Improvements in the sensibility of MSA-GA tool using COFFEE objective function

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of Cardiovascular Function During S(+)-Ketamine Constant Rate Infusion in Dorsally Recumbent Halothane-Anesthetized Horses

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Direct effects of colchicine on myocardial function: studies in hypertrophied and failing spontaneously hypertensive rats

The aging spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a model in which the transition from chronic stable left ventricular hypertrophy to overt heart failure can be observed. Although the mechanisms for impaired function in hypertrophied and failing cardiac muscle from the SHR have been studied, none accounts fully for the myocardial contractile abnormalities. The cardiac cytoskeleton has been implicated as a possible cause for myocardial dysfunction. If an increase in microtubules contributes to dysfunction, then myocardial microtubule disruption by colchicine should promote an improvement in cardiac performance. We studied the active and passive properties of isolated left ventricular papillary muscles from 18- to 24-month-old SHR with evidence of heart failure (SHR-F, n=6), age-matched SHR without heart failure (SHR-NF, n=6), and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY, n=5). Mechanical parameters were analyzed before and up to 90 minutes after the addition of colchicine (10(-5), 10(-4), and 10(-3) mol/L). In the baseline state, active tension (AT) developed by papillary muscles from the WKY group was greater than for SHR-NF and SHR-F groups (WKY 5.69+/-1.47 g/mm2 [mean+/-SD], SHR-NF 3.41+/-1.05, SHR-F 2.87+/-0.26; SHR-NF and SHR-F P<0.05 versus WKY rats). The passive stiffness was greater in SHR-F than in the WKY and SHR-NF groups (central segment exponential stiffness constant, Kcs: SHR-F 70+/-25, SHR-NF 44+/-17, WKY 41+/-13 [mean+/-SD]; SHR-F P<0.05 versus SHR-NF and WKY rats). AT did not improve after 10, 20, and 30 minutes of exposure to colchicine (10(-5), 10(-4), and 10(-3) mol/L) in any group. In the SHR-F group, AT and passive stiffness did not change after 30 to 90 minutes of colchicine exposure (10(-4) mol/L). In summary, the data in this study fail to demonstrate improvement of intrinsic muscle function in SHR with heart failure after colchicine. Thus, in the SHR there is no evidence that colchicine-induced cardiac microtubular depolymerization affects the active or passive properties of hypertrophied or failing left ventricular myocardium.

Cardiopulmonary bypass: development of John Gibbon's heart-lung machine

To provide a brief review of the development of cardiopulmonary bypass. A review of the literature on the development of extracorporeal circulation techniques, their essential role in cardiovascular surgery, and the complications associated with their use, including hemolysis and inflammation. The advancement of extracorporeal circulation techniques has played an essential role in minimizing the complications of cardiopulmonary bypass, which can range from various degrees of tissue injury to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Investigators have long researched the ways in which cardiopulmonary bypass may insult the human body. Potential solutions arose and laid the groundwork for development of safer postoperative care strategies. Steady progress has been made in cardiopulmonary bypass in the decades since it was first conceived of by Gibbon. Despite the constant evolution of cardiopulmonary bypass techniques and attempts to minimize their complications, it is still essential that clinicians respect the particularities of each patient's physiological function.

Location, morphology and function of nephrocytes in termites

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Regulation of cardiac microRNAs induced by aerobic exercise training during heart failure

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Efeitos da imersão em água fria na recuperação pós-exercício: análise conjunta de parâmetros clínicos, funcionais, metabólico e autonômico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Comparison of anaerobic threshold, oxygen uptake and heart rate between specific table

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Aerobic training attenuates nicotinic acethylcholine receptor changes in the diaphragm muscle during heart failure

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Avaliação de cardiotoxicidade subclínica tardia em pacientes com diagnóstico prévio de linfoma não Hodgkin tratados com antraciclinas

Pós-graduação em Fisiopatologia em Clínica Médica - FMB

Avaliação de cardiotoxicidade subclínica tardia em pacientes com diagnóstico prévio de linfoma não Hodgkin tratados com antraciclinas

Pós-graduação em Fisiopatologia em Clínica Médica - FMB

The effects of high-intensity resistance exercise on the blood lipid profile and liver function in hypercholesterolemic hamsters

It is well established that atherogenic dyslipidemia, characterized by high levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, constitutes important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Regular exercise has been associated with a reduced risk for metabolic diseases. However, studies supporting the concept that resistance exercise is a modifier of blood lipid parameters are often contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high-intensity resistance exercise on the serum levels of TG, TC, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol, glucose, and the liver function enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT, EC 2.6.1.2) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST, EC 2.6.1.1) in golden Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus (Waterhouse, 1839)) fed a hypercholesterolemic diet. Sedentary groups (S) and exercise groups (E) were fed a standard diet (SS and ES) or a cholesterol-enriched diet (standard plus 1% cholesterol, SC and EC). Resistance exercise was performed by jumps in the water, carrying a load strapped to the chest, representing 10 maximum repetitions (10 RM, 30 s rest, five days per week for five weeks). Mean blood sample comparisons were made by ANOVA + Tukey or ANOVA + Kruskal-Wallis tests (p < 0.05) to compare parametric and nonparametric samples, respectively. There were no differences in blood lipids between the standard diet groups (SS and ES) (p > 0.05). However, the EC group increased the glucose, non-HDL, and TC levels in comparison with the ES group. Moreover, the EC group increased the TG levels versus the SC group (p < 0.05). In addition, the ALT levels were increased only by diet treatment. These findings indicated that high-intensity resistance exercise contributed to dyslipidemia in hamsters fed a hypercholesterolemic diet, whereas liver function enzymes did not differ in regards to the exercise protocol.

Optimal reactive power flow via the modified barrier Lagrangian function approach

A new approach called the Modified Barrier Lagrangian Function (MBLF) to solve the Optimal Reactive Power Flow problem is presented. In this approach, the inequality constraints are treated by the Modified Barrier Function (MBF) method, which has a finite convergence property: i.e. the optimal solution in the MBF method can actually be in the bound of the feasible set. Hence, the inequality constraints can be precisely equal to zero. Another property of the MBF method is that the barrier parameter does not need to be driven to zero to attain the solution. Therefore, the conditioning of the involved Hessian matrix is greatly enhanced. In order to show this, a comparative analysis of the numeric conditioning of the Hessian matrix of the MBLF approach, by the decomposition in singular values, is carried out. The feasibility of the proposed approach is also demonstrated with comparative tests to Interior Point Method (IPM) using various IEEE test systems and two networks derived from Brazilian generation/transmission system. The results show that the MBLF method is computationally more attractive than the IPM in terms of speed, number of iterations and numerical conditioning. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exhaled Acetone as a New Biomarker of Heart Failure Severity

Background: Heart failure (HF) is associated with poor prognosis, and the identification of biomarkers of its severity could help in its treatment. In a pilot study, we observed high levels of acetone in the exhaled breath of patients with HF. The present study was designed to evaluate exhaled acetone as a biomarker of HF diagnosis and HF severity. Methods: Of 235 patients with systolic dysfunction evaluated between May 2009 and September 2010, 89 patients (HF group) fulfilled inclusion criteria and were compared with sex- and age-matched healthy subjects (control group, n = 20). Patients with HF were grouped according to clinical stability (acute decompensated HF [ADHF], n = 59; chronic HF, n = 30) and submitted to exhaled breath collection. Identification of chemical species was done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and quantification by spectrophotometry. Patients with diabetes were excluded. Results: The concentration of exhaled breath acetone (EBA) was higher in the HF group (median, 3.7 mu g/L; interquartile range [IQR], 1.69-10.45 mu g/L) than in the control group (median, 0.39 mu g/L; IQR, 0.30-0.79 mu g/L; P < .001) and higher in the ADHF group (median, 7.8 mu g/L; IQR, 3.6-15.2 mu g/L) than in the chronic HF group (median, 1.22 mu g/L; IQR, 0.68-2.19 P < .001). The accuracy and sensitivity of this method in the diagnosis of HF and ADHF were about 85%, a value similar to that obtained with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). EBA levels differed significantly as a function of severity of HF (New York Heart Association classification, P < .001). There was a positive correlation between EBA and BNP (r = 0.772, P < .001). Conclusions: EBA not only is a promising noninvasive diagnostic method of HF with an accuracy equivalent to BNP but also a new biomarker of HF severity. CHEST 2012; 142(2):457-466

Salivary Cortisol, Alpha-Amylase and Heart Rate Variation in Response to Dental Treatment in Children

Objective. Anxiety and stress are usually related to the dental treatment situation. The objective was to investigate salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels (salivary biomarkers) and heart rate in children undergoing a minor dental procedure (dental prophylaxis). Study design. In total, 31 children (range 84-95 months) of both genders without caries or history of dental treatment/pain/trauma were selected. Three saliva samples were gathered: one prior to dental prophylaxis, one immediately after, and one ten minutes later Weight and height were assessed, and heart rate was evaluated prior to and during the procedure. Data were analyzed by correlation tests and t-test/Wikoxon (alpha=0.05). Results. Higher cortisol and amylase levels were observed before prophylaxis compared to afterward. Cortisol and amylase levels did not show a significant correlation, nor did salivary biomarkers and body mass index. However, heart rate and amylase levels showed a significant positive correlation. Conclusions. In the studied sample, certain anticipation of the dental treatment was observed because higher cortisol and amylase levels were observed before, rather than after, the event; moreover, a significant correlation between amylase levels and heart rate was observed. Thus, salivary biomarkers may be a valuable tool for evaluating anxiety-producing events, such as dental treatment, in children.