Micro pixel chambers (μ-PIC) with resistive cathodes have been developed as particle tracking/imaging detectors in high-rate high ionizing particle (HIP) environments. A main target of their ...development is as a forward muon detector in the ATLAS phase-2 upgrade. The cathode is made from DLC (diamond-like carbon) thin foil by the liftoff method. Using the resistive cathodes, the discharge (spark) probability within the HIP environment was reduced (10-1000 times) and two-dimensional readouts for the incident particles are available using a 400-micron pitch separated pixel array. We measured the tracking performances for the charged particles using a 140 GeV muon beam in CERN's H4 beam line and also measured the imaging properties of 8 keV X-rays. Two-dimensional fine position resolutions (< 100 micron) were obtained. These results show that the resistive μ-PIC is one of strong candidate for forthcoming high-rate particle experiments.
A clay−metal complex multilayer film was prepared by the Langmuir−Blodgett technique. A monolayer of an amphiphilic ruthenium(II) complex, Ru(phen)2(dC18bpy)(ClO4)2 (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, ...dC18bpy = 4,4‘-dioctadecyl-2,2‘-bipyridyl), was formed on an aqueous suspension of hectorite clay (Li-HT). The monolayer acted as a template for adsorption of a clay particle. A hybrid monolayer of a clay and a metal complex was transferred onto a hydrophilic glass plate to form a Z-type multilayer film. X-ray diffraction, UV−visible and FT-IR absorption spectra, and Brewster angle and atomic force microscopic (AFM) measurements confirmed the formation of an ordered film of Ru(phen)2(dC18bpy)2+/hectorite with the layer thickness of 5.4 nm.
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•The first report of distribution of Gongylonema nepalensis in Europe, suggesting a wide geographical distribution of the recently-differentiated species from Gonglonema pulchrum.•To ...date, this species has been recorded only in Nepal.•New host records of Gongylonema nepalensis in cattle, sheep, goats, and mouflon.•To date this species has been recorded only in water buffaloues.•Intensive analyses of ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox-1) of Gonglynema worms, which may contribute further works on the biogeography and diagnosis of the worms.
The gullet worm, Gongylonema pulchrum, is cosmopolitan in distribution, infecting a variety of mammals including domestic and wild ruminants. Gongylonema nepalensis recently collected from the esophageal epithelium of water buffaloes in Nepal was separated from G. pulchrum based on its distinctly shorter left spicule relative to body length and unique nucleotide sequences of the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox-1). During meat inspections at four abattoirs on Sardinia Island, Italy, 25 Gongylonema worms were collected from one each individual of cattle (n=8), sheep (n=7), goats (n=4), and mouflon (Ovis aries musimon; n=6), and characterized morphologically and genetically. Intriguingly, all of the collected worms from these ruminants were G. nepalensis, exhibiting comparable body lengths to G. pulchrum in cattle from other regions but with significantly shorter left spicules like G. nepalensis (less than 20.9% of the entire body length in contrast to 21.8–65.6%, the reported proportion of G. pulchrum). Furthermore, the rDNA nucleotide sequences of these worms from different ruminant species on Sardinia Island were almost identical to each other and to Nepalese G. nepalensis isolates. With the exception of one worm from a sheep (displaying a single nucleotide substitution), the 369-bp cox-1 nucleotide sequences of all the Sardinian G. nepalensis isolates from the different host sources were absolutely identical, forming a clade with Nepalese G. nepalensis isolates and not G. pulchrum isolates. The present study reveals that G. nepalensis is not a local parasite in the Indian subcontinent (Nepal), but instead has a certain geographical distribution in Europe and takes several ruminant species as a definitive host.
The naturalization of alien Reeves's muntjacs (Muntiacus reevesi) on Izu-Oshima Island, Tokyo, Japan, has proceeded intensively over the last five decades. To clarify whether the gastrointestinal ...helminths of these animals were brought from their original endemic area or were newly acquired in Japan, 32 Reeves's muntjacs trapped on the island were parasitologically examined. In addition to Gongylonema pulchrum in the oesophagus (34.4% prevalence), Chabaudstrongylus ninhae (Dróżdż, 1967) (Trichostrongylidae: Cooperiinae) and Oesophagostomum muntiacum Jian, 1989 (Chabertiidae: Oesophagostominae) were prevalent in the small (28.1%) and large (46.9%) intestines, respectively. For the first time, these trichostrongylid or chabertiid worms were genetically characterized based on partial nucleotide sequences of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox-1), and the phylogenetic relationships with other members of their family were explored. Since these two intestinal nematode species are inherent in muntjacs, this study demonstrates a new distribution of exotic helminth species in Japan in accordance with the naturalization of alien mammalian hosts. The molecular genetic data collected here could assist the taxonomic assessment of morphological variants in different Muntiacus spp. and/or of different geographical origins. Furthermore, our data may help to define the phylogenetic relationships among such isolates.
OBJECTIVES
We examined the association between the features of the culprit lesion in coronary artery disease (CAD) and clinical presentation as shown by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
BACKGROUND
...The association between coronary remodeling pattern and clinical presentation of CAD is unclear.
METHODS
We analyzed 125 selected patients who underwent preintervention IVUS. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina pectoris (UAP) were categorized as an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and stable angina pectoris (SAP) and old myocardial infarction (OMI) as stable CAD. Coronary remodeling patterns and plaque morphology of the culprit lesion obtained by IVUS were analyzed in terms of their association with clinical presentation or angiographic morphology.
RESULTS
Angiographically complex lesions were associated with ACS and OMI. In patients with a complex lesion, positive remodeling was observed more frequently than in those with a simple lesion. In AMI and UAP, positive remodeling was observed more frequently than in SAP and OMI (82% vs. 78% vs. 33% vs. 40%, respectively, p < 0.0001). The remodeling ratio was greater in AMI and UAP than in SAP and OMI (1.26 ± 0.15 vs. 1.11 ± 0.10 vs. 0.94 ± 0.11 vs. 0.96 ± 0.13, respectively, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, within ACS, the remodeling ratio was greater in AMI than in UAP (1.26 ± 0.15 vs. 1.11 ± 0.10, respectively, p < 0.05), whereas the frequency of positive remodeling was not different.
CONCLUSIONS
Positive remodeling was more frequently observed in ACS than in stable CAD. Moreover, the degree of positive remodeling was greater in AMI than in UAP. These results may reflect the impact of remodeling types and its degree in the culprit lesion of CAD on clinical presentation.
Abstract
Background
Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping (IABP) was widespread used in cases of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) at daily clinical situation in Japan, even though the efficacy of IABP in AMI ...patients with cardiogenic shock was not proved. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of IABP use in ACS patients in Japan.
Methods
We investigated 2-year all-cause-mortality of 2,660 enrolled ACS patients including 358 patients with IABP and 2,302 patients without IABP from Mie ACS registry.
Results
We compared a 1:1 propensity score-matched cohort of 426 ACS patients with or without IABP (n=213, respectively). 2-year mortality was significantly higher in patients with IABP than without IABP (p=0.02, Figure A). In addition, IABP usage was independent predictor of mortality with hazard ratio of 1.6 by multivariate analysis. However, 2-year mortality was not statistically different between 2 groups only when analyzed patients with shock (p=0.60, Figure B).
Figure 1
Conclusion
IABP was not commonly recommended in ACS patients. However, IABP was might as well used in some situation especially in shock.
Abstract
Background
Cardiovascular deaths are more frequently in hemodialysis (HD) patients compared to general population. However, difference of prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients ...with or without HD were not well evaluated.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and prognostic characteristics of ACS patients with HD compared to that of ACS patients without HD.
Methods
We investigated 3427 ACS patients including 63 HD and 3364 non-HD patients between 2013 and 2017 using date from Mie ACS registry, a retrospective and multicenter registry. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause mortality.
Results
HD patients showed significantly higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, past treatment of coronary artery disease, history of myocardial infarction and Killip ≥2 compared to non-HD patients (p<0.05, respectively). During the follow-up periods (median 719 days), 425 (12.4%) patients experienced all-cause death. HD patients demonstrated the higher all-cause mortality rate compared to that of non-HD patients during the follow-up (11.9% versus 38.1%, p<0.001, chi square). Kaplan Meier survival curves demonstrated that HD and non-HD patients with Killip 1 showed similar 30-day mortality, and Killip ≥2 patients also showed similar prognosis (Left side of figure). On the other hand, all cause mortality at 2 years were higher in Killip 1 HD patients compared to Killip 1 non-HD patients and similar between Killip 1 HD patients and Killip ≥2 non-HD patients in the 30 days landmark analysis (Right side of figure). In addition, cox regression analyses for all cause mortality demonstrated that HD was a strongest independent prognostic factor not of 30-day mortality but of after 30-day mortality with hazard ratio of 4.09 (95% confidential interval: 2.32–7.21, p<0.001).
Figure 1
Conclusion
Careful management are required in chronic phase for ACS patients with HD even in Killip 1 classification.
The gullet worm (Gongylonema pulchrum) has been recorded from a variety of mammals worldwide, including monkeys and humans. Due to its wide host range, it has been suggested that the worm may be ...transmitted locally to any mammalian host by chance. To investigate this notion, the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA), mainly regions of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) 1 and 2, and a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region of mitochondrial DNA of G. pulchrum were characterized using parasites from the following hosts located in Japan: cattle, sika deer, wild boars, Japanese macaques, a feral Reeves's muntjac and captive squirrel monkeys. The rDNA nucleotide sequences of G. pulchrum were generally well conserved regardless of their host origin. However, a few insertions/deletions of nucleotides along with a few base substitutions in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions were observed in G. pulchrum from sika deer, wild boars and Japanese macaques, and those differed from G. pulchrum in cattle, the feral Reeves's muntjac and captive squirrel monkeys. The COI sequences of G. pulchrum were further divided into multiple haplotypes and two groups of haplotypes, i.e. those from a majority of sika deer, wild boars and Japanese macaques and those from cattle and zoo animals, were clearly differentiated. Our findings indicate that domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles of the gullet worm are currently present, at least in Japan.