Voltage-Guided and Non-Voltage-Guided Superior Vena Cava Isolation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: In addition to the pulmonary vein, the superior vena cava (SVC) is an important focus of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, SVC isolation may cause serious complications, and appropriate settings and techniques for SVC isolation are lacking.

Methods: This study enrolled 86 consecutive patients with AF who underwent SVC isolation.

Low-Yellowing Phosphor-in-Glass for High-Power Chip-on-board White LEDs by Optimizing a Low-Melting Sn-P-F-O Glass Matrix.

We introduce a low-melting-point (MP) Sn-P-F-O glass ceramic material into the phosphor-in-glass (PIG) material to realize an 'on-chip' chip-on-board (COB) type of phosphor-converted (pc) white light-emitting diode (WLED) with green (BaSr)SiO:Eu and red (SrCa)AlSiN:Eu (SCASN) phosphors. The optimum Sn-P-F-O-based ceramic components can be sintered into the glass phase with a facile one-step heating process at 285 °C for 1 min. Specifically, these soft-fabrication conditions can be optimized to minimize the degradation of the luminescent properties of the red SCASN phosphor as well as the green silicate phosphor in PIG-based white COB-type pc-LEDs owing to the low thermal loss of the phosphors at low fabrication temperatures below 300 °C.

Sudden Respiratory Failure due to Tracheobronchomalacia by Relapsing Polychondritis, Successfully Rescued by Multiple Metallic Stenting and Tracheostomy.

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease that affects cartilaginous structures. RP causes tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) by affecting the bronchial cartilage. TBM is a fatal condition characterized by excessive weakening of the walls of the trachea and bronchi.

Nonsolvents-induced swelling of poly(methyl methacrylate) nanoparticles.

Polymer nanoparticles have been used in a wide variety of applications. In most of these applications, they are generally dispersed in a non-solvent. However, the effect of the non-solvent on the structure, physical properties and function of the nanoparticles has not yet ever taken into account.

Four cases of MPO-ANCA-positive vasculitis with otitis media, and review of the literature.

Otitis media is one of the common organ injuries that appear during the course of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). We experienced four patients with myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA-positive AAV with otitis media. All were elderly Japanese women.