OBJECTIVES Valve hemodynamics and clinical outcomes among patients with a small aortic annulus who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) were examined. BACKGROUND The presence of a small aortic annulus may complicate the surgical management of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). TAVI is an alternative to aortic valve replacement (AVR) in high-risk patients, but few d...

Intervertebral disc degeneration is a common condition that may lead to low back pain and radiculopathy. Understanding the pathophysiology and cellular and molecular events of degenerative disc disease has resulted in the proposal of a gene therapy approach to halt and reverse disc degeneration. We explored the feasibility of reversing intervertebral disc degeneration using human vascular endot...

BACKGROUND This study sought to compare cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) with dual source computed tomography (DSCT) for analysis of aortic root dimensions prior to transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In addition, the potential impact of CMR and DSCT measurements on TAVI strategy defined by 2D-transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was evaluated. METHODS Aortic root dimens...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate long term results and independent predictors of outcome of aortic valvoplasty. DESIGN Retrospective follow up study. Independent predictors of outcome identified by multiple logistic regression. SETTING Tertiary referral centre. PATIENTS 269 consecutive patients treated at the median age of 8 months (0-23 years): 80 (30%) under 4 weeks, 59 (22%) between 4 weeks and 1...

When a drop is placed on a flat substrate tilted at an inclined angle, it can be deformed by gravity and its initial contact angle divides into front and rear contact angles by inclination. Here we study on evaporation dynamics of a pure water droplet on a flat solid substrate by controlling substrate inclination and measuring mass and volume changes of an evaporating droplet with time. We find...

conclusions since international accreditation standards have clearly stated all processes and organizations are required to implement them, obtaining the relevant licenses can ensure health tourist that they have selected the right country and the right hospital to access their desired medical services. results implementation of international accreditation standards has a significant effect on ...

Caseous calcification of the mitral annulus is a rare form of periannular calcification with a mass-like appearance, that has to be in the differential of the cardiologist and radiologist. It classically looks like a round or semilunar hyperdense mass with an even denser peripheral rim, located in the posterior mitral annulus and having in general no clinical significance.

The planar lipid bilayer membrane is assumed to be in osmotic equilibrium with the surrounding Plateau-Gibbs border (annulus) and entrapped microlenses. An electric field applied across the membrane raises the chemical potential of the alkane in the bilayer, causing it to shift from the bilayer to the annulus and microlenses. This shift results in a decrease in thickness.

We study conformally invariant boundary conditions that break part of the bulk symmetries. A general theory is developped for those boundary conditions for which the preserved subalgebra is the fixed algebra under an abelian orbifold group. We explicitly construct the boundary states and reflection coefficients as well as the annulus amplitudes. Integrality of the annulus coefficients is proven...