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Hypertension, or high blood pressure, has a variety of adverse effects on health and longevity. Patients with hypertension are more likely to suffer acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), angina pectoris (heart-related chest pain), and sudden death than patients with normal blood pressure. Some, but perhaps not all, of this increased morbidity and mortality results from the higher incidence of coronary atherosclerosis (narrowing of the coronary arteries) among patients with high blood pressure. To investigate alterations in coronary artery function in hypertensive patients, a study was conducted with 320 normotensive and 320 hypertensive patients, all of whom underwent coronary angiography (an X-ray technique that uses a contrast dye in imaging arteries) because of abnormal exercise stress test results. In all the patients, angiography revealed 50 percent or greater stenosis (narrowing) of at least one major coronary artery. Single- and double-vessel stenosis was most prevalent in younger patients, and was evenly distributed between hypertensive and normotensive patients. In older patients, triple-vessel disease was more common; the percentage of hypertensive patients in their sixth and seventh decades with triple-vessel disease was significantly higher. Other variables, such as blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels, and smoking habits, were similar in both groups. Hence, in younger patients, hypertension does not appear to be associated with more severe atherosclerosis; in older patients, hypertension is correlated with a greater narrowing of the coronary arteries. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare condition described in patients with chronic kidney disease during alpha-Epo treatment subcutaneous administered generated by anti-R-Epo antibodies. Recently two cases of PRCA have been reported in patients affected by myelodysplastic syndrome treated with R-Epo. We described one more case of PRCA in a patient with refractory anemia treated with R-Epo.

A clonal T cell population in peripheral blood of patients with multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia has recently been observed. We describe a 73 years old woman with B cell lymphoma who presented a clonal T cell population in peripheral blood and bone marrow.

Worse outcomes have been observed in women after PTCA. The present study was undertaken to compare clinical and angiographic results of coronary stenting among women and men. We retrospectively analyzed acute and 6-month results in a consecutive series of 940 men and 160 women undergoing coronary stent implantation between May 1992 and January 1998. Women were older (63 vs. 57 years; P = 0.001), more often hypertensive (46.9% vs. 31.4%; P < 0.001) and diabetic (13.2% vs. 8.3%; P = 0.05), and less often smokers than men (32.5% vs. 70.5%; P < 0.001). A previous history of Q-wave MI was less frequently present in women (28.2% vs. 40.2%; P = 0.003) who more often underwent coronary revascularization because of unstable angina (37.5% vs. 27.1%; P = 0.027). No difference was observed in coronary artery disease extension, lesion complexity, and stented vessel between the sexes. Bailout stenting was more frequently needed in women (28% vs. 17.8%; P = 0.001). No difference was observed in the number of stent implanted per vessel and per patient and average maximal inflation pressure used for stent postdilation. However, a smaller final balloon size was used in women. Procedural and clinical success was achieved in 94.4% and 92.5% of women and 96.7% and 94.5% of men (P = NS), respectively, without differences regarding in-hospital major adverse cardiac events. Bleeding complications occurred more often in women when anticoagulation was used (OR = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.38-5.74). At 6-month clinical follow-up, TLR was similar between the sexes and event-free survival was 75.5% in women and 81.5% in men (P = NS). Angiographic follow-up, performed in 71% of the patients, showed that restenosis was 64% higher in women (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.02-2.61). Despite older age, higher incidence of comorbidities, and more unstable presentation, women treated with coronary stenting showed acute and mid-term clinical results similar to those observed in men. However, they were significantly more likely to develop angiographic restenosis., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)