Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention

Body composition in male elite athletes, comparison of bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to compare body composition results from bioelectrical spectroscopy (BIS) with results from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in a population of male elite athletes. Body composition was assessed using DXA (Lunar Prodigy, GE Lunar Corp., Madison, USA) and BIS (Hydra 4200, Xitron Technologies Inc, San Diego, California, USA) at the same occasion. Agreement between methods was assessed using paired t-tests and agreement-plots.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-three male elite athletes (soccer and ice hockey) were included in the study. The results showed that BIS underestimates the proportion of fat mass by 4.6% points in the ice hockey players. In soccer players the BIS resulted in a lower mean fat mass by 1.1% points. Agreement between the methods at the individual level was highly variable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Body composition results assessed by BIS in elite athletes should be interpreted with caution, especially in individual subjects. BIS may present values of fat mass that is either higher or lower than fat mass assessed by DXA, independent of true fat content of the individual.</p

A common biological basis of obesity and nicotine addiction

Smoking influences body weight such that smokers weigh less than non-smokers and smoking cessation often leads to weight increase. The relationship between body weight and smoking is partly explained by the effect of nicotine on appetite and metabolism. However, the brain reward system is involved in the control of the intake of both food and tobacco. We evaluated the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting body mass index (BMI) on smoking behavior, and tested the 32 SNPs identified in a meta-analysis for association with two smoking phenotypes, smoking initiation (SI) and the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) in an Icelandic sample (N=34 216 smokers). Combined according to their effect on BMI, the SNPs correlate with both SI (r=0.019, P=0.00054) and CPD (r=0.032, P=8.0 × 10&lt;sup&gt;−7&lt;/sup&gt;). These findings replicate in a second large data set (N=127 274, thereof 76 242 smokers) for both SI (P=1.2 × 10&lt;sup&gt;−5&lt;/sup&gt;) and CPD (P=9.3 × 10&lt;sup&gt;−5&lt;/sup&gt;). Notably, the variant most strongly associated with BMI (rs1558902-A in FTO) did not associate with smoking behavior. The association with smoking behavior is not due to the effect of the SNPs on BMI. Our results strongly point to a common biological basis of the regulation of our appetite for tobacco and food, and thus the vulnerability to nicotine addiction and obesity

Mechanical ventilation of weaning interruption

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Em 2000, foi publicado o II Consenso Brasileiro de Ventilação Mecânica. Desde então, o conhecimento na área da ventilação mecânica avançou rapidamente, com a publicação de inúmeros estudos clínicos que acrescentaram informações importantes para o manuseio de pacientes críticos em ventilação artificial. Além disso, a expansão do conceito de Medicina Baseada em Evidências determinou a hierarquização das recomendações clínicas, segundo o rigor do método dos estudos que as embasaram. Essa abordagem explícita vem ampliando a compreensão e a aplicação das recomendações clínicas. Por esses motivos, a AMIB - Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira - e a SBPT - Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia - julgaram conveniente a atualização das recomendações descritas no Consenso anterior. Dentre os tópicos selecionados o desmame da Ventilação Mecânica foi um dos temas propostos. O objetivo foi descrever os pontos mais importantes relacionados ao desmame da ventilação mecânica. MÉTODO: Objetivou-se chegar a um documento suficientemente sintético, que refletisse a melhor evidência disponível na literatura. A revisão bibliográfica baseou-se na busca de estudos através de palavras-chave e em sua gradação conforme níveis de evidência. As palavras-chave utilizadas para a busca foram: weaning e mechanical ventilation. RESULTADOS: São apresentadas recomendações quanto aos métodos de desmame utilizados, ao uso de protocolos e a identificação dos pacientes através do teste de ventilação espontânea. CONCLUSÕES: A liberação do paciente do ventilador é um momento muito importante da ventilação mecânica. A utilização de protocolos para reconhecimento dos pacientes aptos a serem extubados contribui com a redução do tempo de internação dos pacientes em unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI).BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The II Brazilian Consensus Conference on Mechanical Ventilation was published in 2000. Knowledge on the field of mechanical ventilation evolved rapidly since then, with the publication of numerous clinical studies with potential impact on the ventilatory management of critically ill patients. Moreover, the evolving concept of evidence - based medicine determined the grading of clinical recommendations according to the methodological value of the studies on which they are based. This explicit approach has broadened the understanding and adoption of clinical recommendations. For these reasons, AMIB - Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira and SBPT - Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia - decided to update the recommendations of the II Brazilian Consensus. Weaning from mechanical ventilation has been one of the updated topics. This objective was described the most important topics related to weaning from mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Systematic review of the published literature and gradation of the studies in levels of evidence, using the keywords weaning and mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: Recommendations on the weaning from mechanical ventilation and how to select patients applying weaning protocols and spontaneous breathing test. CONCLUSIONS: Weaning is a very important period of mechanical ventilatory support. Weaning protocols are recommended to select patients ready to be extubated

EFFECT OF INTRAVENOUS DIPYRIDAMOLE ON REGIONAL CORONARY BLOOD-FLOW WITH 1-VESSEL CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE - EVIDENCE AGAINST CORONARY STEAL

The effects of i.v. dipyridamole were studied in 9 patients with isolated total left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) obstruction, in 6 patients with isolated 90-99% diameter reduction of the LAD and in 10 patients with normal coronary arteries and normal left ventricular function. Coronary sinus and great cardiac vein flows were determined by continuous thermodilution. Flows were measured at rest and 1, 3, 5 and 10 min after i.v. dipyridamole. Great cardiac vein flow represents the venous outflow from the LAD territory. In the presence of coronary steal from the LAD territory, great cardiac vein flow is expected to decrease while coronary sinus flow increases. I.v. dipyridamole induced a similar flow increase in the coronary sinus and the great cardiac vein in all 3 groups (P < 0.001 between rest and dipyridamole, difference not significant among groups), suggesting that no coronary steal was induced. The maximal increase in great cardiac vein flow was 118 .+-. 74% in the control group, 86 .+-. 74% in the group with 90-99% LAD obstruction and 102 .+-. 29% in the group with total LAD obstruction (difference not significant). Evidently, i.v. dipyridamole produces a similar increase in coronary flow in ischemic and nonischemic areas and an increase in collateral flow is the underlying mechanism for increased flow to the ischemic area