Plasma total calcium concentration is associated with blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance in normotensive and never-treated hypertensive subjects.

Purpose: The underlying causes of primary hypertension are not fully understood. Evidence on the relation of plasma calcium concentration with blood pressure (BP) is inconsistent and relies largely on studies utilizing office BP measurements in populations using cardiovascular drugs. In many studies adjustment for confounders was not optimal. In this cross-sectional study we examined the association of plasma total calcium concentration with the haemodynamic determinants of blood pressure.Subjects and methods: Supine haemodynamics were recorded using pulse wave analysis, whole-body impedance cardiography, and heart rate variability analysis in 618 normotensive or never-treated hypertensive subjects (aged 19-72 years) without diabetes, cardiovascular or renal disease, or cardiovascular medications. Linear regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with haemodynamic variables.Results: Mean age was 45.0 years, body mass index 26.8 kg/m2, seated office BP 141/89 mmHg, and 307 subjects (49.7%) were male. Mean values of routine blood and plasma chemistry analyses were within the reference limits of the tests except for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.05 mmol/l). In the laboratory, mean supine radial BP was 131/75 mmHg, and both systolic and diastolic BP correlated directly with plasma total calcium concentration (r = 0.25 and r = 0.22, respectively, p < 0.001 for both). In regression analysis plasma total calcium concentration was an independent explanatory variable for radial and aortic systolic and diastolic BP, and systemic vascular resistance, but not for cardiac output, pulse wave velocity, or any of the heart rate variability parameters.Conclusion: Plasma total calcium concentration was directly associated with systolic and diastolic BP and systemic vascular resistance in normotensive or never-treated hypertensive subjects without comorbidities and cardiovascular medications. Higher plasma calcium concentration potentially plays a role in primary hypertension via an effect on vascular resistance.

Parathyroid hormone may play a role in the pathophysiology of primary hypertension.

Parathyroid hormone has been related with the risk of hypertension, but the matter remains controversial. We examined the association of parathyroid hormone with central blood pressure and its determinants in 622 normotensive or never-treated hypertensive subjects aged 19-72 years without diabetes, cardiovascular or renal disease, or cardiovascular medications. The methods were whole-body impedance cardiography and analyses of pulse wave and heart rate variability. Cardiovascular function was examined in sex-specific tertiles of plasma parathyroid hormone (mean concentrations 3.0, 4.3 and 6.5 pmol/L, respectively) during head-up tilt. Explanatory factors for haemodynamics were further investigated using linear regression analyses. Mean age was 45.0 (s.d. 11.7) years, BMI 26.8 (4.4) kg/m2, seated office blood pressure 141/90 (21/12) mmHg, and 309 subjects (49.7%) were male. Only five participants had elevated plasma parathyroid hormone and calcium concentrations. Highest tertile of parathyroid hormone presented with higher supine and upright aortic diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.01) and augmentation index (P < 0.01), and higher upright systemic vascular resistance (P < 0.05) than the lowest tertile. The tertiles did not present with differences in pulse wave velocity, cardiac output, or measures of heart rate variability. In linear regression analyses, parathyroid hormone was an independent explanatory factor for aortic systolic (P = 0.005) and diastolic (P = 0.002) blood pressure, augmentation index (P = 0.002), and systemic vascular resistance (P = 0.031). To conclude, parathyroid hormone was directly related to central blood pressure, wave reflection, and systemic vascular resistance in subjects without cardiovascular comorbidities and medications. Thus, parathyroid hormone may play a role in the pathophysiology of primary hypertension.

Production of functional recombinant tyrosine hydroxylase by the BPV-1 expression plasmids in the cell cultures.

Bovine papilloma virus type-1 (BPV-1)-based expression plasmids TkBPVTH and CGalBPVTH encoding the rat tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) enzyme have been designed for the development of gene therapy for experimental Parkinson's disease. The aim of the present work was to examine the transfection of BPVTH plasmids to express a dopaminergic transgene in the monkey CV1-P fibroblast, rat C6 glioma and human NHA astrocyte cell cultures. The biological function of the transgene was estimated by analyzing the production of recombinant TH mRNA and protein, and the synthesis of L-dopa and dopamine. The highest transfection efficiency was obtained using TkBPVTH plasmids (5 microg). Furthermore, the expression of TkBPVTH plasmids was associated with significant synthesis of TH enzyme and L-dopa in the C6 and NHA cell cultures.