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The thin layer of cells that lines the interior of blood vessels, known as the endothelium, plays a complex role in vascular biology. The endothelium mediates blood vessel tone, hemostasis, neutrophil recruitment, hormone trafficking, and fluid filtration. Endothelial dysfunction, as defined by a lack of NO, has been linked to a variety of disease states, including atherosclerosis, diabetes mel...

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by a twoto fourfold increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This is generally attributed to the adverse effects of hyperglycemia and oxidative stress on vascular biology. It has also been shown that patients with prediabetic conditions, such as impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance, are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease as well (1)....

BACKGROUND Endothelial dysfunction may be involved in the pathophysiology of cardiac abnormalities in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). A correlation between endothelial dysfunction and diastolic dysfunction in patients with type 1 DM has been demonstrated, but this relationship has not been well investigated in type 2 DM. OBJECTIVE Compare groups of patients with type 2 DM and hypertensi...

Decompression sickness is a systemic pathophysiological process caused by bubbles and endothelial microparticles (EMPs) are established markers reflecting competency of endothelial function and vascular biology. Here, we investigated the effects of bubble-induced EMPs on endothelial cells in vitro and vivo. Rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were isolated and stimulated by b...

BACKGROUND In the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), life expectancy of HIV-infected patients is the same as that of the general population, resulting in increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease in this patient group. AIM To assess the prevalence of endothelial dysfunction in HIV-infected patients and to identify factors which affect endothelial function and arterial sti...

INTRODUCTION The goal of the current study was to investigate the effect of aging on the development of endothelial dysfunction in a murine model of sepsis, and to compare it with the effect of genetic deficiency of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). METHODS Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used to induce sepsis in mice. Survival rates were monitored and plasma indi...

Endothelial dysfunction precedes atherosclerosis and represents an important link between obesity and cardiovascular events. Strategies designed to prevent endothelial dysfunction may therefore reduce the cardiovascular complications triggered by obesity. We tested the hypothesis that deficiency of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (Psgl-1) would improve the endothelial dysfunction associated wi...

Background—Tissue edema and endothelial barrier dysfunction as observed in sepsis and acute lung injury carry high morbidity and mortality, but currently lack specific therapy. In a recent case report, we described fast resolution of pulmonary edema on treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib through an unknown mechanism. Here, we explored the effect of imatinib on endothelial barr...

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in obese individuals. Obesity dramatically increases the risk of development of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. This risk appears to originate from disruption in adipose tissue function leading to a chronic inflammatory state and to dysregulation of the endocrine and paracrine actions of adipocyte-derived factors. Thes...