A novel quantitative method for diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy assessment in type 1 diabetic mice.

In this work, we used a sensitive and noninvasive computational method to assess diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (DCAN) from pulse oximeter (photoplethysmographic; PPG) recordings from mice. The method, which could be easily applied to humans, is based on principal dynamic mode (PDM) analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). Unlike the power spectral density, PDM has been shown to be able to separately identify the activities of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems without pharmacological intervention.

Synchronous chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck using capecitabine: a single-centre, open-label, single-group phase II study.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of concurrent oral capecitabine with accelerated hypofractionated radical radiotherapy in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

Materials And Methods: Between 2001 and 2004, 50 patients with stage III/IV SCCHN (0 to 2 performance status) were enrolled into this study. The capecitabine dose was between 450 and 550 mg/m(2) twice daily, continuously for 28 days.

Very low frequency modulation in renal autoregulation.

This study aims to examine the presence of a possible third renal autoregulatory mechanism in the very low frequency (VLF) band (approximately 10 mHz) using a high-resolution time- frequency spectral method. Blood pressure and renal blood flow data were measured from conscious and anesthetized Sprague-Dawley and spontaneously hypertensive rats, at the level of the whole kidney (via ultrasound flow probe) and local cortical tissue of a kidney (via laser Doppler flow probe). In addition, N-nitro-L-arginine (LNAME) was used in order to assess the effect of nitric oxide on the third mechanism.

Endovascular management of the carotid blowout syndrome.

Bleeding from the carotid artery or its branches ('carotid blowout') is a well recognized complication following treatment or recurrence of head and neck cancer. The traditional surgical treatment for carotid blowout is often technically difficult and is associated with an unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. The majority of such patients are currently treated conservatively with end of life supportive measures.