document «Federal Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of CTEPH» approved at the Third Russian Congress on Pulmonary Hypertension on December 11, 2015. The guidelines had been elaborated to optimize the treatment of patients with CTEPH on the basis of an analysis of the data of the present-day registries and multicenter randomized clinical trials, national and international guidelines and consensus documents, and documents published in recent years. CTEPH is a unique form of pulmonary hypertension since it is potentially curable by surgical treatment. The paper presents indications for and contraindications to pulmonary thromboendartectomy; preparation for surgery; operating room facilities; the specific features of postoperative management and possible complications; and long-term RESULTS: In terms of therapy, in addition to non-pharmacological measures, the authors discuss maintenance and specific treatment options for CTEPH, balloon pulmonary angioplasty, and lung/heart-lung transplantation. In conclusion they propose a management algorithm in patients with CTEPH and requirements for its problem to the center of experts.

In late 2015, the Russian Federation registered the new non-selective endothelin receptor antagonist macitentan for the pathogenetic therapy of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The given clinical case demonstrates the possibility of using macitentan in a female patient with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension and its ability to affect the clinical, hemodynamic, and functional status of patients and to slow down the progression of the disease.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is precapillary pulmonary hypertension, in which chronic obstruction of large and middle branches of pulmonary arteries (PAs) and secondary changes in the lung microcirculatory bed result in a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and PA pressure with the development of severe right cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. CTEPH is a unique form of pulmonary hypertension since it is potentially curable by surgical treatment. The diagnostic criteria for CTEPH are a mean PA pressure of ≥25 mm Hg, as evidenced by right heart catheterization; a PA wedge pressure of ≤15 mm Hg; a pulmonary vascular resistance of >2 Wood units; the presence of chronic/organized thrombi/emboli in the elastic PAs (pulmonary trunk, lobular, segmental, subsegmental PAs); effective anticoagulant therapy at therapeutic dosages over at least 3 months. Up to now, our country has had no guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of this rare severe disease that, when appropriately untreated, has an extremely poor prognosis. The main task in the preparation of this document was to generalize and analyze the data of current registries, multicenter randomized clinical trials, national and international guidelines, and consensus documents recently published on this problem in order to optimize a diagnostic process and treatment in this category of patients. Part 1 gives a definition of CTEPH, its place in the clinical classification, epidemiology and prognosis, risk factors, pathogenesis and morphology, diagnostic approaches and determination of operability in patients, and specific features of differential diagnosis.

The review discusses mechanisms of trastuzumab cardio- toxicity. There are presented risk factors of development of the left ventricular dysfunction in treatment of a drug, among which the most important are the simultaneous administration of anthracycline antibiotics and the presence of associated cardiovascular diseases. There are discussed the features of cardiac management of patients receiving trastuzumab therapy that focuses on early detection of abnormalities of left ven- tricular function from the normality as well as measures aim- ing at preventing the occurrence of cardiac dysfunction and its treatment.

The paper describes a clinical case of a female patient with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in the presence of congenital hemangioma of the face, soft palate, and tongue concurrent with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, and sinoatrial block (maximally up to 3.9 sec). Continuous positive airway pressure therapy could reduce the number of paroxysms of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia and eliminate sinoatrial block.

We proposed a new method of evaluation of beta-receptor's activity on the surface of human T-lymphocytes based on the radioligand method. Optimal conditions for evaluation of specific binding to β2-adrenoceptors of 0.5 fmol ligand per 1 million cells using [125I]-cyanopindolol were found. The possibility of using of β2-adrenoceptor's activity assessment in clinical settings was demonstrated on human T-lymphocyte.

Objectives: An international double-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial was performed to determine the efficacy and safety of a new first-line strategy in mild to moderate hypertension based on a single-pill combination of perindopril/amlodipine versus a validated stepped-care strategy (initiation with valsartan monotherapy, up-titrating to valsartan/amlodipine after 2 months)., Methods: At inclusion, patients received perindopril/amlodipine 3.5/2.5 mg or valsartan 80 mg. At 1, 2, and 3 months, patients were up-titrated if they had uncontrolled hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg). The up-titration steps were: perindopril/amlodipine 7/5 mg, 14/10 mg, and 14/10 mg + indapamide sustained release 1.5 mg; or valsartan 160 mg, valsartan/amlodipine 160/5 mg, and 160/10 mg. The two groups were similar at baseline (55.5 years, 53% men, blood pressure 163.5/100.2 mmHg); 881 perindopril/amlodipine and 876 valsartan/amlodipine patients were analyzed for efficacy., Results: After 1 month, the rate of controlled hypertension was 33% with perindopril/amlodipine versus 27% with valsartan/amlodipine (estimate of difference, +6.1%; P = 0.005); this between-strategy difference remained significant at every visit (P < 0.05). After 3 months, blood pressure was 137.8 ± 12.4/83.3 ± 8.7 and 139.7 ± 13.3/84.8 ± 9.0 mmHg, respectively, with greater reductions from baseline with perindopril/amlodipine (primary endpoint -2.0/-1.5 mmHg; both P < 0.001). Similar results were observed at all other visits (all P ≤ 0.001). The safety of the two strategies was equivalent., Conclusions: The three-step strategy of initiation with single-pill perindopril/amlodipine produces greater reductions in blood pressure, and better and quicker rates of control of hypertension. This can be expected to be associated with benefits beyond blood pressure control, notably improved compliance and better cardioprotection.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancers are the leaders in their prevalence and the major causes of death in economically developed countries, determining their high sociomedical significance in society. Improvement of methods for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancers has contributed to increases in relapse-free survival and life expectancy in these patients. At the same time, the new problems have emerged particularly in the development of various cardiovascular events/diseases when treating cancer, which may predict worse prognosis in patients and be an independent cause of death. To search for new markers of cardiotoxicity at early stages and to develop effective methods for the prevention and personalized treatment of cancer and CVD are the problems that can be solved only by joint efforts of cardiologists and oncologists.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a group of diseases characterized by progressive increases in pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary artery pressure, which results in right ventricular heart failure and sudden death. Based on the current version of the guidelines for PH diagnosis and treatment, adopted by the experts of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Respiratory Society in 2009, and on the data of Russian and foreign clinical trials, the Russian experts elaborated clinical guidelines for PH in 2013. The latter consider the current classifications of PH, the specific features of its pathogenesis, and its diagnostic algorithm. The section dealing with drugs for maintenance therapy discusses data on the use of oral anticoagulants, diuretics, cardiac glycosides, and oxygen therapy. PH-specific therapy includes calcium antagonists, prostanoids, endothelin receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. Surgical procedures for PH involve atrial septostomy, thromboendartectomy, and lung or heart-lung transplantation. A treatment algorithm is proposed for PH patients. The current medicinal approaches using specific therapy agents and their combinations offer new promises for the effective treatment of patients with PH and improve its prognosis.

Aim: To analyze the circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) and daily reflected wave values in patients with low-renin hypertension with normal and elevated aldosterone production., Subjects and Methods: The investigation included 66 patients. 24-hour BP monitoring was carried out and arterial wall rigidity and reflected wave values were assessed in all the patients., Results: The patients with hyperaldosteronemia were found to have not only statistically significant severer hypertension, impaired circadian rhythms of BP, but also impaired augmentation index (Aix)--mainly its nocturnal increase. A positive correlation was found between nocturnal Aix and resting plasma aldosterone concentrations (r = -0.31; p = 0.002)., Conclusion: The findings suggest the expediency of 24-hour systolic wave increment index monitoring in hypertensive patients ofthis category.

Aim: To investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), regions of their residence, the specific features of diagnosis and drug therapy, and the patients' survival within the framework of a multicenter open-label prospective study., Subjects and Methods: The study enrolled patients over 18 years of age with PH classified as Group 1 (PH) and Group 4 (CTEPH). The follow-up was made in 9 expert centers of Russia on January 1 to February 28, 2014. The data of patients with PH and CTEPH were electronically entered at the register website: www.pul-hyp.medibase.ru., Results: The study included 242 patients (183 women and 59 men) from 44 regions of the Russian Federation. PH of different etiologies was present in 79.3%, including 43.8% with idiopathic PH, 28.5% with congenital heart disease-associated PH, 6.2% with diffuse connective tissue-associated PH, 0.8% with hereditary PH; 20.7% were diagnosed with CTEPH. The patients' mean age at the inclusion in the register was 43.2 ± 15.8 years; the median PH duration was 4.4 years (1.4 to 10.6%). The distance covered during a 6-minute walk test was 395.2?111.1 m; the Borg dyspnea index was 3.4 ± 1.4 scores and the functional class was 2.5 ± 0.8. After right cardiac catheterization, the mean pulmonary artery pressure was 53.1 ± 19.5 mm Hg; cardiac output, 3.8 ± 1.2 l/ min; cardiac index, 2.1 ± 0.6 l/min/m2; pulmonary vascular resistance, 1105 ± 677.6 dyn·sec/cm5. A positive acute pharmacological test was seen in 16.3% of the patients. The most common comorbidity was erosive ulcerative lesion of the gastrointestinal tract (23.5%), hypertension (16.9%), and obesity (16.5%). 66% of the patients received PH-specific therapy: sildenafil (51.6%), bosentan (20.9%), or iloprost (7%); 7.4% of the patients were observed within the framework of clinical trials, 17.7% received combined therapy for PH: 16.3 and 1.4% had dual- or triple-component therapy, respectively; 55.8% of the patients took calcium antagonists, 61.4% had diuretics, 85.6% had antithrombotic drugs. The survival rates were 98% in the first year of the follow-up and 90.1% by the end of 2013., Conclusion: The formation of a national register of patients with PH and CTEPH makes it possible to introduce current approaches to diagnosing and treating the patients of this category and to evaluate the efficiency and quality of rendered medical care and will contribute to the estimation of required health care volumes and the expenditure of public health resources.

Aim: To study the impact of simulated climatic conditions of the 2010 summer in Moscow on the telomere repeats of chromosomes in human blood cells., Materials and Methods: The climatic conditions of July-August 2010 in Moscow were simulated at the Medical Technical Complex, Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences. The relative length of the telomeric repeats of blood cell chromosomes from 6 apparently healthy volunteers was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction., Results: These conditions were ascertained to lead to a statistically significant decline in the length of telomere repeats in the terminal portions of chromosomes by 15%., Conclusion: Environmental changes and abnormal temperature rises may result in oxidative stress accompanied by telomere shortening, which can be, in turn, a factor of premature aging.

We studied prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) and its association with major cardiovascular (CV) risk factors among unorganized adult population aged 25-64 years in 10 Russian cities (Volgograd, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Orenburg, Vladikavkaz, Samara, Tomsk, Tyumen) with different climatic, geographical, economical and demographical characteristics. This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted within the framework of the ESSAY RF-2012 (Epidemiology of Cardiovascular diseases in the Regions of the Russian Federation) project. Epidemiological situation concerning AH was found to be unfavorable. Prevalence of CV risk factors was high especially in young men and postmenopausal women. Major CV risk factors, associated with AH were hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, and obesity. The obtained results substantiate the expediency of the use of population strategy of AH and CV risk factors prevention in the studied population.

Aim: To collect information on the efficiency and safety of a fixed-dose combination of amlodipine/valsartan in patients who failed to achieve blood pressure (BP) control in the use of the combination of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) and a thiazide/thiazide-like diuretic., Subjects and Methods: During routine clinical practice, the 12-week observation program covered 8594 hypertensive patients receiving a fixed-dose combination of amlodipine/valsartan 5/160, 10/160 mg (exforge, Novartis Pharma) with/without a diuretic. The inclusion criteria were 18 years of age or older; systolic BP > OR = 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP > or = 90 mm Hg) at the first visit; failure to achieve BP (> or = 140/90 mm Hg) control in the use of the combination of an ACE inhibitor or an ARB and a thiazide/ thiazide-like diuretic; a patient's consent to participate in the program. The exclusion criteria were, besides the contraindications given in the drug use instruction, absent. Amlodipine/valsartan 5/160 or 10/160 mg were used after the previous ineffective therapy was discontinued. The patients visited their physician's office every 4 weeks., Results: The patients' baseline BP was 169.3/99.9 mm Hg. The risk of cardiovascular events was assessed as high in 38% of the patients and as very high in 43.1%. The previous therapy included thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics (92%), an ACE inhibitor (78.5%), an ARB (23.2%), beta-adrenoblockers (38.6%), calcium antagonists (23.1%), and other medications (25.5%). In the entire group, BP decreased from 169.3 +/- 15.6/99.9 +/- 9.3 to 129.1 +/- 9.1/80.3 +/- 6.4 mm Hg at the fourth visit. BP reductions at 12 weeks were 40.1 +/- 14.9/19.6 +/- 9.5 mm Hg. The therapy was effective in different treatment subgroups. At baseline, the majority of patients had grades 2 (53.1%) and 3 (35.4%) hypertension. At 12 weeks, 74% of the patients were found to have normal or high normal BP. Grade 3 hypertension was preserved only in 0.2% of the patients by the end of the program. BP goals were achieved in 79.5% of the patients. The therapy was well tolerated by the patients. Adverse reactions were observed in 3.1% of the patients and required treatment discontinuation in 0.5%. The most common side effect was peripheral edemas (1.4%)., Conclusion: In the observation program AESCULAP using the fixed-dose combination of amlodipine/valsartan as different dosage regimens (5/160 and 10/160 mg) and/or a diuretic, there was a marked antihypertensive effect in different subgroups of patients with previously uncontrolled hypertension and the BP goals being achieved in 79.5% of cases. Most patients tolerated amlodipine/ valsartan well and showed high compliance with the prescribed therapy. The rate of side effects in the AECULAP program was not greater than that (3.1%) in the earlier trials.

Aim: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of two treatment regimens using ramipril or losartan in combination with hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and amlodipine in grade 1-2 arterial hypertension (AH)., Subjects and Methods: The prospective, international, multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled trial with parallel groups included 347 AH patients in Russia (n = 166), Croatia, and Ukraine. The follow-up was 12 weeks in patients not receiving antihypertensive therapy (AHT) and 13 weeks in those who had previously received AHT with regard to a washout period. The basis for two treatment regimens was ramipril or losartan. If no target blood pressure (BP) was achieved, amlodipine or HCT was added at week 4 and a third antihypertensive drug (AHD) was used 8 weeks later., Results: At the inclusion, clinical BP was 157.64/95.5 mm Hg in 332 (61%) AH patients aged 55.9 +/- 11 years. At week 4 of monotherapy with ramipil 5 mg or losartan 50 mg, BP was reduced to 141.9/87.4 mm Hg. Addition of a second AHD further lowered BP to 131.8/81.9 mm Hg (to 127.6/79.7 at 12 weeks of treatment; p < 0.001). After 4 weeks of treatment with ramipril 5 mg or losartan 50 mg, 35% of the patients achieved target BP. At weeks 8 and 12, double or triple AHT increased the number of patients achieving the target level up to 75 and 94%, respectively. When losartan was used as monotherapy, about one third of the patients achieved target BP; 20 and 22% of the patients required the addition of a second AHD (HCT and amlodipine, respectively). Only 10% of the patients needed to take a combination of three AHDs. Nearly one third of the patients achieved target BP during monotherapy with losartan or ramipril. Double AHT involving ramipril or losartan in combination with the diuretic or amlodipine was used in 18 and 20% and in 22 and 24% of the patients, respectively. 28 and 19% of the patients received triple therapy including ramipril or losartan, amlodipine, and HCT. The most common adverse reactions were dizziness (2.4%), fatigue (1.8%), and coughing (1.2%)., Conclusion: In the patients with grades 1-2 AH, the treatment regimens using basic therapy with ramipril or losartan proved to be highly effective and allowed target BP to be achieved in 94% of cases. Both treatment regimens were comparable in view of safety; slight side effects occurred rarely (in less than 2.5% of the patients) and required that the treatment should not be discontinued.

Aim: To study the effect of bosentan on the clinical status and cellular immunity of patients with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPH)., Subjects and Methods: The study enrolled 35 patients with Functional Class (FC) II and IV IPH who had received conventional therapy for 3 months. All the patients took bosentan 125 mg/day for 4 weeks. Then they were randomized to have bosentan 125 or 250 mg/day (Groups 1 and 2). FC was assessed and 6-minute walk test (6MWT), transthoracic echocardiography (EchoCG), and right heart catheterization (RHC) were performed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were immunophenotyped and the functional activity of neutrophils was determined by their ability to absorb latex particles at baseline and following 3 and 12 weeks., Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, both groups showed a statistically significant increase in the distance covered during the 6MWT. The Borg index and FC also decreased statistically significantly. EchoCG demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) in Group 1; and in Group 2, SPAP was lower at baseline and remained substantially unchanged (it statistically significantly decreased as evidenced by RHC). Bosentan statistically significantly diminished pulmonary vascular resistance in both groups. No adverse reactions were noted. At baseline, the patients showed a statistically significant elevation in NKT-like lymphocytes up to 10.79 +/- 6.2%. The other indicators of peripheral blood lymphocyte phenotyping did not exceed the normal range. The count of NKT-like lymphocytes remained significantly above the normal levels throughout the follow-up in both groups and slightly dropped in Group 1 patients only after 12 weeks of treatment. In Group 2, the level of CD3+CD25+ lymphocytes rose as compared to the normal levels at 3 and 12 weeks of treatment. At 3 weeks of treatment, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in phagocytic number., Conclusion: Bosentan treatment statistically significantly improves the clinical status of patients with IPH and it is characterized by good tolerability. Bosentan does not exceed the normal count of peripheral blood NKT-like lymphocytes, but it has a direct or indirect positive effect on the B-lymphocytic component of the immune system in patients with IPH.

Objective: To estimate the left ventricular (LV) energy index from the data of 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) versus healthy individuals., Subject and Methods: The investigation included 46 persons, including 30 healthy volunteers (Group 1) without cardiovascular diseases and 16 patients with HCM (Group 2). All the persons underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 31P-MRS using a high-field Achieva 3T TX MRI scanner (Philips, Netherlands). ISIS location and adiabatic pulse with iterative shimming were used to collect data., Results: The PC/ATP energy index (a phosphocreatine to adenosine triphosphate ratio) was employed to evaluate myocardial energy metabolism in the patients with HCM. The PC/ATP index was 2.08 +/- 0.35 in Group 1 and 1.32 +/- 3.3 in Group 2 (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: 31P-MRS may be used to determine the myocardial energy metabolism in patients with HCM.

Aim: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of intravenous infusion of levosimendan in patients with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPH) and its clinical, hemodynamic, and neurohumoral effects., Subjects and Methods: The study included 9 patients (mean age 31.8 +/- 8.7 years) with Functional Class III and IV IPH and severe right ventricular failure (RVF). Levosimendan was administered as dropwise intravenous infusion. The patients' general condition, blood pressure, heart rate, and 6-minute walk test results were assessed at baseline and 24 hours after levosimendan infusion, and then following 12 weeks. The time course of changes in blood neurohumoral mediators was determined and transthoracic echocardiography performed., Results: At 24 hours after initiation of levosimendan infusion, there were substantial reductions in pulmonary artery systolic pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure, mean right atrial pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance. There was a significant increase in exercise tolerance. The blood exhibited lower norepinephrine and NT-proBNP and higher epinephrine concentrations. At 12 weeks after termination of levosimendan infusion, the improved functional status was preserved in the patients with IPH. There were no noticeable changes in the achieved key hemodynamic parameters. Only one patient needed re-administration of the drug 12 weeks later. The achieved changes in vasoactive mediators were retained 12 weeks following levosimendan infusion. Levosimendan treatment was not followed by clinically relevant adverse reactions requiring infusion termination and therapy discontinuation., Conclusion: 24-hour intravenous levosimendan infusion in patents with FC III-IV IPH and severe RVF causes positive changes in the key hemodynamic parameters and neurohumoral status of the patients and promotes stabilization in those with IPH at 12-week follow-up.

Excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system forms the basis of pathogenesis of essential arterial hypertension (AH). The present work was aimed at evaluating efficacy and safety of endovascular radiofrequency denervation of renal arteries in patients with AH refractory AH based on the initial first experience in with using this methodology in the Russian Federation. The interventions were carried out on December 14-15th, 2011 in the first five patients presenting with AH refractory to antihypertensive therapy consisting of three and more drugs in therapeutic doses, one of which was a diuretic. The selection criteria were systolic arterial pressure (SAP) ≥160 mm Hg or ≥150 mm Hg in the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The obligatory conditions for selection were the preserved renal function [glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥45 ml/min] and the absence of the secondary form of AH. The procedure of denervation was performed in the conditions of roentgen-operating room using special Medtronic Ardian Simplicity Catheter System™. In all cases we managed to perform bilateral denervation of renal arteries with the radiofrequency effect in not less than 4 zones of each of vessels. Efficacy of each of the effect was registered with due regard for reaching certain temperature and values of impedance. The interventions were not accompanied by the development of any complications either in the area of manipulations or the site of puncture. Neither were there any complications from the side of the cardiovascular or excretory systems of the body. Diurnal monitoring of AP (DMAP) registered a significant decrease in SAP averagely from 174±12 to 145±10 mm Hg three days after the intervention. A persistent antihypertensive effect was confirmed by the DMAP findings one month after denervation - the SAP level averagely amounted to 131±6 mm Hg. Endovascular radiofrequency denervation of renal arteries is a safe and efficient method of treatment of AH resistant to multicomponent antihypertensive therapy.

Magnetic Resonant spectroscopy (MRS) in the nuclei of phosphorus is the only noninvasive method of studying the state of myocardial energy metabolism does not require the introduction of radiopharmaceuticals. This method uses the signals from the nuclei of 31P contained in such mattered phosphates like phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate. MRS can provide an answer to a variety of theoretical and clinical issues in the study of various cardiac diseases. The first is ischemic heart disease, as well as heart failure, hypertrophy of various origins, etc. In addition, the method can be used to control the various treatments, including therapeutic, interventional or surgical. Combined with magnetic resonance imaging of the heart gives information on the anatomy, size, function, perfusion defects, structural changes of the myocardium, as well as about the state of energy metabolism of myocardium.

Aim: To study the impact of 24-week therapy with nebivolol in a dose of 5 mg/day on the clinical and functional status of patients with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPH), echocardiographic parameters, and blood levels of vasoactive mediators and nitric oxide (NO) metabolite., Subjects and Methods: During continuous standard therapy comprising dihydropyridine calcium antagonists, warfarin, and diuretics, 12 patients with IPH and functional class (FC) II-III received nebivolol in a dose of 5 mg/day for 24 weeks. According to the data of right heart catheterization, all the patients had a positive acute pharmacological test with a vasodilator (NO). Six-minute walk test (6'WT), estimation of the Borg dyspnea index (BDI) and FC, transthoracic echocardiography (EchoCG), and measurements of the levels of NO metabolites, endothelin-1, (ET-1), thromboxane B2 (TxB2), and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha (6-ketoPG F1alpha) were done at baseline and after 12 and 24 weeks of the therapy., Results: Following 24-week nebivolol treatment, there was a statistically significant increase in 6'WT distance (from 473 +/- 47.6 to 516.7 +/- 58.4 m; p < 0.0001) and a drop in BDI (from 3.4 +/- 2.2 to 1.1 +/- 0.7; p < 0.05) and FC (from 2.9 +/- 0.4 to 1.7 +/- 0.2; p < 0.05). Doppler EchoCG showed that pulmonary artery systolic pressure statistically significantly decreased (91.6 +/- 30 to 78.3 +/- 39 mm Hg; p = 0.05) at 12 weeks and slightly increased up to 83.2 +/- 32.4 mm Hg at 24 weeks. After 24-week treatment, the anteroposterior dimensions of the right ventricle (RV) statistically significantly reduced (from 4.4 +/- 0.6 to 3.8 +/- 1.2 cm; p < 0.05). The other EchoCG parameters remained substantially unchanged. There was a statistically reduction in the level of ET-1 (from 2.99 +/- 1.1 to 2.17 +/- 0.8 micromol/l; p < 0.05). The concentrations of 6-ketoPG Fla, TxB2, and NO metabolite remained substantially unchanged at 24 weeks of treatment with nebivolol. There were no adverse reactions requiring that the dose of the drug be discontinued or reduced. Heart rate tended to be lower at a 24-week follow-up. All the patients continued taking nebivolol after completion of the study., Conclusion: Therapy with nebivolol in a dose of 5 mg/day for 24 weeks led to a significant functional improvement in the patients with IPH and reductions in RV dimensions and blood ET-1 levels. The therapy did not cause adverse reactions.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the free combination of amlodipine/valsartan in patients with arterial hypertension in a real-life setting., Methods: This was a multicenter, open-label, observational, noninterventional, postmarketing surveillance study conducted in 298 centers in China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Russia. We evaluated changes in heart rate, systolic and diastolic office blood pressure (BP), as well as BP control rate (<140/90 mmHg) overall, and in clinically relevant subgroups of hypertensive patients (BP >140/90 mmHg) after 12 weeks of treatment with 5/10 mg amlodipine and 80/160 mg valsartan combination., Results: Two thousand seven hundred and eighty-five patients with arterial hypertension were enrolled, 52 discontinued (eight due to adverse events), and four patients' data were missing. In total, 2729 patients completed the study: mean age 57.9 years, 54.5% men, 54.2% Asian, 44.6% Caucasian; 86.5% had prior hypertension treatment (which was discontinued), baseline BP was 163.1/96.2 mmHg. The significant reduction in BP (-33.2/-16.9 mmHg, P<0.0001) was achieved with amlodipine/valsartan treatment resulting in a final BP of 129.9/79.3 mmHg. A dose-dependent effect was observed with the least BP reduction for 5/80 mg (-29.2/-15.1 mmHg, P<0.0001) and the greatest for the 10/160 mg dose regimen (-43.6/-22.4 mmHg, P<0.0001). Treatment response increased with increasing initial severity of hypertension with the least BP reduction in patients with baseline grade 1 hypertension BP level (SBP 140-159 mmHg): -20.0/-13.4 mmHg, P<0.0001, and the greatest BP drops observed in grade 3 hypertensive patients with baseline systolic BP over 200 mmHg: -73.1/-26.3 mmHg, P<0.0001. Patients with isolated systolic hypertension had BP reductions of -24.2/-4.8 mmHg, P<0.0001., Conclusion: An optimal BP reduction was achieved for all hypertension grades as well as isolated systolic hypertension, providing evidence that most hypertensive patients may benefit from amlodipine/valsartan combination treatment.

Aim: To ascertain changes in orthogonal ECG in hypertensive patients taking different antihypertensive treatment., Material and Methods: Orthogonal ECG parameters and those of 24-h blood pressure monitoring (BPM) were examined before and after antihypertensive treatment with different drugs in 95 hypertensive patients aged 47 +/- 1 years. Of them, 14 patients received trandolapril+verapamil SR for 2 months, 13 patients--candesartan for 3 months, 25 patients--ramipril for 5 months, 26 patients--carvedilol for 4 months, 10 patients--atenolol for 8 months, 7 patients--doxasozine for 5 months., Results: 24-h BPM parameters improved in all the groups. Initially, conventional ECG evidence on left ventricular hypertrophy was not seen in 86% patients. Dynamics of orthogonal ECG showed that parameters which increase in left ventricular hypertrophy decrease in response to treatment in patients with baseline values above the median. Parameters G and Gx, which in left ventricular hypertrophy diminish, rise significantly in patients with baseline values under median due to therapy. Treatment with impact on renin-angiotensin system reduced voltage parameters of orthogonal ECG, improved G characterizing repolarisation. Treatment with adrenoreceptors blockers reduced IADI., Conclusion: The analysis of parameters of orthogonal ECG reveals positive dynamics in response to treatment in patients with insignificant changes on ECG in short follow-up. Drugs of different groups change different parameters of orthogonal ECG.

Aim: To assess efficacy of two- and three-component antihypertensive treatment (AHT) in patients with severe sleep apnea and arterial hypertension (AH) of the second and third degree in combination with CPAP therapy (continuous positive air pressure) and without it., Material and Methods: A total of 58 patients aged 55.5 +/- 9.6 years participated in the study. Clinical blood pressure (BP) before treatment was 172.0 (170.7-175.9)/100.0 (98.5-104.2) mm Hg, apnea/ hypopnea index was 26.3 episodes an hour. The patients received amlodipin in combination with walsartan in a dose 5-10/160 mg with addition of 25 mg hydrochlorothiaside if target BP was not achieved. This treatment was followed for 3 weeks by CPAP-therapy. Monitoring was made of clinical BP, central BP, target mean 24-h pressure., Results: Despite a significant reduction of systolic arterial pressure/diastolic arterial pressure (by 30/14 mm Hg) as a result of antihypertensive treatment, this reduction was lower than in such patients without obstructive sleep apnea (by data from other investigators). CPAP-therapy reduced the number of resistant patients from 58 to 31%, patients with masked AH--from 19 to 11%, cases of arrhythmia--from 69 to 47%., Conclusion: Multicomponent pathophysiologically sound AHT in hypertensive patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea was effective in less than 42% cases. The maximal effect was achieved in combined treatment with CPAP-therapy.

Aim: To study structural and functional changes of the right ventricle (RV) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) of various etiologies and to assess an association of these changes with the levels of natriuretic peptides (NP)., Subjects and Methods: The study enrolled 102 patients with PH (29 with idiopathic PH (IPH), 15 with PH in the presence of chronic pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), 18 with HP associated with scleroderma systematica (SS), 13 with PH in the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 15 with PH associated with congenital heart disease, 12 with residual PH and a control group of 21 healthy volunteers. Conventional echocardiography (EchoCG) and tissue myocardial Doppler (TMD) EchoCG were performed. The plasma levels of brain NP (BNP) and atrial NP were measured., Results: Conventional EchoCG revealed the most significant remodeling of the heart and pulmonary artery in patients IPH and the least one in those with COPD. TMD findings suggest that RV diastolic function was most and less significantly impaired in patients with IPH and in those with COPD, respectively, and corresponded to the level of NT-proBNP in patients with PH. In patients with PTE with SS, RV diastolic dysfunction (DD) dominated over systolic ones, the functional class and the level of NT-proBNP being comparable with those in patients with ILH. TMD could reveal RV DD in a larger proportion of patients with PH (in all groups) than could Doppler EchoCG. The ratio of the maximum RV early filling velocity to RV tricuspid valve (TV) ring peak movement rate in early diastole (TV E/EM) corresponded to the levels of NP and the magnitude of cardiac remodeling in patients with PH. ROC analysis revealed the intrinsic separating values of TV E/Em from the mitral ring (MR E/Em) which allowed the patients with higher NT-proBNP levels to be identified with a high sensitivity and a high specificity. An aggregate of factors, such as age, right atrial volume, and PA systolic pressure as shown by conventional EchCG and TMD readings, identified patients with PH and elevated NT-proBNP with 73.3% sensitivity and 90.7% specificity., Conclusion: TMD has advantages over conventional EchoCG in the detection of RV DD associated with elevated NP levels in patients with PH.

Idiopathic (primary) pulmonary hypertension (IPH) is a rare disease of unknown etiology, which is characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure, increased total pulmonary vascular resistance, frequently a malignant course with evolving right ventricular decompensation, and a fatal outcome. The diagnosis of IPH is established on the increments in the mean resting and exercise pulmonary artery trunk pressure by more than 25 and more than 30 mm Hg at rest and during exercise, respectively, with a normal pulmonary artery wedge pressure. Endothelin receptor antagonists (ERA) are one of the effective classes of drugs for the treatment of patients with IPH. Bosentan is the first drug from the ERA class that blocks the receptors of both types and that has been recommended by the WHO to treat patients with functional class II-IV pulmonary hypertension. The described case demonstrates the possibility of concomitantly using bosentan in a female patient with IPH shortly after ineffective treatment with a calcium antagonist.

Aim: To investigate antihypertensive efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of ACE inhibitor enalapril with thiaside diuretic drug hydrochlorothiaside (HCT) in hypertensive patients with a high and very high risk of cardiovascular complications., Material and Methods: The trial has covered 7796 hypertensive patients from 28 cities (42 clinics) of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia. All the patients had a high and very high risk of cardiovascular complications. The protocol provides for measurements of clinical arterial pressure, 24-h monitoring of arterial pressure. Diabetic patients' plasma was examined for glucose concentrations. All the patients received enalapril in combination with HCT in doses from 10/6.25 to 40/25 mg/day for 3 months., Results: After 3 month treatment target systolic arterial pressure (SAP) was achieved in 81% patients, diastolic pressure (DAP)--in 88%, by SAP and DAP--77%. By 24-h blood pressure monitoring, 24-h, diurnal and nocturnal blood pressure significantly decreased in 60 patients. Target 24-h blood pressure was achieved in 78% patients. Pressure load parameters lowered significantly for SAP and DAP for 24 hours, diurnal and nocturnal pressure. Glucose levels in patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 1263) diminished from 7.3 to 6.4 mmol/l (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: A fixed combination of enalapril with HCT was effective in hypertensive patients with a high and a very high risk of cardiovascular complications. It provided a target level of blood pressure in 77% patients and significantly reduced SAP, DAP and PAD.

Aim: To study damage to the heart, kidneys and vessels in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) of different severity with and without metabolic syndrome., Material and Methods: The trial enrolled 303 patients with AH of the first-third degree aged 25-70 years (mean age 52 +/- 18 years), 110 males and 193 females. The patients were matched by sex and age. All the patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 151) without metabolic syndrome (MS) and group 2 (n = 152) with MS. The following parameters were studied: lipid spectrum, blood glucose, glomerular filtration rate, MAU, data of 24-h blood pressure monitoring, echocardiography, Doppler ultrasonography of the brachiocephalic arteries., Results: Early AH was accompanied with diastolic LV myocardial dysfunction, subnormal glomerular filtration rate and the presence of MAU. In AH of the second degree there was LV remodeling. In AH of the third degree left ventricular myocardial mass (LVMM) and thickness of intima-medial complex (TIM) were increased. Close correlations were found between the disturbance of diastolic function and MAU, thickness of interventricular septum and thickness of the inferior wall and LVMM index with MAU. Less manifest correlation existed between diastolic dysfunction and TIM, thickness of the interventricular septum and thickness of the inferior wall and TIM., Conclusion: The presence of metabolic syndrome contributes to earlier and more serious damage of the target organs in patients with arterial hypertension.

Aim: To determine informative value of quantitative parameters of orthogonal ECG repolarization phase in diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients., Material and Methods: A total of 210 healthy subjects and 241 hypertensive patients with LVH (LV myocardium mass index > 125 g/m2 in males and > 110 g/m2 in women) comprised two groups--control and test. The study was made of quantitative parameters (components X, Y, Z, modules and angles of azimuth and elevation) of wave T integral vector, wave T maximal vector, ST vector, ventricular gradient; spatial and projection areas of wave T, the angle between integral vectors of spatial waves QRS and T (phi angle)., Results: The test group had reduced X, Y components and elevated vectors, their azimuth and phi angle. Most informative for repolarization were components X of T maximal and integral vectors being as informative as Rx+Sz and Cornel product. The method of multiple regression analysis was used to plot discriminant function taking account of most informative indices of depolarization and repolarization--Rx+Sz and X component of T maximal vector. The area under ROC curve for this function was greater than for the variables alone and Cornel product in both groups (0.90 +/- 0.02 and 0.86 +/- 0.02, p < 0.05 for the control and test group, respectively)., Conclusion: Quantitative parameters of repolarization phase can improve LVG diagnosis in hypertensive patients.

Aim: To investigate a relative risk of cardiovascular complications in uncomplicated hypertensive crises (UHC) in hypertensive patients., Material and Methods: A questionnaire retrospective case-control study covered one-third of patients registered in the data base of a hospital or outpatient clinic. The patients were matched by basic characteristics. By frequency of UHC the patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 305) comprised patients with frequent (weekly or more often) UHC, group 2 (n = 558) consisted of patients with rare UHC (monthly or less frequent)., Results: Patients of group 1 had a longer history of arterial hypertension (13 +/- 9 years vs 9 +/- 7.8 years, p < 0.05). The target blood pressure was achieved in group 1 in 42% vs 56% in group 2; p < 0.05). Group 1 patients had a higher risk of non-fatal stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA)--18 and 10% (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.28-2.93; p < 0.05), chronic cardiac failure (44 vs 30%; OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.22-2.21; p < 0.05), left ventricular hypertrophy (72 and 56%; OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.52-2.93; p < 0.05) and myocardial ischemia (56 and 38%; OR 2.05; 95%CI 1.53-2.74; p < 0.05). UHC frequency had no significant influence on the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction (19 vs 15%; OR 1.34; 95% CI 0.92-1.94; p > 0.05)., Conclusion: Frequent UHC raise the risk of non-fatal acute disorder of cerebral circulation, chronic cardiac failure, ischemia and left ventricular hypertrophy. Frequency of UHC is not related to the risk of myocardial infarction.

Aim: To study prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in patients with nocturnal asystoles, and assess therapeutic efficiency of constant positive air pressure (CPAP) applied to upper respiratory tract in this category of patients., Methods: The study incorporated 37 patients (33 men and 4 women, average age 50+/-11 years) with nocturnal heart beat interruptions of over 3 seconds. Baseline examination revealed grade II-III arterial hypertension in 67.5%, coronary heart disease - in 19%, diabetes mellitus in 8% and no cardiovascular disease - in 5.5% of patients. Sinus rhythm was registered in 30 (81%) of patients, 7 (19%) patients had permanent atrial fibrillation. Causes of deteriorated cardiac conduction were as follows: sinoatrial blocks and sinoatrial arrests (n=18), grade II-III atrio ventricular block (n=10), combination of these forms of bradyarrhythmias (n=2) and block of conduction to ventricles in permanent atrial fibrillation (n=7). According to intra esophageal cardiac pacing, the function of sinus node and atrio ventricular conduction appeared to be undisturbed in all patients with sinus rhythm. All patients have undergone polysomnographic (PSG) examination. For patients with OSAS, an individual selection of therapeutic pressure was carried out using the CPAP apparatuses. CPAP therapy was considered effective against OSAS if normalization of apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) was observed., Results: OSAS was registered in 25 cases (68%) (mean AHI 54.9+/-28.7), 20 patients (80%) had severe grade of the syndrome. CPAP therapy appeared to be effective in all patients. At the background of treatment AHI decreased from 60.7 to 5.5 episodes per hour of sleep, mean oxygen saturation of arterial blood rose from 74 to 90%. Effect of CPAP therapy relative to cardiac conduction abnormalities was attained in all 19 patients with sinus rhythm and only in one patient with permanent atrial fibrillation., Conclusion: OSAS was revealed in 68% of patients with nocturnal bradyarrhythmias. Individually selected therapy with constant positive pressure in patients with nocturnal asystoles and OSAS efficiently eliminated in sleep asystoles and made it possible to avoid pacemaker implantation in some patients.

High level of clinical and genetic heterogeneity is a characteristic of arterial hypertension (AH) that is one of the most wide-spread cardiovascular diseases. In most cases (excluding a few monogenic forms), AH is a polygenic disease and genes of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system play an important role in AH predisposition. 20-25% AH cases occur during low activity of renin in blood plasma (low-renin form of AH) while aldosterone production can be increased (hyperaldosteronism, HA) or normal. We examined polymorphism of genes that code the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system components in the groups of low-renin forms of AH, namely, primary HA, idiopathic HA and AH with normal level of aldosterone. For all HA cases, the absence of chimeric CYP11B2/CYP11B1 gene that is a cause for monogenic disease--amilial HA of first type, was shown. A comparison of distributions of alleles and genotypes of polymorphous regions of genes: CYP11B2 (C-344T), REN (C-5434T, C-5312T and A BglI G), AGT (Thr174Met), ACE (I/D), CMA (G-1903A), AT2R1 (A1166C) and of their combinations is the groups described above was done. The analysis of carriership of the alleles and genotypes combinations of the polymorphous regions has shown that genes CYP11B2, REN, ACE, CMA andA T2R1 participate in development of low-renin HA. The results are evidence of similarities and some definite differences in genetic nature of the different forms of low-renin AH and, to say more widely, argue that the investigation of genetic predisposition for clinically heterogeneous forms of polygene diseases by comparison of groups of patients, separated in accordance with peculiarities of disease course, holds much promise for their hereditary background understanding.

Unlabelled: Investigation of the dynamics of heart rate variability (HRV) in anti-hypertension therapy can facilitate the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment., Aim of Investigation: to compare anti-hypertension effect of monotherapy with nebivolol and dilatrend with dynamics of HRV and the estimation of the state of patients with mild arterial hypertension (AH) and metabolic syndrome (MS)., Material and Methods: HRV was studied in 42 patients with mild AH and MS at the age of 32-60. Eighteen of them were treated with 5 mg of nebivolol during 24 weeks, and twenty-four with 25-50 mg of dilatrend during 16 weeks. All the patients were subjected to 24-hour ECG monitoring with analysis of HRV and arterial pressure (AP) before and after treatment. The main feature of HRV analysis was investigation of dependence of sinus arrhythmia on the mean value of heart rate (HR) RESULTS: With nebivolol treatment AP decreased in 11 patients, HRV became better in 9 patients. 7 cases manifested coincidence of AP reduction and HRV improvement. In 6 cases out of 7 when AP did not decrease, HRV did not change. Worsened HRV was observed in 3 cases: in one case with growing AP and in 2 cases with decreasing AP. All the patients, except one, regarded their state as improved. With dilatrend treatment AP lowered in 16 cases. In 9 cases HRV became better, in 11 cases it remained the same, and in 4 cases it became worse. Positive HRV dynamics in 7 cases out of 9 was accompanied by lowering of AP, while negative dynamics was observed in one case with rise of AP and in three cases with very low AP or in the absence of AP dynamics. 14 patients felt better, 6 of them manifested better level both of AP and HRV., Conclusion: The method of 24-hour HRV analysis based on assessment of dependence of the value of sinus arrhythmia on HR is useful in evaluating the effectiveness of anti-hypertension therapy. As a rule, an effective decrease in AP is accompanied with improvement of HRV. The absence of improvement of deterioration of HRV in anti-hypertension therapy is a factor which should be taken into consideration when choosing the mode of therapy.

We carried out comparison of distribution of alleles and genotypes of polymorphic loci of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system genes: CYP11B2 (C-344T), AGT (Thr174Met) and REN (C-5434T, C-5312T, and A BglI G) and their combinations in two groups of patients with low renin forms of arterial hypertension (AH). Group 1 included 59 patients with low renin hyperaldosteronism (HA) at the background of glomerular zone adenoma and hyperplasia of adrenal cortex. Group 2 included 28 patients with low renin hypertensive disease characterized by normal level of aldosterone. Complex analysis of carriership of allele and genotype combinations evidence for the difference in genetic nature of two forms of low renin AH. Participation of CYP11B2 and REN and possibly AGT genes in development of low renin AH was convincingly shown.

Aim: To evaluate efficacy and tolerance of combined treatment with antidepressant cipramil in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS)., Material and Methods: We examined 23 MS patients with depression (mean age 47 +/- 7.4 years). For diagnosis and somatic state evaluation we used clinical, device and laboratory tests. The clinicopsychopathological method, MADRS and CGI scales were applied for assessment of mental state and treatment efficacy., Results: We achieved positive effects of 12-week combined somatotropic and psychotropic therapy on carbohydrate metabolism: a significant decrease of fasting blood glucose from 6.6 +/- 1.4 to 6.2 +/- 0.7 mmol and postprandial (2 hours after meal) glucose from 8.6 +/- 1.5 to 7.8 +/- 0.8 mmol/l, of waist circumference from 106.0 +/- 11.93 to 103.5 +/- 12.3 cm, body mass index from 32.5 +/- 4.54 to 31.4 +/- 4.76 kg m2, systolic blood pressure from 154.52 +/- 7.4 to 137.91 +/- 13.8 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure from 90.1 +/- 6.2 to 81.0 +/- 6.6 mm Hg. A significant change in the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides was not registered., Conclusion: Administration of antidepressant in MS patients relieved depression. This improved carbohydrate metabolism, lowered blood pressure and body mass index.