Mural endocarditis - by default

We report on a case of a 33-year-old female patient with known adult congenital heart disease in the form of a coronary cameral fistula who, on prior presentation, had refused treatment and subsequently defaulted follow-up, but unfortunately developed a serious and rare complication. She presented with non-specific neurological symptoms of transient visual loss and headaches. Clinical examination revealed aortic regurgitation with peripheral features of infective endocarditis. This was confirmed with transthoracic echocardiogram, but additionally, we found mural endocarditis of the right atrial posterior wall. An initial CT brain scan and ophthalmology assessments were negative, blood cultures were positive and confirmed infective endocarditis, and she was referred for urgent cardiothoracic surgery. Unfortunately, she had further complications with a large intracranial haemorrhage which ultimately led to her death. This case illustrates a rare entity with disastrous complications

Dual endothelin-converting enzyme/neutral endopeptidase blockade in rats with D-galactosamine-induced liver failure

Secondary activation of the endothelin system is thought to be involved in toxic liver injury. This study tested the hypothesis that dual endothelin-converting enzyme / neutral endopeptidase blockade might be able to attenuate acute toxic liver injury

Renal phenotype of Et-1 transgenic mice is modulated by androgens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Activation of the endothelin (ET) system promotes inflammation and fibrosis in various tissues including the kidney. Male ET-1 transgenic mice are characterized by chronic kidney inflammation and renal scarring. We hypothesized that this renal phenotype might be modulated by androgens. Thus the aim of our study was to elucidate the impact of gonadectomy in ET-1 transgenic mice on kidney function and morphology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male ET-1 transgenic mice at the age of 10 weeks were randomly allocated to the following groups: normal ET transgenic mice (ET; n = 17) and ET transgenic mice that underwent castration (ET+cas; n = 12). Study duration was 9 months. Creatinine clearance and protein excretion was monitored. At study end animals were sacrificed and kidneys were harvested for histology/immunhistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Castration significantly ameliorated glomerulosclerosis in ET-1 transgenic mice (ET glomerulosclerosis-score: 3.0 ± 0.17 vs ET+cas: 2.4 ± 0.17; p < 0.05) as well as renal perivascular fibrosis (ET fibrosis-score: 3.0 ± 0.14 vs ET+cas: 2.2 ± 0.14; p < 0.05). However, interstitial fibrosis and media/lumenratio of renal arteries remained unaffected by castration. Regarding inflammation, castration significantly reduced the number of CD4-positive cells in renal tissue of ET-1 transgenic mice (ET CD4-positive cells/10000 cells: 355 ± 72 vs ET+cas: 147 ± 28; p < 0.05). Renal tissue contents of CD8 positive cells as well as of macrophages were not affected by castration. Regarding kidney function castration significantly reduced proteinuria in ET-1 transgenic mice whereas creatinine clearance did not differ between study groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study demonstrates that the renal histopathological phenotype in male ET-1 transgenic mice with regard to glomerulosclerosis, proteinuria, perivascular fibrosis and immune cell immigration is ameliorated by castration. We thus conclude that the effects of ET-1 overexpression on renal tissue injury are modulated by androgens.</p

Parton Distributions Working Group

The main focus of this working group was to investigate the different issues associated with the development of quantitative tools to estimate parton distribution functions uncertainties. In the conclusion, we introduce a "Manifesto" that describes an optimal method for reporting data.Comment: Report of the Parton Distributions Working Group of the 'QCD and Weak Boson Physics workshop in preparation for Run II at the Fermilab Tevatron'. Co-Conveners: L. de Barbaro, S.A. Keller, S. Kuhlmann, H. Schellman, and W.-K. Tun

QCD

We discuss issues of QCD at the LHC including parton distributions, Monte Carlo event generators, the available next-to-leading order calculations, resummation, photon production, small x physics, double parton scattering, and backgrounds to Higgs production.Comment: 115 pages, Latex, 47 figures, to appear in the Report of the ``1999 CERN Workshop on SM Physics (and more) at the LHC'', S. Catani, M. Dittmar, D. Soper, W.J. Stirling, S. Tapprogge (convenors

Renal Effects of the Novel Selective Adenosine A1 Receptor Blocker SLV329 in Experimental Liver Cirrhosis in Rats

Liver cirrhosis is often complicated by an impaired renal excretion of water and sodium. Diuretics tend to further deteriorate renal function. It is unknown whether chronic selective adenosine A1 receptor blockade, via inhibition of the hepatorenal reflex and the tubuloglomerular feedback, might exert diuretic and natriuretic effects without a reduction of the glomerular filtration rate. In healthy animals intravenous treatment with the novel A1 receptor antagonist SLV329 resulted in a strong dose-dependent diuretic (up to 3.4-fold) and natriuretic (up to 13.5-fold) effect without affecting creatinine clearance. Male Wistar rats with thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis received SLV329, vehicle or furosemide for 12 weeks. The creatinine clearance of cirrhotic animals decreased significantly (−36.5%, p<0.05), especially in those receiving furosemide (−41.9%, p<0.01). SLV329 was able to prevent this decline of creatinine clearance. Mortality was significantly lower in cirrhotic animals treated with SLV329 in comparison to animals treated with furosemide (17% vs. 54%, p<0.05). SLV329 did not relevantly influence the degree of liver fibrosis, kidney histology or expression of hepatic or renal adenosine receptors. In conclusion, chronic treatment with SLV329 prevented the decrease of creatinine clearance in a rat model of liver cirrhosis. Further studies will have to establish whether adenosine A1 receptor antagonists are clinically beneficial at different stages of liver cirrhosis

Simultaneous measurement of the ratio B(t->Wb)/B(t->Wq) and the top quark pair production cross section with the D0 detector at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV

We present the first simultaneous measurement of the ratio of branching fractions, R=B(t->Wb)/B(t->Wq), with q being a d, s, or b quark, and the top quark pair production cross section sigma_ttbar in the lepton plus jets channel using 0.9 fb-1 of ppbar collision data at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV collected with the D0 detector. We extract R and sigma_ttbar by analyzing samples of events with 0, 1 and >= 2 identified b jets. We measure R = 0.97 +0.09-0.08 (stat+syst) and sigma_ttbar = 8.18 +0.90-0.84 (stat+syst)} +/-0.50 (lumi) pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Letter

Measurement of the B0_s semileptonic branching ratio to an orbitally excited D_s** state, Br(B0_s -> Ds1(2536) mu nu)

In a data sample of approximately 1.3 fb-1 collected with the D0 detector between 2002 and 2006, the orbitally excited charm state D_s1(2536) has been observed with a measured mass of 2535.7 +/- 0.6 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst) MeV via the decay mode B0_s -> D_s1(2536) mu nu X. A first measurement is made of the branching ratio product Br(b(bar) -> D_s1(2536) mu nu X).Br(D_s1(2536)->D* K0_S). Assuming that D_s1(2536) production in semileptonic decay is entirely from B0_s, an extraction of the semileptonic branching ratio Br(B0_s -> D_s1(2536) mu nu X) is made.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, version with minor changes as accepted by Phys. Rev. Let

Search for W' bosons decaying to an electron and a neutrino with the D0 detector

This Letter describes the search for a new heavy charged gauge boson W' decaying into an electron and a neutrino. The data were collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron proton-antiproton Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 1 inverse femtobarn. Lacking any significant excess in the data in comparison with known processes, an upper limit is set on the production cross section times branching fraction, and a W' boson with mass below 1.00 TeV can be excluded at the 95% C.L., assuming standard-model-like couplings to fermions. This result significantly improves upon previous limits, and is the most stringent to date.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let