We also need to better understand the relationship between altered maternal angiogenic status and the remodeling of existing vessels, and to identify the linkage between changes in blood pressure, such as those that occur in preeclamptic women, and other factors that lead to the induction RG7420 nmr of endothelial dysfunction. While the term “endothelial dysfunction” is widely used, it primarily connotes altered vasodilation to acute changes in flow in vivo (such as brachial artery dilation following occlusion) or to endothelium-specific chemical stimuli such as acetylcholine in isolated vessels. For a versatile cell that carries out a number of important physiological functions

and responds to hemodynamic, humoral, and immune factors by altering its secretory and metabolic activities, we would do well to expand our understanding of normal vs. abnormal endothelial function, and of how it is affected by gestational disease. Clearly, additional research is needed to better understand the process of uterine vascular remodeling during pregnancy, and why it may be impaired in disease states such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Such diseases, while simple to diagnose, remain difficult to predict and

impossible to cure. The integration of physiological with molecular, genomic, and genetic technologies can help to improve our understanding of how the processes learn more of vascular remodeling, determinants of endothelial dysfunction, and novel mechanisms such as venoarterial exchange interact at the level of the vascular wall so as to identify new treatments for these still all-too-common gestational diseases. Supported by NIH R21-HL112216 (GO) and RO1-HL079647

(LGM). George Osol is a Professor in the Division of Reproductive Investigation, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Vermont College Megestrol Acetate of Medicine, with secondary appointments in the Departments of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology. His research is focused on understanding the patterns, pathways, and molecular mechanisms that underlie uterine vascular adaptation in normal vs. hypertensive/preeclamptic pregnancy. Dr. Osol is an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association and a Fellow of the American Physiological Society. He is also the Program Director of the NIH Center for Excellence in Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Lorna G. Moore is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with joint appointments in the Departments of Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and the Colorado School of Public Health. Her research uses high altitude as a natural laboratory for studying the physiological as well as genetic mechanisms that underlie the pregnancy complications of fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia, both of which are more common at high than at low altitude.