Male Cardiovascular Disease Research Articles

The prevalence of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases among Iranian adults: Findings of a cross-sectional study.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Lack of accurate estimation of the risk factors associated with these diseases can impair the designing of effective interventions in this field; the present study aimed to investigate the risk factors attributable to cardiovascular diseases in males and females visiting comprehensive health service centers in 2018. This cross-sectional study is part of the national health transformation plan shaped in response to the emerging epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. In the present study, 6,331 participants aged 30 years and older were randomly and census selected from comprehensive urban and rural health service centers in Naein County, in Isfahan, Iran, respectively. The data were collected using the electronic health record from the IraPEN program in two sections: demographic information and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors. They were then analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 24 software using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regression. The participants' mean age was 55.09 ± 16.11 years. The main risk factor was insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables while smoking was a negligible risk factor. Low physical activity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and high body mass index were more prevalent in females than in males, whereas smoking was more frequently reported in males (P < 0.001). Risk factors such as age, gender, education level, place of residence, and marital status, played a significant role in determining CVD risk factors. More than half of Iranian adults had one or older cardiovascular disease-related risk factors, and the prevalence of such factors was higher in females than in males. Given the importance of gender differences in cardiovascular disease-related health habits, it is necessary to reduce the majority of these diseases in society, especially in women, by controlling modifiable risk factors.

Sleep duration and Framingham´s cardiovascular risk score: results from the Hoveyzeh Cohort Study (HCS)

BackgroundCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of global deaths. So, it is necessary to know the possible risk factors for each region. We aimed to assess the relationship between the risk of CVDs and sleep duration in the Iranian Arab population.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data from 8362 participants aged between 35 and 70 from the Hoveyzeh Cohort Study enrollment phase between 2016 and 2018 was analyzed. This study evaluated the association between ten-year CVD risk using the Framingham risk score and sleep duration. Self-reported sleep duration was categorized as short duration (equal to or less than 5 h), standard duration (6–8 h), or prolonged duration (equal to or greater than 9 h). Multivariable logistic regression to adjust for conventional CVD risks was used.ResultsAmong the assessed participants, 4892 (58.50%) were female, and the mean age was 47.93 (9.01). The average sleep duration was 7.59 (1.56) hours. The low, intermediate-to-high, and high CVD risk individuals were 6461 (77.27%), 1185 (14.17%), and 716 (8.56%), respectively. There was a significant relationship between prolonged sleep duration and lower odds of intermediate-to-high CVD risk in males (OR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49–0.87, P-value: 0.004).ConclusionThe results of our study showed that longer sleep duration has a protective association with the intermediate to high risk of cardiovascular diseases in males. However, long and short sleep durations have no significant relationship with females’ risk of cardiovascular disease.

Homocysteine as a predictor and prognostic marker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a well-known marker that is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis due to its toxic effect on endothelial cells. This, in turn, leads to cardiovascular injury and increases morbidity. Different studies have shown alterations in the levels of homocysteine with respect to multiple disease states. Whether this non-traditional marker is associated with cardiovascular injury or not is subject to conflicting results. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the role of homocysteine in the formation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in young adults and children. This systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines (PRISMA). A search was done using specific keywords, including "homocysteine", "coronary artery disease", and "atherosclerosis", amongst several others, from the databases of PubMed, COCHRANE, and EBSCO. The data items included the diseased sample population along with the intervention used, or investigations carried out and the findings of the studies. Finally, 35 eligible studies were included. Young patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were more likely to have elevated levels of homocysteine compared to elderly patients. Elevated levels of homocysteine have been observed with several genetic, nutritional deficiencies, and autoimmune states such as rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, decreased levels of homocysteine have been observed after certain intervention treatments, such as oral contraceptive pills, L-thyroxine, and even the adoption of certain diets. In the majority of studies, whenever homocysteine levels were higher than normal, this was reflected by an increased carotid intima-media thickness. Homocysteine has a high correlation with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in young and overweight patients. In addition, the relationship of homocysteine with smoking, genetic polymorphism, specific hormonal and renal disorders, nutritional deficiencies (vitamin B12 and folic acid), and the use of specific medicines are among the other recurring findings. Given that many of these studies focus only on women, the relationship between homocysteine and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in males is still unclear. Whether males are more prone to hyperhomocysteinemia needs to be assessed. Still, precise processes underlying variations in homocysteine in relation to all influencing factors are unclear and need further studies.

Sex-based differences in metabolic protection by the ANP genetic variant rs5068 in the general population.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are produced in the heart and secreted into the circulation. As hormones, both peptides activate the guanylyl cyclase receptor A (GC-A), playing a role in blood pressure (BP) regulation. A significant role for ANP and BNP includes favorable actions in metabolic homeostasis. Sex-based high prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in males compared with females is well established, but sex-based differences on cardiometabolic protection have not been investigated in relation to ANP (NPPA) and BNP (NPPB) gene variants. We included 1,146 subjects in the general population from Olmsted County, Minnesota. Subjects were genotyped for the ANP gene variant rs5068 and BNP gene variant rs198389. Cardiometabolic parameters and medical records were reviewed. In the presence of the minor allele of rs5068, diastolic BP, creatinine, body mass index (BMI), waist measurement, insulin, and prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome were lower, whereas HDL was higher in males with only trends observed in females. We observed no associations of the minor allele with echocardiographic parameters in either males or females. Regarding rs198389 genotype, the minor allele was not associated with any BP, metabolic, renal, or echocardiographic parameters in either sex. In the general community, the minor allele of the ANP gene variant rs5068 is associated with a favorable metabolic phenotype in males. No associations were observed with the BNP gene variant rs198389. These studies support a protective role of the ANP pathway on metabolic function and underscore the importance of sex in relationship to natriuretic peptide responses.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Males are characterized by lower ANP and BNP with greater prevalence of cardiometabolic disease. The ANP genetic variant rs5068 was associated with less metabolic dysfunction in males, whereas no metabolic profile was related to the BNP genetic variant rs198389 in the general population. ANP may play a more biological role in metabolic homeostasis compared with BNP in the general population with greater physiological metabolic actions in males compared with females.

The Brain's Microvascular Response to High Glycemia and to the Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Is Sexually Dimorphic.

Biological sex and a high glycemic diet (HGD) contribute to dementia, yet little is known about the operative molecular mechanisms. Our goal was to understand the differences between males and females in the multi-genomic response of the hippocampal microvasculature to the HGD, and whether there was vasculoprotection via the inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEHI). Adult wild type mice fed high or low glycemic diets for 12 weeks, with or without an sEHI inhibitor (t-AUCB), had hippocampal microvessels isolated by laser-capture microdissection. Differential gene expression was determined by microarray and integrated multi-omic bioinformatic analyses. The HGD induced opposite effects in males and females: the HGD-upregulated genes were involved in neurodegeneration or neuroinflammation in males, whereas in females they downregulated the same pathways, favoring neuroprotection. In males, the HGD was associated with a greater number of clinical diseases than in females, the sEHI downregulated genes involved in neurodegenerative diseases to a greater extent with the HGD and compared to females. In females, the sEHI downregulated genes involved in endothelial cell functions to a greater extent with the LGD and compared to males. Our work has potentially important implications for sex-specific therapeutic targets for vascular dementia and cardiovascular diseases in males and females.

Study on the associations of physical activity types and cardiovascular diseases among Chinese population using latent class analysis method

Previous studies reported on the association between physical activity (PA) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDS) among the Western population. However, evidence on the association between different patterns of PA and the risk of CVDS among Chinese population are limited. This study aims to evaluate the association of different PA types and the risk of CVDS in a Chinese adult population. A total of 3568 community residents were recruited from Jiangsu Province of China using a stratified multistage cluster sampling method. The latent class analysis method was employed to identify the types of PA, and the Framingham risk score (FRS) was used to estimate the risk of CVDS within 10 years. Three types of PA were identified: CLASS1 represented participants with high occupational PA and low sedentary PA (32.1% of male, 26.5% of female), ClASS2 represented those engaging in low occupational PA and high leisure-time PA (27.0% of male, 14.2% of female), and CLASS3 represented low leisure-time and high sedentary PA (40.9% of male, 59.3% of female). The average of FRS in males was higher than that in females across PA types. CLASS1 (OR = 0.694, 95%CI 0.553–0.869) and CLASS2 (OR = 0.748, 95%CI 0.573–0.976) were both found to be protective against CVDS in males; however, such associations were not statistically significant among females. Therefore, higher occupational or leisure-time PA appear to be associated with decreased risk of CVDS, while more sedentary behaviors may increase the risk of CVDS, particularly for male Chinese adults.

Sex Differences and Cardiovascular Diseases in Down Syndrome

Congenital heart disease and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of death for individuals with Down Syndrome (Ds) (Zhu, J.L., et al, 2013). A systematic review was conducted in June 2021 to address the research question “Are there reported sex differences for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular physiological function in Ds”. Since there are significant sex differences in the risk of congenital heart and cerebrovascular disease in the general population, we hypothesized that these differences are present in the Ds population. Four domains were developed: congenital heart disease, baseline physiology and risk factors, heart disease and hypertension, and cerebrovascular disease. Exclusion criteria were applied to identify studies that addressed sex differences. The systematic review shows that women with Ds have a higher rate of congenital heart disease, coronary and cerebrovascular events and Moyamoya. Following the systematic review, a retrospective medical chart review of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was conducted using the platform TriNetX to identify the incidence of congenital and cardiovascular diseases in males and females. Relative risk was computed comparing Ds to general patient counts as well as men and women within each population. Ds patients did not share most of the sex differences in risk factors observed in the general population, however there are important sex differences in each domain that may contribute to earlier mortality in women with Ds. Several studies report women have an increased probability of developing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as obesity. Therefore, future research to understand the mechanism underlying these sex differences is necessary.ReferencesZhu, J.L., et al., Survival among people with Down syndrome: a nationwide population‐basedstudy in Denmark. Genetics in Medicine, 2013. 15(1): p. 64‐69.

Abstract P190: Transcriptomic Data Analysis Reveals Sex-Related Differences in the Interplay Between Toll-Like Receptor 4 and Heat-Shock Protein 70 in the Aorta of Type 2 Diabetic Donors

Background: Emerging evidence highlights distinct mechanisms driving cardiovascular diseases in males and females. Particularly important in this context are the actions of the Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) family, which are molecular chaperones that, under pathological conditions, modulate innate immune receptors such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Activation of TLR4 triggers oxidative stress and inflammation, key elements of vascular diseases. However, it is still unknown if HSP70 stimulates TLR4 in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) as well as how the expression of HSP70 family members relate to TLR4 in the vasculature of type 2 diabetic (T2D) donors. Methods and Results: We used a proximity ligation assay to investigate the association between TLR4 and HSP70 in SMCs, and fluorescent spots were observed indicating both target proteins within interacting range. Additionally, we exposed SMCs to high glucose (25 mM) in presence or absence of an HSP70 inhibitor (VER155008, 10 -5 M), and we evaluated TLR4 levels, which showed that HSP70 blockade attenuates TLR4 expression (-3.3-fold vs . high glucose). Next, we analyzed a human transcriptomic dataset of T2D donors from the GTEx database, which contains 46 samples from aorta (30 males and 16 females). To reduce the effects of confounders, we matched two covariates (age and race), and we excluded donors with T1D or unknown T1D status. The statsmodels Python package was used to compute the Pearson correlation among the transcripts per million values of RNA for TLR4 and HSP70 family genes [cognate (HSPA8) and inducible (HSPA1A, HSPA1B, HSPA6)] in T2D donors (n=14 samples for each sex). We observed a positive correlation between HSPA6 and TLR4 in males (r = 0.58; p&lt;0.05), but not in females (r = -0.097; p&gt;0.05). On the other hand, the levels of HSPA8 inversely correlate with TLR4 in females (r = -0.55; p&lt;0.05), but not in males (p&gt;0.05). It appears that in males, an increase in the expression of TLR4 induces HSPA6 without affecting the levels of HSPA8 while in females an increase in TLR4 levels does not associate with the inducible genes, but it impairs HSPA8. No association was found in the other analyzed genes. Conclusion: Our results suggest that sex plays a role in the interplay between TLR4 and HSP70 family members in aortic tissue.

Cardiac disease is linked to adiposity in male gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Cardiac disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for adult gorillas. Previous research indicates a sex-based difference with predominantly males demonstrating evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy. To evaluate these findings, we analyzed serum markers with cardiac measures in a large sample of gorillas. The study sample included 44 male and 25 female gorillas housed at American Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoos. Serum samples were collected from fasted gorillas during routine veterinary health exams and analyzed to measure leptin, adiponectin, IGF-1, insulin, ferritin, glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Cardiac ultrasonography via transthoracic echocardiogram was performed simultaneously. Three echocardiographic parameters were chosen to assess cardiac disease according to parameters established for captive lowland gorillas: left ventricular internal diameter, inter-ventricular septum thickness, and left ventricular posterior wall thickness. Our data revealed that high leptin, low adiponectin, and lowered cholesterol were significantly and positively correlated with measures of heart thickness and age in males but not in females. Lowered cholesterol in this population would be categorized as elevated in humans. High leptin and low adiponectin are indicative of increased adiposity and suggests a potential parallel with human obesity and cardiovascular disease in males. Interestingly, while females exhibited increased adiposity with age, they did not progress to cardiac disease.

Epidemiological population-based cohort study on mortality and hospitalization in the area near the waste incinerator plant of San Zeno, Arezzo (Tuscany Region, Central Italy)

to evaluate whether exposure to an urban waste incinerator plant operating in Arezzo (Tuscany Region, Central Italy) since the 2000 is associated with mortality and morbidity. a population-based cohort study of inhabitants living close to the incinerator in the period 2001-2010 was conducted. The individual exposure histories to the incinerator and other sources in the area were estimated using a dispersion model producing PM10 concentration maps for each source (ADMS-URBAN model). Hazard Ratios (HR) with 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) adjusted for the other environmental exposures, age and socioeconomic status were estimated for the highest class of exposure using the lowest one as reference. Trends of HR were evaluated too. mortality and hospitalization causes with induction-latent period overlapping the incinerator activity period were analysed. morbidity analysis showed an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (No. 732; HR: 1.18; 95%CI 1.06-1.32; trend of HR: 1.08, p=0.006) and a trend of HRs for urinary diseases (trend: 1.13; p=0.063). Mortality analysis showed a trend of HRs for general mortality in males (trend: 1.10; p=0.014), for cardiovascular diseases in males (trend: 1.15; p=0.036), for respiratory diseases in females (trend: 1.30; p=0.098), and an excess of acute respiratory diseases in females with the highest exposure (No. 11; HR=2.54; 95%CI 0.84-7.68). the cohort study allowed to characterise the environmental exposures considering the most relevant pollution sources and providing estimation of individual environmental exposures. Residual confounding due to the overlapping of concentration maps cannot be excluded and further investigations are needed. However, the increased risks for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases reinforce the limited epidemiological evidence on health effects of incinerators.

Atherogenic index of plasma in non-obese women with androgenetic alopecia.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by the local and gradual transformation of terminal scalp hair into vellus hair, which has a shorter and thinner shaft. Several studies have analyzed the relationship between AGA and cardiovascular disease in males, and few were conducted in females. The current study aimed to investigate lipid profile and atherogenic index of plasma in non-obese females with AGA. Forty non-obese females with early-onset AGA were selected with 40 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects as a control group. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured, and the atherogenic index of plasma was calculated for all cases and control subjects. Mean values of total cholesterol (P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.03), and triglycerides (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in cases than controls. Mean value of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower in cases than controls (P = 0.008). The atherogenic index of plasma was significantly higher in cases than controls (P < 0.001). Current findings support the relationship between early-onset AGA and unfavorable lipid profile and cardiovascular risk in affected females. Assessment and follow-up of these cases will allow early intervention to avoid cardiovascular complications.

The Effect of Apple Juice on Antioxidant Enzymes and Lipid Profiles in Orchidectomized Rats

Background:: The age-dependent worsening of lipid profiles increased the risk of cardiovascular disease in males. Eating fruits and vegetables is known to be beneficial on lipid profile. Objectives:: The objective of this research was to delineate whether drinking daily squeezed apple juice (AJ) modulates lipid profile and antioxidant enzymes in the animal model that gonadectomized. Materials and Methods:: In this experimental study, 28 male rats were equally divided among the following 4 groups: group I (control), orchidectomized (ORX), ORX +AJ 10%, and ORX+ AJ 25%. After 60 days of drinking AJ, superoxide dismutase (SOD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides in serum were evaluated. Data analyzed by SPSS-16 and computed using one way ANOVA followed by Tukey multiple comparison test. P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results:: In the ORX group compared with the sham group serum SOD and ALP activities decreased (P < 0.05), while serum cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL increased but HDL decreased in ORX groups (P < 0.05). In contrast to the ORX group, drinking AJ decreased (P < 0.05) concentration of LDL, TG and cholesterol in the serum. AJ also increased (P < 0.05) serum HDL, SOD and ALP activities compared with the ORX group. Conclusions:: Drinking AJ prevented oxidative stress by elevating serum antioxidant enzymes.

Association of endogenous melatonin with uric acid and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in healthy young male.

Uric acid may act as an antioxidant; high serum uric acid levels are often associated with cardiovascular disease, such as coronary artery disease. Melatonin plays a role as a direct free radical scavenger and indirect antioxidant. No study has examined the relationships between endogenous melatonin and uric acid in order to predict the risk of future cardiovascular disease in males so far. To better characterize a possible relationship, we studied the association of endogenous melatonin with uric acid and traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as plasma lipids, and glucose in healthy young males. Twenty-one male participants [mean age: 22.6 2.5 (18-26) year], non-smoking; their medication or alcohol consumption history were studied. Blood samples for measuring melatonin concentrations were collected in the supine position between 13:30-14:30 hours. After centrifugation, plasma samples were immediately frozen at -20°C until analysis. Although we found a significant negative correlation between the levels of endogeneous melatonin and uric acid (p=0.01, r=-0.51), we did not find any correlation among the melatonin and other antropometric, hemodynamic and biochemical parameters in male subjects (p>0.41). The present study demonstrated a significant negative correlation between the levels of endogeneous melatonin and uric acid in healthy young males.

Relationship between socioeconomic status and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among retired residents living in a community, Shanghai

To explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in retirees from a community in Shanghai. Observational study involved 9 943 retirees aged 50 and over in Shanghai. Both single factor and multi-factor analyses methods were used to describe the correlation between factors as:educational level, marital status, annual household income and risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke etc. A new defined compound index was used to assess the relevance of socioeconomic status on the risk of cardiovascular diseases, based on logistic regression model. After adjusted for age, the risk of cardiovascular diseases in these retirees was influenced by socioeconomic status. In general, opponent correlations in education levels and prevalence of hypertension were found between female and male. Compared with those having received college or higher education, the risk of hypertension increased in females when the education level declined, with OR as 1.08 (95% CI:0.89-1.30). For those having had senior high school junior high school or elementary education, the risks of hypertension were 1.26 (95%CI:1.05-1.51), 1.34 (95%CI:1.08-1.65), 0.72 (95%CI:0.59-0.87),0.78 (95%CI:0.64-0.94), and 0.70 (95%CI:0.52-0.92) for males, respectively. The risk of cardiovascular diseases increased with annual household income. Compared with high level of socioeconomic status, lower socioeconomic status might decline the risk of cardiovascular diseases in males by approximately 30%, with OR for medium being 0.72 (95%CI:0.61-0.84) and for lower ones it was 0.70 (95% CI:0.57-0.87). However, similar correlations were not found in females. No significant relationship was found between marital status and the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in this study. The risks of cardiovascular diseases varied with different socioeconomic status, indicating that tailored interventions should be conducted in different socioeconomic groups.

Sexual Dysfunction as a Marker of Cardiovascular Disease in Males With 50 or More Years of Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVEVascular dysfunction is a major contributor to diabetes complications. It is also the primary physiologic cause of erectile dysfunction and considered an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in males over age 40 years. A cohort of individuals with 50 or more years of type 1 diabetes, Joslin Medalists, have low rates of small but not large vessel complications. This study aims to identify the prevalence and longitudinal association of sexual dysfunction (SD) with CVD in Joslin Medalists.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSDescription and association of self-assessment of SD in males of the Medalist cohort by self-reported sexual problems with CVD. SD is validated through the use of the abbreviated International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF).RESULTSOf 301 males in the Medalist Study, 69.8% reported a history of SD. Unadjusted risk factors included elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (P = 0.02), elevated BMI (P = 0.03), higher total cholesterol (P = 0.02), lower HDL (P < 0.01), and increased levels of interleukin-6 (P = 0.03). SD was independently associated with CVD (age-, HbA1c-, and BMI-adjusted OR 1.9 [95% CI 1.0–3.5]). In adjusted analyses, retinal, neural, and renal complications were not associated (P > 0.05) with SD. Current report of SD (IIEF score ≤17) in a subset of Medalists was significantly correlated with self-reported longitudinal SD.CONCLUSIONSSD in those with extreme-duration type 1 diabetes is independently associated with CVD, representing a large-vessel pattern. The findings suggest that SD may predict CVD in those with type 1 diabetes of long duration. These individuals have also been found to be relatively free of microvascular complications.

Analysis of the incidence of different metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular in hospitalized hypertension patients

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized hypertension patients with different metabolic abnormalities associated with cardiovascular disease.Methods 1 843 patients with diagnosis of hypertension were selected,including 327 patients with metabolic syndrome as the research object.Metabolic syndrome of different age,gender,abnormal components epidemic status were analyzed.Results Positive rates of overweight,dyslipidemia,hyperglycemia,cardiovascular disease in 327 patients were 42.20％,37.92％,35.17％,71.25％,the highest positive rate for cardiovascular disease was significantly higher than the other three indexs(x2 =56.22,73.28,85.51,all P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant differences in the rates of overweight between men and women (x2 =0.42,P ＞ 0.05).Dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia incidence of women were significantly more than those of men,there was statistically significant difference (x2 =5.73,6.47,all P ＜ 0.05).The incidence of cardiovascular disease in males was high than that in females (x2 =24.66,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Preventive different metabolic abnormalities need to take different measures according to age and gender.Weight control,blood lipids and blood sugar are the key to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Key words: Hypertension; Metabolic syndrome; Cardiovascular disease; Metabolic abnormalities

The biology of hair diversity

Hair diversity, its style, colour, shape and growth pattern is one of our most defining characteristics. The natural versus temporary style is influenced by what happens to our hair during our lifetime, such as genetic hair loss, sudden hair shedding, greying and pathological hair loss in the various forms of alopecia because of genetics, illness or medication. Despite the size and global value of the hair care market, our knowledge of what controls the innate and within-lifetime characteristics of hair diversity remains poorly understood. In the last decade, drivers of knowledge have moved into the arena of genetics where hair traits are obvious and measurable and genetic polymorphisms are being found that raise valuable questions about the biology of hair growth. The recent discovery that the gene for trichohyalin contributes to hair shape comes as no surprise to the hair biologists who have believed for 100years that hair shape is linked to the structure and function of the inner root sheath. Further conundrums awaiting elucidation include the polymorphisms in the androgen receptor (AR) described in male pattern alopecia whose location on the X chromosome places this genetic contributor into the female line. The genetics of female hair loss is less clear with polymorphisms in the AR not associated with female pattern hair loss. Lifestyle choices are also implicated in hair diversity. Greying, which also has a strong genetic component, is often suggested to have a lifestyle (stress) influence and hair follicle melanocytes show declining antioxidant protection with age and lowered resistance to stress. It is likely that hair research will undergo a renaissance on the back of the rising information from genetic studies as well as the latest contributions from the field of epigenetics.

Abstract 9789: Gender is Strongly Associated with the Presence of Atherosclerotic Plaque Hemorrhage and an Effect Modifier in the Relation between Plaque Hemorrhage and Cardiovascular Outcome

Background Plaque hemorrhage may lead to accelerated progression of atherosclerotic disease. In patients who undergo carotid or femoral endarterectomy, the presence of local plaque hemorrhage predicts future cardiovascular events in any vascular territory. We assessed the hypothesis that gender has an effect on the prevalence of local plaque hemorrhage and the predictive value of plaque hemorrhage for the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Methods Atherosclerotic plaques from 1008 patients (688 male, 320 female) who underwent carotid endarterectomy were analyzed histologically for the presence of plaque hemorrhage. All patients were followed-up for cardiovascular events (non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, vascular death, vascular intervention) during 3 years. Results Plaques from male patients showed a significantly higher prevalence of plaque hemorrhage compared to women (75% vs. 61%, p&lt;0.001). After a median follow-up of 2.97 years, 208 events had occurred in males (30%) and 80 in females (25%). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, there was a significant interaction between gender and plaque hemorrhage. Cumulative event rate of males with plaque hemorrhage was 32.3% [95% CI=29.1-37.5] compared to 19.1% [95% CI=12.9-24.8] in males without plaque hemorrhage. In females, this event rate was 23.4% [95% CI=17.1-29.3] versus 25.4% [95% CI=17.0-32.9] respectively. Gender-stratified analysis showed that plaque hemorrhage was a strong predictor for events in males (HR 1.8, [95% CI=1.3-2.7]), but this relationship was completely abolished in females (HR 1.1, [95% CI=0.71-1.8]). Conclusions In conclusion, atherosclerotic carotid plaques obtained from females reveal a lower prevalence of plaque hemorrhage compared with males. Local plaque hemorrhage is a strong predictor for secondary manifestations of cardiovascular disease in males but not in females.

Effects of androgens on cardiovascular remodeling

Androgens, the male sex hormones, exert various biological effects on many target organs through the transcriptional effects of the nuclear androgen receptor (AR). ARs are expressed not only in classical target organs, such as the brain, genital organs, bone, and skeletal muscles, but also in the cardiovascular system. Because the female sex hormones estrogens are well-known to protect against cardiovascular disease, sex has been considered to have a significant clinical impact on cardiovascular mortality. However, the influence of androgens on the cardiovascular system has not been fully elucidated. To clarify this issue, we analyzed the effects of administration of angiotensin II and doxorubicin, an anticancer agent, in a loading model in male wild-type and AR-deficient mice. In this review, we focus on the actions of androgens as potential targets for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in males.

Sex Hormones and Vascular Protection in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a serious disease and a major public health problem with approximately 1000 new patients diagnosed every year in the United States.1, 2 PAH is a progressive disease involving impaired pulmonary vascular structure and function and is ultimately lethal due to right ventricular failure. Recent insights into the pathogenesis of PAH have lead to more promising therapeutic approaches and improved outcomes; however, the mortality rates associated with PAH remain unacceptably high.1, 3, 4