Category: Cardiovascular

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How does transdermal non-invasive CO2 infusion at the thumb cause improved blood circulation and cellular O2 levels in the foot?

How does transdermal non-invasive CO2 infusion at the thumb cause improved blood circulation and cellular O2 levels in the foot?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judy Delp Ph.D.

Job Description

Professor of Biomedical Sciences

 

Education

B.S. Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri

Ph.D. University of Missouri

 

Memberships

American Physiological Society

American Microcirculatory Society

American Heart Association

Toriyama et al.17 studied the effect of CO2 bathing in 83 limbs with critical ischemia and achieved limb salvage in 83% without surgery. They concluded that peripheral vasodilation from CO2 bathing resulted from an increased parasympathetic and decreased sympathetic activity. In the current study, treatment with transdermal CO2 in a localized area produced a sustained, remote vasodilation, and a lowering of systemic blood pressure.
 
These findings share some similarity with the hemodynamic changes that occur following an acute bout of exercise, in which both neural and vascular components contribute to a sustained decrease in vascular resistance and blood pressure that persists after cessation of exercise18. In the current study, the period of sustained vasodilation seen in response to transdermal CO2 was heightened in diabetic patients.
 
Interestingly, in hypertensive individuals, the period of post-exercise hypotension is of greater magnitude and duration as compared to that of normotensive individuals 18, 19. Paradoxically, the current findings in diabetic patients exposed to transdermal CO2 as well as previous findings in hypertensive patients post-exercise, imply that sensitivity to signals that mediate these cardiovascular responses increases in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular dysfunction19.
 
A sustained decrease in systolic blood pressure occurs post-exercise and here, following application of transdermal CO2, suggesting that neural mechanisms contribute to the observed reduction in systemic vascular resistance. The roles of efferent sympathetic nerve activity18-20, afferent nerve activity from muscle 21-24, and the baroreceptor reflex20, 23 in mediating post-exercise hypotension remain controversial.
 
Neural mechanism(s) could contribute to changes in skin SPP and systolic blood pressure induced by exposure to transdermal CO2. Future studies will need to monitor heart rate, heart rate variability, and sympathetic nerve activity during and after transdermal CO2 in order to more fully assess the role of the autonomic nervous system in mediating the sustained increases in SPP and systolic blood pressure reported in this initial study.
 
Vascular conductance increases in both active muscle and inactive vascular beds following a bout of dynamic exercise 25, 26, suggesting that circulating factors contribute to this period of sustained systemic vasodilation. Vasodilation occuring independently of neural regulation constitutes more than 50% of the increase in systemic vascular conductance that occurs post-exercise; however, the mechanisms that underlie the post-exercise vasodilation have remained elusive.
 
Studies that have employed blockade of nitric oxide or evaluation of circulating nitric oxide metabolites have shown that the post-exercise vasodilatory response does not rely on circulating nitric oxide availability27, 28. A recent study by New and colleagues28 indicates that the nadir of post-exercise hypotension coincides with the peak of appearance of lipid hydroperoxides in venous blood, suggesting that reactive oxygen species with known vasodilatory properties29-32 contribute to the exercise-induced decrease in systemic vascular resistance. In the current study, transdermal CO2 was applied to the thumb, and a significant increase in SPP was measured at the toe.
 
Thus, a similar circulating vasodilatory stimulus may contribute to the remote, sustained vasodilation created by local transdermal application of CO2. Further investigations will need to focus on the identification of the mechanisms involved in both the local and remote factors that contribute to the sustained hemodynamic changes produced by exposure of the skin to CO2.
 
Recently, studies have documented that episodes of brief, non-damaging ischemia occurring in a tissue can induce systemic protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury in a remote organ. This phenomenon, termed remote ischemic conditioning, has been demonstrated to confer protection against ischemic events in the myocardium33-35, brain36, and kidney37, 38.
 
Although shown to be effective in various clinical and pre-clinical models 34, 35, 38-40, the mechanism(s) of remote protection have not been clearly identified. Both neural and humoral mechanisms have been proposed to contribute to the protection against ischemic damage afforded by remote ischemic conditioning38, 39, 41-43.
 
Basalay et al.41 have shown that when remote ischemic conditioning is applied before induction of myocardial ischemia, sensory nerves and recruitment of a parasympathetic neural pathway are involved in reduction of infarct size. In contrast, application of remote ischemic conditioning after myocardial ischemia also afforded protection against infarction, but was not altered by vagotomy or peripheral denervation41.
 
Remote ischemic conditioning has also been demonstrated to improve perfusion of transplanted kidneys, suggesting that remote conditioning confers protection that does not rely on intact neural circuitry38. Recently, Michelsen and colleagues42 have demonstrated that dialysate of human plasma from subjects who underwent either ischemic preconditioning or exercise preconditioning reduced infarct size in rabbit hearts, indicating that release of a humoral factor, possibly acting on opioid receptors, contributes to the cardioprotective effects of ischemic and exercise preconditioning.
 
Other reports in the literature have also shown evidence of a humoral substances that mediate protection against ischemia when remote ischemic conditioning is applied; however, these substance(s) remain to be identified. Application of transdermal CO2 produces a remote vasodilation that may be mediated through release of a circulating humoral agent.
 
Future investigations will need to focus on assessment of plasma samples during and following transdermal CO2 application.
This pilot study demonstrated an increase in measures of remote skin microvascular function with D’OXYVA, a simple commercially-available device to deliver transdermal CO2. The effects of the treatment were evident at all periods up to and including the last test period, 240 minutes post-exposure.
 
Although the sample size was small in this study, a clear increase in SPP and SPP/SBP ratio and a decrease in SBP and DBP continued for 4 hours post-treatment. The differences in skin perfusion and blood pressure responses detected between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects will require further examination in larger studies.
 
Click below to access Prof. Judy Delp’s Presentation on Transdermal Delivery of Carbon Dioxide Boosts Microcirculation.
 
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HOW D’OXYVA CAN HELP?

D’OXYVA is the only fully noninvasive, completely painless transdermal (over-the-skin) microcirculatory solution that has been clinically tested to significantly improve microcirculation.

The improvement of microcirculation, i.e., blood flow to the smallest blood vessels, benefits one’s health, immune system and overall sense of well-being in a variety of ways.

LEARN MORE ABOUT D'OXYVA
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Impaired Tissue Perfusion

What is Impaired Tissue Perfusion?

Ineffective tissue perfusion is a state in which an individual has a decrease in oxygen resulting in failure to nourish the tissues at the capillary level.

Tissue perfusion is a critical parameter for tissue survival and function, and both relative and absolute perfusion assessments are highly relevant for both diagnosis and evaluation of the therapy response.

Sometimes situations occur where this exchange of gases between the blood and the cells is disrupted, meaning the cells (and ultimately the tissues and organs) stop getting adequate oxygen supply. The body can’t function without oxygen, so obviously this is a problem. When tissues don’t receive enough oxygen through the capillaries, this is called ineffective tissue perfusion.

Many conditions can disrupt the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, but diabetes, obesity, anemia, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease are some of the more common risk factors that can cause ineffective tissue perfusion. We can further classify the type of ineffective tissue perfusion based on the part of the body affected. For example, there’s renal (meaning kidney), cerebral (meaning brain), cardiopulmonary (meaning heart and lungs), gastrointestinal (meaning digestive tract), and peripheral (meaning affecting the extremities) ineffective tissue perfusion.

Common Risk Factors

Small arteries in diabetic subjects, whether hypertensive or normotensive, exhibit severe hypertrophic remodeling, and histological analysis of skeletal muscle biopsy samples reveals capillary rarefaction in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Histological capillary density is inversely related to fasting plasma glucose and fasting insulin levels and positively related to insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic individuals. Microvascular permeability to large molecules such as albumin is increased in diabetes, a process that is linked to hyperglycemia and ROS

In humans, coronary flow reserve is significantly lower in obese than in nonobese subjects, and capillary recruitment is reduced in nondiabetic obese individuals compared with lean control subjects. Even in a sample of healthy children (11 to 14 years of age), microvascular function was negatively correlated with adiposity. Thus, obesity appears to have an independent effect on microvascular function.

Coronary flow reserve decreases progressively with age in subjects without coronary artery disease, from approximately 4 at 30 years to 3 at 65 years of age, largely due to increased basal myocardial blood flow.

Tobacco smoking acutely impairs capillary recruitment, and thus hyperemic blood flow increases in skin and coronary flow reserve is reduced in established smokers. Coronary flow reserve in smokers can be improved by administration of antioxidant vitamin C, which suggests that smoking-related oxidative stress is an important mechanism.

Individuals with hypercholesterolemia without coronary artery disease have reduced coronary flow reserve, and coronary flow reserve is inversely correlated with LDL cholesterol. A reduction in coronary flow reserve can be detected in healthy young men (mean age 31 years) with familial hypercholesterolemia, which suggests that microvascular abnormality is detectable early in the atherosclerotic process.

Given the relationships between individual cardiovascular risk factors with measures of microvascular status, it is not surprising that the overall Framingham risk score is inversely correlated with skin capillary recruitment, maximal skin capillary density, and coronary flow reserve.

Defining Characteristics

Ineffective Tissue Perfusion is characterized by the following signs and symptoms:

  • Abnormal arterial blood gases
  • Altered respiratory rate outside of acceptable parameters
  • Bronchospasms
  • Capillary refill >3 seconds
  • Chest pain
  • Chest retraction
  • Dyspnea
  • Dysrhythmias
  • Nasal flaring
  • Sense of “impending doom”
  • Use of accessory muscles
  • Altered mental status
  • Behavioral changes
  • Changes in motor response
  • Changes in pupillary reactions
  • Difficult in swallowing
  • Extremity weakness or paralysis
  • Speech abnormalities
  • Abdominal distention
  • Abdominal pain or tenderness
  • Hypoactive or absent bowel sounds
  • Nausea
  • Altered sensations
  • Altered skin characteristics (hair, nails, moisture)
  • Cold extremities
  • Dependent, blue, or purple skin color
  • Diminished arterial pulsations
  • Edema
  • Positive Homan’s sign
  • Skin discolorations
  • Skin temperature changes
  • Skin color pale on elevation, color does not return on lowering the leg
  • Slow healing of lesions
  • Weak or absent pulses
  • Altered blood pressure outside of acceptable parameters
  • Elevation in BUN/creatinine ratio
  • Hematuria
  • Oliguria or anuria

Damage, Complications, and Prognosis

Microvascular abnormalities that lead to impaired tissue perfusion appear to represent a generalized condition that affects multiple tissues and organs. For example, in hypertension, coronary flow reserve is correlated with the media:lumen ratios of small arteries in biopsies of subcutaneous fat. Dilatation of venules in the retina independently predicts progression of cerebral small-vessel disease, and in diabetes, reduced coronary flow reserve predicts the occurrence of retinopathy.

Impaired tissue perfusion may be involved in target-organ damage and complications that involve several vascular beds. For the coronary microcirculation, an obvious example associated with both hypertension and diabetes is the occurrence of myocardial ischemia and angina in the presence of angioscopically normal epicardial coronary arteries, also known as cardiac syndrome X. Impaired myocardial perfusion may also be an important factor in the development of hypertensive heart failure and may lead to localized ischemia and disturbed patterns of electrical activity that constitute a substrate for serious arrhythmias. In the case of renal disease, glomerular and peritubular capillary rarefaction has been noted in different animal models and in human progressive renal disease, and it precedes the development of impaired perfusion and chronic hypoxia. It has been suggested that hypoxia may be the common factor linking many forms of progressive renal disease.

Microvascular abnormality is also a predictor of prognosis. In hypertensive patients, the media:lumen ratio of peripheral small arteries is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Among individuals with normal or minimally diseased coronary arteries, reduced coronary flow reserve is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events within the next decade. Finally, in patients with chest pain and angiographically normal arteries, coronary flow reserve <3 is associated with a 6-fold increase in all-cause mortality risk compared with coronary flow reserve >3 during 8.5 years of follow-up.

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Did you know when used in a regimen, D`OXYVA users have reported a number of health and beauty benefits?

doxyva benefits

OPTIMIZE BLOOD CIRCULATION FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF SIGNIFICANT OUTCOMES

D’OXYVA® (deoxyhemoglobin vasodilator) in various clinical trials has validated leading independent research results and demonstrated above-average results in improving a host of physiological functions at the same time.

People using D’OXYVA® have recorded significant improvements in cardiovascular activity leading to much improved physical activity. As part of a healthy lifestyle, D’OXYVA may help significantly reduce the risk of high blood pressure, hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes in just two or three months, with an average use of 5 minutes a day and 5 times a week.

Poor circulation is a gateway for a litany of ailments: slow healing, depression, poor complexion, sores, slow metabolism, and more.

D’OXYVA significantly improves sustained oxygen-rich microcirculatory blood flow locally and throughout the body. Its patented method of fully non-invasive, painless, and harmless transdermal delivery is unique only to D’OXYVA.

When used daily, D’OXYVA users have reported a number of health and beauty benefits, including but not limited to:

  • Relief from symptoms of microvascular complications
  • Significantly increased cardiac function, physical fitness, endurance and strength, muscle size, body tone, faster recovery from sports injuries and surgical trauma
  • Improved self-esteem via promoting healthy and radiant skin, complexion, dry skin relief, and acne reduction
  • Significant reduction in downtime from other skin treatments and cosmetic procedures when used in combination, reduction in the appearance of scars, cellulite, fat, spider veins and stretch marks
  • Promoting and maintaining a healthy weight, improving general mobility, deeper, more restful sleep
  • Significant improvement of mental acuity; concentration, problem solving, multitasking, eye-hand coordination, heightened stamina, energy, and focus while managing stress
  • Improved vitals across the board during checkups with zero adverse event reports after years of regular use by people with various health, demographic, and ethnic backgrounds

HOW D’OXYVA CAN HELP?

D’OXYVA is the only fully noninvasive, completely painless transdermal (over-the-skin) microcirculatory solution that has been clinically tested to significantly improve microcirculation.

The improvement of microcirculation, i.e., blood flow to the smallest blood vessels, benefits one’s health, immune system and overall sense of well-being in a variety of ways.

LEARN MORE ABOUT D'OXYVA
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Can Oxygen Therapy Improve Brain Blood Vessel Function in COPD Patients?

By Allison Inserro

Breathing in additional oxygen improves the function of blood vessels in the brains of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to research published in Experimental Physiology.

The study revealed that patients with COPD are at higher risk of dementia, possibly because of lower brain oxygen levels as a result of problems with blood supply from brain blood vessels. According to other research cited in the study, giving patients with COPD additional oxygen reduced their risk of developing dementia, but the mechanisms underlying this effect had not been explored.

The latest research aimed to establish the effect of supplying additional oxygen in blood flow to the brain and blood vessel function in patients with COPD. Fourteen hypoxemia patients were included in the study, which tracked cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen delivery (CDO2), and neurovascular coupling (NVC), which is the relationship between local neuron activity and changes in CBF.

The researchers used ultrasound to view and measure blood flow in the brain in these patients at rest as well as before and during delivery of the additional oxygen. Ultrasound was used to measure the extent to which brain blood flow increased.

Participants began this test with their eyes shut, then opened them and read a piece of text. This test was designed to increase activity in the brain, and brain blood flow was expected to increase to provide an adequate oxygen supply.

Pairing these ultrasound measures with a measurement of blood oxygen levels allowed authors to estimate how much oxygen delivery to the brain increased during the eyes-open reading test.

Measurements were assessed, and the authors found that blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain significantly increased during reading because blood vessels in the brain dilated in response to the greater oxygen demand when the brain was active.

Specifically, peripheral oxyhemoglobin saturation increased from 91 ± 3.3 to 97.4 ± 3% (P <.01). CBF was unaltered (593.0 ± 162.8 vs 590.1 ± 138.5 mL min−1; P = .91) with supplemental O2.

However, CDO22 (98.1 ± 25.7 versus 108.7 ± 28.4 ml dl−1; P = 0.02) and NVC improved.

The posterior cerebral artery cerebrovascular conductance increased after O2 normalization (+40%, from 20.4 ± 9.9 to 28 ± 10.4% increase in conductance; P = .04). The posterior cerebral artery cerebrovascular resistance decreased to a greater extent during O2 normalization (+22%, from −16.7 ± 7.3 to −21.4 ± 6.6% decrease in resistance; P = .04).

The cerebral vasculature of patients with COPD appears insensitive to oxygen because CBF was unaltered in response to O2 supplementation, leading to improved CDO2.

Providing extra oxygen to patients with COPD improved the function of blood vessels in the brain by increasing blood supply to meet the demands of the brain’s activity during this short test.

Other research is needed to see how long-term oxygen use would impact the function of brain blood vessels.

These improvements might provide a physiological link between oxygen therapy and a reduced risk of cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia.

Ref: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/can-oxygen-therapy-…

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Why post-menopausal women are prone to heart attack

Why post-menopausal women are prone to heart attack Read more: https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/296431/post-menopausal-women-prone-heart-attack/#ixzz5lzYlOezl Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Recently we had a female patient in her early 60s who suffered a heart attack and fortunately survived it.

All the time, she had been accompanying her husband to regular check-ups on his heart problem, without realizing she herself was a walking time bomb.

She has been a smoker most of her adult life. She has a strong family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with two male siblings undergoing heart bypass surgery in their early 50s.

Her blood pressure (BP) went on upward trend after menopause, with high cholesterol levels.

She showed no symptoms so she thought she was just fine, until she woke up in the middle of the night with severe chest tightness and shortness of breath.

She was rushed to the hospital, had an immediate declogging of the heart artery through angioplasty, and a small scaffolding-like metal called stent was inserted to keep the culprit coronary artery patent.

The same story happens so many times. Wife is so concerned about her husband with a heart problem and she neglects to have herself checked, or make sure that her lifestyle is not conducive to develop CVD.

Before menopause, women are protected by estrogen, the female reproductive hormone. This hormone has been shown to have a beneficial or cardioprotective effect on the inner layer of artery wall called endothelium.

After age 50

Endothelial dysfunction triggers the start of the atherosclerosis, which is the progressive narrowing of the artery. Estrogen prevents endothelial dysfunction, and helps maintain the flexibility of the blood vessels.

Flexible arteries can relax and expand to accommodate more blood and enhance the blood flow or circulation.

The onset of menopause is usually after the age of 50 (52 to 54 years of age on average). There are some who experience early menopause, signaled by the cessation of the monthly period at a much earlier age, even before age 40.

After menopause, estrogen decreases significantly and the heart protection is almost completely gone around eight to 10 years after menopause. This is usually when women are in their late 50s or early 60s.

Hence, the risk of developing a stroke, or heart attack, may increase and become higher in women compared to men at this age.

For those who have menopause at an early age, the increase in cardiovascular risk may occur at a much earlier age, when the women are just in their late 40s or early 50s.

Ovarian failure

The common cause is premature ovarian failure, but it may also be caused by damage to the ovaries as a result of cancer therapy and/or radiation treatments.

Another cause could be surgical removal of the ovaries if tumors in the female reproductive organs are diagnosed at a younger age.

The symptoms of premature menopause are pretty much the same as regular menopause, and include hot flashes, emotional instability or mood swing, vaginal dryness, decreased memory or comprehension, decreased libido or sex drive, and insomnia.

We have to clarify that menopause, by itself, does not cause CVD. It’s just that the levels of the heart-protective female hormones, particularly estrogen, decrease, and risk factors increase around the time of menopause.

These are increasing BP, high LDL (bad cholesterol) level, and low HDL (good cholesterol level. The triglyceride level, another bad type of fat, also increases after menopause.

A reckless lifestyle in the form of a high-carb and high-fat diet, being sedentary, smoking, and other unhealthy practices —which women could have earlier in life—starts to take its toll after menopause.

Guidelines from various heart associations remind women to really take stock of their health when they’re reaching menopause, so they can avert serious complications.

Since the cardiovascular risk in women peaks around eight to 10 years after the onset of menopause, women who are at high risk could be identified so that they could be treated more aggressively and monitored closely, preventing the complications which could occur years later.

A recently published study suggests that a relatively higher level of the male hormone called androgen or testosterone in postmenopausal women is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular complications.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, followed up 2,800 postmenopausal women initially free of CVD. The women had their sex hormone levels measured at baseline.

The researchers reported that during an average of 12- year follow-up, CVD was diagnosed in 283 participants, plus clogging of the heart arteries (coronary heart disease or CHD) in 171, and heart failure in 103.

Adjustments were made to discount the effect of conventional risk factors and hormone therapy. The following findings were reported:

Male hormone

Higher total testosterone (male hormone)/estradiol ratio was linked with significantly increased risks for all cardiovascular outcomes.

Higher total testosterone appeared to significantly increase risks for CVD and CHD.
Higher estradiol (female hormone) was associated with significantly lower CHD risk, reaffirming its heart protective effect.

Does this study suggest that we should give post-menopausal women estrogen hormone therapy to prevent CVD or CHD?

I don’t think there’s good data to support that recommendation. There are also potential complications of aggressive hormone therapy which doctors are wary about.

The importance of this study is that we could identify the post-menopausal women who are at risk of suffering potentially serious cardiovascular complications, and implement risk-reducing strategies such as end to smoking, regular exercise and balanced diet.

Which type of diet is really good remains a big issue, in view of various fad diets claiming cardiovascular benefits.

The American Heart Association and Philippine Heart Association recommend eating a balanced diet consisting of: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts, with less red meat and minimal sugary foods and beverages.

Aside from a healthy diet and lifestyle, adequate control of elevated BP is recommended; as well as the use of cardioprotective drugs like statins even if the cholesterol levels are not that high.

The important thing, too, is to get rid of the misconception that only men are vulnerable to heart disease, and women are spared from them.

A change of this wrong mindset is necessary so that the beloved women in our lives are not deprived of the medical care and attention they need to prevent heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular complications.

Reference: https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/296431/post-menopausal-women-prone-heart-attack/#ixzz5lzYtfKJx 

HOW D’OXYVA CAN HELP?

D’OXYVA is the only fully noninvasive, completely painless transdermal (over-the-skin) microcirculatory solution that has been clinically tested to significantly improve microcirculation.

The improvement of microcirculation, i.e., blood flow to the smallest blood vessels, benefits one’s health, immune system and overall sense of well-being in a variety of ways.

LEARN MORE ABOUT D'OXYVA
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Being mindful of symptoms

LEWISTOWN–Dr. Maya Lichtenstein, neurologist at Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital, said that there are a myriad of potential symptoms that could be signs of a stroke. “Any sudden changes,” said Lichtenstein, “go the E.R.”

A stroke, according to Liechtenstein, is either the result of not enough blood flow to the brain, plaque in the blood vessels or heart, each resulting in a clot, or a hemorragic bleed, resulting in a bursted blood vessel in the brain. Classic symptoms of a stroke include numbness, tingling, weakness on one side of the body and changes in speech, but other sudden changes in in understanding language, vision, vertigo or clumsiness can also be symptomatic.

“It depends on what part of the brain is damaged,” said Lichtenstein.

Treatment options for a stroke vary, depending on the type of stroke.

“If you get seen fast enough,” said Lichtenstein, for a clot, a “clot-busting medication, a form of blood thinner” can be administered via I.V. A thrombectomy, a procedure, not an operation, said Lichtenstein, is another treatment option, similar to a cardiac catheterization. A bleeding stroke often leads to lowering the patient’s blood pressure and surgically relieving pressure on the brain. Taking aspirin can also treat a stroke.

Post-stroke, Liechtenstein said that rehabilitation is important, including physical, occupational, speech, and cognitive therapies. “Aggressive therapy can continue to improve people’s symptoms,” said Lichtenstein. “Everyone thinks they’re better if they can move their arms and legs.” Lichtenstein also encourages stroke patients to be aware of their mood and possible depression, encouraging them to accept all the help available.

To avoid a stroke, Liechtenstein said patients should see their doctors regularly for preventive care and that leading a healthy lifestyle is the key, including regular exercise to keep up the heart rate and eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Lichtenstein also encourages patients to keep control of their vascular issues, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as to quit smoking, if they smoke.

 

Reference: http://www.lewistownsentinel.com/news/local-news/2018/05/being-mindful-of-symptoms/

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A new theory on reducing cardiovascular disease risk in binge drinkers, Research identifies potential predictive biomarker

A new study shows that binge drinkers have increased levels of a biomarker molecule — microRNA-21 — that may contribute to poor vascular function.

Researchers believe that measurements of microRNA-21 could help determine if a patient with a history of binge drinking is at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six adults binge drinks about four times a month and reports that chronic diseases are among the many health problems associated with binge drinking.

“There is a growing body of evidence that suggests binge drinking behavior contributes to premature cardiovascular disease risk in young adults, but we do not know much about the biologic link between the two,” said Shane Phillips, one of the lead authors on the study.

To understand this link better, Phillips and his colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago studied blood samples and tissue biopsies of 14 young adults (ages 18 to 30). Participants with inflammatory or cardiovascular disease, obesity, history of smoking or current pregnancy were excluded from the study group.

Half of the samples were from binge drinkers and half were abstainers. Binge drinking was defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in a two-hour period within the last 30 days. Abstaining was defined as consuming no more than one drink per month.

“We saw that vascular function in the microcirculation, which is a predictor of cardiovascular disease, was worse in binge drinkers,” said Phillips, professor and associate head of physical therapy in the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences. “We also saw that binge drinkers had a 4.7 fold increase in microRNA-21 compared to abstainers.”

The researchers also found that suppressing microRNA-21 helped to restore vascular function in binge drinkers. This effect was not seen in abstainers.

The researchers say that microRNA-21 is a promising potential molecular target for drugs that treat and prevent cardiovascular disease in drinkers.

“Collectively, these study findings provide preliminary evidence for reduced cardiovascular function in binge drinkers, compared to abstainers, and that inhibition of microRNA-21 signaling may help to treat or prevent the early signs of cardiovascular disease,” Phillips said.

 

Reference: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180124131751.htm

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Depression and cerebral blood flow

Depression and cerebral blood flow

Maybe a benefit will arise from the current debate about the usefulness of antidepressants in depression, if it draws attention to the published studies concerning reduced regional cerebral blood flow in depression which have failed to influence clinical opinion. Perhaps the relevance of such information can be appreciated by reference to the study by Lucey et al. (1) They showed that in patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder, there were regional reductions in cerebral blood flow, but in each disorder in different regions of the brain.

It is proposed that depression is the dysfunctional state arising from inadequate rates of blood flow to deliver the necessary oxygen and nutrient substrates to sustain normal tissue function in specific regions of the brain. This means that the condition would be reversible when there were adequate rates of blood flow.

In 1990, Sackheim et al (2) critically examined what had been written about regional cerebral blood flow in mood disorders. An important contribution was made by Bench et al (3) who reported their findings in a study in which previously scanned patients were rescanned on remission. They concluded, “Thus, recovery from depression is associated with increases in regional cerebral blood flow in the same area in which focal decreases in regional cerebral blood flow are described in the depressed state, in comparison with normal subjects.” Similar findings were reported in another paper (4) which reported that the reduced rate of blood flow in the left frontal region which had been observed during depression, returned to normal during remission. The lack of attention given to such findings probably reflects the current antipathy to reports which imply a role for the flow properties of blood (blood rheology).

It is possible to interpret such changes in blood flow in terms of the effects of poorly deformable red cells, which reflect change in their environment by a reduction in fluidity of the the cell membrane. Normalisation of the cell environment restores normal levels of deformability. So it is not surprising that depression is a frequent problem in chronic disorders which are known to have altered blood rheology manifested as increased blood viscosity and poorly deformable red cells, such as in diabetes for example.

Kamada et al (5) in 1986 reported that sardine oil so increased the fluidity of the membranes of diabetic red cells that they were unable to distinguish such cells from those of non-diabetics. Ten years later Maes et al (6) noted that, ” Major depressed subjects had significantly lower C18-3 omega-3 in cholesteryl esters than normal controls. Major depressed subjects showed significantly lower total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids… than minor depressed subjects and healthy controls.” A later study of the omega-3 fatty acid content in the diet and in red cell membranes of depressed patients (7) noted that, “Lower red blood cell membrane n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with the severity of depression,” and concluded, “The findings raise the possibility that depressive symptoms may be relieved by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation.”

Ten years later there is no indication that the significance of such findings have been recognised and therapy for depression has been based upon antidepressants rather that omega-3 rich fish oil which might correct the primary problem. Possibly, if the current debate leads to a more public recognition of the problems of cerebral blood flow in depression, then maybe those who suffer from depression will explore the potential benefits of taking 2 x 1000mg capsules of fish oil, three times daily. Many studies have used 10 capsules daily, and one study reported that the maximal tolerable dose was twenty grams daily. Because of the need for the enzyme delta-6-desaturase to be functional in order to utilise the plant derived alphalinolenic acid, it is safer to use fish oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. An alternative would be to increase the dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids by including sardines or oily fish in meals on a daily basis.

In addition, because regular light exercise has been shown to reduce blood viscosity, an activity such as walking or dancing should be part of the daily programme. A good example was an Australian study involving “pram pushing” which was shown to be beneficial for women with post-partum depression.

Reference: https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/01/depression-and-cerebral-blood-flow

HOW D’OXYVA CAN HELP?

D’OXYVA is the only fully noninvasive, completely painless transdermal (over-the-skin) microcirculatory solution that has been clinically tested to significantly improve microcirculation.

The improvement of microcirculation, i.e., blood flow to the smallest blood vessels, benefits one’s health, immune system and overall sense of well-being in a variety of ways.

LEARN MORE ABOUT D'OXYVA
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The complexity of heart rate variability predicts outcome in intensive care unit admitted patients with acute stroke

BACKGROUND:

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been proposed as a predictor of acute stroke outcome. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of a novel non-linear method for analysis of HRV, multiscale entropy (MSE) and outcome of patients with acute stroke who had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

 

METHODS:

The MSE of HRV was analysed from 1 h continuous ECG signals in ICU-admitted patients with acute stroke and controls. The complexity index was defined as the area under the MSE curve (scale 1-20). A favourable outcome was defined as modified Rankin scale 0-2 at 3 months after stroke.

 

RESULTS:

The trends of MSE curves in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) (n=77) were apparently different from those in patients with non-AF stroke (n=150) and controls (n=60). In addition, the values of complexity index were significantly lower in the patients with non-AF stroke than in the controls (25.8±.3 vs. 32.3±4.3, p<0.001). After adjustment for clinical variables, patients without AF who had a favourable outcome were significantly related to higher complexity index values (OR=1.15, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.25, p<0.001). Importantly, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting a favourable outcome of patients with non-AF stroke from clinical parameters was 0.858 (95% CI 0.797 to 0.919) and significantly improved to 0.903 (95% CI 0.853 to 0.954) after adding on the parameter of complexity index values (p=0.020).

 

CONCLUSIONS:

In ICU-admitted patients with acute stroke, early assessment of the complexity of HRV by MSE can help in predicting outcomes in patients without AF.

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25053768

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Did you know that you can have a 20 year old brain At 80?

Stats are greatly against us. On average, by the age of 70 our brain will be 15% lighter than it was in our 20s, beginning to deteriorate with aging damage in our 30s. Fifty is considered the new 30 in modern anti-aging circles. But when brain cell power yields way to younger ones as a result of age-related oxidation, cell death, plaque buildup, impaired blood flow, energy loss and other environmental and biochemical assaults, 50 becomes, well, just plain old. And depressing.

Brain cells don’t divide unlike those of the skin and other tissues. Generally, when cells divide and are in prime health, repair genes can actually make the next division healthier. The progenitor cells die off, too, leaving only the healthier nuclei of new cells behind. The cerebral cells simply have no second chance; they can’t improve their lot through the usual method. Damage control is more difficult and much more necessary.

Especially in older populations, dementia occurs in tandem with depression, leading scientists to surmise midlife blues are a form of brain damage.

The co-occurrence of depression and cognitive impairment doubles every five years after age 70, and by the time one is 85, the chances are 25% that one will be afflicted with depression and cognitive impairment that will adversely impact one’s life, say Guy G. Potter, PhD of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina and David C. Steffens, MD, of the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington. “Depression is primarily a mood disorder, but it can also be viewed as a cognitive disorder for many older adults, they add.

Reference: http://www.healthylivingmagazine.us/Articles/539/

HOW D’OXYVA CAN HELP?

D’OXYVA is the only fully noninvasive, completely painless transdermal (over-the-skin) microcirculatory solution that has been clinically tested to significantly improve microcirculation.


The improvement of microcirculation, i.e., blood flow to the smallest blood vessels, benefits one’s health, immune system and overall sense of well-being in a variety of ways.

LEARN MORE ABOUT D'OXYVA

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