A van der Waals interface that creates in-plane polarization and a spontaneous photovoltaic effect.

Van der Waals interfaces can be formed by layer stacking without regard to lattice constants or symmetries of individual building blocks. We engineered the symmetry of a van der Waals interface of tungsten selenide and black phosphorus and realized in-plane electronic polarization that led to the emergence of a spontaneous photovoltaic effect. Spontaneous photocurrent was observed along the polar direction and was absent in the direction perpendicular to it.

Anatomic validation of a novel method for left ventricular volume and mass measurements with use of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography.

Assessment of left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass is a critical element in the evaluation of patients with cardiovascular disease. However, most non-invasive methods used for the quantitative measurements of LV volume and mass have important intrinsic limitations. Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3D echo) is a new technique capable of acquiring volumetric images without cardiac or respiratory gating.

Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography for measurement of left ventricular volumes.

Left ventricular (LV) volumes are important prognostic indexes in patients with heart disease. Although several methods can evaluate LV volumes, most have important intrinsic limitations. Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT3D echo) is a novel technique capable of instantaneous acquisition of volumetric images.

Myocardial blood flow at rest and contractile reserve in patients with chronic coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

Background: The mechanisms that determine chronic left ventricular dysfunction in coronary artery disease (in particular, critical reductions in coronary artery blood flow leading to hibernating myocardium) may affect the ability of the myocardium to respond to inotropic stimulation with dobutamine. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between resting myocardial blood flow and contractile reserve in patients with coronary artery disease and chronic left ventricular dysfunction.

Methods And Results: Twenty-three patients (21 men and 2 women; age 61 +/- 9 years) underwent transesophageal echocardiography during infusion of dobutamine (2.

Detection of coronary artery disease in women. The pitfalls of noninvasive tests.

Even though coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in women, a diagnostic dilemma still remains owing to the high rate of false-positive results observed with noninvasive testing. It still is not clear why a gender bias exists in the noninvasive and invasive evaluation of women suspected of coronary artery disease. Probability analysis may reduce the number of unnecessary coronary angiographies in women, thus setting up a sex-specific approach.