Twenty-one of the world's prolific sheep breeds and strains were tested for the presence of the
FecB mutation of
BMPR1B and the
FecX
I
mutation of
BMP15. The breeds studied were Romanov (2 strains), ...Finn (2 strains), East Friesian, Teeswater, Blueface Leicester, Hu, Han, D’Man, Chios, Mountain Sheep (three breeds), German Whiteheaded Mutton, Lleyn, Loa, Galician, Barbados Blackbelly (pure and crossbred) and St. Croix. The
FecB mutation was found in two breeds, Hu and Han from China, but not in any of the other breeds. The 12 Hu sheep sampled were all homozygous carriers of
FecB (
FecB
B
/FecB
B
) whereas the sample of 12 Han sheep included all three genotypes (
FecB
B
/FecB
B
,
FecB
B
/
FecB
+
,
FecB
+
/
FecB
+
) at frequencies of 0.33, 0.58 and 0.08, respectively. There was no evidence of
FecX
I
in any of the breeds sampled.
Single measurements of cardiovascular risk factors may not accurately reflect a person's past exposure to those risk factors. We therefore studied the long-term associations of cardiovascular risk ...factors such as high serum cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking with the prevalence of carotid stenosis.
We studied cross-sectional and longitudinal information from a sample of 429 men and 661 women in the Framingham Heart Study who underwent B-mode ultrasound measurements of the carotid artery. Their mean age was 75 years, and each had attended most of the biennial clinic examinations over the 34 years before the carotid ultrasound study. We used time-integrated measurements to assess the associations between various cardiovascular risk factors and the degree of carotid stenosis.
Moderate carotid stenosis (> or =25 percent) was present in 189 men and 226 women. We assessed the odds ratios for this degree of stenosis as compared with minimal stenosis (<25 percent) according to increases in risk factors. In the men, the odds ratio for moderate carotid stenosis associated with an increase of 20 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure was 2.11 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.51 to 2.97). The odds ratio for an increase of 10 mg per deciliter (0.26 mmol per liter) in the cholesterol level was 1.10 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.16), and for an increase of five pack-years of smoking it was 1.08 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.13). The results were similar in the women. Time-integrated measurements of diastolic blood pressure showed significant associations with carotid stenosis in men and insignificant associations in women.
Over the long term, high systolic blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and smoking were associated with an increased risk of carotid stenosis in this elderly population.
Previous studies on the reconstruction of porcine bladder using bladder acellular matrix allograft (BAMA) have indicated positive preliminary results with respect to graft shrinkage and cellular ...repopulation. The current study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using BAMA in a similar model of bladder reconstruction out to longer time frames (22 weeks). At predetermined time points, the macroscopic, histological and mechanical properties of explanted native and BAMA tissues were evaluated and compared. Macroscopically, contracture of the BAMA was observed. The peripheral regions of the grafts experienced extensive cellular repopulation. Towards the centre however, all grafts were consistently devoid of organized smooth muscle bundles and a well-developed urothelium. An alteration in both the amount and organization of collagen was also observed within this region. Significant differences (
p<0.05) in the rupture strain and the elastic modulus of the BAMA compared to native bladder tissue appear to correlate with macroscopic graft contracture as well as the fibroproliferative tissue response of the matrix.
BACKGROUND: The efficacy and biosafety of a previously established tolerable dosage of doxorubicin have not been established in horses. OBJECTIVES: To provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of ...doxorubicin in tumor‐bearing horses, explore drug pharmacokinetics profile, and estimate period of risk of exposure to drug residues. ANIMALS: Twelve horses with 37 tumors. PROCEDURES: Treatment protocol included 6 treatments at 3‐week intervals. Eight horses were uniformly treated at a dosage of 70 mg/m² and 4 horses received 4 of 6 treatment cycles at 70 mg/m². Clinical signs, tumor responses, and toxicoses were evaluated. Drug residue concentrations were quantitated in 3 horses receiving of 65, 70, and 75 mg/m² by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (plasma, feces) and liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (urine). RESULTS: Thirty tumors, including lymphomas, carcinomas, sarcoids, and melanoma, were evaluated for efficacy. The overall response rate was 47% (95% CI, 28–65%). Doxorubicin was not found to be effective against melanomas. Lymphomas and carcinomas were most responsive. Pooled serum Cmax and half‐life of doxorubicin were 121.3 ng/mL and 12.9 hours, respectively. There were no detectable residues in fecal samples up to 3 weeks after treatment and in plasma and urine after 2 and 3 days, respectively. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study provides preliminary evidence that single‐agent doxorubicin at a dosage of 70 mg/m² has a broad spectrum of activity. The risk of exposure to drug residues in plasma and feces was low. Direct contact with urine‐contaminated wastes should be avoided for 2 days after treatment.
Abstract Central sleep apnoea (CSA) occurs in up to 40% of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). It is thought to be a consequence of CHF and is associated with an accelerated decline in cardiac ...function, and increased morbidity and mortality. The optimal treatment of CSA remains unclear. Resolution of CSA has been reported after cardiac transplantation. We report the first case of resolution of CSA 10 months following implantation of a permanent Jarvik™ 2000 left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The correction of CSA after implantation of the LVAD was associated with improvements in symptoms, exercise capacity, renal function, and increased arterial carbon dioxide levels at rest during wakefulness and also reduction in brain natriuretic peptide.
Gap junctions are a determinant of myocardial conduction. Disturbances of gap-junctional content may account for abnormalities of impulse propagation, contributing to the arrhythmic tendency and ...mechanical inefficiency of ischemic and hypertrophied myocardium. The aim of this study was to characterize gap junction organization in normal human ventricular myocardium and to establish whether abnormalities exist in myocardium of chronically ischemic and hypertrophied hearts.
Cardiac gap-junctional connexin43 antibodies and confocal microscopy were used in a quantitative immunohistochemical study of surgical myocardial samples to explore the structural basis of electromechanical ventricular dysfunction in chronic ischemic and hypertrophic heart diseases. Normal adult human left ventricular myocardium had a gap-junctional surface area of 0.0051 micron2/micron3 myocyte volume; gap junctions were confined to intercalated disks, of which there was a mean of 11.6 per cell. The right ventricle showed similar gap junction surface area. Left ventricular myocardium from ischemic hearts (distant from any fibrotic scarring), despite normal numbers of intercalated disks per cell, had a reduced gap junction surface area (0.0027 micron2/micron3; P = .02), as did hypertrophied myocardium (0.0031 micron2/micron3; P = .05). The cardiac myocytes in the pathological tissues were larger than normal, and estimated gap-junctional content per cell was reduced in ischemic ventricle (P = .02) compared with normal.
Gap junctions in normal adult human working ventricular myocardium occupy an area of 0.0051 micron2/micron3 myocyte volume. This surface area is reduced in ventricular myocardium from hearts subject to chronic hypertrophy and ischemia, despite a normal number of intercellular abutments, and this alteration may contribute to abnormal impulse propagation in these hearts.
Hypertension (HTN) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Metabolic abnormalities, including adverse cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) profiles, are frequent ...comorbid findings with HTN and contribute to cardiovascular disease. Diuretics, which are used to treat HTN and heart failure, have been associated with worsening of fasting lipid concentrations. Genome-wide meta-analyses with 39,710 European-ancestry (EA) individuals and 9925 African-ancestry (AA) individuals were performed to identify genetic variants that modify the effect of loop or thiazide diuretic use on blood lipid concentrations. Both longitudinal and cross sectional data were used to compute cohort-specific interaction results, which were then combined through meta-analysis in each ancestry. These ancestry-specific results were further combined through trans-ancestry meta-analysis. Analysis of EA data identified two genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10
) loci with single nucleotide variant (SNV)-loop diuretic interaction on TG concentrations (including COL11A1). Analysis of AA data identified one genome-wide significant locus adjacent to BMP2 with SNV-loop diuretic interaction on TG concentrations. Trans-ancestry analysis strengthened evidence of association for SNV-loop diuretic interaction at two loci (KIAA1217 and BAALC). There were few significant SNV-thiazide diuretic interaction associations on TG concentrations and for either diuretic on cholesterol concentrations. Several promising loci were identified that may implicate biologic pathways that contribute to adverse metabolic side effects from diuretic therapy.
Incorporating sugarcane bagasse ash into Al2O3 ceramic tapes Silva, Larissa B.; Alves, Hugo P. A.; Freitas, Anna K. C. ...
International journal of applied ceramic technology,
January/February 2021, 20210101, Letnik:
18, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
High‐temperature co‐fired ceramic (HTCC) technology aims to incorporate fluxing materials into ceramic tapes to decrease the sintering temperature. In this context, we incorporate waste from ...sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) into alumina (Al2O3) tapes. We report an experimental investigation of the structural, physical, mechanical, and dielectric properties of the Al2O3 tape with the addition of the SCBA waste. The tape casting technique prepared the ceramic tape. The materials under study were characterized by rheology, thermogravimetry, dilatometry, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, relative density, Vickers microhardness, mechanical resistance, and dielectric measurements. The dilatometry results confirm that the addition of the SCBA waste remarkably reduces the sintering temperature of the Al2O3 tape to 1200°C. The physical, mechanical, and dielectric properties are improved with the addition of the SCBA waste, which makes our discoveries attractive from an environmental and economic point of view. Besides, the stabilization and high dielectric constant of the Al2O3‐SCBA tape becomes a promising material for aircraft turbine applications.
Cladistic analyses are presented of matK sequence data as well as a nonmolecular database for an identical set of exemplar species chosen to represent the core genera or groups of genera in ...Myrtaceae. Eleven robust clades are recognized on the molecular data. Polyphyly of the previously recognized Metrosideros and Leptospermum alliances is confirmed, and several smaller informal taxonomic groupings are recognized from among the members of the former alliance, i.e., the Tristania, Tristaniopsis, Metrosideros, and Lophostemon groups. The nonmolecular analysis provides only limited resolution of relationships. A degree of congruence exists between the two analyses in that two separate fleshy-fruited clades, the Acmena and Myrtoid groups, are identified, as are the Eucalypt and Tristania groups, and Psiloxylon and Heteropyxis are the first lineages to diverge in both analyses. A combined analysis recognized all 11 clades that received strong support from the molecular data. A high level of homoplasy is revealed in many of the nonmolecular characters when they are examined against the combined estimate of phylogeny.
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