Are abnormal vascular responses in human chronic cardiac failure both endothelium dependent and endothelium independent?
The vascular responses of patients are confirmed as being abnormal. The lack of response to L-NMMA suggests that nitric oxide does not contribute to basal vascular tone in patients with chronic heart failure. The responses to glyceryl trinitrate and to serotonin suggest that there is both smooth muscle and endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic heart failure.
Consumption of plant sterols increases and consumption of plant stanols decreases the ratios of plant sterols to cholesterol in red cells of hypercholesterolemic children proportionately to the respective changes in plasma.