Hypertension in the United States, 1999 to 2012: progress toward Healthy People 2020 goals.

Background: To reduce the cardiovascular disease burden, Healthy People 2020 established US hypertension goals for adults to (1) decrease the prevalence to 26.9% and (2) raise treatment to 69.5% and control to 61.

Selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor suppresses renal thromboxane production but not proliferative lesions in the MRL/lpr murine model of lupus nephritis.

Introduction: Proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) is marked by increased renal thromboxane (TX) A₂ production. Targeting the TXA₂ receptor or TXA₂ synthase effectively improves renal function in humans with LN and improves glomerular pathology in murine LN. This study was designed to address the following hypotheses: (1) TXA₂ production in the MRL/MpJ-Tnfrsf6(lpr)/J (MRL/lpr) model of proliferative LN is cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 dependent and (2) COX2 inhibitor therapy improves glomerular filtration rate (GFR), proteinuria, markers of innate immune response and glomerular pathology.

Geographical patterns of end-stage renal disease incidence and risk factors in rural and urban areas of South Carolina.

To assess the geographical patterns of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) incidence and to identify the risk factors on the regional differences, the authors conducted an ecological study on incidence of ESRD and related risk factors in the 46 counties of South Carolina (SC). Age and gender adjusted, race specific incidence rates for each county in SC were calculated for the 11,346 ESRD patients of all ages who registered in the United States Renal Data Systems Network 6 from 1990 to 1999. County level exposure measures on population physician density, hospitalization rates of diabetes and hypertension, per capita income, percent college degree, and percent below poverty were evaluated.

Glomerular filtration rate can be accurately predicted using lean mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Background: Accurate assessment of renal function is important in the management of patients with kidney disease yet is often difficult to obtain. Formulae, designed for clinical use, have been developed to predict glomerular filtration rate (GFR) utilizing serum creatinine (Scr). Additional parameters are included in these formulae to account for variations in Scr due to differences in total body lean mass in kg (LM).

Ethnic differences in blood pressure control among men at Veterans Affairs clinics and other health care sites.

Background: Differential access to health care may contribute to lower blood pressure (BP) control rates to under 140/90 mm Hg in African American compared with white hypertensive patients, especially men (26.5% vs 36.5% of all hypertensive patients in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000).

Mechanisms of angiotensin II-induced expression of B2 kinin receptors.

Although the primary roles of the kallikreinkinin system and the renin-angiotensin system are quite divergent, they are often intertwined under pathophysiological conditions. We examined the effect of ANG II on regulation of B(2) kinin receptors (B2KR) in vascular cells. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) were treated with ANG II in a concentration (10(-9)-10(-6) M)- and time (0-24 h)-dependent manner, and B2KR protein and mRNA levels were measured by Western blots and PCR, respectively.