Upon exposure to low Po(2), the red blood cells of most species, including humans, release increased amounts of ATP that ultimately serves as a regulator of vascular tone matching oxygen supply with demand. In pathological conditions such as malaria and sepsis, a maldistribution of perfusion exists with its severity often correlated with the extent of elevation of serum lactate frequently in th...

BACKGROUND It is believed that increasing cardiac glucose metabolism in the setting of ischemia and reperfusion is protective because of the resulting decrease in fatty acid oxidation, which improves cardiac efficiency and increases glucose oxidation relative to glycolysis; however, these conclusions are based primarily on studies in which glucose is the only carbohydrate provided. The goal of ...