Determinants of high sensitivity troponin T concentration in chronic stable patients with heart failure: Ischemic heart failure versus non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Background: Cardiac troponin T is a marker of myocardial injury, especially when measured by means of the high-sensitivity assay (hs-cTnT). The echocardiographic and clinical predictors of hs-cTnT may be different in ischemic heart failure (IHF) and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).Methods: Sixty consecutive patients (19 female, 41 male; mean age 56.3 ± 13.9 years) with stable congestive heart failure (33 patient with IHF and 27 patients with DCM), with New York Heart Association functional class I–II symptoms, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% were included.Results: In patients with IHF peak early mitral inflow velocity (E), E/peak early diastolic mitral annular tissue Doppler velocity (Em) lateral, peak systolic mitral annular tissue Doppler velocity (Sm) lateral and logBNP were univariate predictors of hs-cTnT above median. But only E/Em lateral was an independent predictor of hs-cTnT above median (p = 0.04, HR: 1.2,CI: 1–1.4). In patients with DCM; left atrial volume index, male sex, Sm lateral and global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) were included in multivariate model and LV-GLS was detected to be an independent predictor for hs-cTnT above median (p < 0.05, HR: 0.7, CI: 0.4–1.0).Conclusions: While LV-GLS is an independent predictor of hs-cTnT concentrations in patients with DCM, E/Em lateral predicted hs-TnT concentrations in patients with IHF

Development of a cognitive robotic system for simple surgical tasks

The introduction of robotic surgery within the operating rooms has significantly improved the quality of many surgical procedures. Recently, the research on medical robotic systems focused on increasing the level of autonomy in order to give them the possibility to carry out simple surgical actions autonomously. This paper reports on the development of technologies for introducing automation within the surgical workflow. The results have been obtained during the ongoing FP7 European funded project Intelligent Surgical Robotics (I-SUR). The main goal of the project is to demonstrate that autonomous robotic surgical systems can carry out simple surgical tasks effectively and without major intervention by surgeons. To fulfil this goal, we have developed innovative solutions (both in terms of technologies and algorithms) for the following aspects: fabrication of soft organ models starting from CT images, surgical planning and execution of movement of robot arms in contact with a deformable environment, designing a surgical interface minimizing the cognitive load of the surgeon supervising the actions, intra-operative sensing and reasoning to detect normal transitions and unexpected events. All these technologies have been integrated using a component-based software architecture to control a novel robot designed to perform the surgical actions under study. In this work we provide an overview of our system and report on preliminary results of the automatic execution of needle insertion for the cryoablation of kidney tumours

Complications of Circumcision in Childhood and Preventive Strategies

Circumcision is the most common surgical procedure applied worldwide. Besides the medical necessities, it is also common due to religious and cultural reasons. The frequent performance of this surgical procedure increases the importance of the management of the complications arising during/after the operation. In our country performing this procedure under the improper conditions especially by non-medical persons or inexperienced operators increases the likelihood of complications, which sometimes causes non-recoverable tissue and organ loss. The persons performing this surgical procedure must be well acquainted with the complications which may arise during/after a circumcision procedure. For this reason, the possible complications regarding a circumcision procedure should be classified. Within this context, the required suggestions are presented in this article to reduce the complications to a minimal level. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2011; 10(5.000): 605-610

Investigation of the effect of carnitine on cerebral vasospasm in experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage model

Abstract The vasospasm, which develops after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), is an unenlightened table in terms of etiology and results. It is usually associated with decreased perfusion, which is associated with decreased blood flow distal to the affected artery and can be demonstrated radiologically. Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) can be found in brain tissue and easily crosses the blood–brain barrier. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of ALCAR, which is an effective antioxidant amine, on vasospasm development after experimental SAH. In our study, 35 adults male Wistar RATs weighing between 235–250 g were used. These RATs were divided into five groups with n = 7. Group 1 Control group, Group 2 SAH + SF (carrier solution), Group 3 SAH + ALCAR 50 mg\kg intraperitoneally, Group 4 SAH + ALCAR 100 mg\kg intraperitoneally and Group 5 SAH. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was induced by giving autologous arterial blood to the cisterna magna of the animals in groups 2, 3, 4, and 5. At 0.-12.- 24.- 36.- 48.- 60. and 72. h, Group 2 was injected with SF, Group 3 with intraperitoneally ALCAR 50 mg\kg, and Group 4 with intraperitoneally ALCAR 100 mg\kg, respectively. Following perfusion and fixation, the animals were subjected to a wide craniectomy, and the brain, cerebellum, and brain stems were removed globally. Then, sections were taken from the basilar arteries of all animals and photographed at 40X magnification. Basilar artery lumen cross-sectional areas, basilar artery areas, and wall thicknesses were measured from these sections. The basilar artery lumen cross-sectional area was found to be significantly larger in the groups in which SAH was formed and ALCAR 50 mg\kg and ALCAR 100 mg\kg were given compared to the group with only SAH and SAH + SF (p = 0.0408). Basilar artery wall thickness increased in all groups except the control group (p < 0.05). In light of all these findings, it was concluded in our study that Carnitine was effective in the resolution of vasospasm in the experimental SAH model

Reference Intervals for Serum Immunoglobulin (IGA, IGG, IGM) and IGG Subclasses in Healthy Subjects

Aim: Regional reference values of immunoglobulin and immunoglobulin subgroups are necessary for clinical research and diagnosis. A main problem in determining the reference intervals, reference values show variability depending on laboratory and technical conditions against interregional and reference populations. In clinical laboratories mainly test kit's reference intervals are used according to the manufacturer. In this study it is aimed to determine reference interval values of regional immunoglobulin and IgG subgroups

THE EFFECTS OF TANNIN AND THERMAL TREATMENT ON PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LAMINATED CHESTNUT WOOD COMPOSITES

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tannin and thermal treatment on physical properties such as dimensional stability and moisture content (\%), as well as mechanical properties such as bending strength, modulus of elasticity, and compression strength of laminated chestnut wood composites, which are used commonly for shipboard construction in Turkey. The chestnut wood used in boat construction is usually exposed to several treatments in order to achieve better bonding performance and to remove excessive tannins. According to the results obtained, physical properties of laminated chestnut wood without tannin were better compared to samples with tannin. Oven-dry density and air-dry density were found to be higher in samples containing tannins and not exposed to thermal treatment. Moreover, the lowest value of density was observed in samples containing no tannin and exposed to thermal treatment. In terms of mechanical properties, the highest bending strength and modulus of elasticity were obtained from samples containing tannins and not exposed to heat treatment. The lowest values were found in samples without tannin exposed to heat treatment. Regarding compression strength, the maximum and minimum values were found in samples containing tannins and not exposed to heat treatment and samples without tannin and exposed to heat treatment, respectively

A CRITICAL REVIEW ON CLASSIFICATION AND TERMINOLOGY OF SCISSOR STRUCTURES

When the existing literature on the research of scissor structures is thoroughly investigated, it is seen that different researchers use different terminologies and classifications especially for the definition of the primary units and the motion type. Some of the studies define the whole geometry based on the geometric properties of the primary scissor units and the unit lines while some other studies define it according to the loops. All these studies use different names for similar elements. This article aims to review the literature on the classification and terminology of scissor structures and represent the state of art on the studies. Tables are represented showing all approaches in the literature. In addition, the article criticizes the missing points of each terminology and definition, and proposes some new terminology. In order to arrive at this aim, different definitions of the primary scissor units and motion types used in key studies in the literature are investigated thoroughly. With several examples, it is demonstrated that naming the scissor units according to the resulting motion type might be misleading and it is better to specify the motion type for the whole structure. A classification for transformation of planar curves is presented

Abnormal Proximal Musculotendinous Junction of the Peroneus Brevis Muscle as a Cause of Peroneus Brevis Tendon Tears: A Cadaveric Study

Abnormal musculotendinous distal extension of the peroneus brevis has been implicated as a possible cause of peroneus brevis tendon tears. We investigated this relationship in 58 (46 male) fresh human cadavers. Torn lesions were classified according to Sobel et al. Musculotendinous distal extension of the peroneus brevis was measured in each ankle as the vertical distance from the musculotendinous junction of the peroneus brevis to the tip of the fibula. Tendons with and without tears were compared by sex, age at death, height, musculotendinous distal extension of the peroneus brevis, the common sheath bifurcation-fibular tip distance, the peroneus brevis and longus width at the musculotendinous junction, fibular groove depth, peroneal tubercle height, superior-inferior peroneal retinaculum wideness, and the presence of the peroneus quartus or an accessory peroneal muscle. Of 115 evaluable tendons, 15 (13%) had tears. All came from men. The average distance from the musculotendinous junction to the tip of the fibula was 27.0 mm in tendons with tears and 16.4 mm in tendons without (P=.04) Male sex (P=.03), age at death (P=.03), height (P=.04), and fibular groove depth (P=.003) were also related to the presence of tears. Our results do not support a relationship between abnormal musculotendinous distal extension of the peroneus brevis and peroneus brevis tendon tears; rather, proximal extension of the peroneus brevis musculotendinous junction may be related to peroneus brevis tendon tears. (C) 2010 by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved