Dynamic Response of Masonry Structures to Temperature Variations: Experimental Investigation of a Brick Masonry Wall.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is essential for preserving historical and modern infrastructure by tracking dynamic properties such as frequencies and mode shapes. Changes in these properties can indicate structural damage, but environmental factors like temperature can also cause similar variations, complicating damage detection. This study investigates from an experimental point of view the effect of temperature on the dynamic behaviour of masonry structures, focusing on a masonry wall subjected to thermal load variations within operational conditions.

SGLT2-inhibitors in diabetic patients with severe aortic stenosis and cardiac damage undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Background: A substantial number of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) experience adverse events after TAVI, with health care expenditure. We aimed to investigate cardiac remodeling and long-term outcomes in diabetic patients with severe AS, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50%, and extra-valvular cardiac damage (EVCD) undergoing TAVI treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) versus other glucose-lowering strategies (no-SGLT2i users).

Methods: Multicenter international registry of consecutive diabetic patients with severe AS, LVEF < 50%, and EVCD undergoing TAVI.

Infection and the use of personal protective equipment among Primary Health Care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: to analyze the frequency and associated risk factors for COVID-19 infection and the availability of Personal Protective Equipment used by primary healthcare workers.

Method: a cross-sectional study was conducted over six months in Rio Grande do Sul. Descriptive analysis was performed, with the comparison of independent samples using Pearson's Chi-square test and Fisher's Exact test (p<.

Association Between Coronary Artery Spasm and Atherosclerotic Disease.

In at least one-half of the patients with angina or ischemia and nonobstructive coronary arteries undergoing coronary function testing, coronary artery spasm (CAS) is detected. CAS is associated with an adverse prognosis regarding recurrent complaints and ischemic events. Current treatment options are mainly focused on the complaints, not on the underlying pathophysiological process.

Experimental Observation of Space-Charge Field Screening of a Relativistic Particle Bunch in Plasma.

The space-charge field of a relativistic charged bunch propagating in plasma is screened due to the presence of mobile charge carriers. We experimentally investigate such screening by measuring the effect of dielectric wakefields driven by the bunch in a uncoated dielectric capillary where the plasma is confined. We show that the plasma screens the space-charge field and therefore suppresses the dielectric wakefields when the distance between the bunch and the dielectric surface is much larger than the plasma skin depth.

A novel balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve bioprosthesis: Myval and Myval Octacor.

Introduction: Over the past two decades, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has expanded its application across all surgical risk levels, including low-risk patients, where, due to longer life expectancy, reducing common pitfalls of TAVR is essential. To address these needs, many technological advancements have been developed. Myval and the new generation Myval Octacor (Meril Life Sciences Pvt.

Drug-coated balloon versus drug-eluting stent for treating de novo large vessel coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 2888 patients.

Introduction: Drug-coated balloon (DCB) is an established treatment option for in-stent restenosis and small vessel, de novo, coronary artery disease (CAD). Although the use of this tool is increasing in everyday practice, data regarding performance in the treatment of de novo, large vessel CAD (LV-CAD) is still lacking. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DCB versus drug-eluting stent (DES) in this setting.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention before or after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Involving 1531 Patients.

The optimal timing to perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is not well established. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to compare the outcomes of patients undergoing PCI before versus after TAVR. A comprehensive literature search was performed including Medline, Embase, and Cochrane electronic databases up to 5 April 2024 for studies that compared PCI before and after TAVR reporting at least one clinical outcome of interest (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023470417).

Guiding of Charged Particle Beams in Curved Plasma-Discharge Capillaries.

We present a new approach that demonstrates the deflection and guiding of relativistic electron beams over curved paths by means of the magnetic field generated in a plasma-discharge capillary. We experimentally prove that the guiding is much less affected by the beam chromatic dispersion with respect to a conventional bending magnet and, with the support of numerical simulations, we show that it can even be made dispersionless by employing larger discharge currents. This proof-of-principle experiment extends the use of plasma-based devices, that revolutionized the field of particle accelerators enabling the generation of GeV beams in few centimeters.

Can herd seroprevalence be used as an indicator of enzootic stability for bovine anaplasmosis? Insights from a case-control field study in Brazil.

Bovine anaplasmosis presents a significant challenge to livestock production in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions. For many years, the concept of enzootic stability/instability (initially established for babesiosis) and herd seroprevalence as an indicator of outbreak risks have been applied to anaplasmosis. However, this model has never been definitively validated for Anaplasma marginale.

[Diabetic ketoacidosis secondary to immunotherapy].

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are monoclonal antibodies that are increasingly used in cancer treatments. As experience in the use of immunotherapy increases, more is known about its safety profile and immune-mediated adverse effects. Among them is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a rare but serious fatal complication of treatment.

Comparing two-year outcomes of balloon-expandable Myval and self-expanding Evolut R in severe aortic valve stenosis.

Background: The new balloon-expandable (BE) Myval transcatheter heart valves (THV) has shown promising early results with low paravalvular leak (PVL) and permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) rates. Limited data are available regarding its long-term performance. We aimed to compare the 2-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using the self-expanding (SE) Evolut R and the BE Myval THVs.

Insights into rural generalist therapeutic reasoning using a simulated multi-patient emergency scenario.

Introduction: Therapeutic reasoning focuses on the decisions related to patient disposition and management. This is in contrast to diagnostic reasoning, which is the focus of much of the current discourse in the medical literature. Few studies relate to therapeutic reasoning, and even fewer relate to the rural and remote context.

Incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases in a population from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) incidence and prevalence in Latin America have experienced a significant shift in the last decades. There is paucity of IBD epidemiologic data in Argentina.

Aim: To determine the incidence and prevalence of IBD between 2018 and 2022 of a population from the city of Buenos Aires.

[Stiff person syndrome associated with thymoma].

Stiff-person syndrome is a rare neurological condition characterized by muscular rigidity of the trunk and extremities and muscle spasms triggered by sensory or emotional stimuli, which progresses towards prostration. It has a pathophysiogenic mechanism with an immunological basis, in which autoantibodies, such as antiGAD65, play a central role. Likewise, the detection of these antibodies corroborates the diagnosis in a patient with a suggestive clinical picture.