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Biomedical subjects

Garry L R Jennings

Publications and source records attributed to Garry L R Jennings.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Reducing the cardiovascular disease burden in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increase in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity; this increase is independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs appears to reduce cardiovascular mortality. The optimal approach to prevention of cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis is evolving, but will include a combination of: cardiovascular risk factor screening and management; effective and sustained control of joint and systemic inflammation; and a high index of suspicion for silent cardiac disease.

Antirheumatic Agents↗

Brachial blood pressure but not carotid arterial waveforms predict cardiovascular events in elderly female hypertensives.

Central arterial waveforms and related indices of large artery properties can be determined with relative ease. This would make them an attractive adjunct in the risk stratification for cardiovascular disease. Although they have been associated with some classical risk factors and the presence of coronary disease, their prospective value in predicting cardiovascular outcomes is unknown. The present study determined the relative predictive value for cardiovascular disease-free survival of large artery properties as compared with noninvasive brachial blood pressure alone in a population of elderly female hypertensive subjects. We measured systemic arterial compliance, central systolic pressure, and carotid augmentation index in a subset of female participants in the Second Australian National Blood Pressure Study (untreated blood pressure 169/88+/-12/8 mm Hg). There were a total of 53 defined events during a median of 4.1 years of follow-up in 484 women with complete measurements. Although baseline blood pressures at the brachial artery predicted cardiovascular disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.3; 95% CI, 1.3 to 4.1 for pulse pressure > or =81 versus <81 mm Hg; P=0.01), no such relation was found for carotid augmentation index (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.44 to 1.44; P value not significant) or systemic arterial compliance (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.72 to 2.16; P value not significant). Blood pressure, but not noninvasively measured central arterial waveforms, predict outcome in the older female hypertensive patient. Thus, blood pressure measurement alone is superior to measurement of arterial waveforms in predicting outcome in this group.

Aged↗

Relation of local platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa independent activation during coronary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction to recovery of left ventricular function.

We assessed glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa independent platelet activation in coronary sinus and peripheral blood from patients who underwent angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction and stable angina. Despite complete blockade of the activated GP IIb/IIIa receptor with abciximab in patients with acute myocardial infarction, unsuppressed local GP IIb/IIIa independent activation was associated with a lack of recovery of left ventricular function.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

Inhibitory activity of clinical thiazolidinedione peroxisome proliferator activating receptor-gamma ligands toward internal mammary artery, radial artery, and saphenous vein smooth muscle cell proliferation.

BACKGROUND: The proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a known response to arterial injury that is an important part of the process of restenosis and atherosclerosis. People with diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease resulting from accelerated coronary atherosclerosis. The newest drugs for Type 2 diabetes are thiazolidinediones, which are insulin-sensitizing peroxisome proliferator activating receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) ligands. We investigated the antiproliferative effects of troglitazone, rosiglitazone, and pioglitazone on VSMCs derived from the three vascular beds used for coronary artery by-pass grafting: the internal mammary and radial artery and saphenous veins. METHODS AND RESULTS: The three vessels yielded proliferating cells of slightly differing morphology. Inhibition of cell proliferation was assessed by cell counting and cell cycle studies by Western blotting for phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein. All three thiazolidinediones showed inhibitory potency toward cell proliferation with a potency troglitazone>rosiglitazone approximately pioglitazone, and this potency profile was maintained toward the growth factor and insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein, which controls cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibitory potency of clinical thiazolidinediones toward different vascular sources is dependent on the individual thiazolidinedione and very little on the vascular source.

Becaplermin↗

A comparison of outcomes with angiotensin-converting--enzyme inhibitors and diuretics for hypertension in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of hypertension with diuretics, beta-blockers, or both leads to improved outcomes. It has been postulated that agents that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system confer benefit beyond the reduction of blood pressure alone. We compared the outcomes in older subjects with hypertension who were treated with angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors with the outcomes in those treated with diuretic agents. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label study with blinded assessment of end points in 6083 subjects with hypertension who were 65 to 84 years of age and received health care at 1594 family practices. Subjects were followed for a median of 4.1 years, and the total numbers of cardiovascular events in the two treatment groups were compared with the use of multivariate proportional-hazards models. RESULTS: At base line, the treatment groups were well matched in terms of age, sex, and blood pressure. By the end of the study, blood pressure had decreased to a similar extent in both groups (a decrease of 26/12 mm Hg). There were 695 cardiovascular events or deaths from any cause in the ACE-inhibitor group (56.1 per 1000 patient-years) and 736 cardiovascular events or deaths from any cause in the diuretic group (59.8 per 1000 patient-years; the hazard ratio for a cardiovascular event or death with ACE-inhibitor treatment was 0.89 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.79 to 1.00]; P=0.05). Among male subjects, the hazard ratio was 0.83 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.71 to 0.97; P=0.02); among female subjects, the hazard ratio was 1.00 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.83 to 1.21; P=0.98); the P value for the interaction between sex and treatment-group assignment was 0.15. The rates of nonfatal cardiovascular events and myocardial infarctions decreased with ACE-inhibitor treatment, whereas a similar number of strokes occurred in each group (although there were more fatal strokes in the ACE-inhibitor group). CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of antihypertensive treatment involving ACE inhibitors in older subjects, particularly men, appears to lead to better outcomes than treatment with diuretic agents, despite similar reductions of blood pressure.

Aged↗