Decrease of nitric oxide and increase in diastolic blood pressure are two events that affect renal function in dogs with pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism.

Hyperadrenocorticism is a frequent disease in dogs. The excess of circulating cortisol affects different organs and metabolic pathways, producing severe adverse effects that endanger the animal's life. Among these effects, hypertension and renal damage can be mentioned. A group of 20 dogs with pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH) and 12 control dogs were used to study the following parameters: cortisol and nitric oxide (NO nit/nit) concentrations, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, renal artery resistance index by Doppler ultrasound, the rate of glomerular filtration by radio-renogram excretion and the presence of proteins in urine. Dogs with PDH showed a significantly lower NO nit/nit (P<0.0001) than the controls and this correlated with high values of diastolic and systolic pressure (r = -0.87; P<0.0001 and r = -0.81; P<0.0001 respectively). Most dogs (80%) are hypertensive mainly due to an increase in diastolic pressure, which correlated positively with the UPC (r = 0.8; P<0.001) and negatively with the glomerular rate of filtration (r = -0.58; P=0.007). Systolic pressure only increased in 60% of the cases and did not correlate with the mentioned variables. In PDH the decrease of NO affects blood pressure. The diastolic pressure would seem to have the greatest impact on the kidneys, therefore its evaluation and control are important to avoid and/or control renal damage.

Alterações do nível pressórico e fatores de risco em graduandos de enfermagem / Alteraciones del nível de la presión y factores de riesgo en profesionales graduandos en enfermería / Risk factors and alterations in blood pressure levels in undergraduate nursing students

Objetivos: Identificar possíveis alterações do nível presóricoem graduandos de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de São Paulo; Identificar fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial sistêmica; Verificar a associação entre os níveis pressóricos e os fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial sistêmica. Métodos: Estudo de corte transversal, desenvolvido entre novembro de 2006 a maio de 2007. A amostra foi composta por 120 graduandos de enfermagem da Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Foi aplicado um questionário específico sobre fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial e aferição da pressão arterial. O Teste de Fischer foi usado para determinar possíveis associações. Resultados: Dos graduandos, 92,5 por cento apresentaram níveis pressóricos normais, 4,2 por cento eram hipertensos e 3,3 por cento com pressão limítrofe. Notou-se o aparecimento de alguns fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial e doença cardiovascular. Conclusão: De acordo com os resultados, deve-se atentar para mudanças de hábito e estilo de vida mais saudável desses futuros enfermeiros.

Objectives: To identify risk factors and alterations in blood pressure levels in undergraduate nursing students and to examine the associations between the risk factors and blood pressure levels. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between November 2006 and May 2007. The sample consisted of 120 undergraduate nursing students from the Federal University of São Paulo. A specific questionnaire on risk factors for high blood pressure was used. Blood pressure measures were taken and recorded. Fisher's exact test was used to determine associations between risk factors and high blood pressure. Results: The majority of participants (92.5 percent) had normal blood pressure levels. A few students had high (4.2 percent) or borderline (3.3 percent) blood pressure levels. Students had some of the risk factors for high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusion: There is a need to emphasize lifestyle changes among those future nurses.

Objetivos: Medir la presión arterial para identificar posibles alteraciones en profesionales graduandos en Enfermería; identificar factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial; verificar la asociación entre los niveles de presión y los factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial. Métodos: Estudio de corte transversal, desarrollado entre noviembre de 2006 y mayo de 2007. La muestra fue compuesta por 120 graduandos de enfermería de la Universidad Federal de Sao Paulo. Fue aplicado un cuestionario específico sobre factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial y para evaluar la presión arterial. La Prueba de Fischer fue usada para determinar posibles asociaciones. Resultados: 92,5 por ciento de los graduandos presentaron niveles de presión normal, 4,2 por ciento eran hipertensos y 3,3 por ciento tenían presión limítrofe. Se notó el aparecimiento de algunos factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial y enfermedad cardiovascular. Conclusión: De acuerdo con los resultados, se deben cambiar hábitos y estilo de vida de modo que sean más saludables para los futuros enfermeros.