Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the present paper we report the results of a study in which we compared 2 different approaches to the computation of biological age (BA) in a sample of 322 Japanese men (age range 20 to 79 years). In the first approach, 4 commonly used measures of health-related fitness (VO2peak, trunk flexion from a standing position, body fat, and grip strength) were reduced to a single BA score (HRF Age) using principal component analysis. In contrast, in the second approach, 3 commonly used measures of skilled motor performance and agility (vertical jump, stepping side-to-side, and balancing on one leg with eyes closed) were reduced to a single BA score (SMP Age) using similar multivariate procedures. The criterion-related validity of both of the BA measures was examined by assessing each measure's ability to discriminate between healthy and active groups of subjects. This was achieved by classifying the original subject pool into regularly active (ACT; n = 108) and healthy (HLTH; n = 169) subgroups on the basis of self-reported activity levels. Analyses revealed that HRF Age was a more powerful discriminator between the two activity groups than SMP Age. While HRF Age of HLTH subjects was very close to their chronological age (CA), in the ACT group, HRF Age was on average 15 years less than their CA (P < 0.05). In a separate analysis, we assessed the HRF Age of patients with ischemic heart disease, hypertension, obesity, or diabetes (PAT; n = 45). The HRF Age of these subjects averaged 10 years above their CA. Our data suggest that commonly used measures of health-related fitness can be usefully employed as indices of BA which differentiate between individuals of similar ages but differing health and physical activity status. In contrast, measures of skilled motor performance were found to be less valuable measures of BA. The implication of our findings for future experimental design in exercise and aging research is discussed.
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PMID:The relative utility of health-related fitness tests and skilled motor performance tests as measures of biological age in Japanese men. 871 21

Respiratory airway, blood vessel and intestinal wall remodeling, in which smooth muscle remodeling plays a major role, is a key pathological event underlying the development of several associated diseases, including asthma, cardiovascular disorders (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension, and aneurism formation), and inflammatory bowel disease. However, the mechanisms underlying these remodeling processes remain poorly understood. We hypothesize that the creation of chronic inflammation-mediated networks that support and exacerbate the airway, as well as vascular and intestinal wall remodeling, is a crucial pathogenic mechanism governing the development of the associated diseases. The failed inflammation resolution might be one of the causal pathogenic mechanisms. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that applying specialized, pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), acting via cognate G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), could potentially be an effective pathway for treating these disorders. However, several obstacles, such as poor understanding of the SPM/receptor signaling pathways, SMP rapid inactivation as well as their complex and costly synthesis, limit their translational potential. In this connection, stable, small-molecule SPM mimetics and receptor agonists have emerged as new, potentially suitable drugs. It has been recently shown in preclinical studies that they can effectively attenuate the manifestations of asthma, atherosclerosis and Crohn's disease. Remarkably, some biased SPM receptor agonists, which cause a signaling response in the desired inflammation pro-resolving direction, revealed similar beneficial effects. These encouraging observations suggest that SPM mimetics and receptor agonists can be applied as a novel approach for the treatment of various chronic inflammation conditions, including airway, vascular and intestinal wall remodeling-associated disorders.
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PMID:Receptors for pro-resolving mediators as a therapeutic tool for smooth muscle remodeling-associated disorders. 3327 3