Hemodynamic and biochemical effects of the AT₁ receptor antagonist irbesartan in hypertension

We studied the hemodynamic, neurohumoral, and biochemical effects of the novel angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist irbesartan in 86 untreated patients with essential hypertension on a normal sodium diet. According to a double-blind parallel group trial, patients were randomized to a once-daily oral dose of the AT1 receptor antagonist (1, 25, or 100 mg) or placebo after a placebo run-in period of 3 weeks. Randomization meditation was given for 1 week. Compared with placebo, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure did not change with the 1-mg dose, and it fell (mean and 95% confidence interval) by 7.0 (4.2-9.8)/6.1 (3.9-8.1) mm Hg with the 25-mg dose and by 12.1 (8.1-16.2)/7.2 (4.9-9.4) mm Hg with the 100-mg dose. Heart rate did not change during either dose. With the 25-mg dose, the antihypertensive effect was attenuated during the second half of the recording, and with the 100-mg dose, it was maintained for 24 hours. Baseline values of renin and the antihypertensive response to the 25- and 100-mg doses were well correlated (r=.68, P&lt;.01). Renin did not change with the 1-mg dose, but it rose threefold to fourfold with the 25-mg dose and fourfold to fivefold with the 100-mg dose 4 to 6 hours after administration. With the 100-mg dose, renin was still elevated twofold 24 hours after dosing. The changes in renin induced by the AT1 receptor antagonist were associated with parallel increments in angiotensin I and angiotensin II. Aldosterone, despite AT1 receptor blockade, did not fall. Compared with baseline values, plasma norepinephrine increased moderately with the 100-mg but not with 25- or 1-mg dose. Serum uric acid and its 24-hour urinary excretion did not change. In conclusion, in essential hypertension, once-daily irbesartan effectively lowers blood pressure. This effect is maintained for 24 hours with a 100-mg dose. Unlike the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan, irbesartan exerts no uricosuric effect, suggesting that this is an effect unrelated to AT1 receptor blockade.</p

Hemodynamic and biochemical effects of the AT₁ receptor antagonist irbesartan in hypertension

We studied the hemodynamic, neurohumoral, and biochemical effects of the novel angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist irbesartan in 86 untreated patients with essential hypertension on a normal sodium diet. According to a double-blind parallel group trial, patients were randomized to a once-daily oral dose of the AT1 receptor antagonist (1, 25, or 100 mg) or placebo after a placebo run-in period of 3 weeks. Randomization meditation was given for 1 week. Compared with placebo, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure did not change with the 1-mg dose, and it fell (mean and 95% confidence interval) by 7.0 (4.2-9.8)/6.1 (3.9-8.1) mm Hg with the 25-mg dose and by 12.1 (8.1-16.2)/7.2 (4.9-9.4) mm Hg with the 100-mg dose. Heart rate did not change during either dose. With the 25-mg dose, the antihypertensive effect was attenuated during the second half of the recording, and with the 100-mg dose, it was maintained for 24 hours. Baseline values of renin and the antihypertensive response to the 25- and 100-mg doses were well correlated (r=.68, P&lt;.01). Renin did not change with the 1-mg dose, but it rose threefold to fourfold with the 25-mg dose and fourfold to fivefold with the 100-mg dose 4 to 6 hours after administration. With the 100-mg dose, renin was still elevated twofold 24 hours after dosing. The changes in renin induced by the AT1 receptor antagonist were associated with parallel increments in angiotensin I and angiotensin II. Aldosterone, despite AT1 receptor blockade, did not fall. Compared with baseline values, plasma norepinephrine increased moderately with the 100-mg but not with 25- or 1-mg dose. Serum uric acid and its 24-hour urinary excretion did not change. In conclusion, in essential hypertension, once-daily irbesartan effectively lowers blood pressure. This effect is maintained for 24 hours with a 100-mg dose. Unlike the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan, irbesartan exerts no uricosuric effect, suggesting that this is an effect unrelated to AT1 receptor blockade.</p

Molecular mechanisms and biological role of Campylobacter jejuni attachment to host cells.

Adhesion to host cells is an important step in pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni, which is the most prevalent bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. In contrast to other bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, adherence of C. jejuni is not mediated by fimbria or pili. A number of C. jejuni adhesion-related factors have been described. However, the results obtained by different researchers in different laboratories are often contradictory and inconclusive, with only some of the factors described being confirmed as true adhesins. In this review, we present the current state of studies on the mechanisms of attachment of C. jejuni to host cells

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world. Protocol registration: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 12 May 2020. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4878591.v1 © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

Author Correction: A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Correction to: Nature Human Behaviour https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01173-x, published online 2 August 2021. In the version of this article initially published, the following authors were omitted from the author list and the Author contributions section for “investigation” and “writing and editing”: Nandor Hajdu (Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary), Jordane Boudesseul (Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigación Científica, Universidad de Lima, Lima, Perú), Rafał Muda (Faculty of Economics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland) and Sandersan Onie (Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia & Emotional Health for All Foundation, Jakarta, Indonesia). In addition, Saeideh FatahModares’ name was originally misspelled as Saiedeh FatahModarres in the author list. Further, affiliations have been corrected for Maria Terskova (National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia), Susana Ruiz Fernandez (FOM University of Applied Sciences, Essen; Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, and LEAD Research Network, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany), Hendrik Godbersen (FOM University of Applied Sciences, Essen, Germany), Gulnaz Anjum (Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada, and Department of Economics & Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan). The changes have been made to the HTML and PDF versions of the article

In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with Little-to-No concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions