BACKGROUND Impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation is an early sign of atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic patients. We hypothesized that lipid-lowering therapy can improve endothelial function and that this effect is mainly mediated by increased bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). METHODS AND RESULTS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we studied 29 patients (a...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine the time dependency of the endothelium-dependent and -independent vascular responses after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting (DEB) or plain balloons, bare-metal (BMS), and drug-eluting (DES) stents, or controls. BACKGROUND Long-term endothelial dysfunction after DES implantation is associated with delayed healing and late thro...

Although insulin-mediated vasodilation is impaired in insulin resistance, the mechanisms of this are unknown. We investigated factors mediating vasoactive responses to insulin in control and insulin-resistant rats. Responses to insulin in small mesenteric arteries from control and insulin-resistant rats were investigated after blocking endothelin-A receptors, cyclooxygenase, nitric oxide syntha...

I have presented data to support an interaction of insulin with the vascular endothelium to cause the release of NO and vasodilation. In effect, insulin-mediated vasodilation can be viewed as a novel test of endothelial function. The physiologic significance of insulin-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasodilation is not fully understood, but some insight has been gained. Insulin-mediated vasodi...

NO is a potent vasodilator that activates soluble guanylate cyclase, thereby increasing intracellular levels of cyclic GMP. In addition, NO exerts an inhibitory influence on cell proliferation and adhesion. The proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells or lymphocytes in culture is inhibited by exogenous NO donors as well as endogenous NO.Platelet adhesion and aggregation as well as monocyte...

Endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in hypercholesterolemia, even before the development of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether infusion of L-arginine, the precursor of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor, nitric oxide, improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypercholesterolemic humans. Vascular reactivity was measured in the forearm resist...

INTRODUCTION Endothelium-dependent dilation is improved in insulin-treated diabetic patients, but this effect is probably due to improved glycemic control. The objective of the present study was to compare endothelium-dependent dilation in patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes who are or are not using insulin as part of their therapy. METHODS We studied 27 patients with type 2 diabete...

The effect of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) on endothelium-dependent vasodilation of isolated rabbit basilar artery was examined using an isometric tension recording method. Thirty-five rabbits that had 2 successive blood injections were divided into 3 groups: normal animals (control), 4 days, and 3 weeks after the first SAH. Acetylcholine (ACh) (10(-6)-10(-4) M) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP...