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Objectives This study evaluated the role of pre-procedural clinical variables to predict procedural and clinical outcomes of catheter ablation in patients with long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Background Catheter ablation of persistent AF remains a challenging task. Methods Catheter ablation was performed in 90 patients (76 men, age 57 +/- 11 years) with long-lasting persistent AF
Degeneration of the locus ceruleus (LC) and decreased cortical levels of norepinephrine are common findings in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their significance is unknown. Because the noradrenergic system is accessible to pharmacological intervention, the role of LC degeneration and noradrenergic dysfunction in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of AD needs clarification. Hypothetically,
Objectives This study examined the degree to which long workhours in combination with an extended workweek (12 hours/7 days) with permanent day shifts (0700-1900), as requested by the workers, influenced biomarkers for stress, metabolic processes, and diurnal rhythm. Methods Construction workers (N=50) working 84 hours a week, with alternate weeks off, were compared with construction workers (N=25
Pathogenic bacteria have developed complex and diverse virulence mechanisms that weaken or disable the host immune defense system. IdeS (IgG-degrading enzyme of Streptococcus pyogenes) is a secreted cysteine endopeptidase from the human pathogen S. pyogenes with an extraordinarily high degree of substrate specificity, catalyzing a single proteolytic cleavage at the lower hinge of human IgG. This p
The Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) double mutant N45D/N64D was identified during a previous directed evolution study. This mutant enzyme had a decreased activity towards the natural substrates and decreased feedback inhibition with dTTP, whereas the activity with 3'-modified nucleoside analogs like 3'-azidothymidine (AZT) was nearly unchanged. Here, we identify the mut
Bilayer-forming lipids were shown to be ineffective in sustaining the enzymatic activity of violaxanthin de-epoxidase. On the other hand, non-bilayer-forming lipids, regard-less of their different chemical character, ensured high activity of violaxanthin de-epoxidase, resulting in conversion of violaxanthin to zeaxanthin. Our data indicates that the presence of lipids forming reversed hexagonal st
Background: Increased fucosylation of serum,glycoproteins has previously been reported in patients with liver disease. We analyzed alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP) fucosylation in serum samples from patients investigated for suspected liver disease to evaluate its value as a biochemical marker for liver cirrhosis. Methods: We used a novel lectin immunoassay adapted to the AutoDELFIA system to anal
New therapies, based on gene transfer and protein delivery, require a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of macromolecular membrane transport. We have studied cellular uptake of macromolecular polyanions, i.e. DNA and glycosaminoglycans, and a polybasic HIV-Tat derived peptide (GRKKRRQRRRPPQC), using fluorescence assisted cell sorting and confocal fluorescence microscopy. The Tat peptide
The influence of transverse relaxation on the resonance soliton (2 pi hyperbolic-secant pulse) in solids is considered. It is shown that memory effects can be considered in terms of generalized non-Markovian optical Bloch equations. The equations of self-induced transparency with a memory function are presented. Explicit forms for the first-order effects of this relaxation on the frequency shift a
We report the first measurements of z -dependent coherent optical transition radiation (COTR) due to electron-beam microbunching at high gains (>10(4) ) including saturation of a self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser (FEL). In these experiments the fundamental wavelength was near 530 nm, and the COTR spectra exhibit the transition from simple spectra to complex spectra (5% spectr
ObjectiveTo investigate if caesarean section (CS) increases the risk for childhood asthma and gastroenteritis with reference made to children born with vaginal delivery (VD). MethodsRetrospective study of data from linked Swedish medical service registers - Medical Birth Registry (MBR) and Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR). Data were obtained from women without any background/perinatal morbidity
This chapter presents a case study from a global company developing a new generation of programmable controllers to replace several existing products. The system needs to incorporate support for a large number of I/O systems, network types, and communication protocols. To leverage its global development resources and the competency of different development centers, the company decided to adopt a c
Development of artificial neural network (ANN) models using real plant data for the prediction of fresh steam properties from a brown coal-fired boiler of a Slovenian power plant is reported. Input parameters for this prediction were selected from a large number of available parameters. Initial selection was made on a basis of expert knowledge and previous experience. However, the final set of inp
Recent advances in the synthesis of biomimetic asym. dinuclear transition metal complexes are reviewed. Emphasis is put on description of asym. model complexes for the active sites of the enzymes purple acid phosphatase, zinc phosphotriesterase, urease, Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase, tyrosinase, and catechol oxidase.
High-repetition-rate laser-induced fluorescence measurements of fuel and OH concentrations in internal combustion engines are demonstrated. Series of as many as eight fluorescence images, with a temporal resolution ranging from 10 mus to 1 ms, are acquired within one engine cycle. A multiple-laser system in combination with a multiple-CCD camera is used for cycle-resolved imaging in spark-ignition
Data commentary, the verbal comment on visual material, is a complex area in science writing; yet, few studies in academic writing focus on it, and teaching material is often too generic to be of use for students. This chapter presents an approach to addressing the teaching and learning of data commentary in ESP writing courses within the science disciplines involving direct application of a small
