Background: The aim of this study was to estimate associations between inflammatory markers and obesity indices in normo-and hypertensive subjects. Methods: 65 obese adult subjects were divided into two groups: (A) of hypertensives (n = 54) and (B) of normotensives (n = 11). Waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), body adiposity index (BAI) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) serum concentrations were estimated.

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Central arterial systolic blood pressure is a very important factor in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Central arterial pressure is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than peripheral brachial blood pressure. Measurement of central blood pressure is useful for a diagnosis of spurious systolic hypertension in young people. Antihypertensive drugs have a different impact on central blood pressure, for example angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, antagonists of angiotensin II receptors, calcium channel blockers more effectively lower central blood pressure than betablockers, despite all of those drugs (including beta-blockers) having a similar impact on peripheral pressure. This mechanism may be responsible for the beneficial effect of some antihypertensive drugs on cardiovascular end points observed in clinical trials, despite a low peripheral hypotensive effect. However, further clinical trials are required to provide more evidence for the prognostic and therapeutic implications of the measurement of central blood pressure before adopting its routine application in clinical practice.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in serum and lung tissue from both normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was determined at six different circadian times. In WKY rats serum ACE varied significantly within 24 h, mainly due to reduced enzyme activity at 12:00 h. In SHR the 24-h profile of serum ACE did not exhibit time-dependent differences. Mean serum ACE activity over 24 h was significantly higher in WKY than in SHR. In lung tissue ACE activity did not depend on the circadian time in either strain. Mean enzyme activity in lung tissue was not different between WKY and SHR. We conclude that circadian changes in the activity of serum and tissue ACE are unlikely to play an important role in the regulation of the circadian blood pressure profile in both normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Abstract— A method for a partial purification of ATP:citrate oxaloacetate lyase from rat brain is described. The Lineweaver–Burk plots of velocity vs citrate concentration are biphasic in the presence of fixed concentrations of MgCl2. Therefore two values of Km, corresponding to low and high concentrations of citrate, can be determined. When MgCl2 is added in equimolar concentrations with citrate, a monophasic plot with one Km of 0.13 mm is obtained. The Km value for MgATP2‐ was independent of citrate concentration, being equal to 0.40–0.43 mm. The Km for CoA was 0.0007 mm. ADP and Pi are competitive inhibitors with respect to ATP. Ki for MgADP− is equal to 0.13 mm. dl‐isocitrate and cis‐aconitate are partially competitive inhibitors with respect to citrate with Ki values of 5.8 and 4.8 mm, respectively. α‐Ketoglutarate and pyruvate are noncompetitive inhibitors with respect to ATP and citrate, with Ki values equal to 9 and 45 mm, respectively. The physiological significance of these effectors for the regulation of citrate lyase activity in brain is discussed.