Interference of the Snail Physa Sayii with Equilibrium in Tropisternus Glaber (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)

[excerpt] On January 9, 1964, a larva of the hydrophilid beetle Tropister- nus,glaber (Herbst) was removed from an aquarium and placed in a fin- ger bowl of water along with a sprig of coontail (Ceratop7tyllum demer- sum Linnaeus). The plant provided support for the larva to reach the water\u27s surface. By accident rather than design it harbored the snail Physa sayii (Tappan), individuals of which were clinging to its leave

Sex Differences in Mortality After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for Severe Aortic Stenosis

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine sex differences in outcome after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with real-world data from 2 large centers in Canada.BackgroundTranscatheter aortic valve replacement is an effective alternative to surgical valve replacement in symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, but the impact of sex on outcomes remains unclear. The PARTNER (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves) 1A trial demonstrated greater benefit of TAVR over surgery in women, but whether this was due to the poorer surgical outcome of women or better TAVR outcome, compared with men, is unknown.MethodsConsecutive patients (n = 641) undergoing TAVR in Vancouver and Quebec City, Canada, were evaluated. Differences in all-cause mortality were examined with Kaplan-Meier estimates, adjusted logistic regression, and proportional hazards models.ResultsWomen comprised 51.3% of the cohort. Balloon-expandable valves were used in 97% of cases, with transapical approach in 51.7 % women and 38.1% men. Women had more major vascular complications (12.4% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.003) and borderline significantly more major/life-threatening bleeds (21.6% vs. 15.8%, p = 0.08). At baseline, women had higher aortic gradients and worse renal function but better ejection fractions. Men had more comorbidities: prior myocardial infarction, prior revascularization, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The adjusted odds ratio for 30-day all-cause mortality favored women, 0.39 (95% confidence interval: 0.19 to 0.80; p = 0.01), and this benefit persisted for 2 years, hazard ratio 0.60 (95% confidence interval: 0.41 to 0.88; p = 0.008).ConclusionsFemale sex is associated with better short- and long-term survival after TAVR. Added to the PARTNER 1A findings, these results suggest TAVR might be the preferred treatment option for elderly women with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

Measurement and Assessment in Education

his text employs a pragmatic approach to the study of educational tests and measurement so that teachers will understand essential psychometric concepts and be able to apply them in the classroom. The principles that guide the development of this text are: (1) What essential knowledge and skills do classroom teachers need to conduct student assessments in a professional manner? (2) What does the research on educational assessment tell us? This focus has resulted in a uniquely approachable and technically accurate presentation of the material. While providing a slightly more technical presentation of measurement and assessment than more basic texts, this text is both approachable and comprehensive. The text includes a gentle introduction to the basic mathematics of measurement, and expands traditional coverage to include a thorough discussion of performance and portfolio assessments, a complete presentation of assessment accommodations for students with disabilities, and a practical discussion of professional best practices in educational measurement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a new self-expanding transcatheter heart valve and motorized delivery system

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to demonstrate feasibility and short- and midterm clinical outcomes with a new self-expanding transcatheter heart valve and motorized delivery system. BACKGROUND: Refining transcatheter aortic valve replacement with newly designed bioprostheses and delivery systems is anticipated to facilitate the procedure, reduce the risk of complications, improve outcomes, and widen applicability. METHODS: The CENTERA valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) was implanted in 15 patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis via femoral or axillary arterial percutaneous access. Patients underwent transesophageal echocardiography during and transthoracic echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography before and after valve implantation. Clinical and echocardiographic follow-up was obtained at 30 days and for the initial 10 patients after 1 year. RESULTS: All 15 device implants were successful. Aortic valve area increased from 0.7 ± 0.1 cm(2) to 1.6 ± 0.4 cm(2) post-procedure (p < 0.01) and 1.8 ± 0.3 cm(2) at 1 year. Mean transaortic gradient decreased from 36.3 ± 14.2 mm Hg to 10.6 ± 5.4 mm Hg post-procedure (p < 0.001) and 10.8 ± 4.1 mm Hg at 1 year. Paravalvular aortic regurgitation at 30-day follow-up was none/trivial in 3 (23%), mild in 9 (69%), and moderate in 1 (8%) patient. Four patients (27%) received a new permanent pacemaker. Survival was 87% at 30 days and 80% at 1 year. All surviving patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I (25%) or II (75%) at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the CENTERA transcatheter heart valve and motorized delivery system is feasible and can lead to good short- and midterm clinical and hemodynamic outcomes

Impact of post-implant SAPIEN XT geometry and position on conduction disturbances, hemodynamic performance, and paravalvular regurgitation

OBJECTIVES: This report sought to study the impact of the balloon-expandable SAPIEN XT (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) transcatheter heart valve (THV) stent frame geometry and position on outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: Post-implant THV geometry and position might impact atrioventricular conduction, hemodynamic performance, and annular sealing. METHODS: Eighty-nine consecutive patients who underwent TAVR with a Sapien XT THV had pre- and post-implant multidetector computed tomography, transthoracic echocardiography, and electrocardiograms performed to assess THV stent geometry, atrioventricular conduction, and hemodynamic performance. RESULTS: The THV Circularity (THV eccentricity <10% [eccentricity = minimum stent diameter/maximum stent diameter]) and under-expansion (THV area/nominal THV area <90%) were present in 97.8% (2 of 89) and 0%, respectively. Low THV implantation was associated with new left bundle branch block and complete heart block (3.4 ± 2.0 mm vs. 5.5 ± 2.9 mm, p = 0.01) and with the need for permanent pacemaker implantation (3.5 ± 2.0 mm vs. 7.1 ± 2.5 mm, p = 0.001). In contrast, labeled THV size and THV area oversizing was not associated with atrioventricular conduction disturbances. The relation between inflow stent frame area and annular area was related to paravalvular regurgitation (p = 0.025). Labeled prosthesis size but not prosthesis expansion or eccentricity was related to valve gradient (p = 0.005) and effective orifice area (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Low implantation depth of balloon-expandable THVs is associated with clinically significant new conduction disturbances and permanent pacemaker implantation. Importantly, annular area oversizing was not associated with these complications

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with the SAPIEN 3: a new balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the first-in-human feasibility and short-term clinical outcomes with a new balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valve (THV). BACKGROUND: The SAPIEN 3 (S3) THV incorporates a paravalvular sealing system, an active 3-dimensional coaxial positioning catheter, and is compatible with a 14-F expandable sheath. METHODS: The S3 THV was implanted in 15 patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis via femoral arterial access. Multidetector computed tomography before and after valve implantation allowed assessment of a novel annular area sizing algorithm. Clinical and echocardiographic data were obtained at baseline, discharge, and 30 days. RESULTS: All 15 device implants were successful. Multidetector computed tomography estimated an aortic annular area of 4.9 ± 0.4 cm(2), predicting 9.7 ± 6.9% THV oversizing. Post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement multidetector computed tomography showed consistently symmetrical and circular THVs. Aortic valve area increased from 0.7 ± 0.2 cm(2) to 1.5 ± 0.2 cm(2) (p < 0.001), and mean transaortic gradient decreased from 42.2 ± 10.3 mm Hg to 11.9 ± 5.3 mm Hg (p < 0.001). No patient had more than mild paravalvular aortic regurgitation. Hospital discharge occurred at a median of 3 (range 2 to 12) hospital days. At 30 days there were no deaths, strokes, vascular complications, bleeds, or transfusions, although 1 patient (6.7%) required a new pacemaker. All patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II. CONCLUSIONS: The S3 THV and delivery system might facilitate fully percutaneous implantation in a broader range of patients with the potential for more accurate positioning and less paravalvular regurgitation