Role of computed tomography imaging for transcatheter valvular repair/insertion

During the last decade, the development of transcatheter based therapies has provided feasible therapeutic options for patients with symptomatic severe valvular heart disease who are deemed inoperable. The promising results of many nonrandomized series and recent landmark trials have increased the number of percutaneous transcatheter valve procedures in high operative risk patients. Pre-procedural imaging of the anatomy of the aortic or mitral valve and their spatial relationships is crucial to select the most appropriate device or prosthesis and to plan the percutaneous procedure. Multidetector row computed tomography provides 3-dimensional volumetric data sets allowing unlimited plane reconstructions and plays an important role in pre-procedural screening and procedural planning. This review will describe the evolving role of multidetector row computed tomography in patient selection and strategy planning of transcatheter aortic and mitral valve procedures

Social media and sensemaking patterns in new product development: demystifying the customer sentiment

Artificial intelligence by principle is developed to assist but also support decision making processes. In our study, we explore how information retrieved from social media can assist decision-making processes for new product development (NPD). We focus on consumers’ emotions that are expressed through social media and analyse the variations of their sentiments in all the stages of NPD. We collect data from Twitter that reveal consumers’ appreciation of aspects of the design of a newly launched model of an innovative automotive company. We adopt the sensemaking approach coupled with the use of fuzzy logic for text mining. This combinatory methodological approach enables us to retrieve consensus from the data and to explore the variations of sentiments of the customers about the product and define the polarity of these emotions for each of the NPD stages. The analysis identifies sensemaking patterns in Twitter data and explains the NPD process and the associated steps where the social interactions from customers can have an iterative role. We conclude the paper by outlining an agenda for future research in the NPD process and the role of the customer opinion through sensemaking mechanisms

Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Consensus Recommendations on the Use of MitraClip for Mitral Regurgitation

Transcatheter mitral valve repair with the MitraClip, a catheter-based percutaneous edge-to-edge repair technique to correct mitral regurgitation (MR), has been demonstrated in Western studies to be an effective and safe MR treatment strategy. However, randomised clinical trial data on its use in Asian-Pacific patients is limited. Hence, the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology convened an expert panel to review the available literature on MitraClip and to develop consensus recommendations to guide clinicians in the region. The panel developed statements on the use of MitraClip for the management of degenerative MR, functional MR, and other less common indications, such as acute MR, dynamic MR, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, and MR after failed surgical repair. Each statement was voted on by each panel member and consensus was reached when 80% of experts voted ‘agree’ or ‘neutral’. This consensus-building process resulted in 10 consensus recommendations to guide general cardiologists in the evaluation and management of patients in whom MitraClip treatment is being contemplated

The Generation R Study: design and cohort update 2010

The Generation R Study is a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life until young adulthood. The study is designed to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development and health during fetal life, childhood and adulthood. The study focuses on four primary areas of research: (1) growth and physical development; (2) behavioural and cognitive development; (3) diseases in childhood; and (4) health and healthcare for pregnant women and children. In total, 9,778 mothers with a delivery date from April 2002 until January 2006 were enrolled in the study. General follow-up rates until the age of 4 years exceed 75%. Data collection in mothers, fathers and preschool children included questionnaires, detailed physical and ultrasound examinations, behavioural observations, and biological samples. A genome wide association screen is available in the participating children. Regular detailed hands on assessment are performed from the age of 5 years onwards. Eventually, results forthcoming from the Generation R Study have to contribute to the development of strategies for optimizing health and healthcare for pregnant women and children

The impact of social media on consumers' acculturation and purchase intentions

YesSocial media has emerged as a significant and effective means of assisting and endorsing activities and communications among peers, consumers and organizations that outdo the restrictions of time and space. While the previous studies acknowledge the role of agents of culture change, it largely remains silent on the role of social media in influencing acculturation outcomes and consumption choices. This study uses self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 514 Turkish-Dutch respondents and examines how their use of social media affects their acculturation and consumption choices. This research makes a significant contribution to consumer acculturation research by showing that social media is a vital means of culture change and a driver of acculturation strategies and consumption choices. This study is the first to investigate the role of social media as an agent of culture change in terms of how it impacts acculturation and consumption. The paper discusses implications for theory development and for practice

Glass transition temperature of poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) Langmuir-Blodgett film and spin-coated film by X-ray reflectivity and ellipsometry

The glass transition temperature (T-g) of poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films relative to that of spin-coated films on a silicon substrate is investigated by ellipsometry and X-ray reflectively. The T-g of spin-coated films on an oxide-free silicon wafer decreases as the film thickness decreases, which is consistent with the majority of the previous reports in the literature. However, the transition temperature of the LB films is nearly independent of the total thickness, that is, the number of accumulated layers, which is much different from the case for spin-coated films. After sufficient thermal annealing of the LB film, it recovers the thermal transition behavior of the spin-coated film with an equivalent thickness. The layer structure of the LB film is deemed to be responsible for the departure from the behavior of the spin-coated film.X1140sciescopu

Structure and thermal stability of cadmium arachidate/poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) alternating Langmuir-Blodgett film

Layer structure and thermal stability of alternating Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of cadmium arachidate (CdA(2)) and poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA) was investigated by X-ray reflection and in-plane diffraction study. The LB films were deposited on hydrophobically pre-treated silicon wafer surface and the polymer layers are inserted between CdA(2) bilayers. Layer spacing of the alternating LB film increases linearly by 9.8 Angstrom per PtBMA layer, which is consistent with the single layer spacing of homo-PtBMA LB film. Lateral lattice structure of CdA(2) in alternating LB films maintains its hexagonal packing structure as found in CdA(2) monolayers while the multilayer CdA(2) LB film is known to change its structure from hexagonal to orthorhombic lattice. Therefore, the polymer layers inserted between CdA(2) bilayers in the alternating LB films effectively prevent the CdA(2) film not only from the growth of defect but also from the formation of three-dimensional crystallites of CdA(2). In addition, the hexagonal packing structure of CdA(2) bilayer was maintained up to 90 degreesC while the molecular area increases slightly. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.X112sciescopu

Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray reflectivity study on thermal stability of Langmuir-Blodgett film

Alternating PbSt 2, Pb(St-d 35) 2, and poly(t-butyl methacrylate) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films were prepared and the splitting of CH 2 and CD 2 scissoring mode was monitored. The mechanism of defect formation upon thermal treatment of the fatty acid salt LB films was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray reflectivity. The insertion of polymer layer improves the stability of LB films. The less reduction of the band splitting for the fatty acid salt layer below the polymer layer supports the ablation as the major mechanism taking place during the thermal treatment.close7