2,079,613 research outputs found
Post-operative atrial fibrillation is influenced by beta-blocker therapy but not by pre-operative atrial cellular electrophysiology
We investigated whether post-cardiac surgery (CS) new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is predicted by pre-CS atrial cellular electrophysiology, and whether the antiarrhythmic effect of beta-blocker therapy may involve pre-CS pharmacological remodeling. Atrial myocytes were obtained from consenting patients in sinus rhythm, just prior to CS. Action potentials and ion currents were recorded using whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Post-CS AF occurred in 53 of 212 patients (25%). Those with post-CS AF were older than those without (67 ± 2 vs 62 ± 1 years, P = 0.005). In cells from patients with post-CS AF, the action potential duration at 50% and 90% repolarization, maximum upstroke velocity, and effective refractory period (ERP) were 13 ± 4 ms, 217 ± 16 ms, 185 ± 10 V/s, and 216 ± 14 ms, respectively (n = 30 cells, 11 patients). Peak L-type Ca2+ current, transient outward and inward rectifier K+ currents, and the sustained outward current were −5.0 ± 0.5, 12.9 ± 2.4, −4.1 ± 0.4, and 9.7 ± 1.0 pA/pF, respectively (13-62 cells, 7-19 patients). None of these values were significantly different in cells from patients without post-CS AF (P > 0.05 for each, 60-279 cells, 29-86 patients), confirmed by multiple and logistic regression. In patients treated >7 days with a beta-blocker pre-CS, the incidence of post-CS AF was lower than in non-beta-blocked patients (13% vs 27%, P = 0.038). Pre-CS beta-blockade was associated with a prolonged pre-CS atrial cellular ERP (P = 0.001), by a similar degree (∼20%) in those with and without post-CS AF. Conclusion: Pre-CS human atrial cellular electrophysiology does not predict post-CS AF. Chronic beta-blocker therapy is associated with a reduced incidence of post-CS AF, unrelated to a pre-CS ERP-prolonging effect of this treatment
CS Lines Profiles in Hot Cores
We present a theoretical study of CS line profiles in archetypal hot cores.
We provide estimates of line fluxes from the CS(1-0) to the CS(15-14)
transitions and present the temporal variation of these fluxes. We find that
\textit{i)} the CS(1-0) transition is a better tracer of the Envelope of the
hot core whereas the higher-J CS lines trace the ultra-compact core;
\textit{ii)} the peak temperature of the CS transitions is a good indicator of
the temperature inside the hot core; \textit{iii)} in the Envelope, the older
the hot core the stronger the self-absorption of CS; \textit{iv)} the
fractional abundance of CS is highest in the innermost parts of the
ultra-compact core, confirming the CS molecule as one of the best tracers of
very dense gas.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, In press in Ap
Temperature dependent charge transport mechanisms in carbon sphere/polymer composites
Carbon spheres (CS) with diameters in the range were prepared
via hydrolysis of a sucrose solution at and later annealed in
at The spheres were highly conducting but difficult to process into
thin films or pressed pellets. In our previous work, composite samples of CS
and the insulating polymer polyethylene oxide (PEO) were prepared and their
charge transport was analyzed in the temperature range
Here, we analyze charge transport in CS coated with a thin polyaniline (PANi)
film doped with hydrochloric acid (HCl), in the same temperature range. The
goal is to study charge transport in the CS using a conducting polymer (PANi)
as a binder and compare with that occurring at CS/PEO. A conductivity maxima
was observed in the CS/PEO composite but was absent in CS/PANi. Our data
analysis shows that variable range hopping of electrons between polymeric
chains in PANi-filled gaps between CS takes on a predominant part in transport
through CS/PANi composites, whereas in CS/PEO composites, electrons travel
through gaps between CS solely by means of direct tunneling. This difference in
transport mechanisms results in different temperature dependences of the
conductivity.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
The effect of cigarette smoke exposure on the development of inflammation in lungs, gut and joints of TNFΔARE mice
The inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha is a central mediator in many immune-mediated diseases, such as Crohn's disease (CD), spondyloarthritis (SpA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Epidemiologic studies have shown that cigarette smoking (CS) is a prominent common risk factor in these TNF-dependent diseases. We exposed TNF Delta ARE mice; in which a systemic TNF-alpha overexpression leads to the development of inflammation; to 2 or 4 weeks of air or CS. We investigated the effect of deregulated TNF expression on CS-induced pulmonary inflammation and the effect of CS exposure on the initiation and progression of gut and joint inflammation. Upon 2 weeks of CS exposure, inflammation in lungs of TNF Delta ARE mice was significantly aggravated. However, upon 4 weeks of CS-exposure, this aggravation was no longer observed. TNF Delta ARE mice have no increases in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and a diminished neutrophil response in the lungs after 4 weeks of CS exposure. In the gut and joints of TNF Delta ARE mice, 2 or 4 weeks of CS exposure did not modulate the development of inflammation. In conclusion, CS exposure does not modulate gut and joint inflammation in TNF Delta ARE mice. The lung responses towards CS in TNF Delta ARE mice however depend on the duration of CS exposure
Chemical differentiation in regions of high-mass star formation I. CS, dust and N2H^+ in southern sources
Aims. Our goals are to compare the CS, N2H+ and dust distributions in a
representative sample of high-mass star forming dense cores and to determine
the physical and chemical properties of these cores. Methods. We compare the
results of CS(5-4) and 1.2 mm continuum mapping of twelve dense cores from the
southern hemisphere presented in this work, in combination with our previous
N2H+(1-0) and CS(2-1) data. We use numerical modeling of molecular excitation
to estimate physical parameters of the cores. Results. Most of the maps have
several emission peaks (clumps). We derive basic physical parameters of the
clumps and estimate CS and N2H+ abundances. Masses calculated from LVG
densities are higher than CS virial masses and masses derived from continuum
data, implying small-scale clumpiness of the cores. For most of the objects,
the CS and continuum peaks are close to the IRAS point source positions. The
CS(5-4) intensities correlate with continuum fluxes per beam in all cases, but
only in five cases with the N2H+(1-0) intensities. The study of spatial
variations of molecular integrated intensity ratios to continuum fluxes reveals
that I(N2H+)/F{1.2} ratios drop towards the CS peaks for most of the sources,
which can be due to a N2H+ abundance decrease. For CS(5-4), the I(CS)/F{1.2}
ratios show no clear trends with distance from the CS peaks, while for CS(2-1)
such ratios drop towards these peaks. Possible explanations of these results
are considered. The analysis of normalized velocity differences between CS and
N2H+ lines has not revealed indications of systematic motions towards CS peaks.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
Comparative chemistry of diffuse clouds III: sulfur-bearing molecules
Using data from IRAM's Plateau de Bure Interferometer and 30 m Telescope, we
discuss the mm-wave absorption lines of CS, SO, H2S and HCS+ which arise in
diffuse clouds occulting several extragalactic continuum sources. Typical
relative abundances are X(CS)/X(HCO+) ~ 2, X(CS)/X(SO) ~ 2, X(CS)/X(H2S) ~ 6
and X(CS)/X(HCS+) ~ 13.Comment: Accepted by A&A 2002-Jan-1
Cellulose, Chitosan, and Keratin Composite Materials. Controlled Drug Release
A method was developed in which cellulose (CEL) and/or chitosan (CS) were added to keratin (KER) to enable [CEL/CS+KER] composites to have better mechanical strength and wider utilization. Butylmethylimmidazolium chloride ([BMIm+Cl–]), an ionic liquid, was used as the sole solvent, and because the [BMIm+Cl–] used was recovered, the method is green and recyclable. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirm that KER, CS, and CEL remain chemically intact in the composites. Tensile strength results expectedly show that adding CEL or CS into KER substantially increases the mechanical strength of the composites. We found that CEL, CS, and KER can encapsulate drugs such as ciprofloxacin (CPX) and then release the drug either as a single or as two- or three-component composites. Interestingly, release rates of CPX by CEL and CS either as a single or as [CEL+CS] composite are faster and independent of concentration of CS and CEL. Conversely, the release rate by KER is much slower, and when incorporated into CEL, CS, or CEL+CS, it substantially slows the rate as well. Furthermore, the reducing rate was found to correlate with the concentration of KER in the composites. KER, a protein, is known to have secondary structure, whereas CEL and CS exist only in random form. This makes KER structurally denser than CEL and CS; hence, KER releases the drug slower than CEL and CS. The results clearly indicate that drug release can be controlled and adjusted at any rate by judiciously selecting the concentration of KER in the composites. Furthermore, the fact that the [CEL+CS+KER] composite has combined properties of its components, namely, superior mechanical strength (CEL), hemostasis and bactericide (CS), and controlled drug release (KER), indicates that this novel composite can be used in ways which hitherto were not possible, e.g., as a high-performance bandage to treat chronic and ulcerous wounds
Determination of and Extraction of from Semileptonic Decays
By globally analyzing all existing measured branching fractions and partial
rates in different four momentum transfer-squared bins of decays, we obtain the product of the form factor and magnitude of
CKM matrix element to be . With this
product, we determine the semileptonic form factor
in conjunction with the value of
determined from the SM global fit. Alternately, with the product together with
the input of the form factor calculated in lattice QCD recently, we
extract , where the error is
still dominated by the uncertainty of the form factor calculated in lattice
QCD. Combining the
extracted from all existing measurements of decays and
together, we find the most
precisely determined to be , which improves
the accuracy of the PDG'2014 value by
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