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Abstract-The most known risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the metabolic syndrome. In this study, we characterized changes in liver pathology, hepatic lipid composition, and hepatic iron concentration (HIC) occurring in rats given fructose-enriched diet (FED), with and without therapeutic maneuvers to reduce blood pressure and plasma triglycerides. Rats were given FED or standard rat chow for 5 weeks. Rats on FED were divided into 4 groups: receiving amlodipine (15 mg/kg per day), captopril (90 mg/kg per day), bezafibrate (10 mg/kg per day) in the last 2 weeks, or a control group that received FED only. FED rats had hepatic macrovesicular and microvesicular fat deposits develop, with increase in hepatic triglycerides (ϩ198%) and hepatic cholesterol (ϩ89%), but a decrease in hepatic phospholipids (Ϫ36%), hypertriglyceridemia (ϩ223%), and hypertension (ϩ15%), without increase in HIC. Amlodipine reduced blood pressure (Ϫ18%), plasma triglycerides (Ϫ12%), but there was no change in hepatic triglycerides and phospholipids concentrations. Captopril reduced blood pressure (Ϫ24%), plasma triglycerides (Ϫ36%), hepatic triglycerides (Ϫ51%), and hepatic macrovesicular fat (Ϫ51%), but increased HIC (ϩ23%), with a borderline increase in hepatic fibrosis. Bezafibrate reduced plasma triglycerides (Ϫ49%), hepatic triglycerides (Ϫ78%), hepatic macrovesicular fat (Ϫ90%), and blood pressure (Ϫ11%

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Abstract-To investigate the impact of treatment on cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, we assessed outcomes in patients with hypertension and diabetes who received co-amilozide or nifedipine in the International Nifedipine GITS Study: Intervention as a Goal in Hypertension. Participants had to be 55 to 80 years of age, with hypertension (Ն150/95 or Ն160 mm Hg) and at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor. Patients received 30 mg nifedipine once daily or co-amilozide (25 mg hydrochlorothiazide and 2.5 mg amiloride) daily. Doses were doubled if target blood pressures (Ͻ140/90 mm Hg) were not achieved. Primary (composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke) and secondary outcomes (composite of primary outcomes, including all-cause mortality and death from vascular and nonvascular causes) were assessed by means of intent-to-treat analyses. There was no significant difference in the incidence of primary outcomes between nifedipine-treated and co-amilozide-treated patients with diabetes at baseline (nϭ1302)

Renal function is an important predictor of risk in hypertensive patients at high risk. Antihypertensive treatment with a long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker may better preserve renal function than would treatment with diuretics.

Slow breathing practiced routinely using an interactive device has demonstrated a sustained reduction in high blood pressure (BP). We reevaluated the BP response of hypertensives (n = 13) to this daily treatment for 8 weeks using 24-h ambulatory, home, and office BP measurements. A clinically significant BP reduction of similar magnitude was observed in all BP monitoring modalities during the daytime. Greater BP reductions were found for older patients and higher baseline BP. The results provide additional support for the efficacy of the device as an adjunctive lifestyle modification for treating hypertension.

Abstract-The aim of our investigation was to determine whether the presence of additional risk factors or type of hypertension (diastolic or isolated systolic) influences blood pressure (BP) response to treatment.