(c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose: To evaluate peripheral vascular endothelial function in patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) using noninvasive endothelium-dependent

flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD).\n\nDesign: Case-control study.\n\nParticipants: Thirty patients with NTG, 30 with POAG, and 30 healthy age- and gender-matched controls.\n\nMethods: Participants underwent measurement of selleck compound FMD and endothelium-independent nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilation (NMD) via high-resolution 2-dimensional ultrasonographic imaging of the brachial artery. All patients also underwent blood sampling for biochemistry, lipid profile, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein analysis.\n\nMain Outcome Measures: The association of FMD with NTG and POAG.\n\nResults: The FMD values differed significantly between the patients with NTG, those with POAG, and controls: NTG, 2.70 +/- 2.25%; POAG, 5.33 +/- 2.81%; controls, 7.21 +/- 2.36%; P<0.001. In comparison with the POAG group and normal controls, the NTG group demonstrated markedly impaired FMD. The POAG group exhibited higher intermediate FMD than the NTG group (P<0.001) but significantly lower FMD than normal controls (P = 0.012). Multivariate RG7112 analysis indicated that

independent predictors for impaired FMD were presence of NTG, presence of POAG, and advanced age. Additionally, FMD values were significantly lower in glaucoma patients than in controls (4.02 +/- 2.85% vs. 7.21 +/- 2.36%; P<0.001).\n\nConclusions: Patients with glaucoma have impaired FMD. Additionally, patients with NTG have lower FMD than those with POAG.”
“Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a silver-coated vascular polyester graft in the prevention of graft infection after inoculation with Staphylococcus aureus in a porcine model.\n\nMaterial and methods: Eighty-four pigs were randomly selected 1:1 to receive

a silver-coated or non-silver-coated 8-mm-wide polyester P005091 datasheet graft implanted end-to-end in the infrarenal aorta. At the end of implantation, 10(6) colony forming units (CFUs) S. aureus in 0.3 ml suspension were inoculated directly on the graft surface. Blood samples assayed for white blood corpuscles (WBCs) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were taken before implantation and on the postoperative days 2, 5, 7, 11 and 14. Two weeks after implantation, the perigraft swabs were analysed for S. aureus or contaminants. CFUs of S. aureus were quantified and logarithmised. Student’s t-tests, repeated measurement analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square test were employed to compare the two grafts.\n\nResults: All pigs developed graft infection. There were no statistically significant differences between the silver-coated and non-silver-coated grafts in the quantity of S. aureus, macroscopic signs of infection and postoperative changes in the temperature, WBC and CRP.