Background: Allium sativum, the active ingredient in garlic, is known to have a beneficial effect on major cardiovascular risk factors, including dyslipidemia, blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin levels. However, the data on the significance of these effects are inconsistent due to methodological limitations, especially the use of whole garlic cloves which does not allow controlled dosing of the active compound.
Objectives: To study the effects of purified allicin on the cardiovascular system.
Methods: Spontaneously hypertensive rats treated for 6 weeks with a daily dose of 80 mg/kg/day of purified allicin added to their chow were compared to control rats that were fed regular chow. Weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin and adiponectin were measured at baseline and at the end of the study.
Results: Allicin had no effect on body weight whereas it reduced SBP significantly from 190 +/- 7.5 mmHg to 168 +/- 5.7 (P < 0.0001) and triglyceride levels from 96 +/- 25 mg/dl to 71 +/- 19 (P = 0.009). Allicin had no effect on plasma cholesterol, insulin and adiponectin levels.
Conclusions: Allicin lowered blood pressure and triglyceride levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats. This effect was not mediated through weight loss.
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Background: Prostaglandin E (PGE) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) has been recognized as a pivotal pressor substance in hypertension, yet understanding of its effects and origins in the RVLM remains largely elusive. This study aimed to elucidate the pivotal enzymes and molecular mechanisms underlying PGE synthesis induced by central Ang II (angiotensin II) and its implications in the heightened oxidative stress and sympathetic outflow in hypertension.
Methods And Results: RVLM microinjections of PGE and Tempol were administered in Wistar-Kyoto rats.
Semin Liver Dis
January 2025
Hepatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
Critically ill patients with cirrhosis and liver failure not uncommonly have hypotension due to multifactorial reasons, that include hyperdynamic state with increased cardiac index, low systemic vascular resistance due to portal hypertension, following the use of beta blocker or diuretic therapy, and severe sepsis. These changes are mediated by microvascular alterations in the liver, systemic inflammation, activation of renin angiotensin aldosterone system, and vasodilatation due to endothelial dysfunction. Hemodynamic assessment includes measuring inferior vena cava indices, cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), in addition to arterial waveform analysis, or pulmonary artery pressures, and lactate clearance to guide fluid resuscitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKorean J Neurotrauma
December 2024
Department of Neurosurgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to compare the short-, mid-, and long-term outcomes in patients with malignant intracranial hypertension undergoing either decompressive craniectomy (DC) or hinge craniotomy (HC).
Methods: In this prospective RCT, 38 patients diagnosed with malignant intracranial hypertension due to ischemic infarction, traumatic brain injury, or non-lesional spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, who required cranial decompression, were randomly allocated to the DC and HC groups.
Results: The need for reoperation, particularly cranioplasty, in the DC group was significantly different from that in the HC group.
Cureus
December 2024
Neurosurgery, Hospital de Braga, Braga, PRT.
Introduction A large majority of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH) are attributed to aneurysm rupture, though the cause remains unknown in a notable percentage of cases. Non-aneurysmal SAH (naSAH) is generally thought to follow a more benign clinical course than aneurysmal SAH (aSAH); however, similar complications may occur, and poor outcomes are still possible. Given the limited research on naSAH, this study aims to characterize these patients and correlate clinical and radiographic findings with outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Recept Signal Transduct Res
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.
The proliferative effects of angiotensin (Ang) II in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through its ability to stimulate extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) pathway have been established. The main goal of this study was to explore whether Ang III induces ERK1/2 MAPK and VSMC proliferation in cultured Wistar VSMCs. Further, the Ang III actions were compared to those observed in VSMCs derived from the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR).
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