In mechanically ventilated patients with acute circulatory failure related to sepsis, we investigated whether the respiratory changes in arterial pressure could be related to the effects of volume expansion (VE) on cardiac index (CI). Forty patients instrumented with indwelling systemic and pulmonary artery catheters were studied before and after VE. Maximal and minimal values of pulse pressure...

Objective: This study investigated the Weibull parameters and 5% fracture probability of direct, indirect composites, and CAD/CAM composites. Material and Methods: Discshaped (12 mm diameter x 1 mm thick) specimens were prepared for a direct composite [Z100 (ZO), 3M-ESPE], an indirect laboratory composite [Ceramage (CM), Shofu], and two CAD/CAM composites [Lava Ultimate (LU), 3M ESPE; Vita En...

BACKGROUND Studies have demonstrated that peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2) and the VE/VCO2 slope are predictors of survival in patients with heart failure (HF). However, with the advent of betablockers in the treatment of HF, the prognostic values of peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 slope have not been fully established. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of betablocker use on the prognostic value of pea...

The aim of the study was to investigate diagnosis efficacy of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) in Crohn's disease (CD). To find out the correlations between functional MRI parameters including K, Kep, Ve, Vp, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with a serologic biomarker. The relationships between pharmacokinetic parameters and ADC were also studi...

BACKGROUND The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of K, Kep, and Ve values in the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) and noncancerous tissue in the peripheral zone (PZ) and central gland (CG). METHODS A search was conducted of the PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases from Jan...

Background: Ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope) and peak oxygen consumption (VO2) provide robust prognostic information in patients with heart failure (HF) undergoing cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX). The purpose of the present study is to assess the change in prognostic characteristics of CPX at different time intervals. Methods and Results: Seven hundred and ninety-one subjects (74% ...

BACKGROUND In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), central sleep apnea (CSA) and enhanced ventilatory response (VE/VCO2 slope) to exercise are common. Both breathing disorders alone indicate poor prognosis in CHF. Although augmented chemosensitivity to CO2 is thought to be one important underlying mechanism for both breathing disorders, it is unclear whether both breathing disorders are r...

During 8 h of either isocapnic or poikilocapnic hypoxia, there may be a rise in ventilation (VE) that cannot be rapidly reversed with a return to higher PO2 (L. S. G. E. Howard and P. A. Robbins. J. Appl. Physiol. 78:1098-1107, 1995). To investigate this further, three protocols were compared: 1) 8-h isocapnic hypoxia [end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2) held at prestudy value, end-tidal PO2 (PETO2) = 55 T...

Virtual endoscopy (VE) is a new method of diagnosis using computer processing of 3D image datasets (such as CT or MRI scans) to provide simulated visualizations of patient specific organs similar or equivalent to those produced by standard endoscopic procedures. Conventional endoscopy is invasive and often uncomfortable for patients. It sometimes has serious side effects such as perforation, in...

In a model of hemorrhagic shock, end-tidal carbon dioxide tension (EtCO2) has been shown to reflect the dependence of oxygen delivery (DO2) and oxygen consumption (VO2) at the onset of shock. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether variations in EtCO2 during volume expansion (VE) are correlated with changes in oxygen extraction (O2ER) and whether EtCO2 has predictive value...