Purpose A case of persistent hematologic abnormalities in a patient receiving long-term omalizumab therapy for severe asthma is reported. Summary During the course of her treatment at an asthma clinic, a 24-year-old woman was noted to have increased white blood cell counts, with elevated myeloid cell counts; the blood abnormalities ...

BACKGROUND: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that red blood cells must be refrigerated within 8 hours of whole blood collection. Longer storage of whole blood at 22°C before component preparation would have many advantages. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Two methods of holding whole blood for 20 to 24 ...

BACKGROUND: Autologous umbilical cord blood (AutoUCB) has historically been cryopreserved for potential use in hematopoietic transplantation. Increasingly, private AutoUCB banking is performed for therapies unavailable today. A Phase I trial using AutoUCB treatment for early pediatric Type 1 diabetes afforded us an opportunity to analyze characteristics of AutoUCBs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: ...

This study sought to assess the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on endothelial function and inflammatory markers in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Endothelial dysfunction is commonly observed in patients with CHF, and it contributes to the limitation in exercise capacity that accompanies this condition. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide may trigger ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Several studies have shown promising results for the use of self-expandable intracranial stents for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. This new technique combines immediate flow restoration after stent deployment with high recanalization rates. In the present study, the safety and efficacy of the new Aperio clot-removal device ...

Following an ischemic stroke, T lymphocytes become activated, infiltrate the brain, and appear to release cytokines and reactive oxygen species to contribute to early inflammation and brain injury. However, some subsets of T lymphocytes may be beneficial even in the early stages after a stroke, and recent evidence suggests that ...

An international multidisciplinary panel of 15 experts reviewed 494 published articles and used the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method to determine the appropriateness of allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion based on its expected impact on outcomes of stable nonbleeding patients in 450 typical inpatient medical, surgical, or trauma scenarios. Panelists rated ...

The association between blood lead levels and mortality in patients on maintenance hemodialysis remains unclear. A cross-sectional and 18-month prospective study included 927 patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Baseline variables and blood lead levels were measured before hemodialysis and categorized as 3 equal groups: high (>12.64 μg/dL), middle (8.51-12.64 μg/dL), and ...

The installation of recharge wells and subsurface flow barriers are among several strategies proposed to control seawater intrusion on coastal groundwater systems. In this study, we performed laboratory-scale experiments and numerical simulations to determine the effects of the location and application of recharge wells, and of the location and penetration ...

Methanol poisoning is seen in the form of isolated episodes, or intentional ingestion and epidemics. Despite its efficient treatment, methanol poisoning has high morbidity and mortality rates. So far, several studies have been performed to identify the prognostic factors in methanol poisoning. Recently, during the treatment of patients with methanol ...

BACKGROUND:: To avoid unnecessary blood transfusions, physiologic transfusion triggers, rather than exclusively hemoglobin-based transfusion triggers, have been suggested. The objective of this study was to determine systemic and microvascular effects of using a perfluorocarbon-based oxygen carrier (PFCOC) to maintain perfusion and oxygenation during extreme anemia. METHODS:: The hamster (weight, 55-65 ...

To investigate the effects of both non-Newtonian behavior and the pulsation of blood flow on the distributions of luminal surface LDL concentration and oxygen flux along the wall of the human aorta, we numerically compared a non-Newtonian model with the Newtonian one under both steady flow and in vivo pulsatile ...

Background:  There are so far no existing consensus guidelines regarding red blood cell transfusion during pediatric surgery, and there is a little information regarding red blood cell transfusion policy among pediatric anesthesiologists. Objectives:  To determine the transfusion threshold and the volumes of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion among French-speaking ...

Slow coronary flow (SCF) phenomenon is a coronary microvascular disorder characterized by the delayed passage of contrast in the absence of obstructive epicardial coronary disease, and is an important clinical entity because it may be the cause of precordial pain when the body is at rest and/or during exercise. Although ...

Microvesicles isolated from body fluids are membrane - enclosed fragments of cell interior which carry information on the status of the organism. It is yet unclear how metabolism affects the number and composition of microvesicles in isolates from the peripheral blood. To study the post - prandial effect on microvesicles ...

OBJECTIVES:: Reduction in the variability of blood glucose concentration might be an important aspect of blood glucose management. A closed-loop glycemic control device (STG-22; NIKKISO, Tokyo, Japan) has been developed to maintain blood glucose levels within the target range through automatic infusion of insulin and glucose. We hypothesized that the ...

a new strip, designed to enhance the ease of use and minimize interference of non-glucose sugars, has been developed to replace the current FreeStyle (Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA) blood glucose test strip. We evaluated the performance of this new strip. laboratory evaluation included precision, linearity, dynamic range, effects of ...

In this article, a simple experimental approach to improve lipoprotein separation and detection in flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) is detailed. Lipoproteins are globular particles composed of lipids and proteins in blood serum and their roles include transferring fats and cholesterols through blood vessels throughout the body. Especially, presence of small, ...

We compared the haematological and biochemical values within a population of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) in the Chafarinas Islands (Northern Africa), in non-breeding (February) and breeding (May) animals. We collected blood samples from 51 adults. We found that according to the haematological data, there was a significant variation in haemoglobin ...

Systemic inflammation before surgery, as evidenced by the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), predicts postoperative complications and cancer-specific survival in various types of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance GPS in hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sixty-six patients who underwent elective hepatic resections for HCC ...

The integrity of the blood brain barrier (BBB) after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) is controversial in children. We tested the hypothesis that the BBB is disrupted by HCA. Forty-one piglets (mean weight 11 kg) were randomly allocated to acute and survival experiments. Five groups (25 piglets, ...

Background and Objective  Cryoprecipitate prepared from two whole blood donations from the same donor contained insoluble orange particulate material (OPM). We sought to identify the OPM. Materials and Methods  OPM was recovered from the blood product by centrifugation, dissolved in sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ...

Nifurtimox, an antiparasitic drug, is used to treat American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) and has shown promise in treating central nervous system (CNS)-stage human African trypanosomiasis (HAT; sleeping sickness). In combination with other antiparasitic drugs, the efficacy of nifurtimox against HAT improves, although why this happens is unclear. Studying how nifurtimox ...

The role of pericytes in the control of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity has remained enigmatic. In this issue, Bell et al. and two concurrent studies highlight that pericyte loss causes BBB breakdown and hypoperfusion. Remarkably, these vascular changes precede neurodegeneration and cognitive defects in old age.

By defining "flow density" in a reversible ratchet, a kind of Brownian motor that runs four processes in a two-dimensional parameter space to complete a cycle, we analytically investigate the behavior of the motor's integrated flow in terms of the magnitude and location of the density maximum. It turns out ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of cardiac arrest and the reperfusion syndrome on blood-brain barrier permeability and evaluate whether methylene blue counteracts blood-brain barrier disruption in a pig model of controlled cardiopulmonary resuscitation. DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, laboratory animal study. SETTING: University-affiliated research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Forty-five piglets. INTERVENTIONS: Forty-five anesthetized piglets ...

Nitric oxide (NO) signaling in tumors and endothelial cells regulates vascular permeability and blood flow and therefore influences tumor uptake and response to therapeutic compounds. As delivery and efficacy of chemotherapy is impaired in CNS neoplasms due to a partially intact blood-brain barrier (BBB), we studied the effects of NO ...

Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is known to protect against cerebral ischemia. The effects of VPA on blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption were investigated in rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Postischemic VPA treatment remarkably attenuated MCAO-induced BBB disruption and brain edema. Meanwhile, VPA significantly ...

Proper functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis depends on the ability of glucocorticoids (GCs), mainly cortisol in humans and corticosterone in rodents, to access brain targets and regulate their own secretion. Being highly lipophilic, GCs have been assumed to passively diffuse through the cell membrane. However, the access of these GCs ...

To determine the lipophilicity trend line from the relationship between the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) permeability and the lipophilicity of permeants and compare it with that of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The retinal (RUI) and brain uptake index (BUI) of 26 radiolabeled compounds across the rat BRB and BBB, respectively, were ...

Ultrasound methods in conjunction with microbubbles have been used for brain drug delivery, treatment of stroke, and imaging of cerebral blood flow. Despite advances in these areas, questions remain regarding the range of ultrasound parameters that disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this study, several conditions were investigated to either ...

Infections of the central nervous system due to neuroparasites have contributed significantly to morbidity and mortality. In part, this is because of our incomplete understanding of parasite traversal of the blood-brain barrier, a key step in the development of central nervous system infections, and the lack of available drugs that ...

This report presents that Deferiprone, the only clinically used 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one (HPO), is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in guinea pigs, whereas its glucosylated analogue is unable to do so. This finding is contrary to published information suggesting that the glucosylation of HPOs is a viable means of enhancing ...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has unique structures in order to protect the central nervous system. In addition to the tight junction of the microvessel endothelium, there is a uniform and narrow matrix-like basement membrane (BM) sandwiched between the vessel wall and the astrocyte foot processes ensheathing the cerebral microvessel. To ...

The infiltration of leukocytes into the central nervous system (CNS) is an essential step in the neuropathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Leukocyte extravasation from the bloodstream is a multistep process that depends on several factors including fluid dynamics within the vasculature and molecular interactions between circulating leukocytes and the vascular ...

We report a case of a 37-year-old patient with Plasmodium falciparum infestation who developed posterior reversible encephalopathy. In cerebral malaria, microscopic studies have shown endothelial dysfunction and disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Data from the literature show that one of the mechanisms of posterior reversible encephalopathy may be capillary leakage ...

AIM: To provide an updated view of the difficulties due to barriers and strategies used to allow the release of drugs in the central nervous system. INTRODUCTION: The difficulty for the treatment of many diseases of the central nervous system, through the use of intra-venous drugs, is due to the ...

Recent investigation has shown an interaction between transplanted progenitor cells and resident splenocytes leading to the modulation of the immunologic response in neurological injury. We hypothesize that the intravenous injection of multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPC) confers neurovascular protection after traumatic brain injury through an interaction with resident splenocytes, subsequently ...

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) P-glycoprotein activity is rapidly reduced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) acting via Src and by tumor necrosis factor-alpha acting via protein kinase C (PKC)beta1. To probe underlying mechanism(s), we developed an in vivo, immunoblot-based proteinase K (PK) protection assay to assess the changes in the P-glycoprotein ...

A variety of neurological diseases are characterized by disturbances of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and its transporters. We recently introduced fibroblast growth factor treated cortical organotypic slice cultures of mice as a model for in vitro studies of the blood-brain barrier and have now further characterized the maintenance and function ...

The mammalian blood-brain barrier (BBB) consists of endothelial cells, linked by tight junctions, and the adjoining pericytes and extracellular matrix. It helps maintain a highly stable extracellular environment necessary for accurate synaptic transmission and protects nervous tissue from injury. An increase in its normally low permeability for hydrophilic and charged ...

SUMMARY: Hemorrhagic transformation is a serious potential complication of ischemic stroke with damage to the BBB as one of the contributing mechanisms. BBB permeability measurements extracted from PCT by using the Patlak model can provide a valuable assessment of the extent of BBB damage. Unfortunately, Patlak assumptions require extended PCT ...

This study assesses the accuracy of the immediate blood separation method, a novel blood sampling strategy that enables blood analysis in any possible location. We conducted a cross-validation study between data from immediate blood separation and conventional methods. During the annual medical examinations in 2006 of a company located in ...

Blood-urine barrier, which is formed during differentiation of superficial urothelial cells, is the tightest and most impermeable barrier in the body. In the urinary bladder, the barrier must accommodate large changes in the surface area during distensions and contractions of the organ. Tight junctions and unique apical plasma membrane of ...

This work examines how mechanical signals affect the barrier function and stability of engineered human microvessels in microfluidic type I collagen gels. Constructs that were exposed to chronic low flow displayed high permeabilities to bovine serum albumin and 10 kDa dextran, numerous focal leaks, low size selectivity, and short lifespan ...

In this in vitro study, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determinate the penetration of 30 acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivators through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). According to our method, monoquaternary AChE reactivators were found to be able to penetrate the BBB. In addition to molecular structure, molecular weight appears to ...

As high altitude travel increases, acute mountain sickness (AMS) and life threatening high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) are becoming more prevalent. Acute mountain sickness occurs in 45% of lowlanders above 4250 m. Predisposing factors are still unknown and its development is more complex than the original "tight fit" hypothesis. This review ...

Proteins of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family, present at the blood-brain barrier interfaces, have been shown to reduce the entry of compounds from blood into the brain by active efflux. Their substrates are diverse including many drugs and toxins and therefore provide an important mechanism for brain neuroprotection. However, knowledge ...

A series of bis-azaaromatic quaternary ammonium compounds containing flexible polymethylenic linkers as well as conformationally restricted linkers were evaluated for their affinity for the blood-brain barrier choline transporter (BBB-ChT). The preliminary structure-activity relationships obtained from this study suggest that incorporating a linear, conformationally restricted linker into the molecule improves affinity ...

The hypothesis proposed in this article is that a haemodynamic mechanism may cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The hypothesis is synthesized from three separate streams of medical research: (1) multiple sclerosis (MS) research; (2) ALS research; (3) atherosclerosis research. Each research stream was reviewed as prerequisite for proposing the hypothesis. ...