e would like to compliment Binggeli et al. (1) on their hallenging study investigating the improvement in the cutaneous ascular response to reactive hyperemia following statin therapy in ypercholesterolemic patients. We recently published similar findngs regarding the reactive hyperemia test in young, healthy ontrol subjects. Unfortunately, we were not aware of each other’s ork at the time of p...

Background The role of nitric oxide (NO) in reactive hyperemia (RH) is not well known. We investigated whether NO plays a role in RH in human forearm vessels by examining the effects of N0-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), a blocker of NO synthesis, on reactive hyperemic flow. Methods and Results Forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography with a venous occlusion techniq...

T HE increased peripheral resistance associated with hypertension has been demonstrated for the circulation as a whole by measurements of blood pressure and cardiac output.l 2 The site of this resistance has not been precisely identified but it is believed to reside in the smallest arteries and arterioles.3'4 Since the activity of the smooth muscle in these vessels is readily affected by humora...

HUMAN SKIN is an amazingly complex circulation that lends itself to pharmacological studies due to the ease of access with limited invasiveness. Because of this, a growing body of literature has been directed toward a better understanding of the mechanisms behind regulation of cutaneous vascular tone. New information that helps to unravel mysteries of the skin brings much excitement to those of...

IN THE PLAY, Waiting for Godot, Godot never arrives. In the context of the “reductionist” (cellular and molecular) wave that has swept over biomedical research during the last 20–30 years, the continuing puzzle of exercise hyperemia is one issue where we may be waiting for the reductionists to address a question that is fundamentally beyond their reach. Part of this is an intellectually combati...

• Although many studies have dealt with postocclusion ("reactive") hyperemia in skeletal muscles," and a considerable number with such hyperemia in the coronary " and renal circulations," little systematic study of this phenomenon appears to have been made on the intestinal circulation. Since this vascular bed has received considerable attention in relation to intestinal ischemic shock," endoto...

Background Pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) is a non-contrast MRI technique capable of quantifying calf muscle perfusion with comparable accuracy to contrast enhancedMRI perfusion in normal subjects and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients. Peak perfusion can be achieved with exercise or during post-occlusion hyperemia. However, exercise stress may underestimate peak perfusion because...

We performed real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography on a patient with cardiac amyloidosis and previous normal coronary angiography presenting with atypical chest pain to assess myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR). Myocardial contrast echocardiography was performed and flash microbubble destruction and replenishment analysis was used to calculate myocardial blood flow. Dipyridamole was ...

Background Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for evaluation of skeletal muscle perfusion and provides a non-invasive index of vascular function. Previous studies have investigated ASL responses during reactive hyperemia in healthy subjects and patients with peripheral vascular disease; however, ASL has not been applied for assessment of tissue perfusion in ath...