Multiple organ failure is the commonest cause of death in the intensive care unit setting. There are numerous precipitating factors including sepsis, trauma and pancreatitis. The resulting tissue hypoxia, exaggerated inflammatory response and generation of free oxygen radicals leads to tissue damage and organ dysfunction. No definitive treatment exists despite considerable efforts to find a 'ma...

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) is characterized by impaired sodium excretion and subnormal vasodilatory response to salt loading. High dietary sodium intake and genetic predisposition to salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP) are of particular clinical relevance in Asian populations. Sacubitril/ valsartan (LCZ696), a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, was hypothesized...

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) is characterized by impaired sodium excretion and subnormal vasodilatory response to salt loading. High dietary sodium intake and genetic predisposition to salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP) are of particular clinical relevance in Asian populations. Sacubitril/ valsartan (LCZ696), a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, was hypothesized...

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH) is characterized by impaired sodium excretion and subnormal vasodilatory response to salt loading. High dietary sodium intake and genetic predisposition to salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP) are of particular clinical relevance in Asian populations. Sacubitril/ valsartan (LCZ696), a first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, was hypothesized...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review highlights recent clinical studies demonstrating the contribution of aldosterone to cardiovascular mortality, vascular dysfunction, and renal injury in the context of advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of aldosterone. RECENT FINDINGS Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism reduces mortality in patients with congestive heart failure and following...

Opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) appears to be a pivotal event in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Resuscitated cardiac arrest (CA) leads to the post-CA syndrome that encompasses, not only myocardial dysfunction, but also brain injury, failure of other organs (kidney, liver, or lung), and systemic response to I/R. We aimed to determine whether cyclos...

This special issue is related to the main concern in hyper-tensive disease: the target-organ damage. The selected papers approach some aspects of renal and cerebral disease associated to hypertension but the principal focus is on the arterial vessel as the main organ involved in hypertensive patients. Although hypertensive cardiopathy is not specifically included in this issue, the heart diseas...