1. Mechanical properties of human saphenous veins from normotensive and hypertensive patients 
Veronica Milesi, PhD, Alejandro Rebolledo, BSc, Felix Ayala Paredes, MD, Nora Sanz, MD, Juan Tommasi, MD, Gustavo J Rinaldi, MD, Angela O Grassi, MD 
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery 
Volume 66, Issue 2, Pages (August 1998)
DOI: /S (98)

2. Fig 1
Repeated stimulation with 80 mmol/L KCl in human saphenous vein (HSV) rings (n = 11) stored for up to 7 days in culture medium (open circles) or 0.9% NaCl (closed circles). Deterioration was faster and more complete in 0.9% NaCl, but during the first 24 hours there was a good response in both conditions.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (98) )

3. Fig 2
(Upper panel): Stress (gF/gW) as a function of strain (L/L0) in human saphenous vein (HSV) rings of 6 hypertensives (closed circles) and 9 normotensives (open circles). At any given strain, there is a significantly greater stress in hypertensive than in normotensive rings at L/L0 from 1.3 to 1.6 (p < 0.05). (Lower panel): Elastic stiffness (Δstress/Δstrain) as a function of stress in HSV rings of 1 hypertensive and 1 normotensive patient. The regression line for the hypertensive ring has a significantly greater stiffness constant (defined by the slope of the regression line) than the normotensive one. Average slope for the hypertensive patients was significantly greater than for the normotensive subjects (1.81 ± 0.36 versus 0.71 ± 0.11; p < 0.05).
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (98) )

4. Fig 3
(Upper panel): Single experiment showing exposure to 80 mmol/L KCl in two human saphenous vein (HSV) rings from 1 hypertensive and 1 normotensive patient, respectively. The contraction is stronger in the ring from the hypertensive patient. Unlabeled vertical arrows indicate washout. (Lower panel): Average responses to 80 mmol/L KCl in HSV rings from hypertensive (n = 6) and normotensive (n = 9) patients, showing a significantly stronger response in the hypertensive patients (p < 0.05). (gF/gW = stress, measured as grams force/grams weight.)
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (98) )

5. Fig 4
(Upper panel): Single experiment showing exposure to 1 μmol/L norepinephrine in two human saphenous vein (HSV) rings from 1 hypertensive and 1 normotensive patient, respectively. The contraction is stronger in the hypertensive ring. Unlabeled vertical arrow indicates the addition of norepinephrine to the bath. (Lower panel): Average responses to 1 μmol/L norepinephrine in HSV rings from hypertensive (closed circles, n = 7) and normotensive (open circles, n = 12) patients, showing a significant stronger response in the hypertensive patients from the second time point (p < 0.05). Addition of norepinephrine to the bath occurred at time 0. (gF/gW = stress, measured as grams force/grams weight.)
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (98) )

6. Fig 5
(Upper panel): Single experiment showing exposure to epinephrine from 10−10 to 10−4 mol/L in two human saphenous (HSV) rings from 1 hypertensive and 1 normotensive patient, respectively. The contraction is similar in both cases. (Lower panel): Concentration-response curves to epinephrine from 10−10 to 10−4 mol/L in HSV rings from hypertensive (n = 6) and normotensive (n = 9) patients, showing a similar response at all concentrations. Maximal responses were 57 ± 11 and 54 ± 11 grams force/grams weight (gF/gW) in hypertensive and normotensive patients, respectively.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (98) )

7. Fig 6
(Upper panel): Single experiment showing exposure to 2 mmol/L EGTA during a contraction with 1 μmol/L epinephrine. Horizontal arrows denote the time employed to relax to 50% of the maximal response (T1/2), which was longer in the hypertensive than in the normotensive patients. (Lower panel): Average T1/2 in rings from normotensive (n = 9) and hypertensive (n = 6) patients, showing a significantly longer T1/2 in rings from hypertensive than from normotensive patients (p < 0.05).
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (98) )