Acute Abdominal Situations as Presenting or Flaring Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Series.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)is a multisystem autoimmune disease, characterized by clinical heterogeneity, ranging from mild to severe, life-threatening manifestations. Although gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are frequently encountered during disease course (mainly associated with complications of medication or infection), primary GI involvement due to SLE is rare. Among variable presentations, lupus abdominal serositis (defined as peritonitis if accompanied by symptoms and signs of acute abdomen) and lupus enteritis/mesenteric vasculitis are causes of SLE-related acute abdominal pain.

Differential impact of angiotensin receptor blockers and calcium channel blockers on arterial stiffness.

Aim: Arterial stiffness, assessed by ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI), is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in hypertensives. However, it is unclear whether certain antihypertensive drugs are conducive to the reduction in CVD morbidity and mortality through their beneficial effect on arterial stiffness. Therefore, we compared the effect of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) on AASI in a hypertensive population.

The effect of metformin on the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease risk factors in overweight and obese subjects--the Carmos study.

Unlabelled: We investigated whether the addition of metformin to the treatment of overweight and obese individuals further reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T (2)DM), prediabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (RFs).

Design And Methods: We studied 366 adults (mean age 53.0+/-0.

A case of pseudomembranous colitis presenting with massive ascites.

Clostridium difficile-associated disease seems to be increasing worldwide. A wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening disease, has been described. A case of pseudomembranous colitis with massive ascites as the main presenting manifestation is described in order to illustrate the changing clinical pattern of antibiotic-associated colitis.

Metabolic syndrome and incident cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a Mediterranean hypertensive population.

Background: Although the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in the general population, it is not clear whether its existence is independently associated with CVD in hypertensives. We investigated the presence of MetS in subjects with hypertension and its impact on the incidence of CVD.

Methods: We prospectively investigated 1007 hypertensive individuals.

Intermediate postchallenge hyperglycemia in overweight and obese subjects: a new marker of impaired glucose regulation?

The objective of this study was to compare subjects with intermediate postchallenge hyperglycemia (INPH) to those with normal glycemic status, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the impact of INPH on target organ damage. In total, 487 overweight and obese adults (BMI > or =27 kg/m(2)), 252 men and 235 women, mean age 52.

Insulin resistance and blood pressure circadian variation in an obese hypertensive population.

Insulin resistance (IR) is related to arterial hypertension and target organ damage. Hypertensive individuals exhibiting a diminished nocturnal blood pressure (BP) reduction (non-dippers) have an increased incidence of cardiovascular events. The association, however, of IR with BP circadian variation has not been evaluated so far.

Metabolic syndrome and prediabetes identify overlapping but not identical populations.

Objective: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors related to cardiovascular disease. Prediabetes, identified by impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance, may predict future development of diabetes mellitus. However, it is not clear whether MetS and prediabetes represent the same or different clinical entities.

Early vascular lesions in subjects with metabolic syndrome and prediabetes.

Aim: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, while prediabetes, identified by impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), predicts future development of diabetes mellitus. Although MetS and prediabetes have a strong interrelation, it is unclear whether they denote the same risk for cardiovascular complications. The aim of the study was to compare overweight and obese individuals with MetS and prediabetes in terms of early carotid artery atheromatosis and renal dysfunction.

High-dose monotherapy vs low-dose combination therapy of calcium channel blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers in mild to moderate hypertension.

The objectives of the study were to compare long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (CCBs) with angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) according to the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) profile in stage 1 and 2 newly diagnosed hypertensives and also to evaluate the efficacy of high-dose monotherapy vs low-dose combination therapy of the two drug categories among the subjects with inadequate blood pressure (BP) control after conventional low-dose monotherapy. We obtained 24-h ABPM readings from 302 subjects with newly diagnosed stage 1 or 2 essential hypertension. The study protocol consisted of initial drug treatment with a low dose of either CCBs or ARBs.

HLA phenotypes as promoters of cardiovascular remodelling in subjects with arterial hypertension.

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) phenotypes and cardiovascular remodelling, as expressed by left ventricular mass (LVM) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), in hypertensives. We examined 153 subjects with arterial hypertension and 61 normotensive controls living in the greater Athens area. The population was classified into three groups and specifically group I (normotensives), group II with Grade 1 hypertension and group III with Grade 2 or 3 hypertension.