Biochemical Screening for Nonadherence Is Associated With Blood Pressure Reduction and Improvement in Adherence.

We hypothesized that screening for nonadherence to antihypertensive treatment using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based biochemical analysis of urine/serum has therapeutic applications in nonadherent hypertensive patients. A retrospective analysis of hypertensive patients attending specialist tertiary care centers was conducted in 2 European countries (United Kingdom and Czech Republic). Nonadherence to antihypertensive treatment was diagnosed using biochemical analysis of urine (United Kingdom) or serum (Czech Republic).

Impact of statin therapy on central aortic pressures and hemodynamics: principal results of the Conduit Artery Function Evaluation-Lipid-Lowering Arm (CAFE-LLA) Study.

Background: Statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in people with hypertension. This benefit could arise from a beneficial effect of statins on central aortic pressures and hemodynamics. The Conduit Artery Function Evaluation-Lipid-Lowering Arm (CAFE-LLA) study, an Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT) substudy, investigated this hypothesis in a prospective placebo-controlled study of treated patients with hypertension.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibody eluting stents reduce vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in saphenous vein organ culture.

Expression of TNF-alpha a vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) mitogen, is up-regulated in injured/proliferating vessel wall. Coronary stents are tested worldwide for their use as local drug delivery devices to address vascular pathophysiology. In this study we have investigated the effect of TNF-alpha antibody eluting stents on VSMC proliferation in human saphenous vein (HSV) organ culture.