Lifestyle intervention might easily improve blood pressure in hypertensive men with the C genotype of angiotensin II type 2 receptor gene

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have reported an association of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) 3123Cytosine/Adenine (3123C/A) polymorphism with essential hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the AT2R 3123C/A polymorphism affects blood pressure for free-living hypertensive men during a 5-month intervention period. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were free-living hypertensive Japanese men aged 40 to 75 years who agreed to intervention in the period from 2004 to 2011. Detection of the AT2R 3123C/A polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction. The dietary intervention was designed to decrease salt level and to increase potassium level through cooking instructions and self-monitoring of the diet. The exercise session consisted of activities such as stretching, resistance training, and walking. Blood pressure, urinary sodium and potassium excretion, dietary and lifestyle data, and non-fasting venous blood sample were collected at baseline and after the intervention period. RESULTS: Thirty nine subjects were eligible for participation and the follow-up rate was 97.4%. The C allele proportion was 57.9%. AT2R 3123C/A polymorphism was X-chromosome-linked, therefore we analyzed the C and A genotypes. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the genotype groups. After the intervention, there were no significant differences in lifestyle habit between the groups. Nevertheless, the estimated salt excretion (g/day) was significantly decreased only in the C genotype (13.0-10.3, P = 0.031). No significant change was observed in systolic blood pressure (SBP) (mmHg) in the A genotype, but a significant decrease was observed in the C genotype (150.0-141.5, P = 0.024). CONCLUSTIONS: In the C genotype, it might be easy to improve SBP through lifestyle intervention in free-living hypertensive Japanese men, however generalization could not be achieved by the small sample size.

Education in Hand Hygiene for Nurses to Visualize Hand Contamination / 医学教育

Background: Hand hygiene is recognized as the leading factor to prevent Healthcare-Associated Infection. This report describes an investigation of education in hand hygiene for nurses to visualize hand contamination.<br>Method: Twenty-nine nurses underwent education using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurements and fluorescent cream and black light, and a survey was conducted.<br>Results: A significantly higher number of nurses recognized the importance of hand hygiene after receiving education. Approximately 80% of nurses were able to: ″reflect on their methods for washing their hands″ , ″understand the necessity of keeping their hands clean after removing their gloves″ , and ″check for areas of the hands that had not been cleaned″ .<br>Discussion: This report suggested that education in hand hygiene using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurements and fluorescent cream and black light for nurses improves their perception of the importance of hand hygiene.