The association between constipation and cardiovascular risk is unclear. This population-level matched cohort study compared the association of constipation with hypertension and incident cardiovascular events in 541,172 hospitalized patients aged ≥ 60 years. For each constipation admission, one exact age-matched non-constipated admission was randomly selected from all hospitalizations within 2 weeks to form the comparison cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: People who exchange sex for money, favors, goods or services, combat higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Understanding barriers to STD and HIV related healthcare from the perspective of this stigmatized and marginalized community may improve access to sexual health services including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). METHODS: We used community-partnered participatory and qualitative methods to conduct anonymous one-on-one interviews with people who exchange sex to understand their perspectives and experiences related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV acquisition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) may modulate some effects of aldosterone. In addition, G-1 (a GPER agonist) can lower blood pressure (BP) and promote T cell-mediated anti-inflammatory responses. This study aimed to test the effects of G-1 and G-15 (a GPER antagonist) on aldosterone-induced hypertension in mice and to examine the cellular mechanisms involved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Improved medical care over more than five decades has markedly increased life expectancy, from 12 years to approximately 60 years, in people with Down syndrome (DS). With increased survival into late adulthood, there is now a greater need for the medical care of people with DS to prevent and treat aging-related disorders. In the wider population, acquired cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and coronary heart disease are common with increasing age, but the risks of these diseases in people with DS are unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that elevated superoxide production by Nox2-NADPH oxidase occurs in cerebral arteries during hypercholesterolemia and causes decreased nitric oxide function.
Methods: Wild-type (WT), apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) and Nox2(-/-)/ApoE(-/-) mice were fed a high-fat diet for 7 to 14 weeks. Basal superoxide production by cerebral arteries was measured using L-012 (100 micromol/L)-enhanced chemiluminescence.
The Nox family NADPH oxidases are reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating enzymes that are strongly implicated in atherogenesis. However, no studies have examined which Nox isoform(s) are involved. Here we investigated the role of the Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase in atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E-null (ApoE(-/-)) mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReactive oxygen species elicit vascular effects ranging from acute dilatation because of hydrogen peroxide-mediated opening of K(+) channels to contraction arising from superoxide-dependent inactivation of endothelium-derived nitric oxide. Given that NADPH oxidases are major sources of superoxide in the vascular wall, this study examined the effects of exogenous NADPH, a substrate of these enzymes, on superoxide generation and isometric tone in mouse isolated aortic rings. NADPH caused concentration-dependent increases in superoxide generation (measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence) and vascular tone (isometric tension recordings).
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