The paper reviews the data of observational studies concerning effects of famine during untrauterine development and long-term outcome and cardiovascular risk. The overview and results of the major cohorts of subjects born during famine due to wars and other historical events are described. 

The prevalence of vascular cognitive impairment increases with the population ageing. Given the growing medical, social and economic signiicance of vascular cognitive impairment, its prevention and treatment are important priorities nowadays. Understanding the mechanisms of vascular cognitive impairment contributes to the effective primary and secondary prevention, as well as to proper treatment.

In this era of high-tech medicine, scientists have the opportunity to discover previously unknown mechanisms of development throughout the course and outcome of the disease. These methods include a highly informative study of telomerase activity and telomere length measurement in hypertension. The change of the telomere length in cells relects the processes of the development and degradation of cells, as well as the stages of their life cycle. The study of genetic defects in telomeres and telomere repair mechanisms are of great practical importance for treatment approaches and making prognosis in hypertension. Measurement of telomere length of peripheral blood leukocytes may serve as a screening method for the prediction of examination, monitoring, genetic counselling and treatment of a patient. As telomeres can help in estimating risks in hypertension, determining the length of telomeres in the course of the disease to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment is of great importance. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms of telomeres and telomerase, as well as pathophysiological mechanisms, disorders, recovery of telomerase activity, and telomere that lead to the development of hypertension.

Objective. To study the association of genetic determinant (A-risk allele of rs9939609 SNP of FTO gene) with prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components in residents of different Russian cities.

Design and methods. We examined 425 patients with MS or its components from different cities of Russia (St Petersburg, Kursk, Kaliningrad), stratiied by sex and age [175 male (41,2 %) and 250 female (58,8 %), mean age — 47,2 ± 0,6 years]. All subjects were interviewed with special questionnaire. Physical examination included anthropometry (waist and hip circumferences, weight, height), blood pressure and heart rate registration. MS was deined according to NCEP-ATPIII as well as IDF (2005) and JIS (2009) criteria. Fasting plasma lipids and glucose were performed in all patients by Hitachi-902 equipment (Roche reagents). Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was puriied from peripheral blood lymphocytes and genotyping was performed using real time polymerase chain reaction method by allele-speciic probes (Applied Biosystems).

Results. Among males with AA genotype waist and hip circumferences and weight were higher, compared to subjects with TA and TT genotypes (p = 0,0002, p = 0,001 and p = 0,01, respectively). There was a tendency to the increase of body mass index (BMI) in the group with AA genotype compared to subjects with TA and TT genotypes (29,7 ± 0,7; 27,6 ± 0,4 and 27,9 ± 0,3 kg/m², respectively, р = 0,1). In our study AA genotype was associated with higher glucose level compared to TA and TT genotypes (5,6 ± 0,2; 5,0 ± 0,1 and 5,1 ± 0,1 mmol/l, respectively, p = 0,04). There was a tendency to the increase of the proportion of hypertensives among patients with AA genotype compared to TA and TT genotypes (70,5; 65,2 and 57 %, respectively, p = 0,18).

Conclusion. In Russian population FTO genepolymorphism rs9969309 is associated not only with abdominal obesity, but also with other components of MS, including hyperglycemia and hypertension.

Objective. To assess the eficacy and tolerability of a ixed combination of perindopril and amlodipine in patients with acute coronary syndrome and hypertension III stage 2 and 3 degree.

Results and conclusion.  The drug (perindopril plus amlodipine 10/5 mg) was shown to provide a high 24-hour antihypertensive eficacy, leading to a signiicant decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. The drug was well tolerated, and the drug withdrawal was not required. 

Objective. To study the etiology of nonischemic ventricular arrhythmias and to improve diagnostic evaluation of inlammatory myocardial disease using endomyocardial biopsy.

Design and methods. We performed 100 endomyocardial biopsies during catheter ablation in patients with nonischemic ventricular arrythmias.

 Results. Myocarditis was veriied in 58 cases, and postinlammatory ibrosis — in 24 cases. Twenty three patients (67 %) demonstrated active myocarditis, 1 (2,9 %) had chronic active myocarditis, and 10 subjects (29 %) — chronic non-active myocarditis.

 Conclusion. Endomyocardial biopsy contributes to better veriication of the etiology of ventricular arrhythmias. Late gadolinium enhancement during magnetic resonance imaging shows 74 % sensitivity and 46,9 % speciicity in the evaluation of myocarditis, and 52,4 % sensitivity and 38,9 % speciicity in veriication of postinlammatory ibrosis. Presence of CD-8+ cells, Ig M, patchy dystrophin expression can be additional features for veriication of active myocarditis.

Objective. To study the transient myocardial ischemia in newborn of different gestational age survived after severe perinatal pathology.

Design and methods. A total of 110 newborn were examined. One group included newborns weighed 2000–2500 g at birth, group 2 was formed by children with extremely low birth weight (ELBW). In both groups the frequency of transient myocardial ischemia was assessed.

 Results and conclusion. As a result, the comparative study showed that transient myocardial ischemia is more common in infants with ELBW. It is associated with the worsening of the underlying disease and increased mortality in the group of newborns with ELBW.

Objective. To study and compare indicators of systemic inlammation and red blood cells glutathione redox potential by chronic oxidative stress (OS) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the combination of both diseases.

Design and methods. The study included 35 patients with CHD and newly diagnosed T2DM, 109 patients with CHD, 19 patients with T2DM, and 89 healthy individuals. Systemic inlammation indicators were measured including concentration of interleukin (IL) 6 and 8, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and OS in plasma, oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH) glutathione, as well as their ratio and redox potential (E), the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GP) in red blood cells.

Results. Signiicant growth of systemic inlammation (IL-6, IL-8, MPO) indicators on the weakening antioxidant defense enzyme has been registered in patients with a combination of CHD and T2DM, a 3,4-fold reduction of GSH level, 5,8-fold of 2GSH/GSSH in red blood cells and E values towards the oxidized state at 36,3 mV were noted. These changes were less pronounced in CHD group and were absent in T2DM group. All subjects showed a decreased activity of GP and increased level of glycosylated hemoglobin. The correlation of E and activity GR have been found in patients with carbohydrate metabolism disorder. High positive relationship between IL concentration and red blood cells GR, E indicators has been identiied in patients with CHD and T2DM. There is a need to control and correct cellular redox potential in patients with CHD and T2DM.

Conclusion. The combination of CHD and T2DM contributes to the decrease of red blood cells redox status glutathione secondary to the increased systemic inlammatory response and chronic OS indicators.

Objective. To compare the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), risk factors of its development when using the old (WHO, 1999) and the new Russian criteria (2012) and to assess the correspondence between fasting glycaemia and 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), under the new criteria.

Design and methods. A total of 354 pregnant women were screened for gestational diabetes mellitus by OGTT between weeks 24 and 28 of gestation. Fasting blood glucose at irst prenatal visit was obtained from the medical records. GDM for therapy initiation was diagnosed according to WHO criteria. GDM was also retrospectively deined according to the new IADPSG-criteria (fasting plasma glucose >5,1 and < 7,0 mmol/l at the irst prenatal visit or by OGTT fasting glucose >5,1 and/or ? 10,0 mmol/l after 1 hour and/or ? 8,5 mmol/l after 2 hours at 24–32 gestation week).

 Results. GDM was detected in 25,1 % according to the old criteria and in 26,8 % women under the new criteria by OGTT. Fasting glucose at the irst prenatal visit between 5,1 mmol/l and 7,0 mmol/l (that is, GDM under the new criteria) was deined in 92 (28,1 %) of 327 women with known fasting blood glucose level. Only in 34 (37 %) of 92 women with fasting glycemia > 5,1 mmol/l at the irst prenatal visit the results of OGTT met the criteria for GDM (IADPSG) at 24–28 weeks gestation. Total incidence of GDM according to the new criteria (at the irst prenatal visit and after 24 weeks of pregnancy) was 43,4 %. Conclusions. Application of the new Russian criteria leads to a signiicant increase in the frequency of GDM, mainly due to the fasting glucose level at the irst prenatal visit. In women with GDM, diagnosed according to the IADPSG-criteria (but not WHO), such risk factors of GDM as heredity for diabetes mellitus and hypertension before pregnancy were more often identiied compared with women without GDM.

Objective. To evaluate bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) impact on apnea incidence and characteristics in infants.

Design and methods. We performed cardiorespiratory monitoring in 25 premature infants with BPD and 25 non-BPD preterms comparable in gestational age (26–30 weeks) at ages of less than 29 days, 29–50 days and > 50 days.

 Results. Infants with moderate to severe BPD tended to have higher apnea incidence when older than 50 days, and more obstructive episodes, compared to infants with mild BPD and without BPD. Infants with mild BPD had similar apnea type ratio as non-BPD infants. In the second and third age intervals, infants with moderate to severe BPD demonstrated similar prolonged apnea incidence but had rather more apnea accompanied by oxygen saturation (SрO₂) falls ≤ 80 %, compared to infants with mild BPD and without BPD. During the irst month infants with mild BPD demonstrated shorter apnea episodes, less prolonged apnea and more apnea with SрO₂ ≤80 % falls compared to non-BPD infants. During the second age interval these characteristics did not differ between the groups.

 Conclusion. Infants with moderate to severe BPD had longer apnea persistence, more signiicant SрO₂ falls due to apnea. Respiratory control characteristics seem to be comparable in mild BPD and non-BPD infants from the second month of age.

Over the past two decades the views at the role of adipose tissue in the metabolic and energy metabolism have radically changed. There have appeared more and more evidence on the production of biologically active substances by adipose tissue, the so-called adipocytokines that are involved in the regulation of metabolic processes at the local or systemic level, of the tissue sensitivity to insulin, as well as pro-inlammatory or anti-inlammatory effect. By analysing the relationship and interaction of abdominal obesity, aseptic inlammation of adipose tissue and insulin resistance, it should be emphasized that these processes operate on the principle of mutual reinforcement, forming a vicious circle. Further understanding of adipokines and cytokines participation in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome may contribute to a deeper insight into their biological role.