BACKGROUND We tested the hypothesis that nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity contributes to vascular endothelial dysfunction with aging and obesity in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in 14 nondiabetic overweight or obese (body mass index > or =25 kg/m(2)) middle-aged and older (age 52 to 68 years) adults. Salsalate...

Hein, Travis W., James C. Liao, and Lih Kuo. oxLDL specifically impairs endothelium-dependent NO-mediated dilation of coronary microvessels. Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 278: H175–H183, 2000.—Our previous studies implicated that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), a putative atherogenic agent, impairs endothelium-dependent, nitric oxide (NO)-mediated dilation of isolated coronary ...

The pupil dilation reflex is mediated by inhibition of the parasympathetic Edinger-Westphal oculomotor complex and sympathetic activity. It has long been documented that emotional and sensory events elicit a pupillary reflex dilation. Is the pupil response a reliable marker of a visual detection event? In two experiments where viewers were asked to report the presence of a visual target during ...

Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) remains one of the major causes of graft loss after renal transplantation. It is dominated by endothelial damage in microcirculation. Clarifying the mechanism of microcirculating damage is obviously a key step to understand the pathogenesis of ABMR. Here we characterized capillary variation in ABMR and its possible mechanisms. Compared with T cell-mediated rej...

BACKGROUND Endothelial function is impaired in renal allograft recipients but the effects of antioxidant vitamin therapy on endothelial function in such patients is unknown. METHODS Thirteen renal allograft recipients were randomized to vitamin C or placebo in a double blind cross-over study design. Flow-mediated endothelium-dependent dilation and glyceryltrinitrate-induced endothelium-indepe...

Although episodic changes in shear stress have been proposed as the mechanism responsible for the effects of exercise training on the vasculature, this hypothesis has not been directly addressed in humans. We examined brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, an index of NO-mediated endothelial function, in healthy men in response to an acute bout of handgrip exercise and across an 8-week period ...