The effect of thrombolytic therapy on QT dispersion in acute myocardial infarction and its role in the prediction of reperfusion arrhythmias

Purpose: We aimed to determine the effect of intravenous thrombolytic therapy on QT dispersion (QTd) and its role in the prediction of reperfusion arrhythmias.Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) were enrolled in the study. Measurements of QTd were carried out  prior to thrombolytic therapy and before discharge. The patients were examined for ventricular arrhythmias with 24‑h Holter electrocardiography monitoring after treatment and the relationship between ventricular arrhythmias and the QTd values in the early phase of MI was investigated.Results: The values of QTd were significantly higher during the early phase of MI (60 ± 5.32 ms) than those in the late phase (53.35 ± 4.07 ms) (P = 0.032). There was no correlation between isolated, bigeminal, trigeminal and total ventricular premature beats, accelerated idioventricular rhythm (AIVR) with QTd values. However, the patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), prolonged VT and sustained AIVR had higher corrected QTd (92 ms1/2, 97.8 ms1/2, 81.7 ms1/2, respectively) than the patients without these arrhythmias (74 ms1/2, 56.3 ms1/2, 58.28 ms1/2,  respectively) (P = 0.022, 0.013, 0.018).Conclusion: The values of QTd may be significantly reduced in the 1st week of acute MI and measurement of QTd in the early phase of MI may have a correlation with the following reperfusion arrhythmias: Sustained VT, prolonged VT and AIVR.Key words: Arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, QT dispersion, reperfusion, thrombolytic therap

Searching for Extraterrestrial Amino Acids in a Contaminated Meteorite: Amino Acid Analyses of the Canakkale L6 Chondrite

Amino acids can serve as important markers of cosmochemistry, as their abundances and isomeric and isotopic compositions have been found to vary predictably with changes in parent body chemistry and alteration processes. Amino acids are also of astrobiological interest because they are essential for life on Earth. Analyses of a range of meteorites, including all groups of carbonaceous chondrites, along with H, R, and LL chondrites, ureilites, and a martian shergottite, have revealed that amino acids of plausible extraterrestrial origin can be formed in and persist after a wide range of parent body conditions. However, amino acid analyses of L6 chondrites to date have not provided evidence for indigenous amino acids. In the present study, we performed amino acid analysis on larger samples of a different L6 chondite, Canakkale, to determine whether or not trace levels of indigenous amino acids could be found. The Canakkale meteor was an observed fall in late July, 1964, near Canakkale, Turkey. The meteorite samples (1.36 and 1.09 g) analyzed in this study were allocated by C. Y. Ornek, along with a soil sample (1.5 g) collected near the Canakkale recovery site

The training needs of Turkish emergency department personnel regarding intimate partner violence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Violence against females is a widespread public health problem in Turkey and the lifetime prevalence of IPV ranges between 34 and 58.7%. Health care workers (HCW) sometimes have the unique opportunity and obligation to identify, treat, and educate females who are abused. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of the emergency department (ED) staff regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) at a large university hospital in Turkey.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in a large university hospital via questionnaire. The study population consisted of all the nurses and physicians who worked in the ED during a two month period (n = 215). The questionnaire response rate was 80.5% (41 nurses and 132 physicians). The main domains of the questionnaire were knowledge regarding the definition of IPV, clinical findings in victims of IPV, legal aspects of IPV, attitudes towards IPV, knowledge about the characteristics of IPV victims and abusers, and professional and personal experiences and training with respect to IPV.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One-half of the study group were females, 76.3% were physicians, and 89.8% had no training on IPV. The majority of the nurses (89.5%) and physicians (71.1%) declared that they were aware of the clinical appearance of IPV. The mean of the knowledge scores on clinical knowledge were 8.84 ± 1.73 (range, 0–10) for acute conditions, and 4.51 ± 3.32 for chronic conditions. The mean of the knowledge score on legal procedures and the legal rights of the victims was 4.33 ± 1.66 (range, 0–7). At least one reason to justify physical violence was accepted by 69.0% of females and 84.7% of males, but more males than females tended to justify violence (chi square = 5.96; p = 0.015). However, both genders accepted that females who experienced physical violence should seek professional medical help.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study participants' knowledge about IPV was rather low and a training program is thus necessary on this issue. Attention must be given to the legal aspects and clinical manifestations of IPV. The training program should also include a module on gender roles in order to improve the attitudes towards IPV.</p

A modelagem como um ambiente de aprendizagem para a conversão do conhecimento matemático

A investigação da modelagem como um ambiente de aprendizagem para a construção do conhecimento matemático está se tornando predominante nos meios acadêmicos. Esse ambiente facilita uma estrutura pedagógica que promove a identificação e a disseminação de ambos os conhecimentos, explícito e tácito, dos alunos, através do estudo e da codificação das ideias matemáticas presentes nos sistemas retirados da realidade. Neste artigo, discutimos as principais características da conversão dos conhecimentos matemáticos, explícito e tácito, através da utilização do ambiente de aprendizagem da modelagem

An application of a circular economy approach to design an energy-efficient heat recovery system

This paper aims to develop an optimal real-life energy-efficient design for a production plant within the concept of the circular economy. The problem is to install a Heat Recovery System (HRS) that utilizes the hot oil used by the compressors to heat the water for the central heating system. To achieve the desired level of energy efficiency this design problem must be formulated from both the optimization and sustainability points of view. Additionally, this design problem must also consider the investment cost. In line with this purpose, this paper formulates this design problem as an optimization problem employing a mathematical programming approach as a single objective, and as a multi-objective optimization problem through a goal programming approach. Besides, this paper uses the return on investment as a key performance indicator, since it deals with a real-life design problem with an investment cost. The related design problem is solved with the single objective and multiobjective versions of the developed mathematical programming model via a commercial solver to identify different design alternatives and hence giving the decision-maker to make a selection option. Finally, the capability of the developed mathematical programming model is tested on a set of randomly generated problems. The obtained results indicate that the developed mathematical programming model is a successful decision support system since its single and multi-objective versions are capable of identifying energy-efficient production designs within the context of the real-life problem on hand and the circular economy

Structural, elastic, electronic, phonon and thermal properties of Ir3Ta and Rh3Ta alloys

WOS: 000360624800005We have studied the structural, elastic, electronic, phonon and thermodynamic properties of Ir3Ta and Rh3Ta alloys, using ab initio calculations. For the L1(2) phase, we report the calculated lattice constants, bulk modulus and elastic constants, and these values are compared with previously published values. We also derive the elastic constants from the values of the slopes of the acoustic branches in the phonon dispersion curves. The band structures show that both materials are metallic. The phonon dispersion curves, and their corresponding total and projected densities of states, are obtained using a linear response in the framework of the density functional perturbation theory. The specific heat capacity at constant volume and different temperatures is calculated, and this aspect is discussed using the quasi-harmonic approximation