Determinations of the pulse wave velocity (PWV) in living subjects have shown that higher values are found with increasing age (Rahier, 1961;Simonson and Nakagawa, 1960) and in the presence of hypertension, with or without presumed atherosclerosis, but more so in the former case (Miasnikov, 1960). Woolam et al. (1962) have also shown higher values in diabetics with presumed atherosclerosis, compared with normal subjects.Comparison of PWV values obtained by different workers is difficult because of the variable techniques employed and different criteria used in estimating the length of the vessel over which the recordings were made; in addition not all workers have used the same vessels for their measurements, or the same events in the cardiac cycle for timing purposes. It may be assumed further that recordings are usually carried out with the patient in the supine position but this is not always specified.Attention to these points is essential in considering what importance to attach to differences in figures given by various authors in reported PWV measurements. It is noted for example that the "normal" values quoted by Miasnikov are lower than those of Rahier's series by almost two metres. per second for subjects in their third decade. The values of PWV measured in peripheral vessels are higher than corresponding measurements in the aorta. This is consistent with the Moens-Korteweg equation (Moens, 1878; Korteweg, 1878), which is as follows:PWV=g where E is the transverse elasticity coefficient, h is the thickness of vessel wall, r is the radius of the vessel and p' is the density of fluid. In terms of this equation, and other values being constant, PWV is inversely proportional to the square root of the vessel radius.With the present recording methods accurate measurement of the very small delays between the arrival of the pulse wave at different points along a short vessel is not easy, even if the complicating effects of wave reflections from arterial branchings are ignored (McDonald, 1960).Hitherto little or no documentation concernilig the effect of induced blood pressure alterations in the living subject on the PWV has appeared although it is generally agreed that the PWV is directlyproportional to the level of blood pressure, albeit in terms of a non-linear relation: the experimental studies on living dogs and isolated aorta from these animals by Hamilton, Remington, and Dow (1945) support this view.The above considerations prompted this study into the magnitude of the contribution to the PWV made by the blood pressure in living subjects.

In order to study the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (Maxepa), Maxepa placebo and aspirin/dipyridamole combination on the clinical course and restenosis rate of atherosclerotic lesions after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty 79 men and 29 women were randomly divided into three treatment groups and restudied angiographically within one year of the procedure. Angina recurred less in the Maxepa group than in the other groups, although not statistically so. Restenosis rate was significantly reduced in the Maxepa group (11%) compared to the placebo group (30%) but, while less, was not significantly lower than in the aspirin/dipyridamole group (17%). Maxepa treatment appears to reduce restenosis rate of coronary artery lesions after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and may be an acceptable and equally effective alternative therapy to aspirin/dipyridamole.

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Objective. To examine long-term changes in physical function and body composition in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients participating in ongoing community-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Design. Thirty-four individuals (69.7 ± 8.2 years; 79% men) participated in this longitudinal observational study. Baseline and follow-up assessments included incremental shuttle walk, short physical performance battery, handgrip strength, chair stands, body composition, last year physical activity, and CR attendance. Results. Participants attended 38.5 ± 30.3% sessions during 1.6 ± 0.2 year followup. A significant increase in 30-second chair stands (17.0 ± 4.7 to 19.6 ± 6.4, P < 0.001), body weight (75.8 ± 11.1 to 77.2 ± 12.1 kg, P = 0.001), and body fat (27.0 ± 9.5 to 29.1 ± 9.6%, P < 0.001) and a decline in handgrip strength (36.4 ± 9.4 to 33.0 ± 10.6 kg·f, P < 0.001) and muscle mass (40.8 ± 5.6 to 39.3 ± 5.8%, P < 0.001) were observed during followup. There was no significant change in shuttle walk duration. CR attendance was not correlated to observed changes. Conclusions. Elderly CAD patients participating in a maintenance CR program improve lower-body muscle strength but experience a decline in handgrip strength and unfavourable changes in body composition, irrespective of CR attendance.

We demonstrate an optically sectioned fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope with a wide-field detector, using a convenient, continuously tunable (435-1150 nm) ultrafast source for fluorescence imaging applications that is derived from a visible supercontinuum generated in a microstructured fiber.