AimsNifedipine is a short-acting calcium antagonist formulated into several different oral preparations, each of which may have different effects on haemodynamics and autonomic nervous function. We compared the effects of nifedipine controlled-release (CR) and nifedipine retard on 24-h blood pressure, heart rate, rate-pressure product, and power spectral measures of heart rate variability in patients with essential hypertension. MethodsAfter 4 weeks of a drug-free period, 25 patients were randomized to receive either once-daily treatment with nifedipine CR (20-40 mg daily; 12 patients) or twice-daily treatment with nifedipine retard (20-40 mg daily; 13 patients) for 12 weeks. The ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate, and ECG R-R intervals were measured during a 24-h period using a portable recorder (TM-2425) at the end of the drug-free and the treatment periods. A power-spectral analysis of R-R intervals was per formed to obtain the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components. ResultsNifedipine CR and nifedipine retard reduced 24-h blood pressure significantly by 15.9 ± 3.2 (SE)/8.7 ± 1.4 mmHg and by 10.9 ± 2.8/9.4 ± 1.7 mmHg, respectively, after the 12-week treatment. Nifedipine CR did not change the 24-h heart rate significantly, while nifedipine retard increased it significantly by 3.9 ± 2.1 beats min -1 . Nifedipine CR produced a significant reduction in rate-pressure product throughout a 24-h period, while nifedipine retard did not change the rate-pressure product significantly. In addition, nifedipine retard significantly decreased the 24-h and daytime average values of the LF and HF components, while nifedipine CR affected the nighttime LF component alone and did not change the HF component throughout a 24-h period. ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that both nifedipine CR and nifedipine retard are effective as antihypertensive agents, but nifedipine CR has less influence on the autonomic nervous system and heart rate than nifedipine retard. Comparison of two formulations of nifedipineBr J Clin Pharmacol 57 :5 633

SUMMARYThe objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between markers of inflammation, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness, in Japanese men.We studied 269 male subjects (mean age, 53 years) who entered our health check-up program. Subjects who were receiving any medication were excluded from the study. baPWV was measured using a volume-plethysmographic apparatus (Form /ABI; Colin, Co. Ltd., Komaki, Aichi, Japan). In addition to routine laboratory tests including ESR, serum levels of hsCRP were determined by a highly sensitive ELISA technique.baPWV was significantly correlated with age (r = 0.41, P < 0.0001), height (r = −0.21, P = 0.0006), body weight (r = −0.17, P = 0.007), mean blood pressure (r = 0.66, P < 0.0001), pulse pressure (r = 0.56, P < 0.0001), heart rate (r = 0.25, P < 0.0001), ln (ESR) (r = 0.20, P = 0.001), fasting blood glucose (r = 0.23, P = 0.0001), and ln (serum hsCRP) (r = 0.23, P = 0.0002). baPWV in the highest tertile of ESR was significantly higher than that in the lowest tertile of ESR (P = 0.005). baPWV in the highest tertile of serum hsCRP was significantly higher than those in the lowest tertile (P = 0.002) and the middle tertile of serum hsCRP (P = 0.02). In multiple regression analysis, baPWV significantly correlated with ln (serum hsCRP) independently of other clinical variables that showed a significant correlation with baPWV.baPWV is significantly associated with serum levels of hsCRP in Japanese men, suggesting that inflammation is involved in arterial stiffening. (Int Heart J 2006; 47: 409-420) Key words: Arterial stiffness, Pulse wave velocity, Blood pressure, High-sensitivity, Creactive protein, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Inflammation PULSE wave velocity (PWV) is an indicator of arterial stiffness 1-3) and a reliable marker of vascular damage. 4,5) So far, a number of studies have demonstrated that PWV obtained by noninvasive automatic devices is not only a marker of vascular From the Departments of