
Cohort Study on Patient Outcomes, Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Intervention Programmes...
HypertensionDiabetes Mellitus6 moreObjectives: To determine the outcome trajectories of patients with hypertension (HT) and/or diabetes mellitus (DM), and evaluate the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Risk Assessment and Management Programmes (RAMP) and other primary care services such as Patient Support Call Centre (PSCC) on reducing complications and mortality Design: Population-based cohort study Setting: Hospital Authority (HA) primary care clinics Participants: All patients aged ≥18 years with DM or HT managed in HA primary care clinics between 2006 and 2021 Main outcome measures: (1) incidence of DM/HT-related complications (cardiovascular disease, end-stage renal disease, retinopathy, neuropathy and all-cause mortality); (2) service utilization (out-patient clinics, Accident and Emergency and overnight hospitalizations); (3) Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per complications or all-cause death avoided, and per QALY gained by RAMP or PSCC. Methods: A naturalistic cohort study (maximum 10-year follow-up) and retrospective data extraction from the HA clinical management system (CMS) database will be conducted to identify and correlate outcome trajectories of HT and/or DM patients with personal, service delivery and process of care factors. Outcomes of propensity score matched cohorts who have and have not participated in the programmes will be compared. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression and Poisson/negative binomial regression will be conducted to evaluate the effect of RAMP, PSCC and other primary care services on the risk of complications, mortality and service utilization. Empirical costs and effectiveness data will be used to calculate cost-effectiveness from the provider's perspective. Significance: Findings will inform how to optimize service delivery for HT/DM patients in Hong Kong

Renal Arterial Denervation in Sympathetic Dysautonomia
HypertensionRenal Denervation4 moreThe RANSOM registry is considered as a collection of data with the ultimate purpose of gathering information about the effect of renal denervation in patients of the investigator's center and evaluating the results within the usual clinical practice. The general objective of the study is to evaluate the clinical results (blood pressure, quality of life and levels of catecholamines) as well as safety of renal sympathetic denervation in hypertensive patients, at least in treatment with an antihypertensive drug and with increased variability, considering as such a standard deviation> 10 mmHg for systolic BP and> 5 for diastolic BP of its blood pressure levels, measured by ABPM.

HRV as a Marker of Treatment Response in PAH Arterial Hypertension
Pulmonary Arterial HypertensionThis is a prospective longitudinal cohort study to determine the value of HRV obtained using noninvasive actigraphy to quantify the response to pulmonary vasodilator therapy in newly diagnosed PAH patients

RV Conductance Catheter Assessment During Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty
Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary HypertensionBalloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) treats patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Intra-procedural markers of success to guide the intervention are lacking. The investigators propose to measure right ventricular (RV) pressure volume loops invasively and measure biomarkers at intervals during the course of a course of BPA. These data will be analysed to define load independent indices of RV functional improvement, cross correlated with biomarker data and be used to calibrate non-invasive assessment of ventriculo-arterial coupling by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to better detect responders of BPA and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA).

The Influence of Tai Chi Practice on Blood Pressure and Brain Health Among Older Adults With Hypertension...
HypertensionCognitive DeclineHigh blood pressure and poor cognitive function are two common health problems among older adults in the United States. They are also closely related because high blood pressure may lead to negative changes in brain structure and function such as poor brain blood flow that can cause poor cognitive function. Executive function is one type of cognitive function that let people plan and perform difficult tasks. It is commonly damaged by high blood pressure. It is also very important for older adults because they need good executive function to live on their own. Tai Chi is a good exercise option for older adults because it is safe, fun, and social. Research studies show that Tai Chi can reduce blood pressure and improve cognitive function, especially executive function. However, researchers do know if these heart and brain health benefits of Tai Chi are connected. In the ACTION study, researchers will first measure how a single session of Tai Chi followed by a 12-week online Tai Chi program with easy movements changes blood pressure and cognitive function, focusing on executive function. Then, researchers will test if these changes in heart and brain health are connected, and if they are connected through the changes in brain structure and function. Both the single session and 12-week online Tai Chi program will be practiced by a group of older adults with high blood pressure and normal cognitive function. They will be new to Tai Chi and not exercising regularly. The hypotheses of the ACTION study are that practicing Tai Chi is good for the heart and brain of older adults with high blood pressure. Specifically, relaxing Tai Chi with gentle movements will reduce blood pressure, and thereby improve cognitive function, particularly executive function.

Safety and Efficacy of Remote Ischemic Conditioning in Patients With Essential Hypertension (SERIC-EH)...
Essential HypertensionThe purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of remote ischemic conditioning for essential hypertension.

ReNEW Clinic Cohort Study
HypertensionPrehypertension4 moreThis is an ongoing, prospective cohort study of children and young adults who are evaluated in the Reversing the Negative Effects of Weight on the Heart (ReNEW) Clinic at Johns Hopkins University. Demographic and clinical data of patients who agree to participate are obtained via chart review and entered into a longitudinal clinic registry.

Nighttime Valsartan in Hemodialysis Hypertension
Hypertension;NephropathyHypertension is one of the most important independent risk factors for the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients. The incidence rate is high and the control rate is low. Nocturnal hypertension has been paid more attention in recent years. Compared to daytime blood pressure, nocturnal blood pressure is an independent and efficient prognostic indicator of hypertensive deaths and cardiovascular events, but it's lack of evidence about its impact on prognosis in hemodialysis patients and the effective treatment program. Our previous cohort study suggests that the incidence of nocturnal hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease is up to 71.22%, with a significant increase as the decline of renal function, and more severe target organ damage in patients with nocturnal hypertension: the decrease of glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular hypertrophy, and the increase of all cause death and cardiovascular death. Our small sample size study show that night time antihypertensive drugs can better control blood pressure and delay the development of left ventricular hypertrophy. These preliminary results suggest that nocturnal hypertension is closely related to the prognosis of chronic renal disease. Taking antihypertensive drugs at night is one of the options for controlling nocturnal hypertension. However, it is not clear whether taking antihypertensive drugs at night can improve the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients with nocturnal hypertension. To this end, we collect maintenance hemodialysis patients with nocturnal hypertension, and propose a time selective use of valsartan to intervene in nocturnal hypertension. By comparing the differences in the effects of valsartan on the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients during the day or night, to further clarify the role of nocturnal hypertension in the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients, whether controlling nocturnal hypertension can improve the prognosis of maintenance hemodialysis patients. The completion of the study will optimize the prevention and treatment of hypertension in maintenance hemodialysis patients, and provide an evidence for precise prevention and treatment of hypertension in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Training in HFpEF-PH
Pulmonary Hypertension Due to Left Heart DiseaseHeart Failure With Preserved Ejection FractionExercise interventions alone or as a component of a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program for patients with heart failure (HFrEF and HFpEF) have already shown to reduce the risk of hospitalisations due to HF and improved exercise capacity and health-related quality of life. Two meta-analyses have confirmed the beneficial effects in cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life. The effects of exercise training on systolic and diastolic function remain inconclusive. Due to the positive results of exercise training in HFpEF, cardiac rehabilitation is recommended (Class I, level A) to be integrated into the overall provision of HF care. However, none of these studies focused on concomitant PH in HFpEF. Exercise training in patients with pulmonary hypertension has already shown to improve exercise capacity, quality of life and peak oxygen consumption, which was confirmed by three meta-analyses and a Cochrane review. Though different diagnostic subgroups have already been enrolled in PH exercise training studies, they mainly included pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Data on combined PH and HFpEF is still lacking. As recently pointed out by Arena et al. there may thus be an exercise training volume/intensity which may be detrimental to the RV in patients with HF and concomitant PH. This study is sought to investigate whether a specialized training program is safe and tolerable and may improve exercise capacity, quality of life, hemodynamics, diastolic dysfunction and biomarkers in patients with PH and HFpEF.

Evaluation of Systemic Microvascular Reactivity in Patients With Resistant Hypertension
Arterial HypertensionResistant Hypertension2 moreSystemic arterial hypertension is a serious health problem worldwide. In some cases, it can phenotypically present as resistant arterial hypertension, which consists of blood pressure levels outside the treatment goals in patients using three or more classes of antihypertensive drugs, one of which is preferably a thiazide diuretic. Resistant hypertension contributes to a 47% higher risk of developing cardiovascular events when compared to patients with non-resistant hypertension. It is known that the microcirculation plays a relevant role in the pathophysiology of arterial hypertension. Furthermore, it is known that the cutaneous microvascular network is an adequate model and that it reflects the systemic microcirculation. In this sense, the present research proposes the study of cutaneous capillary density - through high resolution intravital microscopy - and of the endothelium-dependent and independent microvascular vasodilator response - by the speckle laser flowmetry method coupled to a pharmacological system of micro- iontophoresis - in patients diagnosed with resistant hypertension, with the aim of identifying changes in comparison with patients with non-resistant hypertension and normotensive individuals. Additionally, the evaluation of the association between systemic microvascular function and the presence of target organ lesions in this population may indicate that this is a new non-invasive way of stratifying cardiovascular risk in these individuals.