Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability and the Impact on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Background: Long-term (visit-to-visit) blood pressure variability (BPV) and heart rate variability (HRV) outside pregnancy are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Given the limitations of relying solely on blood pressure level to identify pregnancies at risk, long-term (visit-to-visit) BPV or HRV may provide additional diagnostic/prognostic counsel. To address this, we conducted a systematic review to examine the association between long-term BPV and HRV in pregnancy and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Prosthetic management of an ocular defect utilizing a novel threaded iris fabrication technique.

Unlabelled: The conservative prosthodontic construction of an ocular prosthesis utilizing our novel threaded iris fabrication technique required high time and prosthodontic resource inputs and produced a lifelike aesthetic result.

Abstract: Patients with ocular defects frequently present with significant local anatomical deficiencies and complex histories and require extensive time and resource inputs to treat. This case report describes the conservative management of an ocular defect completed in a postgraduate prosthodontics clinical residency program utilizing a novel threaded iris fabrication technique.

Institutional Variation in 30-Day Complications Following Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Complications are a measure of procedural quality, yet variation in complication rates following catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) among hospitals has not been systematically examined. We examined institutional variation in the risk-standardized 30-day complication rates (RSCRs) following AF ablation which may suggest variation in care quality. Methods and Results This cohort study included all patients >18 years old undergoing AF ablations from 2012 to 2017 in Australia and New Zealand.

Isovector EMC Effect from Global QCD Analysis with MARATHON Data.

We report the results of a Monte Carlo global QCD analysis of unpolarized parton distribution functions (PDFs), including for the first time constraints from ratios of ^{3}He to ^{3}H structure functions recently obtained by the MARATHON experiment at Jefferson Lab. Our simultaneous analysis of nucleon PDFs and nuclear effects in A=2 and A=3 nuclei reveals the first indication for an isovector nuclear EMC effect in light nuclei. We find that while the MARATHON data yield relatively weak constraints on the F_{2}^{n}/F_{2}^{p} neutron to proton structure function ratio and on the d/u PDF ratio, they suggest an enhanced nuclear effect on the d-quark PDF in the bound proton, questioning the assumptions commonly made in nuclear PDF analyses.

Wischnewski spots in a case of accidental hypothermia.

Accidental hypothermia can be fatal, and is often associated with confusion and paradoxical undressing. Wischnewski spots are a classic manifestation of hypothermia at autopsy.

Spatial-confinement induced electroreduction of CO and CO to diols on densely-arrayed Cu nanopyramids.

The electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO) and carbon monoxide (CO) to liquid alcohol is of significant research interest. This is because of a high mass-energy density, readiness for transportation and established utilization infrastructure. Current success is mainly around monohydric alcohols, such as methanol and ethanol.

Density-functional tight-binding for phosphine-stabilized nanoscale gold clusters.

We report a parameterization of the second-order density-functional tight-binding (DFTB2) method for the quantum chemical simulation of phosphine-ligated nanoscale gold clusters, metalloids, and gold surfaces. Our parameterization extends the previously released DFTB2 "auorg" parameter set by connecting it to the electronic parameter of phosphorus in the "mio" parameter set. Although this connection could technically simply be accomplished by creating only the required additional Au-P repulsive potential, we found that the Au 6p and P 3d virtual atomic orbital energy levels exert a strong influence on the overall performance of the combined parameter set.

Modulation of metal-azolate frameworks for the tunable release of encapsulated glycosaminoglycans.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are biomacromolecules necessary for the regulation of different biological functions. In medicine, GAGs are important commercial therapeutics widely used for the treatment of thrombosis, inflammation, osteoarthritis and wound healing. However, protocols for the encapsulation of GAGs in MOFs carriers are not yet available.

Primary open angle glaucoma management in a tertiary eye care center in Saudi Arabia: a best practice implementation pilot project.

Aim: Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of permanent visual loss affecting significant numbers in Saudi Arabia. There is no cure for glaucoma but there is mounting evidence to guide ophthalmologists in diagnosing and managing this disease. The aim of this pilot project was to assess the compliance with evidence-based criteria and to implement an adapted clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the management of patients with POAG at a tertiary eye care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that will lead to improving quality, consistency and optimizing patients' care.

Mechanistic insight into the non-hydrolytic sol-gel process of tellurite glass films to attain a high transmission.

The development of amorphous films with a wide transmission window and high refractive index is of growing significance due to the strong demand of integrating functional nanoparticles for the next-generation hybrid optoelectronic films. High-index TeO-based glass films made the sol-gel process are particularly suitable as their low temperature preparation process promises high compatibility with a large variety of nanoparticles and substrates that suffer from low thermal stability. However, due to the lack of in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of the formation of undesired metallic-Te (highly absorbing species) in the films, the preparation of high-transmission TeO-based sol-gel films has been severely hampered.

Sex Differences in Acute Complications of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: Implications for Patient Safety.

Background To date, limited population-level studies have examined the impact of sex on the acute complications of cardiac implantable electronic devices ( CIED) , including permanent pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. Methods and Results We studied all patients aged >18 years from 2010 to 2015 who were a resident of Australia or New Zealand, undergoing a new permanent pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or cardiac resynchronization therapy implant. Standardized variables were collected including patient demographic characteristics, primary and secondary diagnoses, procedures performed and discharge status.

Injectable Hydrogels for Cardiac Tissue Repair after Myocardial Infarction.

Cardiac tissue damage due to myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. The available treatments of MI include pharmaceutical therapy, medical device implants, and organ transplants, all of which have severe limitations including high invasiveness, scarcity of donor organs, thrombosis or stenosis of devices, immune rejection, and prolonged hospitalization time. Injectable hydrogels have emerged as a promising solution for in situ cardiac tissue repair in infarcted hearts after MI.

Primary health care for Aboriginal women and children in the year after birth: findings from a population-based study in South Australia.

Objective: To investigate the extent to which Aboriginal women access primary care for themselves and their infant in the year after childbirth.

Method: Cross sectional population-based survey of women giving birth to Aboriginal babies in South Australia between July 2011 and June 2013.

Results: A total of 344 women took part in the study 4-9 months after giving birth.

Isolation and identification of Enterococcus faecalis membrane proteins using membrane shaving, 1D SDS/PAGE, and mass spectrometry.

Enterococcus faecalis is a significant nosocomial pathogen, which is able to survive in diverse environments and resist killing with antimicrobial therapies. The expression of cell membrane proteins play an important role in how bacteria respond to environmental stress. As such, the capacity to identify and study membrane protein expression is critical to our understanding of how specific proteins influence bacterial survival.

Analysis of millimetre-wave polarization diverse multiple-input multiple-output capacity.

Millimetre-waves offer the possibility of wide bandwidth and consequently high data rate for wireless communications. For both uni- and dual-polarized systems, signals sent over a link may suffer severe degradation due to antenna misalignment. Orientation robustness may be enhanced by the use of mutual orthogonality in three dimensions.

A comparison of educational interventions to improve prescribing by junior doctors.

Background: Prescribing is a complex task with potential for many types of error to occur. Despite the introduction of a standard national medication chart for Australian hospital inpatients in 2006, simple prescribing errors are common.

Aim: To compare the effect of quality improvement initiatives on the rate of simple prescribing errors.

Pathogenesis of aortic stenosis: not just a matter of wear and tear.

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the commonest form of valvular heart disease in the Western world. Its prevalence increases exponentially with age and it is present in 2-7% of all patients over 65 years of age. In view of the considerable cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated not only with AS, but even its earlier stage, aortic sclerosis, many investigations have been directed towards better understanding of its pathogenesis, with the ultimate objective of developing strategies to retard its progression.

Soluble amyloid precursor protein alpha reduces neuronal injury and improves functional outcome following diffuse traumatic brain injury in rats.

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) has previously been shown to increase following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Whereas a number of investigators assume that increased APP may lead to the production of neurotoxic Abeta and be deleterious to outcome, the soluble alpha form of APP (sAPPalpha) is a product of the non-amyloidogenic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein that has previously been shown in vitro to have many neuroprotective and neurotrophic functions. However, no study to date has addressed whether sAPPalpha may be neuroprotective in vivo.

Idiopathic sclerosing inflammation of the orbit: a case of steroid-responsive disease in a patient with auto-immune hemolytic anemia.

Purpose: Idiopathic sclerosing orbital inflammation (ISOI) has been categorized by some authors as a unique clinicopathologic entity, separate from the heterogeneous group of disorders known collectively as nonspecific orbital inflammation. Histologic similarity and clinical association with other fibrosclerosing conditions has been shown. The authors present a case of ISOI in conjunction with autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

X-Ray Structure and In Vitro Anti-Tumoural Activity of the Dimeric Bis[(2-Phenyl-1,2-Dicarba-Closo-Dodecaborane-1-Carboxylato)-Di-n-Butyltin] Oxide.

X-ray diffraction studies reveal the structure of {[(2-C(6)H(5)-1,2-C(2)B(10)H(10)-1-COO)Bu(2)Sn](2)O}(2), 1, to conform to the common motif found for {[(R'COO)R(2)Sn](2)O}(2) compounds. The dimer features a central Bu(2)Sn(2)O(2) unit (two-fold symmetry) with the two Bu(2)Sn groups being linked via bridging oxygen atoms, each of which also carries an exocyclic Bu(2)Sn moiety. The two pairs of exo- and endo-cyclic tin atoms are each linked via an almost symmetrically bridging carboxylate ligand and the two remaining ligands coordinate an exocyclic tin atom only, in the monodentate mode.

The inferior boundary condition of a continuous cantilever beam model of the human spine.

The continuous cantilever beam model of the human spine usually assumes that the beam tangent at the inferior end of the structure is exactly perpendicular to the surface in which it is built into. The model used in this paper allows for realistic imperfections in the beam so that a small non-zero rotation is allowed at its inferior end. Such a model is used to investigate the lateral deformation of the muscle-relaxed spine as it supports asymmetrical loads in the frontal plane.

Community response to hazard information.

The impact of flood hazard information on public acceptance of a selected flood mitigation strategy was assessed by an analysis of the content of newspaper reports of community reaction and letters to the editor. The impact of personal delivery of a flood hazard map on individual perception of risk and attitude to such information was assessed using personal interviews. The results indicated that media coverage of the flood hazard information reduced public criticism of the works.