A multiphysics simulation approach is developed for predicting cardiac flows as well as for conducting virtual echocardiography (ECHO) and phonocardiography (PC) of those flows. Intraventricular blood flow in pathological heart conditions is simulated by solving the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with an immersed boundary method, and using this computational hemodynamic ...

Flow noise is a kind of hydrodynamic noise, which is created by turbulent flow in the boundary layer around the hydrophone. Although the turbulent pressure is not a true acoustic noise in that its influence decreases rapidly with distance, it acts as a self-noise source. In general, since the spectrum ...

Human unvoiced fricative speech sounds such as [s] and [f] are produced by a complex fluid-structure interaction. Indeed, a moderate Reynolds number (100 ≤ Re ≤ 10000) turbulent jet is issued from a constriction somewhere in the vocal tract formed between the hard palate and an articulator such as tongue, teeth, or lips. By ...

Production of fricatives involves a narrow supraglottal constriction along the vocal tract. Air flows through the constriction, and generates turbulent noise source(s) by impinging on some obstacles downstream. In post-glossectomy speakers, the production of /s/ and /sh/ is often problematic. It is mainly caused by the tongue surgery, which changes ...

The technique presented here uses an impedance head to measure the input impedance spectrum of a physical model of a vocal tract, and then to inject a known glottal flow waveform into the tract. The sound measured outside the mouth is used to evaluate inverse filtering techniques by comparison with ...

This paper presents recent progress in research examining the mechanisms of voice generation and a method for physiologically based speech synthesis. The overarching goal of this research is the precise modeling of interactions among physical systems involved in the processes underlying voice generation. In the basic voice generation system, a ...

Until now, skewing of the volumetric flow rate (Q) curve was thought to be due to the inertance effects produced by the vocal tract. The goal of these experiments is to measure the volumetric flow rate at the entrance and exit of the glottis during the closing phase in a ...

The effect of subglottic stenosis on vocal fold vibration is investigated. An idealized stenosis is defined, parameterized, and incorporated into a two-dimensional, fully-coupled finite element model of the vocal folds and laryngeal airway. Flow-induced responses of the vocal fold model to varying severities of stenosis are compared. The model vibration ...

BACKGROUND:: Undetected apnea can lead to severe hypoxia, bradycardia, and cardiac arrest. Tracheal sounds entropy has been proved to be a robust method for estimating respiratory flow, thus maybe a more reliable way to detect obstructive and central apnea during sedation. METHODS:: A secondary analysis of a previous pharmacodynamics study ...

When hungry, the wandering spider Cupiennius salei is frequently seen to catch flying insect prey. The success of its remarkable prey-capture jump from its sitting plant into the air obviously depends on proper timing and sensory guidance. In this study, it is shown that particular features of the airflow generated ...

In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to study the acoustical response of a Helmholtz resonator as a duct-branched acoustic absorber subjected to both high-intensity sound and grazing flow. The present model is comprised of a discrete vortex model in combination with a one-dimensional duct sound propagation model. The ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Disturbances of microcirculation and hemorheological changes in the inner ear are the results of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Both the disturbances of microcirculation and hemorheological changes are the etiologies of NIHL development, but they are also the results. Although previous reports that inhalation of high concentration of ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate accuracy and noise properties of a novel time-resolved, three-dimensional, three-directional phase contrast sequence with variable velocity encoding (denoted 4D-vPC) on a 3 Tesla MR system, and to investigate potential benefits and limitations of variable velocity encoding with respect to depicting blood flow patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A ...

Self-propelled microorganisms, such as unicellular algae or bacteria, swim along their director relative to the fluid velocity. Under a steady shear flow the director rotates in close orbit, a periodic structure that is preserved under an oscillatory shear flow. If the shear flow is subjected to small fluctuations produced by ...

This paper addresses the problem how to measure acoustic impedance of microperforation panels (MPPs) under flow conditions. Since 1960s, many different methods have been proposed to tackle this problem, mainly motivated by the aim of reducing noise emission from aeroengines, ventilators and other fluid machines. It has been found that ...

ABSTRACT Background: Hypoperfusion of the pulmonary vascular bed under the condition of congenital cardiac malformations may lead to progressive pulmonary vascular disease. To improve the mechanistic understanding of this disease, we examined the biochemical and morphological changes of the lung in a relevant animal model and provided valuable insights into ...

Broadband noise, accompanying the flow separation and turbulence, is studied for an automotive centrifugal compressor on a steady-flow turbocharger bench facility. When operated in the mid-flow region, the current compressor exhibited elevated broadband noise at high frequencies, which was evident both in the upstream compressor duct and external sound pressure ...

Determination of aluminum (Al), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and thallium (Tl) concentrations in human blood using high-frequency modulation polarization Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was performed. No sample digestion was used in the current study. Blood samples were ...

When the US Centers for Disease Control met a hard wall of political restraint in attempting a full response to the emergency of AIDS in the early 1980s, it was possible to move toward protection of blood and blood products from the legislative branch of government instead - despite resistance ...

Morbidity from allergic diseases is increasing. Basophils play a critical role in systemic anaphylaxis and chronic allergic inflammation. The prenatal environment must be regarded as a possible early risk factor for allergic diseases in children. Our objective was to determine if basophils harvested from neonates genetically predisposed to atopic disease ...

Background: The hematocrit effect is a hurdle for successful introduction of the dried blood spot (DBS) in a regulated environment. Recently, attempts were taken to overcome the hematocrit effect by whole-cut DBS analysis. This paper presents the next-generation whole-cut DBS; dried matrix on paper disks (DMPD). Results: DMPD eliminated the ...

Systemic vascular impedance represents the retrograde strength of the blood flow to the left ventricle, thus it is one of the main compounds of afterload. Mitral regurgitation is markedly sensitive to afterload alterations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate muscular arterial impedance in dogs with chronic degenerative mitral ...

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the location of the venous foot pump using an anatomical study. Four hundred cadaveric feet were injected with green neoprene latex followed by a dissection. A coloured segmentation of the venous system was achieved. The Lejars' concept of the venous sole of ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Active Crohn's disease affects intestine but may alter other locations as eyes vasculature. Previous studies provide evidence of elevated blood flow velocities (BFv) and volume (BFV) in superior mesenteric artery (SMA). We prospectively studied hemodynamics in feeding arteries of bowel and eyes before and 2weeks after treatment ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines the recent literature on molecular biomarkers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Specific attention is dedicated to the recent studies that identified the genes associated with IPF and the peripheral blood biomarkers that predict outcome in IPF. RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple studies attempted to identify diagnostic ...

Transfusion remains a key treatment in sickle cell disease. The occurrence of a delayed haemolytic transfusion reaction is not rare and is a life-threatening event. The main cause of delayed haemolytic transfusion reaction is production of alloantibodies against red blood cell antigens. The high rate of alloimmunization in sickle cell ...

Transfusion of large amounts of blood products is a complex and changing practice. British and American military experience of the process in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the findings of the international CRASH 2 study (Shakur et al 2010), have led to changes in practice (Moor et al 2009). The procedure ...

The laboratory diagnosis of Chagas disease is challenging because the usefulness of different diagnostic tests will depend on the stage of the disease. Serology is the preferred method for patients in the chronic phase, whereas PCR can be successfully used to diagnose acute and congenital cases. Here we present data ...

Objectives- The purpose of this study was to categorize hepatofugal portal venous flow on Doppler sonography after liver transplantation and to investigate its clinical importance and presumed causes based on radiologic and pathologic findings. Methods- This retrospective study was approved by our Institutional Review Board, and the requirement for informed ...

The transfusion of blood products can result in a variety of consequences, including transfer of pathogens and the induction of immune responses, such as the almost invariably fatal transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD). Exposure of blood products to γ-irradiation is currently the standard of care for the prevention of TA-GVHD. Regulatory, ...

Comment on: Rankin EB, et al. Cell 2012; 149:63-74.

Prior to the introduction of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), red blood cell (RBC) transfusions were frequently required when iron and anabolic steroids failed to improve the clinical symptoms of anemia associated with hemoglobin (Hb) levels that were commonly less than 7 g/dl. After the approval of EPO in the United ...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a key modulator of vascular homeostasis controlling critical functions related to blood flow, respiration, cell death and proliferation, and protecting the vasculature from pro-inflammatory and coagulative stresses. Inhibition of NO formation, and / or diversion of NO away from its physiological signalling targets lead to dysregulated ...

It is now clearly established that the transfusion of blood from variant CJD (v-CJD) infected individuals can transmit the disease. Since the number of asymptomatic infected donors remains unresolved, inter-individual v-CJD transmission through blood and blood derived products is a major public health concern. Current risk assessments for transmission of ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) most commonly characterized by focal areas of myelin destruction, inflammation and axonal transection. The multicentric inflammation and demyelination of the brain and spinal cord are associated with variable neurologic symptoms ranging from mild dysfunction to debilitating. ...

COMMENTARY ON: Long TR, Stans AA, Shaughnessy WJ, et al. Changes in red blood cell transfusion practice during the past quarter century: a retrospective analysis of pediatric patients undergoing elective scoliosis surgery using the Mayo database. Spine J 2012;12:455-62 (in this issue).

OBJECTIVE: To assess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow dynamics involvement in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted CSF flow studies on 40 individuals with motor neuron diseases (MNDs) including ALS, and 28 age-matched normal and disease [cervical spondylosis (CS)] controls. METHODS: The CSF pulsatile velocity anterior to the ...

BACKGROUND: Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a tick-borne rickettsial infectious disease. To date four cases of transfusion-transmitted anaplasmosis (TTA) have been described in the literature, and only one from leukoreduced red blood cells (RBCs). CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old patient with acute gastrointestinal blood loss was admitted to the hospital and ...

To the Editor, we read with great interest the article by Chung et al. which appeared recently in the journal. In that paper the authors reported that the decreased IL-18 response in severe pneumonia group vs. non-severe group was observed regardless of asthma status of the patients, whose findings were ...

Red blood cell transfusions have reduced morbidity and mortality for patients with sickle cell disease. Transfusions can lead to erythrocyte alloimmunization, however, with serious complications for the patient including life-threatening delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions and difficulty in finding compatible units, which can cause transfusion delays. In this review, we discuss ...

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa) is popularly known for its sedative and calming properties and is consumed as a fresh fruit or as a juice. The clinical observation of blood incoagulability associated with excessive consumption of passion fruit juice, in a patient treated with warfarin, prompted the current ...

Ticks are mostly obligatory blood feeding ectoparasites that have an impact on human and animal health. In addition to direct damage due to feeding, some tick species serve as the vectors for the causative agents of several diseases, such as the spirochetes of the genus Borrelia causing Lyme disease, the ...

Melorheostosis is a rare disorder characterized by irregular, flowing hyperostosis in long bones, commonly described on radiographs as wax flowing down a candle. In addition to bony sclerosis, cutaneous manifestations overlying the involved bones have been reported including linear scleroderma, neurofibromatosis, and vascular and lymphatic malformations. Unilateral nevoid telangiectasia (UNT) ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to compare the blood levels of adhesion molecules in children with different heart diseases and pulmonary flow rates. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 in blood samples of 65 children ...

The development of pulmonary hypertension is a common accompaniment of congenital heart disease (CHD) with increased pulmonary blood flow. Our recent evidence suggests that asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction causes endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling secondary to a proteasome-dependent degradation of GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) that results in a ...

BACKGROUND: Blood donor screening can help predict prevalence of coeliac disease in population. METHODS: Between December 2010 and June 2011, healthy blood donors were screened using anti-tissue glutaminase antibodies. Those positive underwent duodenoscopy. Their age, gender, body mass index and haemoglobin and histological changes were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 1610 ...

Allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) therapy plays a major role in the case of patients with cancer. Packed red blood cells (PRBC) are given for increased oxygen-carrying capacity, platelets concentrates (PC) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) for the cessation and prevention of bleeding due to thrombocytopenia and other defects of hemostasis ...

The arteriovenous fistula is the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis patients because of its low complication rate and lower costs, but it still has unacceptable failure rates. Krishnamoorthy et al. implicate the geometry of the fistula in the temporal and spatial variations occurring in two of the most important parameters ...

Surveillance, research, and control of mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus require efficient methods for sampling mosquitoes. We compared the efficacy of BG-Sentinel and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-CO(2) traps in terms of the abundances of host-seeking and blood-fed female mosquitoes and the origin of mosquito bloodmeals. ...

Present research aimed at investigation of the role of several inflammatory cytokines and free toxic radicals in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) course and disability progression as well as factors that can assist to the early transition of Relapse Remitting MS (RRMS) in Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS). Totally 22 MS patients, 14 ...