The Editorial Board of JASH hopes that you enjoyed the Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Society of Hypertension as much as we did. We have invited the authors of the most stimulating and informative presentations at the meeting to contribute their work to JASH and thus you should have an opportunity to re-visit some of these interesting topics in more detail soon. This issue of JASH features a provocative hypothesis regarding the renin-angiotensin cascade, in addition to three reviews, and four original research observations.
This issue begins with a hypothesis regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in renin formation at the level of the juxtaglomerular cell by Victor Dzau and his colleagues, encompassing some three decades of interest in this area.
A review contributed by Michel Safar, based on his plenary presentation from the 2006 ASH Scientific Sessions focuses on the relationship between structural and functional alterations in large blood vessels and renal function. Another excellent review of the relationships between chronic renal disease and the risk for cardiovascular events was provided by Yerram and colleagues. This is followed by a thoughtful and provocative review of the gender influence on cardiovascular disease occurrence and longevity by Abraham Aviv who has previously called attention to alterations in telomere length as a factor in human disease.
The original research articles provide several new findings. The role of angiotensin II type 1 receptors and their blockade on inflammatory markers in hypertensive diabetic subjects by Rhian Touyz and her colleagues provide yet another explanation for the importance and benefit of pharmacological blockade of the renin-angiotensin cascade in such individuals. New observations regarding the effect of obesity and hyperinsulinemia, short of overt diabetes mellitus, on vascular elasticity in young individuals presents compelling evidence that the epidemic of obesity among young people predicts a dramatic rise in associated cardiovascular events as this generation moves into adulthood and middle age unless effective alterations are achieved. Another study from Scandinavia provides a further link between blood pressure patterns, such as non-dipping, in diabetic subjects and evidence of retinopathy, confirming the importance of maintaining the lowest possible blood pressure in such individuals and the beneficial effect of the nocturnal decline in pressure in maintaining optimal vascular health. The final article in this issue describes the prevalence of hypertension and patterns of blood pressure among Peruvian Andean Hispanics. This report is much more than just a description of hypertension prevalence among a relatively small population sample since it introduces the likelihood that physiological factors associated with altitude and/or hypoxia may influence blood pressure and its manifestations.
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