Active clinical trials for "Heart and Blood Diseases"

The aim of this study is to identify genetic loci,or gene variations contributing to inflammation and to the development of CHD. We will compare coronary angiogram results to genetic findings within coronary artery disease patients and in patients with normal coronaries.

Compare data (structural and functional) obtained by transthoracic rest echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (with gadolinium) in 30 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The purpose of this study is to determine whether treatment with melatonin can reduce cell damage and inflammation in connection with laparoscopic gall bladder surgery.

Ultrasonographic examination has long been used to assess the swallowing function. It has the advantages of no ionizing radiation on examination and the possibility of using the real food instead of the barium meal in testing. Thus, the subjects can be examined repeatedly and in a more physiological status of swallowing. However, the ultrasonographic examination is only used in assessing the oral phase of swallowing. It can accurately visualize the tongue movement, measure the oral transit time of bolus, and sometimes the hypoid bone motion, but has not been applied on the evaluation of pharyngeal phase of swallowing. Physically, laryngeal elevation is an essential component of the swallowing movement on pharyngeal phase. It ensures the occlusion of airway and opening of criopharymgeus muscle, and thus prevents the aspiration. To evaluate the laryngeal elevation is crucial point in managing the dysphagic patients. The purpose of this project is to measure the laryngeal elevation in normal and in dysphagic patients with cerebrovascular (CVA) accident using ultrasonographic techniques. This work will include four group subjects. The first group consists of 20 young subjects (< 40 years); the second group consists of 20 age-matched normal subjects; the third group consists of 20 CVA patients without swallowing problems, and the fourth group consists of 20 CVA patients with dysphagia, which was proven by VFSS. The laryngeal elevation is detected by ultrasound with the transducer placing between the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage. The two markers are easily detected on sonogram because of the presence of acoustic shadow, a specific character of bony structure on sonogram. The distance between the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage before and during swallowing is measures and compared among the groups. The distance change of the patients with dysphagia is further compared with that defined by VFSS. With the result of this study, we will understand the status of laryngeal elevation during swallowing in normal and dysphagic subjects, and further determine the accuracy of ultrasonographic measurement in measuring the laryngeal elevation. With this knowledge, we might extend the usage of ultrasonographic examination on evaluating swallowing function.

The purpose of this study was to compare the balance strategy, as well as center of pressure (COP) trajectory and parameters between healthy adults and patients with hemiplegia in response to slow- and fast-speed waist- pulling perturbations in forward, left, right, and backward directions.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the pattern of immunologic reconstitution in patients with T-cell compromise due to DiGeorge syndrome or velocardiofacial syndrome. II. Determine any correlation between immunologic function in these patients and chromosome 22 deletion breakpoints. III. Determine presence of sustained immunologic compromise in older patients.

This research is expected to study ultrasonic measurement of internal jugular vein and inferior vena cava, which can be used as a good index to predict hypotension after anesthesia induction, and its measurement method is simple and quick.

Children having selective ophthalmic artery chemotherapy for retinoblastoma under general anaesthesia may experience troubles during the procedure. The troubles are transient, may be severe and include hypoxemia, hypotension and bradycardia. All children having such trouble always fully recovered without any sequelae or prolonged length of stay. The investigators suspect that these phenomenons are caused by transient pulmonary hypertension.The objective is to see whether transient pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure is present during theses phenomenon by trans-thoracic echocardiography.

To assess the need of respiratory gated radiotherapy in left sided breast cancer patients.

Renal failure and high plasmatic level of urea have been associated with an increased risk of hemorrhage in surgical patients. There is only sparse data on the impact of renal replacement therapy on homeostatic parameters. The aim of this study is to describe potential changes in homeostatic parameters before and after renal replacement therapy.