Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis and Small Aortic Annulus: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The optimal treatment in patients with severe aortic stenosis and small aortic annulus (SAA) remains to be determined. This study aimed to compare the hemodynamic and clinical outcomes between transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with a SAA.

Methods: This prospective multicenter international randomized trial was performed in 15 university hospitals.

Promising anticancer agents based on 8-hydroxyquinoline hydrazone copper(II) complexes.

We report the synthesis and characterization of a group of benzoylhydrazones (L) derived from 2-carbaldehyde-8-hydroxyquinoline and benzylhydrazides containing distinct substituents (R = H, Cl, F, CH, OCH, OH and NH, for L, respectively; in L isonicotinohydrazide was used instead of benzylhydrazide). Cu(II) complexes were prepared by reaction of each benzoylhydrazone with Cu(II) acetate. All compounds were characterized by elemental analysis and mass spectrometry as well as by FTIR, UV-visible absorption, NMR or electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies.

Solution chemical properties and anticancer potential of 8-hydroxyquinoline hydrazones and their oxidovanadium(IV) complexes.

We report the synthesis and characterization of a family of benzohydrazones (L, n = 1-6) derived from 2-carbaldehyde-8-hydroxyquinoline and benzylhydrazides containing different substituents in the para position. Their oxidovanadium(IV) complexes were prepared and compounds with 1:1 and 1:2 metal-to-ligand stoichiometry were obtained. All compounds were characterized by elemental analyses and mass spectrometry as well as FTIR, UV-visible absorption, NMR (ligand precursors) and EPR (complexes) spectroscopies, and by DFT computational methods.

Cytotoxic and antiparasitic activities of diphosphine-metal complexes of group 10 containing acylthiourea as ligands.

In this work, group 10 transition metal complexes bearing dppe [1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane] and acylthiourea ligands were evaluated for their cytotoxic and antiparasitic activities. Six new complexes with a general formula [M(L)(dppe)]BF [where M = Ni, Pd or Pt; L = N, N'-dimethyl-N-benzoyl thiourea (L) or N, N'-dimethyl-N-tiofenyl thiourea (L) were synthesized and characterized by infrared, NMR (P{H}, H and C{H}) spectroscopies, elemental analysis and molar conductivity. The structures of the complexes were confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique.

Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Model Predicting Arteriovenous Fistula Failure in a Large Network of Dialysis Clinics.

Vascular access surveillance of dialysis patients is a challenging task for clinicians. We derived and validated an arteriovenous fistula failure model (AVF-FM) based on machine learning. The AVF-FM is an XG-Boost algorithm aimed at predicting AVF failure within three months among in-centre dialysis patients.

Incidence and Predictors of Progression to Chagas Cardiomyopathy: Long-Term Follow-Up of -Seropositive Individuals.

Background: There are few contemporary cohorts of -seropositive individuals, and the basic clinical epidemiology of Chagas disease is poorly understood. Herein, we report the incidence of cardiomyopathy and death associated with seropositivity.

Methods: Participants were selected in blood banks at 2 Brazilian centers.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement After Surgical Repair or Replacement: Comprehensive Midterm Evaluation of Valve-in-Valve and Valve-in-Ring Implantation From the VIVID Registry.

Background: Mitral valve-in-valve (ViV) and valve-in-ring (ViR) are alternatives to surgical reoperation in patients with recurrent mitral valve failure after previous surgical valve repair or replacement. Our aim was to perform a large-scale analysis examining midterm outcomes after mitral ViV and ViR.

Methods: Patients undergoing mitral ViV and ViR were enrolled in the Valve-in-Valve International Data Registry.

Nebulization of Vancomycin Provides Higher Lung Tissue Concentrations than Intravenous Administration in Ventilated Female Piglets with Healthy Lungs.

Background: Intravenous vancomycin is used to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but achieves high rates of failure. Vancomycin nebulization may be efficient to provide high vancomycin lung tissue concentrations. The aim of this study was to compare lung tissue and serum concentrations of vancomycin administered intravenously and by aerosol in mechanically ventilated and anesthetized healthy piglets.

Searching for Atrial Fibrillation Poststroke: A White Paper of the AF-SCREEN International Collaboration.

Cardiac thromboembolism attributed to atrial fibrillation (AF) is responsible for up to one-third of ischemic strokes. Stroke may be the first manifestation of previously undetected AF. Given the efficacy of oral anticoagulants in preventing AF-related ischemic strokes, strategies of searching for AF after a stroke using ECG monitoring followed by oral anticoagulation (OAC) treatment have been proposed to prevent recurrent cardioembolic strokes.

GABA receptor family: overview on structural characterization.

The pentameric γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors are ion channels activated by ligands, which intervene in the rapid inhibitory transmission in the mammalian CNS. Due to their rich pharmacology and therapeutic potential, it is essential to understand their structure and function thoroughly. This deep characterization was hampered by the lack of experimental structural information for many years.

Impact of Preexisting Left Bundle Branch Block in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Recipients.

Background: The impact of preexisting left bundle branch block (LBBB) in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) recipients is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of preexisting LBBB on clinical outcomes after TAVR.

Methods And Results: This multicenter study evaluated 3404 TAVR candidates according to the presence or absence of LBBB on baseline ECG.

Potential benefits of near critical and supercritical pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass towards anaerobic digestion.

Vegetable crop residues, such as sugarcane bagasse (SCB), despite their limited biodegradability, are potential materials for anaerobic processes because of their low cost, high availability, and sugar content. The difficulty of biodegrading this type of material is primarily related to its chemical composition and to the complex interactions between its compounds (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin). Thus, the following supercritical and near critical carbon dioxide (CO) pre-treatments were evaluated with and without the addition of sodium hydroxide (NaOH): (i) 40°C/70 kgf·cm; (ii) 60°C/200 kgf·cm; and (iii) 80°C/200 kgf·cm, aiming to enhance the anaerobic biodegradability of SCB.

Minimally Invasive versus Abdominal Radical Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer.

Background: There are limited data from retrospective studies regarding whether survival outcomes after laparoscopic or robot-assisted radical hysterectomy (minimally invasive surgery) are equivalent to those after open abdominal radical hysterectomy (open surgery) among women with early-stage cervical cancer.

Methods: In this trial involving patients with stage IA1 (lymphovascular invasion), IA2, or IB1 cervical cancer and a histologic subtype of squamous-cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma, we randomly assigned patients to undergo minimally invasive surgery or open surgery. The primary outcome was the rate of disease-free survival at 4.

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin for Risk Stratification in Low-Flow, Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis: A Substudy of the TOPAS Study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic value of combined measures of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hsTnT) in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (LF-LG AS) who had either a preserved or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Background: An elevated BNP level is associated with increased risk of mortality in patients with LF-LG AS. The incremental prognostic value of hsTnT in these patients is unknown.

Data on prevalence and risk factors associated with spp infection, atopy and asthma development in Northeast Brazilian school children.

In the present article, we provide shortly, data on risk factors for acquiring spp. infection and investigate possible associations between this infection with atopy and asthma in school children of a small town and its semi-rural areas of Northeast Brazil. The data set are composed by demographic, social and home environment variables.

Infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: results from a large multicenter registry.

Background: We aimed to determine the incidence, predictors, clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of infective endocarditis (IE) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods And Results: This multicenter registry included 53 patients (mean age, 79±8 years; men, 57%) who suffered IE after TAVI of 7944 patients after a mean follow-up of 1.1±1.

Arrhythmia burden in elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis as determined by continuous electrocardiographic recording: toward a better understanding of arrhythmic events after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: This study sought to evaluate the prevalence of previously undiagnosed arrhythmias in candidates for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and to determine the impact on therapy changes and arrhythmic events after the procedure.

Methods And Results: A total of 435 candidates for TAVR underwent 24-hour continuous ECG monitoring the day before the procedure. Newly diagnosed arrhythmias were observed in 70 patients (16.

[Timing of clamping and factors associated with iron stores in full-term newborns].

Objective: To analyze the impact of timing of clamping and obstetric, biological and socioeconomic factors on the iron stores of full-term newborns.

Methods: Cross-sectional study between October 2011 and July 2012 in which hematological parameters were evaluated for newborns in Viçosa, MG, Southeastern Brazil. It involved collecting 7 mL of umbilical cord blood from 144 full-term not underweight newborns.

Permanent pacemaker implantation after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: impact on late clinical outcomes and left ventricular function.

Background: Very few data exist on the clinical impact of permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of PPI after transcatheter aortic valve implantation on late outcomes in a large cohort of patients.

Methods And Results: A total of 1556 consecutive patients without prior PPI undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation were included.

Diblock copolymers of ethylene oxide and 1,2-butylene oxide in aqueous solution: formation of unimolecular micelles.

The dependence of log(cmc) on hydrophobic block length n was examined for E(m)B(n) copolymers (E=oxyethylene, B=oxybutylene, subscripts denote number-average block lengths in repeat units) with n in the range 30-76. Combination with published data for E(m)B(n) diblock copolymers with shorter E-blocks shows two changes of slope in the log(cmc)-n plot corresponding to the onset of unimolecular micelle formation at n approximately 12 and completion of this process at n approximately 30. The results are discussed with reference to published data for E(m)L(n) and E(m)CL(n) (L from d,L-lactide; CL from epsilon-caprolactone) copolymers, which show similar behaviour.

Clinical and biologic features of childhood T-cell leukemia with the t(11;14).

Cytogenetic analysis of cells from 622 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and successful G-banding chromosome studies disclosed seven cases with the t(11;14)(p13;q11) and one with the t(11;14)(p15;q11). Leukemia cells in all eight cases had a T-cell immunophenotype. The t(11;14)(p13;q11) occurred in 6.