Short time effects of two radiofrequency ablation methods on hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation has been applied for the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). The two known procedures are percutaneous intramyocardial septal radiofrequency ablation (PIMSRA) and endocardial radiofrequency septal ablation (ERSA). METHODS: This study presents a retrospective analysis of the PIMSRA and ERSA procedures in patients with drug-refractory HOCM. A total of 28 patients participated in the study, with 12 receiving PIMSRA and 16 receiving ERSA. The objective of our study was to compare the short-term effects of these two radiofrequency ablation procedures. RESULTS: At the 30-day follow-up, the PIMSRA group demonstrated a greater reduction in left ventricular outflow tract peak gradient at rest compared to the ERSA group (22.25 [16.72] mmHg versus 47.75 [21.94] mmHg) (p < .01). The values for the PIMSRA group decreased from 99.33 (32.00) mmHg to 22.25 (16.72) mmHg (p < .01), while the ERSA group decreased from 97.75 (30.24) mmHg to 47.75 (21.94) mmHg (p < .01). Only the PIMSRA group exhibited a decrease in mitral regurgitation (MR). The area of MR decreased from 10.13 (4.12) mm2 to 3.65 (2.80) mm2 in the PIMSRA group (p < .01). Additionally, the PIMSRA group experienced reductions in left atrial diameter (LAD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)%. The values for LAD changed from 43.58 (7.53) mm to 37.08 (6.92) mm (p = .03), and the values for LVEF% decreased from 65.75 (6.12) pg/mL to 60.83 (4.06) pg/mL (p = .03). CONCLUSION: In terms of the two types of radiofrequency ablation methods used in HOCM, it has been observed that PIMSRA demonstrates a more favorable early treatment effect compared to ERSA.

Validity and Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the 5-Item WHO Well-Being Index.

Aims: This article evaluates the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the 5-item WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) in mainland China. Methods: Two cross-sectional studies with 1,414 participants from a university in China were conducted. The Chinese version of the WHO-5 was assessed to determine its internal consistency, concurrent validity, factorial validity, and construct validity. Results: The results indicate that the WHO-5 is unidimensional and has good internal consistency, with Cronbach's a = 0.85 and 0.81 in Study 1 (n = 903) and Study 2 (n = 511), respectively. The findings also demonstrate that the WHO-5 has good concurrent validity with other well-established measures of wellbeing, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and mental wellbeing. The results of confirmatory factor analysis also suggest that the scale has a good model fit. Conclusions: This study provides empirical data demonstrating that the Chinese version of the WHO-5 has good psychometric properties. The scale can be a useful measure in epistemological studies and clinical research related to wellbeing in Chinese populations.

Quantum transport of short-gate MOSFETs based on monolayer MoSi2N4.

The high carrier mobility, appropriate band gap and good environmental stability of two-dimensional (2D) MoSi2N4 enable it to be an appropriate channel material for transistors with excellent performance. Therefore, we predict the performance of double-gate (DG) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) based on monolayer (ML) MoSi2N4 by ab initio quantum-transport calculations. The results show that the on-state current of the p-type device is remarkable when the gate length is greater than 4 nm, which can meet the high performance requirements of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), 2013 version. Moreover, the gate length can be reduced to 3 nm when an underlap (UL) structure is employed in the MOSFET, and the sub-threshold swing, intrinsic delay time and power consumption also perform well. The calculation results reveal that ML MoSi2N4 will be a promising alternative for transistor channel materials in the post-silicon era.

Evaluation of the automated ADVIA centaur® XP syphilis assay for serological testing.

We evaluated the performance of the ADVIA Centaur XP Syphilis assay (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Tarrytown, NY, USA) using samples previously tested on the ARCHITECT i4000SR system (Abbott Diagnostics, Lake Forest, IL, USA) and confirmed by the Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA) (SERODIA-TPPA, Fujirebio Diagnostics Inc., Malvern, PA, USA). Clinical patient information was included to aid resolution of discordant samples where available. Precision, interference, and cross-reactivity were also assessed. Relative to patient clinical status, the sensitivity of both the ADVIA Centaur XP and the ARCHITECT assays was 100% (95% CI, 93.9-100), and the specificity of the ADVIA Centaur XP assay was 95.5% (95% CI, 90.4-98.3), which was slightly higher than that of the ARCHITECT assay at 93.9% (95% CI, 88.4-97.3). Overall agreement relative to patient clinical status was 96.9% (95% CI, 93.3-98.8) for the ADVIA Centaur XP assay and 95.8% (95% CI, 91.9-98.2) for the ARCHITECT assay. Overall agreement between the two automated assays was 96.9% (95% CI, 93.3-98.8). ADVIA Centaur XP assay precision was <5% at all index values tested. No significant interference was observed for lipemia or hemolysis; a small effect was seen with some samples for bilirubin. The assay exhibited no significant cross-reactivity with a number of potential interfering factors. The ADVIA Centaur XP Syphilis assay can be considered a sensitive and accurate assay for identification of treponemal antibodies in screening populations as well as patients presenting with suspicion of syphilitic infection.

Advantages and disadvantages of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in carcinoma of unknown primary.

Carcinoma of unknown primary is a type of malignant disease where the primary carcinoma cannot be identified by conventional examination, which presents challenges in diagnosis and therapy. This study aims to evaluate the detailed clinical value and indications of using fluorine-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) in a large sample. A total of 449 patients who were selected under strict standards were retrospectively included in this study. F-18 FDG PET/CT accurately detected the primary carcinoma in 115 of 449 patients whose primaries could not be detected by conventional examination (25.6%), with additional 27 false-positive patients. The most common primary site was the lung (34.8%). In addition, except for in metastatic melanoma (1/19, 5.3%) and axillary metastasis patients (2/49, 4.1%), F-18 FDG PET/CT had a comparative performance in detecting primary carcinoma in other pathological types and anatomical locations. The scan is able to guide treatment strategy modifications to some extent (130/449, 29.0%). We strongly recommend the use of F-18 FDG PET/CT in the early phase of examination. It is also recommended as a supplementary radiological method, and certain patients may benefit from its application in cases where regular examination is inconclusive. However, in metastatic melanoma or axillary metastasis patients where the primary site cannot be identified by routine examination, regular application of F-18 FDG PET/CT for the sole purpose of detecting the primary carcinoma should not be encouraged.

Inhibition of influenza virus infection with chitosan-sialyloligosaccharides ionic complex.

With the recent emergence of drug-resistant influenza viruses, effective means of preventing and treating these contagious pathogens have become imperative. The binding receptors of influenza virus are sialyloligosaccharides (SOS), which are present on the surfaces of host cells, and are therefore attractive targets for antiviral development. We report the preparation and identification of a novel influenza virus entry inhibitor, designated chitosan-SOS complex (CS complex). The CS complex was formed through noncovalent adsorption between cationic chitosan and anionic SOS, the latter derived from bovine colostrum. The preparation was accomplished in gram quantities from chitosan and bovine colostrum oligosaccharides by a one-step dialysis process. The inhibitory activity of the complex against influenza virus infection was determined by cytotoxicity inhibition assay (IC50=42 µM). This simple preparation, combined with efficient anti-infective activity and the rich natural availability of chitosan and SOS, highlights the potential of the CS complex as a safe, practical agent for influenza prevention and control.

[Analytical method and comparison for static and dynamic headspace gas chromatography of anisole in water].

OBJECTIVE: To establish and compare the method of static headspace gas chromatography hydrogen flame detector (static headspace method) and purge and trap gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (dynamic headspace method) of anisole in water. METHODS: Nitrogen gas was used as carrier gas in the static headspace method, 5 g NaCl as matrix modifier was added into 10 ml water. The sample was balanced with high speed vibration at 75°C for 30 min, and anisole was detected by gas chromatography and quantified with external standard. Helium was used as carrier gas in dynamic headspace method, 5.0 ml water and 0.004 mg/L internal standard fluorobenzene was purged into the purge and trap apparatus. After purging, trapping and desorption, anisole was detected by the gas chromatography-mass spectrograph, confirmed by the retention time and comparison of mass-spectrogram in spectrum library and quantified with internal standard. The repeatability and sensitivity of assay were evaluated. RESULTS: A good linear range for anisole was observed in static headspace gas chromatography and dynamic headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, within the range of 10 - 500 µg/L and 0.5 - 60.0 µg/L respectively. The linear regression equation was Y = 782.150X + 1.3446 and Y = 0.0358X - 0.0209 respectively, both the correlation coefficient ≥ 0.999. The detection limit (LOD) were 0.002 µg/L and 0.110 µg/L, the lower limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.006 µg/L and 0.350 µg/L, the relative standard deviation (RSD) were 1.8% - 2.3% and 2.0% - 3.4%, and the spiking recovery were 93% - 101% and 96% - 101% respectively. CONCLUSION: The methods of static headspace gas chromatography and dynamic headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry are simple and can measure anisole in water quickly, sensitively and accurately.