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Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a method for repairing an eroded Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) tube using two short scleral tunnels made in tandem with a 22G needle instead of covering the eroded tube with another scleral graft., Methods: From May 12, 2015, to July 27, 2019, we retrospectively reviewed eight patients at Ningbo Aier Eye Hospital who developed AGV tube erosion secondary to necrosis of their overlying conjunctiva and scleral grafts. This defect was repaired in all the patients using the double short tandem scleral tunnel technique, which involved the creation of double short tandem scleral tunnels made by a 22G needle. Two parallel-to-limbus scleral incisions were made 3 mm and 6 mm from the limbus first, then a curved 22G needle was inserted between the two scleral cuts to make one scleral tunnel, the other scleral tunnel was completed during the first surgery, inserted the tube into the two tunnels. The mean length of time between the AGV placement and the first erosion was 12.25 ± 6.36 months (3-24 months). The mean age of the patients was 65.50 ± 11.70 years (49-78 years)., Results: The surgical outcome was assessed in terms of the tectonic integrity of the conjunctiva over the follow-up period (12 months). There was no AGV tube erosion, scleral thinning, or ocular infection after a mean of 41.25 ± 26.54 months of follow-up in all eight patients., Conclusion: AGV tube erosion following shunt surgery can be successfully managed using the improved double short tandem scleral tunnel technique., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Understanding the effect of O 2 on the accumulation characteristics of NO 2 - -N and S 0 in the sulfur autotrophic denitrification (DSSADN) system is crucial for enhancing the denitrification efficiency of partial nitrification-anammox using DSSADN. The results revealed that in an environment without O 2 entry, the NO 2 - -N accumulation efficiency (NiAE) and S 0 accumulation efficiency (S 0 AE) of the DSSADN system reached 89.40 % and 93.41 %, respectively. Once system entered O 2 , ORP value kept increasing. When ORP increased to -59.9 mV (DO = 0.1 mg/L), soxB and nirK gene expression rose and as well NiAE and S 0 AE continuously decreased to 48.13 % and 29.35 %. When ORP was above 30.9 mV (DO >0.2 mg/L) but below 81.0 mV (DO<0.4 mg/L), narG gene expression reduced and the relatively high sqr gene expression allowed NiAE and S 0 AE remained at 45.08 % and 33.31 %. O 2 promoted the synergistic effect of Thiobacillus and Azoarcus without the proliferation of nitrite oxidizing bacteria., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Double short-cut sulfur autotrophic denitrification (DSSADN) coupled with Anammox is of great significance in the low-carbon treatment of nitrogen-containing wastewater. In order to achieve high salinity autotrophic nitrogen removal, the effects of different salinities on the accumulation characteristics of NO 2 - -N and S 0 and microorganisms in DSSADN process were studied. The results showed that the effect of salinity on the DSSADN process could be categorized into the stimulation, stable, and inhibition. When the salinity gradually increased to 2.5 %, the highest NO 2 - -N production rate (NiPR) and S 0 production rate (S 0 PR) of DSSADN were 0.54 kg/(m 3 ·d) and 1.1 kg/(m 3 ·d) respectively. NiPR and S 0 PR gradually decreased as the salinity increased to more than 3 %. However, salinity had a relatively low impact on nitrite accumulation efficiency and S 0 accumulation efficiency, which were 80 % and 81.5 %, respectively, when the salinity reached 5 %. Salinity has a great influence on the structure and abundance of microbial communities in the system., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microwave ablation (MWA) by using coaxial antennas is a promising alternative for breast cancer treatment. A double short distance slot coaxial antenna as a newly optimized applicator for minimally invasive treatment of breast cancer is proposed. To validate and to analyze the feasibility of using this method in clinical treatment, a computational model, phantom, and breast swine in vivo experimentation were carried out, by using four microwave powers (50 W, 30 W, 20 W, and 10 W). The finite element method (FEM) was used to develop the computational model. Phantom experimentation was carried out in breast phantom. The in vivo experimentation was carried out in a 90 kg swine sow. Tissue damage was estimated by comparing control and treated micrographs of the porcine mammary gland samples. The coaxial slot antenna was inserted in swine breast glands by using image-guided ultrasound. In all cases, modeling, in vivo and phantom experimentation, and ablation temperatures (above 60°C) were reached. The in vivo experiments suggest that this new MWA applicator could be successfully used to eliminate precise and small areas of tissue (around 20-30 mm 2 ). By modulating the power and time applied, it may be possible to increase/decrease the ablation area.

Introduction: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an effective therapy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), but it has limitations. The two most significant recent advances have centred on the integration of real-time quantitative assessment of catheter contact force into focal radio frequency (RF) ablation catheters and the development of dedicated ablation tools capable of achieving PVI with a single ablation lesion (Arctic Front cryoballoon, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA). Although each of these holds promise for improving the clinical success of catheter ablation of AF, there has not been a rigorous comparison of these advanced ablation technologies. Moreover, the optimal duration of cryoablation (freezing time) has not been determined., Methods and Analysis: Patients undergoing an initial PVI procedure for paroxysmal AF will be recruited. Patients will be randomised 1:1:1 between contact-force irrigated RF ablation, short duration cryoballoon ablation (2 min applications) and standard duration cryoballoon ablation (4 min applications). The primary outcome is time to first documented AF recurrence on implantable loop recorder. With a sample size of 111 per group and a two-sided 0.025 significance level (to account for the two main comparisons), the study will have 80% power (using a log-rank test) to detect a difference of 20% between contact force RF catheter ablation and either of the two cryoballoon ablation groups. Factoring in a 4% loss to follow-up, 116 patients per group should be randomised and followed for a year (total study population of 348)., Ethics and Dissemination: The study was approved by the University of British Columbia Office of Research (Services) Ethics Clinical Research Ethics Board. Results of the study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal., Trial Registration Number: NCT01913522; Pre-results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JGA reports grants and personal fees from Medtronic, grants from Baylis and personal fees from Biosense. AV reports grants and personal fees from Medtronic and Biosense. MWD reports grants from Biosense-Webster. AT has nothing to disclose. PL-S reports personal fees from Medtronic, personal fees from Johnson & Johnson and Biosense Webster. J-FR reports personal fees from Biosense Webster, Bayer, Servier, BMS-Pfizer and Boehringer. MD reports grants and personal fees from Medtronic. JS reports grants from Biosense Webster, personal fees from Biosense Webster, grants from St Jude Medical, personal fees from St Jude Medical and personal fees from Medtronic. LM reports personal fees from Medtronic and grants and personal fees from Biosense-Webster., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

The partial substitution of the ureter using a pediculated double short segments of the ileum is a technique used to re-establish ureteral transit and preserve the renal unit, following the resection of extensive ureteral lesions. Standard surgical procedure for an ileoureteroplasty consists of isolating an ileal duct of equal or greater length than the ureteral defect and interposing it in the urinary tract in an isoperistaltic direction. Monti described a surgical technique that allows for the creation of catheterizable stomas in continent urinary diversions, using the Mitrofanoff principle. These passageways were created from one or several 2.5 cm long ileal sections by means of their detubulization and transverse retubulization.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) allows the recovery of the evoked hemodynamic response to brain activation. In adult human populations, the NIRS signal is strongly contaminated by systemic interference occurring in the superficial layers of the head. An approach to overcome this difficulty is to use additional NIRS measurements with short optode separations to measure the systemic hemodynamic fluctuations occurring in the superficial layers. These measurements can then be used as regressors in the post-experiment analysis to remove the systemic contamination and isolate the brain signal. In our previous work, we showed that the systemic interference measured in NIRS is heterogeneous across the surface of the scalp. As a consequence, the short separation measurement used in the regression procedure must be located close to the standard NIRS channel from which the evoked hemodynamic response of the brain is to be recovered. Here, we demonstrate that using two short separation measurements, one at the source optode and one at the detector optode, further increases the performance of the short separation regression method compared to using a single short separation measurement. While a single short separation channel produces an average reduction in noise of 33% for HbO, using a short separation channel at both source and detector reduces noise by 59% compared to the standard method using a general linear model (GLM) without short separation. For HbR, noise reduction of 3% is achieved using a single short separation and this number goes to 47% when two short separations are used. Our work emphasizes the importance of integrating short separation measurements both at the source and at the detector optode of the standard channels from which the hemodynamic response is to be recovered. While the implementation of short separation sources presents some difficulties experimentally, the improvement in noise reduction is significant enough to justify the practical challenges., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study was designed to determine the ideal manner (schedule and duration) of intravesical chemotherapy using pirarubicin (THP). At first, T-24 cancer cells were treated with 50, 100, 150, and 200 μg/ml THP for 10, 30 and 60 min. Following the first exposure, at various intervals (3, 6, 12, and 24 h), a second exposure to THP was performed under the same condition in vitro. The cell viability was measured by XTT assay. Further, the cells were scanned with a laser scanning cytometer (LSC) and DNA histograms were analyzed to evaluate the cell-cycle components. A single exposure of T-24 cells to THP resulted in significantly higher inhibition of cell growth for 30 min with 100 μg/ml and higher concentrations of THP; for example, the cell viability was reduced to 15, 2, and 0% by incubating cells with 100, 150, and 200 μg/ml of THP, respectively, whereas it was 49% with 50 μg/ml THP. Double exposure of T-24 cells to THP resulted in significantly higher inhibition of cell growth than single treatment at all intervals. LSC assay demonstrated a higher sub-G(1) peak after double treatment with THP when compared with that after a single treatment. Similar cytotoxic effects following double treatment with THP were observed on other bladder cancer cell lines (UMUC3, TCCSUP, 5637, and 253J cells) in vitro. In conclusion, the double short-term exposure to bladder cancer cells by THP has more remarkable cytotoxic effects than the single exposure in vitro.

To improve the nuclease resistance of siRNA while reducing its induction of an innate immune response and maintaining its biological activity for possible therapeutic application, we designed and synthesized a series of double short hairpin RNAs (dshRNAs). Each dshRNA consisted of two identical short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) linked at their 3' ends by glycerol. The dshRNAs were synthesized on a glycerol-derivatized solid support from amidites with 2-cyanoethoxymethyl (CEM) as the 2'-hydroxyl protecting group. Synthesis was carried out in a single run on a DNA/RNA synthesizer, without the need for enzymatic ligation. The dshRNAs showed structure-dependent gene-silencing activity at the protein level, and dshRNAs in which the 3' end of the two sense regions were linked showed especially high activity. Inclusion of 2'-O-methyluridine residues in the loop region was associated with 1.6- to 2.4-fold lower induction of interferon-α than was siRNA, without loss of gene-silencing activity. dshRNA also showed higher exonuclease resistance than siRNA or canonical shRNA. Our studies provide a new approach to gene silencing based on the concept of linking the 3' end of the sense regions of two shRNA molecules to form a double shRNA., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acidic surfactants, single- and bi-2-methylheptanol polyethenoxy ether phosphate esters, H2PO3(OCH2CH2)nOCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH(CH3)2 (u-MHPEPE) and HPO3[(OCH2CH2)nOCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH(CH3)2]2 (d-MHPEPE), where n approximately 4, were synthesized. Phase behavior of u- and d-MHPEPE (u- and d-MHPEPE mixtures were abbreviated as MHPEPE) mixtures in aqueous solutions and vesicle formation were determined. Surface tension measurements showed that u-MHPEPE and MHPEPE have low surface tensions at critical micelle concentrations. gamma(cmc)=29.0 mNm(-1) and cmc=16.0 mmolL(-1) for u-MHPEPE, MHPEPE has two transition points suggesting the mixtures of u- and d-MHPEPE with gamma(cmc1)=30.5 mNm(-1) and cmc1=4.0 mmolL(-1), and gamma(cmc2)=27.3 mNm(-1) and cmc2=42.0 mmolL(-1). These values, specific gamma(cmc), are much lower than those of traditionally cationic or anionic surfactants such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, gamma(cmc)=37.1 mNm(-1) at cmc=0.92 mmolL(-1)) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, gamma(cmc)=39.0 mNm(-1) at cmc=8.1 mmolL(-1)). Rich phase behavior was observed with increasing MHPEPE concentration, an isotropic L(1)-phase (micelle solution), an unstable emulsion-region (with time, the samples separate into two-phase), a transparently bluish and birefringent Lalpha-phase up to 200 mmol L(-1) with unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles. These unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles were demonstrated by using staining transmission electron microscopy (staining-TEM), which were compared to freeze-fracture TEM (FF-TEM). The vesicle-phase is stable for at least 1 year. Vesicle formation possibly could be explained in harmonization of the hydrophobic force of acidic surfactant tails, the hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) and the electrostatic interaction among polar headgroups of PEO ether phosphate ester. Phase transition from the flow birefringent unilamellar vesicles induced by addition of HCl, NaCl, NaOH, and increasing temperature has been observed. Surprisingly, for u-MHPEPE or d-MHPEPE in water, we just observed L1-phase (micelle solution) with increasing u-MHPEPE or d-MHPEPE concentration.

Background: Robotic C-arm cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners provide fast in-room imaging in radiotherapy. Their mobility extends beyond performing a gantry rotation, but they might encounter obstructions to their motion which limit the gantry angle range. The axial field-of-view (FOV) of a reconstructed CBCT image depends on the acquisition geometry. When imaging a large anatomical location, such as the thorax, abdomen, or pelvis, a centered cone beam might be insufficient to acquire untruncated projection images. Some CBCT scanners can laterally displace their detector and collimate the beam to increase the FOV, but the gantry must then perform a 360 ∘ $360^{\circ}$ rotation to provide complete data for reconstruction., Purpose: To extend the FOV of a CBCT image with a single short scan (gantry angle range of 180 ∘ + $180^{\circ}+$ fan angle) using two complementary short scans., Methods: We defined an acquisition protocol using two short scans during which the source follows the same trajectory and where the detector has equal and opposite tilt and/or offset between the two scans, which we refer to as complementary scans. We created virtual acquisitions using a Monte Carlo simulator on a digital anthropomorphic phantom and on a computed tomography (CT) scan of a patient abdomen. For our proposed method, each simulation produced two complementary sets of projections, which were weighted for redundancies and used to reconstruct one CBCT image. We compared the resulting images to the ground truth phantoms and simulations of conventional scans., Results: Reconstruction artifacts were slightly more prominent in the complementary scans w.r.t. a complete scan with untruncated projections but matched those in a single short scan without truncation. When analyzing reconstructed scans from simulated projections with scatter and corrected with prior CT information, we found a global agreement between complementary and conventional scan approaches., Conclusions: When dealing with a limited range of motion of the gantry of a CBCT scanner, two complementary short scans are a technically valid alternative to a full 360 ∘ $^{\circ}$ scan with equal FOV. This approach enables FOV extension without collisions or hardware upgrades., (© 2023 The Authors. Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Autotrophic denitrification technology has many advantages, including no external carbon source addition, low sludge production, high operating cost efficiency, prevention of secondary sewage pollution, and stable treatment efficiency. At present, the main research on autotrophic denitrification electron donors mainly includes sulfur, iron, and hydrogen. In these autotrophic denitrification systems, pyrite has received attention due to its advantages of easy availability of raw materials, low cost, and pH stability. When pyrite is used as a substrate for autotropic denitrification, sulfide (S 2- ) and ferrous ion (Fe 2+ ) in the substrate will provide electrons to convert nitrate (NO 3 - ) in sewage first to nitrite (NO 2 - ), then to nitrogen (N 2 ), and finally to discharge the system. At the same time, sulfide (S 2- ) loses electrons to sulfate (SO 4 2- ) and ferrous ion (Fe 2+ ) loses electrons to ferric iron (Fe 3+ ). Phosphates (PO 4 3- ) in wastewater are chemically combined with ferric iron (Fe 3+ ) to form ferric phosphate (FePO 4 ) precipitate. This paper aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive overview of the dynamic changes of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and other substances in the process of sulfur autotrophic denitrification using iron sulfide, and to summarize the factors that affect wastewater treatment in the system. This work will provide a relevant research direction and theoretical basis for the field of sulfur autotrophic denitrification, especially for the related experiments of the reaction conversion of various substances in the system., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Catheter ablation is commonly used for treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is still the cornerstone for the procedure, however, outcomes are consistently lower compared to paroxysmal AF. It is hypothesized that it could be due to lack of durable lesions or the presence of non-PV targets that remain after PVI. Numerous advances in ablation catheter technologies and mapping systems may potentially achieve lower recurrence rates in the future. Ongoing research is required to discover the best technique for persistent AF ablation. The purpose of this review is to describe the new, developing technologies that may improve the outcome of this procedure in the persistent AF population., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The long-term natural history of autonomic alterations following catheter ablation of drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is poorly defined., Objectives: The authors sought to define the long-term impact of thermal catheter ablation on the cardiac autonomic system., Methods: The study included 346 patients with drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation using thermal ablation energy (radiofrequency or cryoballoon ablation). All patients underwent insertion of a Reveal LINQ implantable cardiac monitor prior to ablation. The implantable cardiac monitor continuously recorded physical activity, heart rate variability (HRV) (measured as the standard deviation of the average normal-to-normal), daytime heart rate, and nighttime heart rate (NHR). Longitudinal autonomic data in the 2-month period prior to the date of ablation were compared with the 3 years following ablation., Results: Following ablation, there was a significant decrease in HRV (10-20 ms; P < 0.0001) and significant increases in daytime heart rate and NHR (10 beats/min [P < 0.0001] and 7 beats/min [P < 0.0001], respectively). Changes in autonomic parameters were greatest in the first 3 months following ablation but remained significantly different from baseline for 36 months following ablation. Greater changes in NHR and HRV were associated with improved freedom from recurrent arrhythmia. The type of thermal ablation energy had no influence on the heart rate and autonomic parameters., Conclusions: Pulmonary vein isolation using thermal ablation energy results in significant sustained changes in the heart rate parameters related to autonomic function. These changes are independent of the ablation technology employed and are associated with procedural success. (Cryoballoon vs Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs Standard Exposure Duration [CIRCA-DOSE]; NCT01913522)., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The CIRCA-DOSE study was funded by a peer-reviewed grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (grant no. G-13-0003121), with additional financial support from Medtronic. Dr Khairy was supported by the André Chagnon Research Chair in Electrophysiology and Congenital Heart Disease. The funding sources had no role in the design of this study and did not have any role during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, or decision to submit results. Dr Andrade has received grants and personal fees from Medtronic, grants from Baylis; and personal fees from Biosense Webster. Dr Deyell has received grants from Biosense Webster. Dr Macle has received personal fees from Medtronic; and grants and personal fees from St. Jude Medical/Abbott and Biosense Webster. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The open reduction of mandibular condyle neck fractures is difficult due to the limited surgical field and complex facial nerve structures. The most effective fixation method for narrow fractured segments is debated as standard double four-hole plate fixation is often not feasible. This research compared bone stability and force resistance between single-long-plate and double-short-plate fixations using clinical outcomes, a Sawbones mandible model, and finite element analysis. In patients with condyle neck fractures, nine were fixed with single-long-plate and twelve with double-short-plate fixations, with no significant differences in malocclusion and facial palsy rates. In compression tests with a Sawbones model, displacements in the posterior part were similar in both fixation groups. In contrast, the anterior part had significantly higher displacements in the single-long-plate group. Finite element analysis showed higher displacements in both anterior and posterior parts in the single-plate group compared to the double-short-plate group. Maximum stresses were at the second screw hole in single-long-plate fixation and the turning point of the upper plate at the condyle neck in double-short-plate fixation. Double-short-plate fixations demonstrated better stability and force resistance than single-long-plate fixations.

Background: Dyspnea is a complex symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is not strongly correlated with lung function measures. Long-acting bronchodilators (LAB) may reduce this dyspnea, but some patients report persistent chronic dyspnea despite this treatment. This study aims to assess residual reversibility and clinical response after short-acting bronchodilator (SAB) in COPD patients already treated by LAB and reporting persistent dyspnea., Methods: COPD patients with a persistent dyspnea (modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC) ≥1) despite current stable treatment with at least one LAB were included. Spirometry, plethysmography and impulse oscillometry (IOS) were performed at peak effect of their LAB and repeat 45 min after the intake of two SAB (400 µg of salbutamol and 80 µg of ipratropium). Dyspnea improvement was assessed at 45 min after SAB through a comparative two-sided VAS (-100 mm for maximal improvement; +100 mm for maximal degradation)., Results: Twenty-two COPD patients were analyzed, mainly men (59.1 %) with a mean age of 60.6 years and a median FEV1 of 54 % of predicted values. Fifty percent of patients reported a severe basal dyspnea (mMRC ≥2). After SAB, spirometric and plethysmographic measurements were statistically improved. For IOS measurement, reactance at 5 Hz (X5) and area of reactance (AX) were also improved. Fifty percent of patients reported a clinically relevant improvement of their resting dyspnea. However, no correlation was found between dyspnea improvement and functional measures., Conclusions: Fifty percent of COPD patients regularly treated with one or two LAB still report a relevant improvement of resting dyspnea after the adjunctive intake of double short-acting bronchodilators. Physiological mechanisms associated with this improvement remain to be determined., Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02928744., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest OLR reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline, and non-financial supports from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Correvio, GlaxoSmithKline, Mayoli, MSD, Mylan, Novartis, Pfizer, PulmonX, Santelys Association, Vertex and Zambon, unrelated to the submitted work. MP reports non-financial supports from Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Aventis France and Sysmed, unrelated to the submitted work. HS reports non-financial support from GlaxoSmithKline, LVL médical, Oxyvie, unrelated to the submitted work. NB reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, and non-financial support from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKlein, Novartis, Santelys association, SOS oxygène and Teva, unrelated to the submitted work. PD reports personnal fees and non-financial support from ALK, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Menarini, Novartis, Sanofi and Stallergènes, unrelated to the submitted work. TP reports grants from AstraZeneca, personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, and congress support from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKlein, Novartis and Chiesi, unrelated to the submitted work., (Copyright © 2023 SPLF and Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: There is no consensus regarding the optimal choice between single long stent (SLS) and overlapped double short stents (DSS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Therefore, we aimed to compare treatment outcomes among patients with AMI treated with these two different stenting methods., Methods: In total, 537 patients with AMI from a single tertiary center were categorized into two groups: (1) those who received an SLS (stent length ≥38 mm) ( n  = 254; 47.3%) and (2) those who received overlapped DSS (individual stent lengths <38 mm) ( n  = 283; 52.7%). The primary outcome was the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) within 1 year., Results: The mean age of participants was 65.4 years, and 75.0% were male. Patients receiving an SLS had a higher rate of serum creatinine level ≥1.5 mg/dl (16.3% vs. 8.9%, p  = 0.009) but a lower rate of hypertension (46.8% vs. 55.8%, p  = 0.038), lesser total stent length (38.26 ± 1.31 vs. 45.20 ± 9.25 mm, p  < 0.001), total procedure time (41.40 ± 15.74 vs. 53.31 ± 21.75 min, p  < 0.001) and total contrast volume (134.13 ± 30.72 vs. 160.57 ± 39.77 ml, p  < 0.001) than in those receiving DSS. One-year MACCEs were comparable between the two groups before [hazard ratio (HR), 1.33; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.80-2.24] and after adjusting for covariates (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.67-2.19)., Conclusions: Stenting with an SLS demonstrated similar outcomes compared to those achieved when using stenting with overlapped DSS in patients with AMI. Therefore, if the deliverability is acceptable, stenting with an SLS appears to be a safe and effective strategy for AMI treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Lee, Oh, Kim, Sim, Hong, Kim, Ahn, Han, Kim and Jeong.)

Background: The position and number of cages in minimally invasive transforaminal interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) are mainly determined by surgeons based on their individual experience. Therefore, it is important to investigate the optimal number and position of cages in MIS-TLIF., Methods: The lumbar model was created based on a 24-year-old volunteer's computed tomography data and then tested using three different cage implantation methods: single transverse cage implantation (model A), single oblique 45° cage implantation (model B), and double vertical cage implantation (model C). A preload of 500 N and a moment of 10 Nm were applied to the models to simulate lumbar motion, and the models' range of motion (ROM), ROM ratio, peak stress of the internal fixation system, and cage were assessed., Results: The ROM ratios of models A, B, and C were significantly reduced by >71% compared with the intact model under all motions. Although there were subtle differences in the ROM ratio for models A, B, and C, the trends were similar. The peak stress of the internal fixation system appeared in model B of 136.05 MPa (right lateral bending), which was 2.07 times that of model A and 1.62 times that of model C under the same condition. Model C had the lowest cage stress, which was superior to that of the single-cage model., Conclusion: In MIS-TLIF, single long-cage transversal implantation is a promising standard implantation method, and double short-cage implantation is recommended for patients with severe osteoporosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2022 Han, Ma, Li, Ren, Liu, Huang, Qiao and Mao.)

Importance: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have impaired health-related quality of life primarily owing to symptoms related to AF episodes; however, quality of life can be influenced by AF therapies, AF complications, the frequency of follow-up visits and hospitalizations, illness perceptions, and patient factors, such as anxiety or depression., Objective: To determine the association between change in AF burden and quality of life in the year following ablation., Design, Setting, and Participants: The current study is a secondary analysis of a prospective, parallel-group, multicenter, single-masked randomized clinical trial (Cryoballoon vs Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs Standard Exposure Duration [CIRCA-DOSE] study), which took place at 8 Canadian centers. Between September 2014 and July 2017, 346 patients older than 18 years with symptomatic, primarily low-burden AF refractory to antiarrhythmic therapy referred for first catheter ablation were enrolled. All patients received an implantable cardiac monitor at least 30 days before ablation and were followed up with up to December 2018. Data were analyzed from April 2020 to June 2021., Interventions: Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to contact force-guided radiofrequency ablation, 4-minute cryoballoon ablation, or 2-minute cryoballoon ablation. The exposure in the present analysis is the absolute difference in AF burden prior to ablation and 12 months following ablation, as evaluated by the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality of Life (AFEQT) Score., Main Outcomes and Measures: Absolute difference in quality of life from baseline to 12 months postablation., Results: Of 346 included patients, 231 (66.7%) were male, and the median (interquartile range) age was 60 (52-66) years. A total of 328 patients (94.8%) had paroxysmal AF. The median (interquartile range) preablation AF burden was 2.0% (0.1-11.9), and the AF burden decreased to 0% at 12 months postablation. At 12 months, a 1-point improvement in AFEQT score was observed for every absolute reduction in daily AF burden of 15.8 minutes (95% CI, 7.2-24.4; P < .001), or every 0.63% (95% CI, 0.30-0.95; P < .001) reduction in relative AF burden from baseline., Conclusions and Relevance: In patients with primarily low-burden paroxysmal AF, the reduction in AF burden following ablation may be associated with a clinically meaningful improvement in quality of life., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01913522.

Background: Early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ERAT) is common after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and has been associated with an increased risk of late atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence., Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and outcomes of patients experiencing ERAT after PVI using advanced-generation ablation technologies., Methods: This is a prespecified substudy of the CIRCA-DOSE (Cryoballoon vs Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double-Short vs Standard Exposure Duration) trial, a prospective, randomized, multicenter study comparing PVI with contact force-guided radiofrequency ablation to secondary-generation cryoballoon ablation for paroxysmal AF. All study patients received an implantable cardiac monitor to allow continuous rhythm monitoring. ERAT was defined as any recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia within the first 90 days after AF ablation., Results: ERAT occurred in 61% of the 346 patients at a median of 12 days (range 1-90 days) after ablation. ERAF was a significant predictor of late recurrence (60.1% with ER vs 25.9% without ER; P <.001) and symptomatic atrial tachyarrhythmia (31.6% with ERAF vs 6.7% without ERAF; P <.001). Receiver operating curve analyses revealed a strong correlation between ERAT timing and burden and late recurrence. Multivariate analysis identified ER timing (hazard ratio [HR] 2.90; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41-5.95; P = .004) and burden (HR 1.05 per 1% ER burden; 95% CI 1.04-1.07; P <.001) as strong independent predictors of late recurrence. Incidence rate, timing, burden, and prognostic significance of ER did not differ between the study groups., Conclusion: ERAT remains common after PVI despite use of advanced-generation ablation technologies. Early AF recurrence beyond 3 weeks after ablation is associated with increased risk of late recurrence., (Copyright © 2021 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate sex-specific differences in atrial fibrillation (AF) presentation and catheter ablation outcomes in the prospective, multicenter, randomized CIRCA-DOSE (Cryoballoon vs. Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs. Standard Exposure Duration) study., Background: Similar to other cardiovascular conditions, significant sex-specific differences have been observed in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, presentation, and natural history of AF. Unfortunately, there are major gaps in our understanding of the pathophysiological basis for the observed sex-specific differences and their implications on therapy and prognosis., Methods: This study examined sex-specific differences in AF presentation, symptom severity and health-related quality of life, symptomatic and asymptomatic arrhythmia recurrence, AF burden, and health care utilization., Results: Freedom from any atrial tachyarrhythmia and symptomatic atrial tachyarrhythmia were similar between male (hazard ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 0.85 to 1.64; p = 0.39) and female patients (hazard ratio: 1.00; 95% confidence interval: 0.62 to 1.59; p = 0.92). Post-ablation, the median AF burden (percentage time in AF) was 0.00% (interquartile range: 0.00% to 0.16%) in male patients and 0.00% (interquartile range: 0.00% to 0.17%) in female patients, with no difference observed between the sexes (p = 0.30). Periprocedural complications occurred twice as frequently in female patients (3.5% vs. 7.0%; p = 0.18). In comparison to male patients, female patients reported a significantly worse symptom score and quality of life at baseline and all follow-up intervals, but they derived similar magnitude of improvement post-ablation. There was no difference between male and female patients with respect to emergency department visits, hospitalization, cardioversion, or repeat ablation., Conclusions: When compared with male patients, female patients have significantly worse symptom scores and quality of life at baseline. Despite this, female patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF derive similar benefit in freedom from recurrent arrhythmia and similar improvements in quality of life following AF ablation. (Cryoballoon vs. Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs. Standard Exposure Duration [CIRCA-DOSE]; NCT01913522)., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Contemporary guidelines recommend that atrial fibrillation (AF) be classified based on episode duration, with these categories forming the basis of therapeutic recommendations. While pragmatic, these classifications are not based on pathophysiologic processes and may not reflect clinical outcomes., Objective: To evaluate the association of baseline AF episode duration with post-AF ablation arrhythmia outcomes., Design, Setting, and Participants: The current study is a secondary analysis of a prospective, parallel-group, multicenter, single-masked randomized clinical trial (the Cryoballoon vs Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs Standard Exposure Duration [CIRCA-DOSE] study), which took place at 8 Canadian centers. Between September 2014 and July 2017, 346 patients older than 18 years with symptomatic AF referred for first catheter ablation were enrolled. All patients received an implantable cardiac monitor at least 30 days before ablation. Data analysis was performed in September 2019., Exposure: Before ablation, patients were classified based on their longest AF episode. Ablation consisted of circumferential pulmonary vein isolation using standard techniques., Main Outcomes and Measures: Time to first recurrence of symptomatic or asymptomatic atrial tachyarrhythmia (AF, atrial flutter, or atrial tachycardia) following ablation and AF burden (percentage of time in AF) on preablation and postablation continuous rhythm monitoring., Results: The study included 346 patients (mean [SD] age, 59 [10] years; 231 [67.7%] men). Overall, 263 patients (76.0%) had AF episode duration of less than 24 hours; 25 (7.2%), 24 to 48 hours; 40 (11.7%), 2 to 7 days; and 18 (5.2%), more than 7 days. Documented recurrence of any atrial tachyarrhythmia following ablation was significantly lower in patients with baseline AF episode duration of less than 24 continuous hours compared with those with longer AF episodes (24 hours vs 24-48 hours: hazard ratio [HR], 0.41; 95% CI, 0.21-0.80; P = .009; 24 hours vs 2-7 days: HR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.14-0.45; P < .001; 24 hours vs >7 days: HR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.09-0.55; P < .001). Patients with preablation AF episodes limited to less than 24 continuous hours had a significantly lower median (interquartile range) postablation AF burden (0% [0%-0.1%]) compared with those with AF preablation episodes lasting 2-7 days (0.1% [0%-1.0%]; P = .003) and those with AF preablation episodes lasting more than 7 days (1.0% [0%-5.4%]; P = .008). There was no significant difference in arrhythmia recurrence or AF burden between the 3 groups with a baseline AF episode duration of longer than 24 hours., Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, patients with AF episodes limited to less than 24 continuous hours had a significantly lower incidence of arrhythmia recurrence following AF ablation. This suggests that current guidelines for classification of AF may not reflect clinical outcomes., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01913522.

The Cryoballoon vs Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs Standard Exposure Duration (CIRCA-DOSE) study was a multicentre, randomised, single-blinded trial that compared contact-force radiofrequency ablation and two different regimens of cryoballoon ablation. All patients received an implantable cardiac monitor for the purpose of continuous rhythm monitoring, with all arrhythmia events undergoing independent adjudication by a committee blinded to treatment allocation. The study demonstrated there were no significant differences between contact-force radiofrequency ablation and cryoballoon ablation with respect to recurrence of any atrial tachyarrhythmia, symptomatic atrial tachyarrhythmia, asymptomatic AF, symptomatic AF or AF burden. While the results of the CIRCA-DOSE study are reviewed here, this article focuses on considerations around the design of the study and places the observed outcomes in context., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The CIRCA-DOSE study was funded by a peer-reviewed grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (grant number G-13-0003121), with additional financial support from Medtronic. The funding sources had no role in the design of the study nor during its execution, analyses or interpretation of the data. JGA receives grants and personal fees from Medtronic, grants from Baylis and personal fees from Biosense-Webster. MWD receives grants from Biosense-Webster. AV receives grants and personal fees from Medtronic and Biosense-Webster; LM receives personal fees from Medtronic, and grants and personal fees from St Jude Medical/Abbott and Biosense-Webster. PK is supported by the André Chagnon research chair in electrophysiology and congenital heart disease., (Copyright © 2020, Radcliffe Cardiology.)

Background: Use of intraprocedural observation and pharmacologic challenges have been proposed as means to differentiate permanent pulmonary vein (PV)-left atrial conduction block from inadequate ablation lesions., Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical impact of spontaneous and adenosine-provoked reconnection using contemporary atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation technologies., Methods: The CIRCA-DOSE (Cryoballoon vs. Irrigated Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Double Short vs. Standard Exposure Duration) study enrolled 346 patients with paroxysmal AF and randomized them to contact force-guided radiofrequency ablation (CF-RF) or cryoballoon ablation. Patients underwent provocative testing with adenosine after a 20-minute observation period. All patients received an implantable cardiac monitor for arrhythmia monitoring., Results: Spontaneous reconnection was observed in 5.4% of PVs (71/1318) during the 20-minute postprocedure observation period, and dormant conduction was elicited in 5.7% of PVs (75/1318). Both spontaneous reconnection and dormant conduction were more common after CF-RF compared to cryoballoon ablation (P = .03 and P <.0001, respectively). Acute PV reconnection (spontaneous or adenosine-provoked) was associated with a significantly higher incidence of recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia in the cryoballoon group (hazard ratio [HR] 2.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-3.96; P = .0007) but not in the CF-RF group (HR 1.47; 95% CI 0.84-2.58; P = .16). In the absence of acute reconnection, the freedom from recurrent arrhythmia did not differ between groups (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.6057-1.495; P = .83)., Conclusion: Patients without spontaneous or adenosine-provoked reconnection had better outcomes compared to those with acute PV reconnection, suggesting that efforts should be directed toward ensuring an ideal ablation lesion at the first attempt in order to achieve durable PV isolation., (Copyright © 2020 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

For all-polymer solar cells which are composed of polymer donors and polymer acceptors, the effect of alkyl side chains on photovoltaic performance is a matter of some debate, and this effect remains difficult to forecast. In this concise contribution, we demonstrate that three alkyls namely branched alkyl 2-butyloctyl (2BO), long linear alkyl n-dodecyl (C12), and double-short linear alkyl n-hexyls (DC6) incorporated into the side chains of large bandgap polymer donor PBDT-TTz can induce considerable, of significance, and different electronic, optical, and morphological parameters. Systematic studies shed light on the critical role of the double-short linear alkyl n-hexyls (DC6) in (i) producing large ionization potential value, (ii) increasing propensity of the polymer to order along the π-stacking direction, (iii) generating polymer crystallites with more preferential "face-on" orientation, consequently, (iv) improvement of carriers transportation, (v) suppression of charge recombination, (vi) reduction of energy loss in all-polymer devices. In parallel, we unearth that the PBDT-TTz with double-short linear alkyl n-hexyls (DC6) represents the highest efficiency of 8.3 %, whereas, the other two PBDT-TTz analogues (2BO, C12) yield efficiencies of less than 3 % in optimized all-polymer solar cells. Though branched or long linear alkyl side chains (2BO, C12) have been applied to provide the solution processability of conjugated polymers, motifs bearing multiple short linear alkyl substituents (DC6) are proved critical to the development of high performing polymers., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background and study aims  Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is technically challenging in patients with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) anatomy, which is increasing in frequency given the rise of obesity. Laparoscopy-assisted ERCP (LA-ERCP) and enteroscopy-assisted ERCP (EA-ERCP) are distinct approaches with their respective strengths and weaknesses. We conducted a meta-analysis comparing the procedural time, rates of success and adverse events of each method. Patients and methods  A search of PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane library was performed from inception to October 2018 for studies reporting outcomes of LA or EA-ERCP in patients with RYGB anatomy. Studies using single, double, 'short' double-balloon or spiral enteroscopy were included in the EA-ERCP arm. Outcomes of interest included procedural time, papilla identification, papilla cannulation, therapeutic success and adverse events. Therapeutic success was defined as successful completion of the originally intended diagnostic or therapeutic indication for ERCP. Results  A total of 3859 studies were initially identified using our search strategy, of which 26 studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled rate of therapeutic success was significantly higher in LA-ERCP (97.9 %; 95 % CI: 96.7-98.7 %) with little heterogeneity (I 2  = 0.0 %) when compared to EA-ERCP (73.2 %; 95 % CI: 62.5-82.6 %) with significant heterogeneity (I 2 : 80.2 %). Conversely, the pooled rate of adverse events was significantly higher in LA-ERCP (19.0 %; 95 % CI: 12.6-26.4 %) when compared to EA-ERCP (6.5 %; 95% CI: 3.9-9.6 %). The pooled mean procedure time for LA-ERCP was 158.4 minutes (SD ± 20) which was also higher than the mean pooled procedure time for EA-ERCP at 100.5 minutes (SD ± 19.2). Conclusions  LA-ERCP is significantly more effective than EA-ERCP in patients with RYGB but is associated with a higher rate of adverse events and longer procedural time., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Detecting and classifying the modulation type of the intercepted noisy LPI (low probability of intercept) radar signals in real-time is a necessary survival technique in the electronic intelligence systems. Most radar signals have been designed to have LPI properties; therefore, the LPI radar waveform recognition technique (LWRT) has recently gained increasing attention. In this paper, we propose a multiple feature images joint decision (MFIJD) model with two different feature extraction structures that fully extract the pixel feature to obtain the pre-classification results of each feature image for the non-stationary characteristics of most LPI radar signals. The core technology of this model is combining the short-time autocorrelation feature image, double short-time autocorrelation feature image and the original signal time-frequency image (TFI) simultaneously input into the hybrid model classifier, which is suitable for non-stationary signals, and it has higher universality. We demonstrate the performance of MFIJD by simulating 11 types of the signals defined in this paper and generating training sets and test sets. The comparison with the literature shows that the proposed methods not only has a high universality for LPI radar signals, but also better adapts to LPI radar waveform recognition at low SNR (signal to noise ratio) environment. The overall recognition rate of the method reaches 87.7% when the SNR is -6 dB.

Heat stress reduces fertility of high-producing dairy cows, and early administration of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) may improve it. Here, 401 heat-stressed, high-producing dairy cows on a single commercial farm were given eCG (500 UI, n = 214) or saline (n = 187) on days 11-17 after calving, and the effects on fertility after the first artificial insemination (AI) were assessed. On post-partum day 96.34 ± 9.88, all cows were inseminated after a "double short Cosynch" synchronization protocol. Ovarian activity and uterine status were checked by ultrasound on the day of eCG administration and every 7 days thereafter for a total of 3 weeks; checks were also performed during synchronization, and 7 days after AI. On post-partum day 30, cytobrush uterine cytology was performed to check for subclinical endometritis. Pregnancy status was checked on days 30 and 60 after AI. The eCG and control groups did not differ significantly in terms of average lactations per cow (2.33 ± 1.34), days in milk at first AI (96.33 ± 9.88), average milk yield at AI (41.38 ± 7.74 L), or the particular inseminator or bull used for AI. The eCG and control groups showed increasing ovarian activity with time, with approximately 75% of cows in both groups showing a corpus luteum at the beginning of the synchronization protocol. On post-partum day 30, 17.4% of eCG cows and 22.9% of control cows showed subclinical endometritis. Cows treated with eCG showed a tendency toward lower hyperecogenic intraluminal content (16.8 vs. 21.4%, P = 0.15), but ovarian activity during the synchronization protocol was similar between eCG and control groups, with 91% of animals in both groups showing luteolysis after prostaglandin application and 88% showing ovulation after the last administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Fertility was similar between the two groups at both time points after AI (30 days, 34.9 vs. 31.8%; 60 days, 30.6 vs. 28.5%; P > 0.2). These results suggest that early postpartum eCG administration does not improve fertility of heat-stressed dairy cows as long as 60 days after AI. Other strategies may be more effective at mitigating the ability of post-partum heat stress to reduce fertility of high-producing dairy cows., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare the interface pressure and stiffness between various combinations of compression material., Methods: Using a stiffness-determining device, the interface pressure and stiffness were determined in several combinations of five elastic stockings and two elastic bandages., Results: In the double stockings system, the interface pressure increased significantly and the highest stiffness was observed in double short-stretch stockings. When short-stretch bandages were applied over either short- or long-stretch stockings, a significant increase in stiffness was observed at any initial pressure compared with the single use of short-stretch stockings. In double bandage systems, when short-stretch bandages were applied over either short- or long-stretch bandages, the stiffness increased significantly. When long-stretch bandages were used over short-stretch bandages, the stiffness decreased significantly., Conclusions: The stiffness is changeable according to the combinations of material, such as double stockings, double bandages and the wearing of bandages over stockings. The use of short-stretch bandages as the outside layer produces the highest stiffness at a high initial pressure.

We report a facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) pedigree having double short (25 kb and 33 kb) BlnI resistant (4 q-like) fragments. Two of three male siblings developed shoulder-girdle weakness and minimum facial involvement from their adolescence. Although the rest (third) brother had non-progressive hemi-palsy in face and upper-extremity and strabismus caused by birth trauma, he had no clinical symptoms of FSHD. Mother presented mild shoulder weakness after cholecystectomy at the age of 50 years, but with no facial involvement and normal serum creatine kinase (CK) level (45 IU/L). On the contrary, father had high CK level (450 IU/L) despite no neurological abnormalities. After EcoRI/BlnI double digestion, two short fragments were detected in the two affected siblings. Then, all family members were examined to determine pathognomonic fragment. Consequently, mother (25 kb and 90 kb) and the third non-affected brother (25 kb and 51 kb) had two 4 q-like fragments, however, three 4 q-like fragments were detected in father (33 kb, 51 kb and 130 kb), proband (25 kb, 33 kb and 130 kb) and affected brother (25 kb, 33 kb and 51 kb). These findings revealed that the 4 q-like 33 kb fragment actually located on 10q26 through inter-chromosomal exchange. Thus the 25 kb fragment inherited from mother was determined as co-segregating with the disease. To ensure genetic diagnosis for FSHD, investigation of family members is surely required.

In the paper, we present a new karyotype of D. albomicans found in the populations from Southeast China. Short chromosome IV of D. albomicans has been reported in Thailand populations while long type was discovered in Taiwan populations. However, we found that long and short chromosome IV coexisting in the same somatic cells. The individuals which contained the "hybrid" cells were collected from Shanghai, Fuzhou, Xiamen and Shenzhen, China. Moreover, the three karyotypes could be detected in each population mentioned above in other words, the populations showed a pattern of karyotype polymorphism. Furthermore, our observation disclosed that the new karyotype was unstable. Its frequency decreased with increasing breeding generation. Since the geographic locations of these populations just lies between the regions of double long and double short type's populations, this new karyotype seems a intermediate transitional type during the variance process of D. albomicans.

DNA from the double short tandem repeat (STR) system MBP (locus 18q23-pter) was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the two polymorphic repeat systems were separated by cutting with the restriction enzyme NlaIII. The lengths of the DNA fragments of the two MBP STR systems MBP-A and MBP-B were analyzed by vertical electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels followed by silver staining. DNA samples from 112 unrelated Danes, 140 unrelated Greenland Eskimos, and 88 Danish mother/child pairs were analyzed. The distributions of MBP phenotypes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the Eskimo and Danish populations. Significant differences were observed between the distribution of fragments ('alleles') in Greenland Eskimos and in Danes. The allele MBP-A7 was considerably more frequent in Eskimos (0.2214) than in Danes (0.0775) and also the allele MBP-B9 was considerably more frequent in Eskimos (0.225) than in Danes (0.06). Strong gametic associations were found between fragments from MBP-A and MBP-B series in both Danes and Eskimos. Some of the associations were different in Danes and Eskimos. In the 88 Danish mother/child pairs, the segregation of the MBP genotypes were in accordance with a genetic model of co-dominant inheritance and no mutation was found. Two MBP STR regions with irregular structures were sequenced. One fragment had a single base G to A transition at position 124 in the primer binding region between the MBP-A and MBP-B regions. In the other fragment, a deletion starting at position 117 and including the primer binding region between MBP-A and MBP-B regions was found.

The effect of taurine (TA) on acute paraquat (PQ) intoxication was investigated in rats. Treatment with TA was begun 10 min after rats received a s. c. injection of PQ 40 mg/kg. Saline (0.9%) or 5% TA solution were infused i.v. for 5-6 min (short-interval infusion study). One hour after TA infusion, PQ concentration in the blood was increased and that in the urine was lowered, as compared with those in the saline-infused group. Significant increases of the PQ concentration was observed in kidney at 3 hours after TA administration. Excreted urine volume was significantly higher in the TA group during the time-period of 0-1 and 0-5 hours after the 5% TA administration compared with that of the saline group. However, there were no significant differences in total urinary PQ excretion between the two groups. Saline or 2.5% and 5% TA was infused continuously during the time-period of 0-1, 0-3 or 0-5 hours (long-interval infusion study). A marked increase in PQ concentration in blood and a reduction of PQ concentration in kidney were noticed during the time-period of 1-5 hours after the 5%TA infusion. Urinary excretion was remarkably accelerated by 5% TA infusion and the total urine volume increased to 20 times during the time-period 0-1 hour and 1.7 times during the time-period of 3-5 hours as compared with the saline control. In addition, urinary volume during the time-period of 0-5 hours almost reached that of 5% TA volume which infused to animals. The mortality rate of the groups that received either single or double short-time infusion of 5% TA was 100%. Thus, these results suggest that a long continuous infusion of 5% TA increased urine output and inhibits of PQ accumulation in renal tissue despite a rise in blood PQ concentration.

Cone but not rod outer segments (OSs) in the retinas of goldfish and carp are diffusely labeled after intravitreal injection of 3H-fucose. Among the different cone types, the OSs are heavily labeled in the long double, short single, and some long single cones. The OSs of short double and the remaining long single cones are consistently more lightly labeled. A correlation thus exists between heavy labeling of OSs maximally sensitive to red and blue light and lighter labeling of OSs with maximum sensitivity to green light, and this may reflect different carbohydrate compositions of the cone visual pigments. New information is presented on OS fine structure of rods and cones, and on differential marking of cone OSs with the extracellular tracers horseradish peroxidase (only green-sensitive cone OSs "stained") and microperoxidase (red- and blue- but not green-sensitive cones OSs "stained").