Selective resistance to vasoactive effects of insulin in muscle resistance arteries of obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats.

Unlabelled: Obesity is related to insulin resistance and hypertension, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Insulin exerts both vasodilator and vasoconstrictor effects on muscle resistance arteries, which may be differentially impaired in obesity.

Objectives: To investigate whether vasodilator and vasoconstrictor effects of insulin are impaired in muscle resistance arteries of obese rats and the roles of Akt and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS).

Renal microvascular constriction to membrane depolarization and other stimuli: pivotal role for rho-kinase.

Contraction of vascular smooth muscle is determined not only by levels of intracellular free calcium but also by the sensitivity of its contractile apparatus. A potential modulator of the latter is rho-kinase. We addressed the question of a possible central role for rho-kinase in the regulation of periglomerular microvascular tone.

Gender-specific effects of social housing in rats after chronic mild stress exposure.

Unlabelled: Stress plays an important role in the development of affective disorders. Women show a higher prevalence for these disorders than men. The course of a depression is thought to be positively influenced by social support.