1,011 research outputs found
Computational Analysis of Self-Expanding and Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Heart Valves
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients are usually excluded from transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) as this valve anatomy likely leads to oval expansion. This study presents a numerical study of TAVI using both self-expanding and balloon expandable transcatheter heart valve (THV) in bicuspid patients with severe stenosis. The simulation framework included a patient-specific anatomy of the aortic root, calcifications and BAV leaflets extracted from medical imaging analysis as well as a realistic crimping and deployment of the THV. Tissue stress analysis highlighted local maxima in the contact area between the inner aortic lumen and the THV stent frame. Flow analysis based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique displayed the area at risk of paravalvular leakage (PVL). These findings provide insights on the TAVI in BAV and thus represents a further step towards the use of in-silico for the virtual planning of TAVI, aiming at improving not only the efficacy of the implantation but also the exploration of borderline anatomy as the case of TAVI in BAVs
Geometric expansion of the log-partition function of the anisotropic Heisenberg model
We study the asymptotic expansion of the log-partition function of the
anisotropic Heisenberg model in a bounded domain as this domain is dilated to
infinity. Using the Ginibre's representation of the anisotropic Heisenberg
model as a gas of interacting trajectories of a compound Poisson process we
find all the non-decreasing terms of this expansion. They are given explicitly
in terms of functional integrals. As the main technical tool we use the cluster
expansion method.Comment: 38 page
Molecular Conformation of Pyridinic Aromatic Esters. II. Electronic Absorption Spectra and Dipole Moments by Semiempirical Methods
The semiempirical MIM method was applied to calculate the
UV spectra of nine pyridine-aromatic-ester derivatives (having the
general formula R1-COO-R2) assuming a planar geometry. Benzene,
pyridine and formic acid were adopted as component systems.
The dipole moments of the same compounds were evaluated at the
MIM and INDO levels and the equilibrium percentage of the conformers
was deduced from experimental and theoretical values.
Comparable results were generally obtained. On the whole the
results are satisfactory but not sufficient to affirm with certainty
if the molecular skeleton is or is not planar
Molecular Conformation of Aza-substituted Benzanilides by Electronic Absorption Spectra and Dipole Moments
The electronic absorption spectra of thirteen pyridine aromatic
amides of general formula R1-CO-NH- R2 (Ri, R2 = pyridil or
phenyl) were obtained in methanol and dioxane solution.
The band assignment is briefly discussed.
The dipole moments were measured in dioxane at 25 ± 0.1 °c
and compared with values calculated by both the S. H. M. 0. method
and vectorial model. The comparison suggests the most probable
conformation of derivatives which have the nitrogen either in the
ortho or meta position in one or both rings of the molecule
Biomechanical performance of the Bicaval Transcatheter System for the treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation
Introduction: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a relatively common valvular disease, which can result from structural abnormalities of any anatomic part of the tricuspid valve. Severe TR is linked to congestive heart failure and hemodynamic impairment, resulting in high mortality when repaired by elective surgery. This study was undertaken to quantify the structural and hemodynamic performance of the novel Transcatheter Bicaval Valves System (TricValve) percutaneously implanted in the superior vena cava (SVC) and inferior vena cava (IVC) of two patients with severe TR and venous congestion. Methods: After developing the SVC and IVC device models, the contact pressure exerted on the vena cava wall was obtained by computational analysis. Both smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and computational fluid dynamics were carried out to quantify caval reflux in the right atrium and the pressure field of pre- and post-TricValve scenarios, respectively. Results: Analysis of contact pressure highlighted the main anchoring area of the SVC device occurring near the SVC device belly, while the IVC device exerted pronounced forces in the deviceâs proximal and distal parts. SPH-related flow velocities revealed the absence of caval reflux, and a decrease in time-averaged pressure was observed near the SVC and IVC after TricValve implantation. Discussion: Findings demonstrated the potential of computational tools for enhancing our understanding of the biomechanical performance of structural tricuspid valve interventions and improving the way we design next-generation transcatheter therapies to treat the tricuspid valve with heterotopic caval valve implantation
Thermodynamic versus Topological Phase Transitions: Cusp in the Kert\'esz Line
We present a study of phase transitions of the Curie--Weiss Potts model at
(inverse) temperature , in presence of an external field . Both
thermodynamic and topological aspects of these transitions are considered. For
the first aspect we complement previous results and give an explicit equation
of the thermodynamic transition line in the -- plane as well as the
magnitude of the jump of the magnetization (for . The signature
of the latter aspect is characterized here by the presence or not of a giant
component in the clusters of a Fortuin--Kasteleyn type representation of the
model. We give the equation of the Kert\'esz line separating (in the
-- plane) the two behaviours. As a result, we get that this line
exhibits, as soon as , a very interesting cusp where it
separates from the thermodynamic transition line
Humoral immunological parameters in Italian patients with oral lichen planus
Serum humoral immunological parameters were determined in 25 patients with atrophic-erosive forms of oral lichen planus (OLP) (Group 1), in 28 patients with reticular-plaque-like lesions of OLP (Group 2) and in 21 healthy patients without oral lesions (Group 3). Comparing patients affected by atrophic-erosive forms of OLP (Group 1) with normal Controls (Group 3), increased levels of serum IgG approaching the statistical significance were found (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0572). It was also found a significantly higher value of kappa (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0017; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroniâs correction p < 0.001) and lambda (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0346; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroniâs correction p = 0.013) light chains in patients with atrophic-erosive OLP (Group 1) as compared with normal controls (Group 3). However these higher levels were probably caused by strong prevalence of chronic liver diseases (40%), in patients with atrophic-erosive variety of OLP. No one of these patients was affected by autoimmune liver disease. No differences were noted between atrophic-erosive OLP (Group 1) and hyperkeratosic OLP (Group 2). This study does not confirm the suggestion that patients with OLP may have a generalized immunologic disorder and it also add some evidences that the role of humoral immunity in the pathogenesis of OLP is probably secondary to the cell-mediated reaction against basal keratinocytes.Les principaux aspects de lâimmunologie humorale ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©valuĂ©s dans deux groupes de malades porteur dâun lichen plan de la muqueuse buccale, 25 Ă formes atrophiques-Ă©rosives (Groupe 1), 28 Ă formes en rĂ©seaux ou en plaques blanches (Groupe 2), et chez 21 sujets sains. Au terme de cette Ă©tude les diffĂ©rences les plus remarquables sont les suivantes: le taux des IgG sĂ©riques est nettement plus Ă©levĂ© chez les sujets du Groupe 1 ce qui est presque significatif par rapport au Groupe 3 (p = 0.0577). Lâanalyse statistique a surtout rĂ©vĂ©lĂ© des diffĂ©rences significatives entre le Groupe 1 et le Groupe 3 (contrĂŽle) en ce qui concerne les taux sĂ©riques des chaĂźnes Kappa (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0017; Mann-Whitney test corrigĂ© par Bonferroni p < 0.001 ) et des chaĂźnes Lambda (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0346; Mann-Whitney test corrigĂ© par Bonferroni p = 0.013). Aucune autre diffĂ©rence significative entre les trois groupes nâa Ă©tĂ© observee. Nous pensons que ces rĂ©sultats sont probablement dus Ă la prĂ©sence dâune hĂ©patopathie chronique non auto-immune qui a Ă©tĂ© diagnostiquĂ©e dans 40% des cas du Groupe 1. Cette Ă©tude ne confirme donc pas la thĂšse selon laquelle les sujets atteints de lichen plan buccal pourraient avoir une dĂ©faillance de lâimmunitĂ© humorale. Elle nous permet de penser que le rĂŽle de cette derniĂšre dans la pathogĂ©nĂšse de la maladie est probablement secondaire Ă la rĂ©action cellulaire dirigĂ©e contre les kĂ©ratinocytes
Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood cell immunity in Italian patients with different varieties of oral lichen planus
Quantitative analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was carried out in 25 patients with atrophic-erosive type of oral lichen planus (OLP) (Group 1), in 28 patients with reticular-plaque like lesions of OLP (Group 2) and in 21 healthy patients (Group 3) by using flow cytometry. CD4 + subsets decreased significantly in patients with reticular-plaque like varieties when compared with healthy patients (Group 3) (One way analysis of variance p = 0.039; t-test with Bonferroni correction p< 0.05). Moreover, in patients with hyperkeratosic forms of OLP (Group 2) CD8 + cell populations were significantly higher than in controls (Group 3) (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.035; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroniâs correction p< 0.0001) and consequently CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly lower in patients with reticular-plaque like lesions than in controls (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.01; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroniâs correction p = 0.013). No statistical differences between patients of Group 1 (atrophic-erosive OLP) and the other two Groups (hyperkeratosic OLP and healthy controls) were detected. 40% of the patients of Group 1 were affected by chronic hepatopathies, most of which were related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), but the data were not substantially modified after adjustment for the patients with chronic liver disease HCV positive. There is no clear evidence that these results indicate the existence of a different pathogenetic mechanism between erosive-atrophic and hyperkeratosic types of OLP. On the other hand, these results and the previously reported immunohistochemical findings suggest that quantitative alterations of peripheral blood lymphocytes in hyperkeratosic varieties of OLP could represent a shift of CD4 + cells from the vascular to the oral mucosa compartment.Les lymphocytes du sang pĂ©riphĂ©rique ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©valuĂ©s par cytomĂ©trie de flux dans deux groupes de malades porteurs dâun lichen plan de la muqueuse buccale: 25 Ă forme atrophique-Ă©rosive (Groupe 1), 28 Ă forme en rĂ©seaux ou en plaques blanches (Groupe 2), et chez 21 sujets sains (Groupe 3). Au terme de cette Ă©tude les diffĂ©rences les plus remarquables ont Ă©tĂ© les suivantes: diminution de la fraction CD4 + et une augmentation de la fraction CD8 + dans le Groupe 2 (rĂ©seaux et plaques blanches) comparĂ©s au Groupe 3 (contrĂŽle), la diffĂ©rence est statistiquement significative (One ways analysis of variance p = 0.039, t test corrigĂ© par Bonferroni p<0.05 pour CD4 + et Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.035, Mann-Whitney test corrigĂ© par Bonferroni p< 0.001 pour CD8 + ) par consĂ©quent le rapport CD4/CD8 du Groupe 2 a Ă©tĂ© significativement plus bas par rapport au Groupe 3 (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.014; Mann-Whitney test corrigĂ© par Bonferroni p = 0.013). Aucune autre diffĂ©rence significative entre les trois groupes nâa Ă©tĂ© observĂ©e, en particulier avec le Groupe 1 (formes atrophiques-Ă©rosives) dont il faut signaler que le 40% des sujets sont porteurs dâune hĂ©patopathie chronique souvent due au virus de lâhĂ©patite C. En conclusion la diffĂ©rence des rĂ©sultats entre les groupes 1 et 2 ne permet pas dâaffirmer lâexistence dâune pathogĂ©nie diffĂ©rente entre les formes atrophiques-Ă©rosives et les formes en rĂ©seaux ou en plaques, elle est en accord avec les prĂ©cĂ©dentes Ă©tudes en histo-immunochimie. Il est possible que la diminution des lymphocytes CD4 + soit secondaire au dĂ©placement de cette population cellulaire du compartement vasculaire de la muqueuse affectĂ©e par le lichen plan.
52-56 A STUDY OF SELF-POLLINATION AND CROSS-POLLINATION IN AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA MILL.) CV. HASS OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES
Abstract The following study was carried out al "La Palma!' Experimental Center of de Faculty of Agronomy of de Catholic University of Valparaiso, for the evaluation of the influence of different avocado varieties as pollinators of Hass. A Hass test field (planted l0xl0m.) was used, containing sections with different pollinators planted in 1975. Pollinators are distributed in quincunce in the Hass planting, belonging to the Bacon, Edranol, Hass, Rincon and Zutano varieties. The control was a section with only Hass trees planted without pollinators. The aim was to determine for each combination and the control the percentages of self-pollination and cross-pollination in the descendants of the Hass fruits by analyzing the origin of parental pollen in fruit embryos using isoenzymes as genetic markers; thereby enabling a determination of which varieties behave better as pollinators of Hass under local conditions in the Quillota area. Electrophoresis test in starch gels at 11% concentrations were carried out using 14 isoenzymatic systems of GOT-1, GOT-2, PGI-2, PGM-1, PGM-2, LAP-1, LAP-2, EST-FL, MDIL TPI-2, SKDH-1, SKDH-2, 6-PGD-2, 6-PGD-3 and 6-PGD-4. The analyzed fruit was collected from October 1994 to January 1995. The results showed Hass to be weak self-pollinator, being easily displaced by pollen from other parental plant when found associated to other varieties. The pollinators which provided the highest cross-pollination results in their combinations were Zutano, Edranol and Bacon cultivars, presenting no significant differences between them. Rincon variety proved a weak pollinator for Hass
Transcatheter heart valve implantation in bicuspid patients with self-expanding device
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients are conventionally not treated by transcathether aortic valve implantation (TAVI) because of anatomic constraint with unfavorable outcome. Patient-specific numerical simulation of TAVI in BAV may predict important clinical insights to assess the con-formability of the transcathether heart valves (THV) implanted on the aortic root of members of this challenging patient population. We aimed to develop a computational approach and virtually simulate TAVI in a group of n.6 stenotic BAV patients using the self-expanding Evolut Pro THV. Specif-ically, the structural mechanics were evaluated by a finite-element model to estimate the deformed THV configuration in the oval bicuspid anatomy. Then, a fluidâsolid interaction analysis based on the smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique was adopted to quantify the blood-flow patterns as well as the regions at high risk of paravalvular leakage (PVL). Simulations demonstrated a slight asymmetric and elliptical expansion of the THV stent frame in the BAV anatomy. The contact pressure between the luminal aortic root surface and the THV stent frame was determined to quantify the device anchoring force at the level of the aortic annulus and mid-ascending aorta. At late diastole, PVL was found in the gap between the aortic wall and THV stent frame. Though the modeling framework was not validated by clinical data, this study could be considered a further step towards the use of numerical simulations for the assessment of TAVI in BAV, aiming at understanding patients not suitable for device implantation on an anatomic basis
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