In our experiments, we evaluated the possible effect of M235T molecular variant of the angiotensinogen gene on the response to a physical workload. A group of volunteers was composed of healthy male subjects, approximately of the same weight and height, same age and not actively trained. None of these subjects was under any medication. Blood sampling was carried out via an indwelling catheter. Besides blood pressure and heart rate, angiotensin I, angiotensin II, epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured in the blood. Our results suggest that only the response of diastolic blood pressure during submaximal exercise corresponded to the presence of M235T molecular variant. In all other parameters we found no significant correlation of the response with the M235T molecular variant.
Primary hyperaldosteronism (PH) is frequently considered to be a secondary form of diabetes mellitus (DM). In our previous study we attempted to evaluate the prevalence of DM among patients with PH compared to control subjects with essential hypertension (EH). We have noted a relatively high prevalence of DM and impaired glucose tolerance in PH, but the differences between the PH and EH groups did not reach statistical significance. We performed this study to assess whether the effective treatment of PH (surgical and conservative) would improve the glucose tolerance. We have studied 24 patients with PH of the following two subtypes: aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) treated with adrenalectomy and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA) treated with spironolactone. No significant changes of glucose levels were found in the 60th and 120th min of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in the APA group. On the other hand, fasting glucose levels were decreased significantly after adrenalectomy. Plasma glucose levels were significantly increased in the 60th min, but no differences were found in fasting values and in the 120th min in the IHA group. There was a significantly higher incidence of impaired glucose tolerance (36 % before, 45 % after treatment) and DM (9 %, 18 %) in the IHA group compared to the APA group (8 %, 32 %; DM 0 %, 0 %). In conclusion, the treatment of PH does not improve glucose tolerance. Mild worsening of glucose tolerance after treatment could be explained by an increase of the body mass index. These data, in accordance with our previous study, do not support the idea that PH is a secondary form of diabetes mellitus., B. Štrauch, J. Widimsky Jr., G. Šindelka, J. Škrha., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We investigated whether polyethylene glycol-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (IONs), acute stress and their combination modifies vascular functions, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, mean arterial pressure (MAP) as well as hepcidin and ferritin H gene expressions in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Rats were divided into control, ION-treated rats (1 mg Fe/kg i.v.), repeated acute air jet stressexposed rats and IONs-and-stress co-exposed rats. Maximal acetylcholine (ACh)-induced and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced relaxations in the femoral arteries did not differ among the groups. IONs alone significantly elevated the Nω-nitroL-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-sensitive component of ACh-induced relaxation and reduced the sensitivity of vascular smooth muscle cells to SNP. IONs alone also elevated NOS activity in the brainstem and hypothalamus, reduced NOS activity in the kidneys and had no effect in the liver. Acute stress alone failed to affect vascular function and NOS activities in all the tissues investigated but it elevated ferritin H expression in the liver. In the ION-and-stress group, NOS activity was elevated in the kidneys and liver, but reduced in the brainstem and hypothalamus vs. IONs alone. IONs also accentuated air jet stress-induced MAP responses vs. stress alone. Interestingly, stress reduced ION-originated iron content in blood and liver while it was elevated in the kidneys. In conclusion, the results showed that 1) acute administration of IONs altered vascular function, increased L-NAME-sensitive component of ACh-induced relaxation and had tissue-dependent effects on NOS activity, 2) ION effects were considerably reduced by co-exposure to repeated acute stress, likely related to decrease of ION-originated iron in blood due to elevated decomposition and/or excretion.
Hypertension is a major health problem throughout the world because of its high prevalence and its association with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Two independent studies discovered a locus conferring susceptibility to essential hypertension on chromosome 2, in the 2p25 region, but the causative gene remains unknown. Grainyhead-like 1 (GRHL1) is one of the genes located in this region. Our experiments determined that the Grhl1-null mice, when fed standard diet, have the same blood pressure as their wild type littermate controls. However, we discovered that blood pressure of these mice increases following high sodium diet and decreases when they are fed low sodium diet, and similar effect s were not observed in the control wild type littermates. This suggests that the Grhl1-null mice are sensitive to the development of salt-sensitive hypertension. Thus it is possible that the GRHL1 gene is involved in the regulation of blood pressure, and it may be the causative gene for the locus of susceptibility to essential hypertension in the 2p25 region., A. Walkowska, M. Pawlak, S. M. Jane, E. Kompanowska-Jezierska, T. Wilanowski., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of this study was to assess carotid baroreflex responses during graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP). In 12 healthy subjects (age 29±4 years) we applied sinusoidal neck suction (0 to -30 mmHg) at 0.1 Hz to examine the sympathetic modulation of the heart and blood vessels and at 0.2 Hz to assess the effect of parasympathetic stimulation on the heart. Responses to neck suction were determined as the change in spectral power of RR-interval and blood pressure from baseline values. Measurements were carried out during progressive applications (0 to -50 mmHg) of LBNP. Responses to 0.1 and 0.2 Hz carotid baroreceptor stimulations during low levels of LBNP (-10 mmHg) were not significantly different from those measured during baseline. At higher levels of LBNP, blood pressure responses to 0.1 Hz neck suction were significantly enhanced, but with no significant change in the RR-interval response. LBNP at all levels had no effect on the RR-interval response to 0.2 Hz neck suction. The unchanged responses of RR-interval and blood pressure to neck suction during low level LBNP at -10 mmHg suggest no effect of cardiopulmonary receptor unloading on the carotid arterial baroreflex, since this LBNP level is considered to stimulate cardiopulmonary but not arterial baroreflexes. Enhanced blood pressure responses to neck suction during higher levels of LBNP are not necessarily the result of a reflex interaction but may serve to protect the circulation from fluctuations in blood pressure while standing., C. M. Brown, M. J. Hecht, B. Neundörfer, M. J. Hilz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This study was undertaken to in vestigate the effects of lower body positive pressure (LBPP) on cardiovascular responses during a 15-min walking trial in young (22.1±0.4 years) and elderly women (67.8±1.1 years). The application of 20 mm Hg LBPP reduced ground reaction forces by 31.2±0.5 kgw in both groups. We hypothesized that cardiovascular responses to LBPP during walking were different between the young and elderly subjects. Applying 20 mm Hg of LBPP increased diastolic and mean blood pressure but not systolic blood pressure in both groups. LBPP- induced reduction in heart rate (HR) occurred more quickly in the young group compared to the elderly group (p<0.05). Applying LBPP also decreased double product (systolic blood pressure x HR) in both groups, suggesting that LBPP reduces myocardial oxygen consumption during exercise. These results suggest that heart rate responses to LBPP during exercise vary with increasing age., T. Sota ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The benefit of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of transplant renal artery stenosis for ischemic nephropathy may be adversely affected by rejection or other complications. As a result, assessment of the effect of PTA on renal function or blood pressure is often difficult. In this paper, we evaluated the effect of PTA using the method of integrated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) based upon the area under the curve over a follow-up period (AUC0-t), to express the level of GFR in a simple manner despite its significant fluctuations. A similar procedure was used to evaluate mean arterial pressure (MAP). The method was employed to assess the outcome in 20 individuals before PTA, and 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after PTA. In eight cases, rejection was detected while there was one case of glomerulonephritis in the graft during the follow-up period. Evaluation (AUCCcr)0-12 related to the integrated pre-PTA value of Ccr [(Ccr)0 x 12] revealed a rise in GFR by more than 20 % in 65 % of cases. No improvement was observed in seven individuals with post-PTA complications. When assessing the integrated value of MAP, success of PTA (a reduction by at least 10 %) was found in 85 % of cases. No significant correlation was found between the relative changes of integrated GFR and MAP. Our data suggest that evaluation of the integrated value of GFR or MAP on the basis of AUC0-t allows to characterize, in a simple manner, the level of graft function and MAP throughout the follow-up period in individual cases. Furthermore, it may provide additional information on the average values obtained at different time intervals after the therapeutic procedure., J. Stříbrná, O. Schück, J.H. Peregrin, D. Krajíčková, J. Skibová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Total genome scans of genetically segregating populations derived from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and other rat models of essential hypertension suggested a presence of quantitative trait loci (QTL) regulating blood pressure on multiple chromosomes, including chromosome 5. The objective of the current study was to test directly a hypothesis that chromosome 5 of the SHR carries a blood pressure regulatory QTL. A new congenic strain was derived by replacing a segment of chromosome 5 in the SHR/Ola between the D5Wox20 and D5Rat63 markers with the corresponding chromosome segment from the normotensive Brown Norway (BN/Crl) rat. Arterial pressures were directly monitored in conscious, unrestrained rats by radiotelemetry. The transfer of a segment of chromosome 5 from the BN strain onto the SHR genetic background was associated with a significant decrease of systolic blood pressure, that was accompanied by amelioration of renal hypertrophy. The heart rates were not significantly different in the SHR compared to SHR chromosome 5 congenic strain. The findings of the current study demonstrate that gene(s) with major effects on blood pressure and renal mass exist in the differential segment of chromosome 5 trapped within the new SHR.BN congenic strain., M. Pravenec, V. Křen, D. Křenová, V. Zídek, M. Šimáková, A. Musilová, J. Vorlíček, E. St. Lezin, T. W. Kurtz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The influence of posture on the rhythms in blood pressure, heart rate and respiration was tested by means of spectral analysis in 14 healthy subjects. During squatting, standing and sitting, the finger blood pressure was recorded by the non- invasive Pefiaz technique together with cardiac intervals and respiratory movements. The power spectra obtained from five-minute samples showed that the respiratory components of cardiac interval and pulse pressure were reduced significantly in standing. Compared to squatting, a significant increase of total power in the medium frequency band (0.05-0.15 Hz) for cardiac interval, diastolic and mean pressure could be detected.
Blood pressure (BP) level results from the balance of vasoconstrictors (mainly sympathetic nervous system) and vasodilators (predominantly nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor). Most of the forms of experimental hypertension are associated with sympathetic hyperactivity and endothelial dysfunction. It is evident that nitric oxide and norepinephrine are antagonists in the control of calcium influx through L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels (L-VDCC). Their effects on L-VDCC are mediated by cGMP and cAMP, respectively. Nevertheless, it remains to determine whether these cyclic nucleotides have direct effects on L-VDCC or they act through a modulation of calcium-activated K+ and Cl- channels which influence membrane potential. Rats with genetic or salt hypertension are characterized by a relative (but not absolute) NO deficiency compared to the absolute enhancement of sympathetic vasoconstriction. This dysbalance of vasoconstrictor and vasodilator systems in hypertensive animals is reflected by greater calcium influx through L-VDCC susceptible to the inhibition by nifedipine. However, when the modulatory influence of cyclic nucleotides is largely attenuated by simultaneous ganglionic blockade and NO synthase inhibition, BP of spontaneously hypertensive rats remains still elevated compared to normotensive rats due to augmented nifedipine-sensitive BP component. It remains to determine why calcium influx through L-VDCC of hypertensive rats is augmented even in the absence of modulatory influence of major vasoactive systems (sympathetic nervous system, nitric oxide)., M. Pintérová ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury