Effects of antihypertensive treatment on plasma apelin, resistin, and visfatin concentrations.

INTRODUCTION Adipose tissue has been recently recognized as an endocrine organ secreting a number of adipokines contributing to the development of atherosclerosis, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, and vascular remodeling. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine whether treatment with a β-blocker, calcium antagonist, thiazide-like diuretic, or angiotensin II receptor type 1 influences plasma concentrations of apelin, resistin, and visfatin in obese hypertensive patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included 84 obese patients with essential hypertension.

The prognostic value of tumor markers doubling times in medullary thyroid carcinoma - preliminary report.

Introduction: Calcitonin (Ct) and carcinoembrional antigen (CEA) are widely used as tumor markers for the post-operative follow-up of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).In patients with elevated serum Ct and CEA their dynamics can be described by calculating the doubling time (DT) - the time, they need to double the serum concentration. Previous reports concluded that the Ct and CEA DT have prognostic value in MTC patients.

Cilazapril increases plasma ghrelin concentration in obese patients with arterial hypertension.

Introduction: Ghrelin is a polypeptide hormone secreted mainly by the stomach cells, stimulating food intake and growth hormone release. Decreased plasma ghrelin concentration was found in obese subjects. Clinical and experimental data suggest that ghrelin also exerts a blood pressure lowering property.

[The role of visfatin in the pathophysiology of human].

Fat tissue produces a variety of secreted proteins with important roles in metabolism. Isolated and newly identified adipocytokine - visfatin is highly enriched in the visceral fat and it's expression level in plasma increases during the development of obesity. Visfatin exerts insulin - mimetic effects and lowers plasma glucose level throughout binding and activating the insulin receptor in animal model.

[The role of urotensin II in human pathophysiology].

Human urotensin II (U-II) is a cyclic peptide generated by proteolytic cleavage from a precursor prohormone. It was first isolated from the fish spinal cord and has been recognized as a hormone in the neurosecretory system of teleost fish. It is expressed in the human central nervous system as well as other tissues, such as kidney, spleen, small intestine, thymus, prostate, pituitary and adrenal gland and circulates in human plasma.

[Ghrelin, a new hormone involved not only in the regulation of appetite].

Recent progress in the field of energy homeostasis was triggered by the discovery of adipocyte hormone leptin and revealed a complex regulatory neuroendocrine network, which precisely regulates appetite. Discovery of ghrelin, a novel hormone derived from the stomach, has illustrated the relationship of the stomach and hypothalamus which is a crucial missing link in the regulation of energy balance, growth and coordinated gastrointestinal function. The discovery of ghrelin opens new perspectives of research with potential therapeutic relevance in patients with gastrointestinal, metabolic, endocrine and other diseases.

[The treatment of obesity-related hypertension].

The increase in the prevalence of obesity is associated with an increased risk of the development of cardiovascular and renal diseases. Extensive epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relation between the body weight rate and the blood pressure, indicating obesity as one of the factors in hypertension development. Some classes of antihypertensive drugs have potentially adverse effects on some of the metabolic abnormalities that link obesity and hypertension.