Close antiplatelet therapy monitoring and adjustment based upon thrombelastography may reduce late-onset bleeding in HeartMate II recipients.

Objectives: Bleeding is the most common complication of HeartMate II and is partially attributable to platelet dysfunction; however, antiplatelet therapy is arbitrary in most centres. We investigated how antiplatelet therapy adjustment with thrombelastography affects late-onset bleeding.

Methods: Thrombelastography was used to adjust antiplatelet therapy in 57 HeartMate II recipients.

Drug-eluting stents may not reduce target lesion revascularization in cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Objective: Although drug-eluting stent (DES) compared with bare metal stent (BMS) use reduces in-stent restenosis (ISR) in traditional coronary artery disease, its efficacy in cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) has not been clearly established.

Background: CAV is a leading cause of mortality after the first year following cardiac transplantation. CAV treatment options are limited, and DES use has increased significantly in this population.

Role of Acinetobacter baumannii UmuD homologs in antibiotic resistance acquired through DNA damage-induced mutagenesis.

The role of Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978 UmuDC homologs A1S_0636-A1S_0637, A1S_1174-A1S_1173, and A1S_1389 (UmuDAb) in antibiotic resistance acquired through UV-induced mutagenesis was evaluated. Neither the growth rate nor the UV-related survival of any of the three mutants was significantly different from that of the wild-type parental strain. However, all mutants, and especially the umuDAb mutant, were less able to acquire resistance to rifampin and streptomycin through the activities of their error-prone DNA polymerases.

The risk of bilobectomy compared with lobectomy: a retrospective analysis of a series of matched cases and controls.

Objectives: Bilobectomy is considered to be a risky procedure due to space mismatch between the pleural space and the remnant lung. The objective of this study was to evaluate if postoperative complications related or not to size mismatch are more frequent after bilobectomy compared with right lobectomy cases.

Methods: Retrospective case-control study on a series of matched non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Biological cost of different mechanisms of colistin resistance and their impact on virulence in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Two mechanisms of resistance to colistin have been described in Acinetobacter baumannii. One involves complete loss of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), resulting from mutations in lpxA, lpxC, or lpxD, and the second is associated with phosphoethanolamine addition to LPS, mediated through mutations in pmrAB. In order to assess the clinical impacts of both resistance mechanisms, A.

Hydrogen peroxide accumulation in the choroid during intermittent hypoxia increases risk of severe oxygen-induced retinopathy in neonatal rats.

Purpose: Extremely low gestational age neonates (ELGANs) requiring oxygen therapy often experience frequent episodes of intermittent hypoxia (IH) and are at high risk for severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Using an established model for oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR), we examined the hypothesis that there is a critical number of daily brief IH episodes which will result in irreversible retinal oxidative damage.

Methods: Newborn rats were exposed to increasing daily clustered IH episodes (12% O₂ with 50% O₂) from postnatal day (P) 0 to P7 or P0 to P14, or placed in room air (RA) until P21 following 7- or 14-day IH.

Identification of a DNA-damage-inducible regulon in Acinetobacter baumannii.

The transcriptional response of Acinetobacter baumannii, a major cause of nosocomial infections, to the DNA-damaging agent mitomycin C (MMC) was studied using DNA microarray technology. Most of the 39 genes induced by MMC were related to either prophages or encoded proteins involved in DNA repair. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the product of the A.

Optimal sensor placement for multiple target positioning with range-only measurements in two-dimensional scenarios.

The problem of determining the optimal geometric configuration of a sensor network that will maximize the range-related information available for multiple target positioning is of key importance in a multitude of application scenarios. In this paper, a set of sensors that measures the distances between the targets and each of the receivers is considered, assuming that the range measurements are corrupted by white Gaussian noise, in order to search for the formation that maximizes the accuracy of the target estimates. Using tools from estimation theory and convex optimization, the problem is converted into that of maximizing, by proper choice of the sensor positions, a convex combination of the logarithms of the determinants of the Fisher Information Matrices corresponding to each of the targets in order to determine the sensor configuration that yields the minimum possible covariance of any unbiased target estimator.

Sensor networks for optimal target localization with bearings-only measurements in constrained three-dimensional scenarios.

In this paper, we address the problem of determining the optimal geometric configuration of an acoustic sensor network that will maximize the angle-related information available for underwater target positioning. In the set-up adopted, a set of autonomous vehicles carries a network of acoustic units that measure the elevation and azimuth angles between a target and each of the receivers on board the vehicles. It is assumed that the angle measurements are corrupted by white Gaussian noise, the variance of which is distance-dependent.

MicroRNA modulation of lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in cardiometabolic diseases.

The regulation of the metabolism of cholesterol has been one of the most studied biological processes since its first isolation from gallstones in 1784. High levels of plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and reduced levels of plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are widely recognized as major risk factors of cardiovascular disease. An imbalance in the production of reactive oxygen species can oxidize LDL particles, increasing the levels of the highly proatherogenic oxidized LDL.

Low-fat dairy products consumption is associated with lower triglyceride concentrations in a Spanish hypertriglyceridemic cohort.

Introduction: The first line of treatment for hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) includes a well-balanced diet, although the association of dietary components with triglyceride (TG) concentrations in hypertriglyceridemic patients is not fully understood.

Objective: To describe the main dietary patterns in a cohort of hypertriglyceridaemic patients and to evaluate the association between dietary components and TG levels.

Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study included subjects (n = 1.

[Anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation: new therapeutic alternatives].

The fundamental treatment of atrial fibrillation is based on maintenance of sinus rhythm or control of ventricular rate and preventing arterial thromboembolism. Warfarin has been the anti-thrombotic agent of choice for the last 50 years. However multiple interactions with other drugs and certain types of food and vegetables with high Vitamin K content complicate its use.

Association of OPRM1 and COMT single-nucleotide polymorphisms with hospital length of stay and treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Importance: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) caused by in utero opioid exposure is a growing problem; genetic factors influencing the incidence and severity have not been previously examined. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the μ-opioid receptor (OPRM1), multidrug resistance (ABCB1), and catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) genes are associated with risk for opioid addiction in adults.

Objective: To determine whether SNPs in the OPRM1, ABCB1, and COMT genes are associated with length of hospital stay and the need for treatment of NAS.

[Clinical profile of patients with very high hypertriglyceridemia from the Registry of Hypertriglyceridemia of the Spanish Atherosclerosis Society].

Background And Objective: To describe clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with very high hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) who were attended in lipid units of the Spanish Society of Atherosclerosis (SEA).

Patients And Method: Patients of the HTG Registry of SEA with at least one triglyceride concentration greater than 1,000mg/dL (n=298, HTG severe group) and those whose baseline triglycerides were between 200 and 246mg/dL (HTG control group, n=272) were included.

Results: Patients with very high triglyceride levels were younger (46.

Control of cholesterol metabolism and plasma high-density lipoprotein levels by microRNA-144.

Rationale: Foam cell formation because of excessive accumulation of cholesterol by macrophages is a pathological hallmark of atherosclerosis, the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Western societies. Liver X nuclear receptors (LXRs) regulate the expression of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, including adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1). ABCA1 and ABCG1 facilitate the efflux of cholesterol from macrophages and regulate high-density lipoprotein (HDL) biogenesis.

MicroRNAs and atherosclerosis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, ~22 nucleotide (nt) sequences of RNA that regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional level. These endogenous gene expression inhibitors were primarily described in cancer but recent exciting findings have also demonstrated a key role in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including atherosclerosis. MiRNAs control endothelial cell (EC), vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC), and macrophage functions, and thereby regulate the progression of atherosclerosis.

Regression activity that is naturally present in vitreous becomes ineffective as patients develop proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Aims/hypothesis: The realisation that targeting agents in the vitreous is an effective approach to treating patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) has increased awareness that changes in the composition/bioactivity of the vitreous is a contributor to the pathogenesis of DR. The overall goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that the vitreous has regression activity, and that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) contributes to such activity. LPA is a bioactive phospholipid present in many biological fluids, and has been recently appreciated for its ability to promote regression of blood vessels.

Novel mutations in the ferritin-L iron-responsive element that only mildly impair IRP binding cause hereditary hyperferritinaemia cataract syndrome.

Background: Hereditary Hyperferritinaemia Cataract Syndrome (HHCS) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by increased serum ferritin levels and early onset of bilateral cataract. The disease is caused by mutations in the Iron-Responsive Element (IRE) located in the 5' untranslated region of L-Ferritin (FTL) mRNA, which post-transcriptionally regulates ferritin expression.

Methods: We describe two families presenting high serum ferritin levels and juvenile cataract with novel mutations in the L-ferritin IRE.

An algorithm to detect adverse drug reactions in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Critically ill newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are at greater risk of developing adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Differentiation of ADRs from reactions associated with organ dysfunction/immaturity is difficult. Current ADR algorithm scoring was established arbitrarily without validation in infants.

Response of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenesis-related genes to stepwise increases in inspired oxygen in neonatal rat lungs.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is an inflammatory lung disease that afflicts preterm infants requiring supplemental oxygen and is associated with impaired pulmonary angiogenesis. We tested the hypothesis that there is a critical threshold of inspired O2 (FiO2) that alters pulmonary angiogenesis.

Methods: Within 2-6 h of birth, rat pups were exposed to 10%, 21%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100% FiO2 for 2 h.

MYADM controls endothelial barrier function through ERM-dependent regulation of ICAM-1 expression.

The endothelium maintains a barrier between blood and tissue that becomes more permeable during inflammation. Membrane rafts are ordered assemblies of cholesterol, glycolipids, and proteins that modulate proinflammatory cell signaling and barrier function. In epithelial cells, the MAL family members MAL, MAL2, and myeloid-associated differentiation marker (MYADM) regulate the function and dynamics of ordered membrane domains.

The risk of death due to cardiorespiratory causes increases with time after right pneumonectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Objectives: The study aimed to compare in-hospital, 30-day and non-cancer-related 6-month death rates in a series of right and left pneumonectomy cases matched according to functional parameters.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on a series of 263 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent pneumonectomy. Left and right pneumonectomy cases were matched according to propensity scores using the following variables: age, coronary artery disease, any other cardiac comorbidity and predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in the 1st second (ppoFEV1).

Efficient biomarkers for the characterization of bone tissue.

This work describes an expert system aimed to an accurate classification of cell tissue on microscopic images coming from studies of bone tissue regeneration from stem cells. We analyze a wide number of phenotype and color issues to build effective vectors of features for the subsequent characterization of tissue into five different classes: bone, cartilage, muscle, fiber and spine. The features selection includes texture, shape and color descriptors, among which we consider color histograms, Zernike moments and circular parameters.

Randomized controlled trial of ventricular elastic support therapy in the treatment of symptomatic heart failure: rationale and design.

Background: Despite the current drug and device therapies, heart failure remains associated with high rates of disability, morbidity, and mortality. There is a need for newer therapies. One investigational approach is the use of ventricular support devices.

Modeling methods for studying post-translational and transcriptional modifying enzymes.

Biological catalysis is a complex chemical process that involves not only electronic reorganization in the substrate but also the reorganization of the catalyst. This complexity is even larger in the case of post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications which may involve the interaction between two biomacromolecules. However, the development over the past decades of new computational methods and strategies is offering a detailed molecular picture of the catalytic event and a deep understanding of the mechanisms of chemical reactions in biological environments.