Changes in Plasma Renin Activity After Renal Artery Sympathetic Denervation.

Background: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system plays a key role in blood pressure (BP) regulation and is the target of several antihypertensive medications. Renal denervation (RDN) is thought to interrupt the sympathetic-mediated neurohormonal pathway as part of its mechanism of action to reduce BP.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone before and after RDN and to assess whether these baseline neuroendocrine markers predict response to RDN.

Uric Acid Associates With Executive Function in Children and Adolescents With Hypertension.

[Figure: see text].

Elevated heart rate and cardiovascular risk in hypertension.

Epidemiological studies have shown that chronically elevated resting heart rate (HR) is significantly associated with organ damage, morbidity and mortality in a wide range of patients including hypertensive patients. Evidence is also available that an increased HR reflects sympathetic nervous system overdrive which is also known to adversely affect organ structure and function and to increase the risk of unfavourable outcomes in several diseases. The causal relationship between elevated HR, organ damage, and cardiovascular outcomes can thus be explained by its relationship with sympathetic cardiovascular influences although evidence of sympathetically-independent adverse effect of HR increases per se makes it more complex.

Correction to: The mystery of "missing" visits in an emergency cardiology department, in the era of COVID-19.; a time-series analysis in a tertiary Greek General Hospital.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Unmasking hypertension in children and adolescents with sickle/beta-thalassemia.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, although blood pressure (BP) levels have been reported to be lower in SCD patients compared to general population. Aims of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of BP phenotypes and levels of arterial stiffness in pediatric patients with SCD and to assess the differences with children at risk for hypertension. We included in the study 16 pediatric SCD (HbS/β-thalassemia, S/β-thal) patients and 16 consecutive children at risk for hypertension referred to our hypertension clinic that served as high-risk controls.

Effect of renal denervation in attenuating the stress of morning surge in blood pressure: post-hoc analysis from the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED trial.

Background: Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) reduces blood pressure (BP) throughout the 24-h period, as reported in several randomized sham-controlled trials. Reduction of BP in the early morning hours is especially important due to increased cardiovascular risks during that time.

Objective: In this report, we examine the impact of RDN on systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) during the critical morning surge period in a post-hoc analysis of patients in the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED trial.

ATSC transplantation contributes to liver regeneration following paracetamol-induced acute liver injury through differentiation into hepatic-like cells.

Introduction: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading cause of acute liver injury (ALI). Acetaminophen (also termed paracetamol), can often be found in drugs that may be abused (i.e.

Central SBP and executive function in children and adolescents with primary and secondary hypertension.

Objectives: The aims of the study were to assess executive function performance in children and adolescents with primary and secondary hypertension, and to investigate for associations with central SBP and ambulatory blood pressure.

Methods: Forty-six pediatric patients with secondary hypertension because of kidney diseases and 46 patients with primary hypertension underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, pulse wave analysis, and assessment of executive function using Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Results for comparisons are presented as mean (SD).

The mystery of "missing" visits in an emergency cardiology department, in the era of COVID-19.; a time-series analysis in a tertiary Greek General Hospital.

Background: In the era of the current COVID-19 health crisis, the aim of the present study was to explore population behavior as regards the visits in the Εmergency Cardiology department (ECD) of a tertiary General Hospital that does not hospitalize SARS-CoV-2 infected patients METHODS AND RESULTS: Daily number of visits at the EDC and admissions to Cardiology Wards and Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary General Hospital, in Athens, Greece, were retrieved from hospital's database (January 1st-April 30th 2018, 2019 and 2020). A highly significant reduction in the visits at ECD of the hospital during March and April 2020 was observed as compared with January and February of the same year (p for linear trend < ·001); in particular the number of visits was 41.1% lower in March 2020 and 32.

Impact of ambulatory SBP and overweight on executive function performance in children and adolescents.

Background And Aim: Neurocognitive impairment has recently emerged as a hypertensive target organ damage in children and adolescents. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effect of hypertension and overweight on executive function performance in youth.

Methods: The study population included 116 consecutive children and adolescents referred to our outpatient hypertension clinic who underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and assessment of executive function by Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF).

The challenge of simplifying blood pressure screening in children and adolescents.

Simplified methods of blood pressure screening could facilitate the clinical routine of the primary care physicians and may increase adherence to pediatric hypertension guidelines. Blood-pressure-to-height ratios are appealing for the simplicity of data needed to evaluate a child's blood pressure status, including only office blood pressure values and height. In several epidemiological studies around the world blood-pressure-to-height ratios showed good predictive power in identifying children with high blood pressure in terms of area under the curve and sensitivity compared to the gold standard National High Blood Pressure Education Program blood pressure tables, but low positive predictive values meaning a high rate of false-positive cases and possibly increased subsequent work load for primary physicians.

Efficacy of catheter-based renal denervation in the absence of antihypertensive medications (SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED Pivotal): a multicentre, randomised, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Catheter-based renal denervation has significantly reduced blood pressure in previous studies. Following a positive pilot trial, the SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED (SPYRAL Pivotal) trial was designed to assess the efficacy of renal denervation in the absence of antihypertensive medications.

Methods: In this international, prospective, single-blinded, sham-controlled trial, done at 44 study sites in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, the UK, and the USA, hypertensive patients with office systolic blood pressure of 150 mm Hg to less than 180 mm Hg were randomly assigned 1:1 to either a renal denervation or sham procedure.

Evaluation of plasma and tissue expression levels of Endothelins (ET-1, Big ET-1) and VEGF in lobular neoplasia of the breast.

Purpose: The endothelin system is involved in the evolution of multiple malignancies, participating in cancer cell proliferation, tumor invasion and angiogenesis. Our purpose was to simultaneously assess endothelin expression in the systemic circulation of patients with lobular neoplasia (LN) of the breast and to investigate its correlation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) specimen expression levels as well as clinicopathologic findings.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data regarding 60 women examined in a single breast unit.

Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma Masquerading as an Impending Rupture of Inflammatory Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

Background: We present a unique case scenario of a periaortic liposarcoma masquerading as an impending rupture of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Methods And Results: A 57-year-old man was referred to our unit for an emergency endovascular repair of "an inflammatory AAA with computed tomography (CT) features of impending rupture." He underwent an uneventful endovascular repair with a bifurcated endograft (C3; Gore, Flagstaff, AZ).

Index C-reactive protein predicts increased severity in acute sigmoid diverticulitis.

Purpose: Conservative management is successful in unperforated (Hinchey Ia) acute diverticulitis (AD) and also generally in local perforation or small abscesses (Hinchey Ib). A higher degree of radiological severity (Hinchey >Ib), ie, a larger abscess (>3-4 cm) or peritonitis, commonly requires percutaneous drainage or surgery. Retrospective studies show that high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) distinguish Hinchey Ia from all cases of minor and major perforations (Hinchey >Ia).

Endovascular Management of a Distally Migrated Bifurcated Endograft with a New Bifurcated Endograft.

A 75-year-old man presented with abdominal and lumbar pain 6 years after previous endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. At the time of the initial operation, the aneurysm measured 6.0 cm in maximum diameter and a bifurcated Anaconda (Vascutek) endograft had been implanted.

Safety and performance of diagnostic electrical mapping of renal nerves in hypertensive patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and performance of renal nerve stimulation (RNS) for diagnostic mapping of the renal nerves.

Methods And Results: In this first-in-man study, twenty hypertensive patients underwent RNS using the ConfidenHT system. Bilateral stimulations were performed at three to four sites per artery at 2 and 4 mA.

European Society of Hypertension position paper on renal denervation 2018.

: This ESH update was deemed necessary with the publication of new results of sham-controlled randomized blinded prospective trials with renal denervation (RDN). Proof of concept studies and first randomized trials (some were sham-controlled) displayed discrepant results about the efficacy of RDN. Three sham-controlled randomized trials of the 2.