Artery Research

In December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread rapidly worldwide. Although the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are dominated by respiratory symptoms, the cardiovascular system is extensively affected at multiple levels. Due to the unprecedented consequences...

Cardio Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) and mathematically corrected formula derived from it (CAVI0) are indices for arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis. Role of different atherosclerotic risk factors on CAVI and CAVI0 is not clear in the community dwelling individuals. This study aims to evaluate the...

Background: Indicators obtained from the analysis of the radial pulse wave allow an indirect evaluation of the interaction between cardiac ejection and arterial walls. Objectives: To analyze the characteristics of the arterial pulse in young elite athletes through a cross-sectional observational study. Methods:...

Background: Exercise training-induced adaptation of central Blood Pressure (BP) depends on exercise mode. Kendo, a traditional Japanese martial art, is a unique exercise mode because its training encompasses anaerobic and resistance training components. However, the effects of habitual kendo training...

Background: Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity (baPWV) and Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) are widely used in clinic for evaluating arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis separately. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity of baPWV and ABI for cardiovascular risk assessment in elderly Chinese. Methods:...

Homebased exercise is often advocated to improve physical fitness in the aging population, especially when outdoor activity is not available. Yet we often have a limited understanding of its training effects for clinical uses. Aim: To investigate a short-term exercise training of standing core exercise...

Low, oscillatory flow/shear patterns are associated with atherosclerotic lesion development. Increased expression of KCa3.1 has been found in Vascular Smooth Muscle (VSM), macrophages and T-cells in lesions from humans and mice. Increased expression of KCa3.1, is also required for VSM cell proliferation...

Background: Arteriosclerosis Obliterans (ASO) is an important cause for lower limb amputation. We aimed to compare the effects of interventional and conservative therapies on lower extremity ASO, and to analyze the risk factors for prognosis. Methods: Ninety-eight eligible patients were randomly divided...

Objective: Our aim was to examine the impact of mismatch patterns reflecting pre- and post-natal growth conditions on markers of arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics in young adults. Methods: In all, 1056 participants from Malmö Offspring Study, 484 men and 572 women (age-range 18–44 years),...

Frequent assessment of vascular health (e.g., arterial stiffness) may predict the incidence of cardiovascular disease. The Second Derivative of the finger Photoplethysmogram Aging Index (SDPTGAI) may be used as an index of vascular aging and a screening tool for arteriosclerotic disease. To test its...

The microvasculature of retinal ganglion cell layer, which is the part of central nervous system, can be investigated non-invasively in human. For clinical routine the fluorescence angiography is used to test patency and leak of retinal or choroid vessels, and to determine the blood passage time through...

The study of vascular adaptation to extreme conditions, and in particular to hypoxia, represents a unique opportunity in cardiovascular physiology, with relevant translational implications. First, it has crucial clinical consequences for about 140 million people worldwide living at high altitude and...

Background: Central blood pressure values and arterial stiffness have demonstrated to be a useful tool to stratify cardiovascular risk and also as a biomarker. A question that is still unanswered is if hypertension treatment guided by central blood pressure parameters will be even better to promote cardiovascular...

Background: Angioplasty with stenting is one of the primary treatment for coronary artery disease, hence, performance of the stent is deemed important. Bioabsorbable stents are the new generation of stents. Bioabsorbable magnesium alloys are a promising solution for adverse effects of long-term usage...

Background: The evidence that the combination of elastic and weight resistance training acutely affects or improves resultant responses to conduit artery function is anecdotal. The aim of this study was to examine brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) before and after acute exercise when performed...

Background: Resistance training postures trigger different results on endothelial function: however, the acute effect of resistance training on upper body muscle in active and inactive persons is inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate the acute effects of 2 different types of upper body...

We investigate the effect of renal artery angle variation and Reynolds number on the probability of formation of atherosclerosis-prone regions at the abdominal aorta-renal artery junction. The rheologically accurate shear-thinning Yeleswarapu model for blood is used to simulate flow in a 3-Dimensional...

Objective: Fatty acid composition of Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle is an effective factor in LDL oxidation and atherosclerotic plaques formation. This study evaluates the relationship between LDL fatty acid composition and coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: 42 men with coronary artery...

Previous studies have demonstrated that the compliance of peripheral artery changes with arm movement. This study aimed to quantify the bilateral difference in radial artery pulse morphology with one-side arm movement. Twenty-four healthy subjects were recruited. Radial artery pulses were synchronously...

Background: Chronic systemic inflammatory diseases (CSID) are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Widening of retinal venular calibers has been independently associated with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk in the general population. We aimed to test the hypothesis...

Pressure measured with a cuff and sphygmomanometer in the brachial artery is accepted as an important predictor of future cardiovascular (CV) events. However, recent clinical evidence suggests that central aortic pressure (CAP) provides additional information for assessing CV risk than brachial blood...

So far there is no study to measure the Poisson’s ratio of the human coronary arteries in order to verify their incompressibility regardless of being healthy or atherosclerosis. It has been reported that atherosclerosis alters the elastin content of the arterial wall which is responsible for the elastic...

Background: Water pipe (WP) tobacco smoking is gaining wide popularity among young and middle aged males and females. Aim of the work: The aim of this study was to evaluate the immediate effect of 1st pipe water smoking on brachial Flow mediated dilatation% (FMD%) and Nitrate mediated dilatation% (NMD%)...

Ageing and cardiovascular risk factors, particularly uncontrolled hypertension, adversely impact arterial stiffness and wave reflection leading to increased central systolic blood pressure. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity is the “gold standard” method for the assessment of aortic stiffness. Increased...

This study explores the use of scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) as a potential tool for characterisation of arterial stiffness using aortic biopsies. SAM data is presented for human tissue collected during aortic bypass graft surgery for multi-vessel coronary artery disease. Acoustic wave speed as...

Background: Incretine hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) causes dose-dependent relaxation of the thoracic aorta of rats and other arteries via nitric oxide (NO), cAMP and ATP-sensitive potassium channels, however, through a mechanism not thoroughly described. Hereby we aimed to determine the mediators...

The arterial circulation acts as a network to deliver nutrients and oxygen to cells. The design of the cardiovascular system is subject to a variety of constraints and costs. It has been postulated that the design of the arterial network might be understood in terms of the need to minimize competing...

The original purpose for recording brachial blood pressure (BP) more than 100 years ago was to estimate central (aortic) BP. While high brachial BP is an important cardiovascular risk factor, it is clear that major differences in central systolic BP (SBP; e.g. >30 mmHg) can occur among people with similar...

Accurate measurement of the material properties of arterial tissue is important for better characterisation of diseases and the development of reliable computational models. There are a number of in vitro techniques that are applied to study the biomechanical properties of arterial tissue. This review...

Background: Characterization of normal ventricular–vascular interactions by non-invasive assessment in healthy adolescents may provide new mechanistic insights into altered physiological states in congenital and acquired heart disease in this age group. Methods: Ventricular and vascular measures were...

Arterial input impedance, as complete description of the arterial system, is explained by waves and wave reflection. Without wave reflections input impedance would equal aortic characteristic impedance and pressure and flow wave shapes would be similar. Waves reflect at many locations, causing input...

Donald A. McDonald (1917–1973) was a pioneer in hemodynamics. He was Oxford educated and served on the faculty of Universities in both Great Britain and the USA. The problems that were the main theme of his text Blood Flow in Arteries published in 1960 were those concerned with pulsatile blood flow and...

Controversy persists regarding the presence and significance of blood pressure “J-curves” of increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk as they relate to older people with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). Age is an important effect modifier favoring diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in young adults,...

Objectives: To evaluate factors influencing resistive index (RI) and intima-media thickness of common carotid artery (IMT-CCA) as indices of arterial atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients. Methods: 56 treated hypertensive outpatients (mean age 68.9 ± 9.7 years; 31 diabetics) were examined. Fasting...

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a breathing disorder characterized by narrowing of the upper airway that impairs normal ventilation during sleep. OSA is a highly prevalent condition which is associated with several Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and CV diseases. Despite this clear association, Randomized...

The 24-hour brachial ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) has the unique ability to provide information on 24-hour averaged blood pressure (BP), on nocturnal BP and day–night BP changes, as well as on 24-hour BP variability, which all provide independent prognostic information over that provided...

It has been documented that absolute aldosterone excess in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) has been associated with higher risk of heart, vascular and kidney damage independent on blood pressure and resulting in increased total cardiovascular risk. Structural (left ventricular hypertrophy) and...

Vascular dysfunction and remodelling due to elevated blood pressure constitutes an early step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic disease. Microvascular remodelling reduces tissue perfusion and impedes blood-tissue exchange. These processes could lead to inadequate perfusion and tissue hypoxia in...

The data associating blood pressure to salt intake in humans comes from randomized clinical trials of interventions on dietary salt intake and population studies. Generally, estimates from meta-analyses are similar to those derived from prospective population studies (1.7 mm Hg change in systolic blood...

Interactions between the left ventricle (LV) and the arterial system, (ventricular–arterial coupling) are key determinants of cardiovascular function. Ventricular–arterial coupling is most frequently assessed in the pressure–volume plane using the ratio of effective arterial elastance (EA) to LV end-systolic...

In recent years great emphasis has been placed on the role of arterial stiffness in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The present article is an abridged version of an expert consensus document reporting the proceedings of several meetings of the European Network for Non Invasive Investigation...

Impairment of vascular endothelial function is an early sign of atherosclerosis. An active lifestyle is suggested to be positively associated with favorable endothelial function as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle. The aim of this ongoing study (Lifestyle, Biomarkers and Atherosclerosis Study) is to...

Aim: Arterial stiffening occurs as part of the natural ageing process, and is thought to be related to the accumulation of collagen and degradation of elastin. However, little is known about how regional variations in arterial structure and mechanical properties contribute to arterial stiffening. This...

Ex vivo human tissue is a valuable research resource. However, if vital methodological information such as anatomical location, tissue processing procedures, or donor characteristics are not reported in scientific literature to a high standard, studies utilising ex vivo human tissue can be difficult...

Cyclic stretch is a major contributor of vascular function. However, isolated mouse aortas are frequently studied at low stretch frequency or even isometric conditions. Pacing experiments done in rodents and humans show that arterial compliance is highly cyclic stretch frequency-dependent. The Rodent...

Measurement of pulse wave velocity is of increasing importance for assessment of arterial stiffness and risk evaluation. Different techniques are available, based either on pressure, distension or Doppler waveforms. Techniques not only differ by the algorithm used to identify specific part of the pulse...

Using the reservoir-wave approach, previously we characterized pulmonary vasculature mechanics with multiple interventions in a canine model. In the present study, we measured high-fidelity pulmonary arterial (PA) pressure, Doppler flow velocity, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in 11 patients...

Age and hypertension are major causes of large artery stiffening, a cardiovascular risk factor for heart and kidney damage. Long term hypertension induces vascular remodeling, accelerating vascular aging. The aged Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) model is recognized for human cardiovascular pathology...

Calcification of the tunica media of the main pulmonary arteries has been observed in a large proportion of young racehorses. In humans, medial calcification is the most important cause of increased arterial stiffness, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of microvascular diseases. Pulse wave...

Background: Interactions of platelets, leukocytes and the vessel wall play pivotal roles in activating coagulation and precipitating thrombosis. High levels of angiotensin II (ATII) cause arterial hypertension by a complex inflammatory pathway requiring leukocyte recruitment and reactive oxygen species...

Objectives: In recent years, many studies emphasized the role of arterial rigidity in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Pulse pressure in an easy-obtained, reproducible marker of arterial stiffness and an independent cardiovascular risk factor. On the other hand it was observed that sodium...

Background: Augmentation Index (AIx) is considered a sensitive marker of arterial stiffness in young individuals. Increased levels of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) are associated with increased levels of arterial stiffness in older and diseased populations. However, little is known...

Rationale: In severe idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, iPAH, pulmonary vascular resistance is increased due to remodeling of the small (resistance) arteries. Most information on arterial remodeling is limited to assessments of averaged increases in wall thickness. Quantitative information on...

Recently Weber et al. invasively obtained aortic Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) as a function of age. [1] Systolic and diastolic aortic pressure were determined as well. PWV can be used to derive total arterial compliance, Ctot, as Ctot=k/PWV2. With Ctot and Stroke Volume (SV), aortic Pulse Pressure (PP)...

Background: Carotid Intima Media Thickness (IMT) and stiffness are associated with cardiovascular events. The study aims were to perform a head-to-head comparison of the Wall Track System (WTS) and ART.LAB for carotid IMT, distension and diameter echotracking measurements as well as inter- and intra-observer...

Diastolic filling of the left ventricle (LV) occurs in two phases, early and late filling. Early filling, manifest as the “E-wave”, is thought to be substantially due to diastolic suction (DS), a phenomenon where the LV aspirates blood and fills itself, independent of atrial activity. Late filling, resulting...

Integrin avb3 is expressed at high density in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). It functions as a receptor for adhesion proteins in VSMCs which phenotypic modulation plays a pivotal role in arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. The aim was to study the role of integrin avb3 in angiotensin II (Ang...

Despite central pressure’s predictive power of cardiovascular risk, brachial pressure is the clinical standard. However, amplified brachial systolic pressure varies significantly with age, and during therapy. Our aim was to modulate individual arterial and ventricular parameters in an experimental model...

Background: It was proposed that early vascular ageing may be an important mechanism of vascular damage in large conductance arteries. However it is not known whether aging may also affect small resistance artery morphology. Patients and methods: For this reason, we investigated 100 patients with essential...

Background: It is was suggested that, in resistant hypertension, the presence of particularly pronounced microvascular alterations may contribute to explain the relative lack of response to treatment. Similarly, in diabetic patients, the persistence of an altered microvascular structure, despite the...

Objectives: Ginseng Panax has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine as source of health and stamina. We want to examine the affect of ginseng supplement on heart rate, systolic; blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in trained athletes at rest, during and after resistance; training. Methods:...

The development of non-invasive technology to perform pulse wave analysis and accurately determine central blood pressure has facilitated the study of central blood pressure as a physiologic and biomarker parameter. Central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) has been shown to be significantly associated...

Background: Arterial stiffness and exercise capacity are independent predictors of cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to establish the acute changes in arterial stiffness using applanation tonometry following sub-maximal exercise in Caucasians and South Asians. This study also aims to establish...

Objective: Comparison of therapeuthic effects of chosen antihypertensive drugs on arterial stiffness, shear stress in carotid arteries and metalloproteinases activity, moreover analysis of relationship of these variables in the course of treatment. Design and method: 95 never treated patients with HT...

Background: The aim of the study was to asses sex-dependent differences of obesity indices and inflammatory markers in non-diabetic hypertensive obese patients. Material and methods: 40 females and 25 males aged 59.8 ±10.1 and 54.6±11.9 years, respectively, were enrolled into the study. Serum TNF-α,...

Objectives: In the general population aortic stiffening assessed by carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) is associated with cognitive dysfunction (CO/DY). Data in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are limited. Our study tests the hypothesis that large artery stiffness and microvascular damage in CKD...

Objective: Patients in hemodialysis frequently have cognitive dysfunction (CO/DY). Hemodialysis session often results in acute intravascular volume loss, fluid shifts, hypotensives episodes, decrease of cerebral perfusion and cerebral ischemia, all of which may cause transient deterioration of cognitive...

It has been well established that change in emotion state is associated with the change in physiological signals. This paper aimed to investigate the differences of finger photoplethysmography (PPG) morphological features and feature time series between happiness and sadness emotion states. Fifty-three...

Background: Acupuncture is an accepted treatment for migraine. Palpation of the radial pulses is one of the most important techniques in traditional Chinese medicine both for diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy. The objective of the present study was to investigate the acute and chronic effects...

Background: Although impaired arterial function has been associated with adverse prognosis in chronic Heart Failure (HF), its role in Acute HF Syndromes (AHFS) has been little studied. We prospectively investigated the prognostic role of arterial function on mortality and HF Hospitalizations (HHF) in...

Background: Arterial calcification may lead to regional variation in distension imposing stresses on the arterial wall that predispose to plaque rupture. The objective of this study was to use a novel speckle tracking method to investigate regional motion of the carotid wall and to determine whether...

Background: Exaggerated exercise blood pressure (EEBP) independently predicts cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality, but reasons underlying this increased CV risk are unclear. The association between an EEBP and incident hypertension (as a potential underlying risk factor) has been reported, but there...

Background: Hypertensive heart disease is characterised by raised left ventricular (LV) mass, a consequence of load-altered ventricular-arterial coupling. Prior to gains in LV mass, early functional changes in ventricular-arterial coupling must occur, however, these are difficult to detect from conventional...

Arterial pressure-volume relationship frequently deviates from the linearity expected from an ideal elastic tube. As a result, pulse pressure (PP) can be split into an ‘elastic’ component (elPP) and an excess value PP-elPP. We define the ratio (PP-elPP)/elPP as arterial nonlinearity marker (NLM). OBJECTIVE:...

Background: Sex-specific differences for myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease (CAD) have been reported in several studies. The aim of our present study was to identify gender-specific differences regarding bicycle-exercise-stress-echocardiography. Methods: We compared 87 (69.0%) male and...

The heart, brain and kidneys are key targets of pulsatile damage in older people and in patients with longstanding hypertension. These central organs are exposed to central systolic and pulse pressures, which may differ from the corresponding peripheral pressures measured in the brachial artery. Studies...

Background: Type 1 diabetes is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and altered metabolism of cholesterol. We studied whether the markers of arterial stiffness reflecting preclinical atherosclerosis are related to markers of cholesterol metabolism in type 1 diabetes. Methods: In...

There have been research trials analyzing the impact of prematurity on the prevalence of hypertension, however the prospective, long-time observation is uncommon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension at the age of 7 and 11 years of regional cohort of preterms with birth...

Osteoarthritis (OA) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are prevalent conditions and often co-exist. Vascular involvement in pathogenesis of CVD and OA gives reason to investigate arterial stiffness in OA. The aim of this study is to investigate the associations between OA and arterial stiffness. Arterial...

Background: Affective temperaments (anxious, depressive, cyclothymic, irritable and hyperthymic) are subclinical manifestations of major mood disorders and there is cumulating evidence about their involvement is somatic disorders as well. The aim of our study was to evaluate the associations of affective...

Central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) could be helpful to monitor hypotension during dialysis. However most cSBP devices are based on peripheral estimates which might be unreliable during the specific hemodynamic state of dialysis. Complior Analyse (Alam Medical, France) presents the advantage of measuring...

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the breath-holding duration and the sensitivity of the arterial baroreflex, as well as the prognostic value of the breath-holding test in the assessment of decreased baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in patients with chronic heart...

During 19th century the term “cardiolith” was widely used to describe a cluster of cardiac entities that could cause sudden death. Blood clots, polypoid growths, microorganisms and inflammation were implicated. Scientists of the era described formations that could enter any heart chamber after having...

The carotid bisferiens pulse and the radial water hammer pulse are typical of severe chronic aortic regurgitation. Little is known about the mechanism of these classic cardiovascular signs identified on physical examination. We report the first characterization of these abnormal pulse patterns using...

Introduction: Common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT), lumen diameter, and maximum plaque thickness were assessed on ultrasound images. The objective of the study was to evaluate the intra- and inter-reader reproducibility of the measurements following a standardised protocol. Methods:...

Background: Early return of reflected blood pressure (BP) waves from the lower body augments central systolic BP and increases systolic pressure-time index (SPTI) and wasted left ventricular (LV) pressure energy, which increase afterload and myocardial oxygen (MVO2) demand. Accordingly, we sought to...

Symptoms are only the tip of the iceberg in atherosclerotic disease. Beneath the surface are multiple patho-physiological processes taking place in and around the vessel wall. The increasing knowledge in the field of vascular biology also reveals new imaging targets as biological markers of the disease....

With the help of both clinical and genetic diagnostic tools, the spectrum of inherited disorders affecting the arterial system has extended tremendously over the past decades. Discriminating these different entities is important since prognosis and treatment may differ substantially according to the...

Background and purpose: Whether the influence of risk factors on carotid stiffness (CS) and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) is modulated by gender is still unclear. The aim of our study was to examine the association between cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, CS and CIMT in men and women. Material...

Background and aim: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides excellent anatomical coverage for local and regional indices of aortic function and structure. However, blood pressure (BP) assessments is usually necessary for the calculation of these functional MRI parameters. Unfortunately, most pressure...

Few studies evaluated cardiac or carotid abnormalities in patients with arterial hypertension and diabetes according to the presence of peripheral artery disease detected by abnormal ankle brachial index (ABI). For this purpose, we studied 99 diabetic hypertensive patients with abnormal (n=50, ABI≤0.9...

Background: Exaggerated blood pressure (BP) responses to sub-maximal exercise independently predict cardiovascular (CV) events, mortality and incident hypertension. The aim of this study was to explore relationships between exercise BP, left-ventricular (LV) structure and function and aerobic fitness...

Carotid-femoral (aortic) pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the modern benchmark for the assessment of arterial stiffness. Current European hypertension guidelines acknowledge the good cardiovascular (CV) predictive value, reproducibility and cost-effectiveness of PWV. Aortic PWV is an asset to classical cardiovascular...

Examining the change in regional stiffness of the arterial wall may prove as a reliable method for detecting various cardiovascular diseases. As suggested by Moens–Korteweg relationship, the pulse wave velocity (PWV) along the arteries has been shown to correlate to the stiffness of the arterial wall;...