Increased daytime and awakening salivary free aldosterone in essential hypertensive men.

Background: While aldosterone plays an important role in blood pressure regulation, its role in essential hypertension (EHT) remains unclear. Here, we systematically investigated the secretion of biologically-active free aldosterone in saliva in response to awakening (AldAR) and during the day (AldDay) in EHT compared to normotensive controls (NT).

Methods: In 30 men with EHT and 30 age-matched NT, AldAR saliva samples were collected immediately after awakening and 15, 30, 45, and 60 min thereafter and AldDay samples were collected from 08:30-22:00 h on two consecutive days.

Taking appreciation to heart: appreciation at work and cardiovascular risk in male employees.

Introduction: While perceived appreciation at work has been associated with self-reported health and wellbeing, studies considering biological health markers are lacking. In this study, we investigated whether appreciation at work would relate to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk as well as the specificity of this proposed association.

Methods: Our study comprised a total of 103 male participants, including apparently healthy, medication-free, non-smoking men in the normotensive to hypertensive range ( = 70) as well as medicated hypertensive and CHD patients ( = 33).

Lower diurnal HPA-axis activity in male hypertensive and coronary heart disease patients predicts future CHD risk.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) and its major risk factor hypertension have both been associated with altered activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis but the biological mechanisms underlying prospective associations with adverse disease outcomes are unclear. We investigated diurnal HPA-axis activity in CHD-patients, hypertensive (HT) and healthy normotensive men (NT) and tested for prospective associations with biological CHD risk factors.

Methods: Eighty-three male CHD-patients, 54 HT and 54 NT men repeatedly measured salivary cortisol over two consecutive days.

Do Hypertensive Men Spy With an Angry Little Eye? Anger Recognition in Men With Essential Hypertension - Cross-sectional and Prospective Findings.

Background: Higher trait anger has inconsistently been associated with hypertension and hypertension development, but social context in terms of recognition of other persons' anger has been neglected in this context.

Purpose: Here, we investigated anger recognition of facial affect and trait anger in essential hypertensive and normotensive men in addition to prospective associations with blood pressure (BP) increases.

Methods: Baseline assessment comprised a total of 145 participants including 57 essential hypertensive and 65 normotensive men who were otherwise healthy and medication-free.

Acute Stress-Induced Blood Lipid Reactivity in Hypertensive and Normotensive Men and Prospective Associations with Future Cardiovascular Risk.

Hyperreactivity to stress may be one explanation for the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with essential hypertension. We investigated blood lipid reactivity to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST), a psychosocial stressor, in hypertensive and normotensive men and tested for prospective associations with biological risk factors. Fifty-six otherwise healthy and medication-free hypertensive and normotensive men underwent the MIST.

Macrophage Superoxide Anion Production in Essential Hypertension: Associations With Biological and Psychological Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Objective: Essential hypertension is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease and its underlying process atherosclerosis, but involved mechanisms are not fully understood. Both macrophages and superoxide anions have been proposed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we investigated whether macrophages of individuals with hypertension show higher nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-derived superoxide anion production compared with normotensive individuals.

Higher macrophage superoxide anion production in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with Type D personality.

Background: Type D personality (Type D) is an independent psychosocial risk factor for poor cardiac prognosis and increased mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the involved mechanisms are poorly understood. Macrophages play a pivotal role in atherosclerosis, the process underlying coronary artery disease (CAD). We investigated macrophage superoxide anion production in production in CAD patients with and without Type D.

Stress-induced cortisol secretion impairs detection performance in x-ray baggage screening for hidden weapons by screening novices.

Aviation security strongly depends on screeners' performance in the detection of threat objects in x-ray images of passenger bags. We examined for the first time the effects of stress and stress-induced cortisol increases on detection performance of hidden weapons in an x-ray baggage screening task. We randomly assigned 48 participants either to a stress or a nonstress group.

Psychoendocrine validation of a short measure for assessment of perceived stress management skills in different non-clinical populations.

Background: We investigated the psychometric properties of a short questionnaire for combined assessment of different perceived stress management skills in the general population and tested whether scores relate to physiological stress reactivity.

Methods: For psychometric evaluation, we determined the factor structure of the questionnaire and investigated its measurement invariance in the participant groups and over time in three different independent samples representing the general population (total N=332). Reliability was tested by estimating test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and item reliabilities.