Local Heating Study
Full title: Thermoregulatory Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide-Mediated Cutaneous Vasodilation in Mild Essential Hypertensive Humans (IRB# 32274)

Principal Investigator: Lacy Holowatz, Ph.D.,

The Pennsylvania State University, 113 Noll Lab University Park, PA

The link below takes you to a questionnaire that you may use to send us information about yourself. Alternatively, you may contact us directly: Please contact Susan Slimak at sks31@psu.edu or call 814-863-8556.

General Study Description

We are examining high blood pressure-related differences in skin blood flow responses to localized heating and why they occur. If you are interested in participating, you would be required to come to Noll Lab for a total of 4 visits. These visits include medical screenings, blood pressure screenings, a blood test to check your blood and blood chemistry, and experiments. The experiments for this study use the microdialysis technique.

During the experiment visit we will use a technique called microdialysis. This technique allows us to locally deliver a small amount of drugs (including amino acids which are building blocks of proteins) directly to your skin blood vessels in an area of skin about the size of a nickel. We place a very thin tube about 6x the diameter of a human hair between the superficial layers of skin in your forearm. We do this using sterile technique using a small needle (smaller than the size of needle than they use to take blood from a vein in your arm with). During the experiments we will also heat a localized area of skin about the size of a pencil eraser.

Study Groups

Control Group: Normal blood pressure
High-blood pressure Group: High blood pressure, not taking blood pressure-reducing medication.

Eligibility Criteria

Men and Women
Ages 40-75 years
Non-smoker
Not overweight
No drugs that may alter the function of blood vessels (e.g. heart, blood pressure, and/or cholesterol medications)
No illegal/recreational drugs

Women

Not pregnant
Not taking hormone replacement therapy
Not taking birth control pills, patches, shots, or rings

Number of Visits/Time Commitment

You would be required to come to Noll Lab for a total of 4-6 visits. The first two visits are for blood pressure checks that should take only about 15 minutes. The screening-visit lasts about one hour and a half. Also, you will wear a blood pressure monitor that measures your blook pressure over a 24-hour period. One experiment visit takes less than 5 hours. The other experiment is less than 4 hours.

Compensation

Compensation will be provided. We reimburse for gasoline if you live more than 20 miles from our lab.

Sign up!

The link below takes you to a questionnaire that you can use to send us information about yourself. Alternatively, you may contact us directly: Please contact Susan Slimak at sks31@psu.edu or call 814-863-8556.

Questions?

Please contact Please contact Susan Slimak at sks31@psu.edu or call 814-863-8556.

This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Pennsylvania State University Approval date: November 2, 2010 (IRB # 32274) BAM

Penn State Biomechanics Laboratory

Local Heating Study Full title: Thermoregulatory Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide-Mediated Cutaneous Vasodilation in Mild Essential Hypertensive Humans (IRB# 32274)