Being the tallest living animals, giraffes are endowed with a mean arterial pressure (MAP) twice as high as other mammals, including humans. The high pressure of the giraffe cardiovascular system undoubtedly causes serious challenges to both the heart and the systemic vasculature. Mechanisms must have evolved to protect the giraffe cardiovascular system from the adverse effects of a high MAP. The present thesis aims to unveil some of the protective mechanisms in the cardiovascular system in the giraffe and to gain knowledge of the evolutionary adaptations accompanying the highest known MAP of any mammals.

Following amputation, up to 80% amputees perceive pain in the missing part of the arm or leg, known as phantom limb pain. Why phantom limb pain occurs has not been fully understood and the pain can be very difficult to relieve. This Ph.D. dissertation describes diverse features, existing treatments, and possible causes of phantom limb pain. Particularly it focuses on a promising treatment by proving sensory feedback that is lost in amputees due to removal of a limb. The results of the research studies involved in the thesis may contribute to develop a non-invasive, drug-free pain management approach for those amputee patients suffering from phantom limb pain.