12 research outputs found
Template-stripped gold surfaces with 0.4 nm rms roughness suitable for force measurements. Application to the Casimir force in the 20-100 nm range
Using a template-stripping method, macroscopic gold surfaces with
root-mean-square (rms) roughness less than 0.4 nm have been prepared, making
them useful for studies of surface interactions in the nanometer range. The
utility of such substrates is demonstrated by measurements of the Casimir force
at surface separations between 20 and 100 nm, resulting in good agreement with
theory. The significance and quantification of this agreement is addressed, as
well as some methodological aspects regarding the measurement of the Casimir
force with high accuracy.Comment: 7 figure
Supplementation of fetal bovine serum alters histone modification H3R26me2 during preimplantation development of in vitro produced bovine embryos
Classical density functional analysis of the ionic size effects on the properties of charge regulating electric double layers
Aggressive Cardiovascular Phenotype of Aneurysms-Osteoarthritis Syndrome Caused by Pathogenic SMAD3 Variants.
Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was describe the cardiovascular phenotype of the aneurysms-osteoarthritis syndrome (AOS) and to provide clinical recommendations. BACKGROUND: AOS, caused by pathogenic SMAD3 variants, is a recently described autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by aneurysms and arterial tortuosity in combination with osteoarthritis. METHODS: AOS patients in participating centers underwent extensive cardiovascular evaluation, including imaging, arterial stiffness measurements, and biochemical studies. RESULTS: We included 44 AOS patients from 7 families with pathogenic SMAD3 variants (mean age: 42 +/- 17 years). In 71%, an aortic root aneurysm was found. In 33%, aneurysms in other arteries in the thorax and abdomen were diagnosed, and in 48%, arterial tortuosity was diagnosed. In 16 patients, cerebrovascular imaging was performed, and cerebrovascular abnormalities were detected in 56% of them. Fifteen deaths occurred at a mean age of 54 +/- 15 years. The main cause of death was aortic dissection (9 of 15; 60%), which occurred at mildly increased aortic diameters (range: 40 to 63 mm). Furthermore, cardiac abnormalities were diagnosed, such as congenital heart defects (6%), mitral valve abnormalities (51%), left ventricular hypertrophy (19%), and atrial fibrillation (22%). N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was significantly higher in AOS patients compared with matched controls (p < 0.001). Aortic pulse wave velocity was high-normal (9.2 +/- 2.2 m/s), indicating increased aortic stiffness, which strongly correlated with NT-proBNP (r = 0.731, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: AOS predisposes patients to aggressive and widespread cardiovascular disease and is associated with high mortality. Dissections can occur at relatively mildly increased aortic diameters; therefore, early elective repair of the ascending aorta should be considered. Moreover, cerebrovascular abnormalities were encountered in most patients