Myocardial hypertrophy of the left ventricle during familial arterial hypertension

In patients with familial arterial hypertension and their relatives preclinical signs of myocardial hypertrophy were observed before the formation of stably increased blood pressure. We evaluated echocardiographic sings of left ventricular myocardial hypertrophy in normotensive relatives of patients with arterial hypertension. __________ Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 140, No. 12, pp. 625–626, December, 2005     

Efficacy of fixed combination amlodipine/valsartan in hospitalized patients with hypertensive disease

Efficacy and tolerability of fixed amlodipine/valsartan combination was studied in 86 patients with hypertensive disease hospitalized in departments of general internal medicine or cardiology. All patients had indications for antihypertensive therapy and were randomized either to fixed combination amlodipine/valsartan (n=43) or to therapy which corresponded to the hospital formulary (n=43). Correction of antihypertensive therapy was performed by treating physician at daily rounds. Self-control of blood pressure (BP) was performed by patients with the use of UA767PC apparatus. Results of BP self-control were compared with clinical measurements in order to detect concealed inefficacy of treatment. Results. Rate of achievement of target BP with fixed combination amlodipine/valsartan (93%) was comparable with that on traditional therapy (90%). But the use of fixed combination amlodipine/valsartan compared with traditional therapy was associated with lower clinical and self measured BP, quicker achievement of target BP (5.8+/-2.3 and 9.2+/-1.8 days, respectively, p<0.05), lesser number of antihypertensive drugs (2.5+/-0.6 and 3.0+/-0.9 days, respectively), lower rate of concealed inefficacy of treatment (12 and 31%, respectively, p<0.05). Conclusions. We have demonstrated appropriateness of inhospital administration of fixed amlodipine/valsartan combination as an approach allowing to achieve target BP in shorter time, with the use of fewer antihypertensive drugs, and diminishing concealed inefficacy of treatment.     

Infrared Thermometry for Acute Radiation Syndrome in Mice

Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine - Experiment on female ICR CD-1 mice showed that non-contact infrared thermometry can be used for short-term and medium-term prognosis of animal death...     

Serum serotonin in patients with tension headaches

Tension headache (TH) is one of the most frequent types of idiopathic headaches. The leading role in its pathogenesis is played by depression and dysmetabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The subjects were 100 patients with TH. The examination included study of headache intensity, complex psychometric testing, and immune-enzyme measurement of serotonin serum level, performed before and after treatment with the anti-depressant prodep. All the patients had moderate pain syndrome, depression, and moderate or severe anxiety, which demonstrated negative correlation with serotonin serum level. In particular, the intensity of episodic THs (n = 24) was 52 mm visual analogue scale, reactive anxiety level was as high as 51.08 +/- 4.2, the level of depression was moderate (12.9 Beck scale); serotonin blood level showed a tendency to fall (205.72 +/- 6.74 ng/ml). In 76 patients, suffering from chronic THs with a cephalgia intensity of 62 mm visual analogue scale, high indexes of reactive and personal anxiety (46.81 -/+ 2.68 and 54.2 +/- 3.64, respectively), and high depression level were associated with a prominent decrease of serotonin blood concentration (119.38 +/- 9.42 ng/ml). A course of treatment with prodep led to significant decrease of headache intensity and improved depression, while an increase of serum serotonin level was observed. Thus, serotonin serum level may be used as a marker of pain intensity and the level of depression, and an objective indicator of anti-depressive therapy.