Multislice/multidetector-row computed tomography findings of a rare coronary anomaly: the first septal perforator branch originating from the left main coronary artery

Multislice/multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is now widely used for noninvasive assessment of coronary arteries, and it may sometimes reveal coronary anomalies. Detection of such anomalies may be relevant both during follow-up and for planning cardiac or coronary surgical/interventional procedures. These anomalies may be missed unless carefully sought. In this paper, we present the MDCT images of a first septal perforator branch originating from the left main coronary artery, which represents an extremely rare coronary anomaly. To the bestof our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature where MDCT images are presented

Project PROMETHEUS: Design and Construction of a Radio Frequency Quadrupole at TAEK

The PROMETHEUS Project is ongoing for the design and development of a 4-vane radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) together with its H+ ion source, a low energy beam transport (LEBT) line and diagnostics section. The main goal of the project is to achieve the acceleration of the low energy ions up to 1.5 MeV by an RFQ (352 MHz) shorter than 2 meter. A plasma ion source is being developed to produce a 20 keV, 1 mA H+ beam. Simulation results for ion source, transmission and beam dynamics are presented together with analytical studies performed with newly developed RFQ design code DEMIRCI. Simulation results shows that a beam transmission 99% could be achieved at 1.7 m downstream reaching an energy of 1.5 MeV. As the first phase an Aluminum RFQ prototype, the so-called cold model, will be built for low power RF characterization. In this contribution the status of the project, design considerations, simulation results, the various diagnostics techniques and RFQ manufacturing issues are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings of the 2nd International Beam Instrumentation Conference 2013 (IBIC'13), 16-19 Sep 2013, WEPC02, p. 65

Graphene oxide integrated sensor for electrochemical monitoring ofmitomycin C–DNA interaction

WOS: 000302308600025PubMed ID: 22439135We present a graphene oxide (GO) integrated disposable electrochemical sensor for the enhanced detection of nucleic acids and the sensitive monitoring of the surface-confined interactions between the anticancer drug mitomycin C (MC) and DNA. Interfacial interactions between immobilized calf thymus double-stranded (dsDNA) and anticancer drug MC were investigated using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Based on three repetitive voltammetric measurements of 120 mu g mL(-1) DNA immobilized on GO-modified electrodes, the RSD % (n = 3) was calculated as 10.47% and the detection limit (DL) for dsDNA was found to be 9.06 mu g mL(-1). EIS studies revealed that the binding of the drug MC to dsDNA leads to a gradual decrease of its negative charge. As a consequence of this interaction, the negative redox species were allowed to approach the electrode, and thus increase the charge transfer kinetics. On the other hand, DPV studies exploited the decrease of the guanine signal due to drug binding as the basis for specifically probing the biointeraction process between MC and dsDNA.Royal Society through Joint Project Scheme [1212R0168]; Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA)Turkish Academy of SciencesThis work was supported by the Royal Society through Joint Project Scheme (Project No. 1212R0168). A.E. acknowledges the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) as an Associate member for its partial support. Authors would like to thank Dr. M. McMullan for the assistance on the synthesis of graphene oxide

Improved Thermodynamic Descriptions of Carbides in Ni-Based Superalloys

The Ni-based superalloy René 41 has sparked recent interest for applications in next-generation aircraft engines due to its high-temperature strength that is superior to all similar grades. These desirable properties are achieved by careful control of the microstructure evolution during thermomechanical processing, and this is commonly informed by simulations. In particular, the grain boundary carbides M6C and M23C6 play an essential role in controlling the grain size and strength of the final product. Therefore, a solid understanding of the thermodynamic stability and thermokinetic evolution of these carbides is essential. However, thermokinetic simulations using existing thermodynamic databases have been demonstrated to have discrepancies between thermodynamic stabilities and experimental observations. Here, we collected a new experimental time–temperature–precipitation diagram. In conjunction with improved crystallographic descriptions, these experimental results are used to modify a CALPHAD database for M6C and M23C6. The modified database correctly identifies temperature regions with rapid carbide precipitation kinetics. Further, kinetic simulations and strengthening models successfully predict the hardness increase due to γ′ precipitation. The modified database has been applied to Udimet 700, Waspaloy, and Haynes 282, demonstrating improved results. These updates will facilitate more accurate simulations of the microstructure evolution during thermomechanical processing of advanced Ni-based superalloys for aerospace and other applications

New tetracyclic heteroaromatic compounds based on dehydroamino acids : photophysical and electrochemical studies of interaction with DNA

A benzothienoindole (BTIN) and a benzofuroindole (BFIN) were synthesized in high yields, as potential new target DNA compounds, using a metal-assisted intramolecular C-N cyclization, developed by us, of the methyl esters of N-(t-butoxycarbonyl)-b,b-bis(dibenzothien-4-yl or dibenzofuro-4-yl)dehydroalanines. The latter were obtained by a bis-Suzuki coupling of a b,b-dibromodehydroalanine with the corresponding heteroarylboronic acids. The absorption and fluorescence properties of the novel tetracyclic heteroaromatic compounds were studied in different solvents and in the presence of natural double-stranded (ds) salmon sperm DNA. The results in several solvents show that either BTIN or BFIN can be used as fluorescence solvent sensitive probes. Spectroscopic studies of the interaction of both compounds with dsDNA allowed to determine binding constant (Ki) values and binding site sizes (n). Fluorescence quenching experiments using iodide ion allowed the determination of the accessibilities to the quencher, showing that intercalation is the preferred mode of binding of these molecules to DNA. From the results obtained BTIN is the more intercalative compound and has a higher affinity to DNA. The interaction of this more promising compound with DNA was also studied electrochemically, by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in connection with disposable pencil graphite electrode (PGE). These studies are based on the differences in the BTIN and adenine oxidation signals. After the interaction of BTIN with DNA, the oxidation signals of BTIN and adenine strongly decreased. The latter was attributed to the binding of the BTIN to DNA and the former points to a possible damage of the oxidizable groups of the compound after intercalation into DNA. Several concentrations of BTIN were tested and 50 μg/mL was found to be the optimum concentration in order to detect its interaction with DNA. In addition, the detection limit and the reproducibility were determined by using a disposable electrochemical transducer. The results of spectroscopic and electrochemical detection of BTIN interaction with DNA are in good agreement.Academy of Pharmacists and Turkish Pharmacists Association (TEB)Turkish Academy of Sciences - Young Scientist Award Program (KAE/TUBA-GEBIP/2001-2-8)FEDERFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Projecto POCI/QUI/59407/2004. A.S.A. acknowledges a post-doc. grant SFRH/BPD/24548/2005, Bolsa SFRH/BPD/24548/2005.Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)

Pituitary Insufficiency and Hyperprolactinemia Associated with Giant Intra- and Suprasellar Carotid Artery Aneurysm

Pituitary insufficiency secondary to internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm is a very rare condition. Its prevalence is reported as 0.17% (Heshmati et al., 2001). We present a case of pituitary insufficiency and hyperprolactinemia secondary to suprasellar giant intracranial aneurysm. A 71-year-old man was admitted to our clinic with symptoms of hypopituitarism, hyperprolactinemia, and visual field defect. His pituitary MRI and cerebral angiography revealed a giant saccular aneurysm filling suprasellar cistern arising from the ophthalmic segment of the right ICA. Endovascular treatment was performed on the patient to decrease the mass effect of aneurysm and improve the hypophysis dysfunction. After treatment, his one-year follow-up showed the persistence of hypophysis insufficiency, decrease of prolactin (PRL) level, and normal visual field. An intracranial aneurysm can mimic the appearance and behavior of a pituitary adenoma. Intracranial aneurysms should be taken into consideration in the situation of hypopituitarism and hyperprolactinemia. It is important to distinguish them because their treatment approach is different from the others

Screening of antioxidant properties of the apple juice using the front-face synchronous fluorescence and chemometrics

Fluorescence spectroscopy is gaining increasing attention in food analysis due to its higher sensitivity and selectivity as compared to other spectroscopic techniques. Synchronous scanning fluorescence technique is particularly useful in studies of multi-fluorophoric food samples, providing a further improvement of selectivity by reduction in the spectral overlapping and suppressing light-scattering interferences. Presently, we study the feasibility of the prediction of the total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity using front-face synchronous fluorescence spectra of apple juices. Commercial apple juices from different product ranges were studied. Principal component analysis (PCA) applied to the unfolded synchronous fluorescence spectra was used to compare the fluorescence of the entire sample set. The regression analysis was performed using partial least squares (PLS1 and PLS2) methods on the unfolded total synchronous and on the single-offset synchronous fluorescence spectra. The best calibration models for all of the studied parameters were obtained using the PLS1 method for the single-offset synchronous spectra. The models for the prediction of the total flavonoid content had the best performance; the optimal model was obtained for the analysis of the synchronous fluorescence spectra at Delta lambda = 110 nm (R (2) = 0.870, residual predictive deviation (RPD) = 2.7). The optimal calibration models for the prediction of the total phenolic content (Delta lambda = 80 nm, R (2) = 0.766, RPD = 2.0) and the total antioxidant capacity (Delta lambda = 70 nm, R (2) = 0.787, RPD = 2.1) had only an approximate predictive ability. These results demonstrate that synchronous fluorescence could be a useful tool in fast semi-quantitative screening for the antioxidant properties of the apple juices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly

It is a challenge to keep abreast of all the clinical and scientific advances in the field of respiratory medicine. This article contains an overview of the laboratory-based science, clinical trials and qualitative research that were presented during the 2022 European Respiratory Society International Congress within the sessions from the five groups of Assembly 1 (Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology). Selected presentations are summarised from a wide range of topics: clinical problems, rehabilitation and chronic care, general practice and primary care, mobile/electronic health (m-health/e-health), clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging