OBJECTIVES Combination therapy using an angiotensin II receptor blocker is expected to promote medication adherence and alleviate economic burden among patients by reducing the number of drugs taken, and thereby to lower associated medical costs. In the present retrospective study, we conducted a survey on the use of angiotensin II receptor blocker-containing combination tablets as anti-hyperte...

BACKGROUND Treatment with specific beta-blockers reduces mortality and hospitalisation in heart failure. AIM To describe trends and inequities in beta-blocker prescribing for heart failure. DESIGN OF STUDY Repeated cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative primary care database (DIN-LINK). SETTING A total of 152 UK general practices. METHOD Prescribing of beta-blockers bet...

Transcription factor E26 transformation-specific sequence-1 (ETS-1) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of a variety of genes, including growth factors, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. We recently demonstrated that angiotensin II increases the glomerular expression of ETS-1 and that blockade of ETS-1 ameliorates the profibrotic and proinflammatory effects of angiotensin ...

Hypertension is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Antihypertensive treatment, particularly blockade of the renin-angiotensin system, contributes to prevent atherosclerosis-mediated cardiovascular events. Direct comparison of different antihypertensive treatments on atherosclerosis and particularly plaque stabilization is sparse. ApoE(-/-) mice with vulnerable (2-kidney,...

Fullerene derivatives demonstrate considerable potential for numerous biological applications, such as the effective inhibition of HIV protease. Recently, they were identified for their ability to indiscriminately block biological ion channels. A fullerene derivative which specifically blocks a particular ion channel could lead to a new set of drug leads for the treatment of various ion channel...

BACKGROUND Increasing body mass index, cholesterol and body fat are associated with a better prognosis in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). Beta-blocker usage is associated with changes in body composition and increased body fat. The present study investigated 12-month changes in body composition in patients with LVSD initiated on beta-blocker therapy. METHODS The re...

BACKGROUND Beta-blocker therapy after acute myocardial infarction (MI) improves survival. Beta-blocker doses used in clinical practice are often substantially lower than those used in the randomized trials establishing their efficacy. OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the association of beta-blocker dose with survival after acute MI, hypothesizing that higher dose beta-blocker therapy will be a...