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Quantitative analysis of hypertrophic myocardium using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging
Systemic hypertension is a causative factor in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). This study is motivated by the potential to reverse or manage the dysfunction associated with structural remodeling of the myocardium in this pathology. Using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging, we present an analysis of myocardial fiber and laminar sheet orientation in ex vivo hypertrophic (6 SHR) and normal (5 WKY) rat hearts using the covariance of the diffusion tensor. First, an atlas of normal cardiac microstructure was formed using the WKY b0 images. Then, the SHR and WKY b0 hearts were registered to the atlas. The acquired deformation fields were applied to the SHR and WKY heart tensor fields followed by the preservation of principal direction (PPD) reorientation strategy. A mean tensor field was then formed from the registered WKY tensor images. Calculating the covariance of the registered tensor images about this mean for each heart, the hypertrophic myocardium exhibited significantly increased myocardial fiber derangement (p ¼ 0.017) with a mean dispersion of 38.7 deg, and an increased dispersion of the laminar sheet normal (p = 0.030) of 54.8 deg compared with 34.8 deg and 51.8 deg, respectively, in the normal hearts. Results demonstrate significantly altered myocardial fiber and laminar sheet structure in rats with hypertensive LVH
Signatures of Electronic Correlations in Optical Properties of LaFeAsOF
Spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to determine the dielectric function of
the superconducting LaFeAsOF ( = 27 K) and undoped LaFeAsO
polycrystalline samples in the wide range 0.01-6.5 eV at temperatures 10 350 K. The free charge carrier response in both samples is heavily
damped with the effective carrier density as low as 0.0400.005 electrons
per unit cell. The spectral weight transfer in the undoped LaFeAsO associated
with opening of the pseudogap at about 0.65 eV is restricted at energies below
2 eV. The spectra of superconducting LaFeAsOF reveal a
significant transfer of the spectral weight to a broad optical band above 4 eV
with increasing temperature. Our data may imply that the electronic states near
the Fermi surface are strongly renormalized due to electron-phonon and/or
electron-electron interactions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, units in Fig.2 adde
Towards an Optimal Reconstruction of Baryon Oscillations
The Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the large-scale structure of the
universe leave a distinct peak in the two-point correlation function of the
matter distribution. That acoustic peak is smeared and shifted by bulk flows
and non-linear evolution. However, it has been shown that it is still possible
to sharpen the peak and remove its shift by undoing the effects of the bulk
flows. We propose an improvement to the standard acoustic peak reconstruction.
Contrary to the standard approach, the new scheme has no free parameters,
treats the large-scale modes consistently, and uses optimal filters to extract
the BAO information. At redshift of zero, the reconstructed linear matter power
spectrum leads to a markedly improved sharpening of the reconstructed acoustic
peak compared to standard reconstruction.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures; footnote adde
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Increased baseline ECG R-R dispersion predicts improvement in systolic function after atrial fibrillation ablation.
BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction which may improve after AF ablation. We hypothesised that increased ventricular irregularity, as measured by R-R dispersion on the baseline ECG, would predict improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after AF ablation.MethodsPatients with LVEF <50% at two US centres (2007-2016), having both a preablation and postablation echocardiogram or cardiac MRI, were included. LVEF improvement was defined as absolute increase in LVEF by >7.5%. Multivariable logistic regression (restricted to echocardiographic/ECG variables) was performed to evaluate predictors of LVEF improvement.ResultsFifty-two patients were included in this study. LVEF improved in 30 patients (58%) and was unchanged/worsened in 22 patients (42%). Those with versus without LVEF improvement had an increased baseline R-R dispersion (645±155 ms vs 537±154 ms, p=0.02, respectively). The average baseline heart rate in all patients was 93 beats per minute. After multivariable logistic regression, increased R-R dispersion (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.55, p=0.03) predicted LVEF improvement.ConclusionsIncreased R-R dispersion on ECG was independently associated with improved systolic function after AF ablation. This broadens the existing knowledge of arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy, demonstrating that irregular electrical activation (as measured by increased R-R dispersion on ECG) is associated with a cardiomyopathy capable of improving after AF ablation
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