The nitric oxide-mediated portion of shear stress-induced dilation of rat gracilis muscle arterioles was shown to be impaired in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Because shear stress-induced dilation is primarily mediated by endothelium-derived prostaglandins in rat cremasteric arterioles, we hypothesized that in the cremasteric vascular bed the mediation of shear stress-induced dilation ...

Endothelial-mediated dilations to selective P2Y1 and P2Y2 purinoceptor agonists [2-methylthioadenosine triphosphate (2MeS-ATP) and uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP), respectively] were evaluated in middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) of rats after 2 h of ischemia followed by 24 h of reperfusion (I/R). MCAs were harvested, pressurized to 85 mmHg, and luminally perfused. 2MeS-ATP, which dilates by the sy...

Opening of potassium channels on vascular smooth muscle cells with resultant hyperpolarization plays a central role in several mechanisms of vasodilation. For example, in the arteriolar circulation where tissue perfusion is regulated, there is an endothelial derived hyperpolarizing factor that opens vascular smooth muscle calcium-activated potassium channels, eliciting dilation. Metabolic vasod...

BACKGROUND In the stress imaging era, ECG positivity is regarded as a frequent source of false-positive responses. However, it is known that normal coronary arteries frequently coexist with abnormal endothelial function in patients with chest pain. AIM To evaluate the anatomical coronary epicardial, and functional systemic endothelial determinants of wall motion and electrocardiographic respo...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Potassium channels or nitric oxide or both are major mediators of acidosis-induced dilation in the cerebral circulation. However, these contributions depend on a variety of factors such as species and vessel location. The present study was designed to clarify whether potassium channels and endothelial nitric oxide are involved in acidosis-induced dilation of isolated rat ...

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is known to induce histamine release in human skin and to include a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent dilation in several other vascular beds. However, the relative contribution of histamine and NO to VIP-mediated vasodilation in human skin is unknown. Forty-three subjects volunteered to participate in two studies designed to examine the mechanism of VIP-mediated v...

Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (K(Ca)) channels regulate the physiological functions of many tissues, including cerebrovascular smooth muscle. l-Glutamic acid (glutamate) is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, and oxygen tension is a dominant local regulator of vascular tone. In vivo, glutamate and hypoxia dilate newborn pig cerebral arteriole...

critical pulmonary valve stenosis (cpvs) and atrial septal defect (asd) is an uncommon form of congenital heart disease. concurrent transcatheter pulmonary valvuplasty and closure of secundum atrial septal defect appears to be an interesting alternative to surgical correction. we present the simultaneous balloon valvuloplasty of critical pulmonary stenosis (ps) with supra systemic right ventric...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is related to endothelial dysfunction. CPAP is the first-line treatment for OSA. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of CPAP on endothelial function in subjects with OSA. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. The overall effects were measured by the weighted mean difference with a 95% CI. Subgroup and meta-regression anal...

BACKGROUND Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is the major limiting factor to the long-term success of pediatric heart transplantation. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been shown to be a significant risk factor for the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Recent work has demonstrated CMV DNA in leukocytes in the absence of direct allograft infection, suggesting that vascular changes may not be ...