A nonrestrictive interatrial communication is mandatory in some patients with complex cyanotic heart disease. Up to the present time, Park blade atrial septostomy with a Park blade catheter is performed only under fluoroscopic guidance. We successfully monitored only under transthoracic 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiography (TTE), in a 7-week-old infant with d-Transposition of Great Arteries (d-TGA), a restrictive patent foramen ovale (PFO), and small ventricular septal defect (VSD), who presented with severe hypoxemia. TTE confirmed the position of the blade before and during pullback to the right atrium, followed by balloon septoplasty. There was an adequate enlargement of the interatrial communication with subsequent improvement in the oxygenation of the infant. This is the first reported case of the performance of blade atrial septostomy as a bedside TTE guided procedure here in the Philippines.

Human ; Male ; Infant ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Foramen Ovale, Patent ; Philippines ; Echocardiography ; Heart Atria ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Transposition Of Great Vessels ; Hypoxia

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method of HPLC fingerprint to determine the contents of primary alkaloids in Corydalis saxicola Bunting cells. METHODS: The determination was performed on a Dikma Diamonsil C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase was acetonitrile and water (40:60) supplemented with 3.4 g·L-1 KH2PO4 and 1.7 g·L-1 SDS. The chromatogram was monitored at 345 nm. The flow rate was 1 mL·min-1, and the column temperature was kept at 25°C. RESULTS: The linear regression equations for dehydrocavidine and berberine wereY=3645.2X+47.61 (r=0.9989) and Y=4172.7X+73.52 (r=0.9992), and the average recoveries were 97.9% and 98.2%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day RSDs of these alkaloids were lower than 3%. CONCLUSION: An effective method with good precision was established for the determination of the alkaloids in cultured C. saxicolacells. The Results of resemblances evaluation of the fingerprints were satisfactory. This method can be used as the quality and quantity control of C. saxicola cells.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: This report describes a case of a 24-year-old, acyanotic, female patient presenting with mild effort dyspnea, a right ventricular heave, a displaced cardiac apex, a loud single S2, a holosystolic murmur on the left parasternal area, and a continuous murmur at the left posterior chest. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated dilated left atrium and ventricle, hypertrophied right ventricle and a large ventricular septal defect with overriding of the aorta. However, both studies failed to visualize the pulmonic valve. The patient underwent cardiac catheterization which revealed the presence of pulmonary atresia. A descending aortogram showed the presence of a single large major aortopulmonary collateral artery (MAPCA) arising from the descending thoracic aor ta which supplies confluent left and right pulmonary arteries. The pulmonary arterial vasculature is enlarged and pruned in appearance. The main pulmonary artery is non-atretic. Mean proximal pulmonary artery pressure was 68 mmHg, indicating severe pulmonary hypertension. Patient wasstarted on digoxin and sildenafil.
SIGNIFICANCE: This case report emphasizes the importance of a well-developed central pulmonary circulation and an adequate but not excessive pulmonary blood supply from an aortopulmonary vascular connection in the survival of patients with pulmonary atresia into adulthood.

Human ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Aorta ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Dyspnea ; Heart Atria ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Pulmonary Atresia ; Pulmonary Circulation ; Pulmonary Valve ; Tetralogy Of Fallot

To evaluate lesion detection of MRI in knee joint osteoarthritis in patients with symptoms of pain, the correlation between MRI findings and varying degrees of reported pain was assessed. Twenty-eight patients (31 knees) with osteoarthritis were recruited for this study. The degree of knee pain was assessed by VRS scores. The knees were evaluated by plain film radiograph utilizing Kellgren-Lawrence scores. Multiple MR sequences were performed on a 1.5T MR-system, including sagittal and coronal dual fast spin echo (TR/TE 3660/11/120 ms, slice thickness 5 mm), coronal spin echo T1-weighted (TR/TE 360/9 ms, slice thickness 5 mm), sagittal fat saturated 3D-spoiled gradient-recalled echo (TR/TE 50/6 ms; slice thickness 1.5 mm; flip angle 40 degrees ), and 3D steady-state free precession (TR/TE 6/2.2 ms; slice thickness 1.6 mm; flip angle 30 degrees ) pulse sequences for the purpose of detecting abnormities of cartilage, menisci, the anterior cruciate ligaments, bone marrow edema-like lesions, osteophytes, synovitis, and joint effusions. MR findings were compared with the degree of pain using Fisher exact test with P values less than 0.05 indicating a statistically significant difference. The results showed that, of the 31 knees evaluated, mild pain was reported in 11 and severe pain in the remainder. Kellgren-Lawrence scores of all 31 evaluated OA knees were as follows: grade 1 lesions (n=6), grade 2 lesions (n=14), grade 3 lesions (n=8), and grade 4 lesions (n=3). Articular cartilaginous defects were found in 37.1% of knees. Abnormalities of the menisci and anterior cruciate ligaments, bone marrow edema-like lesions, osteophytes, synovitis, and joint effusions were detected in 32.3%, 38.7%, 45.2%, 100%, 15.1% and 67.7% of knees, respectively. Of these variables, only the differences in prevalence of joint effusions were significantly different in the mild and severe pain groups (P=0.004). It is concluded that MRI evaluates the entire joint structure of the osteoarthritic knee, demonstrating abnormalities of the cartilage, menisci, and anterior cruciate ligaments as well as bone marrow edema-like lesions, osteophytes, synovitis, and joint effusions. The difference in pain grading between OA patients reporting mild and severe degrees of pain is related to the presence of joint effusion.

Composites containing nanoparticles of amorphous calcium phosphate (NACP) remineralize tooth lesions and inhibit caries. A recent study synthesized quaternary ammonium methacrylates (QAMs) with chain lengths (CLs) of 3–18 and determined their effects on a bonding agent. This study aimed to incorporate these QAMs into NACP nanocomposites for the first time to simultaneously endow the material with antibacterial and remineralizing capabilities and to investigate the effects of the CL on the mechanical and biofilm properties. Five QAMs were synthesized: DMAPM (CL3), DMAHM (CL6), DMADDM (CL12), DMAHDM (CL16), and DMAODM (CL18). Each QAM was incorporated into a composite containing 20% NACP and 50% glass fillers. A dental plaque microcosm biofilm model was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity. The flexural strength and elastic modulus of nanocomposites with QAMs matched those of a commercial control composite (n 5 6; P . 0.1). Increasing the CL from 3 to 16 greatly enhanced the antibacterial activity of the NACP nanocomposite (P , 0.05); further increasing the CL to 18 decreased the antibacterial potency. The NACP nanocomposite with a CL of 16 exhibited biofilm metabolic activity and acid production that were 10-fold lesser than those of the control composite. The NACP nanocomposite with a CL of 16 produced 2-log decreases in the colony-forming units (CFU) of total microorganisms, total streptococci, and mutans streptococci. In conclusion, QAMs with CLs of 3–18 were synthesized and incorporated into an NACP nanocomposite for the first time to simultaneously endow the material with antibacterial and remineralization capabilities. Increasing the CL reduced the metabolic activity and acid production of biofilms and caused a 2-log decrease in CFU without compromising the mechanical properties. Nanocomposites exhibiting strong anti-biofilm activity, remineralization effects, and mechanical properties are promising materials for tooth restorations that inhibit caries.

Fallen leaves of Ficus altissima, F. virens, F. benjamina, F. fistulosa and F. semicordata, were collected in Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand and examined for fungi. Eighty taxa were identified, comprising 56 anamorphic taxa, 23 ascomycetes and 1 basidiomycete. Common fungal species occurring on five host species with high frequency of occurrence were Beltraniella nilgirica, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Ophioceras leptosporum, Periconia byssoides and Septonema harknessi. Colletotrichum and Stachybotrys were also common genera. The leaves of different Ficus species supported diverse fungal taxa, and the fungal assemblages on the different hosts showed varying overlap. The fungal diversity of saprobes at the host species level is discussed.
Ascomycota ; isolation & purification ; Basidiomycota ; isolation & purification ; Ecosystem ; Ficus ; microbiology ; Fungi ; classification ; isolation & purification ; Mitosporic Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Plant Leaves ; microbiology ; Species Specificity ; Thailand

In this study we take a closer look at the diseases that afflicted Japanese police officers who were stationed in a remote mountainous region of Taiwan from 1921 to 1944. Samples were taken from the latrine at the Huabanuo police outpost, and analyzed for the eggs of intestinal parasites, using microscopy and ELISA. The eggs of Eurytrema sp., (possibly E. pancreaticum), whipworm and roundworm were shown to be present. True infection with Eurytrema would indicate that the policemen ate uncooked grasshoppers and crickets infected with the parasite. However, false parasitism might also occur if the policemen ate the uncooked intestines of infected cattle, and the Eurytrema eggs passed through the human intestines. These findings provide an insight into the diet and health of the Japanese colonists in Taiwan nearly a century ago.
Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cattle ; Diet ; Eggs ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Grasshoppers ; Gryllidae ; Humans ; Intestines ; Microscopy ; Ovum ; Parasites ; Police ; Taiwan ; Toilet Facilities

Sporidesmiopsis zhejiangensis sp. nov. and Spadicoides americana were found on submerged wood from streams in Zhejiang Province, China. Sporidesmiopsis zhejiangensis is characterized by obclavate to fusiform, 5-6-distoseptate, versicolorous, verruculose conidia with an apical mucilaginous sheath. Spadicoides americana is a new record to China. These taxa are described and illustrated, and morphological differences between these species and their similar species were summarized.
Ascomycota ; classification ; growth & development ; isolation & purification ; China ; Fresh Water ; microbiology ; Mitosporic Fungi ; classification ; growth & development ; isolation & purification ; Species Specificity ; Wood ; microbiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of a new IPS-Empress 2 dental glass-ceramic.

METHODSAFM, SEM and XRD were used to analyze the microstructure and crystal phase of IPS-Empress 2 glass-ceramic. The flexural strength and fracture toughness were tested using 3-point bending method and indentation method respectively.

RESULTSIPS-Empress 2 glass-ceramic mainly consisted of lithium disilicate crystal, lithium phosphate and glass matrix, which formed a continuous interlocking structure. The crystal phases were not changed before and after hot-pressed treatment. AFM showed nucleating agent particles of different sizes distributed on the highly polished ceramic surface. The strength and fracture toughness were 300 MPa and 3.1 MPam(1/2).

CONCLUSIONThe high strength and fracture toughness of IPS-Empress 2 glass ceramic are attributed to the fine lithium disilicate crystalline, interlocking microstructure and crack deflection.

Aluminum Silicates ; chemistry ; Compressive Strength ; Dental Porcelain ; chemistry ; Materials Testing ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Tensile Strength ; X-Ray Diffraction

OBJECTIVETo establish a RP-HPLC method for the determination of swertiamarin, sweroside, gentiopicrin and oleanolic acid in different parts of Swertia pseudochinesis.

METHODA Zorbax SB-C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column was used with acetonitrile-water (10:90) and methnol-water(86:14) at detection wavelengths of 238 nm, 246 nm, 274 nm and 207 nm for swertiamarin, sweroside, gentiopicrin and oleanolic acid respectively. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1) and the column temperature was 25 degrees C.

RESULTAll of the compounds were based--isolated. The linear ranges of swertiamarin, sweroside, gentiopicrin and oleanolic acid were 0.068 9-0.344 4(r = 0.999 2) , 0.001 1-0.014 0 (r2 = 0. 999 8), 0.001 1-0.013 4 (r2 = 0.999 9) and 0.001 1-0.008 8 mg x mL(-1) (r2 = 0. 999 6), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple and accurate, which can be used for quality control of S. pseudochinesis.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Flowers ; chemistry ; Glucosides ; analysis ; Iridoid Glucosides ; Iridoids ; analysis ; Oleanolic Acid ; analysis ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pyrones ; analysis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Swertia ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; analysis