Review Question - QID 213408

A 68-year-old man presents to the emergency department with a 3 day history of periorbital and leg swelling. He says that he has also been experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath. On physical examination he is found to have ascites and pitting edema. Laboratory tests reveal 4+ protein in his urine and a kidney biopsy is obtained for further evaluation. The results of this biopsy are shown in Figure A. If the vessel shown in the slide is an efferent arteriole, which of the following is most likely responsible for the vascular changes observed in this patient?