Prospective External Validation of Three Preoperative Risk Scores for Prediction of New Onset Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is associated with early and late morbidity and mortality of cardiac surgical patients. Prophylactic treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been recommended to improve outcome in cardiac surgical patients at high risk of developing POAF. Reliable models for prediction of POAF are needed to achieve that goal.

The diagnosis and management of the Spitz nevus in the pediatric population: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Background: Spitz nevi are uncommon melanocytic neoplasms found in children. Historically, the diagnosis and management of these tumors has lacked consensus among oncologists, pathologists, plastic surgeons, and dermatologists. Once interpreted and treated as a "juvenile melanoma", many have argued for the benignancy of such tumors in certain patient age groups, encouraging a conservative approach.

Novel control of lactate dehydrogenase from the freeze tolerant wood frog: role of posttranslational modifications.

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the terminal enzyme of anaerobic glycolysis, plays a crucial role both in sustaining glycolytic ATP production under oxygen-limiting conditions and in facilitating the catabolism of accumulated lactate when stress conditions are relieved. In this study, the effects on LDH of in vivo freezing and dehydration stresses (both of which impose hypoxia/anoxia stress on tissues) were examined in skeletal muscle of the freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica. LDH from muscle of control, frozen and dehydrated wood frogs was purified to homogeneity in a two-step process.

Inhibition of apoptosis prevents shear-induced detachment of endothelial cells.

Background: Biomaterials placed into the vasculature in man fail to develop an endothelial lining. Attempts to seed endothelial cells (ECs) on prosthetic vascular grafts have failed due to flow-induced detachment. The mechanism of flow-induced detachment of ECs from biomaterials is undefined.