Expression of the gene for iNOS was not detected while that for cathepsin G was shown, however its intensity was

not associated with MtrA mutation. ISRIB research buy Mtb mutant strains were more effectively enclosed in phagosomes containing the late endosome marker Rab7 as compared to the control.

Conclusions: The results may confirm the importance of the MtrAB system in mycobacterial capacity for successful survival in phagocytes, especially in the context of high degree of colocalization of Mtb Rv-78 to mature phagosomes.”
“The effects of culture time on antioxidant and anticancer activities of red yeast rice-garlic (RYRG) ethanol extracts were investigated. RYRG is a product of red yeast rice (Monascus pilosus) grown in medium

containing garlic for 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. The total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of RYRG extracts were increasing with the length of culture periods. The DPPH free radical scavenging activity of RYRG extracts also increased with culture time. The RYRG extracts prevented brain lipid peroxidation in culture time dependent manner. The RYRG extracts showed anti-proliferative effects against selleck chemicals llc HepG2 human liver cancer cells, HT-29 human colon cancer cells, and B16F10 murine melanoma cells. The IC50 value of 8-week fermented RYRG extract was the lowest among sample groups. Therefore, the results indicated that RYRG extracts exhibit culture time-dependent antioxidant and anti-cancer activities associated with the increase on phenolic and flavonoid contents. The RYRG extract is therefore a promising candidate as chemopreventive agents.”
“We have investigated click here the effect of postgrowth thermal annealing on the electron emission from InAs quantum dots (QDs) containing a misfit-related defect state induced by strain relaxation. Additional carrier depletion in the

GaAs bottom layer near the QD, caused by the defect state, can effectively suppress electron tunneling from the QD, leading to the observation of a thermal emission from the QD electron ground state to the GaAs conduction band with a large emission energy of 213 meV, in contrast to defect-free nonrelaxed QDs in which an emission of 58 meV from the QD electron ground state to first excited state is observed. The emission energy is reduced to 193 meV and to 164 meV after annealing at 650 and 700 degrees C for 1 min, respectively. This emission energy reduction is correlated with the photoluminescence blueshift which is attributed to the interdiffusion of atoms across the QD interface. The electron emission from the QD first excited and ground states is found to be a thermal emission at high temperatures and a tunneling emission at low temperatures. The tunneling energy barrier is found to be comparable to the thermal emission energy, supporting a thermal emission to the GaAs conduction band.

METHODS: Women with stage II or greater anterior prolapse were randomly assigned

to three groups: anterior colporrhaphy, paravaginal repair with porcine dermis, or polypropylene mesh. Outcomes of prolapse stage, quality of life, degree of bother, and sexual symptoms were assessed by blinded examiners and validated measures at 2 years. Anatomic failure was defined as anterior prolapse at PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor clinical trial stage II or greater. Composite failure was defined as symptoms of “”bulge”" and anterior prolapse at stage II or greater. Power calculations deter-mined 33 participants per arm would detect a 40% difference in anatomic success between standard and grafted repair. chi(2), Mann-Whitney U, and Student’s t tests were used for comparisons.

RESULTS: Of the 99 participants enrolled, 78 (79%) completed a minimum of 2-year follow-up. Those with mesh had a significantly lower anatomic failure rate (18%) than both the porcine (46%, P=.015) and colporrhaphy groups

(58%, P=.002). All groups had statistically similar reductions in their prolapse and urinary symptom subscale scores. Composite failure was not statistically different between groups: 13% colporrhaphy, 12% porcine, and 4% mesh. Two reoperations for anterior prolapse occurred in the porcine group. Mesh erosion rates were 14% for the mesh group.

CONCLUSION: Vaginal paravaginal repair with polypropylene mesh has the lowest anatomic failure AZD6244 nmr rate when compared with that with xenograft and anterior colporrhaphy without differences in composite failures.”
“Reactions of 2-bromo-N-(cyclopent-2-en-1-yl)-4-methylaniline and N-(cyclopent-2-en-1-yl)-2-iodo-4,6-dimethylaniline with acetyl bromide in the presence HM781-36B solubility dmso of potassium carbonate gave mixtures of syn and anti atropisomers of the corresponding N-acetyl derivatives at ratios of 1: 1 and 3: 2 respectively. Heating of these mixtures in toluene in the presence of Pd(OAc)(2), PPh3, Et3N, and K2CO3 (KOAc) afforded mixtures of isomeric

N-acetyl-7-methyl-3,3a,4,8b- and -1,3a,4,8b-tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]indoles at a ratio of 3: 1 or N-acetyl-5,7-dimethyl-3,3a,4,8b- and -1,3a,4,8b-tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]indoles at a ratio of 2: 3. N-Acetyl-3,3a,4,8b-tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]indole was found to undergo thermal isomerization into N-acetyl-1,3a,4,8btetrahydrocyclopenta[b]indole.”
“Heavy metal stress has been considered as a big threat for the production of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). This study tested the hypothesis that 5-aminolevlinic acid (ALA) has ameliorating role under lead (Pb)-toxicity in oilseed rape. Plants were grown hydroponically in greenhouse conditions under three levels of Pb (0, 100, and 400 mu M) and ALA was applied as foliar application at two concentrations (0 and 25 mg l(-1)).

3565194]”
“Although the self-condensing atom transfer radical polymerization (SCATRP) of inimers with typical comonomers has been extensively performed, there have been few reports to correlate the reactivity ratio with the growth of the molecular weights (MWs) and the development of branched structures. Thus, the SCATRP

of inimers of different reactivity ratios, namely, 4-chloromethylstyrene (CMS) and maleimide (MI) inimers, with a large excess of styrene (St) were carried out, respectively, to examine the effect. The conversion and MW were monitored by gas chromatography, gel permeation chromatography, and multiangle laser light scattering. The results suggested that CMS merely functioned as an initiator for St at the early stage; this led to linear macroinimers, which learn more underwent SCATRP and gave rise to randomly branched polystyrene

(PS) only at high conversion. The MI inimers formed charge-transfer complexes with St and underwent the SCATRP to result in hyperbranched copolymers at first; this initiated the atom transfer radical polymerization of St and led to star-shaped PS. With the objective of improving the processability and melt fluidity, the physical properties of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) blends with linear, randomly Selleckchem Blebbistatin branched, and star-shaped PS were compared. In comparison with those with linear PS, the PPO/branched PS blends exhibited a higher glass-transition temperature, a higher melt flow index, and a comparable thermal stability because of the spherical G418 architecture of the branched PS. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 121:2957-2968, 2011″
“Background: Anemia is common among children in developing countries and is associated with decreased cognitive and physical development. Iron-fortified foods may decrease child anemia.

Objective: The objective was to describe the association between iron-fortified milk and iron-fortified noodle consumption and anemia in children aged 6-59 mo.

Design: Consumption of fortified milk and fortified noodles and child anemia were assessed in 81,885 families from rural and 26,653 families from urban slum

areas in Indonesia.

Results: The proportions of children who received fortified milk and noodles were 30.1% and 22.6%, respectively, in rural families and 40.1% and 48.9%, respectively, in urban families. The prevalence of anemia among children from rural families was 55.9% and from urban families was 60.8%. Children from rural and urban families were less likely to be anemic if they received fortified milk [odds ratio (OR): 0.76; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.80 (P < 0.0001) and OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.86 (P < 0.0001), respectively] but not fortified noodles [OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.09 (P = 0.56) and OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.02 (P = 0.16), respectively] in multiple logistic regression models with adjustment for potential confounders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups 1 week after ovariectomy: the normal control PF-6463922 group, the CIH group, the CIH with low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose genistein groups. Rats in the latter four groups were exposed to CIH for 5 weeks. Twitch tension, tetanic tension, and fatigue resistance of genioglossus were investigated. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and ERK1/2 were detected.

RESULTS: Muscle fatigue resistance and enzymatic activity of GPx, CAT,

and SOD were reduced after CIH exposure and improved by different doses of https://www.selleckchem.com/btk.html genistein at different degrees. CIH increased the level of ROS and MDA, and they were returned

to normal by genistein. The expression of phospho-ERK1/2 is opposite to the changes in muscle fatigue resistance.

CONCLUSION: Chronic intermittent hypoxia decreases fatigue resistance of genioglossus, and genistein treatment reverses the fatigability of genioglossus by downregulation of oxidative stress level and up-regulation of antioxidant enzymatic activity probably through ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Oral Diseases (2011) 17, 677-684″
“Dendritic cells have a central role in HIV infection. On one hand, they are essential to induce strong HIV-specific CD4(+) helper T-cell responses that are crucial to achieve a sustained and effective HIV-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte able to control HIV replication. On the other hand, DCs contribute to virus dissemination and HIV itself could avoid a correct antigen presentation. As the efficacy of immune therapy and therapeutic vaccines against HIV infection has been modest in the best of cases, it has been hypothesized that ex vivo generated DC therapeutic vaccines aimed to

induce effective specific HIV immune responses might overcome some of these problems. In fact, DC-based vaccine clinical trials have yielded the best results in this field. However, despite these encouraging results, functional VE-821 in vitro cure has not been reached with this strategy in any patient. In this Commentary, we discuss new approaches to improve the efficacy and feasibility of this type of therapeutic vaccine.”
“Patient: 54-year-old male

Chief Complaint: High fever, diarrhea, and skin rash

History of Present Illness: The patient is blood type group AB, Rh(D) positive with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Due to the advanced nature of his disorder, he received a liver transplant; the donor was group B. The patient received 24 units of blood during and after surgery. Fourteen days post transplant he was discharged. Thirty one days post transplant the patient presented with the current symptoms.

9) in comparison to the first and third trimesters (22.4 +/- 4.1 and 18.6 +/- 3.8, respectively). Total FSFI score was found to be positively correlated to pre-conception total FSFI score. However, age, parity and duration of marriage were negatively correlated.

ConclusionFSD is a prevalent problem during pregnancy among Egyptian women. The magnitude of the problem is highest during the third trimester while the

second trimester represents the peak of sexual function during pregnancy.”
“Objective. The objective of this study RG-7388 was to quantify the network complexity, information flow, and effect of critical-node failures on a prototypical regional anesthesia and perioperative pain medicine (RAPPM) service using social network analysis. Design. Pilot cross-sectional investigation. Setting. This study was conducted at a prototypical single-center, multi-location academic anesthesiology department with an active selleck RAPPM service. Interventions. We constructed an empirically derived prototypical social network representative of a large academic RAPPM service. Outcome Measures. The primary objective was measurement of network complexity via network size, structure, and information flow metrics. The secondary objective identified, via network simulation, those nodes whose deletion via single, two-level, or three-level node failures would result

in the greatest network fragmentation. Exploratory analyses measured the impact of nodal failures on the resulting network complexity. Results. The baseline network consisted FK228 order of 84 nodes and 208 edges with a low density of 0.03 and high Krackhardt hierarchy of

0.787. Nodes exhibited low average total degree centrality (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]) of 0.03 +/- 0.034 and mean eigenvector centrality of 0.164 +/- 0.182. The RAPPM resident-on-call was identified as the critical node in a single-node failure, with the resulting network fragmentation increasing from 0 to 0.52 upon node failure. A two-level failure involved both the RAPPM resident-on-call as well as the RAPPM attending-on-call, with the resulting fragmentation expanding to 0.772. A three-level node failure included the RAPPM resident-on-call, the main block-room attending, and block room fellow with fragmentation increasing to 0.814. Conclusions. The RAPPM service entails considerable network complexity and increased hierarchy, but low centrality. The network is at considerable fragmentation risk from even single-node failure.”
“Osteochondral lesions (OCLs) are rare joint disorders, typically found in the larger joints of the body and less so in smaller joints (J Bone Joint Surg Am 41-A: 988-1020, 1959; Arthroscopy 6(3): 190-197, 1990; Clin Orthop Relat Res 148: 245-253, 1980). Although their specific cause is subject to frequent debate, they are often caused by trauma with subsequent compromise of the articular cartilage (Arthroscopy 6(3): 190-197, 1990; J Bone Joint Surg Am 78(3): 439-456, 1996).

RESULTS: The sample consisted of 1,516 cases (male: female ratio 3.5: 1, aged 53.2 +/- 12.6 years). The following main etiological factors were observed: chronic alcoholism alone (39.7%), chronic alcoholism in association with HBV or HCV (16.1%), HCV alone (14.5%) and in association with alcoholism

(8.6%) (total, 23.1%), and HBV alone (13.1%) and in association with alcoholism (7.5%, total 20.6%). The remaining etiologies included cryptogenic cases (9.8%) and other causes (6.0%). The mean patient age was lower and the male-to-female ratio was higher in the cirrhosis cases that were associated with alcoholism or HBV compared with other causes. NSC23766 mouse Intravenous drug abuse and a history of surgery or blood transfusion were significantly associated with HCV infection. Hepatocellular carcinoma was present at the time of diagnosis in 15.4% of cases. Chronic alcoholism associated with HCV infection was significantly associated (p<0.001) with reduced age (at the time of cirrhosis diagnosis) and increased prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (p = 0.052).

CONCLUSION: Alcoholism, HCV and HBV are the main factors associated with liver cirrhosis in the state SCH727965 cost of Espirito

Santo. Chronic alcoholism associated with HCV infection reduced the age of patients at the time of liver cirrhosis diagnosis.”
“A self-designed novel solid-state fermentation (SSF) bioreactor named “”gas double-dynamic solid-state fermentation bioreactor (GDSFB)”" showed great success in processes for the production of several valuable products. For the present study, a simple GDSFB (2 L in volume) was designed to investigate the impact of exhaust time on SSF performance. Both air pressure and vent aperture significantly influenced the exhaust time. The production of cellulase by Penicillium decumbens JUA10 was studied in this bioreactor. When the vent aperture was maintained

at 0.2 cm, the highest FPA activity of 17.2 IU/g dry solid-state medium was obtained at an air pressure of 0.2 MPa (gauge pressure). When the air pressure was maintained at 0.2 MPa, a vent aperture of 0.3 cm gave the highest FPA activity of 18.0 IU/g dry learn more solid-state medium. Further analysis revealed that the exhaust time was a crucial indicator of good performance in GDSFB.”
“A proteasome is a multi-subunit protein complex, which plays a central role in ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation in all eukaryotic cells. The 26S proteasome is composed of a catalytic 20S core complex and one or two 19S regulatory complexes. The 20S core complex forms a cylinder consisting of four stacked rings of seven alpha (PSMA1-7) or beta (PSMB1-7) subunits. Target proteins are degraded in the cavity of the 20S complex due to proteolytic activities of three beta subunits having catalytic sites located on the inner surface of the cylinder.

(C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose of review

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder which affects millions around the world. The incidence of T1D in children is increasing worldwide at a rate that cannot be explained by genetics alone. This review explores the recent research regarding possible causes of this epidemic.

Recent selleck products findings

Investigation into T1D epidemiology has recently focused on several hypotheses. These theories include the role of infections, early childhood diet, vitamin D exposure, environmental pollutants, increased height

velocity, obesity, and insulin resistance in the risk for T1D. Over the past year, the evidence has strengthened for early childhood infections, dietary proteins, and insulin resistance as risk factors

for T1D, but not for vitamin D exposure or environmental pollutants.

Summary

Investigation into the source of the current epidemic of T1D has shed light on several possible causes, but has not provided definitive answers, yet.”
“Background and objective:

The expression of Fc receptors for IgG (Fc gamma Rs) on neutrophils, including CD16, CD32 and CD64, may be modulated in response to sepsis. We investigated the expression of Fc gamma Rs on neutrophils and procalcitonin (PCT) find more as biomarkers of sepsis among critically ill patients.

Methods:

This prospective study was conducted in a 24-bed respiratory intensive care unit between July 2007 and June 2008. Critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation were enrolled and categorized into three groups: those with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), those with severe sepsis and those with septic shock. Expression of Fc gamma hypoxia-inducible factor pathway Rs on neutrophils was quantitatively measured by flow cytometry immediately after enrolment of the patient. Serum PCT levels were also measured. Receiver

operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the performance of Fc gamma R expression and PCT as biomarkers of sepsis.

Results:

Sixty-six patients were enrolled, including 11 with SIRS, 31 with severe sepsis and 24 with septic shock. Nineteen healthy volunteers served as normal controls. CD64 was upregulated, CD16 was downregulated and CD32 remained unchanged during sepsis. CD64 expression and the ratio of CD64/CD16 increased significantly with the severity of sepsis. However, serum PCT levels were not significantly different between SIRS and severe sepsis patients. CD64, CD64/CD16 and PCT all significantly predicted sepsis, septic shock and bacteraemia. As assessed using ROC curves, CD64 was better than PCT for differentiating SIRS from severe sepsis and septic shock. CD64 and CD64/CD16 were associated with mortality.

Conclusions:

CD64 and CD16 were differentially modulated by sepsis. CD64, CD64/CD16 and PCT may be biomarkers of sepsis. CD64 was better than PCT for identifying patients who required treatment with antibiotics.

This method, called Next Generation Mapping (NGM), uses a chastity statistic to quantify the relative contribution of the parental mutant and mapping lines to each SNP in the pooled F(2) population. It then uses this information to objectively localize the candidate mutation based on its exclusive segregation with the mutant parental line. A user-friendly, web-based tool for performing NGM analysis is available at http://bar.utoronto.ca/NGM. We used NGM to identify three genes involved in cell-wall biology in Arabidopsis Birinapant in vivo thaliana, and, in a power analysis, demonstrate success in test mappings using as few as ten F(2) lines

and a single channel of Illumina Genome Analyzer data. This strategy can easily be applied to other model organisms, and we expect that it will also have utility VX-770 cell line in crops and any other eukaryote with a completed genome sequence.”
“Delayed cerebellar development is a hallmark of Zellweger syndrome (ZS), a severe neonatal neurodegenerative disorder. ZS is caused by mutations in PEX genes, such as PEX13, which encodes a protein required for import of proteins into the peroxisome. The molecular basis of ZS pathogenesis is not known. We have created a conditional mouse mutant with brain-restricted deficiency of PEX13 that exhibits cerebellar morphological defects. PEX13 brain mutants survive into the postnatal period, with the majority dying by 35 days, and

with survival inversely related to litter size and weaning body weight. The impact on peroxisomal metabolism in the mutant brain is mixed: plasmalogen content is reduced, but very-long-chain fatty acids are normal. PEX13 brain mutants exhibit defects in reflex and motor development that correlate with impaired cerebellar fissure and cortical layer formation, granule cell migration and Purkinje cell layer development. Astrogliosis and microgliosis are prominent features of the mutant cerebellum. At the molecular level, cultured cerebellar neurons from E19 PEX13-null mice exhibit elevated levels of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial JNK inhibitor superoxide dismutase-2 (MnSOD), and show enhanced apoptosis together with mitochondrial dysfunction. PEX13 brain

mutants show increased levels of MnSOD in cerebellum. Our findings suggest that PEX13 deficiency leads to mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress, neuronal cell death and impairment of cerebellar development. Thus, PEX13-deficient mice provide a valuable animal model for investigating the molecular basis and treatment of ZS cerebellar pathology.”
“The impact of sex dimorphism on chronic renal failure (CRF)-induced oxidative multiorgan damage and the effects of estradiol (E(2)) loss and E(2) supplementation on the progress of CRF were studied. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 5/6 nephrectomy (CRF), and a group of female rats had bilateral ovariectomy (OVX), while the sham-operated rats had no nephrectomy or OVX. Rats received either estradiol propionate (50 mu g/kg/day) or vehicle for six weeks.

SGM measurements performed on NW field effect transistors reveal large scale trapping of carriers

under reverse bias, while cyclic drain current-probe voltage measurements indicate both trapping and detrapping rates to be strongly dependent on the magnitude of the reverse bias. Application of a negative probe bias pulse resulted in a drain current recovery transient with time constant 4EGI-1 supplier of tens of seconds indicating large activation energy for the traps whose density is estimated to be in excess of 2×10(13) cm(-2).”
“Background: In the current treatment paradigms for leukemias, hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is considered the best option with a curative potential although more often than not it simply delays disease

progression. Advances are needed, both in current therapies and in the development of new strategies. Partly from studying the nuances of the curative potential of stem cell transplant, we have come to appreciate the relevance of the immune response and the potential of immunotherapy.

Methods: This review article summarizes the recent advances in the field of immunology and immunotherapy for leukemia.

Results: In passive immunotherapy, Torin 2 in vitro recent progress in chimeric T-cell antigen receptor technology has been encouraging. In active immunotherapy, a cancer vaccine may potentially enhance HSCT. An overview of various clinical studies of peptide vaccination strategies focusing on molecular targets such as the Wilms’ tumor gene RG-7388 1 (WT1), proteinase 3 (PR3), and receptor for hyaluronan acid-mediated

motility (RHAMM) is provided. Cell-based vaccination strategies are also briefly explored.

Conclusions: The immune system clearly has the capacity to recognize and react to leukemic cells, and recent evidence directs our attention to the importance of mounting inflammatory and CD4 T-cell responses to complement and support the cytotoxic activity elicited by peptide vaccines.”
“The Health Resources and Services Administration launched collaboratives with the goals of increasing donation rates, increasing the number of organs transplanted, eliminating deaths on the waiting list and improving outcomes. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published requirements for organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant centers. Failure to meet CMS performance measures could result in OPOs losing their service area or transplant centers losing their CMS certification. CMS uses analyses by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) to evaluate a transplant center’s performance based on risk-adjusted outcomes. However, CMS also uses a more liberal (one-sided) statistical test rendering more centers likely to qualify as low performing. Furthermore, the SRTR model does not incorporate some important patient variables in its statistical model which may result in biased determinations of quality of care.

From 1987 to 2011, 37,293 women received annual ultrasonographic screening. Women with abnormal screens underwent tumor morphology indexing, serum biomarker analysis, and surgery.

RESULTS: Forty-seven invasive epithelial ovarian cancers selleck inhibitor and 15 epithelial ovarian tumors of low malignant potential were detected. No women with low malignant potential tumors experienced recurrent disease. Stage distribution for invasive epithelial cancers was: stage I, 22 (47%); stage II,

11 (23%); stage III, 14 (30%), and stage IV, 0 (0%). Follow-up varied from 2 months to 20.1 years (mean, 5.8 years). The 5-year survival rate for invasive epithelial ovarian cancers detected by screening was: stage I, 95%+/-4.8%; stage II, 77.1%+/-14.5%; and stage III, 76.2%+/-12.1%. The 5-year survival rate for all women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer detected by screening as well as interval cancers was 74.8%+/-6.6% compared with 53.7%+/-2.3% learn more for unscreened women with ovarian cancer from the same institution treated by the same surgical and chemotherapeutic protocols (P<.001).

CONCLUSION: Annual ultrasonographic screening of asymptomatic women achieved increased detection of early-stage ovarian cancer cases and an increase

in 5-year disease-specific survival rate for women with ovarian cancer. (Obstet Gynecol 2011;118:1212-21) DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e318238d030″
“This study investigates the effect of optimized organosilane treatments on the surface properties of flax fibres and the resulting mechanical properties and interface

modifications in flax fibres reinforced poly(lactic acid) Quisinostat solubility dmso (PLA) biocomposites. Optimizing the treatment conditions increases the hydrophobicity of the fibres, and improves significantly the mechanical properties of the biocomposites, while reducing largely the scattering. The origins of the reinforcement at the fibre/matrix interface are investigated at the macromolecular and the microstructural levels by physico-chemical and mechanical cross-analyses. It is shown that it results from both modified chemical coupling and mechanical interlocking at the fibre/matrix interface. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis reveals a decrease in damping for treated biocomposites because of the formation of a layer of immobilized macromolecular chains resulting from strong interactions at the interface. In situ observations of crack propagation by scanning electron microscopy illustrate clearly that the treated biocomposites show a cohesive interfacial failure at much higher loads, highlighting the enhanced load transfer from the PLA to the flax fibres. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose of review

Prevention of ventricular arrhythmias and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapies in patients with heart failure will be reviewed.

Recent findings

ICD utilization in patients with heart failure has resulted in significantly improved long-term survival.