Effects of nucleon resonances on η\eta photoproduction off the neutron reexamined

We investigate $\eta$ photoproduction off the neutron target, i.e., $\gamma n \to \eta n$, employing an effective Lagrangian method combining with a Regge approach. As a background, we consider nucleon exchange in the $s$-channel diagram and $\rho$- and $\omega$-meson Regge trajectories in the $t$ channel. The role of nucleon resonances given in the Review of Particle Data Group in the range of $W \approx 1500 - 2100$ MeV and the narrow nucleon resonance $N(1685,1/2^+)$ is extensively studied. The numerical results of the total and differential cross sections, double polarization observable $E$, and helicity-dependent cross sections $\sigma_{1/2}$, $\sigma_{3/2}$ are found to be in qualitative agreement with the recent A2 experimental data. The predictions of the beam asymmetry are also given.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Echocardiographic Features in Canine Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease: An Animal Model for Human Mitral Valve Prolapse

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common heart disease in dogs and has many similarities to human mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Transthoracic echocardiography is a non-invasive method for making a diagnosis and predicting the progression of heart failure (HF) in dogs and humans with mitral regurgitation (MR). It enables clinicians to detect the mitral valve (MV) lesions, to evaluate MR severity, and to assess its impact on cardiac remodeling, myocardial function, left ventricular (LV) filling pressures, as well as pulmonary arterial pressure. Furthermore, advanced ultrasound technologies such as tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), strain and strain rate imaging, and two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) provide a better assessment of global and regional myocardial function. Although the severity of MR and HF in dogs with MMVD is being evaluated as similar to human cardiology, the veterinary cardiologists are more focused on the severity of cardiac remodeling and cardiac dysfunction caused by MR, because surgical restoration of defected mitral apparatus is rarely done in dogs. The chapter will review conventional echocardiographic features of MMVD in dogs to provide a better understanding of the similarities and discrepancies between canine MMVD and human MVP to veterinary and human cardiologists and researchers

National Trends in Medical Costs and Prognosis of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients in Endovascular Thrombectomy Era: Analysis Using Medical Claim Data in Korea

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in medical costs and prognosis in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in Korea from 2008 to 2017 using medical claims data. Materials and Methods All data for the past decade was collected from a big data hub provided by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. Using several Korean Standard Classification of Disease codes, we estimated the number of patients, the costs of medical insurance, and prognosis according to the treatment with or without endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) among in-patients with AIS. Results Since 2014, when EVT was covered by insurance, the number of patients who underwent EVT for AIS has increased significantly. Also, in the past decade, the medical costs following inpatient care for AIS with EVT have increased gradually, and the overall medical costs for the first year post-stroke have also increased. The prognosis of AIS patients with EVT was different according to the time of treatment. Annual trends for both mortality and cerebral hemorrhage after treatment of AIS with EVT have gradually decreased. Conclusion In this study, we found that both inpatient medical costs and 1-year cumulative medical costs have gradually increased, and the prognosis has gradually improved in patients receiving EVT treatment among AIS patients

Chronic Mitral Valve Insufficiency in Dogs: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment

Chronic mitral valvular insufficiency (CMVI) is the most common acquired heart disease in dogs and is characterized by degenerative valvular changes causing progressive thickening of mitral leaflets and incomplete closure of mitral valve. As the disease progresses, it causes congestive heart failure (CHF) and pulmonary edema if the LA dilation cannot accommodate the volume overload by mitral regurgitation. Therefore, it is the most common cause of cardiac mortality in dogs. This chapter discusses general features of CMVI in dogs focusing on recent advances in diagnosis and treatment

Recovery of the mitochondrial COI barcode region in diverse Hexapoda through tRNA-based primers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>DNA barcoding uses a 650 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome <it>c </it>oxidase I (COI) gene as the basis for an identification system for members of the animal kingdom and some other groups of eukaryotes. PCR amplification of the barcode region is a key step in the analytical chain, but it sometimes fails because of a lack of homology between the standard primer sets and target DNA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two forward PCR primers were developed following analysis of all known arthropod mitochondrial genome arrangements and sequence alignment of the tRNA-W gene which was usually located within 200 bp upstream of the COI gene. These two primers were combined with a standard reverse primer (LepR1) to produce a cocktail which generated a barcode amplicon from 125 of 141 species that included representatives of 121 different families of Hexapoda. High quality sequences were recovered from 79% of the species including groups, such as scale insects, that invariably fail to amplify with standard primers.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A cocktail of two tRNA-W forward primers coupled with a standard reverse primer amplifies COI for most hexapods, allowing characterization of the standard barcode primer binding region in COI 5' as well as the barcode segment. The current results show that primers designed to bind to highly conserved gene regions upstream of COI will aid the amplification of this gene region in species where standard primers fail and provide valuable information to design a primer for problem groups.</p

Endovascular Treatment for Intracranial Aneurysms: A Nationwide Survey in Korea

Purpose In Korea, endovascular treatment (EVT) for intracranial aneurysms (IAs) has increased steadily. We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate the current status of EVT for IAs and to identify treatment preference in the real world.Materials and Methods A Google online survey was distributed to representative clinicians at hospitals treating IAs, where members of Korean Society of Interventional Neuroradiology (KSIN). The data was collected from October 2017 to December 2017. The responding hospitals were divided into 2 groups (tertiary and non-tertiary hospitals). And variable factors involved in decision making for treatment were evaluated. Results In total, 73 hospitals (tertiary: 37, non-tertiary: 36) responded to the survey. Most hospitals that responded had over 100 cases of diagnostic angiography (93%) and over 50 cases of EVT for IAs (74%) performed in 2016. The proportion of EVT for ruptured aneurysms in non-tertiary hospitals was significantly higher than tertiary hospitals (49% vs. 9%). The proportion of EVT for unruptured aneurysms at non-tertiary hospitals was significantly higher than tertiary hospitals (66% vs. 44%). Most physicians tended to make decision for treatment on location, shape, and size of unruptured IAs and patients’ age, more than the results from previous clinical trials for unruptured IAs. Although EVT was preferred for older patients (age >70) with unruptured IAs (99%), surgical clipping was still considered as the first treatment of choice for younger patients (age 30 to 50 years) at considerable rates (56%). Over two-thirds of respondents preferred surgical clipping for middle cerebral artery aneurysms, while EVT was preferred initially at other locations. Conclusion This nationwide survey showed that EVT is considered as the first treatment modality for IAs and there is a discrepancy between current guidelines and real-world practice for decision making of treatment options