Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the artery characterized by an expansion of the intimal region. Intimal thickening is usually attributed to the migration of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from the surrounding media and proliferation of SMCs already present in the intima. Intimal expansion can give rise to dangerous events such as stenosis (leading to stroke) or plaque rupture (leading...

Experiments were performed to elucidate a possible mechanism for the peripheral circulatory disturbance caused by vibration. Rats were exposed to local vibration (60 Hz, 5 G) on their hind legs for four hours a day for 30 days or 90 days. With exposure for 30 days the small arteries at the exposed site did not change. With exposure for 90 days, however, disruption of the internal elastic lamina...

We investigated the expression of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) in atherosclerotic lesions and the role of PTHrP in the development of arterial neointima formation. Immunohistochemical staining of PTHrP in the neointima of rat aorta produced by balloon injury and of rat femoral artery produced by non-obstructive polyethylene cuff placement, and in the atherosclerotic lesion of hum...

OBJECTIVE To provide better insights into the genesis of neointimal thickening in human vein grafts early after surgery. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Tertiary referral centre. SUBJECTS 18 distal anastomotic sites of patent grafts, obtained at necropsy from eight patients who died over differing periods (ranging from two days to nine months) after the procedure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASU...

Objective—To provide better insights into the genesis of neointimal thickening in human vein grafts early after surgery. Design—Retrospective study. Setting—Tertiary referral centre. Subjects—18 distal anastomotic sites of patent grafts, obtained at necropsy from eight patients who died over diVering periods (ranging from two days to nine months) after the procedure. Main outcome measures—Immun...

At autopsy, 13 nonstenotic human left anterior descending coronary arteries [71.5 +/- 7.3 (mean +/- SD) yr old] were harvested, and related anamnesis was documented. Preconditioned prepared strips (n = 78) of segments from the midregion of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the individual layers in axial and circumferential directions were subjected to cyclic quasi-static uniaxia...

Expression of epithelial cytokeratins type 8, 18 and 19 can be used to study smooth muscle cell differentiation during development. We studied the differentiation of smooth muscle cells in the ductus arteriosus before and during intimal thickening and compared the changes occurring in this vessel with the adjoining elastic ascending and descending aorta and the pulmonary trunk. The ductus arter...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are long-lived environmental contaminants that are widely detected in humans. Elevated circulating levels of POPs have been linked to hypertension, obesity, diabetes, meta bolic syndrome, and myocardial infarction in humans. Atherosclerosis, characterized by lipid-rich plaques on the inner wall (intima) of the artery, also can lead to myocardial infarction a...