Nutrition labels are helpful for chronic disease management in patients requiring balanced nutritional intake. This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of nutrition labels and chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia) by using the 2008-2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. A total of 10,695 individuals aged 20 and over was included in the analysis. Using multiple logistic regressions, there was no difference in nutrition label use between the chronic disease and normal groups (men with hypertension OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.75-1.27; women with hypertension OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.67-1.03; men with diabetes OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.45-1.08; women with diabetes OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.84-1.53; men with hyperlipidemia OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.59-1.23; women with hyperlipidemia OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.91-1.44). In hyperlipidemia patients, awareness (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03-2.35) and control (OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 2.32-3.63) of disease were related to nutrition label use; however, no significant associations were found for the hypertension and diabetes mellitus patients. Considering the importance of dietary habits in the management of chronic diseases, an improvement in nutrition label use by patients with these diseases is required.
Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Demography ; Diabetes Mellitus/pathology/*prevention & control ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/pathology/*prevention & control ; Hypertension/pathology/*prevention & control ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritive Value ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea

Hypertension, as one of diseases with the highest incidence in the world at present, is an important cause of stroke, coronary heart disease, renal insufficiency and other serious diseases. Based on pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution, this paper makes an analysis on the relevant pulse characteristics by measuring time range of the energy concentration circle. In view of the present situation, that is, about half of the high-normal blood pressure persons are likely to develop hypertension, we explored the pulse characteristics to find the pathological changes in subjects with prehypertension, in order to solve the problems that there are no obvious clinical significant features in prehypertension. The results showed that the duration of high energy circle in signal with hypertension pathological changes was shorter than the duration of healthy signal. Hence, healthy signal and hypertension pathological signal can be effectively distinguished by this method, and this provides a new basis to identify the lesion signal when blood pressure is in critical period.
Adult ; Algorithms ; Arterial Pressure ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; pathology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulse ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

AIMTo investigate the protective effect of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on nephropathy in rats with pregnancy induced hypertension and to study its possible mechanism.

METHODSThe levels of the expression of renal ERK1/2 protein and mRNA were detected in PIH rats which were made by injection of L-NAME, normal pregnant rats and rats treated with LMWH by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). The renal tissue was observed by using light microscopy.

RESULTSThe expression level of renal ERK1/2 protein and mRNA in LMWH-treated rats were significantly lower than that in PIH rats, while the expression level of renal ERK1/2 protein and mRNA in PIH rats was significantly higher than that in normal pregnant rats (P < 0.01), the intensity of ERK1/2 expression had no obvious differences among 3 groups. The average arterial pressure and urine protein in LMWH group were decreased, but no decrease was observed in normal rats. Mesangial expansion and basal membrane thickening were obviously retarded in LMWH- treated group.

CONCLUSIONLMWH has renal protective effect on PIH rats, whose mechanism may be associated partly with a down-regulation of ERK expression.

Animals ; Female ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Kidney ; pathology ; Kidney Diseases ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Pregnancy ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

A major cause of cirrhosis related morbidity and mortality is the development of variceal bleeding, a direct consequence of portal hypertension. Less common causes of gastrointestinal bleeding are peptic ulcers, malignancy, angiodysplasia, etc. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding has been classified according to the presence of a variceal or non-variceal bleeding. Although non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding is not common in cirrhotic patients, gastroduodenal ulcers may develop as often as non-cirrhotic patients. Ulcers in cirrhotic patients may be more severe and less frequently associated with chronic intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and may require more frequently endoscopic treatment. Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) refers to changes in the mucosa of the stomach in patients with portal hypertension. Patients with portal hypertension may experience bleeding from the stomach, and pharmacologic or radiologic interventional procedure may be useful in preventing re-bleeding from PHG. Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) seems to be different disease entity from PHG, and endoscopic ablation can be the first-line treatment.
Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia/complications ; Gastric Mucosa/pathology ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*etiology ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/*complications/prevention & control ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications ; Peptic Ulcer/complications

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of integripetal rhodiola herb on pulmonary arterial remodeling and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in high altitude pulmonary hypertension in rats. Fifty healthy male Wistar rats were divided into five groups randomly: Plain control group (LC group), 10-day plateau group (H(10) group), 30-day plateau group (H(30) group), 10-day rhodiola-treated plateau group (R(10) group), and 30-day rhodiola-treated plateau group (R(30) group). Each group included 10 rats. The rats in LC group were kept in Chengdu (500 meters above sea level), and rats in H and R groups were kept in Lhasa (3 700 meters above sea level). The rats in R group were daily treated with integripetal rhodiola herb extract (24%, 10 mL/kg) intragastrically for 10 d or 30 d, while rats in LC and H groups were treated with the same volume of saline. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was detected via a catheter in the pulmonary artery by pressure waveform monitoring. The ratio value of right ventricle weight to left ventricle plus septum weight [RV/(LV + S)] was measured. The microstructure of pulmonary arterioles was examined by electron microscopy. The expression of VEGF in the lung was investigated using immunohistochemistry. The results showed that mPAP and [RV/(LV + S)] in H(10) group and H(30) group were higher than those in LC group (P < 0.05); but there was no significant difference between H(10) group and R(10) group (P < 0.05); and mPAP and [RV/(LV + S)] in H(30) group were lower than those in H(30) group (P < 0.05). Electron microscopy showed that compared to LC group, arteriolar endothelial cells were arranged in a columnar or palisading form, protruding into the lumen, accompanied with luminal stenosis, irregular internal elastic membrane, and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in H groups, which was more obvious in H(30) group than in H(10) group; while these pathological changes were attenuated in the R groups compared to H groups. The levels of VEGF protein in H groups were also higher than those in LC group (P < 0.05); while the expression of VEGF in R(30) group was lower than that in H(30) group. In summary, the results show that the integripetal rhodiola herb can attenuate high altitude-induced pulmonary arterial remodeling in rats, and the inhibition of VEGF protein expression by rhodiola may be one of the mechanisms.
Altitude ; Altitude Sickness ; prevention & control ; Animals ; Arterioles ; metabolism ; pathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Pulmonary Artery ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Rhodiola ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

AIMTo study the effect of Safflower injection (a compound of Chinese Traditional medicine) on pulmonary hypertension in rat during chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia.

METHODSSprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group (A), hypoxic hypercapnic group (B), hypoxic hypercapnia + Safflower injection group (C). The concentration of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF18 in plasma and in lung homogenate were detected by the radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS(1) mPAP, weight ratio of right ventricle (RV) to left ventricle plus septum (LV + S) were much higher in rats of hypoxic hypercapnic group than those of control group. Differences of mCAP among the three groups were not significant. (2) The concentration of TXB2 and the ratio of TXB2/6-keto-PGF1a were significantly higher in rats of B group than those of A and C group. (3) The results examined by light microscopy showed that WA/TA (vessel wall area/total area), SMC (the density of medial smooth muscle cell) and PAMT (the thickness of medial smooth cell layer) were significantly higher in rats of B group than those of A and C group. (4) The results examined by electron microscopy showed proliferation of medial smooth muscle cells and collagen fibers of pulmonary arterioles in rats of B group, and Safflower injection could reverse the changes mentioned above.

CONCLUSIONSafflower injection may inhibit hypoxic hypercapnia pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vessel remodeling by decreasing the ratio of TXB2/6-keto-PGF1a.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha ; metabolism ; Animals ; Carthamus tinctorius ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Hypercapnia ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; prevention & control ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thromboxane B2 ; metabolism

Periodontal disease is a predictor of stroke and cognitive impairment. The association between the number of lost teeth (an indicator of periodontal disease) and silent infarcts and cerebral white matter changes on brain CT was investigated in community-dwelling adults without dementia or stroke. Dental examination and CT were performed in 438 stroke- and dementia-free subjects older than 50 yr (mean age, 63 +/- 7.9 yr), who were recruited for an early health check-up program as part of the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia (PRESENT) project between 2009 and 2010. In unadjusted analyses, the odds ratio (OR) for silent cerebral infarcts and cerebral white matter changes for subjects with 6-10 and > 10 lost teeth was 2.3 (95% CI, 1.38-4.39; P = 0.006) and 4.2 (95% CI, 1.57-5.64; P < 0.001), respectively, as compared to subjects with 0-5 lost teeth. After adjustment for age, education, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and smoking, the ORs were 1.7 (95% CI, 1.08-3.69; P = 0.12) and 3.9 (95% CI, 1.27-5.02; P < 0.001), respectively. These findings suggest that severe tooth loss may be a predictor of silent cerebral infarcts and cerebral white matter changes in community-dwelling, stroke- and dementia-free adults.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis ; Brain/*radiography ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dementia/pathology/prevention & control ; Diabetes Complications/diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/complications ; Hypertension/complications ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Periodontal Diseases/complications/*diagnosis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/pathology/prevention & control ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tooth Loss

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and mechanisms of Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) on myocardial fibrosis in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR).

METHODSSHR of 12 weeks old were divided into the SBP group, the control group (treated with benazepril) and the model control group. The effects on such indexes as systolic blood pressure (SBP), left ventricular mass (LVM), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), content of myocardial collagen (MC) in left ventricle, extracellular matrix fibronectin (FN), laminin (LN), cardiac fibroblast (cFb) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) were determined after 12 weeks of treatment.

RESULTSSBP had no marked pressure depressive effect, but had the effect similar to that of benazepril in reducing the level of LVM, LVMI and content of MC (P < 0.05), as well as the content of LN, FN in myocardium, cFb count and TGF-beta1 expression (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBP can prevent and treat myocardial fibrosis, whose action is independent of its hypotensive effect. The mechanism may be associated with such factors as the decrease of MC synthesis in left ventricle and the deposition of extracellular matrix.

Animals ; Collagen ; biosynthesis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fibrosis ; prevention & control ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; prevention & control ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

Animals ; Arterioles ; metabolism ; pathology ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Chemokine CX3CL1 ; Chemokines, CX3C ; analysis ; genetics ; Chronic Disease ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; prevention & control ; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular ; prevention & control ; Hypoxia ; complications ; metabolism ; Lung ; metabolism ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; analysis ; genetics ; Pulmonary Artery ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND: Increased aortic stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are independent risk factors of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. We have conducted a prospective study to examine the effects of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist (irbesartan) on PWV and LVH in hypertensive patients. METHODS: A total of 52 untreated hypertensive patients (age:53.3+/-8.0 yrs) were enrolled; they had no evidence of associated cardiovascular complications. Blood pressure, heart rate, aortic PWV and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) by 2-D echocardiography were measured at baseline and after irbesartan treatment (150 mg or 300 mg/day) at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. RESULTS: Blood pressure was significantly decreased after 12 weeks and 24 weeks of treatment compared to baseline (SBP: 134.6+/-13.3 mmHg, 134.0+/-11.0 mmHg vs 163.7+/-13.8 mmHg p<0.001, DBP: 86.0+/-10 mmHg, 83.07 mmHg vs 102.4+/-9.6 mmHg p<0.001, respectively) without significant change in heart rate. LVMI decreased at 12 weeks and at 24 weeks after treatment compared to baseline (from 145.5+/-35.1 g/m2 at baseline to 137.5+/-35.4 g/m2 at 12 weeks, p=0.017 and 135.3+/-35.4 g/m2 at 24 weeks, p=0.008). Aortic PWV was decreased after irbesartan treatment at 12 weeks (from 9.6+/-2.8 m/sec to 8.7+/-3.1 m/sec at 12 weeks, p=0.064) and at 24 weeks (from 9.6+/-2.9 m/sec to 7.7+/-2.1 m/sec at 24 weeks, p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with irbesartan may reduce arterial stiffness and regression of LVH in hypertensive patients. The pleiotropic effects of irbesartan, further decreasing PWV without change of BP between 12 and 24 weeks of treatment, may have favorable vascular effects on arterial stiffness and LVH.
Tetrazoles/*therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/*prevention & control ; Hypertension/*drug therapy/pathology/physiopathology ; Humans ; Female ; Biphenyl Compounds/*therapeutic use ; Aorta/*drug effects/physiopathology ; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers/*therapeutic use ; Aged ; Adult