Coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors were studied in 250 monozygotic (MZ) and 264 dizygotic (DZ) male veteran twin pairs, aged 42-56. All coronary heart disease risk factors studied showed significant correlations in both MZ and DZ twins. Substantial genetic variation was detected for height, blood pressure, glucose intolerance, uric acid, plasma triglyceride, and relative weight but little or no significant genetic variability in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), total plasma cholesterol or hematocrit was demonstrable. These findings suggest that familial aggregation results from genetic influence on blood pressure, glucose intolerance, uric acid, triglyceride and, possibly, obesity, while largely shared environmental factors contribute to familial similarities in HDL, LDL, total cholesterol and hematocrit.

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The role of vasopressin in the regulation of blood pressure during nonhypotensive hemorrhage was assessed in conscious dogs. An antagonist of the vasoconstrictor activity of vasopressin was administered (10 microgram/kg) to four normal dogs five min prior to the commencement of a 15 min arterial hemorrhage (1 ml/kg/min). The withdrawn blood was reinfused 15 min after completion of the hemorrhage. In the absence of vasopressin blockade, blood pressure and heart rate did not change significantly, while plasma renin activity increased from 3.8 +/- 0.9 to 10.8 +/- 3.1 ng/ml/3h (P less than 0.005), and plasma corticosteroid concentration increased from 1.5 +/- 0.8 to 8.6 +/- 2.0 microgram/dl (P less than 0.001). Following vasopressin blockade, the same hemorrhage decreased mean arterial pressure from 96 +/- 264 +/- 7 mmHg (P less than 0.001), increased heart rate from 71 +/- 10 to 130 +/- 23 beats/min (P less than 0.05), increased plasma renin activity from 7.1 +/- 0.8 to 30.3 +/- 6.7 ng/ml/3h (P less than 0.005) and increased plasma corticosteroid concentration from 1.9 +/- 0.7 to 11.4 +/- 1.2 microgram/dl (P less than 0.001). These data indicate that vasopressin plays an important role in blood pressure regulation during mild hemorrhage in conscious dogs.

Introduction: Dermatophytoses are considered a public health problem. The objectives of this study were to determine the evolution of their prevalence in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil, and to analyze the dermatophyte species distribution according to body site and demographic characteristics of the patients. Methodology: This work was a retrospective analysis of data from patients attending a tertiary care hospital during 1996-2011. Results: There were 9,048 cases with cultures positive for dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum occurred in 59.6% of the cases, followed by Trichophyton interdigitale (34%), Microsporum canis (2.6%), Epidermophyton floccosum (1.5%), Microsporum gypseum (1.3%), and Trichophyton tonsurans (0.9%). The angular coefficients for T. interdigitale, E. floccosum, T. rubrum, and M. canis were +1.119, +0.211, -0.826 and -0.324% per year, respectively. Males presented higher prevalence of infection (79.3% versus 53.9%). Tinea unguium occurred in 48.5% of the cases, followed by tinea pedis (33.1%). T. rubrum was the predominant species in all regions of the body except the scalp, where M. canis was responsible for 75% of the cases. Conclusion: Monitoring of the evolution of dermatophytosis tracks changes in prevalence over the years and may assist practical measures for the public health control of this disease.