Atherosclerotic coronary heart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries, and endothelial dysfunction is considered a precursor phenomenon. The nitric oxide produced by the endothelium under the action of endothelial nitric oxide synthase has important antiatherogenic functions. Its reduced bioavailabilty is the beginning of the atherosclerotic process. The addition of two methyl radicals to arginine, through the action of methyltransferase nuclear proteins, produces asymmetric dimethylarginine, which competes with L-arginine and promotes a reduction in nitric oxide formation in the vascular wall. The asymmetric dimethylarginine, which is itself considered a mediator of the vascular effects of the several risk factors for atherosclerosis, can be eliminated by renal excretion or by the enzymatic action of the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolases. Several basic science and clinical research studies suggest that the increase in asymmetric dimethylarginine occurs in the context of chronic renal insufficiency, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and hyperhomocysteinemy, as well as with other conditions. Therapeutic measures to combat atherosclerosis may reverse these asymmetric dimethylarginine effects or at least reduce the concentration of this chemical in the blood. Such an effect can be achieved with competitor molecules or by increasing the expression or activity of its degradation enzyme. Studies are in development to establish the true role of asymmetric dimethylarginine as a marker and mediator of atherosclerosis, with possible therapeutic applications. The main aspects of the formation and degradation of asymmetric dimethylarginine and its implication in the atherogenic process will be addressed in this article.

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OBJECTIVETo estimate the absolute risk of the public transportation drivers in the city of Teresina, Piauí, to develop coronary heart disease over the course of ten years based on the Framingham risk score. METHODSAn observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study using the Framingham score was conducted with 107 public transportation drivers in the city of Teresina, Piauí, to assess level of risk and its association with the Framingham predictors that include: age, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and smoking. The significance test used was 2 . The prevalence rate was used as the association measurement. RESULTSMean risk was 5% and the greatest majority of the participants were situated in the low risk category (85.05%). Mean values for the variables were: 42 years of age, total cholesterol 200 mg%, HDL cholesterol 49 mg%, systolic blood pressure 130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure 85 mmHg. The associations between diabetes mellitus, smoking and HDL cholesterol with level of risk were not statistically significant; however other variables had a great influence on the level of risk obtained. Mailing Address: Maurício Batista Paes Landim CONCLUSIONThe mean absolute risk estimate for the public transportation drivers in the city of Teresina to develop coronary heart disease over the next ten years based on the Framingham score is low. The majority of the participants in the study (85.05%) were situated in the low risk category, that is, with a relative risk less than or equal to 10%. KEY WORDSCardiovascular disease, level of risk, profession, coronary heart disease, primary prevention, Framingham score. 280

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A low concentration of nitric oxide associated with a high concentration of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) can explain the lack of ischemic cardioprotection observed in the presence of hypercholesterolemia. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hypercholesterolemia on ischemic pre- and postconditioning and its correlation with plasma concentrations of ADMA. Male Wistar rats (6-8 weeks old) fed a 2% cholesterol diet (n = 21) for 8 weeks were compared to controls (n = 25) and were subjected to experimental myocardial infarction and reperfusion, with ischemic pre- and postconditioning. Total cholesterol and ADMA were measured in plasma before the experimental infarct and the infarct area was quantified. Weight, total cholesterol and plasma ADMA (means ± SE; 1.20 ± 0.06, 1.27 ± 0.08 and 1.20 ± 0.08 vs 0.97 ± 0.04, 0.93 ± 0.05 and 0.97 ± 0.04 µM) were higher in animals on the hypercholesterolemic diet than in controls, respectively. Cardioprotection did not reduce infarct size in the hypercholesterolemic animals (pre: 13.55% and post: 8% compared to 7.95% observed in the group subjected only to ischemia and reperfusion), whereas infarct size was reduced in the animals on a normocholesterolemic diet (pre: 8.25% and post: 6.10% compared to 12.31%). Hypercholesterolemia elevated ADMA and eliminated the cardioprotective effects of ischemic pre- and postconditioning in rats.

Objetivo: verificar a influência do comprometimento cognitivo na adesão ao tratamento anti-hipertensivo em idosos. Método: revisão sistemática, com a inclusão de artigos originais, disponíveis na integra, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol, publicados entre os anos de 2007 e 2021. A busca foi realizada nas bases SCIELO, PUBMED, LILACS e MEDLINE, com os descritores: “Cognitive Dysfunction”; “Medication Adherence”; “Hypertension”; “Aged”. Resultados: dos 216 estudos encontrados, cinco foram selecionados. Quatro mostraram relação negativa entre o comprometimento cognitivo e a adesão dos idosos ao tratamento anti-hipertensivo. Evidenciou-se que idosos com déficit cognitivo tinham maior probabilidade de inadequado controle da pressão arterial. Conclusão: observa-se que o comprometimento cognitivo é um importante fator de risco para baixa adesão ao tratamento em idosos hipertensos. Torna-se imprescindível a detecção precoce, visando adequar a assistência às condições cognitivas do idoso e otimizar o gerenciamento da medicação, para atingir o controle adequado dos níveis pressóricos.

Objective: To relate adherence to oral antidiabetics and metabolic control of people with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Methods: An analytical study conducted with 201 participants, of both sexes, aged over 18 years with diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, cared for in the basic health units. Sociodemographic, anthropometric and clinical variables related to medication adherence and metabolic control were analyzed. Morisky's test was used to evaluate adherence to medication therapy. Results: Only 23.9% of the participants were considered adherents to medication treatment, showing better levels of glycated hemoglobin (p = 0.048), fasting glycemia (p <0.001), and total cholesterol (p = 0.028). Conclusion: A relationship between adherence to oral antidiabetics and some variables of metabolic control was identified, such as glycated hemoglobin, fasting glycemia and total cholesterol. Medication adherence should be increasingly encouraged among people with Diabetes mellitus. ResumoObjetivo: Relacionar a adesão aos antidiabéticos orais e o controle metabólico de pessoas com Diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Métodos: Estudo analítico, realizado com 201 participantes, de ambos os sexos, com idade acima dos 18 anos e diagnóstico de Diabetes mellitus tipo 2, acompanhados em unidades básicas de saúde. Foram analisadas variáveis sociodemográficas, antropométricas, clínicas, relacionadas à adesão medicamentosa e ao controle metabólico. Para verificar a adesão à terapêutica medicamentosa utilizou-se o Teste de Morisky. Resultados: Apenas 23,9% dos participantes foram considerados aderentes ao tratamento medicamentoso, e estes apresentaram, significativamente, melhores níveis de hemoglobina glicada (p=0,048), glicemia de jejum (p<0,001) e colesterol total (p=0,028). Conclusão: Houve relação entre a adesão aos antidiabéticos orais e algumas variáveis do controle metabólico, como hemoglobina glicada, glicemia de jejum e colesterol total. Dessa forma, a adesão medicamentosa deve ser, cada vez mais, incentivada entre as pessoas com Diabetes mellitus.

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