BACKGROUND Persistent acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by excessive fibroproliferation, ongoing inflammation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and a substantial risk of death. Because previous reports suggested that corticosteroids may improve survival, we performed a multicenter, randomized controlled trial of corticosteroids in patients with persistent ARDS. METH...

We examined how the presence of a fixed level of basal renal O2 consumption (Vo2(basal); O2 used for processes independent of Na(+) transport) confounds the utility of the ratio of Na(+) reabsorption (TNa(+)) to total renal Vo2 (Vo2(total)) as an index of the efficiency of O2 utilization for TNa(+). We performed a systematic review and additional experiments in anesthetized rabbits to obtain th...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of maternal asthma on pregnancy, analyzing the consequences of the severity of the disease in the impairment of fetal well-being, as well as the related maternal and perinatal complications. METHODS A retrospective study with 117 pregnancies complicated by maternal asthma and with no other comorbidities, in the period from January, 2005 to December, 2010. Inclu...

BACKGROUND We hypothesized that asthma is preceded by a stage of recurrent episodes of wheezing during the first years of life and that inhaled corticosteroid therapy during symptomatic episodes in this early phase may delay progression to persistent wheezing. METHODS We assigned one-month-old infants to treatment with two-week courses of inhaled budesonide (400 mug per day) or placebo, initi...

The principal tasks of an operating system are to manage the resources of the system, maintain the permanent data of the system and to provide an efficient environment for the execution of user programs. In conventional operating systems these tasks are centred around the file system as the repository of permanent data and virtual memory as the execution environment. Persistent systems offer an...

BACKGROUND Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend obtaining a voiding cystourethrogram and a renal ultrasonogram for young children after a first urinary tract infection; renal scanning with technetium-99m-labeled dimercaptosuccinic acid has also been endorsed by other authorities. We investigated whether imaging studies altered management or improved outcomes in young chi...

Abstract With interest in grain-free diets (GFD) and plant-based diets, understanding the use of pulse ingredients is warranted. Recently our laboratory found that high inclusive did not cause echocardiographic changes healthy adult dogs after 20 weeks feeding. Thus, objective this study was to assess safety ingredient inclusion up 45% canine using gross physiological, hematological biochemical...

BACKGROUND Peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2)) is routinely assessed in patients with heart failure undergoing cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the prognostic ability of several established peak Vo(2) prediction equations in a large heart failure cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS One thousand one hundred sixty-five subjects (70% males; age, 57....