BACKGROUND Thoracic actinomycosis is an uncommon, chronic suppurative bacterial infection caused by actinomyces species, especially Actinomyces israelii. METHODS It is usually seen in immunocompetent patients with respiratory disorders, poor oral hygiene, alcoholism and chronic debilitating diseases. RESULTS We illustrate the radiological manifestations of thoracic actinomycoses in various ...

Post-traumatic pulmonary hernia can occur immediately after thoracic trauma or it may also appear months or even years after the onset. We report a case of a seventeen year-old male patient with thoracic blunt trauma secondary to high energy bicycle accident. Chest CT shows moderate hemothorax and pneumothorax, displaced fracture of the fifth left rib, and protusion of pulmonary tissue through ...

Rationale. Elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) may compromise respiratory and cardiovascular function by abdomino-thoracic pressure transmission. We aimed (1) to study the effects of elevated IAP on pleural pressure, (2) to understand the implications for lung and chest wall compliances and (3) to determine whether volumetric filling parameters may be more accurate than classical pressure-b...

Introduction Current standard techniques for imaging the thoracic aorta include CT, standard body-coil MRI, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and contrast aortography. Each of these techniques suffers some limitation in its ability to allow detailed mapping of the aortic wall and its anatomic and functional lesions. Body-coil MRI and CT lack adequate resolution of the aortic wall for prec...

The chest wall is a vast and complex structure, hence the wide range of pathological conditions that may affect it. The aim of this publication is to discuss the usefulness of ultrasound for the diagnosis of benign lesions involving the thoracic wall. The most commonly encountered conditions include sternal and costal injuries and thoracic lymphadenopathy. Ultrasound is very efficient in identi...

Computational models promise to aid in the interpretation of the coupled interactions between evolving wall geometry, structure, material properties and hemodynamics seen in arterial adaptations. Motivated by recent aortic coarctation models in animals, we used a computational fluid-solid-interaction model to study possible local and systemic effects on the hemodynamics within the thoracic aort...

A 36-year-old woman was admitted for recurring chest pain and hemoptysis. Blood pressure in the right and left arms was equal, and no murmurs or bruits were heard. Body temperature was normal on admission and remained within the normal range during the hospital stay. C-reactive protein was slightly elevated (2.3 mg/dL) and lupus anticoagulant was positive. Angiography showed no abnormality of t...

The effect of an aqueous Mentha cordifolia (MC) extract on the haemodynamic status, vascular remodeling, function, and oxidative status in NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced hypertension was investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given L-NAME [50 mg/(kg body weight (BW) d)] in their drinking water for 5 weeks and were treated by intragastric administration with the MC extrac...

This study sought to establish a convenient method for detecting biomagnetic activity in the heart. Electrical activity of the heart simultaneously induces a magnetic field. Detection of this magnetic activity will enable non-contact, noninvasive evaluation to be made. We improved the sensitivity of a pulse-driven magnetoimpedance (PMI) sensor, which is used as an electric compass in mobile pho...

The concentrations of teicoplanin in serum, pericardium, pericardial fluid and thoracic wall fat were measured in patients undergoing cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) after the administration of a single i.v. 12 mg/kg dose. Five minutes after the start of CPB, teicoplanin serum concentrations decreased by, on average, 35% (95% confidence interval (CI): 28-42%) and remained significantly lower than...