OBJECTIVE The effects of chronic coronary occlusion on the capillarity of left ventricular tissue in rat heart. METHODS The heart was exposed through a left-sided thoracotomy in ethylether-anesthetized and ventilated rats. The left coronary artery was occluded with a thin suture and the thorax was closed. Thirty days after the surgery the heart was removed and cross-sections were made for mor...

P-glycoprotein (PGP), an active efflux pump of antitumor agents in multidrug-resistant tumor cells, exists in brain capillary endothelium and could be functionally involved in the blood-brain barrier. To study the regulatory mechanism of PGP expression in brain capillary endothelium, various mouse tissue matrices were tested for their abilities to enhance the expression of PGP in mouse brain ca...

It has been proposed that capillaries can detect changes in tissue metabolites and generate signals that are communicated upstream to resistance vessels. The mechanism for this communication may involve changes in capillary endothelial cell membrane potentials which are then conducted to upstream arterioles. We have tested the capacity of capillary endothelial cells in vivo to respond to pharma...

The regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and angiogenic events during skeletal muscle regeneration remains largely unknown. This study examined angiogenesis, VEGF levels, and muscle regeneration after cardiotoxin (CT)-induced injury in mice lacking the CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2). Muscle regeneration was significantly decreased in CCR2 -/mice as was the early accumu...

Many types of skin substitutes have been constructed using exogenous materials. Angiogenesis is an important factor for tissue-engineered skin constructs. In this study, we constructed a scaffold-free bilayered tissue-engineered skin containing a capillary network. First, we cocultured dermal fibroblasts with dermal microvascular endothelial cells at a ratio of 2 : 1. A fibrous sheet was formed...

We report the case of a 38-year-old Asian, Indian female with capillary hemangioma breast in coexistence with the commonly occurring fibroadenoma. Clinical examination of the breast revealed a 4 cm diameter lump. Mammography revealed a well defined slightly hypoechoic lesion with smooth contours. A lumpectomy was performed. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of a completely encapsulated fib...

The fine structure of the lymphatic capillary and the surrounding tissue areas was investigated. Instead of a continuous basal lamina (basement membrane) surrounding the capillary wall, these observations revealed the occurrence of numerous fine filaments that insert on the outer leaflet of the trilaminar unit membrane of the lymphatic endothelium. These filaments appear as individual units, or...

This study presents a model that simulates the pulmonary capillary perfusion. The model describes the lungs as divided into horizontal layers and includes: capillary geometry; capillary wall elasticity; pressure at the pulmonary artery; blood viscosity; the effect of the chest wall; the change in lung height and hydrostatic effects of the lung tissue and of the blood during breathing. The model...

The regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and angiogenic events during skeletal muscle regeneration remains largely unknown. This study examined angiogenesis, VEGF levels, and muscle regeneration after cardiotoxin (CT)-induced injury in mice lacking the CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2). Muscle regeneration was significantly decreased in CCR2-/- mice as was the early accum...

Key points The capillary module, consisting of parallel capillaries from arteriole to venule, is classically considered as the building block complex networks. In skeletal muscle, this structure fails address how blood flow regulated along entire length synchronously contracting muscle fibres. Using intravital video microscopy resting extensor digitorum longus in rats, we demonstrated fascicle ...