Prevalence,control and awareness of high blood pressure among Canadian adults. Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and distribution of elevated blood pressure (BP) among Canadian adults and to determine the level of control, treatment, awareness and prevalence of other risk factors among adults with high BP. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional surveys. SETTING: Nine Canadian provinces, from 1986 to 1990. PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 26,293 men and women aged 18 to 74 years was selected from the health insurance registers in each province. For 20,582 subjects, BP was measured at least twice. Nurses administered a standard questionnaire and recorded two BP measurements using a standardized technique. Two further BP readings, anthropometric measurements and a blood specimen for lipid analysis were obtained from those subjects who attended a clinic. OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean values of systolic and diastolic BP, prevalence of elevated BP using different criteria, and prevalence of smoking, elevated blood cholesterol, body mass index, physical activity and presence of diabetes by high BP status are reported. MAIN RESULTS: Sixteen percent of men and 13% of women had diastolic BP of 90 mm Hg or greater or were on treatment (or both). About 26% of these subjects were unaware of their hypertension, 42% were being treated and their condition controlled, 16% were treated and not controlled, and 16% were neither treated nor controlled. Use of non-pharmacologic treatment of high BP with or without medication was low (22%). Hypertensive subjects showed a higher prevalence of elevated total cholesterol, high body mass index, diabetes and sedentary lifestyle than normotensive subjects. Most people with elevated BP were in the 90 to 95 mm Hg range for diastolic pressure and 140 to 160 mm Hg range for systolic pressure. Prevalence of high isolated systolic BP sharply increased in men (40%) and women (49%) 65 to 74 years old. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively low level of control of elevated BP calls for population and individual strategies, stressing a non-pharmacologic approach and addressing isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly.     

Multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors in Canadian adults. Canadian Heart Health Surveys Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and distribution of the coexistence of major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among Canadian adults. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional surveys. SETTING: Nine Canadian provinces, from 1986 to 1990. PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 26,293 men and women, aged 18 to 74 years, was selected from provincial health insurance registries. For 20,582 of these participants, at least two blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken using a standardized technique. At a subsequent visit to a clinic, two additional BP readings, anthropometric measurements and a blood specimen for plasma lipid analysis were obtained. OUTCOME MEASURES: The percentage distribution of subjects by number of major risk factors (smoking, high BP and elevated blood cholesterol level) and by concomitant factors (body mass index [BMI], ratio of waist to hip circumference [WHR], physical activity, diabetes, awareness of CVD risk factors and education). MAIN RESULTS: Sixty-four percent of men and 63% of women had one or more of the major risk factors. Prevalence increased with age to reach 80% in men and 89% in women aged 65 to 74 years. Prevalence of two or three risk factors was highest among men in the 45-54 age group (34%) and in women in the 65-74 age group (37%). The most common associations were between smoking and high blood cholesterol level (10%) and between high BP and high blood cholesterol level (8%). Prevalence of high BP and elevated blood cholesterol, alone or in combination, increased with BMI and WHR. Smoking, elevated blood cholesterol, BMI and prevalence of one or more risk factors increased with lower level of education. Less than 48% of participants mentioned any single major risk factor as a cause of heart disease. Awareness was lowest in the group with fewest years of education. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study call for an approach to reduce CVD that stresses collaboration of the different health sectors to reach both the population as a whole and the individuals at high risk.     

Prion Protein Does Not Confer Resistance to Hippocampus-Derived Zpl Cells against the Toxic Effects of Cu2+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Co2+ Not Supporting a General Protective Role for PrP in Transition Metal Induced Toxicity

The interactions of transition metals with the prion protein (PrP) are well-documented and characterized, however, there is no consensus on their role in either the physiology of PrP or PrP-related neurodegenerative disorders. PrP has been reported to protect cells from the toxic stimuli of metals. By employing a cell viability assay, we examined the effects of various concentrations of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Co²⁺ on Zpl (Prnp ^-/-) and ZW (Prnp ^+/+) hippocampus-derived mouse neuronal cells. Prnp ^-/- Zpl cells were more sensitive to all four metals than PrP-expressing Zw cells. However, when we introduced PrP or only the empty vector into Zpl cells, we could not discern any protective effect associated with the presence of PrP. This observation was further corroborated when assessing the toxic effect of metals by propidium-iodide staining and fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis. Thus, our results on this mouse cell culture model do not seem to support a strong protective role for PrP against transition metal toxicity and also emphasize the necessity of extreme care when comparing cells derived from PrP knock-out and wild type mice.     

Monitoring the Early Signs of Cognitive Decline in Elderly by Computer Games: An MRI Study

BackgroundIt is anticipated that current and future preventive therapies will likely be more effective in the early stages of dementia, when everyday functioning is not affected. Accordingly the early identification of people at risk is particularly important. In most cases, when subjects visit an expert and are examined using neuropsychological tests, the disease has already been developed. Contrary to this cognitive games are played by healthy, well functioning elderly people, subjects who should be monitored for early signs. Further advantages of cognitive games are their accessibility and their cost-effectiveness.PurposeThe aim of the investigation was to show that computer games can help to identify those who are at risk. In order to validate games analysis was completed which measured the correlations between results of the ''Find the Pairs'' memory game and the volumes of the temporal brain regions previously found to be good predictors of later cognitive decline.ResultsThere was a correlation between the number of attempts and the time required to complete the memory game and the volume of the entorhinal cortex, the temporal pole, and the hippocampus. There was also a correlation between the results of the Paired Associates Learning (PAL) test and the memory game.ConclusionsThe results gathered support the initial hypothesis that healthy elderly subjects achieving lower scores in the memory game have increased level of atrophy in the temporal brain structures and showed a decreased performance in the PAL test. Based on these results it can be concluded that memory games may be useful in early screening for cognitive decline.