Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Abuse among Gym Users, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

: The main aim of the present study was to assess the use of androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS) and to investigate its potentially unfavorable effects among gym members attending gym fitness facilities in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. : A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out during the summer of 2017. Male gym users in the Eastern Province region of Saudi Arabia were the respondents.

Assessment of arterial stiffness in hypertension: comparison of oscillometric (Arteriograph), piezoelectronic (Complior) and tonometric (SphygmoCor) techniques.

Background: Arterial stiffness, measured as aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), and wave reflection, measured as augmentation index (AIx), are independent predictors for total and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to compare a new device, based on oscillometric pressure curves (Arteriograph), which simultaneously measures PWV and AIx, with standard techniques for measuring PWV (Complior) and AIx (SphygmoCor) in untreated hypertensive patients.

Methods: We compared PWV and AIx measured using the Arteriograph with corresponding Complior and SphygmoCor measurements in 254 untreated hypertensive patients, age 48 +/- 14 years (mean +/- SD, range 17-85 years).

Impact of smoking and smoking cessation on arterial stiffness and aortic wave reflection in hypertension.

Cigarette smoking is an important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor and pathophysiological mechanisms may include a stiff vascular tree. Although smokers have stiffer arteries, whether smoking cessation is associated with reduced arterial stiffness is not known. We compared never-treated patients with essential hypertension (n=554) aged 18 to 80 years (56% females) classified as current smokers (n=150), ex-smokers (n=136), and nonsmokers (n=268).

IL-1beta and TNF-alpha induce increased expression of CCL28 by airway epithelial cells via an NFkappaB-dependent pathway.

CCL28 is a mucosal chemokine that attracts eosinophils and T cells via the receptors CCR3 and CCR10. Consequently, it is a candidate mediator of the pathology associated with asthma. This study examined constitutive and induced expression of CCL28 by A549 human airway epithelial-like cells.