Late-life coronary heart disease mortality of Finnish war veterans in the TAMRISK study, a 28-year follow-up.

Background: Wartime stress has been associated with increased late-life mortality of all causes of death. We evaluated whether wounded Finnish World War II veterans who were alive at the age of 55 have increased long-term coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality.

Methods: Health survey data were recorded in 1980 from 667 men, aged 55 years.

Gln27Glu variant of Beta2-adrenoceptor gene affects male type fat accumulation in women.

Background: The beta2-adrenergic receptor (BAR2) is the main lipolytic receptor in white human adipose tissue. There is a functional glutamine 27 glutamic acid (Gln27Glu, rs 1042714) polymorphism in its gene, which has been variably associated with body mass index. This gene variant may be associated with male-type adiposity in women and thus increased cardiovascular risk.

Hematocrit and the risk of coronary heart disease mortality in the TAMRISK study, a 28-year follow-up.

Objective: To evaluate whether hematocrit (HCT) is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in men over 55 years of age in Finland.

Methods: Health survey data were recorded in 1980 from 670 men, aged 55 years. The causes of deaths during a 28-year follow-up were obtained from official records.

Serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 and venous bypass graft occlusion.

Objective: The primary results after coronary artery bypass grafting are good, but early clinical events as a result of graft occlusion are still a problem. Early occlusions are thought to be due to thrombosis or fibrointimal hyperplasia superimposed by thrombosis, but the etiology of these phenomena is not fully understood. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 has been suggested to have a role in graft occlusion ex vivo.

Sequentially combined estradiol valerate plus levonorgestrel therapy decreases 18:1 trans-fatty acid content of plasma lipids in healthy postmenopausal women.

Trans-fatty acids (TFA) have been classified as atherogenic dietary constituents but the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on their concentrations is not known. We used a washout protocol to study the effect of long-term estrogen and combined estrogen-progestin HRT on plasma elaidate (18:1t), which is the trans isomer of oleate and the major TFA in the diet. The study group comprised 15 women receiving estradiol valerate HRT and 15 women receiving combined HRT with estradiol valerate and levonorgestrel.