This study was undertaken to determine the effects of superimposing incremental levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during partial liquid ventilation (PLV) on gas exchange, respiratory mechanics and morphological changes in experimental acute lung injury (ALI). In a prospective trial, six pigs weighing 30+/-5 kg (mean+/-SD) were tracheotomized, submitted to pressure-controlled mec...

The effects of hypoxia and anoxia on the metabolic responses of mussels Mytilus edulis of different sizes (spat, 5 mm; juveniles, 13 mm; adults, 33 mm) were measured by simultaneous open-flow calorimetry and respirometry. A significant anaerobic contribution to the total metabolic rate of juveniles and adults was only apparent at PO, (oxygen partial pressure) values < 2.3 kPa. In 5 mm spat, how...

We developed a particle agglutination test (KPA) with poly(gamma-methyl L-glutamate) as the solid particle for measurement of pertussis toxin (PT) antibody. In this study, KPA was assessed as a means of serodiagnosing pertussis, and the results were compared with those of indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (indirect ELISA) and the microagglutination test. First, four serum samples were ...

Scald of the husk surface is an important factor limiting long-term storage of pomegranates and little information is available about its ause and methods of control. We evaluated the efficacy of prestorage treatment with diphenylamine and/or 1-methylcyclopropene and of tmospheric modification during storage on scald incidence and severity on Wonderful pomegranates. Scald incidence and severity...

BACKGROUND Home mechanical ventilation is usually started in hospital as arterial blood gas sampling is deemed necessary to monitor CO(2) and O(2) adequately during institution of ventilatory support. A non-invasive device to reliably measure CO(2) transcutaneously would alleviate the need for high care settings for measurement and open the possibility for home registration. OBJECTIVES In thi...

The endothelial glycocalyx is a thin layer of polysaccharide matrix on the luminal surface of endothelial cells (ECs), which contains sulphated proteoglycans and glycoproteins. It is a mechanotransducer and functions as an amplifier of the shear stress on ECs. It controls the vessel permeability and mediates the blood-endothelium interaction. This study investigates the spatial distribution and...

UNLABELLED No data are available about the prediction of long-term survival using repeated noninvasive tests of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We aimed to assess the prognostic value of 3-year liver stiffness measurement (LSM), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) evolution in CHC. CHC patients with two LSM (1,000-1,500 days interval) w...

REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY Similar to human decubitus ulcers, local high pressure points from ill-fitting saddles induce perfusion disturbances of different degrees resulting in tissue hypoxia and alteration in sweat production. OBJECTIVE To relate the different clinical manifestations of saddle sores to the magnitude of saddle pressures at the location of the withers. METHODS Sixteen...

Circulating barrier disruptive agonists bind specific cell membrane receptors and trigger signal transduction pathways leading to the activation of cell contractility and endothelial cell (EC) permeability. Although all cells in tissues including vascular EC are surrounded by compliant extracellular matrix, the impact of matrix stiffness on agonist-induced signaling, cytoskeletal remodeling and...

The standard treatment of altitude decompression sickness (aDCS) caused by nitrogen bubble formation is oxygen breathing and recompression. However, micro air bubbles (containing 79% nitrogen), injected into adipose tissue, grow and stabilize at 25 kPa regardless of continued oxygen breathing and the tissue nitrogen pressure. To quantify the contribution of oxygen to bubble growth at altitude, ...