Decreased ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia have been demonstrated in a variety of disorders; however, the etiology of these decreased drives remains virtually unknown. Recent observations have suggested a familial influence on hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory response, but it is unclear whether this influence is the result of hereditary or environmental influences. Therefore ...

We tested the hypothesis that intermittent hypoxia (IH) and/or continuous hypoxia (CH) would enhance the ventilatory response to acute hypoxia (HVR), thereby altering blood pressure (BP) and cerebral perfusion. Seven healthy volunteers were randomly selected to complete 10-12 days of IH (5-min hypoxia to 5-min normoxia repeated for 90 min) before ascending to mild CH (1,560 m) for 12 days. Seve...

Human astroviruses (HAstV) are causative agents of viral gastroenteritis worldwide. A hypervariable region (HVR) is located close to the C-terminus of the nsP1a, and recent data support the involvement of the HVR-containing nonstructural protein in viral RNA replication processes, suggesting a correlation between variability in this region and pathogenic properties. The HVR of the C-terminal ns...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES In vitro studies have shown that the rate of prothrombin activation is linearly related to the concentration of factor II (FII) in the assay system, suggesting a key role of prothrombin levels in the expression of the antithrombotic activity of oral anticoagulant treatment (OAT). We investigated the in vivo relationship between prothrombin activation and vitamin K-depe...

A double-blind crossover study was undertaken to assess the effect of protriptyline on ventilatory responses in normal subjects. Seven subjects received in random order placebo, 10 mg and 20 mg protriptyline daily for 2 weeks. Measurements of hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR) and asphyxial hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) were made before treatment, 6-8 h after the first dose, and after...

BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests that red blood cell aggregation and the ratio of hematocrit to blood viscosity (HVR), an index of the oxygen transport potential of blood, might considerably modulate blood flow dynamics in the microcirculation. It thus seems likely that these factors could play a role in sickle cell disease. DESIGN AND METHODS We compared red blood cell aggregation charact...

H5N1 virus infection results in ~60% mortality in patients primarily due to respiratory failure, but the underlying causes of mortality are unclear. The goal of this study is to reveal respiratory disorders occurring at the early stage of infection that may be responsible for subsequent respiratory failure and death. BALB/c mice were intranasally infected with one of two H5N1 virus strains: HK4...

Strongyloides stercoralis is the causative agent of strongyloidiasis, which affects more than 300 million people worldwide [1]. Canine strongyloidiasis is also caused by the same species, S. stercoralis of an animal origin with up to 50% worldwide prevalence [2–5]. It is known that human S. stercoralis strains can infect dogs in laboratory settings (dogs have to be immunosuppressed to maintain ...

TO THE EDITOR: Drs. Teppema and Berendsen (7) raise several points that highlight the complexity in interpreting how acetazolamide (AZ) and other carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors alter breathing at high altitude and prevent acute mountain sickness (AMS). To the point that AZ does not increase hypoxic sensitivity of the peripheral chemoreceptors in man and, in fact, depresses it somewhat—this ...