Jejak megalitik arsitektur tradisional Sumba

90 hlm. ; 23 cm

Jejak megalitik arsitektur tradisional Sumba

xxi, 90 hlm. : ilus. ; tab. ; 23 cm

Feasibility of noninvasive continuous finger arterial blood pressure measurements in very young children, aged 0-4 years

Our goal was to study the feasibility of continuous noninvasive finger blood pressure (BP) monitoring in very young children, aged 0-4 y. To achieve this, we dedigned a set of smallsized finger cuffs based on the assessment of finger circumference. Finger arterial BP measured by a volume clamp device (Finapress technology) was compared with simultaneously measured intra-arterial BP in 15 very young children (median age, 5 mo; range, 0-48), admitted to the intensive care unit for vital monitoring. The finger cuff-derived BP waveforms showed good resemblance with the invasive arterial waveforms (mean root-mean-square error, 3 mm Hg). The correlation coefficient between both methods was 0.79 ± 0.19 systolic and 0.74 ± 0.24 diastolic. The correlation coefficient of beat-to-beat changes between both methods was 0.82 ± 0.18 and 0.75 ± 0.21, respectively. Three measurements were related to measurement errors (loose cuff application; wrong set-point). Excluding these erroneous measurements resulted in clinically acceptable measurement bias (-3.8 mm Hg) and 95% limits of agreement (-10.4 to + 2.8 mm Hg) of mean BP values. We conclude that continuous finger BP measurement is feasable in very young children. However, cuff application is critical, and the current set-point algorithm needs to be revised in very young children. (Pediatr Res 63: 691-696, 2008

Endocannabinoids and reproductive events in health and disease

The lasting research on the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has now provided solid and convincing evidence that proves the detrimental effects of recreational drug abuse (a growing habit among teenagers) on fertility. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) affect reproductive events from gametogenesis to fertilization, from embryo implantation to the final outcome of pregnancy and, thus, they have been proposed as suitable biomarkers to predict the reproductive potential of male and female gametes in clinical practice. Novel tools for reproductive medicine are highly sought after, and here we report the latest findings on the impact of the ECS on fertility, demonstrating how basic research can be translated into new medical strategies