ABSTRACT
PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: Moderate or severe aortic regurgitation (AR) occurs in 0.5% of the population and typically peaks in the fourth to sixth decade of life. A significant proportion of patients have prohibitive surgical risk and are therefore treated medically with pharmacological management of heart failure and no definitive treatment of the underlying valvular pathology. RECENT FINDINGS: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been used in an off-label setting to treat AR to attempt to reduce mortality and improve quality of life with varying levels of success. New-generation TAVR devices currently used in AS have demonstrated safety and feasibility when used in patients with AR. Novel TAVR devices dedicated for use in AR are being developed and early studies demonstrate promising results. Ongoing studies with larger clinical trials and novel methods of device anchoring are required, which if positive, will in turn lead to commercial approval and reimbursement, eventually making TAVR ready for use in AR.
Subject(s)
Aortic Valve Insufficiency , Aortic Valve Stenosis , Heart Valve Prosthesis , Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement , Aortic Valve/surgery , Aortic Valve Insufficiency/surgery , Aortic Valve Stenosis/surgery , Fluoroscopy , Humans , Quality of Life , Risk Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a multifunctional cytokine that augments interferon-γ production, promotion of the Th1 immune response and acts as an important immunomediator in the development of some cancers. The current study aimed to analyze the association of the five most common polymorphisms in the IL-18 gene with prostate cancer in the Iranian population. We examined a possible association of IL-18 -137G>C, -607C>A, -656G>T, +105A>C and +127C>T polymorphisms with prostate cancer occurrence by PCR-RFLP assay. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the strength of the association between IL-18 polymorphisms and prostate cancer. Statistical analysis revealed that individuals carrying the mutant homozygote genotype of IL-18 -607C>A (OR=2.251, 95% CI=1.062-4.768, p=0.034) and -137G>C (OR=2.364, 95% CI=1.121-4.984, p=0.024) polymorphisms had an increased risk of prostate cancer. However, for IL-18 -656G>T, +105A>C and +127C>T polymorphisms, there were no differential distributions of their genotypes between patients with prostate cancer and healthy subjects. Our results indicated that the IL-18 -137G>C and -607C>A polymorphisms were significantly associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in the Iranian population. Thus, these polymorphisms might be used as a molecular biomarker in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Subject(s)
Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Interleukin-18/genetics , Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics , Genotype , Humans , Iran , Male , Polymorphism, Single NucleotideABSTRACT
The photo induced properties of self-cleaning materials can be attributed to the synergy of two fundamental photochemical phenomena, oxidation-reduction reaction of adsorbed substances and photo induced superhydrophilicity, which occur on the surface of photo catalysts. The photo-induced properties make these materials able to mimic the tunable wettability of the Nepenthes-Rafflesiana leaf and tune their wettability while decomposing the air pollution. In this study the effects of UV radiation and dark storage on reversibility of the surface wettability in cement-based composites containing tin oxide nanoparticles, were investigated. In addition the self-cleaning properties of these composites were determined by measuring the decomposition of Methylene blue (MB).
ABSTRACT
Using an random sample of first-time mothers the associations between their children's behaviour problems at three points in time are presented. A moderate to low correlation was obtained between the ages of 27 and 42 months. No correlation existed between 14 and 27 or 42 months. The relationships between behaviour problems and social and family factors at each age were also examined. These generally increased with the children's age and included maternal depression, lack of social contacts, poorer relationships and housing problems. It is tentatively suggested that the differing patterns of associations at the three ages might indicate a progression, with increasing age, towards a more difficult situation for the families.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Family , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Employment , Female , Housing , Humans , Infant , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Marriage , Mothers/psychology , Punishment , Social ClassABSTRACT
Using a random sample of first-time mothers from an inner London borough, the relationship was examined between maternal depression and child behaviour problems at various stages after the birth of the child. Child problems at 14 months were unrelated to present or past maternal depression. Child problems at 27 and 42 months were related in an interactive way with present and past depression. There was little indication of behaviour problems preceding maternal depression. An examination of possible confounding factors in these relationships was also attempted.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/genetics , Depressive Disorder/genetics , Mother-Child Relations , Adolescent , Adult , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child Development , Child, Preschool , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant , Psychological Tests , Social EnvironmentABSTRACT
The constancy of ratings of behaviour made at home and school between the ages of 7--11, 11--16 and 7--16 is examined. There were moderate correlations between ratings at the different ages (0.31--0.48) but the majority of children in the 'deviant' (top 13 per cent) group at one age had moved out of that group by a later follow-up (4, 5 or 9 years later). Certain characteristics (social class, sex, family size and birth order) of children with different patterns of ratings at the three ages are also examined.
