Facile Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Silver Nanostars for Ultrasensitive Detection of Biological Analytes by SERS.

We report a very simple, rapid and reproducible method for the fabrication of anisotropic silver nanostars (AgNS) that can be successfully used as highly efficient SERS substrates for different bioanalytes, even in the case of a near-infra-red (NIR) excitation laser. The nanostars have been synthesized using the chemical reduction of Ag ions by trisodium citrate. This is the first research reporting the synthesis of AgNS using only trisodium citrate as a reducing and stabilizing agent.

The Role of Circulating Collagen Turnover Biomarkers and Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Patients with Non-Ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Myocardial scarring is a primary pathogenetic process in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) that is responsible for progressive cardiac remodeling and heart failure, severely impacting the survival of these patients. Although several collagen turnover biomarkers have been associated with myocardial fibrosis, their clinical utility is still limited. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) determined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has become a feasible method to detect myocardial replacement fibrosis.

Predictive ability of coronary computed tomography angiography parameters in patients suspected of obstructive coronary artery disease: a single-center cross-sectional study.

Objective: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is becoming increasingly useful for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary calcium score (CCS), epicardial fat volume (EFV), and number of coronary plaques (NoP) add important information for the risk stratification and prognosis prediction of these patients. However, evidence about their ability to predict obstructive CAD is limited.

Current advances in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation, fibroproliferative vasculopathy, and progressive fibrosis. Cardiac involvement is common in SSc and may affect the myocardium, pericardium, heart valves, conduction system, as well as coronary arteries. However, it remains asymptomatic for a long time, which leads to delayed diagnosis and poor prognosis.

Aging influences pulmonary artery flow and stiffness in healthy individuals: non-invasive assessment using cardiac MRI.

Aim: To investigate age-related changes of the pulmonary artery (PA) using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) in healthy subjects.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on apparently healthy subjects who underwent PA velocity-encoded cMRI. cMRI was used to determine PA stiffness parameters such as PA elasticity, relative area change (PA-RAC) and pulse-wave velocity (PA-PWV), and PA flow parameters by subtracting simultaneous forward flow (FF) and backward flow (BF) velocity across the PA cross-section.