Circulatory and Respiratory Physiology Commons^™

Short Term Hemodynamic Effects Of Atrial Fibrillation In A Closed-Loop Human Cardiac-Baroreflex System, Oluwasanmi Adeodu, Michelle Gee, Babak Mahmoudi, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, Mayuresh V. Kothare

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the leading cardiac cause of stroke and AF-related death rate in the United States has been increasing for over twenty years. While the effect of standalone AF on heart rate is well established, there is a lack of clarity on its impact on other critical hemodynamic metrics. This is ostensibly due to interaction with other common comorbidities, especially hypertension. In addition, AF has a complex relationship with the state of the baroreflex. Evidence indicates that baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), the ability of the intrinsic cardiac control system to initiate parasympathetic response, is suppressed during AF. Therefore, a …

Role Of Cardiac Ketone Body Metabolism In Myocardial Perfusion And Exercise Performance., Kara R. Gouwens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiorespiratory fitness, a crucial determinant of overall health and a strong predictor of all-cause mortality, is largely dependent on the capacity of the cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen and nutrients. The heart, as the central pump, requires a continuous and adaptable oxygen supply, particularly during increased workload such as occurs with exercise. Impaired myocardial blood flow (MBF) in response to increased demand can lead to ischemia, limiting exercise capacity and potentially causing severe cardiac events. Interestingly, changes in myocardial metabolism and cardiac work correlate with changes in MBF. Therefore, understanding the regulation of MBF, especially the link between local cardiac …

Sparkled: Social Programming In Kids Affects Risk Of Latent Endothelial Disease, Rebecca Drakowski

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Social Health Programming (SHP) is a holistic intervention that can empower communities to address modifiable risk factors for poor cardiovascular health, including suboptimal nutrition or psychosocial stressors. SHP participation has been shown to increase dietary intake of fruits and vegetables, decrease perceived stress, and improve cardiovascular endurance. However, it is unknown how SHP participation during adolescence affects carotenoid serum levels, hair cortisol concentrations (biological marker of chronic stress), or vascular reactivity index (VRI; measure of subclinical cardiovascular health).

Methods: Adolescent girls and young adult women (12–29-year-old) were enrolled in this observational cohort study. Serum, hair, and saliva samples were …

Jnk And Nf-Κb Cell Signaling Pathways In Cardiovascular Disease Present Potential Targets For Curcumin Therapy, Mary Richfield

Senior Honors Theses

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a compound derived from the rhizomes of Curcumin longa that has been long used for medicinal purposes. Curcumin alleviates the pathology of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, aneurysm, and cardiomyopathy. The mechanism of curcumin therapy is under active research. The NF-κB and JNK pathways are two that curcumin interacts with to block inflammatory processes, apoptosis, and fibrotic tissue remodeling to prevent the pathologies of cardiovascular disease. While curcumin has demonstrated powerful mediation of cardiovascular disease, its bioavailability in body tissues is limited due to the instability and hydrophobicity of its structure. Further work is underway to stabilize …

Influence Of Heating And Biological Sex On Vascular Dysfunction Associated With Long-Duration Sitting And Standing, Aaron Richard Caldwell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of these studies was to determine if arterial angulations (through sitting or standing), shear stress (through local heating), or a combination of these factors affected vascular function. Moreover, this studied estimated the magnitude of the effect that biological sex has on these vascular responses. Methods: Twenty-six healthy, young (18-40 years old) males (n=13) and females (n=13) completed two experimental trials (2-h sitting and 2-h standing). In a randomized fashion, one leg was passively heated in order to increase shear rate. Following a 48-h washout, participants returned to the laboratory to complete the other trial. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) …

Proteomic Alterations Of Hdl In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes And Their Associations With Glycemic Control: A Case-Control Study, Evgenia Gourgari, Junfeng Ma, Martin P. Playford, Nehal N. Mehta, Radoslav Goldman, Alan T. Remaley, Scott M. Gordon

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Background: Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) typically have normal or even elevated plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations; however, HDL protein composition can be altered without a change in cholesterol content. Alteration of the HDL proteome can result in dysfunctional HDL particles with reduced ability to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to compare the HDL proteomes of youth with T1DM and healthy controls (HC) and to evaluate the influence of glycemic control on HDL protein composition.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional case–control study. Blood samples were obtained from patients with T1DM and …

Evaluating Cardiovascular Dysfunction During Increased Activity And Exercise Rehabilitation Following Incomplete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury In The Adult Rat., Kathryn A. Harman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in whole-body dysfunction. While the majority of SCI research is focused on improving locomotor function after injury, cardiovascular (CV) disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity in the chronic SCI patient population. The combination of injury-induced destruction of autonomic pathways, maladaptive plasticity within lumbosacral circuits, and the progressive decline in physical fitness contribute to the poor CV status of SCI individuals. Currently, there is little emphasis on implementing appropriately-timed acute rehabilitation techniques aimed to curtail maladaptive remodeling and improve CV outcomes. Furthermore, no pre-clinical or clinical studies have investigated the most appropriate time-course …

Towards 3d In Vitro Models For The Study Of Cardiovascular Tissues And Disease, Claire M. Brougham, Alan J. Ryan, Carolina D. Garciarena, Steve W. Kerrigan, Fergal J. O'Brien

Articles

The field of tissue engineering is developing biomimetic biomaterial scaffolds which are showing increasing therapeutic potential for the repair of cardiovascular tissues. However, a major opportunity exists to use them as 3D in vitro models for the study of cardiovascular tissues and disease in addition to drug development and testing. These in vitro models can span the gap between 2D culture and in vivo testing thus reducing cost, time and the ethical burden of current approaches. This review outlines the progress to date and requirements for the development of ideal in vitro 3D models for blood vessels, heart valves and …

Cardiovascular Aging In The Female F344xbn Rat Model, Jacqueline C. Fannin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Despite continued advances in medical care, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death for American women [1]. Although humans and non-human primates are the only mammals to experience menses, rodent models are commonly used to study age-associated cardiovascular alterations due to similar ovarian aging, low expense, and short lifetime to investigate cardiovascular aging. Previous studies have found that aging in the female rodent is characterized by increased ventricular apoptosis, elevations in oxidative-nitrosative stress, ventricular remodeling, increased collagen content, mild systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and reduced occurrence of arrhythmias compared to males [2-7]. Similarly, age-associated alterations in the female …