Identification of diagnostic biomarkers for osteoarthritis through bioinformatics and machine learning.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage degradation, inflammatory arthritis, and joint dysfunction. Currently, there is a lack of effective early diagnostic methods and treatment strategies for OA. Bioinformatics and biomarker research provide new possibilities for early detection and personalized therapy of OA.

Retinoid X receptor agonists alleviate fibroblast activation and post-infarction cardiac remodeling via inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad pathway.

Retinoid X receptor (RXR), particularly RXRα, has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases. However, the functional role of RXR activation in myocardial infarction (MI) remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the effects of RXR agonists on MI and to dissect the underlying mechanisms.

Blood pressure lowering effects of β-blockers as add-on or combination therapy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The authors performed a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of non-atenolol β-blockers as add-on to monotherapy or as a component of combination antihypertensive therapy in patients with hypertension. The authors searched and identified relevant randomized controlled trials from PubMed until November 2021. Studies comparing blood pressure lowering effects of β-blockers with diuretics, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were included.

Effectiveness of electroacupuncture for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A retrospective study.

This retrospective study investigated the use of electroacupuncture (EA) for the treatment of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).Between May 2016 and April 2020, 140 patients with SSNHL were retrospectively analyzed. They were allocated to a treatment group (n = 70, received EA) and a control group (n = 70, received acupuncture).

2019 Chinese Hypertension League guidelines on home blood pressure monitoring.

In China, automated blood pressure monitors have been readily available for home use. Home blood pressure monitoring has been indispensable in the management of hypertension. There is therefore a need to establish guidelines for home blood pressure monitoring on the basis of the 2012 consensus document.

Early treatment with losartan effectively ameliorates hypertension and improves vascular remodeling and function in a prehypertensive rat model.

Aims: Pharmacological treatment of prehypertension may ameliorate hypertension and improve vascular structure and function. This study investigated 1) whether early treatment with either losartan or amlodipine at the onset of prehypertension can prevent hypertension and 2) whether losartan and amlodipine equally improve vascular remodeling and function in a rat model of hypertension.

Materials And Methods: Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (SHRSP) rats were administered losartan, amlodipine or saline for 6 or 16weeks at the onset of prehypertension.

Effects of Losartan and Amlodipine on Left Ventricular Remodeling and Function in Young Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of prehypertensive losartan and amlodipine administration on left ventricular (LV) remodeling and function in spontaneously hypertensive rats-stroke prone (SHRSP).

Methods: Spontaneously hypertensive rats-stroke prone were prehypertensively administered losartan, amlodipine, or vehicle. Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as a control.

Retinoid X receptor agonists inhibit hypertension-induced myocardial hypertrophy by modulating LKB1/AMPK/p70S6K signaling pathway.

Background: Retinoid X receptor (RXR) has been demonstrated to play an important role in cardiac development and has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to examine the effects of RXRα agonist bexarotene on pathological left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model and the underlying mechanism.

Methods: WKY rats served as controls.

Long-term prehypertension treatment with losartan effectively prevents brain damage and stroke in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Prehypertension has been associated with adverse cerebrovascular events and brain damage. The aims of this study were to investigate ⅰ) whether short‑ and long-term treatments with losartan or amlodipine for prehypertension were able to prevent blood pressure (BP)-linked brain damage, and ⅱ) whether there is a difference in the effectiveness of treatment with losartan and amlodipine in protecting BP-linked brain damage. In the present study, prehypertensive treatment with losartan and amlodipine (6 and 16 weeks treatment with each drug) was performed on 4-week‑old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP).

Differential effects of antihypertensive treatments on apoptosis, oxidative stress, and expression of angiotensin receptors in the cerebral cortex from the onset of prehypertension and hypertension in stroke-prone spontaneous hypertensive rats.

To investigate the effects of losartan and amlodipine on cell apoptosis in the cerebral cortex of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) from the onset of prehypertension or hypertension. SHRSP were randomly divided into five experimental groups that were administered losartan, amlodipine (n=8 in each group; 4 weeks old or 10 weeks old), or vehicle, respectively. Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as control animals.

Metformin reduces vascular endothelial dysfunction caused by an acute glucose load in patients with hypertension.

Background: To investigate the effects of a single dose of metformin (MF) on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and serum antioxidant and free fatty acid levels in patients with primary hypertension (PH) after an acute glucose load.

Materials And Methods: Patients with untreated PH were randomized to a no-metformin group (PH, n = 34) and a metformin group (PH+ MF, n = 28) who received a single dose of 500 mg metformin before testing. Healthy volunteers (n = 31) served as a control group.

Effects of combined glucose and fat load on endothelium-dependent brachial artery vasodilatation in hypertensive patients.

Introduction: This study investigated the effects of combined glucose and fat load on glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as on vascular endothelial function, in hypertensive patients.

Methods And Results: A total of 98 hypertensive patients were randomly divided into 3 groups that received an oral fat tolerance test (OFTT), an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or a combined oral glucose and fat tolerance test (OGFTT). Endothelium-dependent flow-mediated brachial artery dilation (FMD) was measured by vascular ultrasound and was used as an indicator of vascular endothelial function.

[Impact of obesity and hypertension on left atrium size].

Objective: To investigate the impact of obesity and hypertension on the size of the left atrium.

Methods: A total of 383 subjects were divided into normal group (NS, n = 95), hypertension group (HT, n = 97), obesity group (OB, n = 98) and hypertension with obesity group (HT + OB, n = 93). Clinical information, echocardiographic parameters and left atrial size in the four groups were compared.

[Impact of acute glucose and fat loading on endothelium dependent vasodilation in patients with essential hypertension].

Objective: To explore the influence of acute glucose and fat loading on endothelium dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in patients with essential hypertension (EH).

Methods: Patients with EH were randomly divided into three groups: oral glucose loading alone (n = 26), oral standardized fat loading alone (n = 38), combined glucose and fat loading (n = 34). FMD of the brachial artery was assessed by high resolution ultrasound technique respectively.

[Association between metabolic syndrome and incidence of atrial fibrillation in essential hypertensive patients without left ventricular hypertrophy].

Objective: To investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in essential hypertensive (EH) patients without left ventricular hypertrophy.

Methods: A total of 972 EH without left ventricular hypertrophy were divided into EH + non MS group (n = 606) and EH + MS group (n = 366). Incidence of AF were compared between two groups.

[Endothelial dysfunction and target organ damage in hypertensive patients complicating with or without metabolic syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the impacts of metabolic syndrome (MS) on endothelial function and target organ damage in hypertensive patients.

Methods: Patients with essential hypertension (EH) were divided into two groups: hypertension and metabolic syndrome (EH + MS, n = 61), hypertension without metabolic syndrome (EH + nonMS, n = 95) and 31 healthy subjects served as normal control (NC). The change of brachial artery vascular diameter, blood flow volume and vascular resistance after reactive hyperemia were measured by color Doppler ultrasonography.