Cardiac Fibrosis, Cryotherapy, and Hyperparathyroidism—New Citations

Gualou Xiebai Decoction on Cardiac Fibrosis: Gualou Xiebai Decoction (GXD) is a well-known traditional Chinese recipe that has been used to treat cardiovascular disorders for nearly two thousand years. While it is known as an alternative medicine treatment, there is a lack of studies that show its effect on cardiac fibrosis. Researchers thus tested its effect on cardiac function in laboratory rats. A BIOPAC MP system was used to continuously record heart rate, systolic and diastolic pressure, LV pressure, and the rate of pressure development. Read the full paper here.

Cryotherapy on Injuries and Alleviation of Pain: Cryotherapy, the use of cold compress to reduce swelling of injuries and alleviate pain, is commonly used but there is actually very little systemic data showing the benefits of this type of therapy. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin studied the effects of prolonged cryotherapy using 9 healthy university students. Laser Doppler Flow was measured using a BIOPAC MP150 data acquisition system. Read and download the entire paper here.

Heart Rate Variability on Hyperparathyroidism: Hyperparathyroidism is a condition from which parathyroid hormone (PTH) is produced excessively and creates adverse effects to many organs. A number of studies have investigated the association between the heart rate variability obtained from the Electrocardiogram (ECG) and parathyroid hormone levels in the chronic kidney disease patients. In a recent study, ECG signals were recorded from continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with normal parathyroid hormone (N-PTH) and those with hyperparathyroid hormone (H-PTH) and which were used to provide a signal average ECG. Subjects’ data was recorded using a BIOPAC MP36R data acquisition system. View the full paper here.