Snoring-associated vibration energy transmission from the upper airway to the carotid artery has been hypothesized as a potential atherosclerotic plaque initiating/rupturing event that may provide a pathogenic mechanism linking snoring and embolic stroke. We examined transmission of oscillatory pressure waves from the pharyngeal lumen to the common carotid artery wall and lumen in seven male, a...

We compared large artery mechanical properties in children with nondialysis stages of chronic kidney disease with those in children with normal renal function, examining the potential effect of blood pressure (BP) components and level of renal dysfunction. Common carotid artery mechanical properties, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and carotid and peripheral BP were measured in children (n...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Conformity between self-expanding Wallstents and vascular anatomy is limited. Because of a lack of longitudinal flexibility, straightening effects on vascular curves occur and may result in stent-induced kinking. Our purpose was to evaluate the conformity of self-expanding stents with the course and endoluminal surface of silicone models of the normal human carotid artery...

Background: The value of noninvasive assessment of carotid plaque composition in identifying patients with high coronary risk remains elusive. We sought to determine whether and which carotid plaque components are associated with prior coronary events independent of traditional risk factors and plaque burden. Methods: Asymptomatic subjects with 50-79 % carotid stenosis by ultrasound were imaged...

BACKGROUND Atherothrombosis remains a major health problem in the western world, and carotid atherosclerosis is an important contributor to embolic ischemic strokes. It remains a clinical challenge to identify rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques before clinical events occur. Inflammation, endothelial injury and angiogenesis are features of vulnerable plaques and may all be associated with pla...

Carotid ultrasound is an imaging modality that allows non-invasive assessment of vascular anatomy and function. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) has been shown to predict cardiovascular (CV) risk in multiple large studies. However, in 2013, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines designated that the carotid IMT as class III evidence level was not recommended for...

In this study we examined the potential role of atherosclerosis in the main arteries supplying blood to the carotid body in the organ's morphological degradation with age. We addressed this issue by comparing the ultrastructural picture of carotid bodies and of fragments of the carotid artery bifurcation in two age-extreme groups of rats: young - 3 months old and senescent - 24 months old. Tiss...

At lower relative (i.e., non-dimensional) frequencies, four propagating waves exist in fluid-filled pipes. Each of these waves carries energy in the pipe wall, while three waves carry energy in the fluid as well. The otherwise fairly complex dispersion laws for waves in pipes simplify in the frequency region considered to simple rodand beam-type laws. It is shown that these laws can be determin...

BACKGROUND Non-pharmacological options for symptomatic management of cough are desired. Although chest wall mechanical vibration is known to ameliorate cough reflex sensitivity, the effect of mechanical vibrations on perceptions of urge-to-cough has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the effect of mechanical vibration of cervical trachea, chest wall and femoral muscle on cough reflex ...

The cardiac cycle imposes a mechanical stress that dilates elastic carotid arteries, while shear stress largely contributes to the endothelium-dependent dilation of downstream cerebral arteries. In the presence of dyslipidemia, carotid arteries stiffen while the endothelial function declines. We reasoned that stiffening of carotid arteries would be prevented by reducing resting heart rate (HR),...