BACKGROUND Active fixation pacing leads with silicon cylinder tips have been used for their safety and flexibility. Measurement of baseline sensing/pacing characteristics before fixation of helix helps to identify the optimal pacing site, but we encountered difficulties in making these measurements despite multiple attempts with the model LPA 1200M lead. To identify the cause and overcome this ...

First, outcome variable of “duration of comatose state” included all patients irrespective of their survival status. Failure to censor this time-to-event ‘duration of coma’ variable by mortality in this study is a major methodological flaw in evaluating treatment efficacy. Indeed, more aptly definable endpoint would be the “duration of resolution of abnormal mental status (or length of time to ...

Setting: Mulanje District, Malawi. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of door-to-door (DtD) testing in reaching young people and men in a remote, rural area with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Design: This was a retrospective analysis of data collected for a pilot DtD program. HIV testing services (HTS) visited targeted villages for 1-2 weeks. All curren...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of 2% chlorhexidine gel associated with 8% papain gel in comparison with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite in bovine pulp tissue dissolution. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety bovine pulps of standardized sizes were used and fragmented into 5-mm sizes. The fragments were removed from the root middle third region. They were divided into 6 experimental gr...

An extensive interlaboratory comparison was conducted on high temperature superconductor (HTS) critical-current measurements. This study was part of an international cooperative effort through the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS). The study involved six U.S. laboratories that are recognized leaders in the field of HTS. This paper includes the complete results from ...

The objective of this study was to compare corrosion behavior in several titanium alloys with immersion in acidulated saline solutions containing hydrogen peroxide. Seven types of titanium alloy were immersed in saline solutions with varying levels of pH and hydrogen peroxide content, and resulting differences in color and release of metallic elements determined in each alloy. Some alloys were ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the source of 'bubbles' in infusion sets which were caused by the 'line type' blood-liquid warmers used in operation rooms to prevent hypothermia. METHODS The experimental study was conducted from August to September 2012 at the Thoracic Surgery Department of Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey, by warming liquids in the operation room experimentally in a setting si...

Note: Prof. Dr Warren Carter is a member of the editorial board of HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies; this article is dedicated to Prof. Dr Andries G. van Aarde with appreciation for his generous spirit, energetic leadership and insightful and creative scholarship. Prof. Dr Warren Carter is also participating as research associate of Prof. Dr Andries G. van Aarde, Honorary Professor in...

BACKGROUND Electromagnetic stimulation of the nervous system has the advantage of reduced discomfort in activating nerves. For brain structures stimulation, it has become a clinically accepted modality. Coil designs usually consider factors such as optimization of induced power, focussing, field shape etc. In this study we are attempting to find the effect of the coil contour shape on the elect...