Soluble ST2 is associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery in postmenopausal women.

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) represents the most common complication following cardiac surgery. Approximately one-third of patients experiencing POAF transition to atrial fibrillation within a year, challenging the notion of POAF as merely a transient event. Soluble ST2 (sST2) is an established biomarker regarding fibrosis and myocardial stretch, however, its role in predicting the onset of POAF remains unclear.

Sex-Related Disparities in Prescription Patterns of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Failure.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure (HF). In consideration of emerging evidence that there are clinically relevant sex-related differences in the course of T2DM and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes, it is unknown if SGLT2i therapy is sex-independently utilized in daily clinical practice. Patients with T2DM and HF admitted to a tertiary academic center between January 2014 and April 2020 were identified through a search of electronic health records.

The Impact of Preclinical High Potent P2Y Inhibitors on Decision Making at Discharge and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Purinergic signaling receptor Y (P2Y) inhibitors are a fundamental part of pharmacological therapy in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) for preventing recurrent ischemic events. Current guidelines support the use of prasugrel over ticagrelor-however, ticagrelor is widely used for preclinical loading during ACS due to its ease of administration. In this regard, it remains unknown whether the preclinical loading with P2Y inhibitors impacts decision-making for the long-term dual antiplatelet strategy, as well as cardiovascular outcomes, including re-percutaneous coronary intervention in real-world settings.

A round robin exercise in archaeometry: analysis of a blind sample reproducing a seventeenth century pharmaceutical ointment.

Chemical analysis of ancient residues of pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations such as balms or ointments is made problematic by the high complexity of these mixtures, composed of organic and inorganic materials. Consequently, a multi-analytical approach and special caution in the interpretation of the results are necessary. In order to contribute to the improvement of analytical strategies for the characterization of complex residues and to reconstruct ancient medical practices, a replica of a pharmaceutical formulation of the seventeenth century was prepared in the laboratory according to a historically documented recipe.

Identification and differentiation of dragon's blood in works of art using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Dragon's blood is a common but non-specific name for red-coloured resins that are produced by various plants, particularly exudations from plant species belonging to the genera Dracaena and Daemonorops. Although dragon's blood is mentioned in historic sources as a colourant, it has hardly ever been identified in real artworks. This paper reports the identification and discrimination of dragon's blood produced by Dracaena cinnabari, Dracaena draco as well as Daemonorops draco and Daemonorops micracantha by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) within the context of a routine analysis of binding media used in works of art.

Characterization of commercial synthetic resins by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: application to modern art and conservation.

To characterize a set of synthetic resins, a methodology by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) has been developed. The studied reference materials were commercial versions of a wide range of synthetic resins. For each polymer, the pyrolytic and chromatographic conditions were optimized to adequately resolve the fragment mixture in a short time.

Zn2Mg alkaline phosphatase in an early ptolemeic mummy.

Bone samples of a ptolemeic mummy have been employed to study the mode of conservation on the intactness of Zn2Mg alkaline phosphatase in both structure and catalytic activity. A protein of M(r) = 190 +/- 10 kDa being identical to the 200 kDa enzyme of fresh human bones was successfully isolated. Regardless of age 200 kDa protein bands and a distinct subunit at 60 kDa were seen in SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.