OCT-based angiography of human dermal microvascular reactions to local stimuli: Implications for increasing capillary blood collection volumes.

Objectives: To measure and compare microvascular responses within the skin of the upper arm to local stimuli, such as heating or rubbing, through the use of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and to investigate its impact on blood volume collection.

Materials And Methods: With the use of heat packs or rubbing, local stimulation was applied to the skin of either the left or right upper arm. Data from the stimulated sites were obtained using OCTA comparing pre- and post-stimulation microvascular parameters, such as vessel density, mean vessel diameter, and mean avascular pore size.

Protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) regulates proinflammatory chemokine expression through cytosolic interaction with the NF-κB subunit p65 in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Proinflammatory chemokines released by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a critical role in vascular inflammation. Protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ) has been shown to be up-regulated in VSMCs of injured arteries. PKCδ knock-out (Prkcd(-/-)) mice are resistant to inflammation as well as apoptosis in models of abdominal aortic aneurysm.