Effects of chocolate supplementation on metabolic and cardiovascular parameters in ApoE3L mice fed a high-cholesterol atherogenic diet.

Scope: Dietary intake of cocoa and/or chocolate has been suggested to exhibit protective cardiovascular effects although this is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chocolate supplementation on metabolic and cardiovascular parameters.

Methods And Results: Four groups of ApoE*3Leiden mice were exposed to the following diet regimens.

MR angiography of collateral arteries in a hind limb ischemia model: comparison between blood pool agent Gadomer and small contrast agent Gd-DTPA.

The objective of this study was to compare the blood pool agent Gadomer with a small contrast agent for the visualization of ultra-small, collateral arteries (diameter<1 mm) with high resolution steady-state MR angiography (SS-MRA) in a rabbit hind limb ischemia model. Ten rabbits underwent unilateral femoral artery ligation. On days 14 and 21, high resolution SS-MRA (voxel size 0.

Optimized pharmacokinetic modeling for the detection of perfusion differences in skeletal muscle with DCE-MRI: effect of contrast agent size.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to optimize dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI analysis for differently sized contrast agents and to evaluate the sensitivity for microvascular differences in skeletal muscle.

Methods: In rabbits, pathophysiological perfusion differences between hind limbs were induced by unilateral femoral artery ligation. On days 14 and 21, DCE-MRI was performed using a medium-sized contrast agent (MCA) (Gadomer) or a small contrast agent (SCA) (Gd-DTPA).

Diabetes impairs arteriogenesis in the peripheral circulation: review of molecular mechanisms.

Patients suffering from both diabetes and PAD (peripheral arterial disease) are at risk of developing critical limb ischaemia and ulceration, and potentially requiring limb amputation. In addition, diabetes complicates surgical treatment of PAD and impairs arteriogenesis. Arteriogenesis is defined as the remodelling of pre-existing arterioles into conductance vessels to restore the perfusion distal to the occluded artery.

Impaired collateral recruitment and outward remodeling in experimental diabetes.

Objective: In this study, the effect of chronic hyperglycemia on acute ligation-induced collateral vasodilation, on monocyte chemotaxis, and on structural outward remodeling of collaterals was investigated.

Research Design And Methods: Femoral artery ligation was performed 8 weeks after alloxan or saline treatment in New Zealand White rabbits. Angiography was performed directly, 1 and 3 weeks after ligation.