Respiratory droplets, naturally produced during expiration, can transmit pathogens from infected individuals. Wearing a face mask is crucial to prevent such transmission, yet the perception of dyspnea and uncomfortable breathing remains a common concern, particularly during epidemics. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of face mask use on the perception of dyspnea, cardiopulmonary parameters, and facial temperature during physical activity. A randomized crossover study was conducted on healthy adults at a physiology laboratory located in the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia, in November 2022. Participants underwent five stages of physical exercise tests based on the Bruce Protocol under three conditions: without any face mask (control), wearing a surgical mask, and an N95 mask, forming the study\'s main groups. Dyspnea perception (measured by the Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale), cardiopulmonary parameters (heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure) and facial temperature were measured before the exercise test (pre-workout), at the end of stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and after the whole exercise test (post-workout). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted, considering two factors: the type of mask (control, surgical mask, N95 mask) and the various stages of the exercise test. A total of 36 healthy adults were included in the study. We found that dyspnea perception was much worse in the N95 mask group, particularly during vigorous exercise. There was no significant difference between groups in cardiopulmonary parameters. However, participants wearing N95 had a greater supralabial temperature than those wearing surgical masks or no mask at all. It is recommended to undertake a more in-depth evaluation of cardiopulmonary physiological measures.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiopulmonary (CP) complications are well-known phenomena in patients with isolated traumatic brain injury (iTBI) that can lead to tissue hypoperfusion and hypoxia. Serum lactate level is a well-known biomarker, indicating these systemic dysregulations in various diseases, but this has not been investigated in iTBI patients so far. The current study evaluates the association between serum lactate levels upon admission and CP parameters within the first 24 h of intensive care unit (ICU) treatment in iTBI patients.
METHODS: 182 patients with iTBI who were admitted to our neurosurgical ICU between December 2014 and December 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. Serum lactate levels on admission, demographic, medical, and radiological data upon admission, as well as several CP parameters within the first 24 h of ICU treatment, were analyzed, as well as the functional outcome at discharge. The total study population was dichotomized into patients with an elevated serum lactate level (lactate-positive) and patients with a low serum lactate level (lactate-negative) upon admission.
RESULTS: 69 patients (37.9%) had an elevated serum lactate level upon admission, which was significantly associated with a lower Glasgow Coma Scale score (p = 0.04), a higher head AIS score (p = 0.03), and a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (p = 0.01) upon admission, as well as a higher modified Rankin Scale score (p = 0.002) and a lower Glasgow Outcome Scale score (p < 0.0001) at discharge. Furthermore, the lactate-positive group required a significantly higher norepinephrine application rate (NAR; p = 0.04) and a higher fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2; p = 0.04) to maintain the defined CP parameters within the first 24 h.
CONCLUSIONS: ICU-admitted iTBI patients with elevated serum lactate levels upon admission required higher CP support within the first 24 h of ICU treatment after iTBI. Serum lactate may be a helpful biomarker for improving ICU treatment in the early stages.

Minute ventilation rates (VE), alveolar ventilation rates (VA), cardiac outputs (Q), liver blood flow (LBF) and kidneys blood flows (KBF) for physiologically based toxicokinetic modeling and occupational health risk assessment in active workers have apparently not been determined. Minute energy expenditure rates (E) and oxygen consumption rates (VO2) in workers during exertions and their aggregate daytime activities are obtained by using open-circuit wearable devices for indirect calorimetry measurements and the doubly labeled water method respectively. Hundreds of E (in kcal/min) and VO2 (in L of O2/min) were previously reported for workers. The oxygen uptake factors of 0.2059 ± 0.0019 and 0.2057 ± 0.0018 L of O2/kcal during postprandial and fasting phases respectively enabled conversion of E into VO2. Equations determined in this study based upon more than 25 000 published measurements enable the calculation of 15 parameters in the same worker only by using the VO2 reflecting workload. These parameters, notably VE, VA, VE/VO2 VA/Q, Q, LBF and KBF were found to be interrelated. Altering one of these changes the order of magnitude of the others. Q, LBF and KBF decrease when supine adults at rest switch to an upright position. This effect of gravity diminished when VO2 increased. The fall in LBF and KBF during exertion might enhance muscle blood flow as reported previously. Taken together these equations and data may improve the accuracy of physiologically based toxicokinetic modeling as well as occupational health assessment studies in active workers exposed to xenobiotics.List of main abbreviations: AVOD: arterioveinous oxygen content difference.BMI: body mass index (in kg/m2).BSA: body surface area (in m2).BTPS: body temperature and saturated with water vapor.Bw: body weight (in kg).E: minute energy expenditure rate (in kcal/min).FGE: organ blood flow factor for the gravitational effect on blood circulation.H: oxygen uptake factor, volume of oxygen (at STPD) consumed to produce 1 kcal of energy expended.KBF: kidneys blood flow (in ml/min).LBF: liver blood flow (in ml/min).PBF: liver or kidneys blood flows expressed in terms of percentages (in %) of Qsup C values: namely PBF = (LBF or KBF/Qsup C) x 100.Q: cardiac output (in L/min or ml/min).Qsup C: cardiac output for the cohort of males or females in supination (in ml/min).STPD: standard temperature and pressure, dry air.sup: values measured when adults are in the supine position.up: values measured when adults are in the upright position.VDphys: physiological dead space at BTPS (in L).VT: tidal volume at BTPS (in L).VA: alveolar ventilation rate at BTPS (in L/min).VA/Q: ventilation-perfusion ratio (unitless).VE: minute ventilation rate at BTPS (in L/min).VO2: oxygen consumption rate (i.e. the oxygen uptake) at STPD (in L/min).VQ: ventilatory equivalent for VO2 (VE at BTPS /VO2 at STPD).

COVID-19 exerts deleterious cardiopulmonary effects, leading to a worse prognosis in the most affected. This retrospective multi-center observational cohort study aimed to analyze the trajectories of key vitals amongst hospitalized COVID-19 patients using a chest-patch wearable providing continuous remote patient monitoring of numerous vital signs. The study was conducted in five COVID-19 isolation units. A total of 492 COVID-19 patients were included in the final analysis. Physiological parameters were measured every 15 min. More than 3 million measurements were collected including heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cardiac output, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, and body temperature. Cardiovascular deterioration appeared early after admission and in parallel with changes in the respiratory parameters, showing a significant difference in trajectories within sub-populations at high risk. Early detection of cardiovascular deterioration of COVID-19 patients is achievable when using frequent remote patient monitoring.

Physiological changes associated with thermoregulation can influence the kinetics of chemicals in the human body such as alveolar ventilation (VA) and redistribution of blood flow to organs. In this study, the influence of heat stress on various physiological parameters was evaluated in nine male volunteers during sessions of exposure to wet-bulb globe temperatures (WBGT) of 21, 25, and 30 °C for 4 h. Skin and core temperatures and more than 20 cardiopulmonary parameters were measured. Liver, kidneys, brain, skin, and muscles blood flows were also determined based on published measurements. Results show that most subjects (eight out of nine) have been affected by the inhalation of hot and dry air at the WBGT of 30 °C. High respiratory rates, superficial tidal volumes, and low VA values were notably observed. The skin blood flow increased by 2.16-fold, whereas the renal blood flow and liver blood flow decreased by about by 11% and 18%, respectively. A complete set of key cardiopulmonary parameters in healthy male adults before and during heat stress was generated for use in physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling. A toxicokinetic studies are ongoing to evaluate the impact of heat stress on the absorption, biotransformation and excretion rates of volatile xenobiotics.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiopulmonary (CP) complications are well-known phenomena after an isolated traumatic brain injury (iTBI) and they may be associated with an elevated serum troponin I (TnI) value. However, the influence of an elevated TnI level on CP parameters within the first 24 h after an iTBI is still unknown. The current study was conducted to assess the associations between the initial TnI value on admission and CP parameters during the first 24 h of intensive care unit (ICU) treatment in iTBI patients.
METHODS: A total of 288 patients with iTBIs, who were admitted to our emergency department between January 2010 and November 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Blood samples were taken on admission to determine TnI value. Each patient\'s demographic data, treatment regime, computed tomography results, and intra-hospital outcomes were evaluated, as well as several CP parameters, within the first 24 h of ICU treatment. The entire study population was stratified into patients with an initial TnI elevation (TnI positive) and without an initial TnI elevation (TnI negative).
RESULTS: Increased TnI values on admission were found in 59 (20.5%) patients. There were significant correlations between an initially elevated TnI value and a lower Glasgow Coma Scale score (p = 0.003), higher head Abbreviated Injury Scale score (p<0.0001), and higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (p = 0.005) on admission, as well as a lower Glasgow Outcome Scale score (p = 0.0002) and higher modified Rankin Scale score (p = 0.0001) at discharge. In addition, a significantly higher norepinephrine application rate (NAR) (p<0.0001) and inspiratory oxygen fraction (FiO2) (p = 0.028) were needed in the TnI positive group.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with elevated TnI values on admission require more circulation support (NAR and FiO2) within the first 24 h of ICU treatment after an iTBI. Therefore, the TnI may be a useful biomarker to improve ICU treatment of these patients.

UNASSIGNED: The elevation of serum cardiac troponin I (TNI) in patients with nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (ntSAH) is a well-known phenomenon. However, the relation between elevated TNI and different cardiopulmonary parameters (CPs) within the first 24 hours after ntSAH is unknown. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between TNI and different CP in patients with ntSAH within the first 24 hours of intensive care unit (ICU) treatment.
UNASSIGNED: We retrospectively analyzed a consecutive group of 117 patients with ntSAH admitted to our emergency department between January 2008 and February 2017. Blood samples were taken to determine TNI values on admission. Demographic data, baseline Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) score, baseline Fisher grade (FG), norepinephrine application rate (NAR) in µg/kg/min, and inspiratory oxygen fraction (OF) were recorded within the first 24 hours.
UNASSIGNED: An increased TNI value was found in 32 (27.4%) of 117 patients. There was a significant correlation between initial elevated TNI and a low WFNS score (P = .007), a low GCS score (P = .003) as well as a high OF (P = <.001). The FG (P = .27) and NAR (P = .08) within the first 24 hours of ICU treatment did not show any significant correlation.
UNASSIGNED: In the present study, an increased TNI value was significantly associated with a low WFNS score and GCS score on admission. The TNI was a predictor of the need for a higher OF within the first 24 hours after ntSAH so that TNI could be an informative biomarker to improve ICU therapy.

Research in the area of injectable anesthetics in dogs requires mindfulness of ventilation, in order to supply artificial oxygen, which is often achieved with special equipment which may be unaffordable for veterinarians in developing countries. This study evaluated the effect of oxygen supplementation in dogs anesthetized with acepromazine-tramadol-propofol. Six Nigerian indigenous dogs were premedicated with intramuscular injection of acepromazine (0.03 mg/kg) and tramadol (5 mg/kg), followed by induction of anesthesia with propofol (4 mg/kg) IV 20 min later. Maintenance of anesthesia for 2 h was achieved with repeated bolus injections of propofol (2 mg/kg) at 10 min interval and anesthetized dogs breathed oxygen. This experimental trial was repeated a week later without oxygen supply as a control. Anesthetic indices, cardiopulmonary parameters, and rectal temperature were recorded at 10 min intervals for 2 h. Duration of anesthesia, duration of recumbency, time to extubation, and time to standing were not significantly (P > .05) different from their respective control values. Mean heart rate progressively decreased from the 60 min interval in both groups of anesthetized dogs. Mean arterial pressure in dogs with supplemented oxygen was similar to the control group. The mean oxygen-haemoglobin saturation was similar in both experimental trials. There was a progressive decrease in rectal temperature from the 60 min interval in both groups of anesthetized dogs. It was concluded that bolus injection of propofol, with and without supplemental oxygen, appeared to be efficacious and relatively safe in acepromazine-tramadol premedicated healthy dogs not undergoing any surgical or diagnostic procedures.