We examined the effect of nitroglycerin (GTN) tolerance on an important determinant of nitrate-antianginal action, large coronary artery dilation, in 11 chronically instrumented conscious dogs. In addition, endothelium-mediated coronary artery dilation was studied because this shares a common dilator pathway with the nitrates, i.e., activation of soluble guanylate cyclase. With long-term GTN (1...

OBJECTIVE Significant dilation of the pulmonary autograft is problematic after the Ross operation and may require reoperation. Pulmonary autograft remodelling occurs in response to the immediate rise in pressure and consequently wall stress. Stress-strain response of the pulmonary root plays an important role in understanding autograft function and remodelling following the Ross procedure. Howe...

Minimally invasive surgeries provide lower morbidity and faster recovery compared to conventional surgeries. Since 1995, the cholecystectomy procedure shifted from conventional to minimally invasive by 80%. Despite its popularity and benefits, minimally invasive surgeries have major complications, including vessel and organ injury from difficulties in distinguishing between the two. Currently, ...

OBJECTIVES We sought to determine the incidence of and risk factors for the development of restenosis and neointimal proliferation after endovascular stent implantation for congenital heart disease (CHD). BACKGROUND Risk factors for the development of restenosis and neointimal proliferation are poorly understood. METHODS This was a retrospective review of patients who underwent endovascular...

Eye movements and changes in pupil dilation are known to provide information about viewer’s attention and interaction with visual content. This paper evaluates different statistical and signal processing methods for autonomously analysing pupil dilation signals and extracting information about viewer’s attention when perceiving visual information. In particular, using a commercial video-based e...

Balloon dilation was performed on a dog with tetralogy of Fallot. Immediately following balloon dilation, the peak systolic pressure gradient across the pulmonic valve declined from 97 to 63 mmHg. Doppler echocardiography following balloon dilation revealed increased pulmonary blood flow. Clinical symptoms obviously improved and the dog's improved condition was maintained for 4 months. There we...

Pupil size is collectively controlled by the sympathetic dilator and parasympathetic sphincter muscles. Locus coeruleus (LC) activation has been shown to evoke pupil dilation, but how the sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways contribute to this dilation remains unknown. We examined pupil dilation elicited by LC activation in lightly anesthetized rats. Unilateral LC activation evoked bilatera...