The relationship between sex change and reproductive success in a protandric marine gastropod.

Protandric species switch sex during their lifetime. According to theory, the time (body size) at which sex change occurs is determined by the reproductive success of individuals affected by social interactions as well as by post-copulatory factors. Experimental evidence is biased to few social systems making the exploration of general patterns difficult.

Diabetes and ischemic heart disease death in people age 25-54: a multiple-cause-of-death analysis based on over 400 000 deaths from 1990 to 2008 in New York City.

Background: Over the past decade, ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality trends have been less favorable among adults age 25-54 than age ≥55 years.

Hypothesis: Disorders associated with IHD such as diabetes, chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases, and cocaine use are important contributors to premature IHD mortality.

Methods: Multiple-cause-of-death analysis was performed using the New York City (NYC) Vital Statistics database.

New-onset seizure after perflutren microbubble injection during dobutamine stress echocardiography.

Intravenous microbubble contrast agents are frequently used during ultrasound imaging to improve endocardial border detection, enhance Doppler signals, differentiate thrombi from tumors or define vascular anatomy. Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) with or without addition of atropine is a standard technique for evaluation of coronary artery disease. Noncontrast or contrast-enhanced DSE is generally considered a safe procedure.

The cholesterol emboli syndrome in atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol emboli syndrome is a relatively rare, but potentially devastating, manifestation of atherosclerotic disease. Cholesterol emboli syndrome is characterized by waves of arterio-arterial embolization of cholesterol crystals and atheroma debris from atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta or its large branches to small or medium caliber arteries (100-200 μm in diameter) that frequently occur after invasive arterial procedures. End-organ damage is due to mechanical occlusion and inflammatory response in the destination arteries.