Pulse (Basel, Switzerland)

The aim of the present review is to summarize recent studies on the relationship between dietary sodium intake and serum uric acid concentration. In short-term dietary sodium intervention studies, including a recent further analysis of a previously published trial, high dietary sodium intake (200 mmol/day), compared with a low sodium diet (20-60 mmol/day), resulted in a significant reduction in serum uric acid, being approximately 20-60 μmol/L. This finding, though consistent across short-term studies, is in contradiction to the long-term observational evidence on the relationship between dietary sodium intake and serum uric acid...

In the present review, we summarized the blood pressure (BP) measurement protocols of contemporary outcome trials in hypertension. In all these trials, clinic BP was used for the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of hypertension. In most trials, BP was measured in the sitting position with mercury sphygmomanometers or automated electronic BP monitors by trained observers. BP readings were taken on each occasion at least twice with a 30-to-60-s interval after 5 min of rest. Details regarding the arm side, cuff size, and the timing of BP measurement were infrequently reported...

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a well-known predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, OSA usually accompanies other risk factors of AF. We tried to investigate whether OSA is related to AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Methods: A total of 378 patients (mean age 59.9 ± 10.7 years, 72.5$ male) who underwent catheter ablation of AF were enrolled and underwent overnight ambulatory polysomnography before the ablation procedure. These patients were examined once every 3 months at the outpatient clinic to determine AF recurrence...

Background: New devices have recently been developed using various features of the waveform derived from a brachial cuff for noninvasive estimation of central systolic blood pressure (SBP). Central SBP estimated from brachial oscillometry has never been compared with that estimated from radial tonometry in a Japanese population. Subjects and Methods: We recruited 155 Japanese volunteers (mean age 58 ± 16 years, range 18-99 years; 66.5$ women) and estimated their central SBP using brachial oscillometry (Mobil-O-Graph) or radial tonometry (SphygmoCor)...

Purpose: Although moderate- to high-intensity statin therapy is increasingly recommended in cardiovascular disease patients, the efficacy and safety in elderly patients have not been proven clearly. Here, we compare the effect of various-intensity statins between elderly and very elderly patients. Methods: 43,870 patients over 65 years old who were treated with statins were screened using electronic medical record data. Results: We evaluated 451 patients in the elderly group aged 65-74 years and 159 patients in the very elderly group over 75 years old...

Objective: There is a growing demand for cuffless blood pressure (BP) measurement as an easy alternative to cuff-occlusion-based BP measurement. We assessed the accuracy of a new cuffless, watch-style BP monitor with a magnetoplethysmography (MPG) sensor compared to two standard auscultatory and oscillatory BP monitors. Subjects and Methods: A total of 34 patients with uncontrolled hypertension (systolic BP ≥150 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥95 mm Hg) were enrolled in the study...

Background: The measurements of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are useful for ruling out heart failure and as prognostic markers in not only heart failure populations but also general populations. It is not clear whether these two biomarkers are elevated in parallel or associated with demographic characteristics in large populations at risk of stage A heart failure. Here we investigated the relationship between BNP and NT-proBNP and extended the evaluation of this association to known demographic disparities in stage A heart failure...

Background: Multiple piezoelectric pressure mechanotransducers topologized into an array might improve efficiency and accuracy in collecting arterial pressure waveforms for measurement of pulse wave velocity (PWV). Objective: In the present study, we validated a piezoelectric sensor array-based prototype (Philips) against the validated and clinically widely used Complior device (Alam Medical). Methods: We recruited 33 subjects with a wide distribution of PWV...

Background: Recently, a simple parameter calculated from the brachial pressure waveform recorded using an oscillometric device (arterial velocity pulse index [AVI]: ratio of the forward/reflected pressure wave amplitudes) has become available to assess the pathophysiological abnormalities associated with vascular damage. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) represents one of the disease entities associated with the advanced stages of atherosclerotic vascular damage. The present study was conducted to examine whether an increase in the AVI might be influenced by the presence of PAD...

Vascular calcification is heterogeneous and triggered by multiple mechanisms. It has been implicated in the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and cognitive function impairment. Understanding the pathophysiology of vascular calcification may help us improve the management of HFpEF, atherosclerosis, accelerated arterial stiffness, hypertension, and cognitive dysfunction. Currently, there are no effective strategies for treating accelerated arterial stiffness. This may indicate that once arterial stiffness or vascular calcification has developed, it may be less likely to stop the ongoing pathophysiology...

Background: Central aortic pressure has often been shown to be more closely associated with markers of vascular function and incidence of cardiovascular events compared to peripheral pressure. However, the potential clinical use of central aortic or peripheral haemodynamic indices as markers of target organ damage (TOD) has not been fully established. Methods: We evaluated associations of TOD with central aortic and peripheral haemodynamic indices (central aortic [cPP] and peripheral pulse pressure [pPP], central aortic augmentation index, and central and peripheral waveform factor) in 770 hospital inpatients (age 60 ± 10 years, 473 males) with primary hypertension...

Background: Vascular aging may cause cerebral microvascular damage and cognitive dysfunction. There is incremental evidence that consistently implicates arterial stiffness being involved in the manifestation of cognitive impairment in the elderly. However, few investigations have examined the relationship between arterial stiffness and cognitive impairment in midlife. Summary: Past studies inconsistently showed improved cognitive outcomes after antihypertensive therapy in elderly populations...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Background: Aortic stiffness, measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), is used for the prediction of cardiovascular risk. This mini-review describes the nonlinear relationship between cf-PWV and operational blood pressure, presents the proposed methods to adjust for this relationship, and discusses a potential place for aortic-brachial PWV ratio (a measure of arterial stiffness gradient) as a blood pressure-independent measure of vascular aging. Summary: PWV is inherently dependent on the operational blood pressure...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Pulse wave velocity (PWV), a marker of arterial stiffness, is known to change instantaneously with changes in blood pressure. In this mini-review, we discuss two main approaches for handling the blood pressure dependence of PWV: (1) converting PWV into a pressure-independent index, and (2) correcting PWV per se for the pressure dependence. Under option 1, we focus on cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). CAVI is essentially a form of stiffness index β - CAVI is estimated for a (heart-to-ankle) trajectory, whereas β is estimated for a single artery from pressure and diameter measurements...

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV), pulse pressure amplification, and obesity represent risk factors for cardiovascular events. The aims of the present study are (1) to explore the impact of HRV on pulse pressure amplification and (2) to investigate whether the association between HRV and pulse pressure amplification differs in obese and lean subjects. Methods: A total of 342 patients (age 61 ± 11 years) were enrolled. HRV was analyzed concerning both the frequency and time domain as well as concerning the HRV triangular index...

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate prospective associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus status and the gold standard non-invasive method for ascertaining arterial stiffness, carotid femoral pulse wave velocity. Methods: The prospective analysis employed 508 community-dwelling participants (mean age 61 years, 60% women) from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study. Pulse wave velocity at wave 7 (2006-2010) was compared between those with type 2 diabetes mellitus at wave 6 (2001-2006) ( n = 52) and non-diabetics at wave 6 ( n = 456), with adjustment for demographic factors, cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle- and pulse wave velocity-related factors...

Background: In patients with aortic coarctation after successful aortic arch repair, it is well known that early-onset cardiovascular diseases can develop. Summary: We studied the pressure waveform in patients after aortic arch repair focusing on a pressure wave reflection. In patients after aortic arch repair, the repaired portion generates a new reflected pressure wave. As a result, the newly generated pressure wave causes aortic pressure augmentation, loss of pressure amplification, and left ventricular hypertrophy with fibrosis...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1159/000448464.].