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Heart Vessels 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine II, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Osaka, 5731010, Japan.

Maximal hyperemia at the time of fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement is generally induced by vasodilators, even when hyperemia at the onset of angina symptoms is caused by exercise stress. This study was designed to evaluate whether pharmacological hyperemia could be used as a substitute for exercise-induced hyperemia during FFR measurement. Twenty-two patients with angiographically intermediate stenosis in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) were prospectively enrolled. Read More

Rom J Ophthalmol 2021 Jan-Mar;65(1):93-97

Emergency Eye Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.

To describe the chronology and the extent of orbital involvement in a case of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Descriptive case report and literature review. A 45-year-old patient, formerly diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis due to otorhinolaryngologic manifestations, pulmonary lesions, renal impairment, left knee arthritis and high blood levels of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, addressed the Ophthalmology Department in November 2020, having the following complaints: left eye mild retro-orbital discomfort, proptosis and epiphora. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2021 May 24;23(5). Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330006, P.R. China.

The present study investigated the role of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in the acute lung injury (ALI) inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats. A rat model of ALI was established using LPS and by connecting an electrode to the left vagus nerve proximal to the heart in order to provide continuous electrical stimulation (1 mA; 1 msec; 10 Hz). After 120 min, the rat lung tissue was stained with hematoxylin and eosin and the expression of inflammatory factors was evaluated by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blot analysis. Read More

Med Sci Sports Exerc 2021 Mar 12. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia Cardiovascular Research Group, School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Integrative Physiology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, The University of Illinois, Chicago, IL Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Introduction: Exercise training has anti-atherogenic impacts on conduit and resistance artery function and structure in humans and induces angiogenic changes in skeletal muscle. However, training-induced adaptation in cutaneous microvessels is poorly understood, partly due to technological limitations. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel high resolution imaging technique capable of visualising cutaneous microvasculature at a resolution of ~30μm. Read More

J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2021 Mar 18;23(1):37. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre (MCRC) & Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Clarendon Way, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.

Background: Adenosine stress perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is commonly used in the assessment of patients with suspected ischaemia. Accepted protocols recommend administration of adenosine at a dose of 140 µg/kg/min increased up to 210 µg/kg/min if required. Conventionally, adequate stress has been assessed using change in heart rate, however, recent studies have suggested that these peripheral measurements may not reflect hyperaemia and can be blunted, in particular, in patients with heart failure. Read More

Clin Auton Res 2021 Mar 10. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 560A RRB, 2222 Pierce Ave,, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.

Purpose: Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a syndrome characterized by orthostatic symptoms and a heart rate increase of at least 30 beats per minute in the absence of hypotension upon standing, is often accompanied by increased sympathetic activity and low blood volume. A common non-pharmacologic recommendation for patients with POTS is a high-sodium (HS) diet with the goal of bolstering circulating blood volume. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of 6 days of a HS diet on endothelial function in POTS. Read More

Physiol Res 2021 Mar 8. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Department of Endocrinology, Tungwah Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China.

Asprosin, coiled-coil domain-containing 80(CCDC80) and angiopoietin-like 4(ANGPTL4) are newly discovered adipocytokine that affects glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate if a relationship exists among asprosin, CCDC80 and ANGPTL4 and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fifty subjects with newly diagnosed IBD and fifty healthy individuals were enrolled. Read More

Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc 2021 Apr 19;33:100728. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Background: The high incidence rate of cardiovascular (CV) events had led to a comprehensive appraisal for identifying patients who are at risk for CV disease. However, CV traditional risk factors, such as Framingham risk score (FRS), failed exhaustively to predict CV events.

Methods: 402 participants (mean age, 58 [12] years; 45% male) using fingertip peripheral artery tonometry at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, were recruited in the present study. Read More

Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2021 Feb 26. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Gastroenterología y Hepatología, Sanatorio Güemes, Argentina.

Dear Editor, A previously healthy 36-year-old male presented with pain in the right lower abdomen associated with weight loss, diarrhea and fever, after suffering blunt abdominal trauma during a vehicular collision 4 weeks earlier. His blood pressure and pulse rate were normal. He had an hematocrit of 39% and 14. Read More

Vasc Med 2021 Feb 19:1358863X20988899. Epub 2021 Feb 19.

Department of Exercise and Sports Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Exposure to prolonged sitting increases blood pooling and the risk of lower-extremity vascular arterial and venous complications, including deep vein thrombosis. Compression garment stockings (CGS) may prevent pooling, thereby mitigating the associated vascular complications. Three aims were addressed: (i) does use of CGS help to prevent blood pooling; (ii) does blood pooling correlate with decreased stroke volume; and (iii) does use of CGS preserve leg arterial flow-mediated dilation and reactive hyperemia response. Read More

Jpn J Ophthalmol 2021 Mar 16;65(2):295-305. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Purpose: To assess the 12-month efficacy and safety of fixed-combination brimonidine tartrate 0.2%/timolol maleate 0.5% (FCBT) with or without bimatoprost 0. Read More

Arq Bras Oftalmol 2021 Feb 3. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Glaucoma Service, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Purpose: To investigate the use of preoperative steroid eyedrops in glaucoma patients undergoing trabeculectomy for ocular surface disease.

Methods: A total of 31 eyes of 31 glaucoma patients were included. Only glaucoma patients who had been using at least three topical intraocular pressure-lowering medications for longer than 6 months were included. Read More

Magn Reson Med 2021 Jul 9;86(1):115-130. Epub 2021 Feb 9.

NMR Laboratory, Neuromuscular Investigation Center, Institute of Myology, Paris, France.

Purpose: To evaluate the repeatability of multinuclear interleaved H/ P NMR dynamic acquisitions in skeletal muscle and the impact of nuclear Overhauser enhancement (nOe) on the P results at 3T in exercise-recovery and ischemia-hyperemia paradigms.

Methods: A H/ P interleaved pulse sequence was used to measure every 2.5 s a perfusion-weighted image, a map, a P spectrum and 32 H spectra sensitive to deoxymyoglobin. Read More

Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2021 Feb 4:101391. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

CooperVision, Inc., 6150 Stoneridge Mall Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94588, United States.

Purpose: To report on the ocular health and safety of children fit with soft hydrogel daily-disposable contact lenses, and followed for 6-years in a double-masked clinical trial investigating the performance of a dual-focus contact lens designed to control myopia progression.

Methods: Children aged 8-12 years, naïve to contact lens wear, were enrolled across four international sites. During years 1-3, children were randomised to either MiSight® 1 day or Proclear® 1 day (both omafilcon A, CooperVision, Inc. Read More

EuroIntervention 2021 Feb 2. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Cardiovascular Center Aalst, OLV-Clinic, Aalst, Belgium.

Background: Quantification of microvascular function requires the measurement of flow and resistance at rest and during hyperemia. Continuous intracoronary thermodilution accurately measures coronary flow during hyperemia.

Aims: To study whether continuous coronary thermodilution using lower infusion rates also enables volumetric coronary blood flow measurements (in mL/min) at rest. Read More

Nanomaterials (Basel) 2021 Jan 27;11(2). Epub 2021 Jan 27.

Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-3 Lenin Hills, 119991 Moscow, Russia.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most widely studied antimicrobial nanomaterials. However, their use in biomedicine is currently limited due to the availability of data that prove the nanosilver toxicity associated primarily with oxidative stress development in mammalian cells. The surface modification of AgNPs is a potent technique of improvement of their biocompatibility. Read More

Parasitol Res 2021 Mar 21;120(3):807-818. Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz - UESC, Campus Soane Nazaré de Andrade, Rodovia Jorge Amado, Km 16, Bairro Salobrinho, CEP, Ilheus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil.

Tungiasis is a public health problem in endemic resource-poor communities, where dogs are important reservoirs of Tunga spp., contributing significantly to the process of transmission of this zoonosis. In order to optimize the diagnosis of canine tungiasis, macroscopic morphological characteristics and clinical signs of the lesions were investigated, based on the inspection of 40 dogs infested by T. Read More

Open Heart 2021 Jan;8(1)

Cardiology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Introduction: In patients with chronic coronary syndrome, percutaneous coronary intervention targets haemodynamically significant stenoses, that is, those thought to cause ischaemia. Intracoronary ECG (icECG) detects ischaemia directly where it occurs. Thus, the goal of this study was to test the accuracy of icECG during pharmacological inotropic stress to determine functional coronary lesion severity in comparison to the structural parameter of quantitative angiographic per cent diameter stenosis (%S), as well as to the haemodynamic indices of fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR). Read More

Tohoku J Exp Med 2021 01;253(1):51-60

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine.

The cold-sensitivity constitution (CSC), termed "Hiesho" in Japanese, is a woman-specific cold sense of peripheral sites. The etiology of and criteria for CSC are not yet well established. We defined CSC as temperature gradient > 6˚C between body surface and core, and investigated the autonomic nervous activity by measuring heart rate variability and the vascular endothelial function by determining reactive hyperemia index (RHI) in 43 healthy premenopausal women, aged 18-47 years. Read More

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021 03 15;320(3):H1055-H1065. Epub 2021 Jan 15.

Department of Medicine, Marsico Lung Institute/UNC Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Pannexin 1 (Panx1) channels export ATP and may contribute to increased concentration of the vasodilator ATP in plasma during hypoxia in vivo. We hypothesized that Panx1 channels and associated ATP export contribute to hypoxic vasodilation, a mechanism that facilitates the matching of oxygen delivery to metabolic demand of tissue. Male and female mice devoid of Panx1 () and wild-type controls (WT) were anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and instrumented with a carotid artery catheter or femoral artery flow transducer for hemodynamic and plasma ATP monitoring during inhalation of 21% (normoxia) or 10% oxygen (hypoxia). Read More

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021 03 15;320(3):H991-H998. Epub 2021 Jan 15.

Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.

Aging causes deleterious changes in resting conduit artery shear patterns and reduced blood flow during exercise partially attributable to reduced nitric oxide (NO). Inorganic nitrate increases circulating NO bioavailability and may, therefore, improve age-associated changes in shear rate as well as exercise hyperemia. Ten older adults (age: 67 ± 3 yr) consumed 4. Read More

Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2021 Jan 13:1-11. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China.

Woodpeckers can withstand a fierce impact during pecking without any brain injury. Although directly involved in the whole pecking, the role of the jaw apparatus played in the impact-resistant process of woodpeckers is still not fully clear. We employed finite element analysis, impact tests , and post-traumatic brain anatomical observation to evaluate the protective function of the jaw apparatus. Read More

Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2021 Jan 13. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, University of Utah, United States.

Background: Vascular function is further attenuated in chronic heart failure patients implanted with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD), likely due to decreased arterial pulsatility, and this may contribute to LVAD-associated cardiovascular complications. However, the impact of increasing pulsatility on vascular function in this population is unknown.

Methods: Therefore, fifteen LVAD recipients and fifteen well-matched controls, underwent a 45-minute, unilateral, arm pulsatility treatment, evoked by intermittent cuff inflation/deflation (2-second duty cycle), distal to the elbow. Read More

PLoS One 2021 7;16(1):e0244795. Epub 2021 Jan 7.

Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.

Background: Impaired perfusion indices signal potential microvascular dysfunction preceding atherosclerosis and other cardiometabolic pathologies. Post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH), a vasodilatory response following a mechanically induced ischemia, is a transient increase in perfusion and can assess microvascular function. The greatest blood flow change corresponding to the first minute of hyperemia (represented by time-to-peak, hyperemic velocity, AUC within 1st min) has been shown to indicate microvascular dysfunction. Read More

Front Physiol 2020 18;11:615977. Epub 2020 Dec 18.

Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.

Diseases and associated fragility of bone is an important medical issue. There is increasing evidence that bone health is related to blood flow and oxygen delivery. The development of non-invasive methods to evaluate bone blood flow and oxygen delivery promise to improve the detection and treatment of bone health in human. Read More

Zhonghua Shao Shang Za Zhi 2020 Dec;36(12):1139-1148

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China.

To investigate the effects and mechanism of copper oxide nanozymes on wound healing of full-thickness skin defects in diabetic mice. (1) Copper oxide nanozymes were synthesized through the reaction of copper chloride and L-ascorbic acid. Transmission electron microscope was used for observing the particle size and morphology of copper oxide nanozymes, and dynamic light scattering particle size analyzers and Zeta potentiometer were used to analyze the hydrated particle size and surface potential of copper oxide nanozymes, respectively. Read More

Probl Radiac Med Radiobiol 2020 Dec;25:321-337

State Enterprise «Institute of Gerontology DF Chebotareva NAMS of Ukraine», 67 Vyshgorodska St., Kyiv, 04114, Ukraine.

Objective: in the experiment, to investigate the effect of Quercetin on the NO-dependent reactions of isolated vessels involving endothelium and perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) after a single X-ray irradiation of rats at a sublethal dose. In a clinical study, to investigate the effect of long-term use of Quercetin on the functional state of themicrovascular endothelium in the elderly patients with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Material And Methods: Experimental studies were performed on vascular fragments obtained from adult male rats(7-8 months) of the control group, in animals exposed to a single R-irradiation at a dose of 7 Gy and animals irradiated in the same dose, which received Quercetin orally for 14 days three times a week based on 10 mg/kg bodyweight. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2020 12;76(23):2755-2763

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Background: Pulmonary vascular disease, pulmonary endothelial dysfunction, liver fibrosis, renal disease, and exercise intolerance are common in adults with Fontan physiology. Although the pathophysiologic mechanisms linking these phenomena have been studied, certain aspects are not well understood.

Objectives: This study hypothesized that impaired pulmonary vascular reserve (VR) plays a central role linking these abnormalities, and that patients with abnormal pulmonary VR with exercise, compared with patients with normal VR, would display poorer pulmonary endothelial function, greater liver stiffness, more renal dysfunction, and poorer exercise capacity. Read More

J Appl Physiol (1985) 2021 Mar 3;130(3):562-570. Epub 2020 Dec 3.

Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The effect of a spinal cord injury (SCI) on vascular function has been clouded by both the physiological and mathematical bias of assessing vasodilation in arteries with differing diameters both above and below the lesion and when comparing with healthy, nondisabled controls (CTRL). Thus, we measured vascular function, with flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), in 10 SCI and 10 CTRL with all arteries matched for diameter (≈0.5 cm): brachial artery (BA, arm, functional limb in both groups) and popliteal artery (PA, leg, disused limb in SCI, functional limb in CTRL). Read More

Am J Cardiol 2021 02 19;141:31-37. Epub 2020 Nov 19.

Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.

Coronary flow reserve (CFR) is a well-validated flow-based physiological parameter that has shown value in clinical risk stratification. CFR can be invasively assessed, classically by Doppler and, more recently, by thermodilution with saline boluses (CFR). Alternatively, continuous thermodilution is a novel operator-independent, highly-reproducible technique to invasively quantify maximum absolute coronary flow (AF). Read More