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The efficacy and tolerability of current treatments for smoking cessation are relatively poor. More research is required to address the biological mechanisms underpinning nicotine withdrawal and drug treatments for smoking cessation. We assessed the neurocognitive effects of Remotiv® ( Hypericum perforatum Special Extract - Ze 117), Nicabate CQ Nicotine Replacement therapy (NRT) and combined NRT/HP during conditions of smoking abstinence in 20 regular smokers aged between 18 and 60 years over a period of 10 weeks during smoking cessation. A Spatial Working Memory (SWM) task was completed at baseline, 4 weeks prior to quitting, as well as at the completion of the study, following the 10 weeks of treatment. Brain activity was recorded during the completion of the SWM task using Steady-State Probe Topography. Reaction time and accuracy on the SWM task were not found to be significantly different between treatment groups at retest. Differences in SSVEP treatment profiles at retest are discussed, including stronger SSVEP Amplitude increase in posterior-parietal regions for the HP and NRT groups and greater fronto-central SSVEP Phase Advance in the HP group. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: BiVACOR is a novel total artificial heart (TAH) utilizing a single centrifugal magnetically levitated rotor with the ability to modulate pulsatile flow. The device has been successfully tested in a bovine model. We undertook a multicenter anatomical and virtual fitting study of the BiVACOR in patients undergoing heart transplantation., Methods: 10 patients were recruited across two heart transplant centers. A sterilized 1:1 titanium model of the device was inserted into the patient's chest post heart explant, prior to implantation of the donor heart. Measurements were recorded in situ. The device was then removed. Following this, retrospective 3D reconstructions were created from computed tomography chest scans to simulate a virtual fitting., Results: Mean age was 53 years (range 38-67). Mean BMI was 28 (range 20-37). Heart failure etiology was varied-with ischemic cardiomyopathy being the most common. Mean spine-to-sternum distance at the tenth thoracic vertebrae (T10) was 14 cm (range 11-18). Mean aorta to aortic Port distance was 0.2 cm (range 0-0.5). Mean pulmonary artery to pulmonary artery port distance was 4.2 cm (range 1-7). The device fitted suitably in all patients without gross distortion to the geometry between native vessel/chamber and port., Conclusions: This study described the anatomical and virtual fitting of the BiVACOR TAH. The device fit well within the chest cavities of all 10 patients, who represented a variety of body morphologies and heart failure etiology., (© 2021 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: The HeartMate III (HM3) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is the most recent LVAD to receive CE Mark and the Food and Drug Administration approval. It is a fully magnetically levitated pump with no reported haemolysis, pump thrombosis or pump failure in the first in-man study (a previous stody). It has now received market approval in the European Union, United States of America, and Australia. We reviewed our real-life experience with the device, to assess outcomes over the medium term., Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively collected data for 33 consecutive patients implanted with a HM3 LVAD between November 2014 and October 2018 at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia., Results: Of the 33 patients, 31 remained alive at the census date, with only two early deaths and 11 patients transplanted. There were no pump thromboses, but there were three cases of clot ingestion (two on the right and one on the left). Seven patients required permanent biventricular assist device support. The duration of HM3 support at the time of census was a median of 196 (interquartile range, 118-386) days., Conclusion: This series demonstrates excellent results of the HM3 LVAD in an uncensored, real-life, consecutive group of patients in a single institution., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)