Low blood pressure,low mood?

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether a set of physical symptoms is associated with low blood pressure and to investigate the possible role of psychological factors in their occurrence. DESIGN--Analysis of data collected by questionnaire and physical screening from the first phase of the Whitehall II study, a cohort study of an employed population. SETTING--23 civil service departments in London. SUBJECTS--10,314 male and female London based civil servants aged between 35 and 55. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Symptoms of dizziness-giddiness and unexplained tiredness; psychological functioning as measured by the 30 item general health questionnaire in which the response "no more than usual" to an item about disease was scored as indicating chronic illness. RESULTS--Dizziness-giddiness in men and unexplained tiredness in both men and women were significantly related to low systolic blood pressure. There was a highly significant inverse relation between general health questionnaire score and systolic blood pressure for both men and women, which persisted after controlling for potentially confounding variables, including age, body mass index, drug treatment, physical illness, and exercise. This association of low blood pressure with physical symptoms was no longer significant when general health questionnaire score was controlled for. CONCLUSIONS--There seems a strong relation between low systolic blood pressure and minor psychological dysfunction. Associated physical symptoms seem to be secondary to the primary disturbance in mental state.     

Headache and Blood Pressure in the Community

Following a survey of headaches, in which questionnaires were sent to a random sample of the general population, groups of individuals with headache, unilateral headache, or migraine, and a fourth group who had not had a headache in the previous year were examined. Measurements of arterial blood pressure on 414 individuals gave no evidence of any differences between these groups for either systolic or diastolic pressure. The number of individuals that could be regarded as hypertensive in this community-based study was small, but it is concluded that most individuals with headache, and with migraine, have blood pressures similar to those who do not have headaches.     

Associations between symptoms of irritable colon and psychological and social conditions and lifestyle.

In a survey of risk factors for coronary heart disease 14 102 middle aged men and women answered a questionnaire on lifestyle, diet, and health, including symptoms of functional abdominal disorders. The overall prevalence of reports of one or both of the abdominal symptoms of "bloating and rumbling" or "cramping abdominal pain" was 28% in men and 35% in women. Only a weak negative association between age and prevalence of reported pain was found in both sexes. Women reported abdominal symptoms, especially cramping abdominal pain, significantly more commonly than men. In a multiple regression analysis abdominal symptoms were much more strongly associated with symptoms of mental stress such as depression, sleeping difficulties, problems of coping, and the use of analgesics than with lifestyle, dietary, and social variables together. The association was stronger in subjects reporting both symptoms. This strong and consistent association between functional abdominal disorders and psychological and social problems suggests that action other than prescribing drugs, diets, or radiography is required.     

Low systolic blood pressure and self perceived wellbeing in middle aged men.

OBJECTIVE--To examine the relation between systolic blood pressure and self perceived wellbeing in 50 year old men. DESIGN--Cross sectional population study of data derived from questionnaires and physical examination as a part of a cardiovascular risk factor survey. SETTING--City of Gothenburg, Sweden. STUDY POPULATION--776 men from a random population sample of 1016 men aged 50. METHODS--Self perceived wellbeing according to the Gothenburg quality of life questionnaire, which is an assessment of social, physical, and mental wellbeing in 15 different areas. MAIN RESULTS--Low systolic blood pressure was significantly (p < 0.05) related to impaired social wellbeing in four areas: work, home and family, financial situation, and housing. Of the items dealing with physical wellbeing, health, memory, and appetite were significantly related to blood pressure. As regards mental wellbeing, energy and self confidence were significantly related to systolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly related to housing, memory, energy, patience, and self confidence. In multiple regression analyses that controlled for smoking, stress, physical activity, social activity, and emotional support, poor social, physical, and mental wellbeing were all significantly related to low systolic blood pressure independently of other factors. Low diastolic blood pressure was independently associated with poor physical and mental, but not social, wellbeing. CONCLUSION--Low systolic blood pressure was associated with poor perception of wellbeing in several areas. The cause is unclear.     

Systolic and diastolic blood pressures as predictors of coronary heart disease in middle aged Norwegian men.

Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were compared as predictors of mortality from coronary heart disease in Norwegian men aged 35-49. A total of 39,207 men were followed up for an average of 8.9 years; 385 died of coronary heart disease. Diastolic blood pressure seemed to be the better predictor, the difference being most pronounced in the age group 35-39. At this age 26% more deaths from coronary heart disease were found in the upper quintile of diastolic blood pressure compared with the upper quintile of systolic blood pressure. At ages 45-49 there were almost the same numbers of deaths from coronary heart disease in the upper quintiles of systolic and diastolic pressures. These findings suggest that the relative predictive strength of systolic and diastolic blood pressure may be dependent on age. Furthermore, for very obese men the association between blood pressure and death from coronary heart disease is much weaker.     

Relation between mortality and treated blood pressure in elderly patients with hypertension: report of the European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the relation between mortality and treated systolic and diastolic blood pressures. DESIGN--Randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. Mortality in the two treatment groups was examined in thirds of treated systolic and diastolic blood pressures. PATIENTS--339 And 352 patients allocated to placebo and active treatment, respectively. The groups were similar at randomisation in sex ratio (70% women), mean age (71.5 years), blood pressure (182/101 mm Hg), and proportion of patients with cardiovascular complications (35%). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--In the placebo group total mortality rose with increasing systolic pressure whereas it had a U shaped relation with diastolic pressure, the total lowest mortality being in patients in the middle third of the distribution of diastolic pressure. In the group given active treatment total mortality showed a U shaped relation with systolic pressure and an inverse association with treated diastolic pressure. In both groups cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality followed the same trends as total mortality. The increased mortality in the lowest thirds of pressure was not associated with an increased proportion of patients with cardiovascular complications at randomisation or with a fall in diastolic pressure exceeding the median fall in pressure in each group. In contrast, patients in the lowest thirds of pressure showed greater decreases in body weight and haemoglobin concentration than those in the middle and upper thirds of pressure. CONCLUSIONS--In patients taking active treatment total mortality was increased in the lowest thirds of treated systolic and diastolic blood pressures. This increased mortality is not necessarily explained by an exaggerated reduction in pressure induced by drugs as for diastolic pressure a U shaped relation also existed during treatment with placebo. In addition, patients in the lowest thirds of systolic and diastolic pressures were characterised by decreases in body weight and haemoglobin concentration, and the patients in the lowest thirds of diastolic pressure taking active treatment also by an increased non-cardiovascular mortality, suggesting some deterioration of general health.     

Blood pressure trends and hypertension among rural and urban Jat women of Haryana, India

Hypertension is an important public health problem and the major causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among aged and elderly population in India. The present study is an attempt to assess age related trends of blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension in rural and urban women as well as correlation of blood pressure with obesity indicators (WC, BMI, and WHR). Data for present cross-sectional study were collected by purposive sampling method from six hundred Jat women (300 rural and 300 urban), aged 40 to 70 years. Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was employed to find the relationship between blood pressure and obesity indicators. The results revealed an age associated increase in mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in rural and urban women. Urban women showed significantly higher overall mean value of systolic (mm of Hg) (133.93 vs. 130.79, p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (mm of Hg) (84.34 vs. 82.81, p < 0.01) and pulse rate (81.72 +/- 6.27 vs. 80.94 +/- 9.06, p > 0.05) as compared to rural women. The overall prevalence of hypertension was found to be 9% in rural and 26.66% in urban women as per JNC VII criteria. Increased prominence of hypertension among urban Jat women may be attributed to their modern lifestyle having more stress, less manual work and faulty dietary habits. There was a very low awareness of hypertension in the rural subjects (37%) than their urban (72%) counterparts. Rural and urban women revealed a positive and significant association of systolic blood pressure with body mass index, whereas only urban women displayed positive correlation of waist circumference with systolic (r = 0.183**) and diastolic (r = 0.151**) blood pressure.     

Hemodynamic and metabolic responses to exercise after adrenoceptor blockade in humans

The effects of acute alpha 1-adrenoceptor blockade with prazosin, beta 1-adrenoceptor blockade with atenolol, and nonselective beta-adrenoceptor blockade with propranolol were compared in a placebo-controlled crossover study of the hemodynamic and metabolic responses to acute exercise 2 h after prolonged prior exercise to induce skeletal muscle glycogen depletion, enhancing the dependence on hepatic glucose output and circulating free fatty acids (FFA). Plasma catecholamines were higher during exercise after, as opposed to before, glycogen depletion and were elevated further by all three drugs. Propranolol failed to produce a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and elevated diastolic blood pressure. Atenolol reduced systolic blood pressure and did not change diastolic blood pressure. Both beta-blockers reduced FFA levels, but only propranolol lowered plasma glucose relative to placebo during exercise after glycogen depletion. In contrast, prazosin reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures and resulted in elevated FFA and glucose levels. The results indicate important differences in the hemodynamic effects of beta 1-selective vs. nonselective beta-blockade during exercise after skeletal muscle glycogen depletion. Furthermore they confirm the importance of beta 2-mediated hepatic glucose production in maintaining plasma glucose levels during exercise. Acute alpha 1-blockade with prazosin induces reflex elevation of catecholamines, which in the absence of blockade of hepatic beta 2-receptors produces elevation of plasma glucose. The results suggest there is little role for alpha 1-mediated hepatic glucose production during exercise in humans.     

Social context and psychosocial influences on blood pressure among American Samoans

This study explores social and economic influences on health within a model formulated to address explicitly both individual and household level phenomena. Dressler's lifestyle incongruity model is used as a basis from which to predict the effects of intracultural contexts of variability on blood pressure. The sample for this survey consists of 134 Samoan men and women living in American Samoa. Based on previous experience and ethnographic sources, two key intracultural contexts were examined: gender, i.e., male-female differences in response to psychosocial stress, and household employment as indicated by whether or not both spouses in a household are employed. Our analysis indicates that lifestyle incongruity, defined as the difference between the material culture presented by a household and the economic resources of the family, is significantly associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Furthermore, males and females show opposite blood pressure associations with both lifestyle incongruity (male blood pressure increases with increasing incongruity while female blood pressure does not) and household employment (male blood pressure is higher when both spouses work but female blood pressure is lower). Am J Phys Anthropol 103:7–18, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Blood pressure in a national birth cohort at the age of 36 related to social and familial factors,smoking, and body mass.

Blood pressure was measured in a birth cohort of 5362 subjects at the age of 36. The prevalence of hypertension in men (blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg) was almost twice that in women, although women received treatment more often. Deaths of fathers of subjects from hypertensive and ischaemic heart disease were associated with significantly higher mean systolic and diastolic pressures in both sexes. Cigarette smoking was not strongly associated with blood pressure in men and not associated at all in women. Of the social factors, low social class of family of origin was associated with high blood pressure in both sexes; but the strongest association was with current body mass, and birth weight also contributed. Differences in blood pressures between the sexes may have been related to protective biological factors, such as endogenous sex hormones, in women and also to differences in types of employment, smoking habits, and body mass. Differences in blood pressures related to the social class of family of origin may reflect long term influences of class differences on diet, exercise, and educational achievement. The importance of measuring secular trends in obesity and blood pressures is emphasised.     

冠心病患者血压控制水平现况

目的：评估目前我国冠心病患者血压控制水平,为冠心病的二级预防及进一步治疗提供指导依据。方法：收集2011~2014年在解放军总医院及海南分院心内科住院治疗的1 230例冠心病患者,分析不同手术方式：经皮冠状动脉介入治疗（PCI）、冠状动脉旁路移植术（CABG）、二级预防用药情况（阿司匹林、氯吡格雷、硝酸酯类、曲美他嗪、尼可地尔、降压药、降糖药、降脂药）及不同生活方式（吸烟、饮酒、锻炼）下血压控制率的差异。结果：①手术方式对血压影响：CABG组男性收缩压及舒张压均低于PCI组及对照组,CABG组女性舒张压低于PCI组。②二级预防药物的使用情况：血压不达标组在曲美他嗪、利尿剂、钙拮抗剂、β受体阻滞剂、ACEI/ARB使用率上显著高于血压正常组。③生活方式情况：吸烟的冠心病患者血压达标率显著低于不吸烟的冠心病患者,是否饮酒及锻炼在血压达标率上没有表现显著差异。结论：冠心病患者血压控制仍不理想,CABG术较PCI术可能更有利于冠心病患者血压的控制,戒烟及提高冠心病二级预防药物的使用率仍是血压控制主要手段。     

Low cholesterol concentrations and severe depressive symptoms in elderly people.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the reported association between low serum cholesterol concentration and severe depressive symptoms in an elderly population. DESIGN--Cross sectional analysis of pooled data from three communities of the established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly. Participants who completed their interview, including the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies'' depression scale and consented to measurement of their cholesterol concentration were included in the study. SUBJECTS--3939 men and women aged > or = 71. METHODS--chi 2 analysis, t tests, and multivariate regression analysis of the association between low cholesterol concentration and severe depressive symptoms. All analyses were stratified by sex, and multivariate analyses were adjusted for age, self reported health, physical function, number of drugs used, and weight loss. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Score of depressive symptoms on the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies'' depression scale. RESULTS--Depressive symptoms, cholesterol concentration, weight, and use of drugs were all associated with age in men and women. The relative odds of severe depressive symptoms (score > or = 16) for those with low cholesterol concentrations (< 4.14 mmol/l) were 1.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.3) for the older group of men and 1.8 (1.1 to 2.9) for the older group of women. This association was also observed when depressive symptoms were analysed as a continuous rather than a categorical variable. In multivariate models that adjusted for age, self reported health, physical function, number of drugs used, and weight loss, the association was substantially weakened. CONCLUSIONS--After several factors relating to health had been controlled for, no significant association between low cholesterol concentration and severe depressive symptoms was found.     

Social status,social context,and arterial blood pressure

As social change and economic development have proceeded, the prevalence of chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, has increased in the developing world. In part this is due to the adoption of diets and other health behaviors characteristic of industrialized nations; in part it is a function of changing social and economic circumstances. In this paper, we describe the development and testing of a model designed to account for social and economic effects on cardiovascular disease risk. The model incorporates the fact that global economic processes have made a lifestyle characterized by the consumption of Euroamerican material goods and information a basis for the assignment of social status in local communities. But economic change at the local level is rarely sufficient to provide a foundation for individuals' status aspirations. Hence, many individuals attempt to maintain a lifestyle inconsistent with their economic standing, a variable we term lifestyle incongruity. Here we describe how this factor is associated with higher blood pressure in a variety of settings and also how the effects of lifestyle incongruity can be modified in local contexts by social class and social role processes. This latter process, contextual modification, is illustrated by data from American Samoa. In this example, the association of lifestyle incongruity with blood pressure is examined in 30 male household heads and 26 spouses. After an examination of Samoan ethnography focused attention on the importance of age and gender differences as defining social contexts of intracultural variation, the model was modified to assess interactions between age and gender as they affect the association of lifestyle incongruity and blood pressure. Lifestyle incongruity is strongly associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure for the younger household heads, minimally associated with blood pressure for older household heads, and only slightly associated with the blood pressure of their spouses. The regression coefficients for the lifestyle incongruity by age by sex interaction term was significant at P ≤ 0.01 for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The consistency of these results with expectations based on the ethnographic record is emphasized in the interpretation. We feel that the lifestyle incongruity model represents an empirically successful attempt to link global political-economic processes, local social structure, and biological outcomes. Am J Phys Anthropol 102:55–66, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Sickness absence as a global measure of health: evidence from mortality in the Whitehall II prospective cohort study

Objective To examine the association between sickness absence and mortality compared with associations between established health indicators and mortality.Design Prospective cohort study. Medical examination and questionnaire survey conducted in 1985-8; sickness absence records covered the period 1985-98.Setting 20 civil service departments in London.Participants 6895 male and 3413 female civil servants aged 35-55 years.Main outcome measure All cause mortality until the end of 1999.Results After adjustment for age and grade, men and women who had more than five medically certified absences (spells > 7 days) per 10 years had a mortality 4.8 (95% confidence interval 3.3 to 6.9) and 2.7 (1.5 to 4.9) times greater than those with no such absence. Poor self rated health, presence of longstanding illness, and a measure of common clinical conditions comprising diabetes, diagnosed heart disease, abnormalities on electrocardiogram, hypertension, and respiratory illness were all associated with mortality—relative rates between 1.3 and 1.9. In a multivariate model including all the above health indicators and additional health risk factors, medically certified sickness absence remained a significant predictor of mortality. No linear association existed between self certified absence (spells 1-7 days) and mortality, but the findings suggest that a small amount of self certified absence is protective.Conclusion Evidence linking sickness absence to mortality indicates that routinely collected sickness absence data could be used as a global measure of health differentials between employees. However, such approaches should focus on medically certified (or long term) absences rather than self certified absences.     

Factors associated with health effects from occupational exposure to pesticide residues among greengrocers in fresh market,Bangkok, Thailand

Greengrocers are occupationally exposed to pesticide residues (PRs) on vegetables via dermal contact, especially organophosphates (OPs). The study's aim was to explore health effects from exposure to PRs. Eighty five vegetable vendors at a large fresh market in Bangkok were tested blood cholinesterase activity by the Test-mate ChE Kit (Model 400). The average acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and plasma cholinesterase (PChE) levels were 3.33 ± 0.66 U/ml and 2.06 ± 0.46 U/ml, respectively. The subjective symptoms were skin rash/itching, fatigue/tiredness, eye irritation/blurred vision, headache, and excessive sweating. Multiple linear regression analysis showed a positively significant association between scores of practices regarding exposure to PRs and AChE levels, and a negatively significant relationship between OP residues on hands and PChE levels (p-value < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that either AChE or PChE was significantly associated with eye symptoms and neuromuscular symptoms (p-value < 0.05). A statistically significant association between low score of dermal practice and having skin symptoms was found. Exposure to PRs by hand contact and consumption with poor hygiene habits can pose health problems among greengrocers. The findings emphasized that good personal hygiene practices such as wearing gloves and washing hands can prevent and reduce the health effects from exposure to PRs.     

Sodium and potassium intake and blood pressure change in childhood.

OBJECTIVE--To assess the association between sodium and potassium intake and the rise in blood pressure in childhood. DESIGN--Longitudinal study of a cohort of children with annual measurements during an average follow up period of seven years. SETTING--Epidemiological survey of the population of a suburban town in western Netherlands. SUBJECTS--Cohort of 233 children aged 5-17 drawn at random from participants in the population survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--At least six annual timed overnight urine samples were obtained. The mean 24 hour sodium and potassium excretion during the follow up period was estimated for each participant and the sodium to potassium ratio calculated. Individual slopes of blood pressure over time were calculated by linear regression analysis. RESULTS--No significant association was observed between sodium excretion and the change in blood pressure over time. The mean systolic blood pressure slopes, however, were lower when potassium intake was higher (coefficient of linear regression -0.045 mm Hg/year/mmol; 95% confidence interval -0.069 to -0.020), and the change in systolic pressure was greater when the urinary sodium to potassium ratio was higher (0.356 mm Hg/year/unit; 95% confidence interval 0.069 to 0.642). In relation to potassium this was interpreted as a rise in blood pressure that was on average 1.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval -1.65 to -0.35) lower in children in the upper part of the distribution of intake compared with those in the lower part. The mean yearly rise in systolic blood pressure for the group as a whole was 1.95 mm Hg. Urinary electrolyte excretion was not associated with diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION--Dietary potassium and the dietary sodium to potassium ratio are related to the rise in blood pressure in childhood and may be important in the early pathogenesis of primary hypertension.     

Health care rationing: the public's debate.

OBJECTIVE--To elicit the views of a large nationally representative sample of adults on priorities for health services. DESIGN--An interview survey based on a random sample of people aged 16 and over in Great Britain taken by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. SUBJECTS--The response rate to the survey was 75%, and the total number of adults interviewed was 2005. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--A priority ranking exercise of health services supplemented with attitude questions about priorities, who should set priorities, and budget allocation. RESULTS--The results of the main priority ranking exercise of 12 health services showed that the highest priority (rank 1) was accorded to "treatments for children with life threatening illness," the next highest priority (rank 2) was accorded to "special care and pain relief for people who are dying." The lowest priorities (11 and 12) were given to "treatment for infertility" and "treatment for people aged 75 and over with life threatening illness." Most respondents thought that surveys like this one should be used in the planning of health services. CONCLUSIONS--The public prioritise treatments specifically for younger rather than older people. There is some public support for people with self inflicted conditions (for example, through tobacco smoking) receiving lower priority for care, which raises ethical issues.     

Control of blood pressure and risk of first acute myocardial infarction: Skaraborg hypertension project.

OBJECTIVE--To analyse the relation between treated blood pressure and concomitant risk factor and morbidity from acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN--Prospective longitudinal study. Treated blood pressures and other variables were used to predict acute myocardial infarction. SETTING--Primary health care in Skaraborg, Sweden. SUBJECTS--1121 men and 1453 women aged 40-69 years at registration at outpatient clinics, 1977-81, with no evidence of previous myocardial infarction were followed up for an average of 7.4 years. Subjects were undergoing treatment with drugs to lower blood pressure or had blood pressure that exceeded the systolic or diastolic limits, or both, for diagnosis (> 170/> 105 mm Hg (patients aged 40-60 years) and > 180/> 110 mm Hg (older than 60 years)) on three different occasions, or both. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--First validated event of fatal or non-fatal acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS--In men but not in women there was a negative relation between treated diastolic blood pressure and risk of acute myocardial infarction. Left ventricular hypertrophy and smoking were contributory risk factors in both sexes, as was serum cholesterol concentration in men. In men with normal electrocardiograms (n = 345) risk increased with increasing diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.047), whereas the opposite was found in men with electrocardiograms suggesting ischaemia or hypertrophy, or both (n = 499, P = 0.009). In those with a reading of 95-99 mm Hg the relative risk was 0.30 (P = 0.034); at > or = 100 mm Hg it was 0.37 (P = 0.027). No similar relations were seen in women or for systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION--It may be hazardous to lower diastolic blood pressure below 95 mm Hg in hypertensive men with possible ischaemia or hypertrophy, or both. Electrocardiographic findings should be considered when treatment goals are decided for men with hypertension.     

Coffee consumption and death from coronary heart disease in middle aged Norwegian men and women.

OBJECTIVE--To study the association between number of cups of coffee consumed per day and coronary death when taking other major coronary risk factors into account. DESIGN--Men and women attending screening and followed up for a mean of 6.4 years. SETTING--Cardiovascular survey performed by ambulatory teams from the National Health Screening Service in Norway. PARTICIPANTS--All middle aged people in three counties: 19,398 men and 19,166 women aged 35-54 years who reported neither cardiovascular disease or diabetes nor symptoms of angina pectoris or intermittent claudication. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Predictive value of number of cups of coffee consumed per day. RESULTS--At initial screening total serum cholesterol concentration, high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, blood pressure, height, and weight were measured and self reported information about smoking history, physical activity, and coffee drinking habits was recorded. Altogether 168 men and 16 women died of coronary heart disease during follow up. Mean cholesterol concentrations for men and women were almost identical and increased from the lowest to highest coffee consumption group (13.1% and 10.9% respectively). With the proportional hazards model and adjustment for age, total serum and high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, systolic blood pressure, and number of cigarettes per day the coefficient for coffee corresponded to a relative risk between nine or more cups of coffee and less than one cup of 2.2 (95% confidence interval 1.1 to 4.5) for men and 5.1 (0.4 to 60.3) for women. For men the relative risk varied among the three counties. CONCLUSIONS--Coffee may affect mortality from coronary heart disease over and above its effect in raising cholesterol concentrations.     

"Effects of baicalin on protease-activated receptor-1 expression and brain injury in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage"

"Regular physical exercise plays an important role in reducing obesity, preventing hyperglycemia, lowering blood lipids and reducing systemic blood pressure. But the question about the nature of the relationship between homocysteine, nitric oxide and physical activity remains unanswered. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of callisthenic exercises on plasma lipids, homocysteine (Hcy), total nitric oxide (NOx) and body composition in middle-aged healthy sedentary women. Forty-two middle-aged women (ages: 28-49; mean: 41.40 ± 7.3 years) were asked to perform a callisthenic exercise 50 min per session, 3 times per week for 12 weeks in a sports hall. Before and after the exercise, plasma lipids (total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein and triglyceride), Hcy and NO were determined. Body composition, including body mass index, fat percentage, fat free mass, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rates were measured. After a 12-week callisthenic exercise program, plasma NOx and Hcy levels were found to be significantly increased (P < 0.05). Body composition parameters, lipid profile, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Aerobic callisthenic exercises characterized by 50 min/day and 3 days/week resulted in positive changes in important health parameters like reducing obesity, lowering blood lipids and increasing plasma NOx. Cardiovascular improvements might be dependent on the increase of NOx values. But callisthenic exercise in such intensity did not lower the plasma Hcy level. Moreover, Hcy level increased significantly. The result shows that if the Hcy is in the normal levels in healthy subjects, long-term callisthenic exercise do not decrease the Hcy levels despite some beneficial effects on health. On the contrary, the Hcy levels are increased by long-term callisthenic exercises."