Cardiovascular Medicine

Dr. Beckman's research focuses on the mechanisms that cause vascular dysfunction and susceptibility to atherosclerosis, translating discoveries made at the lab bench to human beings.  Dr. Beckman has an ongoing interest in understanding how diabetes impairs vascular function, investigating the salient mediators of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. More recently, Dr. Beckman has begun investigations into vascular dysfunction in hypertension.  These investigations use ultrasound, plethysmography, and laboratory analysis to parse out the mechanisms of vascular dysfunction.  Ongoing investigations seek to understand how insulin resistance impairs endothelial cell signaling and vasomotor function, whether atherosclerosis causes insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction, and how resistant hypertension impacts upon the cardiac, vascular, and renal function.

Beckman, JA, Goldfine, AB, Gordon, MB, Garrett, LA, Creager, MA.  Inhibition of protein kinase Cbeta prevents impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation caused by hyperglycemia in humans.  Circ Res 2002; 90:107-111.

Beckman, JA, Goldfine, AB, Gordon, MB, Garret, LA, Keaney, JF, Jr, Creager, MA.  Oral antioxidant therapy improves endothelial function in type 1 but not type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2003; 285: H2392-2398.

Beckman, JA, Liao, JK, Hurley, S, Garrett, LA, Chui, D, Mitra, D, Creager, MA.  Atorvastatin restores endothelial function in normocholesterolemic smokers independent of changes in LDL.  Circ Res 2004; 95:217-223.

Beckman, JA, Preis, O, Ridker, PM, and Gerhard-Herman, M. Comparison of usefulness of inflammatory markers in patients with versus without peripheral arterial disease in predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction, stroke, and death).  Am J Cardiol 2005; 96: 1374-8.

Beckman, JA, Higgins, CO, and Gerhard-Herman, M.  Automated oscillometric determination of the ankle-brachial index provides accuracy necessary for office practice.  Hypertension 2006;47:35-38.