Muscle specific declines in oxygen saturation during acute ambulation with hands-free and conventional mobility devices.

Disuse is associated with reduced muscle oxygen saturation (SmO). Improving oxygen delivery to tissues is important for healing, preventing muscle atrophy, and reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis. Mobility devices are used during disuse periods to ambulate and protect the injured limb.

Comparative assessment of coronary physiology using transthoracic pulsed-wave Doppler and myocardial contrast echocardiography in rats.

Background: Coronary physiology assessment in rodents by ultrasound is an excellent noninvasive and easy to perform technique, including pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) and myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE). Both techniques and the corresponding calculated parameters were investigated in this study at rest as well as their response to pharmacologically induced stress.

Methods: Left ventricular myocardial function was assessed in eight anaesthetised rats using transthoracic echocardiography.

Popliteal Blood Flow With Lower-Extremity Injury Mobility Devices.

Background: Ambulation devices may differ in their utility, muscle activation patterns, and how they affect regional blood flow. This study aimed to evaluate popliteal blood flow and vessel dimensions in response to ambulation with a hands-free crutch (HFC), axillary crutches (AC), a medical kneeling scooter (MKS), and regular walking in healthy adults.

Methods: HFC, AC, MKS, and regular walking were completed in a random order by 40 adults aged 18-45 years.

Energy Expenditure and Substrate Utilization with Hands-Free Crutches Compared to Conventional Lower-Extremity Injury Mobility Devices.

Background: A Hands-Free crutch (HFC) is a relatively new device that can be used during the nonweightbearing period to increase mobility. The primary aim of this investigation was to examine aerobic oxygen consumption (V.o) and substrate utilization with HFC compared to conventional ambulation devices as well as normal ambulation.

Sodium Channels and Local Anesthetics-Old Friends With New Perspectives.

The long history of local anesthetics (LAs) starts out in the late 19th century when the content of coca plant leaves was discovered to alleviate pain. Soon after, cocaine was established and headed off to an infamous career as a substance causing addiction. Today, LAs and related substances-in modified form-are indispensable in our clinical everyday life for pain relief during and after minor and major surgery, and dental practices.

Effect of Aprotinin on Liver Injury after Transplantation of Extended Criteria Donor Grafts in Humans: A Retrospective Propensity Score Matched Cohort Analysis.

The number of patients awaiting liver transplantation still widely exceeds the number of donated organs available. Patients receiving extended criteria donor (ECD) organs are especially prone to an aggravated ischemia reperfusion syndrome during liver transplantation leading to massive hemodynamic stress and possible impairment in organ function. Previous studies have demonstrated aprotinin to ameliorate reperfusion injury and early graft survival.

Cardiovascular Evaluation of Liver Transplant Patients by Using Coronary Calcium Scoring in ECG-Synchronized Computed Tomographic Scans.

Background: The goal of cardiac evaluation of patients awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is to identify the patients at risk for cardiovascular events (CVEs) in the peri- and postoperative periods by opportunistic evaluation of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in non-gated abdominal computed tomographs (CT).

Methods: We hypothesized that in patients with OLT, a combination of Lee's revised cardiac index (RCRI) and CAC scoring would improve diagnostic accuracy and prognostic impact compared to non-invasive cardiac testing. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated 169 patients and compared prediction of CVEs by both methods.

Prehospital administration of blood and plasma products.

Purpose Of Review: Posttraumatic bleeding following major trauma is life threatening for the patient and remains a major global health issue. Bleeding after major trauma is worsened by trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC). TIC consists of acute trauma coagulopathy and resuscitation coagulopathy.

Global Longitudinal Strain at Rest as an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Liver Transplant Candidates: A Retrospective Clinical Study.

Speckle tracking echocardiography enables the detection of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction at rest in many heart diseases and potentially in severe liver diseases. It could also possibly serve as a predictor for survival. In this study, 117 patients evaluated for liver transplantation in a single center between May 2010 and April 2016 with normal left ventricular ejection fraction were included according to clinical characteristics of their liver disease: (1) compensated ( = 29), (2) clinically significant portal hypertension ( = 49), and (3) decompensated ( = 39).

Slow magnetic relaxation in octahedral low-spin Ni(iii) complexes.

Herein we report the first examples of single-molecule magnet (SMM) behaviour in = 1/2 Ni(iii) complexes. We find that low-spin 3d -[Ni(cyclam)(X)]Y complexes (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane; X and Y are singly charged anions) exhibit field-induced slow relaxation of magnetization for O-donor axial ligands (nitrate) but not for N-donor variants (isothiocyanate). Experimental and electronic structure computational investigations indicate that intrinsic spin polarisation of low-spin Ni(iii) is modulated significantly by local coordination geometry and supramolecular interactions.

Visual quality assessment of the liver graft by the transplanting surgeon predicts postreperfusion syndrome after liver transplantation: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The discrepancy between demand and supply for liver transplants (LT) has led to an increased transplantation of organs from extended criteria donors (ECD).

Methods: In this single center retrospective analysis of 122 cadaveric LT recipients, we investigated predictors of postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) including transplant liver quality categorized by both histological assessment of steatosis and subjective visual assessment by the transplanting surgeon using multivariable regression analysis. Furthermore, we describe the relevance of PRS during the intraoperative and postoperative course of LT recipients.

Adaptation to acute pulmonary hypertension in pigs.

The extent of right ventricular compensation compared to the left ventricle is restricted and varies among individuals, which makes it difficult to define. While establishing a model of acute pulmonary hypertension in pigs we observed two different kinds of compensation in our animals. Looking deeper into the hemodynamic data we tried to delineate why some animals could compensate and others could not.

Xenon protects left ventricular diastolic function during acute ischemia, less than ischemic preconditioning.

Anesthetics modify regional left ventricular (LV) dysfunction following ischemia/reperfusion but their effects on global function in this setting are less clear. Aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that xenon would limit global LV dysfunction as caused by acute anterior wall ischemia, comparable to ischemic preconditioning. In an open-chest model under thiopental anesthesia, 30 pigs underwent 60-minute left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion, followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion.

Risk factors for coagulopathy after liver resection.

Study Objective: To identify risk factors for coagulopathy in patients undergoing liver resection.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Patients who underwent liver resection at a university hospital between April 2010 and May 2011 were evaluated within seven days after surgery.

Insular infarct size but not levosimendan influenced myocardial injury triggered by cerebral ischemia in rats.

Cerebral injuries can trigger stress-related cardiomyopathy. The extent of cerebral injury and the involvement of the insular cortex influence the incidence and extent of myocardial injury (MI), and drugs with proven neuroprotective and cardioprotective properties such as levosimendan might be beneficial. This hypothesis was addressed in a rat model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.

The role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor in late-phase preconditioning with xenon, isoflurane and levosimendan in rat cardiomyocytes.

Objectives: The protective effects of late-phase preconditioning can be triggered by several stimuli. Unfortunately, the transfer from bench to bedside still represents a challenge, as concomitant medication or diseases influence the complex signalling pathways involved. In an established model of primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, we analysed the cardioprotective effects of three different stimulating pharmaceuticals of clinical relevance.

Levosimendan limits reperfusion injury in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model.

Background: Neuroprotective strategies in ischemic stroke are an important challenge in clinical and experimental research as an adjunct to reperfusion therapy that may reduce neurologic injury and improve outcome. The neuroprotective properties of levosimendan in traumatic brain injury in vitro, transient global brain ischemia and focal spinal cord ischemia suggest the potential for similar effects in transient brain ischemia.

Methods: Transient brain ischemia was induced for 60 min by intraluminal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in 40 male Wistar rats under general anesthesia with s-ketamine and xylazine and with continuous monitoring of their blood pressure and cerebral perfusion.

Myocardial effects of local shock wave therapy in a Langendorff model.

Objective: Applying shock waves to the heart has been reported to stimulate the heart and alter cardiac function. We hypothesized that shock waves could be used to diagnose regional viability.

Method: We used a Langendorff model to investigate the acute effects of shock waves at different energy levels and times related to systole, cycle duration and myocardial function.

Simplified detection of myocardial ischemia by seismocardiography. Differentiation between causes of altered myocardial function.

Seismocardiography (SCG) is a noninvasive technique for recording cardiac vibrations. Changes in these waves have been correlated with chronic and acute alterations in myocardial function. This analysis is complex and clinical integration limited.

Xenon and isoflurane reduce left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction in the rat.

Background: Xenon and isoflurane are known to have cardioprotective properties. We tested the hypothesis that these anesthetics positively influence myocardial remodeling 28 days after experimental perioperative myocardial infarction and compared their effects.

Methods: A total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 60 min of coronary artery occlusion and 120 min of reperfusion.

Effect of anesthesia and cerebral blood flow on neuronal injury in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model.

Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) models have become well established as the most suitable way to simulate stroke in experimental studies. The high variability in the size of the resulting infarct due to filament composition, rodent strain and vessel anatomy makes the setup of such models very complex. Beside controllable variables of homeostasis, the choice of anesthetics and the grade of ischemia and reperfusion played a major role for extent of neurological injury.

Effects of xenon and isoflurane on apoptosis and inflammation in a porcine myocardial infarction model.

Volatile anaesthetics can reduce the infarction size in myocardial tissue when administered before and during experimentally induced ischaemia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether xenon is beneficial compared to isoflurane in limiting myocardial tissue apoptosis and inflammation induced by experimental ischaemia-reperfusion injury in a porcine right ventricular infarction model. Twenty-one animals used for this study randomly received isoflurane, xenon or thiopental, (n=6-8 per group).

The effects of levosimendan on brain metabolism during initial recovery from global transient ischaemia/hypoxia.

Background: Neuroprotective strategies after cardiopulmonary resuscitation are currently the focus of experimental and clinical research. Levosimendan has been proposed as a promising drug candidate because of its cardioprotective properties, improved haemodynamic effects in vivo and reduced traumatic brain injury in vitro. The effects of levosimendan on brain metabolism during and after ischaemia/hypoxia are unknown.

Xenon is not superior to isoflurane on cardiovascular function during experimental acute pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Acute right ventricular afterload increase is a known perioperative challenge for the anaesthetic regime especially for patients with a compromised right ventricle. The accused negative inotropic action of volatile anaesthetics, with the exception of xenon, might be crucial for the adaptation of the right ventricle.

Methods: Reversible pulmonary hypertension (mean pressure 40 mmHg) was induced by an infusion of the stable thromboxane A(2) analog U46619 in a porcine model (n = 35).