How To Achieve Durable Pulmonary Vein Antral Isolation?

The inability to achieve durable pulmonary vein isolation(PVI) remains a major limitation to a catheter ablation for thew treatment of atrial fibrillation(AF), potentially resulting in AF recurrence.In this review,we discuss the research performed investigating methods to improve lesion permanence for the goal of durable PVI.Investigations evaluted procedural techniques,various catheres utilized, adjunctive pharamacologic therapy and novel energy sources designed to improve ablation lesion permanence are discussed.

Atomic resolution imaging and spectroscopy of barium atoms and functional groups on graphene oxide.

We present an atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning TEM (STEM) study of the local structure and composition of graphene oxide modified with Ba(2+). In our experiments, which are carried out at 80kV, the acquisition of contamination-free high-resolution STEM images is only possible while heating the sample above 400°C using a highly stable heating holder. Ba atoms are identified spectroscopically in electron energy-loss spectrum images taken at 800°C and are associated with bright contrast in high-angle annular dark-field STEM images.

Spermatozoa from mice deficient in Niemann-Pick disease type C2 (NPC2) protein have defective cholesterol content and reduced in vitro fertilising ability.

The cholesterol content of the sperm membrane is regulated during both maturation in the epididymis and capacitation in the female tract, two processes required for the spermatozoa to acquire their fertilising ability. Because Niemann-Pick disease, type C2 (NPC2) protein is one of the most abundant components of the epididymal fluid and contains a functional cholesterol-binding site that can transfer cholesterol between membranes, it has been suggested for years that NPC2 could be involved in the regulation of cholesterol levels in spermatozoa during epididymal maturation. In the present study, western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses demonstrated significant levels of NPC2 in the mouse epididymal epithelium.

[Comparison of two methodologies used for determining metabolic syndrome in adult population].

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome is characterized by the simultaneous or sequential appearance of various metabolic and inflammatory changes at molecular, cellular or hemodynamic level associated with the presence of insulin resistance and dominant visceral adiposity. Different expert groups, including the International Diabetes Federation and the National Cholesterol Education Program, have tried to develop criteria for its diagnosis.

Objective: To establish diagnostic criteria concordance levels for metabolic syndrome.

Evaluation of the thiazole Schiff bases as β-glucuronidase inhibitors and their in silico studies.

Twenty eight (28) derivatives 2-29 were synthesized and four analogs were found to exhibit single-digit IC(50) values as β-glucuronidase inhibitors. Molecular modeling indicates that three factors: substituent R, lone pair on the nitrogen of azomethine part, and the interactions made by the main skeleton of the molecule, determined the enzyme inhibitory potential of these compounds. The planar conformation of the molecules allows them to fit deep inside the pocket while blocking the entry of other physiological substrates seems to play an important role in their activity.

An expeditious synthetic approach towards the synthesis of Bis-Schiff bases (aldazines) using ultrasound.

Aldazines (Bis-Schiff bases) 1-24 were synthesized using aromatic aldehydes (heterocyclic and benzaldehydes) and hydrazine hydrate under reflux using conventional heating and/or via ultrasound irradiation using BiCl3 as catalyst. Ultrasonication conditions with cat. BiCl3 proved to be an effective, environmentally friendly synthetic procedure.

QRS duration predicts death and hospitalization among patients with atrial fibrillation irrespective of heart failure: evidence from the AFFIRM study.

Aims: The association of QRS duration (QRSd) with morbidity and mortality is understudied in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to assess any association of prolonged QRS with increased risk of death or hospitalization among patients with AF.

Methods And Results: QRS duration was retrieved from the baseline electrocardiograms of patients enroled in the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-Up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) study and divided into three categories: <90, 90-119, ≥120 ms.

Brain development and scholastic achievement in the Education Quality Measurement System tests in Chilean school-aged children.

Background: Head circumference (HC), the anthropometric index of both brain development and nutritional background, has been described to be significantly associated with scholastic achievement (SA). The aim of this study was to determine the impact of nutritional background and current nutritional status parameters on SA in the Education Quality Measurement System (SIMCE) tests.

Methods: A representative sample of 33 schools was randomly chosen in the Metropolitan Region of Chile.

Bone mineral density changes in lactating adolescent mothers during the first postpartum year.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare changes in whole body bone mineral density (wbBMD) during the first postpartum year in adolescent mothers with those of nulliparous adolescents.

Methods: The study included 21 adolescent mothers and 16 nulliparous adolescent non-indigenous Mexican women (State of Sonora) from a low income level. All mothers were assessed at 15 days (0.

Scapular kinematics and shoulder elevation in a traditional push-up.

Context: Proper scapulothoracic motion is critical for the health and function of the shoulder and represents a principal focus in the rehabilitation setting. Variants of the traditional push-up are used frequently to help restore proper scapular kinematics. To date, substantial research has focused on muscle activation levels of rotator cuff and scapular-stabilizing musculature, whereas a dearth of literature exists regarding scapular kinematics during push-up variants.

Is executive function intact after pediatric intracranial hemorrhage? A sample of Mexican children with hemophilia.

The goal of this study was to examine executive functioning outcomes in children with hemophilia who have suffered intracranial hemorrhage. We assessed 10 boys with hemophilia with intracranial hemorrhage; 6 boys with hemophilia without intracranial hemorrhage; and 10 healthy boys as controls. Intellectual functioning was assessed with subscales from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Mexican Revision.

The optoelectronic behaviour of carbon nanoparticles: evidence of the importance of the outer carbon shell.

The particular properties of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) have generated great interest in biomedicine, bioanalysis and optoelectronics. However, an association between the CNPs' physicochemical properties with their molecular and morphological characteristics is, even today, a topic of discussion. In this work, we use a simple method of synthesis with the ultimate aim of elucidating the structural nature of the obtained CNPs and its relationship with their well-known fluorescent properties.

[Differences in magnitude of nutritional status in Chilean school children according to CDC and WHO 2005-2008 reference].

Introduction: Further discussions are needed regarding the magnitude of nutritional problems diagnosed using CDC or WHO, against the existence of new biological or statistical definitions of obesity.

Objective: To compare the evolution of the prevalence of nutritional status among schoolchildren in first grade, from 2005 to 2008, according to CDC and WHO.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study, of 140.

Cardiac myxoma with prenatal diagnosis.

The presentation of myxoma in the neonatal period is quite rare. We report the case of a female patient in whom two cardiac tumors were diagnosed prenatally. Surgery was performed at eight days of age, using cardiopulmonary bypass and circulatory arrest to facilitate excision of two polypoid tumors from within the right atrium.

Isotropic model of fractional transport in two-dimensional bounded domains.

A two-dimensional fractional Laplacian operator is derived and used to model nonlocal, nondiffusive transport. This integro-differential operator appears in the long-wavelength, fluid description of quantities undergoing non-Brownian random walks without characteristic length scale. To study bounded domains, a mask function is introduced that modifies the kernel in the fractional Laplacian and removes singularities at the boundary.

Adenosine testing in atrial flutter ablation: unmasking of dormant conduction across the cavotricuspid isthmus and risk of recurrence.

Background: Adenosine-induced hyperpolarization may identify pulmonary veins at risk of reconnection following electrical isolation for atrial fibrillation. The potential role of adenosine testing in other arrhythmic substrates, such as cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI)-dependent atrial flutter, remains unclear. We assessed whether dormant conduction across the CTI may be revealed by adenosine after ablation-induced bidirectional block, and its association with recurrent flutter.

Synthesis and cancer stem cell-based activity of substituted 5-morpholino-7H-thieno[3,2-b]pyran-7-ones designed as next generation PI3K inhibitors.

Dysregulation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway in a wide range of tumors has made PI3K a consensus target to inhibit as illustrated by more than 15 inhibitors now in clinical trials. Our previous work, built on the early pioneering multikinase inhibitor LY294002, resulted in the only PI3K vascular-targeted PI3K inhibitor prodrug, SF1126, which has now completed Phase I clinical trials. This inhibitor has properties that impart more in vivo activity than should be warranted by its enzymatic potency, which in general is much lower than other clinical stage PI3K inhibitors.

Laser ablative surface treatment for enhanced bonding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

Adhesive bonding offers many advantages over mechanical fastening, but requires certification before it can be incorporated in primary structures for commercial aviation without disbond-arrestment features or redundant load paths. Surface preparation is widely recognized as the key step to producing robust and predictable adhesive bonds. Surface preparation by laser ablation provides an alternative to the expensive, hazardous, polluting, and less precise practices used currently such as chemical-dip, manual abrasion and grit blast.

Increased mortality among patients taking digoxin--analysis from the AFFIRM study.

Aims: Digoxin is frequently used for rate control of atrial fibrillation (AF). It has, however, been associated with increased mortality. It remains unclear whether digoxin itself is responsible for the increased mortality (toxic drug effect) or whether it is prescribed to sicker patients with inherently higher mortality due to comorbidities.

Metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma: a fascinating enigma.

Among salivary gland neoplasms, metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma (MPA) constitutes an extremely rare group of tumors. The present paper reports a case of pleomorphic adenoma (PA) in submandibular gland that, after more than 30 years of initial treatment, recurred and metastasized to ipsilateral neck lymph nodes and parotid gland. In an attempt to elucidate the malignant behavior of metastasizing pleomorphic adenoma, we performed Ki-67, p53, p16, and bcl-2 immunohistochemistry staining of our case sample.

Origin of Lorentzian pulses in deterministic chaos.

Pulses having a temporal Lorentzian shape arise naturally from topological changes in flow trajectories or phase-space orbits associated with deterministic chaos. The pulses can appear as random intermittent events in the time series of observable quantities, and they are the cause of exponential frequency power spectra previously observed in magnetically confined plasmas and various nonlinear systems.

Immune-mediated disorders among women carriers of fragile X premutation alleles.

The relative risk of immune-mediated disorders (IMDs) among women carriers of premutation alleles is estimated by a survey for IMDs among 344 carrier women (age 19-81 years; mean 46.35 and SD 12.60) and 72 controls (age 18-87 years; mean 52.

3-(Trimethyl-sil-yl)prop-2-ynyl p-toluene-sulfonate.

In the title compound, C(13)H(18)O(3)SSi, the SO(3) group displays a partial rotational (ca 50°) disorder about the C-S bond, with relative proportions 0.7744 (13):0.2256 (13).

Are urology residents ready to treat premature ejaculation after their training?

Introduction: The management of premature ejaculation (PE) among urology residents (URs) in the era of standard definition and new treatments is unknown.

Aim: To determine how future urologists currently address PE and to review their adherence to guidelines.

Methods: A specifically designed survey on the preferred approaches to the treatment of PE was given to residents during the Eighth European Urology Education Programme.

Usefulness of bladder-prostate ultrasound in the diagnosis of obstruction/hyperactivity in males with BPH.

Objective: To determine the utility of prostate ultrasound in the diagnosis of infravesical obstruction (IVO) and detrusor hyperactivity(DH).

Methods: Prospective study with 39 patients consulting for LUTS. Clinical history was compiled, IPSS was determined, a digital rectal exam was performed, abdominal ultrasound was used to calculate detrusor thickness/weight, prostate volume, and middle lobe length (MLL).