BACKGROUND: Growth and sizes of lesions produced during catheter ablation is difficult to control. Laser lesion formation was evaluated during various flow rates and energy settings by using an open-irrigated laser catheter on a thigh-muscle dog model. METHODS: Laser radiation at 15 W or was applied in blood for 10 ...

Hg was analyzed in seven tissues of 52 common shoveler Anas clypeata collected from the coast of SE Gulf of California. Mean Hg concentrations were highest in the liver (2,885 ng g(-1)) and lowest in the gizzard (621 ng g(-1)); they followed the order: liver, feathers > muscle tissue and tissues of the circulatory ...

Total mercury (Hg), monomethylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) were determined in blood of 11 bird species living in Doñana National Park (DNP, Southwestern Spain) and the surrounding area in 1999 and 2000 after a mine spill accident. The total Hg contents found varied from 1.00 to 587 ng/mL, with an MeHg ...

Mercury (Hg) is a well-known neurotoxicant. Hg exposure at high levels can harm individuals of all ages. Even low level exposure to Hg can damage the brain of fetuses and young children, and affect their central nervous system and cognitive development. The aims of our study were to measure total ...

The Retinal Function Imager (RFI) (Optical Imaging Ltd., Rehovot, Israel) measures retinal blood flow velocity non-invasively. The authors studied the reproducibility of these measurements and assessed the effect of physiological components on them. Sixty-seven individuals with no retinal pathology were recruited. Velocity reproducibility was verified by comparing repeated RFI measurements. ...

This article outlines a practical approach for the use of blood-gas analysis in pet rabbits using the I-STAT analyzer. Sampling techniques and a theoretic approach to diagnosis are described. The following 95% RI were obtained from venous samples of 45 healthy rabbits: pH (7.245-7.533), PCO(2) (28.9-52.9 mm Hg), HCO(3) (17.0-32.5 ...

Current thoracic artificial lungs (TALs) have blood flow impedances greater than the natural lungs, which can result in abnormal pulmonary hemodynamics. This study investigated the impedance and gas transfer performance of a compliant TAL (cTAL). Fluid-structure interaction analysis was performed using ADINA (ADINA R&D Inc., Watertown, MA) to examine the ...

Despite growing concerns over mercury (Hg) exposure to humans and wildlife on a global scale, little is known about Hg bioaccumulation in the New World tropics. From 2005 to 2011, we monitored Hg concentrations in blood of nine avian species occupying a geographic range of tropical wet broadleaf sites on ...

Mercury (Hg) adversely affects the health and behavior of exposed wildlife; however, behavioral effects remain largely unknown. Changes in avian singing behavior may affect a male's fitness because song reveals male quality and thus influences female mate choice and male territory-holding ability. Nelson's sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni) live exclusively on salt ...

The brain blood vasculature consists of a highly ramified vessel network that is tailored to meet its physiological functions. How the brain vasculature is formed has long been fascinating biologists. Here we report that the developing vasculature in the zebrafish midbrain undergoes not only angiogenesis but also extensive vessel pruning, ...

OBJECTIVES: To develop and test a knowledge questionnaire about blood donation in African migrant communities in Australia, which is applicable to other communities, and to assess the relationship between the demographic and socio-economic characteristics and knowledge of the African migrant community. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey of 425 African migrants ...

In vivo, F-actin flows are observed at different cell life stages and participate in various developmental processes during asymmetric divisions in vertebrate oocytes, cell migration, or wound healing. Here, we show that confinement has a dramatic effect on F-actin spatiotemporal organization. We reconstitute in vitro the spontaneous generation of F-actin ...

We describe an unusual case of a primary evacuated blood collection tube with floating separator gel, which has been collected from a 50-year-old man submitted to a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The sample was collected from the femoral artery in a primary evacuated blood collection tube containing lithium-heparin. After centrifugation ...

A new two-dimensional micro-flow magnetophoresis device was constructed in a superconducting magnet (10 T) using triangular shaped pole pieces, which could apply a magnetic strength, B(dB/dx), in the range of ca. 0-14,000 T(2) m(-1) across a capillary cell. Polystyrene particles with diameters of 1, 3, and 6 μm were used as test samples in ...

Irradiation with 20-25 kGy is a process commonly used for sterilizing poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) medical devices. Moreover, whole blood and blood components undergo additional irradiation with 25-50 Gy to inhibit the proliferative capacity of lymphocytes and reduce the risk of transfusion-associated graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) plasticized PVC is extensively ...

Transcatheter occlusion of high-flow arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) or arteriovenous fistulas may be complicated by migration of embolic materials intended to impede flow. Reducing antegrade flow during catheter embolization via balloon occlusion or inhibiting migration with anchoring devices may improve procedural safety in high-flow settings. We describe the use of an ...

Low permeability regions such as clay lenses are difficult to remediate using conventional treatment methods. Bacterial chemotaxis (directed migration toward a contaminant source) may be helpful in enhancing bioremediation of such contaminated sites. This study experimentally simulates a two-dimensional dual-permeability groundwater contamination scenario using a microfluidic device (MFD) and evaluates ...

The postnatal subventricular zone (SVZ) contains proliferating neural progenitor cells in close proximity to blood vessels. Insults and drug treatments acutely stimulate cell proliferation in the SVZ, which was assessed by labeling cells entering S phase. Although G1-to-S progression is metabolically demanding on a minute-to-hour time scale, it remains unknown ...

To assess the efficacy of a public health intervention to reduce blood mercury (Hg) concentration levels in pregnant Bermudian women. In 2003, we conducted a study entitled "Prenatal exposure of the Bermudian Population to Environmental Contaminants" which provided Bermuda's first baseline data on prenatal exposure to several environmental contaminants, including ...

Antibodies against the human neutrophil antigens (HNA) are able to stimulate transfusion reactions, autoimmune and neonatal neutropenia. The aim of this study was to determine the HNA allele frequencies in the largest ethnic minority group in Germany in comparison with the German population for predicting the risk of alloimmunization and ...

BACKGROUND: A recent case-control study showed that transfusion recipients were at an increased risk of developing sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), suggesting that blood donors with silent preclinical sCJD could transmit the sCJD agent. We therefore estimated the annual number of French blood donors expected to have preclinical sCJD at the ...

BACKGROUND: Given an aging population that requires increased medical care, an increasing number of deferrals from the donor pool, and a growing immigrant population that typically has lower donation rates, the purpose of this article is to forecast Ontario's blood supply and demand. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We calculate age- ...

The growth rate of the dynamo instability as a function of the magnetic Reynolds number R_{_{M}} is investigated by means of numerical simulations for the family of the Arnold-Beltrami-Childress (ABC) flows and for two different forcing scales. For the ABC flows that are driven at the largest available length scale, ...

: To review our experience with bedside angiography in order to demonstrate the utility of this technique for evaluation of blood vessels in the critically ill patient. : Retrospective review. : Pediatric cardiac intensive care unit at a children's hospital. : Five patients aged 5 days to 17 yrs in ...

Observations of atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge are conducted through a water-filled electrode in atmospheric-pressure argon gas flow. Quasi-symmetric self-organized discharge filaments were observed. The streamers moved with the gas flow, and the migration velocity increased with increasing gas velocity.

Abstract The ciliated epithelium of amphibian embryos produces a current within the perivitelline fluid of the egg that is important in the convective transfer of oxygen to the embryo's surface. The effects of convection on oxygen uptake and the immediate oxygen environment of the embryo were investigated in Pseudophryne bibronii. ...

Mercury concentrations were assessed in the sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea from a nesting colony of Oaxaca, Mexico; 25 female turtles were sampled, a total of 250 eggs were collected during the season 2005-2006. Higher concentrations were found in yolk fraction, while in blood and albumen mean levels were below of ...

The mosquito's body temperature increases dramatically when it takes a blood meal from a warm-blooded, vertebrate host. By using the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, we demonstrate that this boost in temperature following a blood meal prompts the synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70). This response, elicited by the ...

High blood glucose levels caused by excessive sugar consumption are detrimental to mammalian health and life expectancy. Despite consuming vast quantities of sugar-rich floral nectar, nectar-feeding bats are long-lived, provoking the question of how they regulate blood glucose. We investigated blood glucose levels in nectar-feeding bats (Glossophaga soricina) in experiments ...

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in regulation of vascular tone and blood flow. In the microcirculation blood flow is strongly dependent on red blood cells (RBC) deformability. In vitro NO increases RBC deformability. This study hypothesized that NO increases RBC velocity in vivo not only by regulating ...

During embryonic development, blood flow is needed not only to nourish the developing embryo but is also important for shaping the vascular network such that it becomes hemodynamically efficient. The first blood vessels form a network called the capillary plexus. After the onset of blood flow, the capillary plexus remodel ...

To investigate the local mechanical forces associated with intravascular pillars and vessel pruning, we studied the conducting vessels in the extraembryonic circulation of the chick embryo. During the development days 13-17, intravascular pillars and blood flow parameters were identified using fluorescent vascular tracers and digital time-series video reconstructions. The geometry ...

Abstract Triatoma brasiliensis is an important vector of Trypanosoma cruzi in the semiarid zones of Northeastern Brazil where it is commonly found in human dwellings, peridomiciliary areas, and the wild environments. To better understand features that may be influencing the interaction of T. brasiliensis with its hosts, in the present ...

This note presents a mechanistic explanation of the transition between the morphology of cephalochordates to that of amniotes. By a careful study of the morphogenetic movements which occur during the early stages of development of a typical amniote (a chicken embryo), we are able to show that the formation of ...

Maturation of the developing heart requires the structural elaboration of the embryonic ventricle through the process of trabeculation. Trabeculae form as the ventricular myocardium protrudes into the lumen of the chamber, thereby increasing muscle mass and altering functional output. Little is understood about the cellular basis for trabeculation and its ...

Maturation of the developing heart requires the structural elaboration of the embryonic ventricle through the process of trabeculation. Trabeculae form as the ventricular myocardium protrudes into the lumen of the chamber, thereby increasing muscle mass and altering functional output. Little is understood about the cellular basis for trabeculation and its ...

Embryonic development involves the cellular integration of chemical and physical stimuli. A key physical input is the mechanical stress generated during embryonic morphogenesis. This process necessitates tensile forces at the tissue scale such as during axis elongation and budding, as well as at the cellular scale when cells migrate and ...

A vertebrate bloodmeal is required by female mosquitoes of most species to obtain nutrients for egg maturation. The yellowfever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.), feeds predominantly on humans, despite having the capacity to use blood from other hosts for this process. Here, we report that female Ae. aegypti infected with a ...

The availability of an adequate blood supply is a critical public health need. An influenza epidemic or another crisis affecting population mobility could create a critical donor shortage, which could profoundly impact blood availability. We developed a simulation model for the blood supply environment in the United States to assess ...

Controlling droplet incubation is critical for droplet-based microfluidic applications; however, current techniques are either of limited precision or place strict limits on the incubation times that can be achieved. Here, we present a simple technique to control incubation time by exploiting close-packed plug flow. In contrast to other techniques, this ...

Recent advances in the field of chaotic advection provide the impetus to revisit the dynamics of particles transported by blood flow in the presence of vessel wall irregularities. The irregularity, being either a narrowing or expansion of the vessel, mimicking stenoses or aneurysms, generates abnormal flow patterns that lead to ...

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent natural and laboratory vectors for numerous arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), many of which pose global public health concerns. Efficiently imbibing a blood meal from an artificial membrane feeder, Ae. aegypti is an easy feeder: ∼ 96% success. Alternatively, Ae. albopictus is known to be ...

Sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus were observed on 109 occasions on 47 individual minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Bloody lesions could be identified as previous attachment sites, indicating P. marinus feeding on B. acutorostrata blood.

Laboratory colonization of hematophagous insects must include an efficient method of blood feeding, preferably by artificial means. Strict rules for obtaining animal use permits, extensive animal maintenance costs, and indirect anesthesia effects on animal health warrant the development of an artificial membrane feeding technique for sand fly colonization in laboratories. ...

Blood filters that prevent clots, microaggregates, and other debris from being passed from the donor blood into the recipient are an essential component of blood transfusions in mammalian species but have not been consistently recommended in avian transfusions. To evaluate the hemolytic effect of an 18-microm filter in chickens, 9 ...

The anatomical association between sensory nerves and blood vessels is well recognised in the adult, and interactions between the two are important during development. Here we have examined the relationship between developing blood vessels and sensory neuronal cell bodies, which is less well understood. We show in the chick that ...

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the major vector of arboviral diseases, particularly of Dengue fever, of which there are more than 100 million cases annually. Mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti, serve as vectors for disease pathogens because they require vertebrate blood for their egg production. Pathogen transmission is tightly linked ...

Variation in haematological parameters of Nigerian native chickens was studied using 60 clinically normal frizzle-feathered, naked-neck, and normal-feathered native chickens. These included red blood cell count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, white blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, serum glucose, urea, cholesterol, albumin, globulin and creatinine. Normal-feathered ...

The vertebrate body plan features a consistent left-right (LR) asymmetry of internal organs. In several vertebrate embryos, motile cilia generate an asymmetric fluid flow that is necessary for normal LR development. However, the mechanisms involved in orienting LR asymmetric flow with previously established anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) axes remain ...

Mechanical stresses influence the structure and function of adult and developing blood vessels. When these stresses are perturbed, the vessel wall remodels to return the stresses to homeostatic levels. Constrained mixture models have been used to predict remodeling of adult vessels in response to step changes in blood pressure, axial ...