Short-term effects of acupuncture on open-angle glaucoma in retrobulbar circulation: additional therapy to standard medication.

Background. The relation between glaucoma and retrobulbar circulation in the prognosis has been indicated. Purpose.

Influence of rotary blood pumps over preload recruitable stroke work.

When recovery of the cardiac function is detected in assisted hearts, the ventricular assist device can be removed. Due to the invasiveness of the surgical procedure, an accurate assessment of cardiac function is fundamental for the treatment success. The main challenge for the detection of cardiac function during assistance is to know whether the cardiac function index represents the cardiac function after pump removal independently of the pump assist rate.

A mobile communications system for home-visit medical services: the Electronic Doctor's Bag.

In the present study, "Electronic Doctor's Bag" which is a tele-healthcare tool for home-visit medical service using the mobile communications environment has been proposed and evaluated by preliminary experiments. It was shown that its basic function was sufficiently evaluated by a few doctors and nurses but further improvement in portability and operability is required on the basis of much more opinions of medical and nursing professionals.

The effect of warming of the abdomen and of herbal medicine on superior mesenteric artery blood flow - a pilot study.

Background: In traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine, warming the abdomen with moxibustion or herbal medicines has been used for various diseases. However, the effects of these therapies on hemodynamics have not been clear. We clarify the physiological effects of these therapies on the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow.

Estimation of maximum ventricular elastance under assistance with a rotary blood pump.

The maximum ventricular elastance is a reliable index for assessing the cardiac function from changes in its pressure-volume relationship. The advantage of this index is that it can represent the contractility of either unassisted hearts or native hearts assisted with rotary blood pumps. However, there are situations in which changes in the ventricular load required for the conventional estimation method might be risky.

Brief effect of acupuncture on the peripheral arterial system of the upper limb and systemic hemodynamics in humans.

Background: Pulse diagnosis of the peripheral artery is an important technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where, in acupuncture therapy, the treatment is adjusted according to the observed changes of the pulse. We investigated the change of blood flow in the peripheral artery and the cardiac index during acupuncture treatment.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of acupuncture on radial and brachial artery blood flow volume and the cardiac index in healthy subjects.

Radial artery hemodynamic changes related to acupuncture.

Background: Assessment of the radial pulse by palpation (pulse diagnosis) is an important diagnostic technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but the changes of blood flow volume in the radial artery during and after acupuncture are unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the changes of radial artery blood flow volume during and after acupuncture in healthy subjects.

Design: This study was conducted as a pilot study utilizing a one-group intervention design.

The herbal medicine Daikenchuto increases blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery.

Daikenchuto is a traditional herbal medicine that is used for the treatment of cold feeling in the abdomen, while Orengedokuto, also a traditional herbal medicine, is used for treating inflammatory and ulcerative diseases affecting internal organs. However, the effects of these herbal medicines on cardiac output (CO) and intestinal blood flow have never been investigated. This examiner-blinded randomized crossover study intended to clarify the influence of Daikenchuto and Orengedokuto on CO and blood flow volume in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA).

Estimation of blood pressure variability using independent component analysis of photoplethysmographic signal.

The maximum cross-correlation coefficient rho(max) between blood pressure variability and heart rate variability, whose frequency components are limited to the Mayer wave-related band, is a useful index to evaluate the state of the autonomic nervous function related to baroreflex. However, measurement of continuous blood pressure with an expensive and bulky measuring device is required to calculate rho(max). The present study has proposed an easier method for obtaining rho(max) with measurement of finger photoplethysmography (PPG).

Changes of blood flow volume in the superior mesenteric artery and brachial artery with abdominal thermal stimulation.

In traditional Chinese medicine, moxibustion is a local thermal therapy that is used for several conditions. Quantifying the effects of moxibustion therapy has been difficult because the treatment temperature depends on the physician's experience, and the temperature distribution in the target area is not uniform. This prospective observational study aims to quantify the effect of local thermal stimulation to the abdomen.

A method for evaluating effects of visually-induced motion sickness using ICA for photoplethysmography.

A human watching a swaying image displayed on a wide-field display or screen sometimes suffers from visually-induced motion sickness (VIMS) that causes symptoms related to the autonomic nervous system such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Previous studies indicated that the maximum cross-correlation coefficient (rho(max)) between blood pressure and heart rate, whose frequency components were limited to the neighborhood of 0.1Hz, was a useful index to evaluate the effects of VIMS on humans.

Comparison of maximum cross-correlation coefficient between blood pressure and heart rate with traditional index associated with baroreflex sensitivity.

In general, it is difficult to compare biological reactions to some kind of stimulation among subjects on the basis of a single physiological parameter such as heart rate variability because there is a large individual variability in its values. A solution to this problem is to utilize the correlation between physiological parameters. In previous works, the maximum cross-correlation coefficient between heart rate and blood pressure variabilities changed when subjects were strongly affected by visual stimulation.

Preliminary study on the estimation of Emax using single-beat methods during assistance with rotary blood pumps.

Recently, rotary blood pumps (RBPs) have been used as bridge to recovery. In such application the RBP might be weaned once the cardiac function has been recovered. In such cases, the detection of the cardiac function is fundamental for the treatment efficiency.

Which skeletal myoblasts and how to be transplanted for cardiac repair?

Clinical efficacy of skeletal myoblast (skMb) transplantation is controversial whether this treatment produces beneficial outcome in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Based on immunological tolerance between wild-type and DCM hamsters with the deletion of delta-sarcoglycan (SG) gene, skMb engraftment in TO-2 myocardium (3x10(5) cells in approximately 100mg heart) was verified by the donor-specific expression of delta-SG transgene constitutively produced throughout myogenesis. At 5 weeks after the transplantation, the cell rates expressing fast-myosin heavy chain (MHC) exceeded slow-MHC in delta-SG(+) cells.

Estimation of effects of visually-induced motion sickness using independent component analysis.

To quantify the effect of visually-induced motion sickness on the autonomic nervous system, the authors previously proposed a new physiological index rho max representing the maximum cross-correlation coefficient between blood pressure variability and heart rate variability whose frequency components are limited to the Mayer wave band. However, rho max requires measurement of continuous blood pressure with an expensive and bulky measuring device. In the present study, an easier method for obtaining rho max with measurement of neither continuous blood pressure nor ECG but using finger photoplethysmography (PPG) only has been developed.

Evaluation of adaptation to visually induced motion sickness by using physiological index associated with baroreflex function.

Visual images including intensive motions and the experience of virtual reality sometimes induce visually-indeuced motion sickness (VIMS). There are few studies that have objectively evaluated the effects of repetitive exposures to these stimuli on humans. In this study, an experiment was carried out in which the same video image was presented to human subjects three times.

Evaluation of cardiac function based on ventricular pressure-volume relationships during assistance with a rotary blood pump.

Nowadays, a rotary blood pump can be used as not only for a bridge to transplantation (BTT) but also for a bridge to recovery (BTR) and a destination therapy (DT). In such cases, evaluation of the recovery level of the native heart provides useful information to improve the clinical strategy and decide adequate timing for removing of the RBP. In contrast, the indices for cardiac function have been studied.

Evaluation of adaptation to visually induced motion sickness based on the maximum cross-correlation between pulse transmission time and heart rate.

Background: Computer graphics and virtual reality techniques are useful to develop automatic and effective rehabilitation systems. However, a kind of virtual environment including unstable visual images presented to wide field screen or a head mounted display tends to induce motion sickness. The motion sickness induced in using a rehabilitation system not only inhibits effective training but also may harm patients' health.

Acute and chronic consequences of non-pulsatile blood flow pattern in long-term total artificial heart experiment.

Vessel pulsation is presumably a key physiological function for the optimal supply of peripheral tissues and vital organs by oxygen and nutrients. The absence of pulsatility might impair the peripheral perfusion stability and trigger microvascular dysfunction of vital organs. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of non-pulsatile flow on the microcirculation in experimental goat with implanted undulation pump total artificial heart (UPTAH).

Autonomic nervous function and localization of cerebral activity during lavender aromatic immersion.

Changes in the autonomic nervous activity can be induced by various sensory and emotional stimuli. The authors examined whether the power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) could detect changes in autonomic tone following a lavender aroma treatment or not. Healthy young women (n=10, 23+/-3 years old) underwent continuous electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring before and after (10, 20, 30 minutes) the lavender fragrance stimuli.

Evaluation of the effect of visual stimulation on humans by simultaneous experiment with multiple subjects.

To evaluate the biological effects of visual stimulation on multiple subjects watching a same image, a more compact and low-cost device measuring both ECG and photo-plethysmogram was developed. On the basis of these physiological parameters, the maximum cross-correlation coefficient, ρmax, from pulse wave transmission time to heart rate could be calculated. This index reflects the activity of the autonomic nervous system and is considered as a good index for evaluating the effect of visual stimulation on humans.

Assessment of emotional reaction induced by visual stimulation based on cross-correlation between pulse wave transmission time and heart rate in the Mayer wave-band.

Mayer wave (0.1Hz fluctuation) included in heart rate variability and blood pressure variability appears apparently in the resting state. On the other hand, it can be predicted that a strong emotional reaction may affect the relationship between these variabilities.

Electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles. An alternative to aerobic exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure?

The aim of this study was to investigate whether electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles could represent a rehabilitation alternative for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Thirty patients with CHF and NYHA class II-III were randomly assigned to a rehabilitation program using either electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles or bicycle training. Patients in the first group (n = 15) had 8 weeks of home-based low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) applied simultaneously to the quadriceps and calf muscles of both legs (1 h/day for 7 days/week); patients in the second group (n = 15) underwent 8 weeks of 40 minute aerobic exercise (3 times a week).

Low-frequency electrical stimulation increases muscle strength and improves blood supply in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) on muscle strength and blood flow in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods And Results: Patients with CHF (n=15; age 56.5 +/- 5.