Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products and increased aortic stiffness in the general population.

It has been suggested that accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is involved in several pathophysiological processes in the vessel wall. We hypothesized that low levels of the soluble receptor for AGEs (sRAGE) might be associated with increased arterial stiffness, a manifestation of vascular ageing in the general population. Using a cross-sectional design, we analyzed 1077 subjects from the Czech post-MONICA study.

The DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A polymorphism is associated with smoking cessation failure in patients with coronary heart disease.

Aim: We speculated whether DRD2 or CHRN subunit polymorphisms might be associated with the risk of smoking cessation failure in subjects after coronary heart disease (CHD) manifestation.

Methods: A total of 964 patients with CHD, mean age 64.3 years (standard deviation [SD] 9.

Differential effect of metabolic syndrome on various parameters of arterial stiffness.

Metabolic syndrome (MetSy) is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular complications. Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the effect of individual MetSy risk factors on central and peripheral parameters of aortic stiffness.