Vertebral artery hypoplasia and hemodynamic impairment in transient global amnesia: a case control study

IntroductionThe aetiology of transient global amnesia (TGA) is still a matter of debate. Besides ischemia of the mesial temporal lobe including the hippocampus, migraine-like mechanisms, epileptic seizures affecting mnestic structures, or venous congestion in the (para) hippocampal area due to jugular vein insufficiency have been discussed. We assessed the diameters of the intracranial arteries of TGA patients compared to controls to identify differences that support the hypothesis of reduced hippocampal perfusion as a pivotal factor in the pathophysiology of TGA.MethodsWe reviewed magnetic resonance imaging time of flight angiographies (TOF-MRA) that were acquired during in-patient treatment of 206 patients with acute TGA.ResultsThe diameters of the vertebral artery (VA) in the V4 segment, the proximal basilar artery, and the internal carotid arteries were measured manually. We compared the findings with TOF-MRA images of an age and sex matched control group of neurological patients without known cerebrovascular pathology. In TGA patients the diameter of the right VA was significantly (p < 0.01) smaller compared to controls (2.09 mm vs. 2.35 mm). There were no significant differences in the diameters of the other vessels. Only the fetal variant of the posterior cerebral artery was slightly more common in TGA.DiscussionThe smaller diameter (hypoplasia) of the right VA supports the hypothesis of a contribution of hemodynamic factors to the pathophysiology of TGA. The fact that hypoplasia represents a congenital condition might be the explanation why previous studies failed to find an increased rate of the classical (acquired) vascular risk factors

4,5-Bis(2,4-di-tert-butyl­phen­oxy)phthalonitrile

In the title compound, C36H44N2O2, the dihedral angles between the phthalonitrile ring and the two di-tert-butyl­benzene rings are 68.134 (8) and 70.637 (11)°. The two nitrile groups are almost coplanar with the phthalonitrile ring except for one of the N atoms which deviates from the plane by 0.125 (4) Å. One of the tert-butyl groups is disordered over two orientations, with refined occupancies of 0.814 (6) and 0.186 (6). Intra­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions stabilize the molecular structure. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯N inter­actions

Predictors of early scaffold thrombosis: results from the multicenter prospective German-Austrian ABSORB RegIstRy

Background: In randomized clinical trials, the risk of thrombotic events with the absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) was significantly higher than with metallic drug-eluting stents. We evaluated predictors of scaffold thrombosis in the large-scale, multicenter German-Austrian ABSORB RegIstRy.Methods and Results: 3178 patients with treatment of 4252 lesions using 5020 scaffolds were included. Follow-up rate at 6 months was 97.4%. Forty-five (1.42%) patients experienced definite/probable scaffold thrombosis during follow-up. Multiple regression analysis showed implantation of absorb BVS in bifurcation lesions [odds ratio (OR): 4.43;95% confidence interval (CI): 1.69-11.59;P=0.0024] or treatment in the years 2013/2014 (OR: 1.88;95% CI: 1.02-3.47;P=0.04) to be significant predictors of scaffold thrombosis. Excluding bifurcation lesions, the incidence of definite/probable scaffold thrombosis decreased from 1.8% (95% CI: 1.17-2.64%) in 2013/2014 to 0.89% (95% CI: 0.5-1.46%) in 2015/2016. In the latter period, absorb BVS were implanted more often in younger patients with less complex de novo lesions, and debulking devices and postdilatation were used more frequently. Between the two treatment periods, there was a significant reduction in myocardial infarction (2.73-1.24%, P<0.01;OR: 0.45;95% CI: 0.26-0.77), definite/probable scaffold thrombosis (1.79-0.88%, P<0.05;OR: 0.49;95% CI: 0.26-0.93), and target lesion failure and revascularization during follow-up.Conclusion: Improved procedural technique and more strict patient selection may explain a significant decrease in the absorb BVS thrombosis rates during the recruitment period of the large-scale German-Austrian ABSORB RegIstRy. In addition, treatment of bifurcation lesions was identified as an independent predictor of definite/probable scaffold thrombosis

Quality of life of patients with coronary heart disease treated with the bioresorbable vascular scaffold (ABSORB™): 2-year results from the GABI-R-registry

Background Numerous studies have reported clinical endpoints following coronary revascularization using bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS), while information about the impact on health-related quality of life is sparse. In this analysis of the German-Austrian ABSORB RegIstRy, the 2 year results concerning quality of life development in a large cohort of patients treated with BVS were reported. Methods Data were collected at baseline as well as 30 days, 6 and 24 months after coronary revascularization using BVS. The EQ-5D score, EQ visual analogue scale (VAS) and Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) were determined for each time point. Patients were categorized according to the indication for coronary revascularization [acute coronary syndrome (ACS), stable angina pectoris (SAP), silent myocardial ischemia (SMI), or other]. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors that predict above-average scores two years after implantation. Results Data from 1317 patients in 88 centres were included. Reasons for revascularization were: ACS (n = 643), SAP (n = 443), SMI (n = 52), and other (n = 179). Mean EQ-5D was significantly increased after six months, while a value comparable to baseline was found two years after implantation. EQ VAS and four of five dimensions of SAQ were significantly improved over baseline at all follow-up surveys. Particularly strong improvements were seen in SAQ scores angina frequency and quality of life. Binary regressions showed different statistically significant predictors in the respective models. Conclusions Following coronary revascularization with BVS strong decrease in self-reported angina frequency and increase of self-reported quality of life were observed with continuous improvements over two years of follow-up

Anabel: An Online Tool for the Real-Time Kinetic Analysis of Binding Events

Anabel ( Ana lysis of b inding e vents +  l ) is an open source online software tool ( www.skscience.org/anabel ) for the convenient analysis of molecular binding interactions. Currently, exported datasets from Biacore (surface plasmon resonance [SPR]), FortéBio (biolayer interference [BLI]), and Biametrics (single color reflectometry [SCORE]) can be uploaded and evaluated in Anabel using 2 different evaluation methods. Moreover, a universal data template format is provided to upload any other binding dataset to Anabel. This enables an easier comparison of different analysis methods for all users. Furthermore, a guide was established in Anabel to help inexperienced users to obtain optimal results. In addition, expert features can be used to optimize and control the fit of the binding model to the measured data. We tried to make the process of fitting and evaluating as easy as possible through the use of an intuitive user interface. At the end of every analysis, a single excel file, containing all results and graphs of the performed analysis, can be downloaded

Do honeybees (Apis mellifera) differentiate between different pollen types?

Bees receive nectar and pollen as reward for pollinating plants. Pollen of different plant species varies widely in nutritional composition. In order to select pollen of appropriate nutritional quality, bees would benefit if they could distinguish different pollen types. Whether they rely on visual, olfactory and/or chemotactile cues to distinguish between different pollen types, has however been little studied. In this study, we examined whether and how Apis mellifera workers differentiate between almond and apple pollen. We used differential proboscis extension response conditioning with olfactory and chemotactile stimulation, in light and darkness, and in summer and winter bees. We found that honeybees were only able to differentiate between different pollen types, when they could use both chemotactile and olfactory cues. Visual cues further improved learning performance. Summer bees learned faster than winter bees. Our results thus highlight the importance of multisensory information for pollen discrimination

Verfahren zur Verarbeitung von Abbildungen von Halbleiterstrukturen, sowie zur Prozesscharakterisierung und Prozessoptimierung mittels semantischer Datenkompression

The invention to methods for processing images of a semiconductor structure of a solar cell generated using imaging methods. Suitable methods comprise processing the image of the semiconductor structure by means of a trained neural network in order to generate a semantic representation of the image, wherein a data variable of the semantic representation is lower than a data variable of the image. Methods further comprise storing the semantic representation assigned to the semiconductor structure, as an information carrier of relevant information of the image for determining a property of the solar cell and/or for a crystal analysis of a semiconductor structure of the solar cell. Further aspects relate to methods for improving a semiconductor process, to methods for evaluating shaded regions in spatially resolved quality images of semiconductor structures, and to methods for predicting at least one property of a solar cell