599 research outputs found
The role of urate and xanthine oxidase in vascular oxidative stress:Future directions
No full textVascular oxidative stress has been shown to be a potent factor in the pathophysiology of endothelial dysfunction. Despite current optimal evidence-based therapy, mortality from various cardiovascular disorders remains high. The search for newer, novel ways of attenuating endothelial dysfunction has yielded several new and exciting possibilities, one of which is the manipulation of urate levels using xanthine oxidase inhibitors. Agents such as allopurinol have shown marked improvements in vascular endothelial function in various cohorts at risk of cardiovascular events. Most of the evidence so far comes from smaller mechanistic studies. The few large randomized controlled trials have failed to show any significant mortality benefit using these agents. This article highlights the potential avenues of further research such as dose-response, and the potential for these agents to regress left ventricular hypertrophy. The role of newer agents such as febuxostat and oxypurinol are discussed as well as potential reasons why some of the current newer agents have failed to live up to the promising early-phase data. It is crucial that these remaining questions surrounding urate, xanthine oxidase and the role of various agents that affect this important oxidative stress-generating system are answered, and therefore these promising agents should not be discarded prematurely
Struthers Burt
No full textIf the pen is mightier than the sword, Maxwell Struthers Burt was a stalwart warrior. Poet, essayist, novelist, short story writer, librettist, reviewer, author of a literary manifesto, contributor to letter-to-the-editor columns, and personal letter writer, Burt seems never to have stopped writing over a career of a half-century. His principal publisher was Charles Scribner’s Sons, which, under the editorial leadership of Maxwell Perkins, published the work of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and a variety of other respected writers. Burt’s articles, essays, poems, and stories appeared in many of the most successful magazines in America: Scribner\u27s Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, The Red Book Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal, and The North American Review. He wrote scores of reviews for such publications as The Saturday Review of Literature, the New York Times, and the Philadelphia Record. Untiringly, Burt sent his views to the editors of far-flung newspapers: the Jackson\u27s Hole Courier, the St. Petersburg Times, the Princeton Alumni Weekly, and the New York Herald Tribune. The “Most Unforgettable Character” he had ever met. an old-time cowboy named Cal Carrington, was the subject of Burt’s article in The Reader’s Digest. When totalitarianism threatened the writers’ freedom in 1941, Burt wrote and circulated the American Authors’ Manifesto, which was signed by one hundred writers, including E. B. White, Frank Waters, Floyd Dell, and Max Lerner. The Best Short Stories of 1915 honored Burt’s “The Water-Hole,” and his fine story “Each in His Generation” won first prize in the 0. Henry Memorial Award competition in 1920. Respected, frequently praised, and widely read in the 1920s and 1930s, Burt, the stalwart warrior, is today a forgotten soldier
Role of urate, xanthine oxidase and the effects of allopurinol in vascular oxidative stress
No full textOxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of vascular endothelial dysfunction. The two major systems generating vascular oxidative stress are the NADPH oxidase and the xanthine oxidase pathways. Allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, has been in clinical use for over 40 years in the treatment of chronic gout. Allopurinol has also been shown to improve endothelial dysfunction, reduce oxidative stress burden and improve myocardial efficiency by reducing oxygen consumption in smaller mechanistic studies involving various cohorts at risk of cardiovascular events. This article aims to explain the role of xanthine oxidase in vascular oxidative stress and to explore the mechanisms by which allopurinol is thought to improve vascular and myocardial indices
Effects of valsartan on exercise time in symptomatic diastolic heart failure: Diovan Diastolic Dysfunction (DDD) study results
No full textEffects of valsartan on exercise time in symptomatic diastolic heart failure: Diovan Diastolic Dysfunction (DDD) study results
No full textTeaching fundamental British values in primary schools : project summary
No full textThis project developed out of academic research carried out by Alison Struthers into the practice of Fundamental British Values (FBV) and Human Rights Education (HRE) in English primary schools. In this research, the author explored the problems with the Government’s FBV agenda, and argued that because human rights values are rooted in universality, couching FBV in this broader framework would be likely to contribute to societal cohesion to a far greater extent than the potentially discriminatory FBV guidance. This project sought to action these findings by showing how teaching about FBV can be linked effectively to broader human rights values
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine the effects of valsartan on exercise time in patients with symptomatic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
No full textAims To determine whether valsartan improves treadmill exercise time, in patients with symptomatic heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF), compared with placebo.Methods and results In this multicentred, double-blind, 14-week study, patients were randomized to receive valsartan (V) 80 mg or placebo (P) once daily on top of background medications. The dose of valsartan was force-titrated up to 320 mg. A total of 152 patients were randomized (V = 70, P = 82). Most patients had well-controlled hypertension (V = 91.2%, P = 89.0%) (mean baseline systolic BP similar to 130 mmHg) and >50% were receiving an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and/or beta-blocker (V = 57.4%, P = 54.9%). The mean ejection fraction at baseline was 70.48% in the placebo group (n = 64) and 71.52% in the valsartan group (n = 79). Valsartan had no significant effect on exercise time (primary variable), gas exchange variables, 6 min walk test distance, exertion-related symptoms, brain natriuretic peptide levels, echocardiographic parameters, or quatity-of-life scores. Valsartan significantly lowered peak exercise systolic BP (-13.1 mmHg vs. placebo; P < 0.001) and improved ratings of perceived exertion (Borg score) (-0.69 vs. placebo; P = 0.008).Conclusion In this population, which predominantly included patients with well-controlled hypertension and symptomatic HFPEF, addition of valsartan did not increase exercise time within 14 weeks. However, valsartan 320 mg reduced blood pressure and improved symptoms of perceived exertion (Borg score) during exercise and was generally well-tolerated.</p
Letter by Struthers et al regarding article, "cross-sectional relations of multiple biomarkers from distinct biological pathways to brachial artery endothelial function"
No full textHearing Mark: a Listener\u27s Guide
No full textAuthor: Elizabeth Struthers Malbon. Title: Hearing Mark. Publisher: Harrisburg, Pa: Trinity Pr Intl, 2002
Careful screening to target interventions to prevent sudden cardiac death
No full text1. Cardiac death is due not only to coronary artery disease, but also to left ventricular (LV) abnormalities (fibrosis, dysfunction) and arrhythmogenic triggers, such as autonomic imbalance. 2. Nitric oxide deficiency could be a key mediator leading not only to coronary atherosclerosis, but also to LV abnormalities and autonomic imbalance. 3. It may be possible to screen for the above abnormalities (e.g. echocardiography and brain natriuretic peptide levels for LV abnormalities, 24 h tapes for autonomic imbalance and QT interval analysis). 4. Once individuals are identified as being at high risk, a range of interventions is possible (e.g. intensive statin therapy or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors if LV abnormalities or autonomic imbalance are found)
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