Angiotensin II receptor blockers and cardiovascular protection: Focus on left ventricular hypertrophy regression and atrial fibrillation prevention

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are strong predictors of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality, independently of blood pressure levels and other modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors. The actions of circulating and tissue angiotensin II, mediated by AT1 receptors, play an important role in the development of a wide spectrum of cardiovascular alterations, including LVH, atrial enlargement and AF. Growing experimental and clinical evidence suggests that antihypertensive drugs may exert different effects on LVH regression and new onset AF in the setting of arterial hypertension. Since a number of large and adequately designed studies have found angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) to be more effective in reducing LVH than beta-blockers and data are also available showing their effectiveness in preventing new or recurrent AF, it is reasonable to consider this class of drugs among first line therapies in patients with hypertension and LVH (a very high risk phenotype predisposing to AF) and as adjunctive therapy to antiarrhythmic agents in patients undergoing pharmacological or electrical cardioversion of AF

Crisis Management on Social Media: a framework

Purpose. Scholars should investigate organization model of companies that successfully manage their Social Media presence, in every circumstance. The main purpose of our research is to provide a network perspective to the relevant topic of Social Media Crisis Management. Methodology. Following an exploratory qualitative approach, Authors have conducted 5 in-depth interviews with key Informants (internal and external to the Company) designated to the task of \u201csocial media crisis management\u201d, linked in a client/suppliers relationship. All the material has been reviewed through a content-analysis. Findings. According to our preliminary research, many are the issues and the topics that companies and digital agencies/consultants must control in their collaboration to face a Social Media crisis. Even if the topic is compelling, many of those elements are unexpected and underestimate. Practical implications. Managerial implications concern three different point of view: how companies and their suppliers interact in facing challenges online and how a network approach could be useful for Social Media Crisis Management. Originality/value. From the best of our knowledge, this study could be the first in analysing how companies and agencies must be organized to face a crisis on Social Media. Moreover, it will allow investigating in an empiric way the sense making approach to the crisis management topic

Long-term dynamics of hypoxia and anoxia in the Emilia Romagna coastal zone (Northern Adriatic Sea)

The Northern Adriatic is a continental shelf area characterised by highly variable freshwater discharges and production events. Here, hypoxia and anoxia have occurred both in offshore areas and in coastal waters, at least since the beginning of 1900. Despite several biogeochemical studies are available, longterm analysis of their recurrence, triggering mechanisms and impact on marine environment may provide a tool for a better understanding of present evolution of this ecosystem. For this reason, a compilation of the information contained in the scientific literature on the occurrence on decadal scales of hypoxia and anoxia in the North Adriatic has been done, focusing in particular on the Emilia Romagna coastal zone. Time series of Po River discharges and meteorological data (air temperature, precipitation, wind intensity and direction) were analysed, together with oceanographic conditions, as triggering factors for this phenomenon in the area of interest. The occurrence of plankton blooms was also reported and evaluated. The characteristics of hypo-anoxic events in terms of extension, duration and diffusion were collected in order to distinguish local vs. regional events, shortlived vs. long-lasting events, and to evaluate space and temporal evolutionary trends. This analysis was carried out through the reconstruction of time series of bottom dissolved O2 distribution for the period 1982-2005 and by comparison with reported observations on the field. On this base, latitudinal diffusion of events was studied, as well as possible exchanges between coastal and offshore waters. Finally, the analysis of this historical dataset suggests an increase in short-lived events, located in shallow waters, but often repeated during the year, which cause a continuous stress on the pelagic and benthic habitats. This temporal trends may be related to regional changes of the climatic conditions, which include an higher frequency of irregular seasonal cycles

The interplay between privacy failure, recovery and crisis communication management: an integrative review and research agenda

Purpose of the paper: To integrate different research streams related to privacy, service recovery and crisis communication management in order to systematize and summarize the existing knowledge on recovery after a privacy failure. It also aims to develop an agenda for future research. Methodology: An integrative literature review assesses and synthesizes previous literature, integrating multiple research streams and proposing a new theoretical framework and research agenda. We identify articles of potential interest in three online databases using keywords, and select those relating to privacy and privacy failure, crisis communication management and service recovery after privacy failure across multiple industries. Findings: Reviewing literature streams on privacy, service recovery and crisis communication management reveals that multiple theories and approaches have been used to focus on this topic. The most widely used are Justice Theory, Attribution Theory and Situational Crisis Communication Theory. The fragmentation of theories and approaches in different research streams reveals the need for a comprehensive overview of the growing complexity of the phenomenon. Key variables explaining how consumers react to service recovery after privacy failure are identified and summarized in a framework. Research limits: Because the number of publications is rising rapidly, quantitative insights require methodologies such as a systematic literature review or a meta-analysis. Practical implications: Findings have implications and offer directions for future academic research. Originality of the paper: This is the first paper that attempts to integrate different research streams in service recovery from privacy failure to develop a theoretical overview on the topic and to attract academic attention on the interplay between privacy failure, recovery and crisis communication management

Oral contraceptives and colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Donafenib in Chinese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Really a new standard of care, or should we change paradigm for drug development in HCC?

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Effects of antihypertensive drugs on carotid intima-media thickness: Focus on angiotensin II receptor blockers. A review of randomized, controlled trials

Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaques have been shown to have a strong continuous relationship with cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality; therefore, carotid atherosclerosis, as assessed by ultrasonography, can be regarded as a reliable surrogate end-point for therapeutic interventions. In this survey, we report the results of 16 double blind, randomized, controlled studies comparing: 1) antihypertensive drugs versus placebo/no treatment (five trials including 3,215 patients); 2) different active antihypertensive drug regimens (five trials including 4,662 patients); 3) angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs) versus other antihypertensive agents (six trials including 841 patients). Our main findings can be summarized as follows: I) Long-term antihypertensive treatment has a blunting effect on carotid IMT progression, regardless of types of drugs. II) Calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) are more effective than other antihypertensive drugs including diuretics, beta-blockers, and angiotensin converting-enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors in this blunting effect; III) the effect of ARBs compared to other antihypertensive regimens (mostly based on atenolol) on carotid atherosclerosis progression needs to be further elucidated, as a protective effect was demonstrated by some, but not all studies examined. Thus, further studies are needed to clarify the role of ARBs in this therapeutic area

Left ventricular geometry and diastolic function in the hypertensive heart : impact of age

Background and aim. The impact of aging on the relationship between left ventricular (LV) mass/geometry and diastolic function as assessed by updated echocardiographic methods, such as tissue Doppler, is poorly defined. We investigated this issue in a cohort of hypertensive patients. Methods. A total of 660 hypertensives (mean age 65±13 years, 48% men) with preserved LV systolic function underwent a comprehensive echo-Doppler examination for routine clinical indications. For the present analysis, the subjects have been divided in two age groups (<65 or ≥65 years). Results. Overall, 61% of subjects fulfilled the criteria for LVH, 18% for left atrial (LA) enlargement and 11% for altered LV filling index. Concentric LV geometry was 1.4-fold higher in older hypertensives than in younger counterparts; also the prevalence of LA enlargement and altered LV filling was 2.0- and 1.9-fold higher in the former group, respectively. In older hypertensives, at variance from younger ones, neither LV mass nor relative wall thickness (RWT), a continuous index of LV geometry, were independently correlated to conventional as well as tissue Doppler LV diastolic indexes. Conclusions. Our findings suggest the relationship between cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic function in hypertensive subjects is affected by aging-associated factors unrelated to the amount of LV mass as assessed by standard echocardiography. © 2013 Scandinavian Foundation for Cardiovascular Research