Unraveling the relationship between metabolic syndrome and epigenetic aging: evidence from NHANES 1999-2002 and Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), reflecting the difference between biological and chronological age, serves as a novel biomarker for biological aging. Evidence shows metabolic syndrome (MetS) affects aging-related physiology, but the relationship between MetS and EAA remains unclear and warrants further investigation.

Methods: We analyzed data from 1972 individuals in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2002.

Arterial Stiffness, Central Blood Pressure, and the Risk of Incident Stroke in Hypertensive Adults.

Background And Aims: Whether hypertensive patients with elevated arterial stiffness and central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) are exposed to higher stroke risk is unclear.

Methods: A total of 6663 participants without a history of cardiovascular disease were enrolled in this study. cSBP was measured noninvasively using the A-Pulse CASPro device; carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) was collected using a Pulse Pen device.

Independent and joint effect of central and brachial SBP on incident stroke in hypertensive adults.

Objective: It is unclear whether central SBP (cSBP) is an independent predictor of stroke above and beyond brachial SBP (bSBP). This study aimed to investigate the difference between cSBP and bSBP in predicting first stroke and the joint effect of cSBP and bSBP on the risk of first stroke in hypertensive adults.

Methods: A total of 8122 hypertensive adults without stroke history were included in this study.

Alcohol drinking triggered decrease of oxidative balance score is associated with high all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive individuals: findings from NHANES 1999-2014.

Background: Oxidative stress is closely associated with hypertensive outcomes. The oxidative balance score (OBS) measures oxidative stress exposure from dietary and lifestyle elements. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between OBS and mortality in hypertensive patients.

ROS-Activated TRPM2 Channel: Calcium Homeostasis in Cardiovascular/renal System and Speculation in Cardiorenal Syndrome.

The transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channel is a nonselective calcium channel that is sensitive to oxidative stress (OS), and is widely expressed in multiple organs, such as the heart, kidney, and brain, which is inextricably related to calcium dyshomeostasis and downstream pathological events. Due to the increasing global burden of kidney or cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), safe and efficient drugs specific to novel targets are imperatively needed. Notably, investigation of the possibility to regard the TRPM2 channel as a new therapeutic target in ROS-related CVDs or renal diseases is urgently required because the roles of the TRPM2 channel in heart or kidney diseases have not received enough attention and thus have not been fully elaborated.

Combined use of amlodipine and folic acid are significantly more efficacious than amlodipine alone in lowering plasma homocysteine and blood pressure among hypertensive patients with hyperhomocysteinemia and intolerance to ACEI: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled clinical trial.

Hyperhomocysteinemia with hypertension can synergistically increase the risk of stroke. The China stroke primary prevention trial showed that combining 0.8 mg folic acid (FA) with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) can effectively lower plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and blood pressure (BP); and reduce first stroke risk by additional 21% compared to ACEI alone.

Individual and joint effects of borderline ankle-brachial index and high plasma total homocysteine on all-cause death in hypertensive adults.

Background: The cardiovascular hazards of total homocysteine (tHcy) are long known. In addition, despite the acknowledgment on the importance of low ankle-brachial index (ABI) (< 0.9), borderline ABI (0.