Hemorrhagic pericarditis with cardiac tamponade after percutaneous coronary intervention associated with the use of abciximab

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors, such as abciximab, are used as adjunctive therapy for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in high-risk non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), although their effects when used for STEMI are less clear. As the use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors becomes more widespread, determining the risks associated with them becomes more important. The major risks associated with the use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors are the potential for major bleeding and thrombocytopenia. This is the first reported case in Korea of hemorrhagic pericarditis resulting in cardiac tamponade associated with the use of abciximab, a commonly used GP Ilb/IIa inhibitor, following PCI

Transesophageal echocardiography, more than a diagnostic tool: use during surgical ligation of coronary artery fistulae - a case report

Coronary artery fistulae (CAF) are an infrequent coronary abnormality. Herein, we describe the use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the treatment of CAF. A 61 year-old woman presented with chest pain and symptoms consistent with unstable angina. Subsequent coronary angiography revealed the presence of 2 CAF, one extending from the left anterior descending artery to the pulmonary artery (PA) and the other extending from the proximal right coronary artery to the PA. Surgical ligation of the CAF without coronary bypass was arranged. Intraoperative TEE was successfully employed to localize the CAF, monitor fistula blood flow and heart wall motion, and confirm successful ligation. The patient recovered without complications. This case highlights the utility of intraoperative TEE during ligation of CAF

Asymptomatic papillary fibroelastoma of the Aortic valve in a young woman - a case report

Echocardiography represents an invaluable diagnostic tool for the detection of intracardiac masses while simultaneously provides information about their size, location, mobility and attachment site as well as the presence and extent of any consequent hemodynamic derangement

Deep sequencing reveals the complex and coordinated transcriptional regulation of genes related to grain quality in rice cultivars

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Milling yield and eating quality are two important grain quality traits in rice. To identify the genes involved in these two traits, we performed a deep transcriptional analysis of developing seeds using both massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS) and sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS). Five MPSS and five SBS libraries were constructed from 6-day-old developing seeds of Cypress (high milling yield), LaGrue (low milling yield), Ilpumbyeo (high eating quality), YR15965 (low eating quality), and Nipponbare (control).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The transcriptomes revealed by MPSS and SBS had a high correlation co-efficient (0.81 to 0.90), and about 70% of the transcripts were commonly identified in both types of the libraries. SBS, however, identified 30% more transcripts than MPSS. Among the highly expressed genes in Cypress and Ilpumbyeo, over 100 conserved <it>cis </it>regulatory elements were identified. Numerous specifically expressed transcription factor (TF) genes were identified in Cypress (282), LaGrue (312), Ilpumbyeo (363), YR15965 (260), and Nipponbare (357). Many key grain quality-related genes (i.e., genes involved in starch metabolism, aspartate amino acid metabolism, storage and allergenic protein synthesis, and seed maturation) that were expressed at high levels underwent alternative splicing and produced antisense transcripts either in Cypress or Ilpumbyeo. Further, a time course RT-PCR analysis confirmed a higher expression level of genes involved in starch metabolism such as those encoding ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and granule bound starch synthase I (GBSS I) in Cypress than that in LaGrue during early seed development.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the developing seed transcriptome of rice available to date. Using two high throughput sequencing methods, we identified many differentially expressed genes that may affect milling yield or eating quality in rice. Many of the identified genes are involved in the biosynthesis of starch, aspartate family amino acids, and storage proteins. Some of the differentially expressed genes could be useful for the development of molecular markers if they are located in a known QTL region for milling yield or eating quality in the rice genome. Therefore, our comprehensive and deep survey of the developing seed transcriptome in five rice cultivars has provided a rich genomic resource for further elucidating the molecular basis of grain quality in rice.</p

Progressive hemorrhage and myotoxicity induced by echis carinatus venom in murine model: neutralization by inhibitor cocktail of n,n,n `,n `-tetrakis (2-pyridylmethyl) ethane-1,2-diamine and silymarin

Viperbite is often associated with severe local toxicity, including progressive hemorrhage and myotoxicity, persistent even after the administration of anti-snake venom (ASV). In the recent past, investigations have revealed the orchestrated actions of Zn2+ metalloproteases (Zn(2+)MPs), phospholipase A(2)s (PLA(2)s) and hyaluronidases (HYs) in the onset and progression of local toxicity from the bitten site. As a consequence, venom researchers and medical practitioners are in deliberate quest of potent molecules alongside ASV to tackle the brutal local manifestations induced by aforesaid venom toxins. Based on these facts, we have demonstrated the protective efficacy of inhibitor cocktail containing equal ratios of N,N,N', N'-tetrakis (2-pyridylmethyl) ethane-1,2-diamine (TPEN) and silymarin (SLN) against progressive local toxicity induced by Echis carinatus venom (ECV). In our previous study we have shown the inhibitory potentials of TPEN towards Zn(2+)MPs of ECV (IC50: 6.7 mu M). In this study we have evaluated in vitro inhibitory potentials of SLN towards PLA(2)s (IC50: 12.5 mu M) and HYs (IC50: 8 mu M) of ECV in addition to docking studies. Further, we have demonstrated the protection of ECV induced local toxicity with 10 mM inhibitor cocktail following 15, 30 min (for hemorrhage and myotoxicity); 60 min (for hemorrhage alone) of ECV injection in murine model. The histological examination of skin and thigh muscle sections taken out from the site of ECV injection substantiated the overall protection offered by inhibitor cocktail. In conclusion, the protective efficacy of inhibitor cocktail is of high interest and can be administered locally alongside ASV to treat severe local toxicity

Climate change scenarios of surface solar radiation in data sparse regions: a case study in Malaprabha River Basin, India

Citation: Anandhi A, Srinivas VV, Nagesh Kumar D, Nanjundiah RS, Gowda PH (2014) Climate change scenarios of surface solar radiation in data sparse regions: a case study in Malaprabha River Basin, India. Clim Res 59:259-270. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01180A variety of methods are available to estimate future solar radiation (SR) scenarios at spatial scales that are appropriate for local climate change impact assessment. However, there are no clear guidelines available in the literature to decide which methodologies are most suitable for different applications. Three methodologies to guide the estimation of SR are discussed in this study, namely: Case 1: SR is measured, Case 2: SR is measured but sparse and Case 3: SR is not measured. In Case 1, future SR scenarios are derived using several downscaling methodologies that transfer the simulated large-scale information of global climate models to a local scale (measurements). In Case 2, the SR was first estimated at the local scale for a longer time period using sparse measured records, and then future scenarios were derived using several downscaling methodologies. In Case 3: the SR was first estimated at a regional scale for a longer time period using complete or sparse measured records of SR from which SR at the local scale was estimated. Finally, the future scenarios were derived using several downscaling methodologies. The lack of observed SR data, especially in developing countries, has hindered various climate change impact studies. Hence, this was further elaborated by applying the Case 3 methodology to a semi-arid Malaprabha reservoir catchment in southern India. A support vector machine was used in downscaling SR. Future monthly scenarios of SR were estimated from simulations of third-generation Canadian General Circulation Model (CGCM3) for various SRES emission scenarios (A1B, A2, B1, and COMMIT). Results indicated a projected decrease of 0.4 to 12.2 W mˉ² yrˉ¹ in SR during the period 2001-2100 across the 4 scenarios. SR was calculated using the modified Hargreaves method. The decreasing trends for the future were in agreement with the simulations of SR from the CGCM3 model directly obtained for the 4 scenarios