Treatment of no-reflow and impaired flow with the nitric oxide donor nitroprusside following percutaneous coronary interventions: initial human clinical experience.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the intracoronary administration of a direct donor of nitric oxide is a safe and effective method to treat impaired blood flow (no-reflow phenomenon) that occurs during percutaneous transluminal coronary interventions (PTCI).

Background: The absence of blood flow or decreased blood flow in a coronary artery following PTCI despite the presence of a patent epicardial vessel or graft is designated "no-reflow" or "impaired flow." This alteration in blood flow is a serious complication of percutaneous revascularization strategies that results in an increased incidence of morbidity, myocardial infarction and mortality.

NO regulates LPS-stimulated cyclooxygenase gene expression and activity in pulmonary artery endothelium.

We examined whether nitric oxide (NO) inhibits prostanoid synthesis through actions on cyclooxygenase (COX) gene expression and activity. Bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells were pretreated for 30 min with the NO donors 1 mM S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), 0.5 mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP), or 0.

12-lipoxygenase in porcine coronary microcirculation: implications for coronary vasoregulation.

Noncyclooxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) have been proposed to mediate endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the coronary microcirculation. Therefore, we examined the formation and bioactivity of AA metabolites in porcine coronary (PC) microvascular endothelial cells and microvessels, respectively. The major noncyclooxygenase metabolite produced by microvascular endothelial cells was 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), a lipoxygenase product.

Anxiety is a good indicator for somatic symptom reduction through behavioral medicine intervention in a mind/body medicine clinic.

Background: This study examined the effect of anxiety on symptom reduction through a behavioral medicine intervention in a Mind/Body Medicine Clinic.

Method: Participants were 1,312 outpatients attending a 10-week behavioral medicine intervention which included training in the relaxation response, cognitive restructuring, exercise and nutrition. All of the patients had physical symptoms and were referred to the clinic by their physician.

Capillary electrochromatography on silica columns: factors influencing performance.

Much capillary electrochromatography (CEC) work is carried out on bonded silica packings which offer many advantages: the number of such packings which are available; the fact that the chemistry of bonding and the separation process are fairly well understood; and the possibility of the transfer to CEC of existing HPLC methods. Packing methods for the preparation of CEC columns have been investigated. The problems inherent in the use of burned-in frits remains an obstacle, but can be at least partially overcome by minimising the length and by silanisation.

Induction of angiotensin II subtype 2 receptor-mediated blood pressure regulation in synthetic diet-fed rats.

Objective: Chronic feeding of a purified synthetic diet induces renin-angiotensin system-dependent moderate high blood pressure in normal Sprague-Dawley rats. The present study was designed to characterize the angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor type 2 (AT2)-specific mechanism of blood pressure regulation in these rats.

Methods: The effect of the AT2 receptor antagonist PD123319 (PD) on blood pressure was examined in vivo in synthetic diet-fed rats.

Comparison of different packing methods for capillary electrochromatography columns.

A study was carried out in which 50 microm I.D. fused-silica capillaries were packed with 3 microm octadecylsilane bonded silica, from the same batch, by four methods; liquid slurry and carbon dioxide supercritical carrier, each with and without the use of an ultrasonic probe.

Induction of mammary gland development in estrogen receptor-alpha knockout mice.

Mammary glands from the estrogen receptor-a knockout (alphaERKO) mouse do not undergo ductal morphogenesis or alveolar development. Disrupted ERalpha signaling may result in reduced estrogen-responsive gene products in the mammary gland or reduced mammotropic hormones that contribute to the alphaERKO mammary phenotype. We report that circulating PRL is reduced in the female alphaERKO mouse.

Help--we need a helpline! A public health audit case study.

Multi-disciplinary public health audit involving whole departments is often perceived as difficult to carry out in areas other than the annual report of the Director of Public Health. This paper describes the audit of an emergency telephone helpline set up during a meningococcal disease outbreak and provides standards that could be applied to any emergency helpline set up in response to issues of public health concern.

The 1.7 A crystal structure of human cell cycle checkpoint kinase Chk1: implications for Chk1 regulation.

The checkpoint kinase Chk1 is an important mediator of cell cycle arrest following DNA damage. The 1.7 A resolution crystal structures of the human Chk1 kinase domain and its binary complex with an ATP analog has revealed an identical open kinase conformation.

The objective assessment of general practitioners' educational needs: an under-researched area?

A systematic literature review of the educational needs assessment of general practitioners (GPs) is described. A total of 36 studies, based on the subject of educational needs in primary care, were identified. The methods of searching and the difficulties in identifying papers on the chosen subject are discussed.

Growth of an Initial Mass Function Cluster in a Turbulent Dense Core.

A simple model of condensation growth and collapse in a turbulent dense core yields a distribution of stellar masses that matches the main features of the stellar initial mass function (IMF). In this model, stars in the "flat" and "power-law" parts of the IMF come from condensations with negligible and substantial growth, respectively. The mass accretion rate of a condensation is proportional to its mass, and the probability of stopping accretion is equal in every time interval, so the growth is exponential and its duration follows a Poisson distribution.

Endothelial cell regulation of nitric oxide production during hypoxia in coronary microvessels and epicardial arteries.

Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) elicits vasodilation of resistance-sized coronary microvessels. Since coronary blood flow increases during hypoxia, we tested the hypotheses that: (1) hypoxia results in increased blood flow through increased NO production mediated by the upregulation of both eNOS mRNA and protein and (2) the regulation of NO production in response to hypoxia differs in microvascular endothelial cells and nonresistance, epicardial endothelial cells. Monocultures of vascular endothelium from resistance (approximately 100 micro) and nonresistance epicardial arteries were established and characterized.

The upregulation of endothelin and its receptors in porcine coronary arteries in a double balloon injury model of restenosis.

Endothelin, a potent vasoconstrictor, mitogen, and stimulant of collagen synthesis, is reported to be increased after vascular injury. We tested the hypothesis that tissue endothelin levels and its receptor expression are increased following double balloon injury in a porcine coronary artery model of restenosis. Male miniature swine maintained on a hyperlipidemic diet underwent oversized balloon injury to both the proximal right coronary artery and left circumflex coronary artery.

Lipopolysaccharides and cytokines downregulate the angiotensin II type 2 receptor in rat cardiac fibroblasts.

The present study examines the effect of lipopolysaccharides and proinflammatory cytokines on the expression of the second isoform of the angiotensin II receptor (AT(2)), which may have a role in lowering collagen deposition in cardiac tissue. Cardiac fibroblasts express high levels of both angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) and type 2 receptors. Incubation with lipopolysaccharides for 24 h dose- and time-dependently decreased angiotensin II AT(2) receptor expression with no apparent difference in the affinity.

Process-oriented treatment of right hemisphere communication disorders.

Lacking knowledge about the cognitive processes that underlie communication impairments in patients with right hemisphere damage (RHD) and driven by increasingly limited treatment duration, speech-language pathologists often give little thought to process-oriented treatment. However, operating from a theoretical perspective in which treatment targets the processes that underlie symptoms can result in more effective treatment of a range of symptoms due to a common processing impairment. This article provides research-driven therapeutic approaches based on sound theoretical perspectives that can be combined with task-specific therapy to maximize therapeutic outcomes with this clinical population.

The direct release of nitric oxide by gypenosides derived from the herb Gynostemma pentaphyllum.

Herbal medicines are increasingly being utilized to treat a wide variety of disease processes. Gypenosides are triterpenoid saponins contained in an extract from Gynostemma pentaphyllum and are reported to be effective in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases; however, the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect is not known. We tested the hypothesis that gypenosides extracted from G.

The three-in-one proximal and distal soft tissue patellar realignment procedure. Results, and its place in the management of patellofemoral instability.

The three-in-one procedure for extensor mechanism realignment of the knee combines lateral release, vastus medialis obliquus muscle advancement, and transfer of the medial one-third of the patellar tendon to the tibial collateral ligament. We observed 37 patients (42 knees) receiving this treatment at a minimum 25-month follow-up (range, 25 to 85 months; mean, 44). Thirty-two of 42 knees (76%) with recurrent patellar dislocation had good or excellent results after surgery.

Broken arrow: a complication of meniscal repair.

A case is reported in which a biodegradable arrow, used for arthroscopic meniscal repair, broke and migrated from the back to the front of the knee. Further surgery was necessary to remove the broken fragment. The concept of this sort of repair device is appealing as it may overcome some of the difficulties of suture repair techniques for posterior meniscal tears.

Influence of fast-track anesthetic technique on cardiovascular infusions and weight gain.

Objective: To evaluate whether cardiac surgical patients receiving conventional versus fast-track anesthetic management are statistically significantly different with regard to cardiovascular drug infusions, weight gain, cardiac and pulmonary morbidity, length of intubation, and length of stay.

Design: Retrospective, (partially) sequential, cohort design.

Setting: Surgical suite and intensive care unit (ICU) at a community hospital.

Prevalence of asthma and 'probable' asthma in the Asian population in Blackburn, U.K.

Local research had shown increased asthma admission rates in the Asian ethnic group in Blackburn, U.K. Patients also reported that asthma seemed to develop some years after first arrival in the U.

Enhanced prostanoid-mediated vasorelaxation in pulmonary arteries isolated during experimental endotoxemia.

Endotoxemia secondary to gram-negative sepsis has been shown to inhibit endothelium-dependent vasomotion in numerous vascular beds, including guinea pig aortae and coronary arteries. We tested the hypothesis that in vivo endotoxin impairs endothelium-dependent nitric oxide-mediated relaxation responses of pulmonary arteries isolated from guinea pigs given intraperitoneal injections of Escherichia coli endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline (control) 16 h before sacrifice. Pulmonary rings from the main artery and primary branches were isolated and studied in vitro using conventional isometric techniques.