A ten year longitudinal survey of 191 female elderly subjects (mean age 80--Range 61 to 100 years) was set up to demonstrate that even a moderate isolated systolic hypertension is a powerful contributor to the incidence of cardiovascular complications in the elderly. The incidence of all cardiovascular events was carefully recorded and was correlated with a number of parameters registered at entry into the study. The results show that isolated systolic hypertension as well as diastolic hypertension is significantly correlated to the incidence of strokes and myocardial infarction independently of other parameters (Blood Cholesterol, Blood Sugar) which do not appear in this population as risk factors of cardiovascular morbidity. This underlines the high interest of controlled therapeutic studies run in this field in elderly patients.

Several ceramic materials have been chosen and synthesized by Selective Fusion by Laser (SFL). These materials have been selected because their refractory condition, high hardness and good colouring power, that make them useful to be used as ceramic pigments. In the present work it is shown the structural and microstructural characterisation of these materials prepared by Laser assisted synthesis, individually and into a vitreous matrix (glaze) and subjected to a firing cycle with a maximum (highest) temperature of 1200º C. The techniques used in the characterisation have been Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis as Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Thermogravimetry (TG) and UV-Vis Spectroscopy to obtain their CIE-Lab chromatic coordinates.

In two groups of elderly women, the relationships between arterial compliance, estimated by pulse wave velocity (PWV), and systolic blood pressure (SP), heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption and the time taken to run 400 m have been studied. Both at rest and with increasing levels of exercise, faster PWVs are associated with higher SPs. There is a tendency for resting HR to be higher with faster PWVs. The changes in HR and oxygen consumption from resting values are strikingly increased with faster PWVs. The time taken over 400 m rises as arterial compliance falls. Therefore, it seems that, with ageing, reduced arterial compliance is a major factor affecting cardiovascular responses to exercise.

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