0000000000408556
AUTHOR
Uwe Lendeckel
Rationale for and design of the CREATIVE-AF trial: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of the effect of irbesartan on oxidative stress and adhesion molecules in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.
Background and objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Recent studies suggest there is an angiotensin II-dependent increase in adhesion molecules and oxidative stress parameters during AF. These alterations appear to contribute to inflammatory and prothrombotic changes in the atrial endocardium (‘endocardial remodelling’), suggesting that patients with increased levels of these factors might be at risk of thromboembolic events. The purpose of the CREATIVE-AF (Impact of Irbesartan on Oxidative Stress and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation) trial is to prove the principle concept that blockade of angiotensin II type 1 r…
Genome-wide Association Studies Identify Genetic Loci Associated with Albuminuria in Diabetes
Elevated concentrations of albumin in the urine, albuminuria, are a hallmark of diabetic kidney disease and are associated with an increased risk for end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular events. To gain insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying albuminuria, we conducted meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies and independent replication in up to 5,825 individuals of European ancestry with diabetes and up to 46,061 without diabetes, followed by functional studies. Known associations of variants in CUBN, encoding cubilin, with the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were confirmed in the overall sample (P = 2.4 × 10−10). Gene-by-diabetes interactions were…
Paradoxical effect of l-arginine: Acceleration of endothelial cell senescence
We have recently shown that inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis by asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) accelerated endothelial cell (EC) senescence which was prevented by coincubation with L-arginine; however the effect of long-term treatment of l-arginine alone on senescence of ECs have not been investigated. Human ECs were cultured in medium containing different concentrations of L-arginine until senescence. L-Arginine paradoxically accelerated senescence indicated by inhibiting telomerase activity. Moreover, L-arginine decreased NO metabolites, increased peroxynitrite, and 8-iso-prostaglandin F(2alpha) formation. In old cells, the mRNA expression of human amino acid transporter (h…