A new gastric impedancemeter for detecting the development of a visceral edema: a proof-of-concept study on an experimental endotoxemic shock.

Visceral congestion and edema are important features of advanced heart failure. Monitoring the evolution of fluid content in the gastric wall might provide an index of the development of this phenomenon and therefore constitute an innovative marker to early detect acute decompensated heart failure episodes. The evolution of the fluid content in the gastric wall is measured using a device implanted in the submucosa layer of the fundic region of the stomach.

A novel bimodal stethoscope for gastric collection of heart sounds: preliminary results.

Heart sound analysis is commonly used by physicians during auscultations to evaluate cardiac activity as a first line. These sounds originate from heartbeats and the resulting blood flow, and can provide important information about heart function and hemodynamics. The monitoring of heart sounds in patients suffering from chronic cardiac pathologies can be useful to detect or prevent cardiac events.

Assessment of impulse duration thresholds for electrical stimulation of muscles (chronaxy) in dogs.

Objective: To determine the electrical impulse duration thresholds (chronaxy) for maximal motor contraction of various muscles without stimulation of pain fibers in dogs.

Animals: 10 healthy adult Beagles.

Procedures: The dogs were used to assess the minimal intensity (rheobase) required to elicit motor contraction of 11 muscles (5 in the forelimb [supraspinatus, infraspinatus, deltoideus, lateral head of the triceps brachii, and extensor carpi radialis], 5 in the hind limb [gluteus medius, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, vastus lateralis, and tibialis cranialis], and the erector spinae).

Multifocal Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumor in adults with AIDS: case report and review of the literature.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide a systematic review of Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumors (EBV-SMT) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults, focusing on clinical and histopathologic features and outcome.

Methods: A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library.

Results: We reviewed 35 cases including our case of a patient with a progressive multifocal EBV-SMT.

Protecting effect of vitamin E supplementation on submaximal exercise-induced oxidative stress in sedentary dogs as assessed by erythrocyte membrane fluidity and paraoxonase-1 activity.

The aim of this placebo-controlled study was to investigate the effects of oral vitamin E supplementation for 10 weeks on exercise-induced oxidative damage in untrained dogs. Eight dogs were randomly assigned to a supplementation (n=4) or control (n=4) group and underwent two isolated submaximal exercise sessions, 10 weeks apart. Blood was collected during each session to measure erythrocyte membrane fluidity (EMF), paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and vitamin E concentrations.