Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular events, probably through mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)-dependent endothelial cell dysfunction, in comparison with essential hypertension (EH). Objective: Our objective was to investigate the number and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in PA and the relationship with arterial stiffness and disease progression. Design and Setting: We conducted a prospective study of the change of EPC number and outcome of PA patients after treatment at a tertiary medical center. Primary Outcomes: Changes in arterial stiffness and EPC number after treatment and the curability of hypertension were assessed. Patients: A total of 113 PA patients (87 patients diagnosed with aldosterone-producing adenoma, 26 with idiopathic hyperaldosteronism) and 55 patients with EH participated. Results: PA patients had higher arterial stiffness than EH patients (P = 0.006), with a lower numbers of circulating EPC and endothelial colony-forming units (P < 0.05). The differences were ameliorated at 6 months after unilateral adrenalectomy or treatment with spironolactone. Expression of MR was identified in the EPC. The number of circulating EPC was inversely correlated with the plasma aldosterone concentration (P = 0.021), arterial stiffness (P = 0.029) and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P = 0.03). High-dose aldosterone (10−5 and 10−6m) attenuated EPC proliferation and angiogenesis in vitro. Among the 45 patients who underwent unilateral adrenalectomy, 32 (71%) were cured of hypertension. The preoperative number of EPC [log(EPC number percent) >−3.6] predicted the curability of hypertension after adrenalectomy (P = 0.003). Conclusions: The relative deficiency of EPC in PA patients may contribute to aldosterone vasculopathy, which can be reversed by adrenalectomy and spironolactone. High aldosterone levels attenuated EPC proliferation and angiogenesis. Circulating EPC number may be a valuable biomarker to identify PA patients with a high incidence of arterial stiffness and to predict postoperative residual hypertension of aldosterone-producing adenoma.

OBJECTIVE: With increasing evidence about the cardiovascular risk associated with postprandial nonfasting glucose and lipid dysmetabolism, it remains uncertain whether the postprandial glucose concentration increases the ability of metabolic syndrome to predict cardiovascular events. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was an observational study of 15,145 individuals aged 35–75 years without diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. Postprandial glucose was obtained 2 h after a lunch meal. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the criteria of the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Cardiovascular and all-cause deaths were primary outcomes. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 6.7 years, 410 individuals died, including 82 deaths from cardiovascular causes. In a Cox model adjusting for metabolic syndrome status as well as age, sex, smoking, systolic blood pressure, LDL, and HDL cholesterol levels, elevated 2-h postprandial glucose increased the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause death (per millimole per liter increase, hazard ratio 1.26 [95% CI 1.11–1.42] and 1.10 [1.04–1.16], respectively), with significant trends across the postprandial glucose quintiles. Including 2-h postprandial glucose into a metabolic syndrome–included multivariate risk prediction model conferred a discernible improvement of the model in discriminating between those who died of cardiovascular causes and who did not (integrated discrimination improvement 0.4, P = 0.005; net reclassification improvement 13.4%, P = 0.03); however, the improvement was only marginal for all-cause death. CONCLUSIONS: Given the risk prediction based on metabolic syndrome and established cardiovascular risk factors, 2-h postprandial glucose improves the predictive ability to identity nondiabetic individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular death.

Background and Purpose: We explored whether high-degree magnetic resonance imaging–visible perivascular spaces in centrum semiovale (CSO) are more prevalent in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) than hypertensive small vessel disease and their relationship to brain amyloid retention in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: One hundred and eight spontaneous ICH patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging and Pittsburgh compound B were enrolled. Topography and severity of enlarged perivascular spaces were compared between CAA-related ICH (CAA-ICH) and hypertensive small vessel disease–related ICH (non-CAA ICH). Clinical and image characteristics associated with high-degree perivascular spaces were evaluated in univariate and multivariable analyses. Univariate and multivariable models were performed to evaluate associations between the severity of perivascular spaces in CSO and amyloid retention in CAA-ICH and non–CAA-ICH cases. Results: Patients with CAA-ICH (n=29) and non–CAA-ICH (n=79) had similar prevalence of high-degree perivascular spaces in CSO (44.8% versus 36.7%; P =0.507) and in basal ganglia (34.5% versus 51.9%; P =0.131). High-degree perivascular spaces in CSO were independently associated with the presence of lobar microbleed (odds ratio, 3.0 [95% CI, 1.1–8.0]; P =0.032). The amyloid retention was higher in those with high-degree than those with low-degree CSO-perivascular spaces in CAA-ICH (global Pittsburgh compound B standardized uptake value ratio, 1.55 [1.33–1.61] versus 1.13 [1.01–1.48]; P =0.003) but not in non–CAA-ICH. In CAA-ICH, the association between cerebral amyloid retention and the degree of perivascular spaces in CSO remained significant after adjustment for age and lobar microbleed number ( P =0.004). Conclusions: Although high-degree magnetic resonance imaging–visible perivascular spaces are equally prevalent between CAA-ICH and non–CAA-ICH in the Asian cohort, the severity of magnetic resonance imaging–visible CSO-perivascular spaces may be an indicator of higher brain amyloid deposition in patients with CAA-ICH.