Increased heart rate (HR) and reduced blood pressure (BP) are common consequences of cardiac surgery. This study investigated the effect of transcutaneous electrical nervous stimulation applied over acupuncture points (Acu-TENS) on HR, BP, rate pressure product (RPP) and nausea and vomiting score after open-heart surgery. After open heart surgery, 40 patients were randomly allocated to either a...

Heme oxygenases (HO-1, HO-2) catalyze conversion of heme to iron, carbon monoxide (CO), and biliverdin/bilirubin. We studied the effects of renal HO-1 induction on afferent arteriole (Aff-Art) autoregulatory responses to increases in renal perfusion pressure (RPP). Rats were treated with hemin and SnCl2 to induce HO-1, and Aff-Art autoregulatory responses were evaluated using the rat blood-perf...

Soybean rust, caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is an important disease in Nigeria and many other soybean-producing countries worldwide. To determine the geographical distribution of soybean rust in Nigeria, soybean fields were surveyed in the Derived Savanna (DS), Northern Guinea Savanna (NGS), and Southern Guinea Savanna (SGS) agroecological zones in Nigeria between 2004 and 2006. Disease seve...

INTRODUCTION With regard to blood pressure responses to plyometric exercise and decreasing blood pressure after exercise (post-exercise hypotension), the influence of different workloads of plyometric exercise on blood pressure is not clear. AIM The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of a low, moderate and high workload of plyometric exercise on the post-exercise systoli...

It was hypothesized that the EBV-specific CD8(+) T cell response may be dysregulated in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, possibly leading to a suboptimal control of this virus. To examine the CD8(+) T cell response in greater detail, we analyzed the HLA-A2-, HLA-B7-, and HLA-B8-restricted EBV- and CMV-specific CD8(+) T cell responses in a high number of MS patients and control subjects using t...

High blood pressure (BP), pulse pressure (PP), and rate pressure product (RPP) are each associated independently with a poor outcome in acute ischemic stroke. Whereas nitric oxide (NO) donors, such as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), lower blood pressure in acute ischemic stroke, their effect on other hemodynamic measures is not known. We performed a systematic review of the effects of NO donors on s...

Acute cardiovascular responses to different high-velocity resistance exercise protocols were compared in untrained older women. Twelve apparently healthy volunteers (62.6 ± 2.9 y) performed three different protocols in the bench press (BP). All protocols involved three sets of 10 repetitions performed with a 10RM load and 2 minutes of rest between sets. The continuous protocol (CP) involved ten...

In June, as usual, Thomson Reuters-ISI Web of Knowledge published the impact factors for all the medical journals included in its listing and they attributed to Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia (RPP) an impact factor (IF) of 1.56. This is the seventh consecutive year that RPP has been awarded an IF, the sixth consecutive year that it has increased and the third consecutive year with a score ab...

The purpose of this study was to examine the metabolic and cardiovascular response to exercise without (CON) or with (BFR) restricted blood flow to the muscles. Ten young men performed upright cycle exercise at 20, 40, and 60% of maximal oxygen uptake, VO2max in both conditions while metabolic and cardiovascular parameters were determined. Pre-exercise VO2 was not different between CON and BFR....

The purpose of this echocardiography study was to measure peak coronary blood flow velocity (CBV(peak)) and left ventricular function (via tissue Doppler imaging) during separate and combined bouts of cold air inhalation (-14 ± 3°C) and isometric handgrip (30% maximum voluntary contraction). Thirteen young adults and thirteen older adults volunteered to participate in this study and underwent e...