title: A Novel Apparatus for the Multifaceted Evaluation of Arterial Function Through Transmural Pressure Manipulation.
abstract: A novel apparatus for the multifaceted evaluation of artery function was developed. It measures endothelial and smooth muscle functions and the pressure-strain elastic modulus (Ep). A rigid airtight chamber with an ultrasound probe was attached to the upper arm to manipulate the transmural pressure of the brachial artery. Endothelial function was measured via a standard flow-mediated dilation (FMD) protocol. Smooth muscle function was evaluated via a myogenic contraction of the artery following the application of negative pressure to the chamber and was named pressure-mediated contraction (PMC). Epwas obtained by measuring the instantaneous increase in the artery diameter following the negative pressure application. The PMC and FMD values had a significant negative correlation with age, indicating that the age-related decrease in FMD is caused by the decay of endothelial and smooth muscle function. A consideration of PMC may help improve the accuracy of artery function measurement. Epin subjects aged >40 years was found to be significantly higher in the supra-physiological pressure range than in the physiological one (p = 0.02); this did not occur in younger subjects. Artery stiffening may begin in the supra-physiological range, and this stiffness may also be used for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan. tyaguchi@mail.dendai.ac.jp.|Division of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Department of Science and Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Denki University, Hikigun, 350-0394, Japan. tyaguchi@mail.dendai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yaguchi
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Yalin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimo
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Shukei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan.|Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, College of Engineering, Ibaraki University, Hitachi, 316-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.affiliation: UNEX Corporation, Nagoya, 460-0008, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan. takeo@nagoya-u.jp.|Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan. takeo@nagoya-u.jp.
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Bayliss effect; Endothelial cell; Flow-mediated dilation; Smooth muscle cell