Stress caused by lifestyles in industrialised countries can affect numerous illnesses. Side effects of stress at the level of microcirculation are vasoconstriction, haemoconcentration and vascular occlusion. Reduced or restricted blood flow in the internal auditory artery of the inner ear can lead to sudden deafness. The extent of the damage depends on whether vascular occlusion is momentary or...

BACKGROUND Non-anaemic haemodialysis (HD) patients are potentially more prone to the adverse effects of ultrafiltration-induced haemoconcentration. No study, however, has assessed the effects of dialytic session on haemoglobin (Hb) levels in these patients. METHODS The levels of Hb and total protein before, at the end (T0) and up to 120 min (T120) after the third HD session of the week were c...

BACKGROUND Intravenous albumin administration has been described for many years as a debatable, but probably useful preventive measure in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The present study details the largest randomized controlled trial to date of albumin infusion versus no treatment in IVF patients with a high risk of developing moderate to severe OHSS. METHODS Between March 1999 an...

BACKGROUND Aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that after presyncope, some blood hormone pools increase while others decrease. MATERIALS AND METHODS In twelve healthy male adults, we determined plasma volume changes with plasma mass densitometry and hormone levels. The following were compared: supine rest, presyncope and 20-min post-presyncopal supine rest. We determined plasma renin...

This paper is based on a report to the Ministry of Supply made in March 1944, and describes investigations culminating in the production of BALINTRAV (2:3-dimercaptopropanol glucoside), a non-toxic thiol, affording a high degree ofprotection against lewisite poisoning, and likely to be of value in other forms of arsenical, metal and metalloid poisoning. A series of fundamental investigations in...

Studies with anaemic children and pregnant women from areas where vitamin A deficiency is endemic have shown a beneficial effect on Fe status of supplemental vitamin A in addition to Fe supplementation. This suggests a relationship between vitamin A and Fe status, which we attempted to mimic in rats with anaemia and chronic vitamin A deficiency. Male rats were fed on Fe-adequate diets (35 mg Fe...

The teleost spleen is a discrete organ containing, in addition to erythrocytes sequestered from the circulation, erythropoietic tissue involved in the synthesis of new erythrocytes. In this division into supply and synthesis, there appear to be some species differences. The eel spleen is an erythrocyte reservoir but is not thought to be a major erythropoietic organ (Johansson-Sjobeck, 1979). Th...

BACKGROUND Dengue is the most important mosquito-borne viral infection to affect humans. Although it usually manifests as a self-limited febrile illness, complications may occur as the fever subsides. A systemic vascular leak syndrome that sometimes progresses to life-threatening hypovolaemic shock is the most serious complication seen in children, typically accompanied by haemoconcentration an...

A white woman with end stage renal failure due to reflux nephropathy started regular haemodialysis in 1972 when aged 17. Both kidneys were removed in 1973 because of persistent infection and hypertension; this led to severe anaemia, which was exacerbated by occult bleeding from a gastric ulcer. She transferred from haemodialysis to continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in 1982 but remained ...

Objectives: Modi®ed ultra®ltration increases blood pressure and cardiac index following open-heart surgery in children, but it is unclear if this is secondary to an improvement in global left ventricular function. A previous report has suggested that left ventricular systolic function as assessed in a single chord is improved by ultra®ltration (Davies MJ, Nguyen K, Gaynor JW, Elliott MJ. Modi®e...