BACKGROUND Advanced liver cirrhosis is characterized by cardiovascular changes, such as low arterial blood pressure, peripheral vasodilation and renal vasoconstriction. As a consequence, renal hypoperfusion, impaired diuresis and natriuresis and eventual hepatorenal syndrome may ensue. Previous studies using head-out water immersion to increase central blood volume have demonstrated the functio...

In this study, in order to increase the heat transfer rate in concentric double-pipe heat exchangers by an active method, a rotating ball valve was mounted downstream of the outer pipe end and used as a pulse generator. In the experimental set-up, hot water (40-70 °C) was passed through the inner pipe with fixed mass flow rate (Reynolds number ≈ 10,200) while cold water was passed through the a...

THE THREE GOALS OF CARDIAC ASSISTANCE ARE: (1) To maintain systemic blood flow; (2) To reduce cardiac work and tension development; and (3) To increase oxygen availability to the heart. Toward these ends, various devices and techniques have been developed, including several different types of vascular shunts in combination with or without extracorporeal oxygenation of blood, implantable auxilia...

Between 25,000 and 75,000 new cases of angina refractory to maximal medical therapy and standard coronary revascularization procedures are diagnosed each year. In addition, heart failure also places an enormous burden on the U.S. health care system, with an estimated economic impact ranging from $20 billion to more than $50 billion per year. The technique of counterpulsation, studied for almost...

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a common side effect of cyclophosphamide therapy, which deserves new therapeutic strategies, such as those based on natural products. The ethanol extract of the inner bark of Caesalpinia pyramidalis (Tul.) (EECp) possesses anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antioxidant activities as previously showed by our group. We have investigated the effect of EECp on the ...

In the United States, there are about 17.6 million patients suffer from symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), affecting 7.9% of adults ≥ 20 years of age.1 An estimated 10.2 million patients have angina, and 500,000 patients will develop new angina pectoris each year.1 A subset of angina patients are categorized as refractory when symptoms continue despite optimal medical therapy and revasc...