1,721,014 research outputs found
Biocompatibility Assessment of a Long-Term Wearable Artificial Pump-Lung in Sheep.
No full textThe purpose of this study was to assess the biocompatibility of a newly developed long-term wearable artificial pump-lung (APL) in a clinically relevant ovine animal model. The wearable APL device was implanted in five sheep through left thoracotomy. The device was connected between the right atrium and pulmonary artery and evaluated for 30 days. Three sheep were used as the sham control. Platelet activation was assessed by measuring platelet surface P-selectin (CD62P) expression with flow cytometry and plasma soluble P-selectin with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Thrombotic deposition on the device components and hollow fiber membranes were analyzed with digital imaging and scanning electron microscopy. Surface P-selectin of the APL and sham groups changed significantly over the study period, but without significant differences between the two groups. Soluble P-selectin for the two groups peaked in the first 24 h after the surgery. Soluble P-selectin of the APL group remained slightly elevated over the study period compared to the presurgical baseline value and was slightly higher compared to that of the sham group. Plasma free hemoglobin remained in the normal ranges in all the animals. In spite of the surgery-related alteration in laboratory tests and elevation of platelet activation status, the APL devices in all the animals functioned normally (oxygen transfer and blood pumping) during the 30-day study period. The device flow path and membrane surface were free of gross thrombus. Electron microscopy images showed only scattered thrombi on the fibers (membrane surface and weft). In summary, the APL exhibited excellent biocompatibility. Two forms of platelet activation, surgery-related and device-induced, in the animals implanted with the wearable APL were observed. The limited device-induced platelet activation did not cause gross thrombosis and impair the long-term device performance
In Vivo Experience of the Child-Size Pediatric Jarvik 2000 Heart: Update
No full textData from early in vivo experiments demonstrated that the child-size Jarvik heart was capable of providing partial to nearly complete circulatory support with acceptable adverse effects on blood. However, bearing thrombosis was responsible for device malfunction in most cases. To overcome this problem, original pin bearings were replaced with novel conical bearings. This study evaluated chronic in vivo performance of the modified child-size Jarvik heart in the pediatric setting. Six juvenile sheep were implanted with the modified child-size Jarvik heart. Cardiac and pump output were measured daily. Serial blood samples were drawn to evaluate hematology, biocompatibility, and end-organ function. End-organ damage and device thrombosis were examined at necropsy. No device malfunction occurred during animal experiments up to 70 days. Mean cardiac output of the animals was 3.4 L/min. The child-size Jarvik heart was able to deliver a blood flow ranging from 1.4 to 2.5 L/min at speed from 10,000 rpm to 14,000 rpm. Mean plasma-free hemoglobin was 9.8 +/- 5.6 mg/dl, indicating no hemolysis. Acute elevation occurred in some organ function tests after the implant surgery but returned to normal range thereafter. These indices and necropsy showed no end-organ damage. No device thrombosis was observed. The current in vivo experience shows that the modified child Jarvik 2000 heart retained its hemodynamic function and excellent biocompatibility, and the conical bearings permitted it to remain free of thrombus
A novel wearable pump-lung device: In vitro and acute in vivo study
No full textBACKGROUND: To provide long-term ambulatory cardiopulmonary and respiratory support for adult patients, a novel wearable artificial pump-lung device has been developed. The design features and in vitro and acute in vivo performance of this device are reported.
METHODS: This device features a uniquely designed hollow-fiber membrane bundle integrated with a magnetically levitated impeller that together form one ultracompact pump-lung device, which can be placed like current paracorporeal ventricular assist devices to allow ambulatory support. The device is 117 mm in length and 89 mm in diameter. and has a priming volume of 115 ml. In vitro hydrodynamic, gas transfer and biocompatibility experiments were carried out in mock flow-loops using ovine blood. Acute in vivo characterization was conducted in an ovine model by surgically implanting the device between right atrium and pulmonary artery.
RESULTS: The in vitro results show that the device with a membrane surface area of 0.8 m(2) was capable of pumping blood from I to 4 liters/min against a wide range of pressures and transferring oxygen at a rate of up to 180 ml/min at a blood flow of 3.5 liters/min. Standard hemolysis tests demonstrated low hemolysis at the targeted operating condition. The acute in vivo results also confirmed that the device can provide sufficient oxygen transfer with excellent biocompatibility.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on in vitro and acute in vivo study findings, this highly integrated wearable pump-lung device can provide efficient respiratory support with good biocompatibility and it is ready for long-term evaluation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Thirty-Day In-Vivo Performance of a Wearable Artificial Pump-Lung for Ambulatory Respiratory Support
No full textBackground. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term in-vivo hemodynamics, gas transfer, and biocompatibility of an integrated artificial pump-lung (APL) developed for ambulatory respiratory support.
Methods. The study was conducted in an ovine model by surgically placing the APL between the right atrium and pulmonary artery. Nine sheep were implanted. Heparin was infused as an anticoagulant. The device flow, gas transfer, and plasma free hemoglobin were measured daily. Hematologic data, platelet activation, and blood biochemistry were assessed twice a week. After 30 days, the sheep were euthanized for postmortem examination. The explanted devices were examined for gross thrombosis.
Results. Five sheep survived for 29 to 31 days and were electively terminated. Four sheep died or were terminated early owing to mechanical failure of intravenous lines or device. The APL devices in the 5 long-term animals were capable of delivering an oxygen transfer rate of 148 +/- 18 mL/min at a flow rate of 2.99 +/- 0.46 L/min with blood oxygen saturation of 96.7% +/- 1.3%. The device flow and oxygen transfer were stable over 30 days. The animals had normal end-organ functions except for surgery-related transient alteration in kidney function, liver function, and cell and tissue injury. There was no hemolysis. The device flow path and membrane surface were free of gross thrombus.
Conclusions. The APL exhibited the capability of providing respiratory support with excellent biocompatibility, long-term reliability, and the potential for bridging to lung transplant
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