BACKGROUND: Interhospital transportation of critically ill and mechanically ventilated patients represents a common, yet difficult problem. Three different methods to determine Pco2 during transport are available: arterial blood gas analysis (Paco2), end-tidal (Petco2) and transcutaneous (Ptcco2) measurement. The aim of the present study is to analyze accuracy and precision of ...

An elevated serum phosphate level in hemodialysis patients has been associated with mineral deposition in blood vessels. We studied a possible physiologic consequence of hyperphosphatemia by examining the relation between serum phosphate levels and blood pressure in 707 incident hemodialysis patients from 75 clinics who were enrolled in a prospective ...

Studies suggest cardioprotective benefits of dark chocolate containing cocoa. This study examines the acute effects of solid dark chocolate and liquid cocoa intake on endothelial function and blood pressure in overweight adults. Randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind crossover trial of 45 healthy adults [mean age: 53 y; mean body mass index (in ...

Arterial hypertension still represents the most common preventable cause of morbidity and mortality, worldwide, and the WHO states that high blood pressure levels are responsible for 62% of cerebrovascular events and 49% of ischaemic heart diseases globally. Effective antihypertensive treatment significantly reduces individual total cardiovascular risk.Both cardiac and vascular consequences ...

Urban stormwater runoff has been identified as a leading cause of waterway impairment for many pollutants, but there has been a lack of research that directly measures Hg in urban stormwater runoff. The objectives of this research were: to use high frequency sampling to characterize the Hg export dynamics from ...

BACKGROUND: Different transgastric access techniques for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) have been described. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate different methods of transluminal access with regard to leak pressures after the procedure. DESIGN AND SETTING: Experimental endoscopic study in an ex vivo porcine stomach model. METHODS: The following endoscopic techniques for ...

BACKGROUND: The Study to Assess the Safety of Intramuscular Injection of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Plasmid to Improve Limb Perfusion in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia (HGF-STAT trial) determined the effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) plasmid on safety and limb tissue perfusion as measured by transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPo(2)) in ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pressure required to rupture femtosecond laser top hat configuration corneal dissections with incomplete dissections. METHODS: Twenty corneoscleral buttons underwent femtosecond laser top hat configuration dissections. Group A had complete dissections; group B, 100-microm gaps in the anterior side cut; group C, 50-microm gaps in the anterior ...

As the abdomen is a closed cavity, it follows that any increase in abdominal contents will inexorably lead to a rise in the intra-abdominal pressure. Normally this is less than 7 mm Hg, but when it persistently exceeds 12 mm Hg, renal, intestinal, pulmonary, cardiovascular and central nervous system dysfunction ...

BACKGROUND: External jugular venous pressure (EJVP) is a close estimate of central venous pressure (CVP) in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in the supine position, but the effects of spontaneous respiration and posture on this relationship are not known. In this study, we compared CVP with EJVP measurements in 36 patients ...

BACKGROUND: Adrenomedullin 2 (AM2) is a novel member of the calcitonin gene-related peptide family that is thought to play a regulatory role in circulatory homeostasis under normal physiological conditions. The effects of AM2 in heart failure have not been investigated previously. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two incremental doses of human AM2 ...

Intraabdominal pressure is measured conventionally at end-expiration; however, the significance of forced exhalation on this measurement has not been evaluated previously. Using data from a previous prospective cohort study of the incidence of intraabdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome in medical intensive care unit patients, the authors evaluated 65 strip-chart ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to analyze the role of tidal volume (Vt) and positive end-expiratory pressure on the oxygenation ratio (OR) (Pao(2)/Fio(2)) during mechanical ventilation (MV) in children with a normal pulmonary gas exchange on admission. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of children with an admission OR ...

Upper limits of normal ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) have been a matter of debate in recent years. Current diagnostic thresholds for ABP rely mainly on statistical parameters derived from reference populations. Recent findings from the International Database of Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Relation to Cardiovascular Outcome (IDACO) provide outcome-driven thresholds ...

PURPOSE: In patients with systolic heart failure, the ability of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) variables to reflect pathophysiology is well established. The relationship between CPX and pathophysiology has, however, not been thoroughly investigated in patients with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (NHCM). The objective of this study was to assess the ability ...

BACKGROUND: Raised intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) or intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) may induce many adverse effects including the abdominal compartment syndrome. We evaluated a new technique for continuous monitoring of intra-abdominal pressure (CIAP) using a standard three-way bladder catheter in a diverse group of intensive care unit patients. METHODS: CIAP measured using ...

The Massena (New York) and Cornwall (Ontario) region has a long history of Hg discharge into the St. Lawrence River. The objectives of this study were to evaluate if Hg levels have declined in this portion of the river since 1975 and to compare Hg level in fish species upstream ...

OBJECTIVES: We examined the hemodynamic, echocardiographic, and neurohormonal effects of intravenous istaroxime in patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Istaroxime is a novel intravenous agent with inotropic and lusitropic properties related to inhibition of Na/K adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and stimulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase. METHODS: One hundred twenty ...

OBJECTIVES: Irrigation during ureterorenoscopic procedures causes increased pelvic pressure (PP), which may lead to intrarenal backflow with potential harmful consequences. This study aims to investigate PP response to intraluminal administration of isoproterenol (beta-agonist; ISO) during flexible ureterorenoscopy. METHODS: Twelve patients admitted for retrograde intrarenal stone surgery (RIRS) were included. Patients ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the factors affecting extracellular glycerol (Gly) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (STBI). METHODS: Perilesional extracellular Gly and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in 53 patients with STBI were consecutively monitored. Simultaneously, the intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CCP) were monitored. The hourly minimum of ...

Studying the transport and fate of viruses through nanochannels is of great importance. By using the nanochannel of a carbon nanotube (CNT) as an ideal model, we evaluated the possibility of capillarity-induced viral transport through a closely fitting nanochannel and explored the mechanisms involved. It is shown both experimentally and theoretically ...

BACKGROUND: Volume expansion has been proposed as an alternative treatment for cardiac tamponade; however, the scientific evidence for this recommendation is very poor. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-nine unselected patients (23 males; age 55+/-16 years) with large pericardial effusion and hemodynamic tamponade underwent fluid overload with intravenous administration of 500 mL ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the impact of ureteral transection with and without prior ureteral mobilization on ureteral oxygen partial pressure (p(u)O(2)). METHODS: Sixteen pigs underwent general anesthesia with laparoscopic transperitoneal access to the right ureter. With no dissection and minimal manipulation, a tissue oxygen probe (Licox, Kiel, Germany) was introduced via ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: High injection pressures have been associated with intraneural injection and persistent neurological injury in animals. Our objective was to test whether a reported simple compressed air injection technique (CAIT) would limit the generation of injection pressures to below a suggested 1,034 mm Hg limit in an in ...

Arterial embolization is a frequently performed adjunctive maneuver prior to laparoscopic splenectomy or nephrectomy to facilitate laparoscopic dissection and reduce intraoperative bleeding. However, little is known regarding the effect of laparoscopic stapling across thrombosed vessels with imbedded embolic materials. This study analyzed the stapled line integrity by comparing visceral arteries ...

BACKGROUND: Many surgeons restrict activities postoperatively. Intra-abdominal pressure during some activities is known; however, many everyday activities have not been studied. Our aim was to compare the intra-abdominal pressures created during unavoidable physical activities with activities that commonly are restricted after surgery. METHODS: Nine healthy subjects (2 men, 7 women; ...

AIM: In the present study, we describe the effects of deep tissue massage on systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 263 volunteers (12% males and 88% females), with an average age of 48.5. Overall muscle spasm/muscle strain was described as either moderate or ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with uncontrolled hemorrhage may benefit if resuscitation with large amounts of fluids is replaced by a small volume or vasopressor until surgery. Norepinephrine (NE) is commonly used as a vasopressor to control hypotension. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of hypertonic-hyperoncotic saline starch solution ...

BACKGROUND: The effects of vasoactive substances on cerebral haemodynamics are not fully known. We studied the effects of norepinephrine and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) on cerebral haemodynamics in healthy volunteers. METHODS: The effects of norepinephrine (n=10) and GTN (n=10) on the middle cerebral artery flow velocity (MCAFV), cerebral autoregulation, reactivity to ...

Oocytes from abattoir-sourced ovine ovaries were aspirated from 2- to 4-mm follicles using 25, 50 or 100 mmHg pressure and an aspiration pump, or a needle (20-G) and syringe (2.5 ml) and subjected to in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture to determine the effect of aspiration pressure on the number ...

BACKGROUND: Few studies have been designed to assess the performance of surgical staplers. In this study, we analyzed the effect of staple height, buttressing, and overlapping of staple lines on staple line failure. METHODS: Staple lines created on fresh porcine small bowel segments ex vivo were tested for leak pressure ...

BACKGROUND: Although the cardiovascular effect of CO2 insufflation has not been reported in pediatric thoracoscopy, several clinical trials have demonstrated significant hemodynamic deterioration in adults. We investigated the concept of therapeutic hypercapnia for counteracting the hemodynamic effect of induced capnothorax. METHODS: Twelve pediatric patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic patent ductus ...

BACKGROUND: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) have antithrombotic, lipid-lowering and antiinflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to verify if dietary supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs is able to induce changes of blood pressure, nutritional and coagulative profile, inflammation and blood cell counts in patients on hemodialysis (HD). METHODS: ...

During 2004 the spatial distribution of total Hg in sediments from Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, México was studied to evaluate the degree of environmental impact in this bay. The results showed low concentrations and no Hg enrichment at any site. These findings suggest natural levels of Hg in the ...

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this work was to evaluate the accuracy of a new heart failure (HF) sensor (HFS) (Heart Failure Sensor, CardioMEMS Inc., Atlanta, Georgia) pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) monitoring compared with Swan-Ganz (SG) (Hospira, Inc., Lake Forest, Illinois) catheterization and echocardiography (ECHO) in ambulatory HF patients. BACKGROUND: There ...

BACKGROUND: Masked hypertension (MH) is defined as a normal blood pressure in the physician's office and an elevated blood pressure when measured out-of-office. The cause of MH may be termed the masked hypertension effect (MHE), and is not restricted to blood-pressure (BP) values around the thresholds for normal BP. We ...

Within the aortic valve (AV) leaflet resides a population of interstitial cells (AVICs), which serve to maintain tissue structural integrity via protein synthesis and enzymatic degradation. AVICs are typically characterized as myofibroblasts, exhibit phenotypic plasticity, and may play an important role in valve pathophysiology. While it is known that AVICs ...

BACKGROUND: To assess the efficacy of transcutaneous Pco2 (Ptcco2) measurements for monitoring alveolar ventilation in patients requiring noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV). METHODS: In a prospective study on method agreement pairs of Paco2 and Ptcco2 (SenTec Digital Monitor; SenTec AG; Therwil, Switzerland), measurements were performed every 10 min during the establishment ...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine whether release of the distal volar forearm fascia (DVFF) is necessary at the time of median nerve decompression for carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: Five fresh-frozen cadaver specimens were mounted vertically with the hand dependent and a 2.27-kg weight suspended from the ...

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) has been shown to be efficacious in decreasing thromboembolism. LMWHs are associated with increased rates of bleeding. OBJECTIVE: We reviewed perioperative blood pressure dynamics for patients who experienced hematomas while undergoing body contouring procedures while receiving enoxaparin (Lovenox), compared with similar ...

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare the effects of the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) olmesartan versus the calcium channel blocker (CCB) amlodipine on coronary endothelial dysfunction in patients with hypertension. BACKGROUND: Angiotensin II receptor blockers are thought to have greater beneficial effects than CCBs on coronary vasomotion by directly blocking ...

Parts of the population are permanently exposed to low levels of Hg degrees and Hg(II) from dental amalgam. It was the aim (1) to investigate the internal exposure to amalgam-related mercury from the kinetics of inorganic Hg in plasma and erythrocytes after amalgam removal, and (2) to estimate the amalgam-related ...

OBJECTIVES: Permissive hypercapnia improves outcomes in patients with respiratory failure, most likely because of a reduction in ventilator-induced lung injury. Because hypercapnia is a potent vasoactive stimulus, adequate tissue perfusion and oxygen delivery to dilated microvessels may be restored. We examined how Paco2 affects microvascular changes, hemodynamics, and cardiac output ...

The use of swine in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) research has increased in the last decades. Landrace-Large White (LLW) swine are a farm breed of pigs. The aims of the present study were to describe the baseline hemodynamics of this breed and to demonstrate that it is suitable for CPR research. ...

BACKGROUND: Very little objective laboratory data are available describing the physiologic effects of stun guns or electromuscular incapacitation devices (EIDs). Unfortunately, there have been several hundred in-custody deaths, which have been temporally associated with the deployment of these devices. Most of the deaths have been attributed to specific cardiac and ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown little or no improvement in pulmonary function and arterial blood oxygenation after therapeutic thoracocentesis. This study investigated changes in pulmonary function, arterial blood gases and dyspnoea after therapeutic thoracocentesis in patients with paradoxical movement (PM) of a hemidiaphragm due to pleural effusion. METHODS: ...

Chemical restraint is an important tool for the management and medical care of both captive and free-ranging rhinoceroses. Current anesthetic protocols for the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) are reported to cause varying degrees of hypertension, tachycardia, muscular stiffness and fasciculation, acidosis, and, most importantly, respiratory depression with resulting hypoventilation, hypoxia, ...

Objectives: Nebivolol is a selective β(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist with endothelium-mediated vasodilating properties. The effects of nebivolol on renal haemodyamics are unknown in humans. We tested the hypothesis that nebivolol prevents reductions in renal blood flow (RBF), compared with atenolol, in patients with essential uncomplicated hypertension. Methods: The effects of nebivolol (5 ...

PURPOSE: We investigated the effects of acute maximal hydratation with hemoce (H) and dextran-40 (D40) on the postoperative graft function, following renal transplantation (RT) in a canine model. METHODS: After induction of anesthesia with pentobarbital (5 mg/kg), 18 beagle dogs were randomized to receive either saline solution to increase the ...

Placental insufficiency in the rat results in intrauterine growth restriction and development of hypertension in prepubertal male and female growth-restricted offspring. However, after puberty, only male growth-restricted offspring remain hypertensive, whereas female growth-restricted offspring stabilize their blood pressure to levels comparable to adult female controls. Because female rats reach their ...