Comparative results of transluminal extraction coronary atherectomy in saphenous vein graft lesions with and without thrombus

AbstractObjectives. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the results of transluminal extraction coronary atherectomy in saphenous vein graft lesions with and without angiographic thrombus.Background. Percutaneous interventions in lesions with thrombus are associated with reduced procedural success and increased risk of complications. Use of the transluminal extraction catheter, which cuts and aspirates atheroma and thrombus, has been advocated as a potential revascularization strategy for lesions with thrombus.Methods. Baseline patient characteristics, lesion morphology, immediate angiographic results, in-hospital complications and follow-up were prospectively entered into an interventional cardiology data base. The results of transluminal extraction coronary atherectomy in saphenous vein bypass grafts with angiographic thrombus were compared with results in similar grafts without angiographic thrombus.Results. Transluminal extraction coronary atherectomy was performed in 175 patients with 183 vein graft lesions, including 59 lesions (32%) with thrombus (Group 1) and 124 (68%) without thrombus (Group 2). Compared with lesions in Group 2, lesions in Group 1 were associated with a higher incidence of baseline total occlusion, diffuse disease and abnormal Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade flow (p < 0.05); more severe diameter stenosis at baseline, after atherectomy and after final angiography (p < 0.05); a lower rate of clinical success (69% vs, 88%, p < 0.01); and more angiographic and clinical complications, including no reflow (p < 0.05), vascular repair (p < 0.05) and Q wave myocardial infarction (p = 0.09).Conclusions. In transluminal extraction coronary atherectomy of saphenous vein bypass grafts, the presence of thrombus is associated with more baseline lesion complexity, reduced clinical success and increased risk of no reflow, Q wave myocardial infarction and vascular repair

Relative Suppression of Magical Thinking: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

The tendency to perceive meaning in noise (apophenia) has been linked to “magical thinking” (MT), a distinctive form of thinking associated with a range of normal cognitive styles, anomalous perceptual experiences and frank psychosis. Important aspects of MT include the propensity to imbue meaning or causality to events that might otherwise be considered coincidental. Structures in the lateral temporal lobes have been hypothesised to be involved in both the clinical and non- clinical aspects of MT. Accordingly, in this study we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to stimulate either the left or right lateral temporal areas, or the vertex, of 12 healthy participants (balanced for similar levels of MT, delusional ideation and temporal lobe disturbance) while they were required to indicate if they had “detected” pictures, claimed to be present by the experimenters, in visual noise. Relative to the vertex, TMS inhibition of the left lateral temporal area produced significant reduced tendency to report meaningful information, suggesting that left lateral temporal activation may be more important in MT and therefore producing and supporting anomalous beliefs and experiences. The effect cannot simply be explained by TMS induced cognitive slowing as reaction times were not affected

Heterologous Booster Dose with CORBEVAX following Primary Vaccination with COVISHIELD Enhances Protection against SARS-CoV-2

Despite effective vaccination programs, waning immunity in the vaccinated populations and the emergence of variants of concern posed a risk of breakthrough infections. A booster dose was demonstrated to provide substantially increased protection against symptomatic disease and hospitalization. We aimed to evaluate immune memory and the efficacy of reducing the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection post heterologous booster with CORBEVAX after primary vaccination with two doses of COVISHIELD. SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 spike IgG and RBD-specific antibody responses were elicited with both booster vaccines, with a greater response in individuals receiving heterologous booster. T and B memory responses were increased with booster dose, whereas B memory needed a longer duration to develop in individuals who received a homologous booster (90 days) in comparison to a heterologous booster (30 days). RBD-specific B memory and antibody-secreting (non-memory) B lymphocytes were enhanced with both boosters; however, the duration of response was longer with the heterologous booster compared to the homologous, indicating greater protection with the heterologous booster. The rate of infection 14 days after administration of the heterologous booster was comparatively lower than that of the homologous booster, with the symptoms being much less or asymptomatic

Biofunctionalized graphene oxide wrapped carbon nanotubes enabled microfluidic immunochip for bacterial cells detection

A sensitive and selective microfluidic immunochip was fabricated for detection ofSalmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) bacterial cells. In this sensor, graphene oxide (GO) nano sheets wrapped carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNTs) composite acted as a transducer material. The colloidal solution of GO-cMWCNTs composite was selectively deposited onto patterned indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and sealed with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro channels. The S. typhimurium antibodies (StAb) were in situ biofunctionalized followed by EDC-NHS covalent chemistry via amidation reaction. The presence of abundant functional groups at the GO-cMWCNTs composite improved the loading of antibodies (StAb) against S. typhimurium leading to improved biosensing characteristics. Wrapping of cMWCNTs with GO resulted in superior electron transfer behavior enhancing the sensitivity (162.47 mu A/CFU-1/mLcm(-2)) almost two folds as compared to that based on GO (89.16 mu A/CFU-1/mLcm(-2)) sheets for bacterial cells detection. Besides this, GO wrapped cMWCNTs integrated microfluidics biosensor offered low detection limit as 0.376 CFU/mL and negligible interference due to presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli ( 0157:H7)