Electropharmacologic effects of class I and class III antiarrhythmia drugs on typical atrial flutter: insights into the mechanism of termination

BACKGROUND: Acute effects of class I and class III antiarrhythmia drugs on the reentrant circuit of typical atrial flutter are not fully studied. Furthermore, the critical electrophysiologic determinants of flutter termination by antiarrhythmia drugs are not clear. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population consisted of 36 patients (mean age, 53+/-17 years) with clinically documented typical atrial flutter. A 20-pole "halo" catheter was positioned around the tricuspid annulus. Incremental pacing was performed to measure the conduction velocity along the isthmus and lateral wall, and extrastimulation was performed to evaluate atrial refractory period in the baseline state and after intravenous infusion of ibutilide, propafenone, and amiodarone. Efficacy of these drugs in conversion of typical atrial flutter and patterns of termination were also determined. Ibutilide significantly increased the atrial refractory period and decreased conduction velocity in the isthmus at short pacing cycle length. It terminated atrial flutter in 8 (67%) of 12 patients after prolongation of flutter cycle length due to increase (86+/-19%) of conduction time in the isthmus. Propafenone predominantly decreased conduction velocity with use dependency and significantly increased atrial refractory period, but it only converted atrial flutter in 4 (33%) of 12 patients. Amiodarone had fewer effects on atrial refractory period and conduction velocity than did ibutilide and propafenone, and it terminated atrial flutter in only 4 (33%) of 12 patients. Termination of typical atrial flutter was due to failure of wave front propagation through the isthmus, which occurred with cycle length oscillation, abruptly without variability of cycle length, or after premature activation of the reentrant circuit. CONCLUSIONS: Ibutilide, with a unique increase in atrial refractoriness, was more effective in conversion of atrial flutter than were propafenone and amiodarone.     

Single-channel characteristics of wild-type IKs channels and channels formed with two minK mutants that cause long QT syndrome

IKs channels are voltage dependent and K+ selective. They influence cardiac action potential duration through their contribution to myocyte repolarization. Assembled from minK and KvLQT1 subunits, IKs channels are notable for a heteromeric ion conduction pathway in which both subunit types contribute to pore formation. This study was undertaken to assess the effects of minK on pore function. We first characterized the properties of wild-type human IKs channels and channels formed only of KvLQT1 subunits. Channels were expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes or Chinese hamster ovary cells and currents recorded in excised membrane patches or whole-cell mode. Unitary conductance estimates were dependent on bandwidth due to rapid channel "flicker." At 25 kHz in symmetrical 100-mM KCl, the single-channel conductance of IKs channels was approximately 16 pS (corresponding to approximately 0.8 pA at 50 mV) as judged by noise-variance analysis; this was fourfold greater than the estimated conductance of homomeric KvLQT1 channels. Mutant IKs channels formed with D76N and S74L minK subunits are associated with long QT syndrome. When compared with wild type, mutant channels showed lower unitary currents and diminished open probabilities with only minor changes in ion permeabilities. Apparently, the mutations altered single-channel currents at a site in the pore distinct from the ion selectivity apparatus. Patients carrying these mutant minK genes are expected to manifest decreased K+ flux through IKs channels due to lowered single-channel conductance and altered gating.     

北京妫水河湿地植物多样性调查与评价研究

为探究北方缺水地区湿地植物物种多样性变化,选取北京市延庆区妫水河为研究区,采用物种丰富度(R),Shannon-Wiener指数(H),Simpson指数(D)和Peilou均匀度指数(J)作为植物群落多样性指标,使用方差法和典型对应分析(CCA)对不同河段和区域间湿地植物物种分布与环境因子之间的响应关系进行研究。研究结果表明:研究区现有湿地植物93种,隶属于44科76属,优势科有菊科(Asteraceae)、禾本科(Poaceae)、豆科(Fabaceae)和莎草科(Cyperaceae); 93种植物的Shannon-Wiener指数(H)小于3,Simpson指数(D)和Peilou均匀度指数(J)介于0. 5～0. 75之间,物种数量总体不多,但分布较均匀,处于中等水平;对湿地植物群落形成及生长影响较大的水质因子依次为全氮(TN)、p H和化学需氧量(COD)。     

An Explicit Implicit Scheme for Cut Cells in Embedded Boundary Meshes

We present a new mixed explicit implicit time stepping scheme for solving the linear advection equation on a Cartesian cut cell mesh. We use a standard second-order explicit scheme on Cartesian cells away from the embedded boundary. On cut cells, we use an implicit scheme for stability. This approach overcomes the small cell problem—that standard schemes are not stable on the arbitrarily small cut cells—while keeping the cost fairly low. We examine several approaches for coupling the schemes in one dimension. For one of them, which we refer to as flux bounding, we can show a TVD result for using a first-order implicit scheme. We also describe a mixed scheme using a second-order implicit scheme and combine both mixed schemes by an FCT approach to retain monotonicity. In the second part of this paper, extensions of the second-order mixed scheme to two and three dimensions are discussed and the corresponding numerical results are presented. These indicate that this mixed scheme is second-order accurate in \(L^1\) and between first- and second-order accurate along the embedded boundary in two and three dimensions.     

Etude de la viscosité dynamique complexe de quelques mélanges de polybutène-1 et de polypropène

Studies have been made on the dynamic oscillation and static properties in the molten state of blends from polybutene-1 and polypropene. Measurements were made with a balance-rheometer system Dr. Kepes and a capillary viscosimeter. Three experimental parameters, η₀, τ₀ and h have been determined. Steady shear and oscillatory shear viscosity data have been compared. A plot of intrinsic viscosity vs. composition of blends shows a minimum. Variation of η₀ and τ₀ with temperature follow the Arrhenius law but h does not depend on temperature.     

Gene synthesis and functional expression of a protein exhibiting monodomain IgG Fc binding

A gene encoding a bacterial IgG Fc binding domain was designedand synthesized. The synthetic DNA fragment was cloned 3' toan inducible trpE promoter such that expression of the genein Escherichia coli produced abundant Fc binding protein fusedto the first seven amino acids of the trpE protein. The recombinantprotein contained a single Fc binding domain and demonstratedefficient binding to'human IgG in Western blot analysis. Thisprotein degraded rapidly following cell lysis in the absenceof protease inhibitors, but could be effectively protected bythe addition of protease inhibitor. After purification of theprotein by IgG affinity chromatography, IgG Fc binding abilitywas retained for at least 24 h at either 23 or 37°C andon heating for 15 min at temperatures up to 65°C. No immunoprecipitationwas observed in interactions between the monodomain Fc bindingprotein and IgG molecules. Unlike staphylococcal protein A,no detectable binding of the monodomain IgG Fc binding proteinwas observed to either IgM or IgA. Truncated proteins, expressedfrom a series of 3' deletions of the synthetic gene, were usedto estimate the minimum portion of a monodomain Fc binding proteinthat retained Fc binding ability.     

Radio-frequency plasma transducer for use in harsh environments

We describe a compact transducer used to generate and modulate low-intensity radio-frequency atmospheric pressure plasma (RF-APP) for high temperature gap measurement and generation of air-coupled ultrasound. The new transducer consists of a quarter-wave transmission line where the ground return path is a coaxial solenoid winding. The RF-APP is initiated at the open end of the transmission line and stabilized by passive negative feedback between the electrical impedance of the plasma and the energy stored in the solenoid. The electrical impedance of the plasma was measured at the lower-voltage source end of the transducer, eliminating the need to measure kilovolt-level voltages near the discharge. We describe the use of a 7 MHz RF-APP prototype as a harsh-environment clearance sensor to demonstrate the suitability of plasma discharges for a common nondestructive inspection application. Clearance measurements of 0-5 mm were performed on a rotating calibration target with a measurement precision of 0.1 mm and a 20 kHz sampling rate.