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Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of porphyrin-doped single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were studied in sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (NaDDBS) aqueous dispersions. The PL spectra were used to draw PL maps were the maxima corresponds to absorption-emission excitonic processes related to (E11, E22) first Van Hove singularities of the SWNT electronic structure. The influence of the net charge of the porphyrin was a determinant factor in the energy map maximum shifts (EMMS) compared to the energy map of a pristine NaDDBS/SWNT dispersion. A non-interacting porphyrin is used as a reference to discard the influence of the dielectric constant of the medium in the EMMS.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now the standard treatment for severe aortic stenosis in high-risk symptomatic patients, and its indications are expanding to lower-risk patients.The objective of this study was to analyze the state of TAVI in Spain vs other European and non-European countries.Using an online questionnaire, we analyzed the routine practice of 250 TAVI centers worldwide. The questionnaire included 59 questions on patient selection, technical aspects of the procedure, and postprocedural management. The centers were divided into Spain (n = 41), rest of Europe (n = 105), and rest of the world (n = 104).The cumulative number of procedures (74; range, 40-122) and those performed in the last year (16.5; range, 15-29.5) in Spain, were significantly lower than the rest of Europe (P.01) and the rest of the world (P.01). The patient risk profile was higher, with an under-use of functional tests compared to the rest of the world. While the use of computed tomography to analyze the aortic annulus was lower in Spain (P.001), general anesthesia and transesophageal echocardiography were more frequently used in Spain than in the rest of Europe (P.001 for both). Dual-antiplatelet therapy is the most common post-TAVI antithrombotic therapy in the absence of an indication for anticoagulation, although its duration is longer in Spain (6 months) compared to European centers (3 months).Routine TAVI practice in Spain differed in some key aspects of preprocedural, intraprocedural, and postprocedural management. Future studies will help to unify strategies and assess their impact on clinical results.

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:24:46Z No. of bitstreams: 0 Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:24:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-08-13 Background: The aim of this study was to analyze stable hypertrophied myocardial function and its response to inotropic maneuvers in rats submitted to renovascular hypertension for a 10-week period (RHT group, n=10). Material/Methods: Myocardial performance was studied in isolated left ventricle papillary muscles in isometric contraction under the following conditions: at postrest contraction of 30 seconds (PRC), at extracellular calcium (ECa 2+) chloride concentration of 1.25 and 5.20 mM, and after beta-adrenergic stimulation with 10 -6 M isoproterenol (ISOP). Results: The results were compared with normotensive Wistar controls rats (C group, n=10). In basal condition, resting tension, and contraction time (TPT) were greater, while relaxation time (RT 50) tended to be longer in RHT than C group. PRC and ISOP promoted a similar change in muscle function response intensity (Δ) in both groups. ECa 2+ shift did not change TPT in the C group and decreased TPT in the RHT animals; Δ was different between these groups. RT 50 increased in C and decreased in RHT, both without statistical significance; however, Δ was different. Conclusions: These results suggest that hypertrophied myocardial dysfunction may be attibuted to changes in intracellular calcium cycling. © Med Sci Monit, 2010. Botucatu Medical School UNESP - São Paulo State University, Botucatu Botucatu Medical School UNESP - São Paulo State University, Botucatu