Materials and Methods: Sixty postmenopausal female patients aged 51-68 years were included in the study to assess the relationship between tooth loss and the level of blood pressure. The information including sociodemographics, last menstruation period, hypertension history, and the duration of having tooth loss was recorded. Blood pressure was measured using sphygmomanometer and the number of tooth loss was determined.
Results: The results showed a more significant tooth loss in hypertension (median: 23 + 4; interquartile range [IQR]: 6) compared to the normotension postmenopausal women (median: 18 + 6; IQR: 12; P < 0.05). Furthermore, obese patients had more tooth loss (median: 23 + 5; IQR: 8) than the overweight patients (median: 19 + 8; IQR: 8).
Conclusion: Tooth loss is associated with the increase of hypertension in postmenopausal women which may have a role in the development of vascular diseases.
METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study using multi-stage stratified sampling method. Data collection was carried out via face-to-face interview at the respondent's home from October 2017 until March 2018. A total of 1047 respondents aged 18 years and above completed the questionnaires and blood pressure measurement. A person who reported diagnosis of hypertension by a physician and had systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg on three readings was categorised as hypertensive. Risk factors of hypertension were analysed using multiple logistic regression.
RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension in the present study was 49.39% (95% CI 44.27-54.51). There was no statistically significant difference in gender. Age, household income, BMI, and diabetes were significantly associated with hypertension. Hypertension found had inverse association with the level of education. Age was the strongest predictor of hypertension (35-44 years old; OR=2.39, 95% CI=1.39-4.09, 45-54 years old; OR=5.50, 95% CI=3.23-9.38, 55-64 years old OR=13.56, 95% CI=7.77-23.64 and 65 years old and above; OR=25.28, 95% CI=13.33-48.66). Those who had higher BMI more likely to be hypertensive as compared to respondents with normal weight (overweight, OR=1.84; 95% CI=1.18-2.86; obese, OR=4.29% CI=2.56-7.29).
CONCLUSION: The findings showed that hypertension is prevalent among adults in Malaysia. Those with older age, higher BMI, and diabetes are more likely to have hypertension. Efforts regarding lifestyle modification and education could be important in hypertension management and prevention.
METHODS: A participant blinded, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial was conducted in which the participants in the intervention group (IG) practiced deep breathing exercise guided by sound cues and those in the control group (CG) listened to the music. The primary end point was reduction in blood pressure at eight weeks.
RESULTS: 87 patients, 46 males and 41 females with mean age of 61.1 years were recruited and 93.1% of them successfully completed the study. There was significant reduction in systolic and diastolic Blood Pressure from baseline by 8 weeks in both groups. The reduction in Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the control arm was 10.5mmHg compared to 8.3mmHg (p<0.001) in intervention group. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reduction in control and intervention groups were 5.2 mmHg (p<0.001) and 5.6 mmHg (p<0.001) respectively. The absolute difference in SBP reduction from baseline in IG & CG was -2.2 (95%CI: -7.8 to 3.5) and DBP was -0.4 (95%CI: -2.9 to 3.6). However, blood pressure reduction between the two groups was not significant.
CONCLUSIONS: Both listening to music and deep breathing exercise were associated with a clinically significant reduction in SBP and DBP. However, deep breathing exercise did not augment the benefit of music in reducing BP.
METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 11 groups; the control group was fed with rat chow, and the other groups were fed with chow that was mixed with 15% weight/weight palm or soy oils, which were either in a fresh form or heated once, twice, five, or ten times. Blood pressures were measured at the baseline and throughout the 24-week study. Plasma nitric oxide levels were assessed prior to treatment and at the end of the study. Following 24 weeks, the rats were sacrificed to investigate their vascular reactivity using the thoracic aorta.
RESULTS: Palm and soy oils had no detrimental effects on blood pressure, and they significantly elevated the nitric oxide contents and reduced the contractile responses to phenylephrine. However, trials using palm and soy oils that were repeatedly heated showed an increase in blood pressure, enhanced phenylephrine-induced contractions, reduced acetylcholine- and sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxations relative to the control and rats that were fed fresh vegetable oils.
CONCLUSIONS: The blood pressure-raising effect of the heated vegetable cooking oils is associated with increased vascular reactivity and a reduction in nitric oxide levels. The chronic consumption of heated vegetable oils leads to disturbances in endogenous vascular regulatory substances, such as nitric oxide. The thermal oxidation of the cooking oils promotes the generation of free radicals and may play an important contributory role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in rats.
METHODS: Online literature search databases including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, Embase and Google Scholar were searched to discover relevant articles available up to 17 March 2020. We used mean changes and SD of the outcomes to assess treatment response from baseline and mean difference, and 95 % CI were calculated to combined data and assessment effect sizes in astaxanthin and control groups.
RESULTS: 14 eligible articles were included in the final quantitative analysis. Current study revealed that astaxanthin consumption was not associated with FBS, HbA1c, TC, LDL-C, TG, BMI, BW, DBP, and SBP. We did observe an overall increase in HDL-C (WMD: 1.473 mg/dl, 95 % CI: 0.319-2.627, p = 0.012). As for the levels of CRP, only when astaxanthin was administered (i) for relatively long periods (≥ 12 weeks) (WMD: -0.528 mg/l, 95 % CI: -0.990 to -0.066), and (ii) at high dose (> 12 mg/day) (WMD: -0.389 mg/dl, 95 % CI: -0.596 to -0.183), the levels of CRP would decrease.
CONCLUSION: In summary, our systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that astaxanthin consumption was associated with increase in HDL-C and decrease in CRP. Significant associations were not observed for other outcomes.
FINDINGS: We studied 127 women; and based on their hair nicotine levels measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, 25 of them were categorized as having higher hair nicotine levels, 25 were grouped as having lower hair nicotine and 77 women were grouped into the non-detected group. The non-detected group did not have detectable levels of hair nicotine. Anthropometry, blood pressure (BP), lipid profile and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured accordingly. Microvascular endothelial function was assessed non-invasively using laser Doppler fluximetry and the process of iontophoresis involving acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside as endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilators respectively. The mean hair nicotine levels for higher and lower hair nicotine groups were 0.74 (1.04) and 0.05 (0.01) ng/mg respectively. There were no significant differences in anthropometry, BP, lipid profile and hsCRP between these groups. There were also no significant differences in the microvascular perfusion and endothelial function between these groups.
CONCLUSION: In this study, generally healthy non-smoking women who have higher, lower and non-detected hair nicotine levels did not show significant differences in their microvascular endothelial function. Low levels of SHS exposure among generally healthy non-smoking women may not significantly impair their microvascular endothelial function.
METHODS: Thirty healthy adult male Wistar rats (150-180 g) were randomly divided into three groups which included control (C; n = 6), PA extract (PAE; n = 6) and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS; n = 18). Food and fluid were given ad libitum for 8 weeks. These groups differed in fluid intake whereby rats received tap water, 10% of PA leaf water extracts and 20% of fructose in drinking water in group C, PAE and MetS, respectively. After 8 weeks, the MetS group was further subdivided into three subgroups namely MetS1 (n = 6), MetS2 (n = 6) and MetS3 (n = 6). The C, PAE and MetS1 were sacrificed. MetS1 group was sacrificed as the control for metabolic syndrome. MetS2 and MetS3 groups were treated with only tap water and 10% of PA leaf water extract respectively for another 8 weeks. The parameters for physiological and metabolic changes such as obesity, hypertension, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, and inflammatory biomarkers (NFκβ p65, TNFα, leptin and adiponectin) were measured.
RESULTS: The intake of 20% of fructose in drinking water induced full blown of metabolic syndrome symptoms, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia in male Wistar rats. Subsequently, treatment with PA leaf water extract improved obesity parameters including BMI, abdominal adipose tissue deposition and adipocytes size, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein with neutral effects on inflammatory biomarkers.
CONCLUSIONS: Administration of PA in metabolic syndrome rat model attenuates most of the metabolic syndrome symptoms as well as improves obesity. Therefore, PA which is rich in total flavonoids and total phenolic acids can be suggested as a useful dietary supplement to improve metabolic syndrome components induces by fructose.