bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Peri-Infarct Pacing Early After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Chung Eugene S. , Dan Dan , Solomon Scott D. , Bank Alan J. , Pastore Joseph , Iyer Anand , Berger Ronald D. , Franklin Jay O. , Jones Gregory , Machado Christian , Stolen Craig M. 
Published: September 2010

Background—
Left ventricular (LV) remodeling has been attributed to the segmental loss of viable myocardium due to myocardial infarction (MI), which results in redistribution of cardiac workload, with increased regional wall stress in and around the infarct zone. Because ventricular pacing has been shown to reduce regional wall stress and workload in regions near the pacing site, this trial was designed to test whether chronic pacing near the infarct attenuates LV remodeling.

Methods and Results—

Eighty patients with an anterior MI, peak creatine kinase >2000 mU/mL, ejection fraction ≤35%, wall motion abnormality (WMA) in >5 of 16 segments, and QRS <120 ms, were randomized to either control (implantable cardioverter-defribillator [ICD]) or biventricular pacing with peri-infarct LV lead placement (cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT]-D) arms between 2 and 14 days after the MI. The primary end point—change in LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) from baseline to 12 months—was not significantly different between the 2 groups (CRT, 10.6±27.7 mL; ICD, 11.2±31.2 mL; 2-sample
t
test
P
>0.05). In a hypothesis-generating secondary analysis, there was a sustained reduction in the WMA score at 12 months in paced patients (CRT, −0.16±0.28; ICD, −0.01±0.24, 2-sample
t
test
P
=0.03). No differences were found in the therapy-related event rate, hospitalizations, or mortality (all
P
>0.05).

Conclusions—
Chronic pacing in the infarct region did not alter the primary end point of LV remodeling over 1 year.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00605631.
Validation of 3D Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Ventricular Volumes, Mass, and Ejection Fraction in Neonates and Infants With Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Friedberg Mark K. , Su Xioahong , Tworetzky Wayne , Soriano Brian D. , Powell Andrew J. , Marx Gerald R. 
Published: September 2010

Background—
Quantitative assessment and validation of left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass in neonates and infants with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) is important for clinical management but has not been undertaken. We compared matrix-array 3D echocardiography (3D echo) measurements of volumes, mass, and ejection fraction (EF) with those measured by cardiac MRI in young patients with CHD and small LVs because of either young age or LV hypoplasia.

Methods and Results—

Thirty-five patients aged <4 years (median, 0.8 years) undergoing MRI were prospectively enrolled. Three-dimensional echo was acquired immediately after MRI, and volume, mass, and EF measurements, using summation of discs methodology, were compared with MRI. Three-dimensional echo end-diastolic volume (24.4±15.7 versus 24.8±46.4 mL;
P
=0.01; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.96) and end-systolic volume (12.3±8.6 versus 9.6±6.8 mL;
P
<0.001; ICC, 0.90) correlated with MRI with small mean differences (−0.49 mL [
P
=0.6] and 2.7 mL [
P
=0.001], respectively). Three-dimensional echo EF was smaller than MRI by 9.3% (
P
<0.001), and 3D echo LV mass measurements were comparable to MRI (17.3±10.3 versus 17.6±12 g;
P
<0.77; ICC, 0.93), with a small mean difference (1.1 g;
P
=0.28). There was good intra- and interobserver reliability for all measurements.

Conclusions—
In neonates and infants with CHD and small LVs (age appropriate or hypoplastic), matrix-array 3D echo measurements of mass and volumes compare well with MRI, providing an important modality for ventricular size and performance analysis in these patients, particularly in those with left-side heart obstructive lesions.
Coronary Microvascular Function in Early Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Charytan David M. , Shelbert Heinrich R. , Di Carli Marcelo F. 
Published: September 2010

Background—
Coronary microvascular dysfunction may underlie the high cardiovascular risk associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the effects of CKD on coronary microvasculature function remain uncertain.

Methods and Results—

We assessed myocardial blood flow changes in mild-to-moderate CKD and analyzed the association between creatinine clearance (CrCl) and peak myocardial blood flow and coronary flow reserve (CFR) measured as the ratio of stress to rest perfusion at baseline and at 1 year in 435 nondiabetic individuals who underwent quantitative rest and pharmacological stress positron emission tomography imaging. At baseline, CFR was significantly associated with CrCl (β per 10 mL/min increase, 0.07;
P
=0.001). Factors such as age and blood pressure accounted for this association, and it was not significant in adjusted analyses (β=−0.02,
P
=0.53). Peak flow was not associated with CrCl in either crude or adjusted analyses (β per 10 mL/min=−0.02 mL/min per g,
P
=0.29). Although change in peak flow at 1 year was similar in patients with and without CKD, CrCl was a strong and independent predictor of a higher rate of change in CFR, with a loss of 0.11 CFR units/y (95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.20) for each 10 mL/min drop in CrCl (
P
=0.03).

Conclusions—
These findings demonstrate that mild-to-moderate CKD is not independently associated with a reduction in peak myocardial flow or CFR and suggests that microvascular changes are unlikely to explain the high cardiovascular mortality in mild to moderate CKD. Loss of CFR, however, may accelerate in mild to moderate CKD. Further studies are needed to determine whether these changes lead to more significant reductions that may reduce peak flows and CFR and contribute to cardiovascular risk in more severe CKD.
Hemodynamic Correlates of Blood Pressure Across the Adult Age Spectrum
Authors: Mitchell Gary F. , Wang Na , Palmisano Joseph N. , Larson Martin G. , Hamburg Naomi M. , Vita Joseph A. , Levy Daniel , Benjamin Emelia J. , Vasan Ramachandran S. 
Published: September 2010

Background—
Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure are substantially higher in older adults. The relative contributions of increased forward versus reflected pressure wave amplitude or earlier arrival of the reflected wave to elevated pulse pressure remain controversial.

Methods and Results—

We measured proximal aortic pressure and flow, forward pressure wave amplitude, global wave reflection, reflected wave timing, and pulse wave velocity noninvasively in 6417 (age range, 19 to 90 years; 53 women) Framingham Heart Study Third Generation and Offspring participants. Variation in forward wave amplitude paralleled pulse pressure throughout adulthood. In contrast, wave reflection and pulse pressure were divergent across adulthood: In younger participants, pulse pressure was lower and wave reflection was higher with advancing age, whereas in older participants, pulse pressure was higher and wave reflection was lower with age. Reflected wave timing differed modestly across age groups despite considerable differences in pulse wave velocity. Forward wave amplitude explained 80 (central) and 66 (peripheral) of the variance in pulse pressure in younger participants (<50 years) and 90 and 84 in the older participants (≥50 years; all
P
<0.0001). In a stepwise model that evaluated age–pulse pressure relations in the full sample, the late accelerated increases in central and peripheral pulse pressure were markedly attenuated when variation in forward wave amplitude was considered.

Conclusions—
Higher pulse pressure at any age and higher pulse pressure with advancing age is associated predominantly with a larger forward pressure wave. The influence of wave reflection on age-related differences in pulse pressure was minor.
Noninvasive Characterization of Epicardial Activation in Humans With Diverse Atrial Fibrillation Patterns
Authors: Cuculich Phillip S. , Wang Yong , Lindsay Bruce D. , Faddis Mitchell N. , Schuessler Richard B. , Damiano Ralph J. , Li Li , Rudy Yoram 
Published: September 2010

Background—
Various mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) have been demonstrated experimentally. Invasive methods to study these mechanisms in humans have limitations, precluding continuous mapping of both atria with sufficient resolution. In this article, we present continuous biatrial epicardial activation sequences of AF in humans using noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI).

Methods and Results—
In the testing phase, ECGI accuracy was evaluated by comparing ECGI with coregistered CARTO images during atrial pacing in 6 patients. Additionally, correlative observations from catheter mapping and ablation were compared with ECGI in 3 patients. In the study phase, ECGI maps during AF in 26 patients were analyzed for mechanisms and complexity. ECGI noninvasively imaged the low-amplitude signals of AF in a wide range of patients (97 procedural success). Spatial accuracy for determining initiation sites from pacing was 6 mm. Locations critical to maintenance of AF identified during catheter ablation were identified by ECGI; ablation near these sites restored sinus rhythm. In the study phase, the most common patterns of AF were multiple wavelets (92), with pulmonary vein (69) and non–pulmonary vein (62) focal sites. Rotor activity was seen rarely (15). AF complexity increased with longer clinical history of AF, although the degree of complexity of nonparoxysmal AF varied widely.

Conclusions—
ECGI offers a noninvasive way to map epicardial activation patterns of AF in a patient-specific manner. The results highlight the coexistence of a variety of mechanisms and variable complexity among patients. Overall, complexity generally increased with duration of AF.
Extensive Primary Repair of the Thoracic Aorta in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection by Means of Ascending Aorta Replacement Combined With Open Placement of Triple-Branched Stent Graft
Authors: Chen Liang-Wan , Dai Xiao-Fu , Lu Lin , Zhang Gui-Can , Cao Hua 
Published: September 2010

Background—
To simplify extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta in acute type A aortic dissection, we developed the open triple-branched stent graft placement technique. The early results of this new technique are reported.

Methods and Results—
Between June 2008 and November 2009, 30 patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta by means of ascending aorta replacement combined with open placement of triple-branched stent graft. Placement of the triple-branched stent graft into the true lumen of the descending aorta, arch, and 3 arch vessels was technically successful in all patients. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time, and lower body arrest time were 151.8±16.69, 84.1±6.97, and 31.17±5.34 minutes, respectively. The postoperative mechanical ventilation support period and duration of intensive care unit stay were 17.93±2.35 and 62.10±9.24 hours, respectively. All implanted stent grafts were fully opened and not kinked; there was no space or blood flow surrounding the triple-branched stent graft and no sidearm graft stenosis or occlusion. The false lumen of the descending aorta distal to the stent graft closed with thrombus in 25 of 30 patients at their first postoperative scans and in 26 of 30 at the 3-month postoperative scan.

Conclusions
Open triple-branched stent graft placement is an effective technique with satisfactory early results. With this technique, extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta may become easier and safer for acute type A aortic dissection.
“God Is Witness” A Classical Rhetorical Idiom in Its Pauline Usage
Authors: Novenson Matthew V. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractFive times in the undisputed letters Paul invokes God as guarantor of the truth of a claim with a form of the phrase “God is witness.” Interpreters have long identified these sayings as self-imprecatory oaths after a pattern attested in the Hebrew Bible. In this article, I argue that the Pauline phrase “God is witness” is not a self-imprecatory oath at all, but rather a figure of speech with roots in the rhetoric of classical Greece and a long tradition in postclassical pagan, Jewish, and Christian literature. In this figure of speech, God is not testifying against Paul in case Paul should default on a promise; rather God is testifying for Paul that Paul’s character can be trusted.
Remembered Traditions and Lifestyles of Soviet Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Kurmangaliyeva Ercilasun Güljanat 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis article is mainly based on the outcome of the first stage of the oral-history project Living History of Central Asian People: The Case of Kyrgyzstan. In this project, the actors and eyewitnesses of the Soviet period, who are now seventy years old and more, tell us their life stories and share their memories; in this way, they constitute important sources for the history of Kyrgyzstan during the Soviet period. Their memories, feelings and stories do not always match official or generally accepted historical accounts. In this article, not only the political and economic aspects of Soviet Kyrgyzstan will be addressed, but everyday life will be also revealed as one main focal point. The memories of traditions and lifestyles in Kyrgyzstan during the Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev eras will be analysed.
Life Histories of Forgotten Heroes? Transgression of Boundaries and the Reconstruction of Tibet in the post-Mao Era
Authors: Diemberger Hildegard 
Published: September 2010

AbstractOral-history projects in the Tibetan areas of China face the challenge of dealing with a highly contested history and a sensitive political context that raises numerous ethical questions. At the same time, this particular situation makes them compelling. This paper looks at some examples of local cadres, heads of monasteries and village elders who were a driving force in the reconstruction of the Tibetan social and cultural fabric in the 1980s and 1990s. These are people who had experienced Tibet before its radical reshaping through the Democratic Reforms of 1959, survived the Cultural Revolution and, after 1978, led their communities in their endeavours of reviving Tibetan traditions and promoting local welfare. This generation of political and religious leaders has now largely disappeared from the active scene. Their personal involvement, often above and beyond their official roles, has been crucial in the shaping of contemporary Tibet. However, Chinese official narratives and those of Tibetan exile – for opposite reasons – tend to neglect or misrepresent their contribution. This paper shows how the collecting of life histories and personal accounts makes it possible to reconstruct a 'history from below', otherwise consigned to oblivion. At the same time it provides some telling examples of how leaders negotiated the shifting boundary between the religious and the secular while trying to reconcile the moral authority of the past with a modernist vision of society. An engagement with oral history may thus provide some insights into the current tensions within the emerging Tibetan civil society that straddles a difficult pathway between the tenets of Chinese socialism and deeply engrained Buddhist morality.
Godliness, Self-Sufficiency, Greed, and the Enjoyment of Wealth 1 Timothy 6:3-19 Part I
Authors: Malherbe Abraham J. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIn 1 Tim 5, the author turns to the church’s financial support of some of its members, and in chap. 6 discusses individual attitudes toward money and its use. The article concentrates on chap. 6, especially vv. 17-19, and argues that, while philosophical sources are of prime importance in describing the moral teaching inculcated, popular morality, represented by clichés, proverbs, gnomai, drama, satire and inscriptions, makes possible a thicker description of the moral ecology of the Pastoral Epistles. What emerges is a variety of sometimes similar teaching relating to wealth. The diversity of viewpoint on the same topics relating to wealth suggests that it is more realistic to see 1 Tim 6:17-19 as one among other view-points rather than as derived from one or another of them. What is striking is the prominence given to enjoyment in the proper use of wealth.
One Really Striking Minor Agreement ΤΙΣ ΕΣΤΙΝ Ο ΠΑΙΣΑΣ ΣΕ in Matthew 26:68 and Luke 22:64
Authors: Black Steve D. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIt is asserted that Matt 26:68|Luke 22:64(|Mark 14:65) is the most difficult of the minor agreements. Some advocates of the two-source theory have addressed this minor agreement by trying to make sense of the narrative as we have it, and others by making sense of the text as we have it (arguing for textual corruption or lost recensions). While some of these arguments are reasonable, in the final analysis they are not satisfying. Although we might remain persuaded that the two-source theory best integrates the data relating to the synoptic problem, this minor agreement reminds us that the synoptic problem is still a problem.
Migrants referring to the Bologna Transcultural Psychiatric Team: Reasons for drop-out
Authors: Tarricone Ilaria , Atti Anna Rita , Braca Mauro , Pompei Graziano , Morri Michela , Poggi Francesca , Melega Saverio , Stivanello Elisa , Tonti Lorenza , Nolet Maria , Berardi Domenico 
Published: September 2010

Background: Recent immigrants face various difficulties in adjusting to western countries and show a high prevalence of mental disorders. Access to a culturally appropriate community mental health centre (CMHC) is crucial for immigrants (Bhui et al., 2007). The Bologna West Transcultural Psychiatric Team (BoTPT, Tarricone et al., 2009) is one of the first projects in Italy that prioritizes cultural competence care. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this service and to describe what characteristics of patient and psychiatric intervention are related to ‘drop-out’. Method: All migrants who consecutively attended the BoTPT between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2008 were included and evaluated at first contact and again six months later. Results: After six months we followed up 162 patients; 32 (17.9%) of these had interrupted treatment. Non-Asian origin, a recent history of migration and not receiving social intervention were the strongest predictors of drop-out cases. Conclusion: Psychiatric consultation services to migrants could be made more effective by enhancing: (a) cultural competence, through cultural mediator involvement; and (b) social support from the first psychiatric contact. These two characteristics of psychiatric consultation could be developed from resources ordinarily present in the context of a CMHC and could then become a cost-effective strategy for addressing mental health needs among first-generation immigrants.
Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood: Long-term outcome
Authors: Krams Benjamin , Echenne Bernard , Leydet Julie , Rivier François , Roubertie Agathe 
Published: September 2010

Introduction Benign paroxysmal vertigo (BPV) is characterized by recurrent attacks of dizziness in a healthy child. Complete recovery typically takes place during childhood, and an epidemiological link with migraine has been pointed out. Nevertheless, data concerning long-term patient outcome are scarce. Subjects and methods We analyzed the clinical data of 17 patients diagnosed with BPV between 1991 and 2008 in our neuropediatric department; we particularly focused on family medical history and long-term patient outcome by reviewing their medical files and by interviewing the families with a standardized questionnaire administered by phone. Results Thirteen families responded to the questionnaire, performed 1.1 to 24.5 years after onset. Among 10 patients older than 11 years of age, five continue to suffer attacks of vertigo. Median age at recovery was six years. Nine subjects exhibited migraine, including all six aged 15 years or older. There was a first-degree history of migraine in eight out of 13 children. Conclusion BPV may not be a homogeneous condition, as some children have a poorer prognosis than others. The strong link with migraine, already noticed by previous authors, led us to discuss the pathophysiology of this condition.
Simultaneous Transitions: Democratization, Neoliberalization, and Possibilities for Class Compromise in South Korea
Authors: Kim Wonik 
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this paper is to bring class compromise back into the study of South Korean political economy and present it as a possible alternative to the overwhelmingly one-sided neoliberal trajectory in South Korea. The process and conditions under which positive class compromise is acquired are identified in terms of the Polanyi-Gramsci nexus. This perspective suggests that the restoration of state-led developmentalism would be unfeasible under a democratic regime, while the implementation of a purely neoliberal blueprint may lead to unproductive class conflict. Employing this theoretical framework, I examine possibilities for positive class compromise in the context of the simultaneous transitions—democratization and neoliberalization—in South Korea. JEL classification: B5, H7, O53, P5
Chamosite, a naturally occurring clay as a versatile catalyst for various organic transformations
Authors: Arundhathi R. , Sreedhar B. , Parthasarathy G. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe chlorite-group mineral chamosite occurs in nanocrystalline form (~200 nm grain size) as a naturally occurring clay in the Quaternary marine sedimentary deposits near Kudiamozhi, Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu, India; samples were used in this study as a reusable catalyst. The clay has the usual alternating tetrahedral-octahedral-tetrahedral silicate/aluminate/silicate layer structural arrangement (sometimes called the 2:1 silicate or talc layer structure). The interlayer and the t-o-t layer are bound together by both electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding forces. This natural clay catalyst has been well characterized by various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), thermal analysis and BET surface area measurements (Sreedhar et al., 2009); it has been utilized for various organic transformations such as acylation of alcohols and amines, cyclization of arylaldehydes with O-phenylenediamines and C-O bond formation reactions.
A mineralogical identification of a Tunisian clayey soil and fabric changes during wetting
Authors: Souli H. , Fleureau J.-M. , Trabelsi Ayadi M. , Kbir-Ariguib N. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractA clayey soil from southern Tunisia has been studied in order to assess its possible use as an anti-pollution barrier. The soil has been characterized from both geotechnical and physicochemical points of view. The physicochemical characterization was carried out using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses, specific surface area and cation exchange capacity measurements. Hydration tests were carried out using oedometers to determine the swelling behaviour of compacted specimens under different stress conditions. The large swelling pressure (420 kPa) is in agreement with the mainly smectitic character of the soil highlighted by the physicochemical tests. The changes in the fabric of the soil and in its porosity after the hydration tests were investigated using the same physicochemical methods, and related to the macroscopic hydro-mechanical properties. X-ray diffraction and mercury intrusion measurements show that there are changes in the interlayer spacing, particle size and inter-aggregate pore distribution. Comparing the properties of the soil with the Belgian guidelines for the construction of anti-pollution barriers showed that the material was suitable for that use.