Synthesis and study of organo-modified silica based hydrogels: Rheological properties and drug release kinetics.

The method of synthesis of unmodified and organo-modified silica hydrogels and their composites with orotic acid as a model drug was developed. The hydrogels had a pH of 6.5-7.

The Low-Temperature Sol-Gel Synthesis of Metal-Oxide Films on Polymer Substrates and the Determination of Their Optical and Dielectric Properties.

Photoactive, optically transparent heterostructures from silver nanowires and titanium dioxide were obtained by the sol-gel method on the surface of a polyethylene terephthalate film. The characteristics of optical transmission on the wavelength and those of dielectric permittivity, conductivity and dissipation on frequency in the range of 25-1,000,000 Hz were investigated.

Structural Features and Properties' Characterization of Polylactic Acid/Natural Rubber Blends with Epoxidized Soybean Oil.

Because of the effort to preserve petroleum resources and promote the development of eco-friendly materials, bio-based polymers produced from sustainable resources have attracted great attention. Among them, polylactide (PLA) and natural rubber (NR) present prominent polymers with unique barrier and mechanical features. A series of samples with improved phase compatibility were obtained by blending PLA and NR using a double-rotor mixer.

Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers Filled with Rod-Like α-MnO Nanoparticles: An Interplay of Structure and Electrorheological Performance.

For the first time, electroactive nanocomposite elastomers based on polydimethylsiloxane and filled with rod-like α-MnO nanoparticles have been obtained. The curing of the filled elastomer in an electric field, resulting in the ordering of the α-MnO particles, had a significant effect on the degree of polymer crosslinking, as well as on the electrorheological characteristics of the nanocomposites obtained through this process, namely the values of the storage and loss moduli. The dielectric spectra of filled elastomers in the frequency range 25-10 Hz were analysed in terms of interfacial relaxation processes.

Electrorheological Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane/TiO-Based Composite Elastomers.

Electrorheological elastomers based on polydimethylsiloxane filled with hydrated titanium dioxide with a particle size of 100-200 nm were obtained by polymerization of the elastomeric matrix, either in the presence, or in the absence, of an external electric field. The viscoelastic and dielectric properties of the obtained elastomers were compared. Analysis of the storage modulus and loss modulus of the filled elastomers made it possible to reveal the influence of the electric field on the Payne effect in electrorheological elastomers.

Plasma-liquid synthesis of MoO and WO as potential photocatalysts.

Plasmas in contact with liquids represent a green chemistry method for the synthesis of metal oxides. In this work, underwater plasma was used for the synthesis of molybdenum and tungsten oxides. The obtained samples were analyzed by various techniques.

Surfactant-Switched Positive/Negative Electrorheological Effect in Tungsten Oxide Suspensions.

The electrorheological (ER) effect was experimentally observed in dielectric suspensions containing tungsten oxide (WO) modified with surfactant molecules (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecylamine (DDA)) in electric fields up to several kilovolts per millimeter. The dielectric properties of WO suspensions in silicone oil were analyzed, depending on the frequency of the electric field, in the range from 25 to 10 Hz. Unmodified WO suspensions, as well as suspensions modified with sodium dodecyl sulfate, were shown to exhibit a positive electrorheological effect, whereas suspensions modified with dodecylamine demonstrated a negative electrorheological effect.

Improving the Power of the American Society of Anesthesiology Classification System to Risk Stratify Vascular Surgery Patients Based on National Surgical Quality Improvement Project-Defined Functional Status.

Background: Recently published reports have shown that the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classification system has limited applicability in vascular surgery patients. Most patients undergoing vascular procedures are designated as ASA class III, limiting discrimination in preoperative risk assessment. The 2006 National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP), containing over 170,000 surgical cases, demonstrated that functional status is an important predictor of mortality.

Insertional Mutagenesis Confounds the Mechanism of the Morbid Phenotype of a PLN Transgenic Mouse Line.

Background: A mouse line with heterozygous transgenic expression of phospholamban carrying a substitution of cysteine for arginine 9 (TgPLN) under the control of α-myosin heavy chain (αMHC) promoter features dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and premature death.

Methods And Results: Determination of transgene chromosomal localization by conventional methods shows that in this line the transgenic array of 13 PLN expression cassettes, arranged in a head-to-tail tandem orientation, have integrated into the bidirectional promoter of the αMHC (Myh6) gene and the gene for the regulatory noncoding RNA Myheart (Mhrt), both of which are known to be involved in cardiac development and pathology. Expression of the noncoding RNA Mhrt in TgPLN mice exhibits profound deregulation, despite the presence of the second, intact allele.

Analyzing Risk Factors for Morbidity and Mortality after Lung Resection for Lung Cancer Using the NSQIP Database.

Background: Our goal was to develop a predictive model that identifies how preoperative risk factors and perioperative complications lead to mortality after anatomic pulmonary resections.

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study. The American College of Surgeons NSQIP database was examined for all patients undergoing elective lobectomies for cancer from 2005 through 2012.

CASQ1 gene is an unlikely candidate for malignant hyperthermia susceptibility in the North American population.

Background: Malignant hyperthermia (MH, MIM# 145600) is a complex pharmacogenetic disorder that is manifested in predisposed individuals as a potentially lethal reaction to volatile anesthetics and depolarizing muscle relaxants. Studies of CASQ1-null mice have shown that CASQ1, encoding calsequestrin 1, the major Ca2+ binding protein in the lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, is a candidate gene for MH in mice. The aim of this study was to establish whether the CASQ1 gene is associated with MH in the North American population.

Novel excitation-contraction uncoupled RYR1 mutations in patients with central core disease.

Central core disease, one of the most common congenital myopathies in humans, has been linked to mutations in the RYR1 gene encoding the Ca(2+) release channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (RyR1). Functional analyses showed that disease-associated RYR1 mutations led to impairment of skeletal muscle Ca(2+) homeostasis; however, thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying central core disease and other RyR1-related conditions is still lacking. We screened by sequencing the complete RYR1 transcripts in ten unrelated patients with central core disease and identified five novel, p.

A fluorodeoxyglucose avid mediastinal parathyroid adenoma masquerading as metastatic bladder cancer.

A 64-year old male with a prior medical history of bladder transitional cell carcinoma treated with a cystoprostatectomy and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy 10 years earlier underwent a surveillance positron emission tomography (PET) scan that revealed a metabolically active 2-cm nodule in the superior mediastinum, anterior to the origin of the innominate artery. The lesion was removed due to concerns of metastatic disease using a cervical mediastinoscope. Final pathology revealed an ectopic mediastinal parathyroid adenoma.

Spontaneous axillary artery aneurysm: a case report and review of the literature.

Degenerative arterial aneurysms can occur in any vascular territory. However, they are exceedingly rare in the axillary artery. Complications of axillary artery aneurysms may result in acute vascular insufficiency and neurological deficits.

Acute aortic occlusion from a Candida fungus ball.

Fungal arterial infections are well-described entities resulting in direct invasion of the arterial wall or embolic occlusion of small and medium-sized arteries. However, acute occlusion of large vessels such as the aorta by fungal material is exceedingly rare. A 53-year-old woman presented with acute bilateral lower extremity ischemia.

Ryanodine receptor type 1 gene mutations found in the Canadian malignant hyperthermia population.

Purpose: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an autosomal dominant pharmacogenetic disorder that is manifested on exposure of susceptible individuals to halogenated anesthetics or succinylcholine. Since MH is associated primarily with mutations in the ryanodine receptor type 1 (RYR1) gene, the purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and frequency of MH causative RyR1 mutations in the Canadian MH susceptible (MHS) population.

Methods: In this study, we screened a representative cohort of 36 unrelated Canadian MHS individuals for RYR1 mutations by sequencing complete RYR1 transcripts and selected regions of CACNA1S transcripts.

Ca2+ dysregulation in Ryr1(I4895T/wt) mice causes congenital myopathy with progressive formation of minicores, cores, and nemaline rods.

Ryr1(I4895T/wt) (IT/+) mice express a knockin mutation corresponding to the human I4898T EC-uncoupling mutation in the type 1 ryanodine receptor/Ca(2+) release channel (RyR1), which causes a severe form of central core disease (CCD). IT/+ mice exhibit a slowly progressive congenital myopathy, with neonatal respiratory stress, skeletal muscle weakness, impaired mobility, dorsal kyphosis, and hind limb paralysis. Lesions observed in myofibers from diseased mice undergo age-dependent transformation from minicores to cores and nemaline rods.

beta-adrenergic regulation of a novel isoform of NCX: sequence and expression of shark heart NCX in human kidney cells.

The function, regulation, and molecular structure of the cardiac Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers (NCXs) vary significantly among vertebrates. We previously reported that beta-adrenergic suppression of amphibian cardiac NCX1.1 is associated with specific molecular motifs.

Postoperative hyperbilirubinemia is an independent predictor of longterm outcomes after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Two decade-old studies of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) patients documented a 25% to 35% incidence of postoperative hyperbilirubinemia, associated with increased in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Longterm consequences of this complication are unknown.

Study Design: Medical records of CPB patients were reviewed.

An Ryr1I4895T mutation abolishes Ca2+ release channel function and delays development in homozygous offspring of a mutant mouse line.

A heterozygous Ile4898 to Thr (I4898T) mutation in the human type 1 ryanodine receptor/Ca(2+) release channel (RyR1) leads to a severe form of central core disease. We created a mouse line in which the corresponding Ryr1(I4895T) mutation was introduced by using a "knockin" protocol. The heterozygote does not exhibit an overt disease phenotype, but homozygous (IT/IT) mice are paralyzed and die perinatally, apparently because of asphyxia.