BACKGROUND The identification of potential sources of error is a crucial step for any new assessment technique. This is the case for transcutaneous variables, such as flow and arterial gases, which have been applied as functional indicators of various aspects of human health. Regarding gender, a particular subject-related determinant, it is often claimed that women present higher transcutaneous...

AIMS In patients with coronary artery disease, the 34C > T variant of the adenosine mono-phosphate deaminase gene (AMPD1), encoding a dysfunctional protein, predicts improved survival. We hypothesized that in subjects with this variant allele, ischaemia-induced intracellular adenosine formation is increased, augmenting reactive hyperaemia and ischaemic tolerance. METHODS AND RESULTS We select...

Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS), which is responsible for the biosynthesis of prostaglandin D2, has been reported to have a close connection with cardiovascular disease and sleep regulation. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the L-PGDS level is a useful marker to identify patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. 64 subjects were enrolled in this prospective study. Uri...

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that abnormalities of endothelial function are present in Indian Asians and may contribute to their increased coronary heart disease risk. SETTING Single centre in west London. PATIENTS 26 Indian Asian and 18 European white healthy male subjects, aged 35 to 61 years recruited from general practice lists. DESIGN Brachial artery diameter responses to reactiv...

BACKGROUND A moderate level of physical activity (PA), such as a daily 30-min walk, reduces cardiovascular risk. There is a lack of evidence about the cardiovascular benefits of PA below this recommendation of minimum PA level. OBJECTIVE We aimed to study the impact of a lower level of PA on cardiovascular health. DESIGN Sixty-four overweight/obese men and women were enrolled in a community...

Over the years there has been much confusion about the use of ice in the treatment of acute and chronic injuries. Therapists claim to use ice to decrease circulation in the treatment of an acute injury yet claim the opposite in the treatment of chronic injury. The confusion stems from the report by Lewis in 1930 of the 'hunting response' of the circulation to tissue cooling'. This, plus the eas...

AIMS Nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in vascular homeostasis and is produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), encoded by NOS3 gene. We previously reported the genetic association between NOS3 rs753482-A>C polymorphism on intron 19 and coronary artery disease (CAD). In the attempt of conferring functional implication to the rs753482-A>C polymorphism, we investigated its influence on transcr...

Studies have recently demonstrated that long-term oestrogen therapy improves endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilatation in the conductance vessels of biological males. We sought to determine if an acute single dose of oestrogen might similarly improve vasodilator function in young males. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, we compared the ef...

BACKGROUND Endothelial dysfunction might be involved in the development of cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). METHODS This prospective observational study of 48 SAH subjects and 23 control subjects examined associations between reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) measured by peripheral arterial tonometry and plasma concentrations of S-100B protein, nitrite/nitrate...

Consumption of different types of oil may have different effects on cardiovascular risk. The exact role of maize oil, cod liver oil, soya oil and extra virgin olive oil on endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammation is unknown. We evaluated the effect of acute consumption of these types of oil on endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammation in healthy adults. Thirty-seven...