Astronauts in space and cancer patients being treated with ion beam radiotherapy can be exposed to charged particle radiations including energetic protons and heavy ions. These charged particles may be more effective than photons in inducing cancer as well as in causing non-cancer effects. The latter include acute damage from large solar particle events to the blood-forming organs and skin, acu...

Cardiac parasympathetic activity was assessed using 24 hour electrocardiographic recordings by measuring the incidence of larger changes in successive RR intervals, which in normal subjects occur frequently but irregularly. In 25 normal subjects the mean number of times per hour in which the change in successive RR interval was greater than 50 ms was 150-250 during waking and 350-450 during sle...

Hypertension is an important independent risk factor for renal disease. If hypertension and chronic renal disease co-exist, as is common in patients with diabetes mellitus, the risk of cardiovascular disease is heightened. The importance of rigorous blood pressure control is recognized in current guidelines, with a recommended target of office blood pressure of < 130/80 mmHg; although ambulator...

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) seems to be a crucial mediator of increased cardiovascular risk observed among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Importantly, systemic ED does not only occur in patients with severe renal failure, but also in individuals with earlier stages of CKD. Close association between microalbuminuria and systemic ED renders renal vascular function an important marke...

Increased levels of oxidized proteins with aging have been considered a cardiovascular risk factor. However, it is unclear whether oxidized albumin, which is the most abundant serum protein, induces endothelial damage. The results of this study indicated that with aging processes, the levels of oxidized proteins as well as endothelial microparticles release increased, a novel marker of endothel...