Coronary by-pass for bad ventricle; adoption of "hybrid-pump" bypass

Abstract Background The outcomes of on-pump and hybrid-pump bypass surgery in patients with depressed left ventricular function (EF Methods 109 patients with preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction of Results Mean LVEF 24.4 ± 4.8%. The patients in hybrid-pump group received less graft than others, but difference was not significant. Duration of the surgery was not different statistically between hybrid-pump and on-pump groups. A longer intraoperative duration of ischemia and extra corporeal circulation was found in on-pump group. Significant improvement in the postoperative course such as shorter mechanical ventilation, less catecholamines and IABP usage, less ICU and hospital stay, less stroke, less need for hemodyalisis and most importantly less hospital mortality was observed in hybrid-pump group. Conclusion Shortening the CPB and myocardial ischemic time and avoiding related problems, adoption of hybrid-pump strategy, in patients with severely impaired LVEF and bypassable circumflex coronary disease results in better outcome than conventional on-pump bypass.</p

Evaluation of the relationship of picoplankton and viruses to environmental variables in a lagoon system (Çakalburnu Lagoon, Turkey)

Lagoons are defined as wetlands separated from the sea coasts on which they are located and sit between continental and marine aquatic ecosystems. Cakalburnu Lagoon is a coastal wetland on the southern side of the Bay of zmir. Microorganisms, which are quite sensitive to changes occurring in environmental factors, are commonly used to determine the impact of environmental effects on the functioning of the ecosystem. In this study, variations in the abundance and biomass of picoplankton (Synechococcus spp. and bacteria) and the abundance of viruses, which identify the ecological productivity of the food chain, were seasonally examined by epifluorescence microscopy. Moreover, the microbial abundance and biomass relation over time between the physical and chemical parameters was evaluated. According to our results, the maximum abundance of Synechococcus spp. and viruses was 6.7x10(4) cell/ml and 9.9x10(8)cell/ml in the summer, respectively. Otherwise, the highest level of bacteria was measured at 3.6x10(7) cell/ml in the spring. Based on the principal component analysis and Pearson correlation analysis results, we concluded that total suspended solids, Chl-a, particulate organic carbon and particulate organic nitrogen were the major parameters influencing the observed variability of the lagoon system. Overall, to protect and improve the ecological and microbiological quality of aquatic systems such as lagoons, the necessary monitoring and measurement studies should be conducted in these sensitive areas

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field