The Medical journal of Australia
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Vasodilator drugs counteract the major haemodynamic abnormality of hypertension, namely, arteriolar constriction. As a group, they tend to cause tachycardia and fluid retention, but these side-effects are variable within the group. ⋯ With increasing recognition of the necessity of treatment in mild asymptomatic hypertension, those vasodilator drugs which can be used on their own, such as prazosin and calcium antagonists, are attractive as initial therapy, because they do not have adverse effects on the levels of atherogenic lipids and other risk factors for vascular disease. The major current use of vasodilator drugs in combination with a thiazide and a beta-adrenoreceptor-blocking drug is in the treatment of moderate-to-severe hypertension.
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A small class of normal cellular genes has the potential to transform cells malignantly. These cellular oncogenes have been identified by their similarity to the transforming genes of oncogenic RNA viruses (retroviruses), and by their ability, under certain circumstances, to transform cells into which they have been transferred. ⋯ However, it appears that a number of mechanisms exist whereby these oncogenes can become malignantly activated, leading to uncontrolled cellular proliferation. The evidence implicating cellular oncogenes in human malignant disease is reviewed.