Reduced mortality with noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring of shock.

Purpose: This study compared clinical outcomes associated with exposure to pulmonary artery catheters (PACs), central venous catheters (CVCs), arterial pressure waveform analysis for cardiac output (APCO), or no central monitoring (NCM) in patients with shock.

Materials And Methods: We assessed 6929 consecutive patients from 2003 to 2006 within a surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital, identifying 237 mechanically ventilated patients with shock.

Results: Adjusted for severity of illness, use of APCO monitoring, compared with other options, was associated with reduced intensive care unit mortality (odds ratio [OR], 0.

Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits intracellular calcium release in beta-cells by a plasma membrane-dependent mechanism.

Both dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) affect glucose stimulated insulin secretion, though their cellular mechanisms of action are not well characterized. We tested the hypothesis that human physiological concentrations of DHEA alter insulin secretion by an action initiated at the plasma membrane of beta-cells. DHEA alone had no effect on intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in a rat beta-cell line (INS-1).