American journal of hypertension
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Comparative Study
Effect of pressure overload on cardioprotection via PI3K-Akt: comparison of postconditioning, insulin, and pressure unloading.
Postconditioning (PC) and insulin exert cardioprotection by activating phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling. Because pressure overload exacerbates ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, we tested the hypothesis that (i) pressure overload attenuates PC- and insulin-induced cardioprotection, an effect caused by reduced PI3K-Akt signaling and (ii) pressure unloading confers cardioprotection comparable to either PC or insulin. ⋯ Pressure overload reduces PI3K-Akt signaling following IR. However, a differential in PI3K-Akt signaling was not observed in ischemia-reperfused, insulin-treated, and postconditioned hearts, suggesting involvement of pathways other than PI3K-Akt for the effect of pressure on IS. Importantly, pressure unloading at reperfusion represents a novel and effective cardioprotective maneuver.
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We compare patterns of blood pressure (BP) and prevalence of hypertension between white-Dutch and their South-Asian and African minority groups with their corresponding white-English and their South-Asian and African ethnic minority groups; and the contribution of physical activity, body sizes, and socioeconomic position (SEP); and the quality of BP treatment that may underlie differences in mean BP. ⋯ We found marked variations in BP and hypertension prevalence between comparable ethnic groups in England and the Netherlands. Poor BP control among Dutch South-Asians and Africans contributed to their disadvantage of the relatively high BP levels.