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Background: Registry data suggest women are less likely than men to undergo pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension despite a similar proportion of proximal vs distal disease. We hypothesized that sex-specific differences could be elicited with a computed tomography pulmonary angiography analysis beyond proximal vs distal. Methods: Preoperative computed tomography pulmonary angiography of patients who underwent pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension from January 2017 to September 2021 was analyzed. The pulmonary vascular tree was divided into 32 named vessels with chronic thromboembolism presence and lesion type recorded for each vessel. If no lesion was identified in a segmental vessel, subsegmental disease was recorded when present. Results: One hundred forty-four patients (mean age 57 ± 15 years, 78 women) were included. There were no sex differences in baseline hemodynamics. Men had more vessels involved than women (mean 20.3 vs 17.1, p = 0.004) and had fewer disease-free pulmonary segments (mean 4.9 ± 4.3 vs 7.6 ± 5.5, p = 0.001). Men had a greater number of webs, eccentric thickening, and occlusions. The distribution of lesion type did not significantly differ between sexes at the main or lobar level but men had significantly more lesions in the segmental vasculature while women had a higher proportion of subsegmental lesions (p

Photo-retro-Diels-Alder (PrDA) reactions of a variety of Diels-Alder (DA) adducts were studied. Experimental results showed that the photoreactivity (quantum yield) depends on the electron-donating ability of the diene component and the electron-withdrawing ability of the dienophile component. The mechanism was studied by trapping the reaction intermediate, O(2) quenching, time-resolved absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy. All the results support a mechanism that involves a charge-separated intermediate generated from a singlet excited state. The PrDA reaction may find applications in photoresponsive materials, photolithography, drug delivery, and mechanistic research., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

The purpose of this study were: (1) to establish the prevalence of exercise-induced hematuria in a group of otherwise healthy male runners (n = 70), and (2) to investigate the role of exercise intensity in those runners who exhibited exercise-related hematuria (n = 10) by evaluating the effect of running and cycling at high and low intensities. The identified and recruited subjects participated in four different exercise protocols: (1) a 60-min treadmill run (RUN) at 90% of anaerobic threshold (Th(ae)), (2) a 60-min leg cycle ergometer ride (BIKE) at 90% of Th(ae), (3) a 3x400-m sprint (SPRINT), each followed by 4 min of rest or light walking, and (4) 3x60-Wingate leg cycle ergometry tests, each followed by 4 min of rest or light cycling. The study employed a 3x4 (time by protocol) within-subjects design and dependent variables were measured before exercise, 4 min after, and 1 h after exercise, and included measurements of hematuria, proteinuria, urinary pH, serum haptoglobin concentration, serum creatine phosphokinase activity, plasma lactate concentration, and hemoglobin. The 400-m sprint at maximal effort significantly increased both hematuria and proteinuria (P<0.01). Post-exercise hematuria for the SPRINT protocol was significantly different than that for the BIKE (P<0.01) and RUN (P<0.01) protocols. Due to the significant increase in hematuria and proteinuria following the SPRINT protocol, it was concluded that exercise-related changes in renal function were associated with weight-bearing exercise intensity rather than non-weight-bearing exercise duration.

Modifications were made to the Series III-311 Omnikinetic Hydra-Gym apparatus (Hydra-Fitness Industries Inc., Belton, TX) in an effort to provide relatively inexpensive yet clinically useful isokinetic strength measurements. Signal transmission and processing functions were installed to calculate relevant strength characteristics for knee extension/flexion motions. Results from the modified Hydra-Gym were compared with matched procedures on the Kin-Com (model 500-10, Chattecx Corporation, Chattanooga, TN). Subjects (N = 10) performed three maximal concentric right knee extension/flexion cycles at different resistance settings (2, 4, and 6) on the Hydra-Gym and the corresponding angular velocities on the Kin-Com (190, 125, and 40 degrees/sec, respectively). Each subject completed eight testing sessions, four on each dynamometer. A five-way analysis of variance on the peak torque data revealed no significant difference between dynamometers; however, there was a significant interaction between dynamometer and extension/flexion measurements. The variance in angle of peak torque data was significantly different between dynamometers, with Hydra-Gym showing superior reproducibility (p < 0.005). Mechanical differences between dynamometers produced slightly different, though comparable and consistent, measurement values. Care must be taken when evaluating hamstring/quadriceps ratios from the Hydra-Gym because the interaction noticed between dynamometer and extension/flexion may exaggerate muscle imbalances. In summary, modifications to the Hydra-Gym appear to provide clinicians with a reliable and clinically useful strength testing alternative.