Does perceived caloric and nutrient intake influence the acute effect of beverage consumption on cardiovascular function?

Our objective was to explore whether consuming the same high-fat/sugar beverage affects endothelial function differently depending on whether it is presented as "unhealthy" [accurate high calorie (kcal), fat, and sugar information displayed] versus "healthy" (inaccurate low kcal, fat, and sugar information displayed). Twenty-five, young (21 ± 2 yr), healthy, food-stress/shame-prone women completed three conditions: milkshake consumption (540 kcal, 80 g sugar, and 14 g fat) where correct, "unhealthy" nutritional information was shown to participants (milkshake condition), consumption of the same milkshake but with incorrect, "healthy" information shown to participants (100 kcal, 3 g sugar, and 4 g fat; sham-nutrishake condition), and water consumption (control condition). Pre- and postbeverage we assessed ) endothelial function via standard brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD); ) perceived shame, stress, beverage healthiness, and harm; and ) blood (plasma) glucose, insulin, triglycerides and oral fluid cortisol, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) receptor binding.

A pilot cross-sectional investigation of chronic shame as a mediator of the relationship between subjective social status and self-rated health among middle-aged adults.

Subjective social status (SSS) is an important independent predictor of health outcomes, however, the pathways through which it affects health are poorly understood. Chronic shame has previously been suggested as a potential mechanism but this has never been investigated and the relationship between chronic shame and health is under-researched. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore whether chronic shame explains a significant portion of the association between SSS and self rated health (SRH).

No acute hyperglycemia induced impairment in brachial artery flow-mediated dilation before or after aerobic exercise training in young recreationally active males.

There is some evidence that transient endothelial dysfunction induced by acute hyperglycemia may be attenuated by a single bout of aerobic exercise. However, the impact of aerobic exercise training on acute hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of aerobic exercise training on the endothelial function response to acute hyperglycemia.

The impact of exercise training on endothelial function in postmenopausal women: a systematic review.

New Findings: What is the topic of this review? The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate and summarize all published literature examining the impact of various exercise training interventions on endothelial function in postmenopausal women. What advances does it highlight? There was a moderate effect of training on macrovascular and microvascular endothelial function and just under two-thirds of studies demonstrated a significant increase in at least one measure of endothelial function in postmenopausal women. Factors including exercise intensity and duration, vessel type, clinical status, hormone therapy, and menopausal status may influence the effects of training on endothelial function in postmenopausal women.

The acute effect of a laboratory shame induction protocol on endothelial function in young, healthy adults.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Shame is a form of social stress that involves internalizing social devaluations imposed by others. The aim of this study was to determine, for the first time, how acutely experienced shame impacts endothelial function. What is the main finding and its importance? Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation, an index of endothelial function, was impaired after an intervention that acutely increased self-reported shame.

Examination of Sex-Specific Participant Inclusion in Exercise Physiology Endothelial Function Research: A Systematic Review.

Background: To combat historical underrepresentation of female participants in research, guidelines have been established to motivate equal participation by both sexes. However, the pervasiveness of female exclusion has not been examined in vascular exercise physiology research. The purpose of this study was to systematically quantify the sex-specific prevalence of human participants and identify the rationales for sex-specific inclusion/exclusion in research examining the impact of exercise on vascular endothelial function.

The physiological basis underlying functional connectivity differences in older adults: A multi-modal analysis of resting-state fMRI.

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in functional connectivity strength (FCS) with age were confounded by vascular parameters including resting cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), and BOLD-CBF coupling. Neuroimaging data were collected from 13 younger adults (24 ± 2 years) and 14 older adults (71 ± 4 years). A dual-echo resting state pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling sequence was performed, as well as a BOLD breath-hold protocol.

The impact of repeated, local heating-induced increases in blood flow on lower limb endothelial function in young, healthy females.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of repeated, single leg heating on lower limb endothelial function.

Methods: Macrovascular function was assessed with superficial femoral artery (SFA) reactive hyperemia flow-mediated dilation (RH-FMD) and sustained stimulus FMD (SS-FMD). Calf microvascular function was assessed as the peak and area under the curve of SFA reactive hyperemia (RH).

Reliability of the hyperaemic response to passive leg movement in young, healthy women.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? This is the first study to assess the day-to-day reliability of passive leg movement-induced hyperaemia (PLM-H), an index of lower-limb microvascular function, in young, healthy women. What is the main finding and its importance? Passive leg movement-induced hyperaemia demonstrated good day-to-day reliability, comparable to other common indices of endothelial function, supporting the use of PLM-H to assess lower-limb microvascular function in women.

Abstract: Passive leg movement-elicited hyperaemia (PLM-H) provides an index of lower-limb microvascular function.

Individual variation of follicular phase changes in endothelial function across two menstrual cycles.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? The purpose of this study was to determine intra-individual reproducibility of follicular phase changes in endothelial function (flow-mediated dilatation) over two menstrual cycles in healthy, premenopausal women. What is the main finding and its importance? Phase changes in endothelial function were not consistent at the individual level across two menstrual cycles, which challenges the utility of interpreting individual responses over one cycle.

Abstract: Evidence regarding the impact of menstrual phase on endothelial function is conflicting, and studies to date have examined responses only over a single cycle.

Inclusion of female participants in cardiovascular research: a case study of Ontario NSERC-funded programs.

This study explored inclusion of female participants in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (NSERC-DG)-funded human cardiovascular research at Ontario universities between 2010-2018. Ninety-six publications were examined and 4 principal investigators were interviewed. Females were excluded/underrepresented in 63% of publications with 49% male-only and 5% female-only samples.

Physical Activity in Pregnancy Is Associated with Increased Flow-mediated Dilation.

Purpose: To determine the role of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior in flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and glucose metabolism during late pregnancy.

Methods: Seventy normotensive, euglycemic pregnant women (31.6 ± 2.

No impact of acute hyperglycaemia on arterial stiffness in the early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in young females.

New Findings: • What is the central question of this study? This is the first study to examine the impact of acute hyperglycaemia on arterial stiffness across the early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. • What is the main finding and its importance? Central and peripheral arterial stiffness were not impacted by acute hyperglycaemia. This indicates that premenopausal women might experience protection against deleterious effects of acute hyperglycaemia, regardless of menstrual cycle phase.

Global Reach 2018: reduced flow-mediated dilation stimulated by sustained increases in shear stress in high-altitude excessive erythrocytosis.

Excessive erythrocytosis [EE; hemoglobin concentration (Hb) ≥ 21 g/dL in adult men] is a maladaptive high-altitude pathology associated with increased cardiovascular risk and reduced reactive hyperemia flow-mediated dilation (FMD); however, whether a similar impairment occurs in response to more commonly encountered sustained increases in shear stress [sustained stimulus (SS)-FMD] over a range of overlapping stimuli is unknown. We characterized SS-FMD in response to handgrip exercise in Andeans with and without EE in Cerro de Pasco, Peru (4,330 m). Andean highlanders with EE ( = 17, Hb = 23.

Evidence of a limb- and shear stress stimulus profile-dependent impact of high-intensity cycling training on flow-mediated dilation.

Lower limb endurance training can improve conduit artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in response to transient increases in shear stress (reactive hyperemia; RH-FMD) in both the upper and lower limbs. Sustained increases in shear stress recruit a partially distinct transduction pathway and elicit a physiologically relevant FMD response (SS-FMD) that provides distinct information regarding endothelial function. However, the impact of training on SS-FMD is not well understood.

Global REACH 2018: High Blood Viscosity and Hemoglobin Concentration Contribute to Reduced Flow-Mediated Dilation in High-Altitude Excessive Erythrocytosis.

Excessive erythrocytosis (EE; hemoglobin concentration [Hb] ≥21 g/dL in adult males) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in highlander Andeans. We sought to quantify shear stress and assess endothelial function via flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in male Andeans with and without EE. We hypothesized that FMD would be impaired in Andeans with EE after accounting for shear stress and that FMD would improve after isovolemic hemodilution.

The influence of acute hyperglycaemia on brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation in the early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle.

New Findings: What is the central question of the study? This is the first study to examine the impact of acute hyperglycaemia on endothelial function [flow-mediated dilatation (FMD)] in premenopausal women across the early and late follicular (EF and LF) phases of the menstrual cycle. What is the main finding and its importance? Flow-mediated dilatation was impaired 90 min after glucose ingestion, with no significant difference between phases. This indicates that women are susceptible to acute hyperglycaemia-induced endothelial dysfunction in both the EF and LF phases of the menstrual cycle, despite potentially vasoprotective elevations in estradiol levels during the LF phase.

Examining the acute effects of retrograde versus low mean shear rate on flow-mediated dilation.

Arterial endothelial function is acutely and chronically regulated by blood flow-associated shear stress. An acute intervention employing modest forearm cuff occlusion to simultaneously increase retrograde and decrease mean brachial artery shear rate for 30 min evokes transient impairments in flow-mediated dilation (FMD). However, the independent influence of the low mean versus the retrograde shear stress components is unclear.

Ramp and step increases in shear stress result in a similar magnitude of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation.

Purpose: There is evidence that the endothelium is responsive to both the rate and magnitude of increases in shear stress. However, whether flow-mediated dilation stimulated by sustained increases in shear stress (SS-FMD) is rate sensitive in humans is unknown. The purpose of this investigation was to test whether ramp (gradual) and step (instantaneous) increases in shear stress elicit disparate SS-FMD.

The impact of acute mental stress on brachial artery flow-mediated dilation in women diagnosed with depression.

Endothelial function, assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), may be transiently attenuated in healthy adults following acute mental stress. However, the impact of acute mental stress on endothelial function in the context of clinical depression is unknown. This study examined the impact of acute mental stress on FMD in women with a diagnosis of a depressive disorder.

Evidence of sex differences in the acute impact of oscillatory shear stress on endothelial function.

Acutely imposed oscillatory shear stress (OSS) reduces reactive hyperemia flow-mediated dilation (RH-FMD) in conduit arteries of men; however, whether a similar impairment occurs in women or with FMD in response to a controlled, sustained shear stress stimulus (SS-FMD) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of OSS on RH-FMD and SS-FMD in men and women. OSS was provoked in the brachial artery using a 30-min forearm cuff inflation (70 mmHg).

UBC-Nepal expedition: upper and lower limb conduit artery shear stress and flow-mediated dilation on ascent to 5,050 m in lowlanders and Sherpa.

The study of conduit artery endothelial adaptation to hypoxia has been restricted to the brachial artery, and comparisons with highlanders have been confounded by differences in altitude exposure, exercise, and unknown levels of blood viscosity. To address these gaps, we tested the hypothesis that lowlanders, but not Sherpa, would demonstrate decreased mean shear stress and increased retrograde shear stress and subsequently reduced flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the upper and lower limb conduit arteries on ascent to 5,050 m. Healthy lowlanders (means ± SD, n = 22, 28 ± 6 yr) and Sherpa ( n = 12, 34 ± 11 yr) ascended over 10 days, with measurements taken on nontrekking days at 1,400 m (baseline), 3,440 m ( day 4), 4,371 m ( day 7), and 5,050 m ( day 10).

Sitting cross-legged for 30 min alters lower limb shear stress pattern but not flow-mediated dilation or arterial stiffness.

Prolonged sitting decreases lower limb endothelial function via sustained reductions in mean shear rate. We tested whether 30 min of sitting cross-legged differentially impacts superficial femoral artery shear rate pattern, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and leg pulse-wave velocity (PWV) compared with sitting flat-footed. Sitting cross-legged attenuated the reduction in mean and antegrade shear rate and increased arterial pressure compared with sitting flat-footed.