Search results for "dysfunction"

Oxidative stress in vascular disease: causes, defense mechanisms and potential therapies

2007

Endothelial cells control vascular homeostasis by generating paracrine factors that regulate vascular tone, inhibit platelet function, prevent adhesion of leukocytes, and limit proliferation of vascular smooth muscle. The dominant factor responsible for many of those effects is endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO). Endothelial dysfunction characterized by enhanced inactivation or reduced synthesis of NO, alone or in combination, is seen in conjunction with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Endothelial dysfunction can promote vasospasm, thrombosis, vascular inflammation, and proliferation of the intima. Vascular oxidative stress and increased production of reactive oxygen species con…

Staphylococcus aureus alpha toxin mediates polymorphonuclear leukocyte-induced vasocontraction and endothelial dysfunction.

2002

The effect of Staphylococcus aureus alpha toxin (alpha-toxin) on selectin-mediated neutrophil adhesion was investigated in polymorphonuclear leukocyte- (PMN) induced vasocontraction and endothelial dysfunction. Adherence of human PMNs to rat aortic endothelium increased significantly following stimulation of the endothelium with alpha-toxin (0.1, 0.5, and 1 microg/mL). This effect could be significantly attenuated by monoclonal antibodies directed against P-selectin or fucoidin, a carbohydrate known to block selectins. Unstimulated human PMNs (10(6)cells/mL) were added to organ chambers containing rat aortic rings stimulated with alpha-toxin (0.5 microg/mL). PMNs elicited a significant vaso…

Organic Nitrate Therapy, Nitrate Tolerance, and Nitrate-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction: Emphasis on Redox Biology and Oxidative Stress

2015

Abstract Organic nitrates, such as nitroglycerin (GTN), isosorbide-5-mononitrate and isosorbide dinitrate, and pentaerithrityl tetranitrate (PETN), when given acutely, have potent vasodilator effects improving symptoms in patients with acute and chronic congestive heart failure, stable coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndromes, or arterial hypertension. The mechanisms underlying vasodilation include the release of •NO or a related compound in response to intracellular bioactivation (for GTN, the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH-2]) and activation of the enzyme, soluble guanylyl cyclase. Increasing cyclic guanosine-3′,-5′-monophosphate (cGMP) levels lead to an activation of…

Is At Least One Vitamin Helping Our Vasculature?

2014

See related article, pp 1290–1298 Cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, chronic smoking, and hypercholesterolemia are cardiovascular risk factors known to be associated with endothelial dysfunction, a condition that may predict long-term progression of atherosclerosis as well as cardiovascular event rates (for review, see Munzel et al1) Although the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are complex and multifactorial, there is growing body of evidence that oxidative stress attributable to increased production of reactive oxygen–derived free radicals may play a pivotal role in this process.2 Increased superoxide production by enzyme systems such as the…

Red Wine and Cardiovascular Health

2012

There is strong epidemiological evidence that light-to-moderate consumption of alcoholic drinks, but neither zero nor more than moderate intake, reduces mortality from all causes and also diminishes cardiovascular risk.1 The lowest risk for coronary heart disease mortality is seen with 1 to 2 drinks (12.5–25g alcohol) per day. Article, see p 1065 Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and there is a clear inverse relationship between light-to-moderate alcohol intake and blood pressure. Thus, the reduced cardiovascular risk associated with moderate consumption of alcoholic drinks may be due, in part, to a reduction in blood pressure. The greatest blood pressure benef…

Development of the ETOC : a European test of olfactory capabilities

2003

A number of smell tests designed to evaluate human olfactory capabilities have been published, but none have been validated cross-culturally. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a reliable and quick olfactory test that could be used to evaluate efficiently the olfactory abilities of a European population. This test, named ETOC and based on a combination of a supra-threshold detection task and an identification task, was designed to be a cross-cultural tool that would measure the decline in olfactory performance with ageing. Two versions of the ETOC, one easy and one less easy, were used to test the olfactory performance of European citizens in three countries (France, Sweden and …

Role of Oxidative Stress in Aging of the Retina in the ApoB100,LDLR-/- Mouse, a Murine Model of Aging of the Human Retina

2009

Pentamidine rescues contractility and rhythmicity in a Drosophila model of myotonic dystrophy heart dysfunction

2015

Up to 80% of individuals with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) will develop cardiac abnormalities at some point during the progression of their disease, the most common of which is heart blockage of varying degrees. Such blockage is characterized by conduction defects and supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia, and carries a high risk of sudden cardiac death. Despite its importance, very few animal model studies have focused on the heart dysfunction in DM1. Here, we describe the characterization of the heart phenotype in a Drosophila model expressing pure expanded CUG repeats under the control of the cardiomyocyte-specific driver GMH5-Gal4. Morphologically, expression of 250 CUG repeat…

Role of Chemerin in Cardiovascular Diseases.

2022

(1) Background: Obesity is closely connected to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Excess fat accumulation is associated with metabolic malfunctions that disrupt cardiovascular homeostasis by activating inflammatory processes that recruit immune cells to the site of injury and reduce nitric oxide levels, resulting in increased blood pressure, endothelial cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis. Adipose tissue produces adipokines, such as chemerin, that may alter immune responses, lipid metabolism, vascular homeostasis, and angiogenesis. (2) Methods: We performed PubMed and MEDLINE searches for articles with English abstracts published between 1997 (when the first re…

EEG Resting-State Functional Networks in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

2022

Background. Alzheimer’s cognitive-behavioral syndrome is the result of impaired connectivity between nerve cells, due to misfolded proteins, which accumulate and disrupt specific brain networks. Electroencephalography, because of its excellent temporal resolution, is an optimal approach for assessing the communication between functionally related brain regions. O bjective. To detect and compare EEG resting-state networks (RSNs) in patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and healthy elderly (HE). Methods. We recruited 125 aMCI patients and 70 healthy elderly subjects. One hundred and twenty seconds of artifact-free EEG data were selected and compared between patients with aM…