Chemical vapor deposition of twisted bilayer and few-layer MoSe2 over SiO(x) substrates.

The chemical vapor deposition of monolayer and few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides is a rapidly developing area of materials science due to the exciting electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties of transition metal dichalcogenides in their layered form. These properties make these innovative materials potentially relevant to wide-ranging commercial applications. One of these promising materials is MoSe2; however, just recently, a few research groups have been able to demonstrate its synthesis via chemical vapor deposition. Moreover, only oriented few-layer MoSe2 has been exhibited by synthetically formed material using chemical vapor deposition thus far. Here, we confirm twisted-layer MoSe2 can also form during chemical vapor deposition. Twisted-layer transition metal dichalcogenides alter their properties as compared to their oriented counterparts. Therefore, twisted-layer structures are of interest because they can tune their properties.

[Flexor digitorum superficialis tendon transfer for intrinsic paralysis in leprosy]. / Transfert tendineux palliatif utilisant le Flexor Superficialis Digitorum dans les paralysies intrinsèques d'origine lépreuse.

A follow up study was performed in the rehabilitation centre for patients with leprosy in Hôchiminhville - Vietnam. All patients had claw-hand deformity due to ulnar and median nerve intrinsic paralysis. Thirty-two affected hands (128 long fingers) were included in the study. A Bunnel-Littler tendon transfer procedure was performed using a four-tailed graft of the flexor digitorum superficialis of the third finger. Clinical evaluation included anatomical measurements of interphalangeal and metacarpal joints in complete extension and in the intrinsic position. In the open hand assessment, 48.5% reported good results, 14.8% medium results and 36.7% poor results. With the hand in the intrinsic position, 53.9% achieved good results, while 33.6% achieved medium results and poor in 12.5%. Poor functional outcome is related to a failure of this procedure and seems to be due to extensor tendon laxity, with or without stiffness of the interphalangeal joints. There were many anatomical deformities (27.3%) found at the time of follow up, notably boutonniere (51.4%) and mallet finger deformities (31.4%) The fourth and fifth fingers had the worst results. We have therefore decided to change our protocol for claw-hand correction and use the Bouvier test in deciding on our surgical indications. Preoperative physiotherapy is absolutely necessary to reduce stiffness of the interphalangeal joints.

Transfert tendineux palliatif utilisant le Flexor Superficialis Digitorium dans les paralysies intrinseques dorigine lepreuse / Flexor digitorum superficialis tendon transfer for intrinsic paralysis in leprosy

A follow up study was performed in the rehabilitation centre for patients with leprosy in Hôchiminhville - Vietnam. All patients had claw-hand deformity due to ulnar and median nerve intrinsic paralysis. Thirty-two affected hands (128 long fingers) were included in the study. A Bunnel-Littler tendon transfer procedure was performed using a four-tailed graft of the flexor digitorum superficialis of the third finger. Clinical evaluation included anatomical measurements of interphalangeal and metacarpal joints in complete extension and in the intrinsic position. In the open hand assessment, 48.5% reported good results, 14.8% medium results and 36.7% poor results. With the hand in the intrinsic position, 53.9% achieved good results, while 33.6% achieved medium results and poor in 12.5%. Poor functional outcome is related to a failure of this procedure and seems to be due to extensor tendon laxity, with or without stiffness of the interphalangeal joints. There were many anatomical deformities (27.3%) found at the time of follow up, notably boutonniere (51.4%) and mallet finger deformities (31.4%) The fourth and fifth fingers had the worst results. We have therefore decided to change our protocol for claw-hand correction and use the Bouvier test in deciding on our surgical indications. Preoperative physiotherapy is absolutely necessary to reduce stiffness of the interphalangeal joints.

Negative right ventricular diastolic pressure after operation for pulmonary valve stenosis: the phenomenon and its relation to volume load and conal contraction.

The phenomenon of negative right ventricular diastolic pressure immediately after operation for relief of isolated pulmonary valve stenosis was investigated in 11 patients. Pressures in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery were measured with a catheter tip micromanometer. One patient had a negative right ventricular diastolic pressure before operation. At the end of operation right ventricular diastolic pressure was negative in all 11 patients. The greater the right ventricular hypertrophy, the lower were these diastolic pressures. Negative right ventricular diastolic pressure is thus common in patients after pulmonary valvotomy, but fluid administration may eliminate it. Negative right ventricular diastolic pressure may be the result of hypercontraction and reduced volume of the hypertrophied right ventricle after relief of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

The effect of low-dose intravenous nitroglycerin on pulmonary hypertension immediately after replacement of a stenotic mitral valve.

The postoperative effect of infusion of nitroglycerin on pulmonary vasomotor dynamics was studied in 28 patients undergoing valve replacement for mitral valve stenosis. A 30% reduction in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (38.74 +/- 8.3 to 26.92 +/- 7.72 mm Hg, p less than .001) and a 48.4% reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance index (12.08 +/- 4.19 to 5.61 +/- 1.61 U/m2, p less than .001) were observed after nitroglycerin. While pulmonary driving pressure (mean pulmonary arterial pressure minus left atrial pressure) dropped by 50.8%, cardiac and stroke volume indexes increased by 25.5% and 24.2%, respectively. The ratio pulmonary/systemic vascular resistance decreased from 34.14% to 20.9% (p less than .001). There were no significant changes in mean systemic arterial pressure (86.89 +/- 13.5 to 83.5 +/- 9.3 mm Hg, p = NS) or heart rate (97.43 +/- 20.45 to 99.36 +/- 20.9 beats/min, p = NS); left and right atrial pressures decreased by 19.5% and 9.5%, respectively. Systemic vascular resistance index decreased by 18.8%. We conclude that low-dose infusion of nitroglycerin reduces the pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with pulmonary hypertension, and consequently results in improvement in immediate postoperative hemodynamics after replacement of a stenotic mitral valve.