The Salford Nature Environments Database (SNED): an open-access database of standardized high-quality pictures from natural environments.

The growing interest in harnessing natural environments to enhance mental health, including cognitive functioning and mood, has yielded encouraging results in initial studies. Given that images of nature have demonstrated similar benefits, they are frequently employed as proxies for real-world environments. To ensure precision and control, researchers often manipulate images of natural environments.

For Debate: The 2023 European Society of Hypertension guidelines - cause for concern.

Originally, the beta-blockers were equally ranked alongside the other antihypertensive drug classes. Things changed when two major long-term randomized controlled trials, ASCOT-BPLA and LIFE showed that the patients receiving the beta-blockers based regimes suffered 25-30% more strokes than those receiving a calcium channel blocker based regime or an angiotensin receptor blocker based regime. The inferiority of the beta-blockers at stroke prevention was not due to differences in blood pressure control during the follow-up period in both trials.

A randomized trial of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring versus clinical blood pressure measurement in the management of hypertension in pregnancy. A feasibility study.

To assess the feasibility of a prospective randomised trial of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) versus clinic blood pressure (CBP) readings for managing pregnancy hypertension. The primary outcome measure was admission to hospital. The secondary measures were number of antenatal attendances, use of anti-hypertensive drugs and duration of hospital stay.

Predictors of 5-year outcomes in malignant phase hypertension: the West Birmingham Malignant Hypertension Registry.

Objective: Malignant hypertension represents a high-risk condition and there are scarce data on current clinical patterns of this condition. The aim of the study is to identify the clinical and demographic factors associated with poor outcome.

Methods: The data collected from 1958 to May 2016 included a total of 351 patients whose 5-year survival status was known: 221 white Caucasians (63%, age 51 ± 13 years, 64% male), 83 African-Caribbeans (24%, 45 ± 11 years, 61% male), and 47 South Asians (13%, 42 ± 11 years, 74% male).

Does obesity influence target organ damage and outcomes in patients with malignant phase hypertension? The West Birmingham Malignant Hypertension Project.

Several studies have suggested that hypertension has a stronger detrimental impact on cardiovascular outcome in lean than in obese persons, but neutral or opposite results have also been reported. We investigated the impact of baseline body mass index (BMI) at presentation with the most severe form of hypertension, that is, malignant phase hypertension (MPH) on the primary outcome of 'death or dialysis' in these patients. A total of 184 patients (overall mean (s.

Lack of impact of pulse pressure on outcomes in patients with malignant phase hypertension: the West Birmingham Malignant Hypertension study.

Objective: To investigate the impact of pulse pressure at presentation on the primary outcome (death or dialysis) in patients with malignant phase hypertension (MPH).

Methods: Three hundred and sixty-five patients [overall mean (SD) age 48 (13) years; 66% male; 63% white European; 23% African-Caribbean, 14% south Asian] from the West Birmingham MPH study were included. Baseline pulse pressure was divided into quartiles.

Matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors in hypertension-related pregnancy complications.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of endopeptidases that degrade the components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) such as collagen, and thus contribute to the remodelling and the physiological homeostasis of the ECM and its blood supply. The activities of these enzymes are regulated by endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), and it has been suggested that a balance between MMPs and TIMPs plays an important role in vascular remodelling, angiogenesis and vasodilatation in a number of physiological situations. It follows that, regarding a relationship between MMPs and TIMPs, an imbalance between these molecules may lead to pathology in a wide range of conditions, including hypertension, cancer and pulmonary disease, and in the pathophysiology of reproduction.

A comprehensive assessment of cardiac structure and function in patients with treated malignant phase hypertension: the West Birmingham Malignant Hypertension project.

Background: Previous studies have confirmed that cardiac structural and functional abnormalities exist in patients with malignant hypertension (MHT). The effect of long-term blood pressure control in MHT patients on cardiac structure and function is still unknown.

Methods: We performed detailed left ventricle (LV) assessment using two-dimensional (2DE) and three-dimensional (3DE) echocardiography, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients with previous MHT (but now in stable phase) who were compared with patients with treated 'high risk' hypertension (HHT, but non-MHT) and healthy controls (HC).

Angiogenin and hemoxygenase in pregnancy: influence of hypertension.

The pathophysiology of hypertension and preeclampsia involves angiogenesis and endothelial damage/dysfunction, as shown by abnormal growth factors (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], and its receptor sFlt-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWf) in the plasma. Angiogenin and hemoxygenase are abnormal in hypertension and angiogenesis but data on pregnancy are scant. We hypothesized altered angiogenin and hemoxygenase in 38 hypertensive pregnant women (HTPW) compared to 38 normotensive pregnant women (NTPW) and 50 nonpregnant controls (NonPCs).

Soluble Fas and Fas ligand in pregnancy: influence of hypertension.

The pathophysiology of pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia may involve abnormalities in placentation and the Fas/Fas ligand system. Hypothesizing abnormal plasma Fas and Fas ligand in pregnancy-induced hypertension, we recruited 20 hypertensive pregnant women at mean week 15 and 29 at week 30: 18 were studied at both time points. Control groups were 20 normotensive pregnant women at week 20, 29 women at week 27, and 50 nonpregnant women.

The bio-tribological characteristics of synthetic tissue grafts.

The use of synthetic connective tissue grafts became popular in the mid-1980s, particularly for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; however, this trend was soon changed given the high failure rate due to abrasive wear. More than 20 years later, a vast range of grafts are available to the orthopaedic surgeon for augmenting connective tissue following rupture or tissue loss. While the biomechanical properties of these synthetic grafts become ever closer to the natural tissue, there have been no reports of their bio-tribological (i.

Do we need more long-term outcome trials for the treatment of hypertension?

The epidemiology of arterial hypertension and its treatment has been underlined by a huge research literature. Consistently raised arterial blood pressure in a clinic or home setting is a simple clinical observation that marks a predilection to a variety of fatal and non-fatal vascular disease events. Over the past 50 years tolerable, safe and effective primary and secondary medicines to offset a substantial amount of the associated morbidity and mortality risk of elevated blood pressure have emerged.

Persistent macrovascular and microvascular dysfunction in patients with malignant hypertension.

Endothelial dysfunction is characteristic of patients with essential hypertension, but only limited data are available on different aspects of endothelial function in patients with malignant-phase hypertension. We investigated myocardial perfusion using real-time quantitative myocardial contrast echocardiography with concurrent assessment of macrovascular and microvascular endothelial damage/dysfunction in patients with previous malignant hypertension (but now in stable phase), who were compared with patients with treated "high-risk" hypertension (hypertension) and healthy controls. We measured flow (hyperemia)-mediated dilation and response to glyceryl trinitrate of brachial artery (ultrasound), microvascular (forearm) response to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (laser Doppler), pulse wave velocity, circulating endothelial and endothelial progenitor cells in 15 patients with malignant hypertension, 40 matched patients with hypertension, and 40 healthy controls.

Are angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers safe in pregnancy: a report of ninety-one pregnancies.

Background: Both angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) and angiotensin receptor antagonists (ARBs) have been reported to be associated with an excess of congenital abnormalities in infants born to women who took these drugs in pregnancy.

Methods: To investigate this possible association further, we have examined the outcome in 91 pregnancies in which the mother took either an ACE-I (n = 71) or an ARB (n = 20) in early pregnancy. We also examined the United Kingdom adverse drug reaction reporting system to assess the total number of reported associations of ACE-I or ARB use in pregnancy and congenital anomalies reported.

Improving survival of malignant hypertension patients over 40 years.

Background: To examine changing demography and survival of patients with malignant phase hypertension (MHT) over 40 years.

Methods: Patients from our MHT registry whose survival status on 31 December 2006 was known were included, with analyses conducted based on decade of MHT diagnosis.

Results: Four-hundred and forty-six patients with MHT (overall mean (s.

Hypertension in ethnic groups: epidemiological and clinical perspectives.

In the UK and other developed nations, hypertension and its vascular complications are more common in ethnically African and South-Asian communities compared with Europeans. While these conditions are less common in rural India and Africa, they present a rising problem in expanding cities in all developing countries. Hypertension is, therefore, mainly related to environmental and lifestyle factors rather than genetically determined racial differences.

Atrial fibrillation in primary aldosteronism.

Introduction: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is caused by autonomous hypersecretion of aldosterone from the adrenal cortex, classically from an adenoma, resulting in sodium and water retention, hypokalaemia and raised blood pressure. The sodium and water retention causes suppression of renin release. The possible cardiac sequelae of aldosterone excess are encountered primarily in patients with secondary hyperaldosteronism due to heart failure, where plasma renin, angiotensin and aldosterone levels are all raised.

Left ventricular hypertrophy by Sokolow-Lyon voltage criterion predicts mortality in overweight hypertensive subjects.

In view of the low sensitivity of Sokolow-Lyon voltage criteria in the assessment of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG LVH) in overweight subjects, we determined its clinical utility in 1840 lean and 3555 overweight subjects with hypertension. They were followed prospectively over an average of 11 years by the Department of Health and Social Security Hypertension Care Computer Project. LVH was determined at baseline using the Sokolow-Lyon criterion that is, the amplitude voltage SV1+(max RV5 or RV6) > or =3.