VE/VCO2 slope is associated with abnormal resting haemodynamics and is a predictor of long-term survival in chronic heart failure.

Background: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) present with exercise-induced hyperpnea, but its pathophysiological mechanism has not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to determine the relationship between exercise-induced hyperpnea, resting haemodynamic measurements and the validity of ventilatory response (V(E)/V(CO(2)) slope) as a mortality predictor in CHF patients.

Methods: Ninety-eight CHF patients (90M/8F) underwent a symptom-limited treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET).

Changes in metalloproteinases in healthy normotensive patients with high-normal blood pressure.

Introduction: High-normal blood pressure (HNBP) seems to be related to increased cardiovascular risk in healthy, normotensive subjects, while essential hypertension is associated with an increase in extracellular matrix content, especially fibrillar collagen type I. The aim of our study was to investigate whether collagen degradation is altered in healthy normotensives with HNBP, and whether this alteration could be related to disturbances in the matrix metalloproteinases plasma concentration, and to compare the findings to those of healthy normotensives with normal blood pressure (NBP) levels, matched for age, sex and BMI.

Methods: Twenty six (14 males, 12 females) healthy, normotensive patients with HNBP, mean age 52 +/- 5 yrs, and BMI 23 +/- 1.

Insulin receptor number is reduced in healthy offspring of patients with essential hypertension.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have shown that healthy offspring of hypertensive patients exhibit many features of the metabolic syndrome, such as hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and lipid disorders. Patients with essential hypertension have reduced numbers of insulin receptors. The aim of this study was to examine whether the number of insulin receptors is reduced in the erythrocytes of healthy offspring of hypertensive patients in comparison to the offspring of healthy normotensive subjects.