The spectral analysis technique was applied for noninvasive assessment of heart-rate baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). The coherence between fluctuation of blood pressure and heart rate at 0.1 Hz and at respiratory frequency is high. This fact enables the assessment of BRS by means of calculating the modulus (or gain) of the transfer function between variations in blood pressure and heart rate. The noninvasive continuous blood pressure registration according to Peňáz was used. During voluntarily controlled breathing intervals, the amplitude of 0.1 Hz and respiratory peaks in the spectra of heart rate and blood pressure changed markedly. Nevertheless, the average sensitivity of the baroreflex (modulus) changed insignificantly. This result indicated that the stability of BRS can be advantageous for the use of BRS in clinical practice. The difference between the modulus at 0.1 Hz and at the breathing rate indicates that baroreflex is only one of the factors causing respiratory arrhythmia. We also compared the determination of BRS by spectral analysis with the following alternative method: both lower extremities were occluded for 5 minutes. The release of pressure in the occluding cuffs decreased blood pressure which was followed by a baroreceptor-mediated increase of heart rate. Both methods correlated, but more detailed analysis revealed the role of the low pressure receptors in BRS determined by spectral analysis.
Portal-systemic shunting is an important circulatory abnormality in patients with liver cirrhosis. Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) that is normally subject to first pass elimination, may exhibit higher bioavailability in these patients. This study compares the pharmacodynamic effects of GTN after peroral and sublingual administration for noninvasive assessment of shunting. Six control subjects and 15 patients with cirrhosis were studied after oral and sublingual application of 0.5 mg of GTN. Liver cirrhosis was complicated by portal hypertension in 7 of the patients and 4 patients had surgically implanted portocaval anastomosis. Digital plethysmography, which is highly sensitive and is essentially noninvasive in nature, was used to assess and compare the pharmacodynamic effects of GTN. The following values of the ratio of areas under the pharmacodynamic effects/time curve were obtained: 0.08±0.06 in healthy subjects, 0.52±0.21 in patients with uncomplicated cirrhosis, 0.99±0.34 in patients with portal hypertension and 1.24±0.43 in patients with portal-systemic shunts. We conclude that increased bioavailability of GTN reflects portal-systemic shunting and might be used providing that the pharmacodynamic data reflect both pharmacokinetic variability and the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic interrelations., O. Slanař, J. Aubrecht, F. Perlík., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The pathophysiology of microcirculation is intensively investigated to understand disease development at the microscopic level. Orthogonal polarization spectral (OPS) imaging and its successor sidestream dark-field (SDF) imaging are relatively new noninvasive optical techniques allowing direct visualization of microcirculation in both clinical and experimental studies. The goal of this experimental study was to describe basic microcirculatory parameters of skeletal muscle and ileal serous surface microcirculation in the rat using SDF imaging and to standardize the technical aspects of the protocol. Interindividual variability in functional capillary density (FCD) and small vessels (<25 μm in diameter) proportion was determined in anesthetized rats on the surface of quadriceps femoris (m. rectus femoris and m. vastus medialis) and serous surface of ileum. Special custom made flexible arm was used to fix the SDF probe minimizing the pressure movement artifacts. Clear high contrast images were analyzed off-line. The mean FCD obtained from the surface of skeletal muscle and ileal serous surface was 219 (213-225 cm/cm2) and 290 (282-298 cm/cm2) respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between rats in mean values of FCD obtained from the muscle (P = 0.273) in contrast to ileal serous surface, where such difference was statistically significant (P = 0.036). No statistically significant differences in small vessels percentage was detected on either the muscle surface (P = 0.739) or on ileal serous surface (P = 0.659). Our study has shown that interindividual variability of basic microcirculatory parameters in rat skeletal muscle and ileum is acceptable when using SDF imaging technique according to a highly standardized protocol and with appropriate fixation device. SDF imaging represents promising technology for experimental and clinical studies., Z. Turek, V. Černý, R. Pařízková., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
It is proved that a linear surjection $\Phi \:\mathcal A\rightarrow \mathcal B$, which preserves noninvertibility between semisimple, unital, complex Banach algebras, is automatically injective.
The paper deals with parameter and state estimation and focuses on two problems that frequently occur in many practical applications: (i) bounded uncertainty and (ii) missing measurement data. An algorithm for the state estimation of the discrete-time non-linear state space model whose uncertainties are bounded is proposed. The algorithm also copes with situations when some measurements are missing. It uses Bayesian approach and evaluates maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) estimates of states and parameters. As the model uncertainties are supposed to have a bounded support, the searched estimates lie within an area that is described by the system of inequalities. In consequence, the problem of MAP estimation becomes the problem of nonlinear mathematical programming (NLP). The estimation with missing data reduces to the omission of corresponding inequalities in NLP formulation. The proposed estimation algorithm is applied to the estimation of a moving vehicle position when incomplete data from global positioning system (GPS) together with complete data from vehicle sensors are at disposal.
In this paper we study two boundary value problems for second order strongly nonlinear differential inclusions involving a maximal monotone term. The first is a vector problem with Dirichlet boundary conditions and a nonlinear differential operator of the form $x\mapsto a(x,x^{\prime })^{\prime }$. In this problem the maximal monotone term is required to be defined everywhere in the state space $\mathbb{R}^N$. The second problem is a scalar problem with periodic boundary conditions and a differential operator of the form $x\mapsto (a(x)x^{\prime })^{\prime }$. In this case the maximal monotone term need not be defined everywhere, incorporating into our framework differential variational inequalities. Using techniques from multivalued analysis and from nonlinear analysis, we prove the existence of solutions for both problems under convexity and nonconvexity conditions on the multivalued right-hand side.
The paper surveys recent results obtained for the existence and multiplicity of radial solutions of Dirichlet problems of the type ∇ · ( ∇v ⁄ √ 1 − |∇v| 2 ) = f(|x|, v) in BR, u = 0 on ∂BR, where BR is the open ball of center 0 and radius R in R n , and f is continuous. Comparison is made with similar results for the Laplacian. Topological and variational methods are used and the case of positive solutions is emphasized. The paper ends with the case of a general domain.
Using the notion of weighted sharing of values which was introduced by Lahiri (2001), we deal with the uniqueness problem for meromorphic functions when two certain types of nonlinear differential monomials namely h nh (k) (h = f, g) sharing a nonzero polynomial of degree less than or equal to 3 with finite weight have common poles and obtain two results. The results in this paper significantly rectify, improve and generalize the results due to Cao and Zhang (2012).
In the paper, dealing with a question of Lahiri (1999), we study the uniqueness of meromorphic functions in the case when two certain types of nonlinear differential polynomials, which are the derivatives of some typical linear expression, namely h n (h − 1)m (h = f, g), share a non-zero polynomial with finite weight. The results obtained in the paper improve, extend, supplement and generalize some recent results due to Sahoo (2013), Li and Gao (2010). In particular, we have shown that under a suitable choice of the sharing non-zero polynomial or when the first derivative is taken under consideration, better conclusions can be obtained.
In this paper we study nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems with monotone and nonmonotone multivalued nonlinearities. First we consider the case of monotone nonlinearities. In the first result we assume that the multivalued nonlinearity is defined on all $\mathbb{R}$. Assuming the existence of an upper and of a lower solution, we prove the existence of a solution between them. Also for a special version of the problem, we prove the existence of extremal solutions in the order interval formed by the upper and lower solutions. Then we drop the requirement that the monotone nonlinearity is defined on all of $\mathbb{R}$. This case is important because it covers variational inequalities. Using the theory of operators of monotone type we show that the problem has a solution. Finally, in the last part we consider an eigenvalue problem with a nonmonotone multivalued nonlinearity. Using the critical point theory for nonsmooth locally Lipschitz functionals we prove the existence of at least two nontrivial solutions (multiplicity theorem).