[doi:10.1063/1.3563571]“
“Background: Best practice for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device optimization is not established. This study compared Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) to study left ventricular (LV) synchrony and left ventricular outflow tract
velocity-time integral (LVOT VTI) to assess hemodynamic performance.
Methods: LVOT VTI and LV synchrony were tested in 50 patients at three interventricular (VV) delays (LV preactivation at -30 ms, simultaneous biventricular pacing, and right ventricular selleck screening library preactivation at +30 ms), selecting the highest VTI and the greatest degree of superposition of the displacement curves, respectively, as the optimum VV delay.
Results: In 39 patients (81%), both techniques agreed (Kappa = 0.65, p < 0.0001) on the optimum VV delay. LV preactivation (VV – 30) was the interval most frequently chosen.
Conclusions: Both TDI and LVOT VTI are useful CRT programming methods for VV optimization. The best hemodynamic response correlates with the best synchrony. In most patients, the optimum check details VV interval is LV preactivation. (PACE 2011;34:984-990)”
“6,13 Pentacenequinone (PQ) ultrathin films (3 and 5 nm nominal thickness) have been grown by means of ultrahigh vacuum deposition onto 100 nm thick SiO2/Si(100). The structure and morphology of the thin films have been
studied with field emission-scanning electron microscopy, tapping mode atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The growth begins with PQ molecules standing almost upright (with respect to the substrate) and selleck kinase inhibitor aggregating into two-dimensional 3.62 nm thick pseudodendritic islands. The islands are characterized by two preferential growth directions (at 117 degrees), a clear evidence of a chiral growth. The thickness of the islands and the angle formed by the two directions of preferential
growth, allow a straightforward assignment to a PQ initial growth in the “”bulk”" phase. Above the critical thickness of 3.62 nm the PQ growth proceeds in a Stranski-Krastanov mode, with the formation of “”bulk”" and “”thin-film”" phase crystallites. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3549833]“
“Introduction: Depression predicts mortality in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure. However, its effect on patient outcome in the presence of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has not been investigated.
Methods: A total of 236 ICD patients (76 females, 58.6 +/- 14.0 years) were screened for depressive symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The outcome measure was all-cause mortality and the prognostic effect of depression was evaluated with Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.
Results: Fifty (21%) patients reported depressive symptoms (HADS score >= 8). Renal failure (odds ratio [OR] = 4.0, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.47-10.87, P = 0.007), prior angina (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.07-4.12, P = 0.