Increased arterial stiffness does not respond to renal denervation in an animal model of secondary hypertension.

Renal denervation is a novel device based therapy promoted to reduce high blood pressure. We examined the impact of renal denervation on systolic blood pressure, renal function, and arterial stiffness in the Lewis Polycystic Kidney disease (LPK) rodent model of kidney disease. Animals were subjected to bilateral renal denervation or sham surgeries at age 6 and 12 weeks.

A simplified method for quantifying the subject-specific relationship between blood pressure and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity.

Devices that estimate blood pressure from arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) potentially provide continuous, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Accurate blood pressure estimation requires reliable quantification of the relationship between blood pressure and PWV. Regression to population normal values or, when using limb artery PWV, changing hydrostatic blood pressure within the limb provides a calibration index.

Hemodynamics changes with acute carotid baroreceptor field stimulation are age-dependent in normotensive rats.

Carotid baroreceptor stimulation can treat resistant hypertension with possible effects on the vasculature beyond the decrease in arterial pressure. This study aims to characterize age-dependency of vascular hemodynamics changes with unilateral field stimulation of carotid baroreceptors in normotensive rats to infer underlying hemodynamic mechanisms. Anesthetized Wistar-Kyoto rats divided into two groups (young: n=10, 13-33 weeks; old: n=6, 52-58 weeks) were instrumented to measure heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), and flow in the abdominal aorta and renal artery.

Field stimulation of the carotid baroreceptor complex does not compromise baroreceptor function in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Field stimulation of the carotid baroreceptors has been successfully used to induce a long-term reduction in blood pressure. However, baroreceptor stimulation may interfere with or compromise the beneficial short-term blood pressure regulation function of the baroreceptors. This study aims to quantify the baroreceptor function before and during acute, unilateral field stimulation of the carotid baroreceptors.

Assessment of baroreflex sensitivity by continuous noninvasive monitoring of peripheral and central aortic pressure.

Noninvasive assessment of baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) facilitates clinical investigation of autonomic function. The spontaneous sequence method estimates BRS using the continuous measurement of arterial pressure in the finger. Since the baroreceptors are centrally located (aortic arch, carotid arteries), this study assessed the use of a continuous aortic pressure signal derived from the peripheral pressure pulse to compute the BRS from changes in systolic pressure (SBP) and pulse interval (PI).

Characterizing dynamic properties of retinal vessels in the rat eye using high speed imaging.

Purpose: The dynamic properties of retinal vessels including pulse wave propagation and pulsatility index provide new perspective in retinal hemodynamic analysis. In this study we utilize a high speed imaging system to capture these characteristics in the rat eye for the first time.

Methods: Retinal video images of 9 Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were captured at a rate of 250 frames per second for 10s with a 50° field of view using a high speed camera (Optronis, Kehl, Germany).