Background/Study Context: Vascular and myocardial activation can each increase blood pressure responses to stressors, but vascular responses are uniquely associated with negative affect, pernicious coping processes, and cardiovascular risk. These hemodynamic correlates of coping in response to acute stressors have not been well characterized in older adults. Methods: Adults 65 ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors affecting systolic blood pressure (SBP) variability during a single clinic visit, in treated hypertensive patients. METHODS: Hypertensive patients were recruited to this observational study. Blood pressure was measured using an automated blood pressure monitor when each patient arrived at the outpatient clinic and again when they ...

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in regulating lymphatic contractile function and, consequently, lymph flow has been the subject of intense study. Despite this, the precise effects of NO on lymphatic contractile activity remain unclear. Recent hypotheses posit that basal levels of endogenous NO increase lymphatic contraction strength as a ...

Previous studies suggest restoration of angiogenic balance can lower blood pressure and improve vascular endothelium function in models of preeclampsia. Our laboratory has recently reported exercise training mitigates hypertension in an animal model of preeclampsia, but the mechanisms are unknown. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is stimulated during exercise and has ...

Antenatal steroid administration is associated with multiple cardiometabolic alterations including hypertension; however the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are unclear. The aim of the present study was to ascertain, in vivo, the contribution of the endothelin system to the development of hypertension in the adult offspring and the signaling pathway involved. ...

Recent evidence demonstrates that masked hypertension (MH) is a significant predictor of cardiovascular disease, while apelin and relaxin are two novel factors with a significant role in vascular regulation. Apelin is an adipokine that elicits endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and reduces arterial blood pressure, while relaxin is a protein hormone that induces ...

Blacks have increased hemodynamic responses to both physiological and pharmacological adrenergic stimulation compared with whites, and this may contribute to the greater prevalence of hypertension in this ethnic group. A small study suggested enhanced α(1)-adrenoreceptor-mediated arterial vasoconstriction in the forearm vasculature of blacks compared with whites, but it is unknown ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are at increased risk for cerebrovascular diseases. The underlying mechanisms remain obscure. It may occur through a reduction in cerebral vascular reactivity. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is effective in reducing the occurrence of apneas. We hypothesized that treatment with CPAP improves ...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is known to cause increased arterial stiffness, which is an important independent risk factor for adverse cardiovascular events. The purpose of this study was to assess the vascular properties of the aorta (AO) in a group of children with CKD using a noninvasive echocardiography (echo)-Doppler method. ...

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationship of 24-h blood pressure variability (BPV) with vascular structure and function using the SD and the coefficient of variation (CV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 344 hypertensive patients (aged 54.1±11.7 years, 59.6% men). BPV was estimated with the SD and ...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension, identifiable by elevated blood pressure (BP), is a heterogeneous multifactorial disorder. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), a special fat depot that is related to visceral fat rather than total adiposity, shares the same microcirculation with myocardial tissue and coronary vessels. Recent studies have identified EAT as an active organ, ...

OBJECTIVE:: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α agonists reduce blood pressure in rodents, but clinical trials provide conflicting data regarding their effects in humans. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of fenofibrate on blood pressure depends on salt sensitivity. METHODS:: Thirty-one hypertensive volunteers (17 salt-resistant, 14 salt-sensitive) completed a randomized, crossover, ...

To compare different algorithms to determine the oscillometric mean arterial pressure. Using a computer-based model, the accuracy of five algorithms was studied: maximum amplitude algorithm, 33 and 40% formulas calculating the mean arterial pressure from oscillometrically measured systolic and diastolic pressures, and two oscillation shape-based algorithms. We examined to which ...

Some studies have shown that serum resistin levels increase in hypertensive patients. Whether the increase of resistin is related to inflammatory or vascular endothelial function is still unknown. We investigated the relationship of increased resistin levels to inflammatory factors and circulating biomarkers of vascular endothelial function in hypertensive patients. One ...

An increase in blood pressure variability (BPV) contributes to the development of target organ damage associated with hypertension. Treatment with conventional β-blockers, such as atenolol, has been associated with an increase in BPV; however, the extrapolation of these results to third generation β-blockers with pleiotropic effects seems to be inappropriate. ...

BACKGROUND:: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is markedly increased among hemodialysis (HD) patients. Optimizing blood pressure (BP) among HD patients may present an important opportunity to reduce the disparity in CVD rates between HD patients and the general population. The optimal target predialysis systolic BP (SBP) among HD patients is unknown. Current ...

This study tested the hypothesis that Rho kinase contributes to the enhanced pressor response to acute angiotensin II in intact male growth-restricted and gonadectomized female growth-restricted rats. Mean arterial pressure and renal function were determined in conscious animals pretreated with enalapril (250mg/l in drinking water) for one week to block ...

Abstract Background: Androgen is a steroid hormone associated with high blood pressure (BP). The effect of androgen on BP in females is unknown. Methods: Androgen, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-6 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were evaluated in females with menstruation disorders (n = 135, 28 ± 5 years old) and normal BP, ...

OBJECTIVES: Defensive coping (AC) responses in urban African males have been associated with vascular responsiveness, partly explaining autonomic nervous system dysfunction. We therefore aimed to assess whether AC responses facilitate higher blood pressure and early sub-clinical structural vascular disease via alterations in frequency- and time-domain heart rate variability (HRV) responses. ...

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of melatonin on biochemical and cardiovascular changes resulting from exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxin.Methods: A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into the following four groups: (1) control group was administered with 0.5 mL ...

BACKGROUND Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and labetalol are recommended for the immediate treatment of malignant hypertension. Both are intravenous agents but have different effects on systemic hemodynamics, and may have differential effects on pulse-wave reflection and pulse-pressure amplification, with consequences for peripheral versus central blood pressures (BPs). METHODS We conducted a ...

Rationale: Regulator of G protein signaling 5 (RGS5) modulates G protein coupled receptor signaling and is prominently expressed in arterial smooth muscle cells. Our group first reported that RGS5 is important in vascular remodeling during tumor angiogenesis. We hypothesized that RGS5 may play an important role in vessel wall remodeling ...

Previous studies in humans attempting to assess sympathetic vascular transduction have related large reflex-mediated increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) to associated changes in limb vascular resistance. However, such procedures do not provide insight into the ability of MSNA to dynamically control vascular tone on a beat-by-beat basis. Thus, ...

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a critical role in ensuring proper folding of newly synthesized proteins. Aberrant ER stress is reported to play a causal role in cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of ER stress on vascular smooth muscle contractility and blood pressure remain unknown. The aim of this study ...

Maternal undernutrition results in elevated blood pressure (BP) and endothelial dysfunction in adult offspring. However, few studies have investigated interventions during early life to ameliorate the programming of hypertension and vascular disorders. We have utilised a model of maternal undernutrition to examine the effects of pre-weaning growth hormone (GH) treatment ...

Melatonin secreted by the pineal gland plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) and its administration reduces hypertension both in animals and humans. There are two experimental models of melatonin-deficient hypertension: one induced by pinealectomy and another by continuous 24 hour exposure to light. Both models ...

Despite its critical role for cardiovascular homeostasis in humans, only a few studies have directly probed the transduction of sympathetic nerve activity to regional vascular responses - sympathetic neurovascular transduction. Those that have variably relied on either vascular resistance or vascular conductance to quantify the responses. However, it remains unclear ...

Hypertension increases the risk for a variety of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease. The increase in oxidative stress has been associated with the pathogenesis of hypertension. Increase of blood pressure is due to an imbalance between antioxidants defence mechanisms and free radical ...

More than 60 years ago, Dr. Irvine Page proposed the Mosaic Theory of hypertension, which states that many factors, including genetics, environment, adaptive, neural, mechanical, and hormonal perturbations interdigitate to raise blood pressure. In the past two decades, it has become clear that common molecular and cellular events in various ...

Background: Accelerated arterial aging and inadequate outward arterial remodeling are observed in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Whether these changes could be closely associated with arterial calcifications has never been investigated. Methods: 155 ESRD patients and 105 age-, sex-, and blood pressure-matched control subjects were included. Common carotid artery (CCA) ...

Recent findings indicate an inverse relationship between cardiovascular disease and consumption of flavonoids. We aimed to identify clinical and vascular parameters of treated hypertensive who present beneficial effects of dark chocolate for one-week period on vascular function. Twenty-one hypertensive subjects, aged 40-65 years, were included in a prospective study with measurement ...

Assessment and monitoring of hemodynamics is a cornerstone in critically ill patients as hemodynamic alteration may become life-threatening in a few minutes. Defining normal values in critically ill patients is not easy, because 'normality' is usually referred to healthy subjects at rest. Defining 'adequate' hemodynamics is easier, which embeds whatever ...

Background: ZCM298 is a novel 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative. The aim of the study was to investigate its vasodilation and hypotension, and the related mechanisms. Methods: The isometric tension of artery ring segments was recorded using an in vitro myography system. The blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) was measured in ...

ABSTRACT. Angiogenesis is a hallmark of many conditions, including cancer, stroke, vascular disease, diabetes, and high-altitude exposure. We have previously shown that one can study angiogenesis in animal models by using total hemoglobin (tHb) as a marker of cerebral blood volume (CBV), measured using broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (bNIRS). However, the ...

Studies have suggested that the caudal ventral artery is a potential site for continuous arterial blood pressure monitoring in rats. However, the agreement of mean arterial pressure values between the femoral artery and the caudal ventral artery has not been investigated. This study was performed to identify whether the caudal ...

Copper and zinc are essential trace biometals that regulate cardiovascular homeostasis, and dysregulation of these metals has been linked to vascular diseases, including hypertension. In this article, we review recent human population studies concerning this topic, focusing on: 1) the relationship between blood pressure and levels of zinc and copper; ...

Arterial stiffness has been identified as an independent predictor of prognostic outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. Although measurement of pulse wave velocity has been a widely accepted noninvasive approach to the assessment of arterial stiffness, its accuracy is hampered by changes in blood pressure. Taking the exponential relation between ...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on arterial stiffness, central blood pressure, and reflected pulse wave characteristics in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and stage 2-3 arterial hypertension. Forty-four patients with hypertension and severe OSA (apnea/hypopnea index > ...

Background Arterial hypertension might be caused by hemodynamic disturbances such as fluid retention, increased vascular resistance, and hyperdynamic function of the heart. The aim of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of antihypertensive therapy based on hemodynamic assessment by impedance cardiography in a randomized, prospective, controlled trial. Material and ...

Pressure myograph systems are exquisitely useful in the functional assessment of small arteries, pressurized to a suitable transmural pressure. The near physiological condition achieved in pressure myography permits in-depth characterization of intrinsic responses to pharmacological and physiological stimuli, which can be extrapolated to the in vivo behavior of the vascular ...

A simple method of estimating arterial elasticity in the human finger using a volume-oscillometric technique with photoplethysmography was principally studied under the various effects of age, sex, and cold-stress stimulation for testing the capability of using this technique in arterial elasticity analysis. Amplitude variations in the alternating current signal of ...

Blood flows out of microvessels in the dermis when pressure higher than arterial blood pressure is applied to the fingertip, and subsequently re-flows into the microcirculation when pressure is released. Both the blood outflow and the reflow characteristics of microcirculation under pressurization are associated with microvasculature, blood and blood pressure. ...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is known to promote vascular disease and hypertension in part by formation of cytokines, such as interleukin-6. However, the role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in these processes and Ang II/interleukin-6 signaling is unclear. Using 2 models, we tested the hypothesis that ...

To better understand the mechanisms contributing to reduced blood flow with age, this study sought to elucidate the impact of altered femoral perfusion pressure (FPP) on movement-induced hyperemia. Passive leg movement was performed in 10 young (22 ± 1 yr) and 12 old (72 ± 2 yr) healthy men for ...

OBJECTIVE: In resistance arteries, diameter adjustment in response to pressure changes depends on the vascular cytoskeleton integrity. Serum response factor (SRF) is a dispensable transcription factor for cellular growth, but its role remains unknown in resistance arteries. We hypothesized that SRF is required for appropriate microvascular contraction. METHODS AND RESULTS: ...

Essential hypertension is associated with large and small vascular remodeling that impacts cardiovascular prognosis. Longitudinal follow-up of hypertensive patients has shown that large arterial stiffness decreases partly independently of blood pressure reduction, suggesting specific pharmacological effects of antihypertensive therapy. Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are among the agents that have ...

Recent in vitro experiments demonstrated that arteries under increased internal pressure or decreased axial stretch may buckle into the tortuous pattern that is commonly observed in aging or diseased arteries in vivo. It suggests that buckling is a possible mechanism for the development of artery tortuosity. Vascular tone has significant ...

Short-term treatments with protease-activated receptor 2-activating peptides (PAR2-AP) induce endothelium-dependent vasodilation and decrease blood pressure. In this study, we tested the effect of chronic in-vivo treatment with PAR2-AP on the blood pressure and endothelium function of mice. Male PAR2 wild-type (WT) and par2-deficient (KO) mice received subcutaneous infusions of either ...

AIM: To describe the frequency of renovascular abnormalities and hypertension in an opportunistic cohort of children with complex cerebrovascular disease from a single tertiary/quaternary referral centre. METHOD: This was a retrospective case note and imaging review of children who had had cerebral and renal angiography, with a diagnosis of moyamoya ...

Aims: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance that promotes abnormal vascular responses. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O2•-) contribute to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH), and vascular responses including remodeling and inflammation. This study sought to investigate the protective role of a pharmacological catalytic ...