The existence of a barrier between the central nervous system (CNS) and the systemic circulation has been described over one hundred years ago. Since the discovery that this barrier was instigated by the barrier properties of the brain endothelial cells, research has focused on the identification of pathways how the brain endothelial cells are instructed to form the highly specialized blood-bra...

Objective(s):Protective effects of diuretics, particularly of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), for the development of seizure attacksepilepsy have been described in vivo. However, itsthe mechanism of action of HCT is unknownneeds to be elucidated. Materials and Methods: Extracellular field potentials were recorded from the CA1- and CA3-subfields of the hippocampus of rats. Epileptiform discharges wer...

Blood vessels alter their morphology and function in response to changes in blood flow, and their responses are based on blood flow detection by the vascular endothelium. Endothelial cells (ECs) covering the inner surface of blood vessels sense shear stress generated by flowing blood and transmit the signal into the interior of the cell, which evokes a cellular response. The EC response to shea...

We have shown that leukocytes retract their pseudopods and detach from substrates after exposure to physiological fluid shear stresses ( approximately 1.5 dyn/cm(2)). In inflammation, however, pseudopod projection during spreading and firm adhesion on endothelium is observed even in microvessels with normal blood flow and fluid shear stresses. Thus, we examined mechanisms that may serve to regu...

The localization of atherosclerotic lesions is influenced by hemodynamic factors, namely, shear stress and tensive forces. The present study investigated the relationships between shear stress and circumferential wall tension and between these hemodynamic factors and the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery in healthy men. Fifty-eight subjects were studied. Shear stress was...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Increased mortality after stroke is associated with brain edema formation and high plasma levels of the acute phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP). The aim of this study was to examine whether CRP directly affects blood-brain barrier stability and to analyze the underlying signaling pathways. METHODS We used a cell coculture model of the blood-brain barrier and the g...