Circulating Levels of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 and Arterial Stiffness in a Large Population Sample: Data From the Brisighella Heart Study

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) circulating levels are significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between circulating levels of PCSK9 and arterial stiffness, an early instrumental biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk, in a large sample of overall healthy participants

АППАРАТНАЯ РЕАЛИЗАЦИЯ И АПРОБАЦИЯ НЕИНВАЗИВНОЙ ДИАГНОСТИКИ ГЕМОДИНАМИКИ НА ОСНОВЕ ТЕНЗОМЕТРИИ И РАСШИРЕННОЙ ТОНОМЕТРИИ

The results of development of special program and apparatus unit «SPAS» for biomechanical diagnostics of cardiovascular system by oscillometry method have been presented. The estimation of possibilities of apparatus realization based on tensometric station TS-32 is been given. Изложены результаты разработки специализированного программно-аппаратного комплекса «СПАС» для биомеханической диагностики сердца и сосудов методом осциллометрии. Дана оценка возможностей реализации аппаратной части на базе тензометрической станции TS-32

Acute and Chronic Effects of Low Versus High Glycemic Index Carbohydrate Sources on Metabolic and Cardiovascular Responses in Lean and Obese Dogs

In dogs, nutrition has been implicated in the development of numerous chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Health claims for dog food are not regulated in Canada, thus many claims do not have a scientific basis. The development of a pet food with proven health benefits is important to pet owners as well as the pet food industry. The purpose of this study was to develop a low glycemic canine diet that will provide health benefits for dogs, namely decreased serum insulin and glucose concentrations, reduced food intake and weight gain, and improved cardiovascular health. To achieve this objective, four studies were performed. These studies examined the acute and longer term health effects of feeding unprocessed as well as extruded carbohydrate sources as both single ingredients and in complete dog diets. In addition, metabolic and cardiovascular health parameters were measured in dogs when they were lean, obese and after weight loss. Post-prandial serum glucose and insulin responses were used to determine glycemic index of the carbohydrate sources and to evaluate glucose tolerance. Flow-mediated dilation, echocardiography and blood pressure were used to assess cardiovascular health. Computed tomography was performed to measure body fat amount and distribution. Leptin, adiponectin and C-reactive protein were also analyzed. The results of these studies found that peas had a lower glycemic index compared to barley and rice, but that after extrusion, the glycemic index of the pea diet was not different than the rice diet. Post-prandial hyperglycemia in dogs was associated with acute changes in endothelial function which may be related to increased methylglyoxal concentrations. However, several negative health effects were observed in dogs after only 12 weeks of obesity and weight loss reversed some, but not all, of these changes. The pea-based diet reduced post-prandial insulin response in obese dogs after 12 weeks on the diet even though no changes were observed in body fat amount or distribution. In conclusion, this research supports the usefulness of peas as an ingredient in canine diets and provides valuable data for the pet food and pulse industries, as well as for veterinarians and pet owners

Pediatric Pulmonology Year in Review 2015: Part 1

Our journal covers a broad range of research and scholarly topics related to children's respiratory disorders. For updated perspectives on the rapidly expanding knowledge in our field, we will summarize the past year's publications in our major topic areas, as well as selected publications in these areas from the core clinical journal literature outside our own pages. The current review covers articles on neonatal lung disease, pulmonary physiology, and respiratory infection

Some blood pressure studies in normal horses and in horses affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The literature indicated that the main obstacle to indirect peripheral blood pressure measurements (sphygmomanometry) in horses, is the lack of a large superficial artery capable of being temporarily occluded. Consequently, the standard human sphygmomanometric techniques employing palpatory and auscultatory methods are unsatisfactory in horses. Some other sphygmomanometric techniques including the xylol bead modified palpatory, the photoelectric and the modified auscultatory methods were assessed by trials on horses. The latter method was shown to be the only potentially useful technique.Blood pressure measurements using this technique showed that the blood pressure of resting horses shows continuous short term cyclic variations, an observation which was supported by direct peripheral blood pressure measurements. Peripheral blood pressure was shown to significantly increase in horses during excitement and also following submaximal exercise. During longer term studies, many technical difficulties were encountered with the modified auscultatory technique and it was concluded that it would be unlikely to become acceptable for general clinical use.The literature concerning right heart blood pressure measurements in horses indicated that very little information was available concerning the right heart blood pressure alterations that occur in chronic pulmonary disease. Angiographic studies indicated that the use of a single hydrostatic baseline for all right heart blood pressure as is currently used by all authors, causes estimation of right ventricular pressure. measurements, an under- A separate hydrostatic baseline was therefore established for right ventricular blood pressure measurements.It was shown that horses clinically affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), had pulmonary and systolic right ventricular hypertension and that this hypertension became reversed during remission stages of the disease. Further studies showed that a close relationship existed between carotid arterial hypoxaemia and pulmonary hypertension in COPD affected horses.This relationship between arterial hypoxaemia and pulmonary hypertension in COPD was substantiated by inducing partial remission of pulmonary hypertension in clinically affected horses, by oxygen administration. In contrast, normal pulmonary hypertension was induced by rendering temporarily hypoxaemic, by administration of nitrogen enriched air.Marked pulmonary hypertension was also induced during experimental hypercapnia or acidosis production. Bicarbonate, atropine or furosemide administered intravenously had no significant short term effects on pulmonary arterial pressure. No clinical or cardiac catheterisation evidence of right heart failure was observed in any COPD affected horses. These observations were substantiated by the relative in frequency of right ventricular hypertrophy that was observed on post mortem examinations of horses affected with chronic pulmonary disease

Non-invasive measurement of respiratory mechanics and work of breathing

The mechanical properties of the respiratory system such as resistance, elastance and mechanical work of breathing are rarely measured directly but are inferred from the effect of respiratory disease on maximal lung volumes and flows. Although such tests have proved very useful, they have shortcomings, e.g. changes in lung volumes are poor at detecting progression in interstitial lung disease and correlate only weakly with changes in functional capacity achieved post-bronchodilator in patients with airways obstruction. The direct measurement of mechanical properties is of interest as they have an obvious physical interpretation but their usefulness has as yet not been systematically tested. Resistance aside, their measurement is rarely performed as it is invasive, requiring either a sedated patient on controlled ventilation to abolish spontaneous respiratory muscle activity or measurement of oesophageal and gastric pressures. The aim of this thesis was to explore the feasibility and potential clinical value of non-invasive measurements of respiratory mechanics and work of breathing. The work is presented in three sections. Firstly, conventional methods for measuring resistance, elastance and mechanical work of breathing were reviewed and the methods for the non-invasive approaches to be used were described in detail. The results from the non-invasive methods were then validated by comparison with conventional techniques in both ventilated patients and in subjects in the pulmonary function laboratory where oesophagal and gastric manometry were performed. Finally, the non-invasive methods were evaluated in three clinical scenarios: bronchodilator reversibility testing, assessment of progression in interstitial lung disease, and monitoring recovery from exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Vascular fibrosis in aging and hypertension: molecular mechanisms and clinical implications

Aging is the primary risk factor underlying hypertension and incident cardiovascular disease. With aging, the vasculature undergoes structural and functional changes characterized by endothelial dysfunction, wall thickening, reduced distensibility, and arterial stiffening. Vascular stiffness results from fibrosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, processes that are associated with aging and are amplified by hypertension. Some recently characterized molecular mechanisms underlying these processes include increased expression and activation of matrix metalloproteinases, activation of transforming growth factor-β1/SMAD signalling, upregulation of galectin-3, and activation of proinflammatory and profibrotic signalling pathways. These events can be induced by vasoactive agents, such as angiotensin II, endothelin-1, and aldosterone, which are increased in the vasculature during aging and hypertension. Complex interplay between the “aging process” and prohypertensive factors results in accelerated vascular remodelling and fibrosis and increased arterial stiffness, which is typically observed in hypertension. Because the vascular phenotype in a young hypertensive individual resembles that of an elderly otherwise healthy individual, the notion of “early” or “premature” vascular aging is now often used to describe hypertension-associated vascular disease. We review the vascular phenotype in aging and hypertension, focusing on arterial stiffness and vascular remodelling. We also highlight the clinical implications of these processes and discuss some novel molecular mechanisms of fibrosis and ECM reorganization