In 21 patients with multiple sclerosis and 20 healthy controls, the following tests of autonomic function were examined: (1) variation in heart rate during deep breathing, (2) the variations in heart rate and systolic blood pressure during a standardised Valsalva manoeuvre, (3) the changes in heart rate and systolic blood pressure during arm ergometry starting at 30 W with increments of 20 W ev...

Although the influence of the Valsalva maneuver on the heart and circulatory system has been investigated, the mechanism of intrathoracic pressure influencing cardiovascular function is unclear. To test our hypothesis that the interaction between the anatomy-determined partially-intrathoracic system and the fully-intrathoracic system might explain those issues and help to disclose the mechanism...

Recently, the vacuum technology has gained a significant relevance in many areas of basic research and applied science. Low-pressure environment of various quality is in common use in the top technology industrial applications. In the most cases, the leaks are the most common sources of deterioration in quality of vacuum. Therefore, the leak detection and consequential leak localization become ...

Respiratory effort during inspiration, expiration, and the Valsalva manoeuvre changes right ventricular preload and afterload. On inspiration these changes should improve systolic emptying of a larger end diastolic volume and so increase the ejection fraction, whereas on expiration the reverse should be true. The resting right ventricular ejection fraction was measured by first pass radionuclid...

The Valsalva maneuver, a test frequently used to evaluate autonomic function, recruits discrete neural sites. The time courses of neural recruitment relative to accompanying cardiovascular and breathing patterns are unknown. We examined functional magnetic resonance imaging signal changes within the brain to repeated Valsalva maneuvers and correlated these changes with physiological trends. In ...

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are uncommon. Aortic sinus aneurysm may be complicated by endocarditis or rupture. A 26 year old native Ghanaian presented with dyspnoea, raised jugular venous pressure (JVP), tender hepatomegaly, peripheral oedema, a thrill and a continuous murmur at the upper left sternal edge. Two-dimensional doppler echocardiography with colour flow mapping revealed a large aneur...

Background: Spontaneous CSF leak represents less frequent cause of CSF leak, but cases are more difficult to control, with the highest failure rate and recurrence despite adequate repair. The problems in these cases might be related to an underlying undiagnosed associated intracranial hypertension. Recognition and long-term treatment of elevated ICP is therefore critical to the successful manag...

BACKGROUND Optimal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) level reduced excessive daytime sleepiness and improved healthy status compared with subtherapeutic CPAP pressure for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndromes. To date there have been no studies comparing the differences between the automatic CPAP titrating pressure levels (ACPAPL) and the predicting CPAP pressure levels (PCPA...

The purpose of this study was to record the blood pressure response to heavy weight-lifting exercise in five experienced body builders. Blood pressure was directly recorded by means of a capacitance transducer connected to a catheter in the brachial artery. Intrathoracic pressure with the Valsalva maneuver was recorded as mouth pressure by having the subject maintain an open glottis while expir...

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is characterized by a dynamic left ventricular outlet tract (LVOT) obstruction, which may be exacerbated by reduced preload and Valsalva. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) placement is a restrictive bariatric procedure which may be complicated by recurrent vomiting and Valsalva. Pre-operative cardiac evaluation of patients scheduled for L...