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Introduction: The role of balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) in the era of transcatheter aortic valve replacement remains a topic of debate. We sought to study the safety and feasibility of combined BAV and percutaneous coronary intervention (BAV-PCI). Methods: Between November 2009 and July 2020, all patients undergoing BAV were identified and divided into three groups: combined BAV-PCI (group A), BAV with significant unrevascularised CAD (group B), and BAV without significant CAD (group C). Procedural outcomes and 30-day and one-year mortality were compared. Results: A total of 264 patients were studied (n = 84, 93, and 87 patients in groups A, B, and C, respectively). The STS score was 10.2 ± 8, 13.3 ± 19, and 8.1 ± 7, p = 0.026, in groups A, B, and C, respectively. VARC-3 adjudicated complications were similar among groups (11%, 13%, and 5%, respectively, p = 0.168, respectively). Thirty-day and one-year mortality were 9.8% (n = 26) and 32% (n = 86) of the entire cohort. The differences among groups did not reach statistical significance. Using univariate Cox regression analysis, group B patients were at higher risk of dying compared to group A patients (HR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.11–2.25, p = 0.010). With multivariate Cox regression analysis, the predictors of mortality were STS score, cardiogenic shock, mode of presentation, and lack of subsequent definitive valve intervention. Conclusion: In high-risk patients with aortic valve stenosis, combined BAV-PCI is safe and feasible with comparable outcomes to BAV with and without significant CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politics courses embedded in business and commerce degree programs have soared in number in recent years. Yet how business students, often compulsorily enrolled in politics courses, learn key politics concepts is an under-researched area. The purpose of this article is to determine where the teaching and learning of political science and business intersects. This research reviews the place of the "threshold concept" in student learning, with particular reference to "power" as a political concept. This article advances three arguments: that the study of political institutions involves a series of "threshold" concepts that students must pass over before moving onto a higher plane of understanding; that the teaching of political institutions should span the three key areas of knowledge, attitudes and skills; and that a real understanding of political institutions allows students to regard business figures, in pursuing self-interest, as "political" actors like any other.

This article provides an overview of the political and economic challenges faced by the Labor Government in Queensland from July to December 2023. The government struggled with issues such as inflation, youth crime, housing, and health. Infrastructure cost blowouts caused public opinion pain and led to a change in Labor leadership. The period also saw Queensland record the lowest 'Yes' vote in the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum. The economy faced challenges with rising inflation and joblessness, and the government faced criticism for its handling of infrastructure projects and increased coal royalty rates. The government announced support packages for the copper industry and renewable energy initiatives. Environmental concerns and natural disasters also impacted the state. The government faced challenges in addressing youth crime, the housing crisis, and health issues such as hospital ramping and staff shortages. Public opinion support for the government and the premier declined during this period, with polls showing lower primary votes for Labor and decreasing approval ratings for Premier Palaszczuk. The leadership of the Labor party also faced challenges, leading to the resignation of Palaszczuk and the appointment of Steven Miles as the new premier. The Voice to Parliament referendum in Queensland, which aimed to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory body, saw a majority 'No' vote in the state. The defeat of the referendum led to the withdrawal of support for a treaty with First Nations people by both the government and the opposition leader. The article also mentions the passing of two political figures in Queensland, former Premier Mike Ahern and [Extracted from the article]

A novel group of biocidal compounds are the Crystal 3D (Cry) and Cytolytic (Cyt) proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Some Bt Cry proteins have a selective nematocidal activity, with Cry5B being the most studied. Cry5B kills nematode parasites by binding selectively to membrane glycosphingolipids, then forming pores in the cell membranes of the intestine leading to damage. Cry5B selectively targets multiple species of nematodes from different clades and has no effect against mammalian hosts. Levamisole is a cholinergic anthelmintic that acts by selectively opening L-subtype nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ion-channels (L-AChRs) that have been found on muscles of nematodes. A synergistic nematocidal interaction between levamisole and Cry5B at the whole-worm level has been described previously, but the location, mechanism and time-course of this synergism is not known. In this study we follow the timeline of the effects of levamisole and Cry5B on the Ca2+ levels in enterocyte cells in the intestine of Ascaris suum using fluorescence imaging. The peak Ca2+ responses to levamisole were observed after approximately 10 minutes while the peak responses to activated Cry5B were observed after approximately 80 minutes. When levamisole and Cry5B were applied simultaneously, we observed that the responses to Cry5B were bigger and occurred sooner than when it was applied by itself. It is proposed that the synergism is due to the cytoplasmic Ca2+ overload that is induced by the combination of levamisole opening Ca2+ permeable L-subtype nAChRs and the Ca2+ permeable Cry5B toxin pores produced in the enterocyte plasma membranes. The effect of levamisole potentiates and speeds the actions of Cry5B that gives rise to bigger Ca2+ overloads that accelerates cell-death of the enterocytes. Author summary: The neglected tropical diseases are a diverse set of infectious diseases which are common in low-income populations of Asia, Africa and the Americas. They include soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections produced by the parasitic nematode Ascaris lumbricoides (= Ascaris suum). There are no effective vaccines, so mass drug administration (MDA) to control and prevent infection is the only practical option. With the limited number of anthelmintic drugs available for treatment, there is an increasing concern about the development of resistance. The use of combinations of anthelmintics, particularly if they are additive, is important for the delay of the onset of resistance. Here we describe synergistic interactions of levamisole and Cry5B mediated by Ca++ in A. suum intestine enterocytes. We have been able to make these new observations because of our access to A. suum parasites and development of our techniques for studying Ca++ signaling in the intestine of this nematode parasite, a site of the interaction of these two anthelmintic drugs. Our study provides new insights for development of effective STH combination therapies of anthelmintic drugs for slowing development of resistance with continued mass drug administration and understanding the nematode parasite intestine as a major target for combinations of anthelmintic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]