Pneumonia is one of the most frequent complications in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke. Although severe hypertension is often observed in the early phase of acute stroke, there are few studies of acute hypertension as a factor influencing the incidence of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in elderly subjects with acute ...

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is the most frequent cardiac abnormality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. It is related to cardiovascular diseases and is an important risk factor for mortality in HD patients. Arterial hypertension is an established risk factor for LVH in HD patients. Inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter is a ...

PURPOSE: Anastomotic leakage is a serious complication after colorectal surgery. Pre- and intraoperative factors may contribute to failure of colorectal anastomosis. In this study we have tried to determine risk factors for anastomotic leakage, with special emphasis on intraoperative blood pressure changes. METHODS: During a 24-month period, patients receiving a ...

SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: A clinical paper examining the benefits of changes in dialysate sodium concentration in a broad range of HD patients and in reducing the risks of intra-dialytic hypotension and hypertension. ABSTRACT: Introduction:  There has been debate as to the value of lower sodium dialysates to control blood ...

BACKGROUND: /st>We conducted a prospective study to test the validity of a new continuous non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitor (CNAP) (CNAP™ Monitor 500). METHODS: /st>One hundred patients undergoing elective surgery under general anaesthesia were included in the study after informed written consent. The CNAP finger cuffs were placed on the ...

A prospective case series was studied to assess the potential for complete healing of wounds among patients with advanced illness referred to a regional palliative care program in Toronto, Canada. Two hundred and eighty-two patients, of which 148 were primarily diagnosed with cancer and 134 with non cancer advanced illness, ...

Background:  The exercise test is considered useful in selecting high risk patients withrepaired coarctation of the aorta (CoA), but it is difficult to obtain the cooperation of pediatric patients. The present study determines the feasibility of the isoproterenol stress test (IST) among pediatric patients with CoA. Methods:  Thirteen patients with ...

Previously, we reported the efficacy of aliskiren/amlodipine in US minority adults with stage 2 hypertension, with additional blood pressure (BP) lowering from the addition of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). A subgroup analysis in patients with hypertension and comorbidities of diabetes, cardiometabolic syndrome, or obesity, and in black participants is reported. This 8-week, ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with normal (mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≤20 mm Hg) and borderline mean pulmonary pressures (21-24 mm Hg) are "at risk" of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH). The objectives of this analysis were to examine the baseline characteristics in systemic sclerosis (SSc) with normal and borderline mPAP and to ...

OBJECTIVE In clinical trials, diet, exercise, and weight counseling led to short-term improvements in blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about the long-term effects of lifestyle counseling on patients with diabetes in routine clinical settings. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This retrospective ...

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012;14:78-84. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The Observational Study on Cognitive Function and SBP Reduction (OSCAR) provided opportunities to examine the influence of eprosartan on trends in cognitive performance in a large population of patients with difficult-to-treat hypertension (DTTH). A total of 4649 patients diagnosed retrospectively with ...

RATIONALE: There are several adult studies using computed tomography (CT-scan) to examine lung aeration changes during or after a recruitment maneuver (RM) in ventilated patients with acute lung injury (ALI). However, there are no published data on the lung aeration changes during or after a RM in ventilated pediatric patients ...

Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) occurs more often in autumn or winter than in spring or summer. We searched for clinical variables associated with this seasonality by comparing CeAD patients with onset of symptoms in autumn-winter (September 22-March 21) versus those with first CeAD symptom in spring-summer (March 22-September 21). We ...

Objectives: To report the association between kidney dysfunction and coronary artery calcification (CAC) score (CACS) among patients with clinically suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: We prospectively included 1,572 consecutive patients with clinically suspected CAD who underwent ECG-gated cardiac CT scans using 64-multidetector row computed tomography. CACS was quantified using ...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is a medical complication not widely investigated. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that TEVAR in young patients suffering from thoracic aortic transection alters pulse wave velocity (PWV) and reflected wave velocity and induces arterial hypertension. METHODS: The ...

We report the case of a 34-year-old male patient who presented with generalized weakness, poorly controlled hypertension, nocturnal hypertension spikes, and morning headaches. The history of resistant hypertension, obesity, enlarged neck size, and loud irregular snoring strongly suggested obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To exclude other possible causes of resistant hypertension, ...

Patients with diastolic dysfunction may have a disproportionate degree of elevation in pulmonary pressure, particularly in the elderly. Higher pulmonary vascular resistance in the elderly patients with heart failure but preserved ejection fraction suggests that beyond the post-capillary contribution of pulmonary venous congestion, a pre-capillary component of pulmonary arterial hypertension ...

OBJECTIVE: : To reduce airway injury secondary to high suction pressures, the American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NPR) recommends that suction pressures be less than 100mm Hg. This study was conducted to determine if suction bulbs conform to these recommendations. STUDY DESIGN: : In this prospective in vitro ...

The objectives of the study were to assess sound pressure level (SPL) in two rooms of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and to identify their sources. This quantitative-descriptive study was conducted in two rooms of a NICU of a University Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Three dosimeters were used ...

Abstract Objective: This article aimed to develop the "forest therapy" program, which is a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)-based intervention program using forest environment, and investigate its effects on blood pressure (BP), salivary cortisol, and quality of life (QoL) measures in patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 56 men and ...

BACKGROUND: The measurement of Maximal Respiratory Pressure (MRP) is a procedure widely used in clinical practice to evaluate respiratory muscle strength through the Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (PImax) and Maximal Expiratory Pressure (PEmax). Its clinical applications include diagnostic procedures and evaluating responses to interventions. However, there is great variability in the ...

Abstract Worksite-based wellness programs can be a means to improve employee health awareness and potentially reduce health care costs. The "BP Success Zone: You Auto Know" program was a worksite-based intervention to reduce the incidence of hypertension among auto workers at Chrysler LLC. This 6-month program comprised an intervention consisting ...

Pressure ulcers were designated as a priority for quality care initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The Penn Medicine Pressure Ulcer Collaborative was developed to address the complex issues of pressure ulcers. The Collaborative used a systematic approach to analyze, plan, and implement a health system-wide pressure ulcer ...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' regulations regarding nonpayment for hospital-acquired conditions such as pressure ulcers have prompted a marked increase in focus on preventive care. Our hospital also used this change in payment policy as an opportunity to strengthen our pressure ulcer prevention practices. We used an 8-spoke ...

This paper reports on a successful nurse practitioner-led Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program (PUPP), established with members from nursing, allied health and senior management, within a regional area health service in Australia. The aims of PUPP were to quantify the prevalence of pressure ulcers within the health organisation, evaluate the policy ...

Dwell time mainly depends on punch geometry, so some tableting problems such as capping and lamination could occur at high speed compaction. Robust tools are required to monitor the interaction of punch tip and powder bed at these high speeds. Our aim was to investigate the effect of punch geometry ...

Medical electronic systems are generating ever larger data sets from a variety of sensors and devices. Such systems are also being packaged in wearable designs for easy and broad use. The large volume of data and the constraints of low-power, extended-duration, and wireless monitoring impose the need for on-chip processing ...

Several key biological mechanisms of traumatic injury to axons have been elucidated using in vitro stretch injury models. These models, however, are based on the experimentation of single cultures keeping productivity slow. Indeed, low yield has hindered important and well founded investigations requiring high throughput methods such as proteomic analyses. ...

Current anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) measure chest acceleration and deflection to assess risk of injury to the thorax. This study presents a lung surrogate prototype designed to expand the injury assessment capabilities of ATDs to include a risk measure for pulmonary contusion (PC). The surrogate augments these existing measures by ...

Generally, urine mercury (U-Hg) is widely used for assessment of inorganic mercury (I-Hg) exposure in humans. The reliability of scalp hair as an indicator of mercury vapor exposure is contentious. However, significant correlations were found between hair total mercury (T-Hg) and U-Hg and between hair I-Hg and total gaseous mercury ...

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Recent bi-level positive pressure ventilators for home non-invasive ventilation (NIV) provide clinicians with softwares which record items important for patient monitoring such as compliance, tidal volume (V(T)), leaks. However, validity of this information has not yet been independently assessed. METHODS: Testing of seven home ventilators on a bench ...

Purpose: Hypertension is a highly prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and its early identification and management results in reductions in morbidity and mortality. Our objectives were to: (1) determine the extent to which the emergency department (ED) has been used to screen patients for undiagnosed hypertension; (2) estimate the ...

Storm clouds are gathering over nursing. The NHS is once more under pressure to save money. In 2009 McKinsey, an international management company, published a report outlining how the NHS could make efficiency savings of £20 billion, i.e. 20%, over four years (HSJ, 2009). The government at the time implemented ...

During tableting, capping is a problem of cohesion while sticking is a problem of adhesion. Sticking is a multi-composite problem; causes are either material or machine related. Nowadays, detecting such a problem is a pre-requisite in the early stages of development. The aim of our study was to investigate sticking ...

: Data on intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) guide therapy in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), but current linear analytic methods are insufficiently sensitive and specific for prognosis in dynamic situations over time. : We have developed algorithms incorporating continuous, automated, digital ICP and CPP monitoring data ...

Abstract We investigated the effectiveness of a workplace intervention program that utilized self-monitoring of daily salt excretion by an electronic salt sensor and sent personalized e-mail advice via cellular phone. Forty-one hypertensive male workers were assigned to intervention and control groups, then counseled together. Intervention group members were asked to ...

This paper presents a micro-fluid gathering tool for a versatile capsular endoscope that employs a solid chemical propellant, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN). The proposed tool consists of a micro-heater, an AIBN matrix, a Venturi tube, a reservoir, an inlet, and an outlet. The micro-heater heats the AIBN matrix to be decomposed into ...

ABSTRACT: Footwear characteristics have been implicated in fatigue and foot pain. The recommended time for changing running shoes is every 500 miles. The aim of our study was to assess and compare plantar peak pressures and pressure time integrals in new and old running shoes. This was a prospective study ...

This prospective study evaluated the relationship between echocardiography parameters of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function and mild-to-moderate renal function impairment in 82 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The mean age of the patients was 61.1 years. A significant correlation was found between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the ...

This study evaluated plantar pressure distribution and its clinical significance in patients with diabetic foot toe deformities. Patients with diabetic claw or hammer toe deformities (patient group; n = 30) and healthy subjects without toe deformities (control group; n = 30) were recruited into the study. Plantar pressures in different ...

Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for systemic toxicity associated with local anaesthetics and increasingly non-local anaesthetic agents of high lipophilicity. Effect for ILE has been demonstrated in animal models of propranolol poisoning; however, any benefit for ILE in more hydrophilic β-blockers remains uncertain. ...

Hypertension is a risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and heart failure and precedes heart failure in 91% of cases. This becomes even more important considering that the number of Americans with hypertension increased from 65 million in 2005 to 72 million in 2007. If blood pressure is effectively ...

Hypertension represents the most common cardiovascular risk factor, affecting more than 25% of the adult population in developed societies. Although beta-blockers have been previously shown to effectively reduce blood pressure and have been used for hypertension treatment for over 40 years, their effect on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertensive ...

To explore if β-adrenergic receptors in the brain are involved in acute and delayed cardiovascular responses to a brief emotional stress, by comparing the effects of the β1-blockers metoprolol (lipophilic) and atenolol (hydrophilic). Male dominant pigs, singleliving, freely moving, with telemetric recordings of intra-arterial pressure and ECG and assay of ...

Although the use of antenatal glucocorticoids has resulted in decreased neonatal morbidity/mortality, recent animal studies have raised concerns regarding adverse effects of these medications on postnatal cardiovascular function. We hypothesized that antenatal betamethasone (Beta) exposure alters cerebral vascular reactivity in adult female sheep. We observed that K-induced constriction was comparable ...

Beta-blockers have played a key role in the management of hypertension-related cardiovascular disease for decades, and continue to be recommended as a mainstay of therapy in national guidelines statements. Recent data have shown less optimal reductions in total mortality, CVD mortality, and CVD events with beta-blockers compared with renin-angiotensin system-blocking ...

To accelerate lung development and protect neonates from other early developmental problems, synthetic steroids are administered maternally in the third trimester, exposing fetuses that are candidates for premature delivery to them. However, steroid exposure at this point of gestation may lead to elevated blood pressure [mean arterial pressure (MAP)] during ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our work was to analyze if changes in the expression of beta-adrenoceptors (beta-ARs) and G-protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) in human lymphocytes - a practical surrogate for myocardial or vascular cells - are related to the hypertensive state and its clinical consequences. METHODS: Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was ...

The beneficial effects of beta-blocker therapy on the clinical outcomes of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF) are attributed to the improvement in ejection fraction (EF) and left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling. Previous studies only reported the beta-blocker therapy-induced improvement of diastolic function accompanied by the increase in EF ...

It is important to know which patients with hypertension will benefit from beta-blocker therapy and which beta-blockers should be used in the treatment of hypertension to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality. Studies between 1981 and 2009 using a Medline search are reported. Beta-blockers should be used to treat hypertension in ...