Increased circulating ANG II and TNF-α represents important risk factors in obese Saudi adults with hypertension irrespective of diabetic status and BMI

Central adiposity is a significant determinant of obesity-related hypertension risk, which may arise due to the pathogenic inflammatory nature of the abdominal fat depot. However, the influence of pro-inflammatory adipokines on blood pressure in the obese hypertensive phenotype has not been well established in Saudi subjects. As such, our study investigated whether inflammatory factors may represent useful biomarkers to delineate hypertension risk in a Saudi cohort with and without hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2). Subjects were subdivided into four groups: healthy lean controls (age: 47.9±5.1 yr; BMI: 22.9±2.1 Kg/m2), non-hypertensive obese (age: 46.1±5.0 yr; BMI: 33.7±4.2 Kg/m2), hypertensive obese (age: 48.6±6.1 yr; BMI: 36.5±7.7 Kg/m2) and hypertensive obese with DMT2 (age: 50.8±6.0 yr; BMI: 35.3±6.7 Kg/m2). Anthropometric data were collected from all subjects and fasting blood samples were utilized for biochemical analysis. Serum angiotensin II (ANG II) levels were elevated in hypertensive obese (p<0.05) and hypertensive obese with DMT2 (p<0.001) compared with normotensive controls. Systolic blood pressure was positively associated with BMI (p<0.001), glucose (p<0.001), insulin (p<0.05), HOMA-IR (p<0.001), leptin (p<0.01), TNF-α (p<0.001) and ANG II (p<0.05). Associations between ANG II and TNF-α with systolic blood pressure remained significant after controlling for BMI. Additionally CRP (p<0.05), leptin (p<0.001) and leptin/adiponectin ratio (p<0.001) were also significantly associated with the hypertension phenotype. In conclusion our data suggests that circulating pro-inflammatory adipokines, particularly ANG II and, TNF-α, represent important factors associated with a hypertension phenotype and may directly contribute to predicting and exacerbating hypertension risk

Dor dentaria e fatores associados em adolescentes brasileiros: a Pesquia Nacional de Saude do Escolar (PeNSE), Brasil, 2009

Abstract published in English and Portuguese English title: Dental pain and associated factors in Brazilian adolescents: the National school-based health survey (PeNSE), Brazil, 2009The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental pain and associated socio-demographic and behavioral factors in Brazilian adolescents, using data from the National School-Based Health Survey (PeNSE), Brazil, 2009. The survey was conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and Ministry of Health in students 11 to 17 years of age or older in the 27 State capitals, using a self-administered questionnaire. Analyses included Poisson regression following a hierarchical approach. Prevalence of dental pain in the sample (n = 54,985) in the previous six months was 17.8% (95%CI: 17.5-18.1). Higher prevalence was associated with female gender, age 14 years and over, racial self-identification as black, brown, or indigenous, enrollment in public schools, lower maternal schooling, not living with the mother, history of smoking or drinking, less frequent toothbrushing, and heavy consumption of sweets and soft drinks. Dental pain was thus associated with socio-demographic factors and health-related behaviors. = O objetivo deste estudo foi estimar a prevalência da dor de dente em adolescentes brasileiros e analisar fatores sociodemográficos e comportamentais associados, utilizando os dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) de 2009. A pesquisa foi realizada pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística e pelo Ministério da Saúde em escolares com idades entre 11 e 17 anos ou mais, das 27 capitais brasileiras, por meio de questionário autoaplicável. Utilizou-se a análise de regressão de Poisson, segundo um modelo hierárquico de determinação. A prevalência de dor na amostra (n = 54.985) nos últimos seis meses foi de 17,8% (IC95%: 17,5-18,1). Prevalências mais elevadas foram encontradas em mulheres, naqueles com 14 anos ou mais, das raças preta, parda e indígena, de escolas públicas, cujas mães tinham baixa escolaridade, que não moravam com a mãe, que haviam experimentado cigarro e álcool alguma vez na vida, que relataram menor frequência de escovação e maior consumo de guloseimas e refrigerantes. A prevalência de dor foi considerável e associada a aspectos sociodemográficos e de comportamentos relacionados à saúde.Maria do Carmo Matias Freire, Cláudio Rodrigues Leles, Luciana Monteiro Vasconcelos Sardinha, Moacir Paludetto Junior, Deborah Carvalho Malta, Marco A. Pere