Auricular fibrillation, systemic embolism and anticoagulant treatment

The risk of arterial embolism, specially cerebral, in patients with mitral stenosis associated atrial fibrillation is seventeen fold greater than that of the general population and five fold greater than that of non rheumatic atrial fibrillation. The usefulness of oral anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and mitral stenosis is clear. In patients with non rheumatic atrial fibrillation, the controversy about its usefulness has been cleared with five recent reports showing a significant benefit or oral anticoagulation. We believe that these results may be applied to the routine management of these patients provided an adequate patient selection, consideration of contraindications and the use of a low anticoagulation range. Aspirin effectiveness in these patients is unsettled. One study showed benefits of 375 mg/day in patients younger than 75 years. The embolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation must be stratified. High risk patients require the use of oral anticoagulation with an INR range between 3 and 4.5; those with medium risk require an INR between 2 and 3 and in some, aspirin use may be an alternative. When electrical cardioversion is indicated, oral anticoagulation must be used when atrial fibrillation has lasted for more than two days. In these cases, it is advisable to postpone cardioversion for three weeks after oral coagulation has started and to maintain this treatment for 3 or 4 additional weeks after cardioversion.     

Thixoforging of continuous fiber-reinforced AlSi/AlMg-alloys

High strength in combination with low density is the key features for lightweight constructions in automotive and aerospace applications. Tailor-made fiber reinforcements in light-metal matrices could help to achieve this goal. However, the integration of fibers with conventional casting-route manufacturing techniques like squeeze casting or diffusion bonding restricts the component geometry and results in elevated process cost due to long cycle times and the need of additional fiber coatings. In the center of competence for casting and thixoforging Stuttgart (CCT), new processes for manufacturing metal matrix composites are developed. Long-fiber reinforced Al–Si alloys and components are produced by thixoforging of laminates made of alternating metal matrix layers and carbon fiber fabrics. This paper illustrates the manufacturing technology and first experimental results with special focus on fiber penetration and infiltration behavior and also on the formation of fiber-matrix interface to analyze fiber damage by mechanical or chemical attack.     

Multivalent Interactions between an Aromatic Helical Foldamer and a DNA G‐Quadruplex in the Solid State

Quinoline‐based oligoamide foldamers have been identified as a potent class of ligands for G‐quadruplex DNA. Their helical structure is thought to target G‐quadruplex loops or grooves and not G‐tetrads. We report a co‐crystal structure of the antiparallel hairpin dimeric DNA G‐quadruplex (G₄T₄G₄)₂ with tetramer 1 —a helically folded oligo‐quinolinecarboxamide bearing cationic side chains—that is consistent with this hypothesis. Multivalent foldamer–DNA interactions that modify the packing of (G₄T₄G₄)₂ in the solid state are observed.     

Computer-aided method for quantification of cartilage thickness and volume changes using MRI: validation study using a synthetic model

The primary objective of this study was to develop a computer-aided method for the quantification of three-dimensional (3-D) cartilage changes over time in knees with osteoarthritis (OA). We introduced a local coordinate system (LCS) for the femoral and tibial cartilage boundaries that provides a standardized representation of cartilage geometry, thickness, and volume. The LCS can be registered in different data sets from the same patient so that results can be directly compared. Cartilage boundaries are segmented from 3-D magnetic resonance (MR) slices with a semi-automated method and transformed into offset-maps, defined by the LCS. Volumes and thickness are computed from these offset-maps. Further anatomical labeling allows focal volumes to be evaluated in predefined subregions. The accuracy of the automated behavior of the method was assessed, without any human intervention, using realistic, synthetic 3-D MR images of a human knee. The error in thickness evaluation is lower than 0.12 mm for the tibia and femur. Cartilage volumes in anatomical subregions show a coefficient of variation ranging from 0.11% to 0.32%. This method improves noninvasive 3-D analysis of cartilage thickness and volume and is well suited for in vivo follow-up clinical studies of OA knees.     

Application of a new optimization approach to the design ofelectrical wheels

This paper deals with the optimization of the design of electrical wheels. A new approach is used that generates the optimization software. It allows the design to be made with a more elaborate analytical model of the structure chosen for the wheel. Thus, it is possible to obtain a very efficient optimization program. This is illustrated on the example of an electrical wheel for a bicycle     

Characterisation and modelling of a 5 kW PEMFC for transportation applications

In the framework of the French inter lab SPACT project (fuel cell systems for transportation applications), a 10 kW PEM fuel cell testing bench has been installed in 2002 in the national fuel cell test platform located in Belfort, France. The behaviour of a 5 kW fuel cell, fed with humidified pure hydrogen gas and compressed air, has been investigated by the Laboratory of Electrical Engineering and Systems (L2ES) in association with the French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research (INRETS).     

Time-resolved fluorescence studies of dityrosine in the outer layer of intact yeast ascospores

The (time-resolved) fluorescence properties of dityrosine in the outermost layer of the spore wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated. Steady-state spectra revealed an emission maximum at 404 nm and a corresponding excitation maximum at 326 nm. The relative fluorescence quantum yield decreased with increasing proton concentration. The fluorescence decay of yeast spores was found to be nonexponential and differed pronouncedly from that of unbound dityrosine in water. Analysis of the spore decay recorded at lambda ex = 323 nm and lambda em = 404 nm by an exponential series (ESM) algorithm revealed a bimodal lifetime distribution with maxima centered at tau 1C = 0.5 ns and tau 2C = 2.6 ns. The relative amplitudes of the two distributions are shown to depend on the emission wavelength, indicating contributions from spectrally different dityrosine chromophores. On quenching the spore fluorescence with acrylamide, a downward curvature of the Stern-Volmer plot was obtained. A multitude of chromophores more or less shielded from solvent in the spore wall is proposed to account for the nonlinear quenching of the total spore fluorescence. Analysis of the fluorescence anisotropy decay revealed two rotational correlation times (phi 1 = 0.9 ns and phi 2 = 30.6 ns) or a bimodal distribution of rotational correlation times (centers at 0.7 ns and 40 ns) when the data were analyzed by the maximum entropy method (MEM). We present a model that accounts for the differences between unbound (aqueous) and bound (incorporated in the spore wall) dityrosine fluorescence. The main feature of the photophysical model for yeast spores is the presence of at least two species of dityrosine chromophores differing in their chemical environments. A hypothetical photobiological role of these fluorophores in the spore wall is discussed: the protection of the spore genome from mutagenic UV light.     

Cytokines in vitreous humor: interleukin-6 is elevated in proliferative vitreoretinopathy

PURPOSE: To measure the levels of interleukins (IL) 1 beta, 6, and 8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) in the vitreous of patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), vitreous hemorrhage, and macular pucker. METHODS: Vitreous samples were collected, undiluted, from patients with PVR, PDR of varying severity, and miscellaneous lesions (vitreous hemorrhage from trauma, macular degeneration, vein occlusion, and non-PVR patients with giant tear, retinal detachment, and macular pucker). Immunoreactive levels of the cytokines, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF alpha were determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays, and samples were analyzed for protein and hyaluronic acid content using standard assays. RESULTS: The levels of TNF alpha were below detection limits of the assay (< 3 pg/ml). In 45 of the 47 samples tested, IL-1 beta levels also were below detection limits of the assay (< 3 pg/ml). IL-6 levels ranged from < 30 to 5487 pg/ml, with the highest values observed in the PVR patients. IL-8 levels ranged from < 20 to 1900 pg/ml, and were consistently high in the miscellaneous group. Some of the PVR patients with C2 and C3 level severity also exhibited IL-8 levels exceeding 100 pg/ml. In a second study, IL-6 content of vitreous from miscellaneous and PVR patients was compared. In this study, significantly elevated levels of IL-6 were observed in the PVR patients (91.5 +/- 18 pg/ml) compared to the miscellaneous group (10.3 +/- 3.7 pg/ml) CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of IL-6 in the vitreous occur in PVR, implicating a role for this cytokine in the pathogenesis of this ocular disorder.