Biomethane technology for grid injection

This is a poster that describes the state-of-the art and perspectives for biomethane as technology for grid injectio

Influence of food system conditions on N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones production by <i>Aeromonas</i> spp.

Eleven of 13 Aeromonas strains were shown to produce AHLs. Results of TLC showed that N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) was the main AHL produced in LB medium at 30 degrees C. The influence of different carbon sources, temperature, pH values and salt concentrations on AHL production was determined in eight A. hydrophila and one A. caviae strain. Additionally a quantitative study of C4-HSL production by A. hydrophila strain 519 under different conditions was performed. Positive results were found in the AHL induction assay for some Aeromonas strains in cultures in LB agar incubated at 12 degrees C after 72-96 h. The induction of the sensor strains by Aeromonas spp. occurred in LB medium supplemented with all carbon sources in a concentration of 0.5%. The production of C4-HSL by A. hydrophila 519 was found until 3.5% (w/v) of NaCl. For pHs close to the neutrality the C4-HSL production by A. hydrophila was evident after 24-48 h of incubation. A. hydrophila 519 produced C4-HSL under anaerobic conditions. Also, the AHL production by Aeromonas strains was studied in simulate agar of shrimp, fish and some vegetables. The production of AHLs was evident by almost all the test strains in shrimp simulated agar. In fish agar only for one of three fish species tested, positive results were found. Induction assay in vegetables simulated agar showed principally negative results, probably because of the presence of inhibitory compounds in these vegetables

Myocardial function, heart failure and arrhythmia in Marfan syndrome : a systematic literature review

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a heritable systemic connective tissue disease with important cardiovascular involvement, including aortic root dilatation and mitral valve prolapse. Life expectancy in patients with MFS is mainly determined by cardiovascular complications, among which aortic dissection or rupture are most dreaded. In recent years, heart failure and ventricular arrhythmia have drawn attention as extra-aortic cardiovascular manifestations and as additional reported causes of death. Imaging studies have provided data supporting a primary myocardial impairment in the absence of valvular disease or cardiovascular surgery, while studies using ambulatory ECG have demonstrated an increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia. In this paper, current literature was reviewed in order to provide insights in characteristics, pathophysiology and evolution of myocardial function, heart failure and ventricular arrhythmia in MFS

Directed networks as a novel way to describe and analyze cardiac excitation : directed graph mapping

Networks provide a powerful methodology with applications in a variety of biological, technological and social systems such as analysis of brain data, social networks, internet search engine algorithms, etc. To date, directed networks have not yet been applied to characterize the excitation of the human heart. In clinical practice, cardiac excitation is recorded by multiple discrete electrodes. During (normal) sinus rhythm or during cardiac arrhythmias, successive excitation connects neighboring electrodes, resulting in their own unique directed network. This in theory makes it a perfect fit for directed network analysis. In this study, we applied directed networks to the heart in order to describe and characterize cardiac arrhythmias. Proof-of-principle was established using in-silico and clinical data. We demonstrated that tools used in network theory analysis allow determination of the mechanism and location of certain cardiac arrhythmias. We show that the robustness of this approach can potentially exceed the existing state-of-the art methodology used in clinics. Furthermore, implementation of these techniques in daily practice can improve the accuracy and speed of cardiac arrhythmia analysis. It may also provide novel insights in arrhythmias that are still incompletely understood

Myocardial disease and ventricular arrhythmia in Marfan syndrome : a prospective study

Background Aortic root dilatation and-dissection and mitral valve prolapse are established cardiovascular manifestations in Marfan syndrome (MFS). Heart failure and arrhythmic sudden cardiac death have emerged as additional causes of morbidity and mortality. Methods To characterize myocardial dysfunction and arrhythmia in MFS we conducted a prospective longitudinal case-control study including 86 patients with MFS (55.8% women, mean age 36.3 yr-range 13-70 yr-) and 40 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Cardiac ultrasound, resting and ambulatory ECG (AECG) and NT-proBNP measurements were performed in all subjects at baseline. Additionally, patients with MFS underwent 2 extra evaluations during 30 +/- 7 months follow-up. To study primary versus secondary myocardial involvement, patients with MFS were divided in 2 groups: without previous surgery and normal/mild valvular function (MFS-1; N = 55) and with previous surgery or valvular dysfunction (MFS-2; N = 31). Results Compared to controls, patients in MFS-1 showed mild myocardial disease reflected in a larger left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), lower TAPSE and higher amount of (supra) ventricular extrasystoles [(S)VES]. Patients in MFS-2 were more severely affected. Seven patients (five in MFS-2) presented decreased LV ejection fraction. Twenty patients (twelve in MFS-2) had non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) in at least one AECG. Larger LVEDD and higher amount of VES were independently associated with NSVT. Conclusion Our study shows mild but significant myocardial involvement in patients with MFS. Patients with previous surgery or valvular dysfunction are more severely affected. Evaluation of myocardial function with echocardiography and AECG should be considered in all patients with MFS, especially in those with valvular disease and a history of cardiac surgery