Left atrial size is independently related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and atrial fibrillation (AF) is strongly associated with atrial size. Our aims were to report atrial and ventricular dimensions in patients with AF evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to assess the inter-study reproducibility of the measurements. Nineteen healthy volunteers, 19 patients with pe...

In Japan, the use of adjuvant radiotherapy after prostatectomy for prostate cancer has not increased compared with the use of salvage radiotherapy. We retrospectively evaluated the outcome of adjuvant radiotherapy together with prognostic factors of outcome in Japan. Between 2005 and 2007, a total of 87 patients were referred for adjuvant radiotherapy in 23 institutions [median age: 64 years (5...

Due to the absence of a sub-pulmonary ventricle, the Fontan circulation is sensitive to respiration-induced changes in intrathoracic pressure. However, the importance of a ‘respiratory pump’ in creating forward flow remains controversial. We aimed at evaluating the effect of respiration on ventricular filling during exercise using clinical data and computational modeling predictions.Ten Fontan ...

OBJECTIVES The value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in staging prostate cancer (PCa) before salvage prostatectomy is currently unclear because of the minimal data comparing mpMRI results to final pathologic stage at surgery. The aim of the study is to determine the diagnostic performance of mpMRI in characterizing viable recurrent tumor and lymph node metastasis following...

BACKGROUND Corrected flow time (FTc) by oesophageal Doppler is considered to be a 'static' preload index. We evaluated the ability of FTc to predict fluid responsiveness and compared this with the abilities of other preload indices, such as pulse pressure variation (PPV), central venous pressure (CVP), and left ventricular end-diastolic area index (LVEDAI). METHODS Twenty neurosurgical patien...

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) for assessing the type and degree of sympathovagal imbalance (SVI) and their link to cardiovascular morbidities in thyroid dysfunctions. Forty-five female subjects (15 control subjects and freshly diagnosed untreated 15 hypothyroid and 15 hyperthyroid patients) were recruited for the study. Thy...

This paper explored a new approach regarding social vulnerability to climate change, and measured social vulnerability in three parts: (1) choosing relevant indicators of social vulnerability to climate change; (2) based on the Hazard Vulnerability Similarity Index (HVSI), our method provided a procedure to choose the referenced community objectively; and (3) ranked social vulnerability, exposu...

AIMS The myocardial effect of tonically released nitric oxide (NO) in humans is still not known. We tested the hypothesis that low-dose NO exerts positive effects on left ventricular (LV) function. METHODS AND RESULTS Twelve healthy volunteers, 26+/-4 years, were enrolled in this study. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to precisely measure the direct effects of NO on stroke volume index (S...

In humans, the lateral recumbent position has a beneficial effect on haemodynamics. If this effect is substantial in small animals too, there is a risk of misinterpretation in preclinical investigations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the impact of acute changes in body position on haemodynamics in rats. Healthy rats (n=21) and rats post myocardial infarction (n=20) were random...

Objectives: To determine if greater lymph node yield (LNY) during radical prostatectomy is associated with improved biochemical recurrence for men with prostate cancer and isolated seminal vesicle invasion (SVI). Previous studies have shown that total number of lymph nodes removed at RP results in improved survival, regardless of node positivity, but this has not been examined in men with isola...