Several studies have suggested an association between ambient air temperature and blood pressure. However, this has not been reliably confirmed by longitudinal studies. Also, whether the reaction to temperature stimulation is modified by other factors such as antihypertensive medication is rarely investigated. The present study explores the relationship between ambient temperature and blood pressure, without and with antihypertensive medication, in a study of 1,831 hypertensive patients followed up for three years, in two or four weekly check ups, accumulating 62,452 follow-up records. Both baseline and follow-up blood pressure showed an inverse association with ambient temperature, which explained 32.4% and 65.6% of variation of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (P<0.05) respectively. The amplitude of individual blood pressure fluctuation with temperature throughout a year (a 29 degrees centigrade range) was 9.4/7.3 mmHg. Medication with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor benazepril attenuated the blood pressure fluctuation by 2.4/1.3 mmHg each year, though the inverse association of temperature and blood pressure remained. Gender, drinking behavior and body mass index were also found to modify the association between temperature and diastolic blood pressure. The results indicate that ambient temperature may negatively regulate blood pressure. Hypertensive patients should monitor and treat blood pressure more carefully in cold days, and it could be especially important for the males, thinner people and drinkers.
Ag2O/TNBs were fabricated by depositing Ag2O nanoparticles on the surface of TiO2 nanobelts (TNBs). The disinfection activities of Ag2O/TNBs on two representative bacterial types: Gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC15597 and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, were examined under both dark and visible light conditions. Ag2O/TNBs exhibited stronger bactericidal activities than Ag2O nanoparticles and TNBs under both dark and light conditions. For both cell types, disinfection effects of Ag2O/TNBs were greater under light conditions relative to those under dark conditions. The bactericidal mechanisms of Ag2O/TNBs under both dark and light conditions were explored. Ag+ ions released from Ag2O/TNBs did not contribute to the bactericidal activity of Ag2O/TNBs under dark conditions, whereas the released Ag+ ions showed bactericidal activity under visible light irradiation conditions. Active species (H2O2, O-center dot(2)-, and e(-)) generated by Ag2O/TNBs played important roles in the disinfection processes under both dark and visible light irradiation conditions. Without the presence of active species, the direct contact of Ag2O/TNBs with bacterial cells had no bactericidal effect. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.