BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Short-term elevations in fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) are associated with increased risk of acute cerebrovascular events. Evidence from the peripheral circulation suggests that vascular dysfunction may be a central mechanism. However, the effects of PM2.5 on cerebrovascular function and hemodynamics are unknown. METHODS We used transcranial Doppler ultr...

while blunt trauma of the head and neck are a common pattern of injury, significant problems related to the prompt diagnosis and optimal management of traumatic artery injuries have been reported in the literature. while patients with major artery injuries might develop hemorrhagic shock very rapidly, patients with blunt cerebrovascular injuries (bcvi) can present asymptomatic, but complication...

Pearce, William. Hypoxic regulation of the fetal cerebral circulation. J Appl Physiol 100: 731–738, 2006; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00990.2005.—Fetal cerebrovascular responses to acute hypoxia are fundamentally different from those observed in the adult cerebral circulation. The magnitude of hypoxic vasodilatation in the fetal brain increases with postnatal age although fetal cerebrovascular res...

Hypertension is one of the most common medical complications of pregnancy that affects both fetal and maternal health and is often life threatening.1,2 Multiple maternal organs are affected by hypertension in pregnancy, including the brain in the form of eclampsia.1–4 Eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal death, with classic neurologic symptoms that include headaches, nausea, vomiting, corti...

Leffler, Charles W., Helena Parfenova, Jonathan H. Jaggar, and Rui Wang. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide: gaseous messengers in cerebrovascular circulation. J Appl Physiol 100: 1065–1076, 2006; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00793.2005.— This review focuses on two gaseous cellular messenger molecules, CO and H2S, that are involved in cerebrovascular flow regulation. CO is a dilatory mediator in ...

Endothelin-1 (ET1) is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide implicated in the cerebrovascular alterations occurring in stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and brain trauma. Brain or circulating levels of ET1 are elevated in these conditions and in risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases. Most studies on the cerebrovascular effects of ET1 have focused on vascular smooth muscle constriction, and little...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The excess risk of stroke seen in the black population has not been explained by differences in age, sex, and social class, although differences in the frequency of cerebrovascular risk factors may be partly responsible. Data on risk factor profiles for the UK black stroke population are sparse. Previous studies have contrasted the association of cerebrovascular risk fact...