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SummaryThe association of serum uric acid (UA) with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) remains controversial. We investigated this issue in a general population. Participants consisted of 1,943 subjects (774 males and 1,169 females) aged over 40 years, living in Tanushimaru (a Japanese cohort of the Seven Countries Study). Serum UA and other biochemistry parameters were determined by a standard analytical technique. All individuals underwent anthropometric measurements and 2-dimensional echocardiography. Because serum UA levels are much higher in males than in females, they were analyzed separately. When LV mass index (LVMI) levels were stratifi ed according to tertile as low (≤ 80 cm : n = 252) in males, there were signifi cant relationships between LVMI and UA, in addition to age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, medication for hypertension, triglycerides, and alcohol intake. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed LVMI was signifi cantly associated with systolic BP (P < 0.0001), medication for hypertension (P < 0.0001), UA (P = 0.003), BMI (P = 0.019), and alcohol intake (P = 0.038) in males. In females, LVMI was not associated with UA. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, a signifi cantly higher odds ratio of LVH (odds ratio: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.01-3.09, P < 0.05) was observed for males in the highest UA tertile versus the lowest UA tertile after adjustments for confounding factors, but not for females. In this cross-sectional study, there was a clear difference in the relation of UA and LVH between males and females. High serum UA was signifi cantly and independently associated with LVH evaluated by echocardiography in only males of a general population. (Int Heart J 2014; 55: 65-70) Key words: Epidemiology, Echocardiography L eft ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent and powerful risk factor for cardiovascular events and death. 1,2) Uric acid (UA) may induce LVH and the following mechanisms have been proposed.3) UA induces infl ammatory and proliferative cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-α and mitogen-activated protein kinases, [4][5][6] which promote cardiac hypertrophy. UA also activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, 7-10) which is a well-known system for hypertrophy and hyperplasia of myocytes and fi brosis of the heart. Thus, it may be interesting to study in humans whether UA is associated with LVH. Several such studies have been performed.11-15) However, the results have not been consistent. Some studies reported a positive association only in males 14,15) and others reported such an association only in females.13) In some studies, 11,13,15) the enrolled subjects were only hypertensive while in others, 12,14) they were apparently healthy subjects. Nowadays, many subjects are taking antihypertensive medications. Thus, data must be analyzed after adjustment for confounders like gender, hypertension, and others. Furthermore, in many studies, 14,16) LVH was measured by electrocardiography (ECG), and in a few studies, 12,13) it was measured by echocardiograph...

Seven phenolic compounds, including a new phenylethanoid glycoside, were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of an aqueous ethanol extract of Plantago Herb (whole part of Plantago asiatica L.), which showed significant antioxidative activity. The new compound was characterized as 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl 3-O-β-D-allopyranosyl-6-O-caffeoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside on the basis of spectral and chemical evidence, and its antioxidant activity was comparable to that of tea catechins.

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This epidemiological study demonstrated that PRA, but not aldosterone, is significantly and positively associated with higher resting heart rate in a general population.