Striation mechanism and triggered striation in dielectric microdischarge plasma

The striation mechanism of dielectric microdischarges, as in many plasma devices, is extensively explored by collisional kinetic and fluid simulations. Striation in a typical dielectric microdischarge device predominantly occurs near the anode region and is basically governed by the ionization-dominated ??-processes, wherein surface and space charges collectively dictate the phenomenon in a complex manner. A novel type of striation has been investigated by us near the cathode region, which is dominated by ??-processes and is driven by the secondary-electron emission mechanism.close101

The cumulative duration of bispectral index less than 40 concurrent with hypotension is associated with 90-day postoperative mortality: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: The relationship between intraoperative low bispectral index (BIS) values and poor clinical outcomes has been controversial. Intraoperative hypotension is associated with postoperative complication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of intraoperative low BIS values and hypotension on postoperative mortality in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 1862 cases of general anesthesia. We collected the cumulative time of BIS values below 20 and 40 as well as electroencephalographic suppression and documented the incidences in which these states were maintained for at least 5 min. Durations of intraoperative mean arterial pressures (MAP) less than 50 mmHg were also recorded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between suspected risk factors and postoperative mortality. RESULTS: Ninety-day mortality and 180-day mortality were 1.5 and 3.2% respectively. The cumulative time in minutes for BIS values falling below 40 coupled with MAP falling below 50 mmHg was associated with 90-day mortality (odds ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.53; P = .019). We found no association between BIS related values and 180-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative duration of BIS values less than 40 concurrent with MAP less than 50 mmHg was associated with 90-day postoperative mortality, not 180-day postoperative mortality

Association between manganese superoxide dismutase promoter gene polymorphism and breast cancer survival

BACKGROUND: Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plays a critical role in the detoxification of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, constituting a major cellular defense mechanism against agents that induce oxidative stress. A genetic polymorphism in the mitochondrial targeting sequence of this gene has been associated with increased cancer risk and survival in breast cancer. This base pair transition (-9 T > C) leads to a valine to alanine amino acid change in the mitochondrial targeting sequence. A polymorphism has also been identified in the proximal region of the promoter (-102 C>T) that alters the recognition sequence of the AP-2 transcription factor, leading to a reduction in transcriptional activity. The aim of our study was to investigate possible associations of the -102 C>T polymorphism with overall and relapse-free breast cancer survival in a hospital-based case-only study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relationship between the MnSOD -102 C>T polymorphism and survival was examined in a cohort of 291 women who received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for incident breast cancer. The MnSOD -102 C>T genotype was determined using a TaqMan allele discrimination assay. Patient survival was evaluated according to the MnSOD genotype using Kaplan–Meier survival functions. Hazard ratios were calculated from adjusted Cox proportional hazards modeling. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: In an evaluation of all women, there was a borderline significant reduction in recurrence-free survival with either one or both variant alleles (CT + TT) when compared with patients with wild-type alleles (CC) (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–1.01). When the analysis was restricted to patients receiving radiation therapy, there was a significant reduction in relapse-free survival in women who were heterozygous for the MnSOD -102 genotype (relative risk, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.18–0.86). Similarly, when the homozygous and heterozygous variant genotypes were combined, there remained a significant reduction in relapse-free survival in this group (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.20–0.87). CONCLUSION: The MnSOD -102 variant allele appears to be associated with an improved recurrence-free survival in all patients, and more dramatically in subjects who received adjuvant radiation therapy

Therapeutic Effect of a Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 Inhibitor on Experimental Arthritis by Downregulating Inflammation and Th1 Response

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) synthesizes and transfers ADP ribose polymers to target proteins, and regulates DNA repair and genomic integrity maintenance. PARP-1 also plays a crucial role in the progression of the inflammatory response, and its inhibition confers protection in several models of inflammatory disorders. Here, we investigate the impact of a selective PARP-1 inhibitor in experimental arthritis. PARP-1 inhibition with 5-aminoisoquinolinone (AIQ) significantly reduces incidence and severity of established collagen-induced arthritis, completely abrogating joint swelling and destruction of cartilage and bone. The therapeutic effect of AIQ is associated with a striking reduction of the two deleterious components of the disease, i.e. the Th1-driven autoimmune and inflammatory responses. AIQ downregulates the production of various inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, decreases the antigen-specific Th1-cell expansion, and induces the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Our results provide evidence of the contribution of PARP-1 to the progression of arthritis and identify this protein as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Endothelial Progenitor Cell Number and Colony-forming Capacity in Overweight and Obese Adults

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether adiposity influences endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) number and colony-forming capacity.DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of normal weight, overweight and obese adult humans.PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-seven sedentary adults (aged 45-65 years): 25 normal weight (body mass index (BMI) or=30 kg/m(2); 18 males/6 females). All participants were non-smokers and free of overt cardiometabolic disease.MEASUREMENTS: Peripheral blood samples were collected and circulating EPC number was assessed by flow cytometry. Putative EPCs were defined as CD45(-)/CD34(+)/VEGFR-2(+)/CD133(+) or CD45(-)/CD34(+) cells. EPC colony-forming capacity was measured in vitro using a colony-forming unit (CFU) assay.RESULTS: Number of circulating putative EPCs (either CD45(-)/CD34(+)/VEGFR-2(+)/CD133(+) or CD45(-)/CD34(+) cells) was lower (P\u3c0.05) in obese (0.0007±0.0001%; 0.050±0.006%) compared with overweight (0.0016±0.0004%; 0.089±0.019%) and normal weight (0.0015±0.0003%; 0.082±0.008%) adults. There were no differences in EPC number between the overweight and normal weight groups. EPC colony-formation was significantly less in the obese (6±1) and overweight (4±1) compared with normal weight (9±2) adults.CONCLUSION: These results indicate that: (1) the number of circulating EPCs is lower in obese compared with overweight and normal weight adults; and (2) EPC colony-forming capacity is blunted in overweight and obese adults compared with normal weight adults. Impairments in EPC number and function may contribute to adiposity-related cardiovascular risk

Nationwide Survey on Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery in Korea: 2003-2013 Results

A survey to evaluate the current status of bariatric and metabolic operations in Korea was conducted. Data from 5467 cases (32 hospitals) were collected. The annual numbers of bariatric and metabolic operations increased each year, from 139 in 2003 to 1686 in 2013. Adjustable gastric band (AGB, 67.2 %) was the most common operation, followed by sleeve gastrectomy (SG, 14.2 %), and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB, 12.7 %). Mean patient age and body mass index (BMI) were 35.4 years and 35.9 kg/m2, respectively. In-hospital morbidity and mortality rates were 6 % (114/2305) and 0.25 % (5/2176), respectively. In Korea, AGB was the most common operation because of the availability and activity of specialized bariatric clinics. These national survey results established a baseline for future data collection

A Genome-Wide Linkage and Association Scan Reveals Novel Loci for Hypertension and Blood Pressure Traits

Hypertension is caused by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. The condition which is very common, with about 18% of the adult Hong Kong Chinese population and over 50% of older individuals affected, is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. To identify genes influencing hypertension and blood pressure, we conducted a combined linkage and association study using over 500,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 328 individuals comprising 111 hypertensive probands and their siblings. Using a family-based association test, we found an association with SNPs on chromosome 5q31.1 (rs6596140; P<9×10−8) for hypertension. One candidate gene, PDC, was replicated, with rs3817586 on 1q31.1 attaining P = 2.5×10−4 and 2.9×10−5 in the within-family tests for DBP and MAP, respectively. We also identified regions of significant linkage for systolic and diastolic blood pressure on chromosomes 2q22 and 5p13, respectively. Further family-based association analysis of the linkage peak on chromosome 5 yielded a significant association (rs1605685, P<7×10−5) for DBP. This is the first combined linkage and association study of hypertension and its related quantitative traits with Chinese ancestry. The associations reported here account for the action of common variants whereas the discovery of linkage regions may point to novel targets for rare variant screening

Impact of low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level on 2-year clinical outcomes after acute myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: It is still unclear whether low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) affects cardiovascular outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), especially in patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 984 AMI patients with diabetes mellitus from the DIabetic Acute Myocardial InfarctiON Disease (DIAMOND) Korean multicenter registry were divided into two groups based on HDL-C level on admission: normal HDL-C group (HDL-C >/= 40 mg/dL, n = 519) and low HDL-C group (HDL-C < 40 mg/dL, n = 465). The primary endpoint was 2-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and target vessel revascularization (TVR). RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 730 days. The 2-year MACE rates were significantly higher in the low HDL-C group than in the normal HDL-C group (MACE, 7.44% vs. 3.49%, p = 0.006: cardiac death, 3.72% vs. 0.97%, p = 0.004: non-fatal MI, 1.75% vs. 1.55%, p = 0.806: TVR, 3.50% vs. 0.97%, p = 0.007). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the low HDL-C group had a significantly higher incidence of MACE compared to the normal HDL-C group (log-rank p = 0.013). After adjusting for conventional risk factors, Cox proportional hazards analysis suggested that low HDL-C was an independent risk predictor for MACE (hazard ratio [HR] 3.075, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.034-9.144, p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with diabetes mellitus, low HDL-C remained an independent risk predictor for MACE after adjusting for multiple risk factors during 2-year follow-up of AMI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was the sub-analysis of the prospective multi-center registry of DIAMOND (Diabetic acute myocardial infarction Disease) in Korea. This is the observational study supported by Bayer HealthCare, Korea. Study number is 15614. First patient first visit was 02 April 2010 and last patient last visit was 09 December 2013

5-Year Outcome of Simple Crossover Stenting in Coronary Bifurcation Lesions Compared With Side Branch Opening

Background: The optimal side branch (SB) treatment strategy after simple crossover stenting in bifurcation lesions is still controversial. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term outcomes of a 1-stent strategy with simple crossover alone versus with an additional SB–opening procedure in patients with left main (LM) and non-LM coronary bifurcation lesions. Methods: Patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with a 1-stent strategy for bifurcation lesions including LM were selected from the COBIS (Coronary Bifurcation Stenting) III registry and divided into the simple crossover–alone group and SB-opening group. Clinical outcomes were assessed by the 5-year rate of target lesion failure (a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target lesion repeat revascularization). Results: Among 2,194 patients who underwent the 1-stent strategy, 1,685 (76.8%) patients were treated with simple crossover alone, and 509 (23.2%) patients were treated with an additional SB-opening procedure. Although the baseline SB angiographic disease was more severe in the SB-opening group, the final lumen diameter of the SB was larger. The 5-year observed target lesion failure rate was similar between the 2 groups (7.0% in the simple crossover vs. 6.7% in SB-opening group; hazard ratio: 0.99; 95% confidence interval: 0.66 to 1.48; p = 0.947), even in the subgroup analyses including LM (9.5% vs. 11.3%; p = 0.442) and true bifurcation (5.3% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.362). The results were not changed after an inverse probability of treatment weighting adjustment. There was no difference in the overall and SB-related target lesion revascularization rate in both groups. Conclusions: The long-term clinical outcome of the 1-stent strategy with simple crossover alone for coronary bifurcation lesions was acceptable compared to those of additional SB-opening procedures. (Korean Coronary Bifurcation Stenting [COBIS] Registry III [COBIS III]; NCT03068494