Inflammation and oxidative stress caused by nitric oxide synthase uncoupling might lead to left ventricular diastolic and systolic dysfunction in patients with hypertension

Objective: To investigate the role of oxidative stress, inflammation, hypercoagulability and neuroendocrine activation in the transition of hypertensive heart disease to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). Methods: We performed echocardiography for 112 patients (≥ 60 years old) with normal EF (18 controls and 94 with hypertension), and determined protein carbonylation (PC), and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor type-I (PAI-I), von Willebrand factor, chromogranin A (cGA) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels from their blood samples. Results: We found that 40% (38/94) of the patients with hypertension (HT) had no diastolic dysfunction (HTDD-), and 60% (56/94) had diastolic dysfunction (HTDD+). Compared to the controls, both patient groups had increased PC and BH4, TNF-α, PAI-I and BNP levels, while the HTDD+ group had elevated cGA and CRP levels. Decreased atrial and longitudinal left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic myocardial deformation (strain and strain rate) was demonstrated in both patient groups versus the control. Patients whose LV diastolic function deteriorated during the follow-up had elevated PC and IL-6 level compared to their own baseline values, and to the respective values of patients whose LV diastolic function remained unchanged. Oxidative stress, inflammation, BNP and PAI-I levels inversely correlated with LV systolic, diastolic and atrial function. Conclusions: In patients with HT and normal EF, the most common HFPEF precursor condition, oxidative stress and inflammation may be responsible for LV systolic, diastolic and atrial dysfunction, which are important determinants of the transition of HT to HFPEF

Yield and water balance of maize grown in rotation on chernozem soil

Soil water balance was studied in a 25-year-old experiment, on chernozem soil, in different crop-rotation systems (mono-, bi- and triculture) in dry (2007) and rainy (2008) seasons, in maize production. Soil water deficit values in maize production were much lower in 2008 than in 2007 in non-irrigated and irrigated plots of three crop rotation systems because of favourable precipitation supply. We found difference between the water deficit values of two irrigation treatments. We measured lower values in irrigated plots of three crop-rotation systems before sowing: non-irrigated plots in monoculture 105 mm, in biculture 101 mm, in triculture 121 mm and irrigated plots in monoculture 90 mm, in biculture 91 mm, in triculture 111 mm. Soil waterstock started to decrease with the rise in average temperature and, despite an increase in precipitation quantity, we calculated higher water deficit values. Precipitation in August and the high average temperature intensified the water deficit. Water deficit showed its highest values in early September. We examined the water balance of the soil profile in 0–2.0 m and we concluded that the water deficit of the 0.8–1.2 m soil layers was most intensive in both non-irrigated and irrigated treatments, because of significant root mass. Our results showed that irrigation had a more important influence on the yield in a dry cropyear (2007 characterized by abiotic, water stress) than in an optimum water supply cropyear (2008)