BACKGROUND It is not uncommon that only mild coronary artery stenosis is grossly revealed after a system autopsy. While coronary artery spasm (CAS) is the suspected mechanism of these deaths, no specific biomarker has been identified to suggest antemortem CAS. MATERIAL AND METHODS To evaluate the potential of using phosphorylated myosin light chain 2 (p-MLC2) as a diagnostic marker of antemorte...

BACKGROUND Forearm skin vascular reactivity may be assessed using a transient hyperaemic response (THR) after 20 s of brachial artery compression. THR has been manipulated by iontophoresis of vasodilators, but not vasoconstrictors, possibly because of low baseline blood flow. The effects of vasoconstrictors on vascular reactivity of pre-dilated blood vessels are unknown. We have investigated th...

Dear Editor: LASIK is a popular and relatively safe surgical procedure for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The proper adhesion between flap and stromal bed is mandatory to restore the corneal integrity and set the background for an adequate refractive outcome properly. Many refractive surgeons started using topical vasoconstrictors to reduce postoperative hyperemia and sub...

Stroke in pregnancy and the puerperium is a rare condition. The treatment of ischaemic stroke (IS) difficult requires attending physicians to take quick decisions. Postpartum vasculopathy (PV) may be one causes postpartum stroke. aetiology PV not fully understood. It most often occurs first week after delivery. trigger factors include vasoconstrictive substances that are present blood women per...

We examined whether interactions between angiotensin II (Ang II), endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO), and prostaglandins (PGs) differentially regulate perfusion to distinct vascular beds. For this, we blocked either angiotensin AT1 or ET receptors or both and then sequentially inhibited NO and PG synthesis in anesthetized dogs. Blocking Ang II or ET had similar effects on systemic hemodynamics:...

The level of renal blood flow (RBF) is controlled by opposing vasoconstrictor and vasodilator influences. In a recent investigation in normotensive dogs, we found that combined blockade of endothelin type A (ET(A)) receptors and angiotensin II formation induces marked increases in RBF that were much larger than the effects of blocking either system alone. The aim of the present study was to det...

OBJECTIVE Angiotensin II (Ang II), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the development of pathologic changes associated with obesity including hypertension and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary fat content on vasoreactivity and receptor expression at the level of gene and protein expression. METHODS C57BL...

Nitric oxide (NO) has been postulated as a regulator of vascular reactivity, and the current study tested the hypothesis that NO-induced decreased sensitivity to vasoconstrictors persists following removal of NO. Endothelium-denuded segments of rat aorta were incubated 2-4 h at 37 degrees C with the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP). Incubation produced rightward shifts in concent...

A B S T RA C T The effects of vasoconstrictor-receptor (neuropeptide Y, a-adrenergic, serotonergic, histaminergic) stimulation on currents through ATP-sensitive potassium (KATe) channels in arterial smooth muscle cells were examined. Whole-cell KAT e currents, activated by the synthetic KAT e channel opener pinacidil or by the endogenous vasodilator, calcitonin gene-related peptide, which acts ...

Rat renal interlobar arteries express heme oxygenase 2 (HO-2) and manufacture carbon monoxide (CO), which is released into the headspace gas. CO release falls to 30% and 54% of control, respectively, after inhibition of HO activity with chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP) or of HO-2 expression with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (HO-2 AS-ODN). Patch-clamp studies revealed that CrMP decreases the ope...