Programs in unsafe languages, like C and C++, may dynamically load and unload modules. For example, some operating system kernels support dynamic loading and unloading of device drivers. This causes specific difficulties in the verification of such programs and modules; in particular, it must be verified that no functions or global variables from the module are used after the module is unloaded...

Ventricular assist devices (VAD) have recently established themselves as an irreplaceable therapeutic modality of terminal heart failure. Because of the worldwide shortage of donors, ventricular assist devices play a key role in modern heart failure therapy. Some clinical data have revealed the possibility of cardiac recovery during VAD application. On the other hand, both clinical and experime...

Weight-bearing skeletal muscles change phenotype in response to unloading. Using the hindlimb suspension rat model, we investigated the regulation of myofilament protein isoforms in correlation to contractility. Four weeks of continuous hindlimb unloading produced progressive atrophy and contractility changes in soleus but not extensor digitorum longus muscle. The unloaded soleus muscle also ha...

We have studied the molecular physiology of photosynthate unloading and partitioning during seed development of fava bean (Vicia faba). During the prestorage phase, high levels of hexoses in the cotyledons and the apoplastic endospermal space are correlated with activity of cell wall-bound invertase in the seed coat. Three cDNAs were cloned. Sequence comparison revealed genes putatively encodin...

Alterations in muscle play an important role in common diseases and conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated during hindlimb unloading due, at least in part, to the activation of xanthine oxidase (XO). The major aim of this study was to determine the mechanism by which XO activation causes unloading-induced muscle atrophy in rats, and its possible prevention by allopurinol, a wel...

Available oxygen and oxygen unloading capacity were determined at the time of cardiac catheterisation, from blood gas analysis, p 50 in vivo, and haemoglobin, in 79 children with cyanotic congenital heart disease, their age ranging from 2 weeks to 14 years. The patients were followed up for six months to find out how many of those without surgical intervention survived. Actuarial analysis showe...

Healthy bones adapt to mechanical stimulus in a process known as bone remodeling. More specifically, the apparent density of bone tissue is directly related to the load it bears over time. For example, after long periods in a microgravity environment astronauts experience a loss of bone density because of skeletal unloading, while most professional tennis players experience a gain of bone densi...

Although bone responds to its mechanical environment, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the response of the skeleton to mechanical unloading are not completely understood. Osteocytes are the most abundant but least understood cells in bones and are thought to be responsible for sensing stresses and strains in bone. Sclerostin, a product of the SOST gene, is produced postnatally p...

BACKGROUND During ventricular assist device (VAD) unloading, cardiac recovery is possible even in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). We sought parameters predictive of cardiac stability after VAD removal. METHODS AND RESULTS Among 81 patients weaned since March 1995, a homogenous group of 35 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy weaned from left VADs was selected. We evaluated echo da...

Cardiovascular deconditioning occurs in astronauts after spaceflight or in individuals subjected to bed rest. It is characterized by an increased incidence of orthostatic intolerance. The mechanisms responsible for orthostatic intolerance are likely multifactorial and may include hypovolemia, autonomic dysfunction, and vascular and cardiac alterations. The arterial baroreflex is an important co...