60 research outputs found
Preoperative quantification of aortic valve stenosis: comparison of 64-slice computed tomography with transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography and size of implanted prosthesis
Precise measurements of aortic complex diameters are essential for preoperative examinations of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) scheduled for aortic valve (AV) replacement. We aimed to prospectively compare the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) measurements of the AV complex and to analyze the role of the multi-modality aortic annulus diameter (AAd) assessment in the selection of the optimal prosthesis to be implanted in patients surgically treated for degenerative AS. 20 patients (F/M: 3/17; age: 69 ± 6.5 years) with severe degenerative AS were enrolled into the study. TTE, TEE and MSCT including AV calcium score (AVCS) assessment were performed in all patients. The values of AAd obtained in the long AV complex axis (TTE, TEE, MSCT) and in multiplanar perpendicular imaging (MSCT) were compared to the size of implanted prosthesis. The mean AAd was 24 ± 3.6 mm using TTE, 26 ± 4.2 mm using TEE, and 26.9 ± 3.2 in MSCT (P = 0.04 vs. TTE). The mean diameter of the left ventricle out-flow tract in TTE (19.9 ± 2.7 mm) and TEE (19.5 ± 2.7 mm) were smaller than in MSCT (24.9 ± 3.3 mm, P < 0.001 for both). The mean size of implanted prosthesis (22.2 ± 2.3 mm) was significantly smaller than the mean AAd measured by TTE (P = 0.0039), TEE (P = 0.0004), and MSCT (P < 0.0001). The implanted prosthesis size correlated significantly to the AAd: r = 0.603, P = 0.005 for TTE, r = 0.592, P = 0.006 for TEE, and r = 0.791, P < 0.001 for MSCT. Obesity and extensive valve calcification (AV calcium score â„ 3177Ag.U.) were identified as potent factors that caused a deterioration of both TTE and MSCT performance. The accuracy of AAd measurements in TEE was only limited by AV calcification. In multivariate regression analysis the mean value of the minimum and maximum AAd obtained in MSCT-multiplanar perpendicular imaging was an independent factor (r = 0.802, P < 0.0001) predicting the size of implanted prosthesis. In patients with AS echocardiography remains the main diagnostics tool in clinical practice. MSCT as a 3-dimentional modality allows for accurate measurement of entire AV complex and facilitates optimal matching of prosthesis size
Mesoscale Atmospheric Transport of Ragweed Pollen Allergens from Infected to Uninfected Areas
Allergenic ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) pollen grains,
after being released from anthers, can be dispersed by air
masses far from their source. However, the action of air temperature,humidity and solar radiation on pollen grains in the atmosphere could impact on the ability of long distance transported (LDT) pollen to maintain allergenic potency. Here, we report that the major allergen of Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen (Amb a 1) collected in ambient air during episodes of LDT still have immunoreactive properties. The amount of Amb a 1 found in LDT ragweed pollen grains was not constant and varied between episodes. In addition to allergens in pollen sized particles, we detected reactive Amb a 1 in subpollen sized respirable particles. These findings suggest that ragweed pollen grains have the potential to cause allergic reactions, not only in the heavily infested areas but, due to LDT episodes, also in the regions unaffected by ragweed populations
Engineering a novel glucose-tolerant ÎČ-glucosidase as supplementation to enhance the hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse at high glucose concentration
The patterns of Corylus and Alnus pollen seasons and pollination periods in two Polish cities located in different climatic regions
Effect of Initial Cylinder Liner Honing Surface Roughness on Aircraft Piston Engine Performances
Types of Artemisia pollen season depending on the weather conditions in WrocĆaw (Poland), 2002â2011
Variations in Quercus sp. pollen seasons (1996â2011) in PoznaĆ, Poland, in relation to meteorological parameters
Scots pine needles macronutrient (N, P, K, CA, MG, and S) supply at different reclaimed mine soil substratesâas an indicator of the stability of developed forest ecosystems
Social Movements Seen as Radical Political Actors: The Case of the Polish Tenantsâ Movement
Resistance to leaf rust (Puccina recondita f.sp.tritici) at the seedling stage among single D-genome substitution lines of triticale presto
There were performed tests on a set of twenty single substitutions of the D-genome chromosomes from various bread wheats into winter triticale Presto, a set of seven disomic addition lines of chromosomes from winter rye DaĆkowskie Zlote to winter wheat Grana, and all parental forms to study on the chromosome location of major genes that are resposible for seedling stage resistance to Puccinia recondita f.sp.tritici in triticale. For each line, seedlings developed to two-leaf stage were exposured to four pathotypes of the pathogen predominant in Poland to test them in the greenhouse conditions. There were high resistance among the substitution lines of Presto, 1D(1A), 4D(4R), and 5D(5R) suggesting that chromosomes introduced from the D-genome carried resistance genes. Among the addition lines, GH2R was highly resistant. Resistance to rust at seedlings stage of Presto lines of D- genome and addition lines Grana (wheat) / Dankowskie Zlote (rye) shows that chromosome 2R is responsible for the resistance to the disease
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