Evaluation of two years’ treatment results after implantation of Biolimus A9 stents in coronary arteries

Introduction. Stenting is a widespread procedure for patients suffering from coronary artery disease. The use of drug-covered stents has improved stenting safety and treatment efficiency. Using second-generation Biolimus drug-covered A9 stents is associated with reduced risk of stent thrombosis compared with first-generation ones. The aim of the study was to evaluate two years’ treatment results after implantation of Biolimus A9 stents in coronary arteries in patients who suffer from coronary artery disease. Methods. The study included 216 patients who suffered from coronary artery disease and were treated using Biolimus A9 drug-covered stents, in order to eliminate all greater-than-50% stenoses. Patients’ data were collected from hospital case histories and e-Biomatrix PMR questionnaire. Decisions regarding whether to use Biolimus A9 stents during percutaneous coronary intervention were made by the respective operators. The rate of complication after stenting was evaluated when stenosis was eliminated or reduced to 30% or TIMI 3 flow was determined. Results. Out of 216 patients included in the study, 151 were males (69.91%) and 30.09% (65) were females. Mean of age of patients was 60.2 ± 10.1 years; 19% of patients had diagnosed diabetes. The success rate of implanting Biolimus A9 stents was 100% with no complications during hospital stay.

Alternatyvūs nekrektomijos metodai gydant gilius dalies odos storio dilbių ir plaštakų nudegimus

Treatment of forearm and hand burns is distinguished for specificity. Anatomically-important and delicate structures fit into a relatively limited space, coated with skin without a thick subcutaneous layer. Hand and forearm burned area tissue surgical debridement is technically difficult, too aggressive to the remaining healthy dermis and reduces the chance of burn wound self epithelisation. Surgical necrectomy can lead to serious complications, therefore it should be done delicately or alternative debridement method should be chosen. According to scientific data, a sterling and selective removal of non-viable tissue leads to faster wound epithelization, reduces the risk of scarring and induces a better functional recovery. Article observes advantages of mechanical, autolytic, enzymatic necrectomy methods for the treatment of deep partial thickness hand and forearm burns.Gydant dilbio ir plaštakos nudegimus būtina atsižvelgti į rankos anatomijos ypatybes – svarbios ir subtilios struktūros čia yra palyginti mažoje ribotoje erdvėje ir jas dengia oda be storo poodinio sluoksnio. Chirurginis dilbio ir plaštakos srities nudegusių audinių šalinimas yra techniškai sunkus, pernelyg agresyvus likusių sveikų audinių atžvilgiu, nes dar labiau sumažėja nudegimo savaiminės epitelizacijos tikimybė. Chirurginė nekrektomija gali sukelti sunkių komplikacijų, todėl turėtų būti atliekama ypač atsargiai arba parenkamas alternatyvus nekrozės šalinimo metodas. Mokslinės literatūros duomenimis, ankstyvas, visavertis ir selektyvus negyvybingų audinių pašalinimas lemia greitesnę žaizdų epitelizaciją, sumažina randėjimo riziką, turi įtakos geresniam funkcijų atsitaisymui. Straipsnyje pateikiama mechaninės, autolitinės, fermentinės nekrektomijos metodų apžvalga gydant gilius dalies odos storio dilbių ir plaštakų nudegimu

Positron Emission Tomography in the Diagnosis and Management of Coronary Artery Disease

Cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are encouraging precise non-invasive imaging modalities that allow imaging of the cellular function of the heart, while other non-invasive cardiovascular imaging modalities are considered to be techniques for imaging the anatomy, morphology, structure, function and tissue characteristics. The role of cardiac PET has been growing rapidly and providing high diagnostic accuracy of coronary artery disease (CAD). Clinical cardiology has established PET as a criterion for the assessment of myocardial viability and is recommended for the proper management of reduced left ventricle (LV) function and ischemic cardiomyopathy. Hybrid PET/CT imaging has enabled simultaneous integration of the coronary anatomy with myocardial perfusion and metabolism and has improved characterization of dysfunctional areas in chronic CAD. Also, the availability of quantitative myocardial blood flow (MBF) evaluation with various PET perfusion tracers provides additional prognostic information and enhances the diagnostic performance of nuclear imaging

Measurement System for Short-Pulsed Magnetic Fields

A measurement system based on the colossal magnetoresistance CMR-B-scalar sensor was developed for the measurement of short-duration high-amplitude magnetic fields. The system consists of a magnetic field sensor made from thin nanostructured manganite film with minimized memory effect, and a magnetic field recording module. The memory effect of the La1−xSrx(Mn1−yCoy)zO3 manganite films doped with different amounts of Co and Mn was investigated by measuring the magnetoresistance (MR) and resistance relaxation in pulsed magnetic fields up to 20 T in the temperature range of 80–365 K. It was found that for low-temperature applications, films doped with Co (LSMCO) are preferable due to the minimized magnetic memory effect at these temperatures, compared with LSMO films without Co. For applications at temperatures higher than room temperature, nanostructured manganite LSMO films with increased Mn content above the stoichiometric level have to be used. These films do not exhibit magnetic memory effects and have higher MR values. To avoid parasitic signal due to electromotive forces appearing in the transmission line of the sensor during measurement of short-pulsed magnetic fields, a bipolar-pulsed voltage supply for the sensor was used. For signal recording, a measurement module consisting of a pulsed voltage generator with a frequency up to 12.5 MHz, a 16-bit ADC with a sampling rate of 25 MHz, and a microprocessor was proposed. The circuit of the measurement module was shielded against low- and high-frequency electromagnetic noise, and the recorded signal was transmitted to a personal computer using a fiber optic link. The system was tested using magnetic field generators, generating magnetic fields with pulse durations ranging from 3 to 20 μs. The developed magnetic field measurement system can be used for the measurement of high-pulsed magnetic fields with pulse durations in the order of microseconds in different fields of science and industry

Magnetic Field Measurements during Magnetic Pulse Welding Using CMR-B-Scalar Sensors

The possibility of applying CMR-B-scalar sensors made from thin manganite films exhibiting the colossal magnetoresistance effect as a fast-nondestructive method for the evaluation of the quality of the magnetic pulse welding (MPW) process is investigated in this paper. This method based on magnetic field magnitude measurements in the vicinity of the tools and joining parts was tested during the electromagnetic compression and MPW of an aluminum flyer tube with a steel parent. The testing setup used for the investigation allowed the simultaneous measurement of the flyer displacement, its velocity, and the magnitude of the magnetic field close to the flyer. The experimental results and simulations showed that, during the welding of the aluminum tube with the steel parent, the maximum magnetic field in the gap between the field shaper and the flyer is achieved much earlier than the maximum of the current pulse of the coil and that the first half-wave pulse of the magnetic field has two peaks. It was also found that the time instant of the minimum between these peaks depends on the charging energy of the capacitors and is associated with the collision of the flyer with the parent. Together with the first peak maximum and its time-position, this characteristic could be an indication of the welding quality. These results were confirmed by simultaneous measurements of the flyer displacement and velocity, as well as a numerical simulation of the magnetic field dynamics. The relationship between the peculiarities of the magnetic field pulse and the quality of the welding process is discussed. It was demonstrated that the proposed method of magnetic field measurement during magnetic pulse welding in combination with subsequent peel testing could be used as a nondestructive method for the monitoring of the quality of the welding process.This article belongs to the Special Issue Magnetic Sensors and Systems for Scientific and Industrial ApplicationsThis work was partly supported by the Research Council of Lithuania under Grant S-MIP-17-11