Impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy optimization inside a heart failure programme: a real-world experience.

Aims: This study sought to describe and evaluate the impact of a routine in-hospital cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) programme, including comprehensive heart failure (HF) evaluation and systematic echo-guided CRT optimization.

Methods And Results: CRT implanted patients were referred for optimization programme at 3 to 12 months from implantation. The program included clinical and biological status, standardized screening for potential cause of CRT non-response and systematic echo-guided atrioventricular and interventricular delays (AVd and VVd) optimization.

The antegrade reperfusion test avoids the risk of mitral regurgitation recurrence optimizing valve repair.

Saline injection into the left ventricle trough mitral valve (saline test) is the most commonly used intraoperative assessment method in mitral valve repair. However, potential discrepancies between the saline test findings and intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography results after the weaning of cardiopulmonary by-pass, remain significant. Here, we describe a new antegrade reperfusion test, reproducing intraoperatively, the physiologic conditions of loaded and beating heart for direct transatrial evaluation of valve tightness.

One-pot synthesis of a new antifungal polymerisable monomer and its characterisation by coordination-ion spray mass spectrometry.

We have investigated the synthesis of a new antifungal agent with a polymerisable moiety for the prevention of denture stomatisis. Nystatin (antifungal polyene) is modified in one step by reaction with isocyanatoethylmethacrylate to afford a new polymerisable antifungal agent in good yield (90%). In order to prove the monografting of the acrylate derivative and to localise the new group in the skeleton of the molecule, a rapid and efficient analytical method involving electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was developed for the study.

Fluoxetine protects hippocampal plasticity during conditioned fear stress and prevents fear learning potentiation.

Rationale: Contextual fear conditioning can produce both changes in hippocampal synaptic efficacy and potentiation of subsequent fear learning.

Objectives: In this study, we tested whether fluoxetine reverses these effects.

Materials And Methods: In the first experiment, we examined alterations of baseline synaptic efficacy and induction of synaptic plasticity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus during re-exposure of rats, treated with fluoxetine (7 mg/kg) or vehicle, in a context where they previously received 15 eyelid shocks or no shock (controls).