SK channels and ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure

Small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) currents are important in the repolarization of normal atrial (but not ventricular) cardiomyocytes. However, recent studies showed that the SK currents are upregulated in failing ventricular cardiomyocytes, along with increased SK channel protein expression and enhanced sensitivity to intracellular Ca2+. The SK channel activation may be either antiarrhythmic or proarrhythmic, depending on the underlying clinical situations. While the SK channel is a new target of antiarrhythmic therapy, drug safety is still one of the major concerns

Nucleon Mass Splitting at Finite Isospin Chemical Potential

We investigate nucleon mass splitting at finite isospin chemical potential in the frame of two flavor Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. It is analytically proved that, in the phase with explicit isospin symmetry breaking the proton mass decreases and the neutron mass increases linearly in the isospin chemical potential.Comment: 3 pages and no figure

A Case Report of a Metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Occurring in Femur

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal neoplasms that most commonly affect the stomach or small intestine, but can occur anywhere throughout the gastrointestinal tract. To the best of our knowledge, few cases have been reported in the literature about the femur metastasis of GIST. This paper describes a metastasis of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) to the femur in a 62-year-old male, 2 years after treatment for a gastric primary. There were no signs of tumor recurrence at followup after 12 mo. This case suggests that the femur can be a potential metastatic site of GIST

Measuring fraud in insurance industry: The case of automobile insurance in Taiwan

By conducting an extensive exploration on claim data, this paper attempts to investigate the fraud problem in Taiwan automobile physical damage insurance. Based on the different claim patterns between data in calendar year and policy year, excess claims are significantly identified in the last month of policy year. Censored regression provides robust estimation concerning the sources of the fraud payment