Design of the shear stress modifier: cast model. (A) The cast consists of 2 longitudinal halves of a cylinder with a conical lumen. (B) The theoretical design with induction of large vortices downstream of the cast in the carotid artery. Additionally, the conical lumen induces a stenosis of the vessel, causing a gradual increase in vascular shear stress in the cast area. Because of the stenosis, a region of low shear stress is created upstream of the cast. (C) Contours were obtained of GFP images, assuming a circular geometry of the vessel. (D) The computer generated 3-dimensional mesh of the vessel lumen in which the shear stress was calculated. (E) The distribution of shear stress (N/m2) along the vessel. (F) Quantification of the GFP signal using the same images as used for shear stress calculations. The distribution of eNOS-GFP (in arbitrary units) is given along the vessel wall.
