Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy after administration of ergometrine following elective caesarean delivery: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (stress-induced cardiomyopathy or transient left ventricular ballooning) is characterized by clinical suspicion of an acute myocardial infarction with transient apical or midventricular dyskinesia of the left ventricle without significant coronary stenosis on angiography. The etiology of this disease remains obscure. One of the possible causes is myocardial ischemia induced by coronary vasospasm due to sympathetic activation. It has been hypothesized that the application of ergometrine could induce tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 28-year-old Turkish woman who developed tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy after administration of ergometrine for release of placenta and prevention of bleeding during the post-partum phase in the course of an elective caesarean delivery. Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy was diagnosed by echocardiography and urgent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. A coronary angiography was not performed because of the absence of myocardial necrosis or ischemia and signs of myocarditis on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This life-threatening disease should be excluded in the differential diagnosis by comparing the symptoms with those of typical heart failure, particularly after use of ergometrine.</p

GrailQuest & HERMES: Hunting for Gravitational Wave Electromagnetic Counterparts and Probing Space-Time Quantum Foam

Within Quantum Gravity theories, different models for space-time quantisation predict an energy dependent speed for photons. Although the predicted discrepancies are minuscule, GRB, occurring at cosmological distances, could be used to detect this signature of space-time granularity with a new concept of modular observatory of huge overall collecting area consisting in a fleet of small satellites in low orbits, with sub-microsecond time resolution and wide energy band (keV-MeV). The enormous number of collected photons will allow to effectively search these energy dependent delays. Moreover, GrailQuest will allow to perform temporal triangulation of high signal-to-noise impulsive events with arc-second positional accuracies: an extraordinary sensitive X-ray/Gamma all-sky monitor crucial for hunting the elusive electromagnetic counterparts of GW. A pathfinder of GrailQuest is already under development through the HERMES project: a fleet of six 3U cube-sats to be launched by 2021/22

Molecular characterization of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a tertiary university hospital in Turkey

The aim of this study was to identify the resistance genes and genetic relationship of carbapenemase-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) identified in a tertiary university hospital in Turkey. During the study, CRKP was isolated from 137 patients. Resistance genes were studied in 94 isolates. Among these isolates, most of the CRKP produced only oxacillinase (OXA)-48 (91.5%); however, 4.3% of the isolates produced only New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1), 1% produced both OXA-48 and NDM-1, and 3.2% produced imipenem. This study adds Turkey to the growing list of countries with NDM-1-producing bacteria and shows that NDM-1 may easily spread worldwide. (c) 2013 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Robust Electrochemical Sensors for Detection of Isoprenaline Using Hexagonal Co3O4 Nanoplates Embedded in Few-Layer Ti3C2Tx Nanosheets

Metal oxide-based electrochemical sensors, despite their robust redox activity, lack sufficient conductivity to overcome their sluggish kinetics. Herein, we propose a unique self-assembled hybrid configuration based on redox-active Co3O4 hexagons (Co3O4-HX) and the highly conductive, few-layer-thick Ti3C2Tx sheets. The self-assembly approach enabled the compact interfacial formation and moderate intercalation of Ti3C2Tx sheets, allowing the Co3O4/Ti3C2Tx composite (Co3O4-MX) to exhibit a synergetic improvement in the charge-transfer rate and oxidation current response toward isoprenaline (ISPT), a neurotransmitter drug. The hybrid composite when devised as an electrochemical sensor gives rise to a 7.9-fold higher oxidation current response to 0.65 mu M ISPT than its pristine Co3O4 counterpart. The improved charge kinetics and generation of a superior oxidation current emphasized the critical role of Ti(3)C(2)T(x )as an interactive substrate in the Co3O4-MX hybrid. The analytical detection capability assessed via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) confirmed the sensor's high selectivity and marked stability both in low and high concentration ranges of ISPT ((0.01 to 0.33 mu M) and 0.5 to 0.9 mu M) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3 x 10(-3) mu M (for low concentrations). Importantly, the fabricated sensor could detect ISPT from harsh biological environments such as human urine samples with a recovery rate of 99%. Moreover, the sensor exhibited a stable working response during its prolonged storage of 30 days in an aqueous PBS system. The proposed route of using MXenes as a conductive substrate paves the way for developing a robust metal-oxide-based redox-active hybrid system for the sensitive detection of important therapeutic compounds

Robust Electrochemical Sensors for Detection of Isoprenaline Using Hexagonal Co3O4 Nanoplates Embedded in Few-Layer Ti3C2Tx Nanosheets

Metal oxide-based electrochemical sensors, despite their robust redox activity, lack sufficient conductivity to overcome their sluggish kinetics. Herein, we propose a unique self-assembled hybrid configuration based on redox-active Co3O4 hexagons (Co3O4-HX) and the highly conductive, few-layer-thick Ti3C2Tx sheets. The self-assembly approach enabled the compact interfacial formation and moderate intercalation of Ti3C2Tx sheets, allowing the Co3O4/Ti3C2Tx composite (Co3O4-MX) to exhibit a synergetic improvement in the charge-transfer rate and oxidation current response toward isoprenaline (ISPT), a neurotransmitter drug. The hybrid composite when devised as an electrochemical sensor gives rise to a 7.9-fold higher oxidation current response to 0.65 mu M ISPT than its pristine Co3O4 counterpart. The improved charge kinetics and generation of a superior oxidation current emphasized the critical role of Ti(3)C(2)T(x )as an interactive substrate in the Co3O4-MX hybrid. The analytical detection capability assessed via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) confirmed the sensor's high selectivity and marked stability both in low and high concentration ranges of ISPT ((0.01 to 0.33 mu M) and 0.5 to 0.9 mu M) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3 x 10(-3) mu M (for low concentrations). Importantly, the fabricated sensor could detect ISPT from harsh biological environments such as human urine samples with a recovery rate of 99%. Moreover, the sensor exhibited a stable working response during its prolonged storage of 30 days in an aqueous PBS system. The proposed route of using MXenes as a conductive substrate paves the way for developing a robust metal-oxide-based redox-active hybrid system for the sensitive detection of important therapeutic compounds

Ti3C2Tx-Au hybrid composites-based electrochemical biosensors for calreticulin biomarker detection

A sensitive biosensor is critical for early breast cancer treatment and prognosis. Herein, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor is proposed for the sensitive detection of calreticulin (CALR), a new breast cancer biomarker. The biosensor relied upon an electroactive hybrid of ultra-thin Ti3C2Tx nanosheets preadsorbed with Au NPs and methylene blue (MB)(MB–Ti3C2Tx–Au), which served as redox-active centers and an electroactive probe to detect CALR biomarkers respectively. The detection mechanism followed a simple inhibition strategy, where the optimal differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) response of preadsorbed MB over the Ti3C2Tx–Au electrode decreased in proportion to the concentration of CALR biomarkers owing to the formation of the antibody-antigen immunocomplex. The biosensor could detect CALR-biomarker in the concentration range of 0.0015 to 0.94 ng mL−1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.28 pg mL−1 and showed excellent antifouling properties against commonly encountered biomolecules such as hemoglobin (Ig), immunoglobulin G (IgG), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF). The proposed strategy provides an efficient method for utilizing MXene nanosheets to construct advanced biosensors with promising clinical applications

Hematological involvement in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus: A multi-center study

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