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The aim of this investigation was to assess the changes of atrial volumes during and after prolonged high-altitude exposure, in relation to extracellular and total body water and plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). The estimation of extracellular and total body water was obtained by bioelectrical impedance measurement in seven healthy male subjects aged 24.7 years (range 23-28). These were members of a Himalayan expedition (Pumori, 7135 m). Measurements were taken before departure, after 1 and 4 weeks at altitude over 5000 m, and upon return to sea level. In the same phases, right and left atrial volumes were determined by 2D-echocardiography and blood samples were drawn for ANP by radioimmunoassay.
At high altitude, body fluid depletion, as shown by reduction of extracellular and total body water, was related to reduction of left atrial volume, whereas the right atrium did not show any significant change. Upon return to sea level, the persistence of reduced extracellular and total body water went along with the persistence of decreased left atrial volume. Despite the wide variability in plasma levels of ANP among subjects, a clear-cut reduction was observed in all subjects after 4 weeks at high altitude, and a significant (
During prolonged high altitude exposure, progressive reduction of left atrial volume reflects body fluid depletion; after 4-week exposure, circulating ANP levels decrease concomitant with left atrial volume reduction.
Nineteen current makes of sports glasses and six older types of sunglasses were tested for spectral UV transmission. Transmissions in the UVB range (280–320 nm) were less than 10−4; all glasses therefore offered 100% protection against keratitis. Transmissions of UVA radiation (320–400 nm) varied greatly. All makes transmitted varying small amounts of cataract effective UVA radiation, but the effectiveness for cataract is less than 0.15% in the UVA range. If lateral incident radiation is shielded, sports glasses protect against ocular damage from solar UV radiation even in a very bright environment.
We performed a retrospective study of the behavior of lost dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT) patients who became the subjects of organized search and rescue efforts. We compared the DAT patients' behavior to the behavior of elderly lost victims who possessed normal cognitive abilities. Data for both populations were from the Virginia Department of Emergency Services lost-subject database. We found that normal elderly individuals on average traveled a greater straight-line distance (2.56 km) from the point last seen (PLS) than did DAT patients (0.88 km). The median straight-line distance from the PLS was the same for both populations (0.8 km). The mortality rate for DAT patients was 19%. Mortality was caused by hypothermia, dehydration, and drowning. No fatalities were found among DAT patients when they were located within 24 h. A mortality rate of 46% was found for patients requiring more than 24 h to locate. This 24-h survivability window suggests that lost DAT patients require an immediate and aggressive search response.
More than 25 years after the discovery of the 2 main African
In the present study, the authors describe microcercous cercariae and rediae with the characteristics of the genus Paragonimus from land snails of the Achatinidae family caught in a forest zone of Cameroon where

















