The influence of sex on left ventricular remodeling in patients with aortic dissection.

Aims: Patients with aortic dissection have a high prevalence of left ventricular structural alterations, including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), but little is known about the impact of sex on this regard. This study compared clinical, cardiac, and prognostic characteristics between men and women with aortic dissection.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed clinical and echocardiographic characteristics, and 1-year mortality in 367 aortic dissection patients (30% women; 66% with Stanford-A) who underwent echocardiography 60 days before or after the diagnosis of aortic dissection from three Brazilian centers.

Carotid flow velocity/diameter ratio is a predictor of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of common carotid artery diameter, flow velocity and flow velocity/artery diameter ratio as predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in a sample of hypertensive patients.

Methods: A cohort of 403 hypertensive patients was followed up for a median of 1260 (714) days, and 27 suffered MACEs. At baseline, participants were evaluated by clinical, laboratory, echocardiographic and carotid ultrasound analysis.

Onset of hypertension during pregnancy is associated with long-term worse blood pressure control and adverse cardiac remodeling.

Up to 20% of women with hypertensive pregnancy disorders might persist with chronic hypertension. This study compared clinical and echocardiographic features between women whose hypertension began as hypertensive pregnancy disorders (PH group) and women whose diagnosis of hypertension did not occur during pregnancy (NPH group). Fifty PH and 100 NPH women were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical, laboratory, and echocardiography analysis, and the groups were matched by duration of hypertension.

Gender influences the relationship between lung function and cardiac remodeling in hypertensive subjects.

Hypertensive patients are predisposed to left ventricular (LV) remodeling and frequently exhibit decline in lung function as compared with the general population. Here, we investigated the association between spirometric and echocardiographic data in non-smoking hypertensive subjects and the role of gender in this regard. In a cross-sectional study, 107 hypertensive patients (60 women) enrolled from a university outpatient clinic were evaluated by clinical, hemodynamic, laboratory and echocardiographic analysis.

Lung age is related to carotid structural alterations in hypertensive subjects.

Hypertensive patients exhibit higher cardiovascular risk and reduced lung function compared with the general population. Whether this association stems from the coexistence of two highly prevalent diseases or from direct or indirect links of pathophysiological mechanisms is presently unclear. This study investigated the association between lung function and carotid features in non-smoking hypertensive subjects with supposed normal lung function.

Relationship between serum uric acid and internal carotid resistive index in hypertensive women: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The impact of serum uric acid (SUA) on arteries of hypertensive subjects remains to be fully established. This study investigated the relationship between SUA and carotid structural and hemodynamic parameters in hypertensive men and women.

Methods: Three hundred and thirty eight patients (207 women and 131 men) were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical, laboratory, hemodynamic and carotid ultrasound analysis.

The C242T polymorphism of the p22-phox gene (CYBA) is associated with higher left ventricular mass in Brazilian hypertensive patients.

Background: Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in the physiopathogenesis of hypertensive end-organ damage. This study investigated the impact of the C242T polymorphism of the p22-phox gene (CYBA) on left ventricular structure in Brazilian hypertensive subjects.

Methods: We cross-sectionally evaluated 561 patients from 2 independent centers [Campinas (n = 441) and Vitória (n = 120)] by clinical history, physical examination, anthropometry, analysis of metabolic and echocardiography parameters as well as p22-phox C242T polymorphism genotyping.

Sodium intake is associated with carotid artery structure alterations and plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 upregulation in hypertensive adults.

The mechanisms by which dietary sodium modulates cardiovascular risk are not fully understood. This study investigated whether sodium intake is related to carotid structure and hemodynamics and to plasma matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in hypertensive adults. One hundred thirty-four participants were cross-sectionally evaluated by clinical history, anthropometry, carotid ultrasound, and analysis of hemodynamic, inflammatory, and metabolic variables.

Toll-like receptor 6 Ser249Pro polymorphism is associated with lower left ventricular wall thickness and inflammatory response in hypertensive women.

Background: Experimental data demonstrated that inactivation of toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway components attenuated left ventricular (LV) remodeling induced by pressure overload. This study investigated the impact of TLR6 Ser249Pro polymorphism on LV structure in hypertensive subjects.

Methods: A sample of 443 patients (266 women and 177 men) was evaluated by clinical history, physical examination, analysis of inflammatory and metabolic parameters, echocardiography, and genotyping of the TLR6 variant.

The functional Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly polymorphism is associated with lower left ventricular mass in hypertensive women.

Background: This study investigated the impact of a putative functional TLR4 polymorphism (Asp299Gly) on left ventricular (LV) structure in hypertensive subjects.

Methods: A sample of 443 patients (266 women and 177 men) was evaluated by clinical history, physical examination, anthropometry, analysis of inflammatory and metabolic parameters, echocardiography and TLR4 Asp299Gly genotyping. In addition, the relationship between the polymorphism and in vitro lipopolysaccharide responsiveness of peripheral blood monocytic cells was also assessed.

Sex-specific hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic determinants of aortic root size in hypertensive subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy.

Aortic root (AoR) dilatation is more frequently observed in hypertensive individuals and is independently associated with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Although the LV structure has sex-specific predictors, it remains unknown whether there are gender-related differences in the determinants of AoR size. We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of clinical, laboratory, anthropometric, funduscopic and echocardiographic features of 438 hypertensive patients with LV hypertrophy (266 women and 172 men).