This is the first of a series of reports on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 61st Scientific Sessions held in Philadelphia in June 2001. It covers topics related to angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and nephropathy. At a symposium at the 61st Scientific Sessions of the ADA in June 2001, the results of three recent diabetic nephropathy trials with angiotensin II subtype 1 receptor a...

The effect of angiotensin type 1 receptor blockade on adhesion molecules in patients with IgA nephropathy Sir, Various studies have linked inflammation and endothe-lial dysfunction in patients with chronic renal disease [1]. Plasma levels of adhesion molecules [soluble intracellu-lar adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM) and soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM)] are markers of endothelial dysfunc...

Clinical trials. In the last two years, a number of landmark clinical trials have been published which further our understanding and clinical management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Two of the major goals in the treatment of this condition include reducing progression or recurrence of the arrhythmia and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular events, thereby improving quality of lif...

Current guidelines from the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommend first-line treatment with a thiazide diuretic but do not provide specific guidance for obese patients. The renin system is activated in obesity-associated arterial hypertension. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the oral direct renin inhibitor aliskire...

Background. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk of progression to end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular disease. Data from other populations and animal experiments suggest that neprilysin inhibition (which augments the natriuretic peptide system) may reduce these risks, but clinical trials among patients with CKD are required to test this hypothesis. Methods. UK Heart an...

The renin-angiotensin system is implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension. Renin release is regulated by a number of factors, including circulating Ang II (angiotensin II), the so-called short feedback loop. The aim of the present study was to investigate the responsiveness of circulating Ang II on PRA (plasma renin activity) in normotensive subjects with a PFH or NFH (positive or negat...

BACKGROUND Despite the importance of the renin-angiotensin (Ang) system in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pathogenesis, strategies targeting this system to prevent clinical aneurysm progression remain controversial and unproven. We compared the relative efficacy of two Ang II type 1 receptor blockers, telmisartan and irbesartan, in limiting experimental AAAs in distinct mouse models of aneurys...

BACKGROUND We investigated the effect of nifedipine, AT-1 and ET-1 receptor blockade on arterial smooth muscle cell phenotypes and collagen deposition in TGRen2 transgenic rat (TGR). METHODS Four-week-old TGR were blood pressure (BP)-matched and allocated to receive a placebo (n=8), the calcium antagonist nifedipine (n=6), the AT-1 specific receptor antagonist irbesartan (n=6), the ET(A)/ET(B...