Bronchoalveolar Lavage and Blood Markers of Infection in Critically Ill Patients-A Single Center Registry Study.

Microbiological sampling is an indispensable targeted antibiotic therapy for critically ill patients. Invasive respiratory sampling by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) can be performed to obtain samples from the lower respiratory tract. It is debated as to whether blood markers of infection can predict the outcome of BAL in a medical intensive care unit (ICU).

Quantification of ischemic damage in the rat retina: a comparative study using evoked potentials, electroretinography, and histology.

Purpose: To identify objective criteria to quantify visual function in the rat for developing therapeutic strategies to protect neuronal cells after ischemia. The impact of ocular ischemia on luminance and frequency-modulated contrast vision was compared with the function of outer retinal cells and the number of intact retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).

Method: Ischemia was induced in Brown-Norway rats by elevating the intraocular pressure to 120 mm Hg for 30, 45, 60, and 90 minutes.