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Biomedical subjects

A Soro

Publications and source records attributed to A Soro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[The effect of nifedipine on arterial pressure and exercise tolerance in hypertensive patients].

The aim of this research was to assess whether the antihypertensive therapy with nifedipine, a dihydropyridine calcium-antagonist, is able to control hypertension not only at rest but also during exercise. So, 20 male hypertensive patients, mean age 48 years, were evaluated by symptom limited bicycle exercise (10 W/min) before and after 6 and 12 months of therapy with nifedipine in a slow releasing form (40-60 mg/day). Exercise tolerance significantly increased after 12 months of antihypertensive therapy with nifedipine (from 146 +/- 5 to 153 +/- 4 W, p < 0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased after 6 and 12 months both at rest (from 160 +/- 6/109 +/- 9 mmHg to 132 +/- 3/91 +/- 3 and 135 +/- 4/93 +/- 1 mmHg, respectively, both p < 0.001) and during exercise (at end exercise: from 238 +/- 7/121 +/- 5 mmHg to 216 +/- 6/106 +/- 3 and 213 +/- 6/107 +/- 3 mmHg, respectively, both p < 0.001). No significant changes in heart rate were observed during antihypertensive therapy both at rest and during exercise test. In conclusion, long-term antihypertensive therapy with nifedipine was effective in the control of hypertension both at rest and during physical stress. Moreover, an improvement in effort tolerance was observed in hypertensive patients.

Adult

Effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on the menstrual cycle of hypertensive women.

Angiotensin II was reported to play a key role in ovulation in rats and it seems also to be involved in the regulation of LH release. Thus, we studied the effect of chronic ACE inhibition on the menstrual cycle, measuring daily plasma estradiol, progesterone, LH and FSH, and renin and prorenin before and during the third month of treatment with enalapril (10 mg b.i.d.) in 10 mild essential hypertensive women. Blood pressure was normalized by treatment. The cyclical changes of steroids and gonadotrophins were unaffected in their temporal relationships and in the magnitude of their variation during the experimental cycle compared with the basal cycle. A synchronization of plasma prorenin with the other hormones was seen both before, as previously reported, and during enalapril treatment. Our data show that peripheral blockade of angiotensin I conversion does not affect the pituitary guidance of the ovarian hormonal response or the ovarian prorenin release during the menstrual cycle. Our data are in agreement with the hypothesis that circulating angiotensin II does not play a key role in the human fertility process and that hydrophilic ACE inhibitors can be safely used in the treatment of hypertensive women of reproductive age.

Adult

Prorenin is present in human red blood cells.

We looked for the presence of prorenin in erythrocytes from normal subjects (n = 8), hypertensive patients (n = 8), and pregnant women (n = 8). Angiotensin I generation was measured at 37 degrees C, pH 5.7, in the presence of homologous substrate (1400 ng/mL) before and after trypsin activation (100 micrograms/mL) in (A) haemolyzed erythrocytes, (B) supernatants of haemolyzed erythrocytes, and (C) in the sixth washing of erythrocytes diluted 1:1 with a 0.1 M Tris buffer containing 0.5% bovine serum albumin and protease inhibitors. Haemolyzed erythrocytes generated angiotensin I only after trypsin treatment, and the rate of generation was the same (A) before and (B) after centrifugation at 20,000g, indicating the absence of prorenin bound to the cell membranes. When aliquots of the last washing of erythrocytes (C) were tested for angiotensin I generation before and after trypsin, they did not generate angiotensin I, indicating that residual prorenin from the plasma was no longer present in our preparation. Angiotensin I generation by trypsin-treated A and B was completely abolished by preincubation with anti-renin serum. The level of prorenin was not significantly different in the erythrocytes from normal, hypertensive, and pregnant subjects (68 +/- 10, 58 +/- 7 and 107 +/- 17 pg angiotensin I.mL-1.h-1, ns) in spite of their very different plasma levels (21 +/- 2.5, 17 +/- 2.4 and 110 +/- 12 ng angiotensin I.mL-1.h-1, p less than 0.01 for pregnant women compared with both normal and hypertensive subjects). Our data show that prorenin is present in human erythrocytes in fairly constant and clearly detectable amounts, thus suggesting a possible intracellular role for it.

Adult

[Competitive sports activity in subjects undergoing the surgical correction of an ostium-secundum type of interatrial defect: the experience of 9 cases].

Patients who have undergone surgical repair of congenital heart diseases are usually not allowed to participate in competitive sports. In the present study we report our long-term experience with 9 male athletes aged 17 to 23 years who participate in competitive sports after undergoing surgical repair of ostium secundum atrial septal defect at a median age of 9 years; six of them play football and three of them volleyball. Competitive sport activities began 1 to 5 years after surgical repair. The mean duration of follow-up is 88 +/- 26 months. Sport fitness was granted on the basis of the following criteria: 1) a normal physical examination; 2) a normal working capacity on exercise test; 3) no arrhythmias on exercise test and Holter monitoring, recorded also during sport activities; 4) a normal M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography, including the normalization of right ventricular size; the persistence of an abnormal ventricular septal motion did not exclude sport fitness. Recently we also performed Doppler and color Doppler echocardiography and gated equilibrium radionuclide angiography at rest and during exercise. We studied left ventricular diastolic filling through the pulsed wave Doppler evaluation of transmitral flow and measured cardiac output by continuous wave Doppler echocardiography during exercise test in the supine position. We also performed exercise test and M-mode, two-dimensional, Doppler and color Doppler echocardiography in a control group made up of 15 athletes (10 football players and 5 volleyball players). The exercise duration at graded treadmill exercise test (according to the Carù protocol), the maximal heart rate and the maximal systolic blood pressure were, respectively, 12.9 +/- 0.8 min, 192 +/- 10 beats/min and 198 +/- 12 mmHg. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, mass and ejection fraction (single-plane area-length method) were 50.3 +/- 2.8 mm, 210 +/- 38 g and 65 +/- 6%. M-mode right ventricular diastolic dimension was 23.4 +/- 1.6 mm; the right ventricular maximal diastolic diameter and area obtained on two-dimensional echocardiography from the apical four chamber view were 44.1 +/- 3.6 mm and 25 +/- 3.8 cm2 respectively. The evaluation of transmitral flow showed the following data: E velocity 77 +/- 12 cm/sec, A velocity 45 +/- 6 cm/sec, E/A ratio 1.7 +/- 0.3, the isovolumic-relaxation period 72 +/- 8 m/sec and the deceleration half-time of the early rapid filling 71 +/- 10 m/sec. A trivial tricuspid regurgitation was detected in 6 subjects; the peak velocity of the regurgitant jet was less than 2.1 m/sec.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent

Endothelin-1-induced renal vasoconstriction is blunted by enalaprilat and enhanced by EDRF antagonist in awake normotensive rats.

We attempt to elucidate the putative indirect mechanisms by which endothelin-1 affects mean blood pressure and renal blood flow in normotensive awake rats. Endothelin-1 (700 pg/kg, i.v.) induced a short-lasting decrease followed by a prolonged increase in mean blood pressure (from 113 +/- 4 to 92 +/- 4 mmHg at 30 sec, 132 +/- 7 mmHg at 10 min, and 129 +/- 6 mmHg at 30 min, p less than 0.01), and caused a profound and long-lasting fall in renal blood flow as measured by Doppler flowmeter technique (from 2.87 +/- 0.29 to 1.40 +/- 0.37 kHz at 30 sec, 1.77 +/- 0.32 kHz at 10 min and 2.10 +/- 0.45 kHz at 30 min, p less than 0.01). Neither the receptor antagonist of bradykinin D-Arg0-Hyp3-Thi5,8-DPhe7-bradykinin (30 micrograms/kg/min, i.v.) nor the antagonist of angiotensin II Sar1, Thr8-angiotensin II (4 micrograms/kg/min, i.v.) altered the changes in mean blood pressure and renal blood flow induced by endothelin-1. The antagonist of EDRF synthesis, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (100 micrograms/kg/min, i.v.) enhanced the endothelin-1-induced increase in mean blood pressure (endothelin-1: 20 +/- 2 mmHg vs endothelin-1 + EDRF antagonist: 39 +/- 3 mmHg at 10 min, p less than 0.01) and decrease in renal blodo flow (endothelin-1: -40 +/- 4% vs endothelin-1 + EDRF antagonist: -73 +/- 3% at 10 min, p less than 0.01).2+ mediated by the blockade of angiotensin II formation.

Animals

[Effects of benazepril, a new ACE inhibitor, in effort angina pectoris].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-ischemic efficacy of 2 different doses of benazepril (B), a new ACE-inhibitor, 10 and 20 mg, given per os. Fifteen male patients gave informed, written consent; they were aged 40-67 years, with stable effort angina pectoris and were randomly given, in double-blind condition, a tablet containing B 10 mg, B 20 mg or placebo (PL), once a day, according to a 3 x 3 latin square design. Bicycle exercise tests were performed on the same day, 2 and 10 hours after the last drug intake. B 10 mg and B 20 mg, in patients with stable effort angina, compared to placebo, increased ischemic threshold and decreased ischemic ST depression at maximal work, after 2 hours but not after 10 hours. In conclusion B 10 mg and B 20 mg showed anti-ischemic activity 2 hours after drug intake.

Adult

[Transdermal nitroglycerin in stable effort angina. I. Therapeutic effect and duration of the action of a single dose. Comparison with placebo and isosorbide dinitrate].

To assess the efficacy of 2 doses of a transdermal system for nitroglycerin, 10 and 20 mg (NTTS 10 and NTTS 20) and isosorbide dinitrate 40 mg (ISD 40) on exercise tolerance test, a double-blind within patients placebo (PL) controlled study was performed: 12 male patients, aged 47-71 years, with stable effort angina, with fixed ischemic threshold, received, according to a 4 x 4 latin square design, NTTS 10, NTTS 20, ISD 40 and PL, at 7.00 am on 4 consecutive days. Bicycle exercise tests were performed 4 and 12 hours post-dosing, after which the systems were removed. NTTS 10 and 20 and ISD 40 increased significantly ischemic threshold, anginal threshold and decreased maximal ST depression at the fourth hour. Only NTTS 10 and NTTS 20 showed antiischemic activity after 12 hours. During exercise, at the fourth and twelfth hour, there was no significant difference in rate-pressure product between placebo and NTTS 10 and 20 and ISD 40. Therefore the antiischemic activity of these drugs was not related to a decrease of myocardial oxygen consumption. In conclusion, in comparison with PL, NTTS 10, 20 and ISD 40 had antiischemic and antianginal activity at the fourth hour, while at the twelfth hour this activity was observed only after NTTS 10 and 20, without differences between the 2 doses.

Administration, Cutaneous

[Transdermal nitroglycerin in stable effort angina. II. Administration of continuous high doses and alternate high-low doses. Absence of tolerance].

Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 2 different schedules of nitroglycerin (N), given by means of transdermal therapeutic system (TTS): continuous (20 mg patch at 8.00 am and at 8.00 pm NTTS/c) and high/low doses therapy (20 mg patch at 8.00 am and 10 mg at 8.00 pm NTTS/a), respectively. Eighteen volunteers, gave informed, written consent; male patients, aged 57 +/- 2 years, with stable effort angina pectoris, were randomly given, in double-blind condition, NTTS/c, NTTS/a or placebo (PL), each for 1 week period, according to a 3 x 3 latin square design. Bicycle exercise tests were performed on the first and on the last day of each period of the study, 12 hours after the last patch. NTTS/c and NTTS/a increased ischemic threshold and decreased the ischemic depression ST at maximal common work, compared to placebo, without differences between tests performed at 1 and 7 day. In conclusion, NTTS/a showed antiischemic activity after 7 days, so no tolerance was observed in those patients.

Administration, Cutaneous

Propionyl carnitine in stable effort angina.

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-ischemic activity of propionyl carnitine (PC) in 18 informed, volunteer male patients, aged 37-70, suffering from a typical stable effort angina. The study design was randomized, balanced, crossover, and double blinded. The study lasted 75 days. In the first 15 days of washout the patients performed two maximal symptom-limited bicycle tests to verify the repeatability of the parameters examined. Then one group received PC for 30 days 500 mg three times a day, and the other group received placebo (PL) three times a day. At the end of 30 days the groups exchanged treatments. At the end of each period, 2 hours after the last oral administration, the patients performed a maximal symptom-limited bicycle exercise test with increased loads of 10 watts/min. No significant differences were observed between the two tests performed during the wash-out period, for a 1 mm ST-segment depression time, for the time to the end of exercise, and for the rate x pressure product at the same experimental time. The oral administration of PC in coronary patients increased both the 1 mm ST-segment depression time and the time to the end of exercise. Furthermore, the drug reduced the ischemic depression of ST at maximal common work and at maximal work. After PC, the rate x pressure product was not significantly different in relation to placebo at submaximal and maximal exercise. Thus PC seems to have an antiischemiclike effect, probably related to its metabolic activity.

Administration, Oral

Effect of a kinin antagonist on renal function and haemodynamics during alterations in sodium balance in conscious normotensive rats.

1. To evaluate whether sodium intake can modulate the action of endogenous kinins on renal function and haemodynamics, a receptor antagonist of bradykinin was infused in conscious normotensive rats maintained on either a normal or a low sodium diet. 2. The antagonist inhibited the hypotensive effect of exogenously administered bradykinin. It did not change the vasodepressor effect of acetylcholine, dopamine or prostaglandin E2. 3. The antagonist did not affect mean blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow or urinary sodium excretion, in rats on sodium restriction. It did not change mean blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate or urinary sodium excretion, but decreased renal blood flow, in rats on a normal sodium intake. 4. The kallikrein-kinin system has a role in the regulation of renal blood flow in rats on a normal sodium diet.

Animals

Efficacy of nifedipine to prevent systemic and renal vasoconstrictor effects of endothelin.

We investigated whether systemic and renal vasoconstriction induced by porcine endothelin (endothelin 1) is prevented by nifedipine in awake normotensive rats. Endothelin (0.07-1.4 nmol/kg iv) induced a long-lasting increase in mean blood pressure (MBP) and a decrease in renal blood flow (RBF). Maximal decrease in RBF was 25 +/- 7% (0.07 nmol/kg), 40 +/- 2 (0.35), 67 +/- 5 (0.70), and 74 +/- 8 (1.4). Hemodynamic parameters were back to base line within 35 +/- 5 min (0.07 nmol/kg), 43 +/- 6 (0.35), 60 +/- 4 (0.70), and 81 +/- 7 (1.4). Intravenous bolus injection of either angiotensin II (ANG II, 0.006-0.024 nmol/kg) or norepinephrine (0.40-1.60 nmol/kg) caused a dose-related short-lasting increase in MBP and a decrease in RBF. Endothelin was less potent than ANG II (1:3.42) and more potent than norepinephrine (1:0.015) as a renal vasoconstrictor. Nifedipine (1 mg/kg ip) was equally effective in preventing the increase in MBP caused by endothelin, norepinephrine, or ANG II. It exerted a weaker protection on the renal hemodynamic response to endothelin compared with the inhibition of the other two vasoconstrictors. Thus the regression line representing the relationship between endothelin-induced changes in MBP and RBF was steeper in rats given nifedipine (slope: vehicle, -1.33; nifedipine, -5.50; P less than 0.05). These studies suggest that nifedipine can partially prevent systemic and renal vasoconstriction caused by exogenously administered endothelin in awake normotensive rats.

Angiotensin II

Changes in plasma atrial natriuretic factor during sequential fluid removal and biochemical correction in end-stage chronic renal failure patients.

Plasma immunoreactive atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) levels, their chromatographic profiles (high-performance liquid chromatography; HPLC) and changes during sequential ultrafiltration (UF; 1 litre/h) and biochemical correction without fluid removal (BC; 3 h) were studied in 8 end-stage chronic renal failure patients on intermittent haemodialysis (greater than 1 year). Patients entered randomly the UF-BC or BC-UF protocols that were reversed after 1 week. HPLC showed a single peak of ANF immunoreactivity in plasma of end-stage chronic renal failure patients before dialysis sessions. ANF at the end of fluid removal fell by 31 +/- 2% (p less than 0.01) during UF-BC and by 30 +/- 2% (p less than 0.01) at the end of BC during BC-UF. In both sequences a further slight reduction in plasma ANF was observed during the second phase: it was 8.5 +/- 5% (n.s.) during BC of the BC-UF and 12.5 +/- 2% (p less than 0.05) during fluid removal of BC-UF. Plasma ANF was not significantly removed by the machinery. BC did not modify the microhaematocrit in the BC-UF sequence while the microhaematocrit was significantly increased by UF (13 +/- 1 and 14 +/- 1%, p less than 0.005 vs. basal, respectively), and decreased by BC in the UF-BC sequence (-5 +/- 2% vs. end UF, p less than 0.05). Serum creatinine and urea decreased significantly during BC in both protocols while they were unmodified during UF. No significant changes were seen in PRC during either protocol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Atrial Natriuretic Factor

Brain kinins are responsible for the pressor effect of intracerebroventricular captopril in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The role of the brain kallikrein-kinin system in the regulation of arterial blood pressure of normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats was evaluated. Intracerebroventricular administration of the kinin antagonist [DArg0]Hyp3-Thi5,8[DPhe7]bradykinin caused no change in mean blood pressure in Wistar-Kyoto, Sprague-Dawley, or spontaneously hypertensive rats. The antagonist proved to be very potent in blocking the pressor effect of intracerebroventricular bradykinin (32 +/- 3 vs. 3 +/- 1 mm Hg, p less than 0.01). It was specific, as the pressor effect induced by other unrelated peptides was similar during the infusion of either vehicle or kinin antagonist (angiotensin II, 25 +/- 4 vs. 26 +/- 2 mm Hg; prostaglandin E2, 48 +/- 3 vs. 47 +/- 8 mm Hg; norepinephrine, 17 +/- 2 vs. 18 +/- 2 mm Hg; leucine-enkephaline, 15 +/- 2 vs. 16 +/- 1 mm Hg; neurotensin, 18 +/- 2 vs. 19 +/- 1 mm Hg; substance P, 19 +/- 2 vs. 19 +/- 2 mm Hg). Intracerebroventricular administration of 1 mg captopril, an inhibitor of kininase II (one of the enzymes responsible for kinin degradation), caused no change in mean blood pressure in normotensive rats, whereas it increased mean blood pressure by 44 +/- 9 mm Hg (p less than 0.01) in spontaneously hypertensive rats. This increase in mean blood pressure was blocked and then reversed into a hypotensive effect (22 +/- 6 mm Hg, p less than 0.05) during the infusion of kinin antagonist. Our data suggest that the pressor effect induced by intracerebroventricular captopril is due to a transient elevation in endogenous brain kinin levels, supporting the hypothesis that the brain kallikrein-kinin system plays a role in the central regulation of blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Animals

Ventricular inversion with truncus arteriosus.

We report clinical, angiocardiographic, and anatomic findings of an infant with ventricular inversion (atrioventricular discordance) and truncus arteriosus. The patient was in congestive heart failure and the injections into the left ventricle, right ventricle, and truncus arteriosus allowed a precise diagnosis. The autopsy confirmed this very unusual combination of anomalies and in particular it showed a truncus type 2 completely surrounded by muscular infundibulum and mainly aligned with the right ventricle. Surgical correction of this malformation is a challenge and so far, to our knowledge, has never been reported in the literature.

Abnormalities, Multiple

[Effect of menstrual cycle hormones on cation transport in the red-cell membrane].

Erythrocyte cation transport, plasma prorenin and renin and sexual hormones were sequentially evaluated in 12 normal volunteers over the menstrual cycle. Na-K cotransport and Na-Li countertransport raised in 6 out of 12 subjects in synchronization with the ovulatory phase. When the maximal % variation (ovulatory phase) versus baseline (follicular phase) of the Na-K cotransport was plotted versus the maximal % increment of oestrogens. A direct, highly significant inverse correlation was observed (r = 0.904, p less than 0.001). Moreover, a highly significant inverse correlation between plasma prorenin and intraerythrocyte Na (r = -0.857, p less than 0.001) in the follicular phase was found. Our data suggest that erythrocyte cation transport can be influenced by sexual hormones in human.

Adult

[Effect of chronic enalapril treatment on prorenin, renin and sex hormones during the menstrual cycle in patients with essential hypertension].

Since angiotensin II seems to be involved in the process of ovulation we studied the effect of chronic enalapril on plasma prorenin, renin, estradiol, progesterone, LH and FSH during the menstrual cycle in ten essential hypertensive women. Our data show that peripheral blockade of A I conversion does not affect the pituitary guidance and the ovarian hormonal response of the menstrual cycle and, we can speculate, that it does not interfere with the process of ovulation.

Adult

[Protective effect of a calcium antagonist against renal vasoconstriction induced by endothelin in the normotensive rat].

We studied the effect of nifedipine, a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, on the hemodynamic changes induced by endothelin, in awake normotensive rats. Endothelin (0.07-1.40 nmol/kg, e.v.) caused an initial hypotensive effect, followed by long lasting hypertension. Renal blood flow was reduced immediately and still remained below basal levels, at 30 minutes after endothelin injection. Nifedipine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly prevented the effect of endothelin on mean blood pressure and induced a right-ward shift in the dose response curve of renal hemodynamic changes induced by endothelin. We conclude that treatment with calcium antagonist could be very useful in all those conditions in which systemic and regional vasocostriction is provoked by endothelin.

Animals

Effects of enalapril in normotensive patients with stable effort angina: a double blind, placebo controlled study.

To assess the anti-anginal and anti-ischaemic efficacy of the ACE-inhibitor enalapril in normotensive coronary patients, a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled study was performed. Eight male patients, aged 45-68 years, with stable effort angina were given enalapril (10 mg) once a day or placebo for 7 days. Maximal exercise stress tests 10w/min in the upright position were performed at the end of each period. In comparison to placebo, enalapril increased significantly 1 mm of ST depression time and decreased significantly ST depression at maximal common work. Moreover, enalapril increased significantly the angina threshold and exercise duration. Three of the eight patients ended the exercise without pain. The rate-pressure product was not significantly modified at any time. Thus, the anti-ischaemic and anti-anginal activity may be due to an increase of coronary blood flow, rather than a reduction of MVO2 consumption.

Aged