[Adult asthma exacerbation: emergency room management].

Asthmatic exacerbations (AEs) are a frequent reason for emergency department visits. Management should be guided by the severity of the attack but should also focus on patient education and prevention of future exacerbations. This article summarizes current recommendations for the management of both simple and life-threatening AE.

[CME/Answers: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice].

CME/Answers: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major public health problem. A fraction of the population is at increased risk of developing complications of this disease, in particular older subjects as well as diabetic, obese and hypertensive patients. With regard to patients with high blood pressure, the existence of an increased risk remains to be confirmed in large controlled trials.

[CME/Answers: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice].

CME/Answers: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major public health problem. A fraction of the population is at increased risk of developing complications of this disease, in particular older subjects as well as diabetic, obese and hypertensive patients. With regard to patients with high blood pressure, the existence of an increased risk remains to be confirmed in large controlled trials.

[CME: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice].

CME: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major public health problem. A fraction of the population is at increased risk of developing complications of this disease, in particular older subjects as well as diabetic, obese and hypertensive patients. With regard to patients with high blood pressure, the existence of an increased risk remains to be confirmed in large controlled trials.

[CME: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice].

CME: Hypertension and the COVID-19 Pandemic: What to Consider in Medical Practice The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major public health problem. A fraction of the population is at increased risk of developing complications of this disease, in particular older subjects as well as diabetic, obese and hypertensive patients. With regard to patients with high blood pressure, the existence of an increased risk remains to be confirmed in large controlled trials.

Axon reflex-mediated vasodilation is reduced in proportion to disease severity in TTR-FAP.

Objective: To evaluate the area of the vascular flare in familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP).

Methods: Healthy controls and patients with genetically confirmed FAP were prospectively examined, on the upper and lower limbs, for thermal sensitivity (Medoc TSA-II thermal analyzer) and for axon reflex-mediated flare. The latter was induced by iontophoresis of histamine on the forearm and leg on 2 different visits.

Use of oscillometric devices in atrial fibrillation: a comparison of three devices and invasive blood pressure measurement.

Background: The use of automated (oscillometric) blood pressure (BP) devices is not validated in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.

Objectives: To assess the reliability of three oscillometric BP devices, and the agreement with invasive arterial blood pressure(IBP) in AF patients.

Methods: 48 AF patients with randomized sequences of 10 consecutive BP measurements with two pairs of devices: (1) OmronR7™(wrist) and OmronHEM907™(arm); (2) OmronR7™ and Microlife WatchBPhome(arm).

Triple-combination therapy in the treatment of hypertension: a review of the evidence.

Hypertension is a serious public health concern with inadequate control of blood pressure (BP) worldwide. Contributing factors include low efficacy of drugs, underuse of combination therapies, irrational combinations, physicians' therapeutic inertia and poor adherence to treatment. Current guidelines recommend the use of initial (dual) combination therapy in high-risk patients for immediate BP response, better short- and long-term BP control, and continued/improved patient adherence.

Natriuretic Peptide Receptor B modulates the proliferation of the cardiac cells expressing the Stem Cell Antigen-1.

Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) injections in adult "healthy" or infarcted mice led to increased number of non-myocyte cells (NMCs) expressing the nuclear transcription factor Nkx2.5. The aim of this study was to identify the nature of the cells able to respond to BNP as well as the signaling pathway involved.

Global cardiovascular protection in chronic kidney disease.

The development and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and renal disorders are very closely related. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), therapies proven to protect the cardiovascular and renal systems simultaneously are generally used only at low doses or not at all. In particular, patients with CKD who receive angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, or mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists (MRAs) often do not experience complete blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, primarily owing to the risk of hyperkalaemia.

Ambulatory and home blood pressure monitoring in people with chronic kidney disease. Time to abandon clinic blood pressure measurements?

Purpose Of Review: There is currently much interest in the usefulness of out-of-office blood pressure (BP) for the diagnosis and the management of hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This is not to suggest that office BP should be disregarded and we will take the opportunity to stress how it could be improved.

Recent Findings: Arterial hypertension constitutes a very relevant cardiovascular and renal risk factor in patients with CKD.

Thoracic fat volume is independently associated with coronary vasomotion.

Purpose: Thoracic fat has been associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). As endothelium-dependent vasoreactivity is a surrogate of cardiovascular events and is impaired early in atherosclerosis, we aimed at assessing the possible relationship between thoracic fat volume (TFV) and endothelium-dependent coronary vasomotion.

Methods: Fifty healthy volunteers without known CAD or major cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) prospectively underwent a (82)Rb cardiac PET/CT to quantify myocardial blood flow (MBF) at rest, and MBF response to cold pressor testing (CPT-MBF) and adenosine (i.

Impact of Study Design on Reported Incidences of Acute Mountain Sickness: A Systematic Review.

Aims: Published incidences of acute mountain sickness (AMS) vary widely. Reasons for this variation, and predictive factors of AMS, are not well understood. We aimed to identify predictive factors that are associated with the occurrence of AMS, and to test the hypothesis that study design is an independent predictive factor of AMS incidence.

Eligibility to treatment and economic effect of the implementation of the new U.S. or European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology hypertension guidelines.

Objective: To evaluate the population and economic impact of implementing the new Joint National Committee (JNC) or European Society of Hypertension (ESH)/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) hypertension guidelines in the Swiss population.

Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based sample (6708 participants) collected between 2003 and 2006 in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. Blood pressure categories were defined according to both the JNC (JNC-7 and JNC-8) and the ESH/ESC (2007 and 2013) guidelines.

Impact of body tilt on the central aortic pressure pulse.

The present work was undertaken to investigate, in young healthy volunteers, the relationships between the forward propagation times of arterial pressure waves and the timing of reflected waves observable on the aortic pulse, in the course of rapid changes in body position. 20 young healthy subjects, 10 men, and 10 women, were examined on a tilt table at two different tilt angles, -10° (Head-down) and + 45° (Head-up). In each position, carotid-femoral (Tcf) and carotid-tibial forward propagation times (Tct) were measured with the Complior device.

Toll-like receptor 5 deficiency exacerbates cardiac injury and inflammation induced by myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion in the mouse.

Myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (MIR) triggers a sterile inflammatory response important for myocardial healing, but which may also contribute to adverse ventricular remodelling. Such inflammation is initiated by molecular danger signals released by damaged myocardium, which induce innate immune responses by activating toll-like receptors (TLRs). Detrimental roles have been recently reported for TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4.

Cutting edge: IL-1α is a crucial danger signal triggering acute myocardial inflammation during myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) induces a sterile inflammatory response that contributes to adverse cardiac remodeling. The initiating mechanisms of this response remain incompletely defined. We found that necrotic cardiomyocytes released a heat-labile proinflammatory signal activating MAPKs and NF-κB in cardiac fibroblasts, with secondary production of cytokines.

[Hypertension and medication compliance: a challenge every day].

Hypertension is a cardiovascular risk factor frequently encountered in everyday practice. A drug therapy is often necessary to normalize blood pressure. However, despite adequate intensive drug treatment, adequate blood pressure target are not reached.

Brain natriuretic peptide is able to stimulate cardiac progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in murine hearts after birth.

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) contributes to heart formation during embryogenesis. After birth, despite a high number of studies aimed at understanding by which mechanism(s) BNP reduces myocardial ischemic injury in animal models, the actual role of this peptide in the heart remains elusive. In this study, we asked whether BNP treatment could modulate the proliferation of endogenous cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) and/or their differentiation into cardiomyocytes.

Physiological response to whole-body vibration in athletes and sedentary subjects.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a new exercise method, with good acceptance among sedentary subjects. The metabolic response to WBV has not been well documented. Three groups of male subjects, inactive (SED), endurance (END) and strength trained (SPRINT) underwent a session of side-alternating WBV composed of three 3-min exercises (isometric half-squat, dynamic squat, dynamic squat with added load), and repeated at three frequencies (20, 26 and 32 Hz).

High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB-1): a pathogenic role in preeclampsia?

We evaluated whether preeclampsia is associated with elevated circulating levels of High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB-1), a nuclear protein with proinflammatory effects when released extracellularly. We enrolled 48 women, 32 in third trimester pregnancy (16 with, 16 without preeclampsia), and 16 healthy non pregnant. In the peripheral blood of pregnant women, HMGB-1 concentration was assessed serially, before and after delivery.

No major impact of skin aging on the response of skin blood flow to a submaximal local thermal stimulus.

Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate how aging affects dermal microvascular reactivity in skin areas differentially exposed to sunlight, and therefore to different degrees of photoaging.

Methods: We assessed, in young (18-30 years, n = 13) and aged males (≥60 years, n = 13), the thigh, forearm, and forehead's skin vasodilatory response to local heating (LTH) with a LDI. In each subject and at each location, local Tskin was brought from 34°C (baseline) to 39 or 41°C for 30 minutes, to effect submaximal vasodilation, with maximal vasodilation then elicited by further heating to 44°C.