Roland E Schmieder

..40+/-0.13 versus 0.31+/-0.13; P=0.025). Thus, assessment of wall:lumen ratio of retinal arterioles emerged as an attractive tool to identify treated patients with hypertension with increased cerebrovascular risk...

..We investigated whether the -414 T/C polymorphism in the promoter region of the alpha 8 integrin chain gene (ITGA8) is associated with the progression of renal disease in ADPKD...

..This article reviews the benefits of ABPM and discusses the importance of selecting long-acting antihypertensive agents for optimizing BP control...

..Using EURIKA data we compared risk factor control in Germany with that of 11 other European countries (rest of Europe [ROE]) to identify differences and opportunities for improvement...

..This position statement intends to facilitate a better understanding of the effectiveness, safety, limitations and issues still to be addressed with RDN...

..The present manuscript reviews the chronopharmacotherapy of arterial hypertension and grant practical recommendations for their translation into clinical practice...

..Fixed combinations have high efficacy and result in high patient compliance. 300 mg irbesartan plus 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) has been investigated only in clinical trials but not in daily practice...

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..Small differences in responsiveness between females and males may exist, which require further investigation...

..This suggests that monitoring albuminuria is a useful strategy to help predict cardiovascular risk...

..End organ damage in hypertension can be detected early, reflects accurately the hypertensive patient's overall cardiovascular risk, and should be prevented and treated with antihypertensive treatment...

..After a decade of research, there is now substantial evidence to show that the use of ARBs provides an efficacious treatment option for the prevention of renal disease progression in patients with hypertension and/or diabetes...

..Diabetic retinopathy and microalbuminuria are often thought of as distinct disease entities despite their common pathophysiology. Many studies have addressed the prognostic significance of these conditions and their treatment...

..Basal nitric oxide (NO) activity has a pivotal role in the regulation of glomerular hemodynamics, and in animal experiments, its alteration has been associated with morphological changes characteristic of diabetic nephropathy...

..The BP-lowering effects of the renin inhibitor aliskiren are sustained 3-4 weeks after withdrawal. In this study, the reversibility of the renal hemodynamic effects of aliskiren was tested...

..We hypothesized that blood flow impacts on arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio and that vasodilatory capacity is negatively related to arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio in the human retinal vascular bed...

..29±18%; P=0.607). The increase of RCF to flicker light exposure is impaired in arterial hypertension. In the subgroup of the total study cohort, nitric oxide was not a major determinant of the increase of RCF to flicker light exposure...

..However, the potential renoprotective effects of statin treatment have not been fully elucidated and so far no study has analyzed the effects of statin treatment on intrarenal hemodynamics...

..We tested whether this is also true for long-term treatment with an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB)...

..We examined the contribution of high blood pressure versus direct mineralocorticoid effects to the progression of kidney inflammation and fibrosis in established experimental deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension...

..We examined adiponectin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Telmisartan vs. Ramipril in Renal Endothelial Dysfunction (TRENDY) study...

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..We hypothesized that Doppler sonographic measurements of the renal resistive index in response to inhibition of nitric oxide synthase offer a new methodological approach for testing renal endothelial function...

..The primary objective was to test the association between WLR and AVR in a distinct cohort of patients with cerebrovascular damage...

..We conclude that NAC is therefore not an effective superoxide scavenger in vivo. Other, nonimmediate effects such as the generation of glutathione may explain the beneficial effects of NAC in conditions associated with oxidative stress...

..Whether this also holds true in the renal circulation has not yet been adequately addressed...

..We examined the effects of AT1 receptor blockade on the sympathetic nervous system in humans...

..54 mmol/l) than with high LDL-cholesterol levels (-12.6 +/- 20.2% vs 12.3 +/- 19.5%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Short-term treatment with valsartan did not improve retinal endothelial function in elderly hypertensive patients...

..We hypothesized that renal vascular nitric oxide (NO) availability is higher, and oxidative stress lower, in female compared to male patients with type 2 diabetes...

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..Future trials should test whether these effects translate into a reduction of microvascular complications...

..We sought to assess the effects of the angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker eprosartan on HRV and BRG...

..We tested whether AT1-receptor blockade improved endothelial function of the retinal vasculature in normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic subjects...

..05). These findings indicate that C-allele carriers have lower systolic BP than T-allele carriers. Thus, our data suggest that (P)RR influences BP regulation in Caucasian men, potentially through altered aldosterone release...

..The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade on renal endothelial function...

..Unlike previous findings in a Japanese population, in our Caucasian study cohort the presence of the minor rs168924 G allele was associated with lower prevalence of hypertension...

..The role of sodium in end organ damage is gaining interest and an independent association of sodium and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been described...

..The authors reviewed published clinical trial data on the effects of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibition for the prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF), aiming to define when RAS inhibition is most effective...

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..Antagonizing the endothelial NO synthase unmasks these effects. Therefore, rapid nongenomic aldosterone effects increase renal vascular resistance and thereby mediate arterial hypertension if endothelial dysfunction is present...

..We aimed to analyze retinal arteriolar structure in never-treated patients with essential hypertension and to test whether elevated blood pressure is associated with an increased wall-to-lumen ratio of retinal arterioles...

..FcγRIIa is also expressed on endothelial cells, and we hypothesized this polymorphism would be associated with alterations of endothelial function...

..Because voltage criteria for LVH have been shown to predict cardiovascular outcome independently from LVM, we suggest that both methods should be used to accurately assess the benefits of antihypertensive treatment...

..Albuminuria reflects a malfunction of this barrier, and in animals dysfunctional endothelial nitric-oxide (NO) synthase results in albuminuria. We aimed to analyze the importance of NO for the glomerular barrier function in humans...

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..Experimental data indicate that nitric oxide might play a role in structure and remodeling of peripheral small arteries and arterioles. We hypothesized that retinal arteriolar structure is modulated by basal nitric oxide activity...

..This randomized, double-blind, multicenter study assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren in comparison with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide in patients with essential hypertension...

..Intervention at the beginning of the renal and cardiovascular continuum offers the opportunity to prevent the fatal development towards renal and cardiac failure...

..In addition, both recent and ongoing clinical trials help to clarify further the mechanisms for the benefits of using ARB across the cardiovascular continuum...

..Therefore, in the Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-term Use Evaluation (VALUE) a prespecified objective was to compare the effects of valsartan and amlodipine on new-onset AF...

..We examined the value of renal resistive index (RRI) for prevalence of cardiovascular target organ damage in therapy-resistant hypertension in comparison to low-grade albuminuria...

..57]; NS). No change in BP was noticed in response to the different doses of candesartan. These data indicate an additive antiproteinuric effect of ultrahigh dose of the angiotensin receptor blocker candesartan compared with standard dose...

..Therefore, we questioned whether left-ventricular (LV) structure and function are influenced by the -20 A/C variant of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene in young normotensive or mildly hypertensive patients...

..Hypertension and LVH are often aggravated by salt intake. Our objective was to assess the relationship between AT2R gene variation and salt intake and their impact on left ventricular mass (LVM)...

..Thus, blockade of this system will remain a cornerstone of our strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk...

..We interpret the lower serum aldosterone concentration in the genotype group with the elevated systolic blood pressure as a counter-regulatory mechanism to attenuate the increased blood pressure associated with the CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype...

..We investigated whether improvement in NO availability in hypercholesterolemia can be achieved rapidly with statins before lipid-lowering therapy is complete...

..We examined the effects of fluvastatin treatment on the development of kidney injury in experimental deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension...

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..The authors report that renal denervation seems to be effective in controlling hypertension in patients with ESRD, even in cases of small renal arteries...

..We examined the relationship between screening methods for diabetes and indices of vascular damage in young individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes...

..MA is modifiable, and the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system by ACE inhibitors and AT1 receptor antagonists has been shown to result in a lower incidence of cardiovascular events...

..Whether such an association is already evident in the renal vascular bed in young patients at high cardiovascular risk has not yet been determined...

..This review aims to highlight the simplicity, tolerability, and convenience of fixed-dose combinations targeting the renin-angiotensin system, which can lead to improved compliance and more patients achieving BP goals...

..We analyzed the reliability of assessing retinal arteriolar morphology with our new version of the software analyses for scanning laser Doppler flowmetry...

..This prospective randomized double-blind study was performed to compare the renal and cardiac effects of the ACE inhibitor ramipril and the beta-blocker metoprolol as first line therapy in ADPKD patients with hypertension...

..In addition, an autonomic dysfunction is associated with the uremic state and influences the cardiovascular risk in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)...

..Since increases of albuminuria even in the low range are associated with increased cardiovascular risk, detection of albuminuria should influence the choice of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive patients with albuminuria...

..However, an overexpression of DDAH1 alleviates ANG II-induced renal interstitial fibrosis and vascular oxidative stress, suggesting a blood pressure-independent effect of ADMA on ANG II-induced target organ damage...

..Aliskiren is a new orally active DRI with proven BP-lowering effects. Animal studies indicate that aliskiren may provide renal protection, and data from human studies are anticipated...

..Thus, SLDF emerged as a noninvasive research tool to assess early vascular changes in the retinal circulation...

..001) in hypertensive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Endothelial function of the retinal vasculature is impaired in early essential hypertension but can be improved by AT1-receptor blockade...

..We tested whether fluvastatin reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, and improves endothelial function in patients with arterial hypertension and normal LDL-cholesterol...

..Thus, evidence is accumulating that statins are very effective therapeutic agents in the treatment of individuals with the metabolic syndrome...

..01). In conclusion, our study provides new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms in EH linking inflammation and IP-10. However, these preliminary results need to be confirmed in larger trials...

..The SI of the ophthalmic artery allows an assessment of the ocular circulation in consideration of age and arterial blood pressure in contrast to the resistance index...

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..Not all available antihypertensives are equally effective in controlling BP over 24 hours, and some may exacerbate underlying metabolic abnormalities...

..It is still not yet specified whether the regulation and activity of NOS is changed in human diabetic nephropathy...

..To compare the long-term efficacy, safety and tolerability of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren against the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in obese patients with hypertension...

..Therefore, the present pilot study was designed to examine the role of platelet P-selectin and various inflammatory mediators in young patients with moderate AH without signs of target organ damage...

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..We speculate that similar changes may contribute to long-term volume retention in liver cirrhosis...

..CONCLUSIONS: NO plays an important role in the regulation of human glomerular haemodynamics, probably with a greater contribution to afferent than to efferent arteriolar tone in man...

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