Bp

Sequencing of the human genome and decades of genetic association and linkage studies have dramatically improved our understanding of the etiology of many diseases. However, the multiple causes of complex diseases are still not well understood, in part because genetic and sociocultural risk factors are not typically investigated concurrently. Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and afflicts more African Americans than any other racially defined group in the US. Few genetic loci for hypertension have been replicated across populations, which may reflect population-specific differences in genetic variants and/or inattention to relevant sociocultural factors. Discrimination is a salient sociocultural risk factor for poor health and has been associated with hypertension. Here we use a biocultural approach to study blood pressure (BP) variation in African Americans living in Tallahassee, Florida by genotyping over 30,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)...

This study aimed to analyzing the effect of chronic sodium overload upon carotid and femoral injury, and its relation to vascular angiotensin modulation. Male C57Bl6 mice were divided in: control (cont), receiving 1% NaCl solution for 2 weeks (salt-2) or 12 weeks (salt-12). Two-weeks before the end of the study, a 2mm catheter was implanted around the left femoral and carotid arteries to induce injury. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured at the end of the study by tail plethysmography. Arteries were collected and prepared for histological analysis to determine arterial thickening and perivascular collagen deposition. Angiotensin II and Ang(1-7) were quantified in fresh arteries using the HPLC method. There were no differences in body weight, BP and HR. Intima/media ratio had a similar increase in both injured arteries of cont and salt-2 mice, but a more pronounced increase was observed in salt-12 mice (31.1±6%). On the other hand, sodium overload modified perivascu...

OBJECTIVE We investigated sex and racial differences in insulin sensitivity, β-cell function, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the associations with selected phenotypic characteristics. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 3,108 GRADE (Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study) participants. All had type 2 diabetes diagnosed <10 years earlier and were on metformin monotherapy. Insulin sensitivity and β-cell function were evaluated using the HOMA of insulin sensitivity and estimates from oral glucose tolerance tests, including the Matsuda Index, insulinogenic index, C-peptide index, and oral disposition index (DI). RESULTS The cohort was 56.6 ± 10 years of age (mean ± SD), 63.8% male, with BMI 34.2 ± 6.7 kg/m2, HbA1c 7.5 ± 0.5%, and type 2 diabetes duration 4.0 ± 2.8 years. Women had higher DI than men but similar insulin sensitivity. DI was the highest in Black/African Americans, followed by Ame...

Requirement of reverse osmosis (RO) process at places facing energy and water quality problem makes its assessment and optimization vital while considering recovery, rejection as well as specific energy consumption. In the present paper, three thin film composite (TFC) RO membranes (make: CSM, Dow and Vontron) in spiral wound (SW) configuration have been chosen to study their relative performance. Comparative study of RO membranes was conducted using experimental observations supported by membrane characterization. Optimization experiments were performed using central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). Four input variables viz. feed water pH, temperature, pressure and concentration were optimized and interaction between them was observed, while, recovery, rejection and specific energy consumption (SEC) were taken as response attributes. The experiments conducted employing the optimized input values validated the developed RSM model. Predictive model using multiple response optimization revealed the optimal efficiency of CSM RO membrane at 6.53 pH, 1500 mg/L concentration, 0.78 MPa pressure and 31.94 o C temperature producing 19.25% water recovery, 89.21% salt rejection and 17.60 kWh/m 3 SEC, respectively. Membrane surface characterization was carried out by FE-SEM, AFM, contact angle measurement and FTIR. The lesser contact angle and smoother surface apparently contributed to the better performance of CSM RO membrane. This paper may demonstrate a simple method for optimizing the commercially available small scale RO membranes.