The rheological properties of blood play an important role in the regulation of blood flow resistance in vessels. Numerous data show evidence for an impaired hemorheological characteristic in diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate whether chronic severe leg ischaemia in diabetes may be associated with further hemorheologic impairment. To do this, whole blood viscosity, eryt...

AIMS Thrombopoietin (Tpo) is known for its ability to stimulate platelet production. However, it is currently unknown whether Tpo plays a physiological function in the heart. METHODS AND RESULTS We assessed the potential protective role of Tpo in vitro and in vivo in two rat models of myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion. Tpo receptor (c-mpl) message was detected in the heart using RT-PCR, and th...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate interstitial glycerol as a marker of ischaemia by studying the changes in glycerol in direct relation to changes in regional cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO(2)), the lactate/pyruvate ratio (LP ratio), and glutamate. METHODS Transorbital 2 hour middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was performed in eight monkeys, which were studied with continuous microdialysis ...

BACKGROUND Highly sensitive troponin T (hs-TnT) assay has improved clinical decision-making for patients admitted with chest pain. However, this assay's performance in detecting myocardial ischaemia in a lowrisk population has been poorly documented. PURPOSE To assess hs-TnT assay's performance to detect myocardial ischaemia at positron emission tomography/CT (PET-CT) in low-risk patients adm...

The effects of electroacupuncture (EA) has been studied in a model of global cerebral ischaemia performed in gerbils through the bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO). Animals, under isofluorane anaesthesia, underwent 5 min of BCAO and were killed after 7 days. The effects of EA were evaluated both on functional (with electrophysiological recordings of synaptic potentials in hippocampal sli...

Lower limb ischaemic rest pain, ulcers or gangrene are late consequences of advanced peripheral arterial disease, one of the facets of systemic atherosclerosis. The majority of patients will meet current criteria for critical limb ischaemia (CLI). Life expectancy in these patients is severely limited mainly due to coexisting coronary heart disease. Once believed to unavoidably end in amputation...

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays a central role in protein degradation and regulates a variety of critical cellular processes. During recent years, the cardiac UPS has become increasingly recognized as a key regulator of cardiac function under both physiological and pathological conditions. Numerous studies have demonstrated that altered UPS function is involved in the pathogenesis o...

The central role of lung ischaemia-reperfusion injury in pulmonary dysfunction after cardiac surgery, particularly thoracic organ transplantation, has been well recognised. Lung tissue necrosis after prolonged ischaemia is known to worsen lung function, which was believed to be due largely to adjacent tissue inflammation. Recent studies suggest that lung apoptosis following ischaemia-reperfusio...

The possible role of leukocytes in the cerebral microcirculation following ischaemia was assessed in the gerbil. The no-reflow phenomenon seen after 30 minutes of severe bilateral hemispheric ischaemia during hypotensive reperfusion was compared in control animals and in a group made leukopenic by pretreatment with cyclophosphamide. Neither the incidence nor the severity of the no-reflow phenom...

Puerperal women are reported to have a rate of cerebral infarction 13 times greater than non-pregnant females. We report a case of cerebral ischaemia in a 30-yr-old healthy parturient after epidural analgesia for labour, complicated by dural puncture treated with two epidural blood patches. Investigations showed the development of cerebral ischaemia on postpartum day 14. A transcranial Doppler ...