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Introduction: The association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well known, the latter being an early independent risk factor that can appear up to 5 years before the onset of cardiovascular symptoms. The enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) could be implicated in its pathophysiology as an endogenous vasodilator. Our objective was to analyse the influence of variants of the eNOS gene, in the response to treatment of ED, in patients with CVD., Methodology: Observational, prospective study in patients with ED of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme. Demographic variables were collected (International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), quality of sexual life (mSLQQ), anxiety and depression (HAD), along with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). Genetic analysis of polymorphisms T-786C, G894T of the eNOS gene was performed by RT-PCR with TaqMan probe, and the data were analysed using SPSS 25., Results: Patients (n = 35, 60.8 ± 8.44 years) showed a median CVD (IQR 1-3) with severe ED (IIEF-EF of 9.4 ± 6.73 points) and a low perception of their quality of sexual life (-19.4 ± 8.37 points). At the final visit (n = 15), there were 71% responders to treatment with iPDE5, with a significant improvement in their ED (IIEF = 49.4 ± 17.29, IIEF-FE = 18.5 ± 9.60 scores) and of their quality of sexual life (7 ± 12 scores), with a higher percentage of responders among the native homozygous genotypes -786-TT and 864-TT., Conclusion: Variants of the NOS3 gene could influence the response to iPDE5. Full analysis of the patient sample will be required to confirm these preliminary results., (Copyright © 2020 Asociación Española de Andrología, Medicina Sexual y Reproductiva. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Scope: Despite the amount of information and research on the effects of virgin olive oil and its components in cardiovascular disease, little attention has been paid to the effects of pomace olive oil, an olive oil subproduct traditionally used in Spain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential effects of a pomace olive oil concentrated in triterpenic acids (POCTA) on blood pressure, cardiac hemodynamics, and functional and molecular vascular alterations associated with hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)., Methods and Results: The study showed that POCTA attenuated the increase of blood pressure in SHR. This effect was associated with an improvement in endothelium-dependent relaxation, enhancement of vascular expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and reduction of tumor necrosis factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta, and collagen I. Furthermore, POCTA improved cardiac hemodynamics (left ventricular systolic pressure and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure) and decreased relative kidney and lung weights., Conclusion: POCTA exerts antihypertensive effects together with vascular and hypertension target organ protection in SHR. Since interest in pomace olive oil has been low, the results of this study contribute to increasing awareness of its biological and nutritional values., (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background: The Vaqueiros de Alzada are a human isolate from Asturias, a Northern Spain region. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of Vaqueiros., Methods and Results: To determine whether the Vaqueiros and non-Vaqueiros from the same region have different genetic backgrounds, this study analysed nine mtDNA polymorphisms that define the common European mitochondrial haplogroups in a cohort of Vaqueiros (n = 60) and non-Vaqueiros (n = 110). Haplogroup H was the most frequent in Vaqueiros (42%) and non-Vaqueiros (46%). A total of 37% Vaqueiros were H1, compared to 31% of the non-Vaqueiros. This study also genotyped the two groups for three polymorphisms at the NOS3. APOE and ACE genes, that have previously been linked to risk of cardiovascular diseases. Allele and genotype frequencies did not differ between Vaqueiros and non-Vaqueiros. In addition, none of these polymorphisms were related to risk of hypertension, diabetes or hypercholesterolaemia in the two groups., Conclusion: The data suggested that Vaqueiros share the main haplogroup distribution as their non-Vaqueiros neighbours and other Cantabrian populations. In addition, no effect of the mitochondrial, NOS3. APOE and ACE polymorphisms on cardiovascular risk factors was observed.