Publications by authors named "Walter Zidek"

Article Synopsis
  • Angiotensin II (Ang II) is crucial for blood pressure regulation, and a modified version called pyruvamide-Ang II (Ang P), created with a cheaper vitamin B derivative (pyridoxal-5'-phosphate), may provide a cost-effective treatment for hypertension.
  • Studies showed that Ang P leads to lower calcium entry in vascular smooth muscle cells and has a weaker binding affinity to the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, resulting in less vasoconstriction compared to traditional Ang II.
  • In tests on rats, using PLP significantly reduced blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats and prevented blood pressure spikes in normal rats when treated with both Ang II and PLP, suggesting
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The adrenal glands participate in cardiovascular (CV) physiology and the pathophysiology of CV diseases through their effects on sodium and water metabolism, vascular tone and cardiac function. In the present study, we identified a new adrenal compound controlling mesenchymal cell differentiation that regulates osteoblastic differentiation in the context of vascular calcification. This peptide was named the "calcification blocking factor" (CBF) due to its protective effect against vascular calcification and is released from chromogranin A via enzymatic cleavage by calpain 1 and kallikrein.

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