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Abstract Background Strictly intravascular approaches for the treatment of postangioplasty restenosis are effective in the intima and the inner parts of the media but may be insufficient to control redundant pathways in the more outer parts of the media and the adventitia. An inverse situation may occur subsequently to a strictly extravascular approach, like the recently suggested pericardial approach in pigs. We hypothesized that simultaneous intra/extravascular administration of anti-restenotic agents inhibits restenosis by blocking all stimulatory pathways in the entire arterial wall. Methods Fresh hearts of 25 domestic pigs were obtained from a local slaughterhouse. Left anterior descending coronary arteries (LAD) were harvested, cut into cylindric 5 mm segments, and cultured as ex vivo porcine organ cultures (POCs). After 9 bar ballooning simultaneous intra/extravascular administration of high dose diltiazem (50 μg/mL) was carried out for a period of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days. At day 7 and 28 proliferative activity (BrdU), neointimal thickening, and staining against smooth muscle α-actin and vWF was analysed. Results 7 days after ballooning administration of diltiazem for 4, 5, 6, and 7 days inhibited reactive cell proliferation by more than 50% (n.s.) as compared to control, 28 days after ballooning administration for 6 and 7 days inhibited neointimal thickening by more than 75% (p < 0.05). Simultaneous intra/extravascular administration of high dose diltiazem did not affect the expression of vWF in endothelial cells or smooth muscle α-actin in smooth muscle cells. Conclusions Simultaneous intra/extravascular administration of high dose diltiazem (50 μg/mL) has to be maintained for at least 6 days to achieve a significant inhibition of neointimal thickening. The data demonstrate the importance of the maximal reactive cell proliferation (= day 7 in the POC-model) for the calculation of the duration of the treatment period.

In this study, we assess image quality in computed tomography scans reconstructed via DLIR (Deep Learning Image Reconstruction) and compare it with iterative reconstruction ASIR-V (Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction) in CT (computed tomography) scans of the head. The CT scans of 109 patients were subjected to both objective and subjective evaluation of image quality. The objective evaluation was based on the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) and CNR (contrast-to-noise ratio) of the brain's gray and white matter. The regions of interest for our study were set in the BGA (basal ganglia area) and PCF (posterior cranial fossa). Simultaneously, a subjective assessment of image quality, based on brain structure visibility, was conducted by experienced radiologists. In the assessed scans, we obtained up to a 54% increase in SNR for gray matter and a 60% increase for white matter using DLIR in comparison to ASIR-V. Moreover, we achieved a CNR increment of 58% in the BGA structures and 50% in the PCF. In the subjective assessment of the obtained images, DLIR had a mean rating score of 2.8, compared to the mean score of 2.6 for ASIR-V images. In conclusion, DLIR shows improved image quality compared to the standard iterative reconstruction of CT images of the head.

This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of ground raspberry seeds (RBS) as a source of polyphenols and essential fatty acids on blood plasma enzymatic antioxidant status, lipid profile, and endothelium-intact vasodilation during physiological and pathological conditions. Young normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) at ten weeks of age were fed with either a control diet or were supplemented with added 7% RBS for six weeks ( n = 6). The main component of RBS was dietary fiber (64%) and the main polyphenols were ellagitannins (1.2%) and flavan-3-ols (0.45%). Irrespective of the rat model, ground RBS decreased liver enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (0.9-fold) and hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity (Catalase, 0.9-fold). In supplemented SHRs, preincubation with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor 1400W, nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin, selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398, prostacyclin (PGI 2 ) synthesis inhibitor tranylcypromine (TCP), thromboxane receptor (TP) antagonist SQ-29548, thromboxane synthesis inhibitor furegrelate, and 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor HET0016 induced the same relaxant response to acetylcholine as in the nonsupplemented control group. In supplemented WKYs, atherogenic index was decreased (0.8-fold), while iNOS and COX-2-derived PGI 2 increased acetylcholine-induced vasodilation. These effects of ground RBS may constitute a potential mechanism for preventing cardiovascular diseases.

Despite the emphasis placed on occupational impairment as a consequence of most sleep disorders, there is currently no standardized measure for quantifying the occupational impact of sleep quality at the individual level. Using existing scales, a comprehensive literature review, and focus groups to generate items, as well as psychometric analyses to reduce items, these analyses describe the development of a scale to assess workplace performance in relation to sleep quality. In a survey of 222 employees aged 20 to 64 years, the resulting 19-item instrument (the Loughborough Occupational Impact of Sleep Scale [LOISS]) showed satisfactory levels of reliability, effective discrimination between "good" and "poor" sleepers, and an interpretable 2-factor structure. LOISS provides a practical tool for population screening and clinical assessment.

Phosphocellulose column chromatography revealed the existence of two forms of AMP deaminase both in whole tissue and in the intestinal epithelium. AMP deaminase I, which eluted from the column as a first activity peak, exhibited hyperbolic, nonregulatory kinetics. The substrate half-saturation constants were determined to be 0.3 and 0.7 mM at pH 6.5 and 7.2, respectively, and did not change in the presence of ATP, GTP and Pi. AMP deaminase II, which eluted from the column as a second activity peak, was strongly activated by ATP and inhibited by GTP and Pi. The S0.5 constants were 3.5 and 7.1 at pH 6.5 and 7.2, respectively. At pH 7.2 ATP (1 mM) S0.5 decreased to 2.5 mM and caused the sigmoidicity to shift to hyperbolic. The ATP half-activation constant was increased 9-fold in the presence of GTP and was not affected by Pi. Mg2+ significantly altered the effects exerted by nucleotides. The S0.5 value was lowered 10-fold in the presence of MgATP and 5-fold in the presence of MgATP, MgGTP and Pi. When MgATP was present, AMP deaminase II from rat small intestine was less susceptible to inhibition by GTP and Pi. A comparison of the kinetic properties of the enzyme, in particular the greater than 100% increase in Vmax observed in the presence of MgCl2 at low (1 mM) substrate concentration, indicates that MgATP is the true physiological activator. GuoPP[NH]P at low concentrations, in contrast to GTP, did not affect the enzyme and even activated it at concentrations above 0.2 mM. We postulate that AMP deaminase II may have a function similar to that of the rat liver enzyme. The significance of the existence of an additional, non-regulatory form of AMP deaminase in rat small intestine is discussed.