339 research outputs found
Sutureless double-patch-and-glue technique for repair of subacute left ventricular wall rupture after myocardial infarction
Cumulative radiation exposure during thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair and subsequent follow-up
n/
Attosecond spectroscopy of bio-chemically relevant molecules
Understanding the role of the electron dynamics in the photochemistry of bio-chemically relevant molecules is key to getting access to the fundamental physical processes leading to damage, mutation and, more generally, to the alteration of the final biological functions. Sudden ionization of a large molecule has been proven to activate a sub-femtosecond charge flow throughout the molecular backbone, purely guided by electronic coherences, which could ultimately affect the photochemical response of the molecule at later times. We can follow this ultrafast charge flow in real time by exploiting the extreme time resolution provided by attosecond light sources. In this work recent advances in attosecond molecular physics are presented with particular focus on the investigation of bio-relevant molecules
When a patent foramen ovale device is no more in place: silent patent foramen ovale occluder device migration to the aortic arch
Trans-Iliac Aortic Valve Replacement: Feasibility, Safety, and Medium-Term Follow-up
BACKGROUND:
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is nowadays generally accepted as the treatment of choice for high- to intermediate-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis not suitable for the standard surgical replacement. Many vascular accesses have been described for the valve delivery, comprising the common iliac artery as the arterial site of access.
METHODS:
From September 2008 to June 2014, 440 patients underwent TAVR at our institution. We report a series of 12 patients that have undergone TAVR via a trans-iliac (TI) retroperitoneal surgical approach and also discuss its feasibility, security, and medium-term follow-up.
RESULTS:
The 30-day survival rate was 92%. Only 1 local vascular access major complication occurred requiring an iliac-femoral bypass grafting with a vascular graft. Two patients experienced transient neurological ischemic attack. At 3-year follow-up, all the 11 patients were alive and well and the echocardiographic evaluation revealed good function of the prosthesis.
CONCLUSIONS:
The TI route seems to be feasible with a low profile of local complications. It may be a reasonable access alternative to the femoral artery and to the trans-apical approach. A broader, prospective study is advisable to gain general consensus on this approach
Forcing Seasonality of influenza-like epidemics with daily Solar resonance
Seasonality of acute viral respiratory diseases is a well-known and yet not
fully understood phenomenon. Several models have been proposed to explain the
regularity of yearly recurring outbreaks and the phase-differences observed at
different latitudes on Earth. Such models take into account known internal
causes, primarily the periodic emergence of new virus variants that evade the
host immune response. Yet, this alone, is generally unable to explain the
regularity of recurrences and the observed phase-differences. Here we show that
seasonality of viral respiratory diseases, as well as its distribution with
latitude on Earth, can be fully explained by the virucidal properties of UV-B
and A Solar photons through a daily, minute-scale, resonant forcing mechanism.
Such an induced periodicity can last, virtually unperturbed, from tens to
hundreds of cycles, and even in presence of internal dynamics (host's loss of
immunity) much slower than seasonal will, on a long period, generate seasonal
oscillations.Comment: Accepted for publication by iScience. This version has been modified
according to referee's comments. Models for the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic have been
updated to model the Italian data from 24 February 2020 through 21 August
202
Solar UVBA radiation is highly effective in inactivating SARSCoV2
Solar UVC photons do not reach Earth's surface, but are known to be
endowed with germicidal properties that are also effective on viruses. The
effect of softer UVB and UVA photons, which copiously reach the Earth's
surface, on viruses are instead little studied, particularly on
singlestranded RNA viruses. Here we combine our measurements of the action
spectrum of Covid19 in response to UV light, Solar irradiation measurements
on Earth during the SARSCoV2 pandemics, worldwide recorded Covid19
mortality data and our 'SolarPump' diffusive model of epidemics to show that
(a) UVBA photons have a powerful virucidal effect on the
singlestranded RNA virus Covid19 and that (b) the Solar radiation that
reaches temperate regions of the Earth at noon during summers, is sufficient to
inactivate 63\perc of virions in openspace concentrations (1.5 x 103
TCID50mL, higher than typical aerosol) in less than 2 min. We conclude that
the characteristic seasonality imprint displayed worldwide by the
SARSCov2 mortality timeseries throughout the diffusion of the outbreak
(with temperate regions showing clear seasonal trends and equatorial regions
suffering, on average, a systematically lower mortality), might have been
efficiently set by the different intensity of UVBA Solar radiation
hitting different Earth's locations at different times of the year. Our results
suggest that Solar UVBA play an important role in planning strategies of
confinement of the epidemics, which should be worked out and set up during
springsummer months and fully implemented during lowsolarirradiation
periods.Comment: 11 pages + 3 pages supplementary informatio
Thymic volume predicts long-term immune reconstitution in HIV-infected children treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) suppresses viral replication and augments CD4 T cell counts. HAART-associated immune restoration is often difficult to predict. We verified whether increases in CD4 cells, and particularly in cells of the naive phenotype, would be associated in HAART-treated children with thymic volume. Long-term immune reconstitution is significantly better in children with bigger thymuses at the initiation of HAART. Thymic volume has a strong predictive value for the immunological effect of HAART
Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses after a booster dose of HBV vaccine in HIV-infected children, adolescents and young adults
OBJECTIVE:
HBV vaccine induces protective antibodies only in 23-56% of HIV-infected children. The aim of our study is to evaluate the immunologic effects of a booster dose of HBV vaccine in HIV-infected youth.
DESIGN:
53 young HIV-infected patients in whom HBV vaccination did not elicit protective Ab titers were enrolled. All patients were on ART with optimal immunological and viral response.
METHOD:
All patients received a booster dose of HBV vaccine (HBVAXPRO 10 \u3bcg i.m.). HBV-specific Ab titer, viral load and CD4+ T cells were measured at baseline (T0), T1, T6 and T12 months. In a subgroup of 16 patients HBV-specific cell mediated immune responses were evaluated at baseline, at T1 and T6.
RESULTS:
The booster dose induced seroconversion in 51% of patients at T1, 57% at T6, and49% at T12; seroconversion rate was significantly correlated with CD4+T cells at T0 and to the CD4 nadir. The booster dose induced HBV-specific cell mediated immunity at T6 mainly in Responders (Rs): Effector Memory CD8+T cells, HBV-specific TNF\u3b1-, IFN\u3b3-, granzyme secreting CD8+ T cells and IL2-secreting CD4+ T cells were significantly increased in Rs compared to T0. In Non Responders (NRs), HBV-specific IL2-secreting CD4+ T cells, Central and Effector Memory CD8+ T cells were the only parameters modified at T6.
CONCLUSIONS:
Seroconversion induced by a booster dose of vaccine correlates with the development of T cell immunological memory in HIV-infected patients who did not respond to the standard immunization. Alternate immunization schedules need to be considered in NRs
- …