Use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging Angiography to Follow-Up Arterial Remodeling in an Animal Model

Appropriately sized arteries in small animals may be possible models for studying the remodeling process as occurs after arterial balloon injury in humans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is able to noninvasively image tissue in vivo. To date, small animal angiog raphy models have mostly used research-dedicated instruments and resolution, which are not universally available.Experiments were carried out on a rat aorta model of remodeling in vivo (n=40). Arteries were injured by oversized balloon dilation; control arteries were uninjured. Angiography imaging was performed immediately before sacrifice with an unmodified clinical MRI unit, a 1.5 Tesla MR tomograph with a 20-cm-diameter coil. Longitudinal MRI pictures of the aorta and morphometry of tissue sections to measure luminal and arterial wall areas were analyzed with use of computer-assisted techniques.Comparison of dimensions demonstrated correlation between MRI and histology measurements of the lumen. MRI and morphometry showed a gradual increase in mean luminal area over 6 weeks following injury. The lumen increase correlated with total arterial area and thickness.In this rat aorta model, remodeling documented at histology was followed-up in vivo. The use of such clinical MRI scanners has potential to reduce animal numbers needed to follow-up the remodeling process after therapeutic intervention

A heart team’s perspective on interventional mitral valve repair: Percutaneous clip implantation as an important adjunct to a surgical mitral valve program for treatment of high-risk patients

ObjectiveSurgical mitral valve repair carries an elevated perioperative risk in the presence of severely reduced ventricular function and relevant comorbidities. We sought to assess the feasibility of catheter-based mitral valve repair using a clip-based percutaneous edge-to-edge repair system in selected patients at high surgical risk with mitral regurgitation grade 3 or worse.MethodsBetween 2002 and January 2011, 202 consecutive patients without prior mitral valve surgery (age 75 ± 9 years; 63% were male) with symptomatic functional (65%), degenerative (27%), or mixed (8%) mitral regurgitation were treated with a percutaneous clip system for approximation of the anterior and posterior mitral leaflets. Risk for mitral valve surgery was considered high in terms of a mean logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation of 44% (range, 21%–54%). Preprocedural left ventricular ejection fraction was 35% or less in 36% of patients. An interdisciplinary heart team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons discussed all patients.ResultsPercutaneous clip implantation was successful in 186 patients (92%). Patients were treated with 1 clip (n = 125; 62%), 2 clips (n = 64; 32%), or 3 or more clips (n = 7; 3%). Reduction in mitral regurgitation from pre- to postprocedure was significant (P < .0001) and remained stable within the first 12 months in the majority of patients. Thirty-day mortality was 3.5% (7/202 patients). Hospital stay was 12 ± 10 days, and median intensive care unit stay was 1 day (range, 0–45 days). Eleven patients required surgical valve repair/replacement at a median of 38 days (0–468 days) after percutaneous clip implantation.ConclusionsClip-based percutaneous mitral valve repair is a safe, low-risk, and effective therapeutic option in symptomatic patients with a high risk for surgery and does not exclude later surgical repair

Cardiac xenotransplantation: Recent preclinical progress with 3-month median survival

ObjectivesTransplantation is limited by a lack of human organ donors. Organs derived from animals, most likely the pig, represent a potential solution to this problem. For the heart, 90-day median graft survival of life-supporting pig hearts transplanted to nonhuman primates has been considered a reasonable standard for entry into the clinical arena. Overcoming the immune barrier to successful cardiac xenotransplantation is most appropriately first explored with the non–life-supporting heterotopic model.MethodsWe performed a series of 7 heterotopic heart transplantations from CD46 transgenic pigs to baboons using a combination of therapeutic agents largely targeted at controlling the synthesis of anti-pig antibodies. Rituximab (anti-CD20) and Thymoglobulin (rabbit antithymocyte globulin [ATG]; SangStat Medical Corp, Fremont, Calif) were used as induction therapy. Baseline immunosuppression consisted of splenectomy, tacrolimus, sirolimus, steroids, and TPC (an anti-Gal antibody therapeutic). Rejection events were not treated.ResultsBy using Kaplan-Meier analysis, median graft survival was 96 days (range, 15–137 days; 95% confidence interval, 38–99 days). Only 2 grafts were lost as a result of rejection, as defined by cessation of graft palpation. There was no evidence of a consumptive coagulopathy, infectious complications were treatable, and no posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders occurred. No cellular infiltration was observed.ConclusionsThis study reports the longest median survival to date (96 days) of pig hearts transplanted heterotopically into baboons. Duplication of these results in the orthotopic life-supporting position could bring cardiac xenotransplantation to the threshold of clinical application

Canım

Selami İzzet'in Akşam'da tefrika edilen Canım adlı romanıTelif hakları nedeniyle romanın tam metni verilememiştir

Nevrological manifestations in patiens with West Nile fever

Гарячка Західного Нілу (ГЗН) є найпоширенішим зооантропонозним трансмісивним «комариним» захворюванням у групі природно осередкових інфекцій. Вірус ГЗН належить до роду Flavivirus родини Flaviviridae, поширений на усіх континентах за винятком Антарктиди. В Європі основним видом комарів, які передають вірус ГЗН людям, є Culex pipiens. Інфікування описане також при вертикальній передачі від матері до дитини та парентеральним шляхом. За філогенетичними властивостями вірусу розрізняють кілька генетичних груп – генотипів, деякі з яких містять підгрупи, що обумовлює нерівномірний територіальний розподіл та тяжкість клінічної маніфестації ГЗН

BZ-System als Batterie-Extender

Der Sprung der Brennstoffzellentechnologie aus dem Labor in die Anwendung erfordert eine deutliche Kostenreduktion sowie eine Erhöhung der Lebensdauer und Leistungsdichte der Systeme. Diese Punkte sind die Ziele des Projektes BZ-Battext, welche durch neue Erkenntnisse bzgl. alternativer Materialien, Betriebsstrategien sowie Subsysteme und deren Realisierung erreicht werden sollen. Im Projekt wird die Machbarkeit eines Mikro-DMFC-Systems evaluiert, das durch eine neue Systemarchitektur eine minimierte Systemperipherie ermöglicht. Dazu werden alternative Werkstoffe und funktionale Komponenten erforscht und hergestellt. Weitere Schwerpunkte sind die Erforschung und Erstellung vorteilhafter Subsysteme und Betriebsstrategien welche den Einsatz der neuen Komponenten ermöglichen und optimieren sowie die Realisierung des Mikro-DMFC-Systems ermöglichen. Die technische Machbarkeit der Ergebnisse wird anwendungsnah untersucht wobei das zu erstellende System als Batterie-Extender für einen Bootsantrieb getestet wird. Das Brennstoffzellensystem soll als Basis für ein effizientes, kompaktes und kostengünstiges Mikro-DMFC-System dienen welches als Batterie-Ersatz- oder Extendersystem ein breites Anwendungsgebiet abdeckt. Die erzielten Erkenntnisse, Materialien, Komponenten und Subsysteme sollen patentiert werden und über Lizenzverträge zur Verfügung stehen sowie von den beteiligten Partnern selbst zur Entwicklung alternativer Produkte genutzt werden. An dem Projekt beteiligt sind: DLR, Institut für Technische Thermodynamik Uni Stuttgart, Institut für chemische Verfahrenstechnik Between Lizenz GmbH Freudenberg FCCT KG Staxon Consulting GbR Kopf Solarschiff GmbH Ulmer Brennstoffzellen Manufaktur Gmb

Stand der Forschung und Entwicklung der elektrochemischen Speicher und Wandler

Stand der Forschung und Entwicklung der elektrochemischen Speicher und Wandle