Background  High-resolution manometry and esophageal pressure topography have enhanced our ability to analyze esophageal motor disturbances by improving the detail and accuracy of measurements of peristaltic activity.This has been extremely helpful in the evaluation of disorders of rapid propagation as the technique is able to define important time points and ...

In animal experiments, elevating systolic pressures induces diastolic dysfunction and may contribute to congestion, a finding not yet translated to humans. Coronary surgery patients (63 ± 8 years) were studied with left ventricular (LV) pressure (n = 17) or pressure-volume (n = 3) catheters, immediately before cardiopulmonary bypass. Single-beat graded pressure elevations were induced by clamping the ...

Nesfatin-1 is a novel adipocytokine which exerts not only anorexigenic but also hypertensive roles through acting on hypothalamus melanocortin-3/4 receptors. Although it is logical to hypothesize that nesfatin-1 could also affect the contractile reactivity of peripheral blood vessels, it still remains to be examined. The present study was performed to ...

In freshwater ecosystems, a large number of chemical substances are able to disturb homeostasis of fish by modulating one or more physiological functions including the immune system. The aim of this study was to assess multi-biomarker responses including immunotoxicity induced by urban and agricultural pressure in European bullheads living in ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Regulation of intraocular pressure by the conventional (trabecular) outflow pathway is complicated, involving a myriad of mechanical and chemical signals. In most, intraocular pressure is maintained within a tight range over a lifetime. Unfortunately in some, dysfunction results in ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma. In the context ...

To provide for tissue perfusion without pulmonary congestion, the left ventricle (LV) must eject an adequate stroke volume at arterial pressure (systolic function) and fill without requiring an abnormally increased left atrial pressure (diastolic function). Systolic and diastolic function must be adequate to meet the needs of the body both ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review of the vascular biology of endothelin-1 (ET-1) is the presentation of recent data including the use of endothelin-receptor antagonists for the treatment of hypertension. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent discoveries regarding the pharmacology of ET-1 in the vascular wall and its effect on signalling ...

PURPOSE: The identification of specific factors that contribute to hypertension development and progression among blacks in the US is the focus of much ongoing research. The purpose of this paper is to review these factors and discuss how they present unique opportunities for improving the management of hypertension in this ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To survey the causes of ventilator-induced lung injury focusing on its mechanical determinants, lung stress and strain. RECENT FINDINGS: Tidal volume per ideal body weight (tidal volume/IBW) and airway pressure (PAW) are poor surrogates of strain and stress, which are respectively defined as the ratio of volume ...

At the present time, the function of the mastoid remains unknown. One of the main hypotheses accredited in the literature interprets the mastoid as a pressure buffer. Other theories underline the role of the mastoid mucosa in pressure regulation by transmucosal gas exchanges. The question is what advantage does air ...

Systolic hypertension and OH, as with many other deficits, accumulate with age. This deficit accumulation results in frailty: enhanced vulnerability to adverse outcomes. This study evaluated OH in relation to age, frailty, systolic hypertension, and mortality. In the population-based Canadian Study of Health and Aging second clinical examination, complete data ...

BACKGROUND: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a technique that has gained such rapid acceptance for such a diversity of wound management problems that the evidence for optimal use has struggled to keep up. While clinical studies have sought to evaluate its effectiveness for a variety of acute and chronic ...

The pathophysiological abnormalities associated with increased arterial stiffness and/or abnormal pressure wave reflection may play crucial roles in increasing the risk of development of cardiovascular events. On the other hand, prehypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120-139 and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 80-89 mmHg, is a "danger zone" ...

Although aging is associated with progressive increases in blood pressure level, previous research has been inconsistent at to whether older adults show greater or lesser cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to emotion than do younger adults. There is reason to believe that these inconsistencies could be clarified by examining age-related differences in ...

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. High incidence of cardiovascular diseases has been linked to populations with elevated arsenic content in their drinking water. Although this correlation has been established in many epidemiological studies, a lack of experimental models to study mechanisms ...

AIM: : To review the literature surrounding various aspects of T-piece resuscitator use, with particular emphasis on the evidence comparing the device to other manual ventilation devices in neonatal resuscitation. DATA SOURCES: : The Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane databases were searched in April 2011. Ongoing trials were identified using www.clinicaltrials.gov, www.controlled-trials.com. ...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is critically involved in the regulation of the salt and volume status of the body and blood pressure. The activity of the RAS is controlled by the protease renin, which is released from the renal juxtaglomerular epithelioid cells into the circulation. Renin release is regulated in ...

Elevated peripheral (brachial) blood pressure (PBP) is related to hard cardiovascular outcomes and remains the main target for antihypertensive therapy. However, central aortic blood pressure (CABP) can be measured noninvasively and could potentially prove to be a more important marker of cardiovascular diseases in future. Several studies have shown association ...

To present the complex issues of the impact of spinal cord injury (SCI) in sport, with a specific focus on autonomic dysreflexia (AD) and the potential debilitating effects of unstable blood pressure control among athletes. A literature review based on a key word electronic literature search of articles, practice guidelines, ...

Facilities for hyperbaric oxygen therapy that are suitable for animal experimental research are scarce. In this paper, the authors introduce a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that was developed specifically for animal experimental purposes. The hyperbaric oxygen chamber was designed to meet a number of criteria regarding safety and ease of use. ...

Suboptimal health status (SHS) has become a new public health challenge in urban China. Despite indications that SHS may be associated with progression or development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, there are few reports on SHS investigations. To explore the relationship between SHS and traditional cardiovascular ...

Glomerulosclerosis is a general term for scarring of the kidney glomerulus. It cannot be reversed. As glomerulosclerosis accumulates, the diseased kidney progresses to end-stage renal disease. Treatment with inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system often decreases the rate of progression of glomerulosclerosis in chronic kidney diseases. Although the mechanisms by which ...

Mitral valve (MV) is composed of several structures working in synchrony to open during diastole and close in systole within the high-pressure systemic environment. Its morphological features ensure a normal leaflet closure that prevents regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium causing loss of ventricular pressure and forward flow. ...

Hypertension affects approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide. Pharmacological therapy has not been perfected and often is associated with adverse side effects. Acupuncture is used as an adjunctive treatment for a number of cardiovascular diseases like hypertension. It has long been established that the two major contributors to systemic hypertension are ...

This article reviews the application of electric circuit methods for the analysis of pressure-driven microfluidic networks with an emphasis on concentration- and flow-dependent systems. The application of circuit methods to microfluidics is based on the analogous behaviour of hydraulic and electric circuits with correlations of pressure to voltage, volumetric flow ...

Abstract The Olympic environment has been identified as particularly stressful and unlike any other in terms of the media attention and focus placed on the competition. While the potential negative consequences of stress for coaches and their athletes have been explored, relatively little is known about the factors underpinning successful ...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is the most potent and important member of the classical renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Ang II, once considered to be an endocrine hormone, is now increasingly recognized to also play novel and important paracrine (cell-to-cell) and intracrine (intracellular) roles in cardiovascular and renal physiology and blood pressure ...

Abstract Rationale: Lung endothelial cells respond to changes in vascular pressure through mechano-transduction pathways that alter barrier function via non-Starling mechanism(s). Components of the endothelial glycocalyx have been shown to participate in mechano-transduction in vitro and in systemic vessels, but the glycocalyx's role in mechano-sensing and pulmonary barrier function has ...

Recently, there has been a paradigm shift away from an emphasis on the role of the endocrine (circulating) renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the regulation of the sodium and extracellular fluid balance, blood pressure, and the pathophysiology of hypertensive organ damage toward a focus on the role of tissue RAS found ...

Objective: To summarize published epidemiologic studies concerning arsenic exposure and hypertension or blood pressure measurements. Data sources and extraction: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Toxline and applied pre-determined exclusion criteria. Eleven cross-sectional studies were identified. Measures of association were abstracted or derived. Pooled odds ratios were calculated using inverse-variance weighted ...

Introduction: The modulation of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) is an important pathway in managing high blood pressure, and its overexpression plays a key role in target end-organ damage. Telmisartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) with unique pharmacologic properties, including the longest half-life among all ARBs; this ...

PURPOSE:: To enhance the learner's competence with knowledge about superficial skin changes and deep pressure ulcer (PrU) framework concepts as compared with the currently used PrU staging and grading classification system TARGET AUDIENCE:: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in skin and wound ...

Diabetes mellitus in the 'elderly' poses unique management challenges that contribute to conflicting priorities. Individualized management requires taking into account each patient's medical history, functional ability, home care situation, life expectancy and his/her health beliefs; individuals value trade-offs (e.g. quantity versus quality of life, and side effects as well as ...

We performed a national survey to determine the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension, one of the main cardiovascular risk factors, among the adult population in Tunisia. A total of 8007 adults aged 35-70 years were included in the study. Blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken by physicians with ...

Rationale: Low tidal volume ventilation, although promoting atelectasis, is a protective strategy against ventilator-induced lung injury. Deep inflation recruitment maneuvers restore lung volumes but potentially compromise lung parenchymal and vascular function via repetitive over-distention. Our objective was to examine cardiopulmonary physiological and transcriptional consequences of recruitment maneuvers. Methods: C57/BL6 mice ...

The first of these reviews described the physiological factors defining the limits of static apnea, while the second examined performance in apneic distance swimming. This paper reviews the factors determining performance in depth disciplines, where hydrostatic pressure is added to the stressors associated with apnea duration and physical work. Apneic ...

Raised blood pressure (BP) is responsible for 7.6 million deaths per annum worldwide (13.5% of the total), more than any other risk factors. Around 54% of stroke and 47% of coronary heart disease are attributable to high BP. Over 80% of this burden occurs in low and middle income countries (LMIC).BP ...

A new flow-control system (FCS-705) has been developed at Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science. The system is intended for calibration of vacuum gauges in the pressure range of 1 Pa-133 Pa by comparison method. This paper describes some basic characteristics of the system including; (1) the design and construction ...

Left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a cardinal manifestation of hypertensive organ damage associated with an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. We reviewed recent literature on the prevalence of LVH, as assessed by echocardiography, in order to offer an updated information on the magnitude of subclinical alterations in LV structure in contemporary human ...

AIM: Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) has become widely adopted over the last 15 years and over 1000 peer-reviewed publications are available describing its use. Despite this, there remains uncertainty regarding several aspects of usage. In order to respond to this gap a global expert panel was convened to develop ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review will discuss some relevant and novel studies on the relationship between sodium intake and cardiovascular structure and function, focusing on blood pressure independent effects of salt on the heart, arteries, and kidneys. RECENT FINDINGS: Several new reports clearly demonstrate the role of high dietary salt ...

To describe left ventricular (LV) function comprehensively, it is crucial to characterize precisely transmitral, intraventricular and transaortic pressure-flow relations. The site of measurement is important; as the measurement location is moved from the mitral valve toward the apex and the outflow tract, important regional pressure differences are recorded inside the ...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and it is well known that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a profound consequence of the progression of CVD. Current treatments only slow CVD progression to ESRD and it is imperative that new therapeutic strategies are developed to prevent the ...

Phenylephrine is effective for the management of spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension in parturients undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. While ephedrine was previously considered the vasopressor of choice in obstetric patients, phenylephrine is increasingly being used. This is largely due to studies suggesting improved fetal acid-base status with the use of ...

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-dependent prostaglandins are necessary for normal kidney function. These prostaglandins are associated with inflammation, maintenance of sodium and water homeostasis, control of renin release, renal vasodilation, vasoconstriction attenuation, and prenatal renal development. COX-2 expression is regulated by the renin-angiotensin system, glucocorticoids or mineralcorticoids, and aldosterone, supporting a role for ...

OBJECTIVES: To undertake a systematic review of the effectiveness of pressure redistributing support surfaces in the prevention of pressure ulcers. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Wound Group Specialised Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE and EBSCO CINAHL. The reference sections of ...

Abstract Wilson, Mark H., C.H.E. Imray, A.R. Hargens. The headache of high altitude and microgravity?similarities with clinical syndromes of cerebral venous hypertension. High Alt. Med. Biol. 12:xxx?xxx.?Syndromes thought to have cerebral venous hypertension as their core, such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension and jugular foramen outlet obstruction, classically result in headaches. ...

AIM: To investigate the effect of increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) on the fetal urinary system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant rabbits (15-day gestation) were used. Control (n = 5) and experimental (EG, n = 4) groups underwent intraperitoneal catheter placement. The IAP was increased by intraperitoneal air insufflations during the third trimester in the EG. ...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a critical regulator of hypertension, primarily through the actions of the vasoactive peptide Ang II, which is generated by the action of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) mediating an increase in blood pressure. The discovery of ACE2, which primarily metabolises Ang II into the vasodilatory Ang-(1-7), has ...

Catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) are synthesised and produced by the adrenal medulla and postganglionic nerve fibres of the sympathetic nervous system. It is known that essential hypertension has a significant neurogenic component, with the rise in blood pressure mediated at least in part by overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. ...