Smoking is associated with multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes, including fetal growth restriction. The objective of this study was to determine whether cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy in a mouse model affects the functional properties of maternal uterine, mesenteric, and renal arteries as a possible mechanism for growth restriction. C57Bl/CJ mice were exposed to whole body sidestream...

The influence of cyclooxygenase pathway activation following thromboxane-endoperoxide (TP) receptor stimulation was studied in rat mesenteric resistance arteries (n=6 to 10 per group). We studied isolated, perfused, and pressurized mesenteric resistance arteries (mean internal diameter 214 microm) using an arteriograph, enabling us to study arteries in physiological conditions of flow and press...

An increased Ca influx attributed to dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type Ca channels has been demonstrated in mesenteric vascular smooth muscle cells of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). This study examined whether an upregulation of the pore-forming 1C subunit of the L-type Ca 2 channel underlies this ionic defect. With the use of mesenteric arcade arteries from 12to 16-week-old SHR and norm...

We recently reported that the lipoxygenase product 11,12,15-trihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (THETA) mediates arachidonic acid (AA)-induced relaxation in the rabbit aorta. This study was designed to determine whether this lipoxygenase metabolite is involved in relaxation responses to AA in rabbit small mesenteric arteries. AA (10(-9)-10(-4) M) produced potent relaxations in isolated phenylephrine-...

Segmental arterial mediolysis is a noninflammatory nonatherosclerotic vasculopathy of uncertain etiology characterized by dissection and/or aneurysm formation. It affects medium-to-large arteries, primarily the celiac, superior mesenteric, and renal arteries. Iliac involvement rare, its specific treatment has not been described. We detail patient who presented with intrabdominal hemorrhage from...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a family of ligand-activated transcription factors that include PPAR-a, PPAR-g, and PPAR-d. We hypothesized that PPAR expression in blood vessels could be reduced in hypertension to result in increased vascular growth and reduced apoptosis. We investigated the abundance of PPAR-a and PPAR-g in aorta and mesenteric arteries from young (6-we...

Introduction Variations of renal arteries occur frequently in general population with a reported prevalence of about 28–30% [1]. Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography is a fast, reliable, non-invasive, cost effective, preferable imaging modality for comprehensive evaluation of renal vascular anatomy as it depicts exquisite anatomical details [2–4]. Two types of numerical variati...

Hypertension has been shown to be associated with impaired endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)-mediated arterial relaxation and hyperpolarization. Treatments of hypertensive rats with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system have been shown to restore both EDHF-mediated responses and the expression of connexins involved in the intercellular transfer of the hyperpolarization in m...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a family of ligand-activated transcription factors that include PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and PPAR-delta. We hypothesized that PPAR expression in blood vessels could be reduced in hypertension to result in increased vascular growth and reduced apoptosis. We investigated the abundance of PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma in aorta and mesenteric arter...