Revisit of Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation; Current Trends in the Diagnosis and Management

Denisa Muraru,Elena Surkova,Luigi Paolo Badano 대한심장학회 2016 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.46 No.4

Current knowledge of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) as a progressive entity, worsening the prognosis of patients irrespective of its aetiology, has led to renewed interest in the pathophysiology and assessment of FTR. For the proper management of FTR, not only its severity, but also the mechanisms, the mode of leaflet coaptation, the degree of tricuspid annulus enlargement and leaflet tenting, and the haemodynamic consequences for right atrial and right ventricular morphology and function have to be taken into account. A better assessment of the anatomy and function of tricuspid apparatus and tricuspid regurgitation severity should help with the appropriate selection of patients who will benefit from either surgical tricuspid valve repair/replacement or a percutaneous procedure, especially among patients who are to undergo or have undergone primary left-sided valvular surgery. In this article, we review the anatomy, pathophysiology and the use of imaging techniques to assess patients with FTR, as well as the various treatment options for FTR, including emerging transcatheter procedures. The limitations affecting the current approach to FTR patients and the unmet clinical needs for their management have also been discussed.

Flax Fibres Fabric Surface Decoration with Nanoparticles - a Promising Tool for Developing Hybrid Reinforcing Agent of Thermoplastic Polymers

Maria Sonmez,Denisa Ficai,Ioana Lavinia Ardelean,Roxana Trusca,Laurentia Alexandrescu,Doina Constantinescu,Zeno Ghizdavet,Ovidiu Oprea,Anton Ficai,Ecaterina Andronescu 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.11

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of functionalized flax fabric with adequate titanium and aluminiumprecursors is presented (AlCl3 or Ti(C4H9O)4). The modified flax fabrics were analysed both visually and instrumentally byIR spectroscopy and microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis (DTA-TG). The data highlightthat the nature and amount of functionalizing agent induce important morphological changes of the surface. These flaxfabrics decorated with alumina or titanium dioxide nanoparticles are desired to be used as reinforcing agents of differentrecycled polyethylene terephthalate. The properties will be designed by the nature, processing route and amount of theprecursors used for the surface modification of these cellulosic fibres/fabrics, the surface decoration increasing their thermalproperties (especially thermal stability) but also surface properties (especially roughness, hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio,etc.). All these factors will finally induce improved compatibility between phases and thus improved physico-mechanical andthermal properties. Taking into account the large amount of natural cellulosic fibres and recycled thermoplastic polymers,added-value products will be obtained and at the same time some environmental issues are solved. The expected applicationscan include the fabrication of automotive parts, protective panels for highways and railways, etc.

Anisotropic quasilinear elliptic equations with variable exponent

Mihai Mihailescu,Denisa Stancu-Dumitru 대한수학회 2012 대한수학회지 Vol.49 No.6

We study some anisotropic boundary value problems involving variable exponent growth conditions and we establish the existence and multiplicity of weak solutions by using as main argument critical point theory.

ANISOTROPIC QUASILINEAR ELLIPTIC EQUATIONS WITH VARIABLE EXPONENT

Mihailescu, Mihai,Stancu-Dumitru, Denisa Korean Mathematical Society 2012 대한수학회지 Vol.49 No.6

We study some anisotropic boundary value problems involving variable exponent growth conditions and we establish the existence and multiplicity of weak solutions by using as main argument critical point theory.

Current Clinical Applications of Transthoracic Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

Luigi P. Badano,Francesca Boccalini,Denisa Muraru,Lucia Dal Bianco,Diletta Peluso,Roberto Bellu,Giacomo Zoppellaro,Sabino Iliceto 한국심초음파학회 2012 Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging (J Cardiovasc Im Vol.20 No.1

The advent of three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) has significantly improved the impact of non-invasive imaging on our understanding and management of cardiac diseases in clinical practice. Transthoracic 3DE enables an easier, more accurate and reproducible interpretation of the complex cardiac anatomy, overcoming the intrinsic limitations of conventional echocardiography. The availability of unprecedented views of cardiac structures from any perspective in the beating heart provides valuable clinical information and new levels of confidence in diagnosing heart disease. One major advantage of the third dimension is the improvement in the accuracy and reproducibility of chamber volume measurement by eliminating geometric assumptions and errors caused by foreshortened views. Another benefit of 3DE is the realistic en face views of heart valves, enabling a better appreciation of the severity and mechanisms of valve diseases in a unique, noninvasive manner. The purpose of this review is to provide readers with an update on the current clinical applications of transthoracic 3DE, emphasizing the incremental benefits of 3DE over conventional two-dimensional echocardiography.

Evaluation of the storage-associated changes in the fatty acid profile of oat-based gluten-free cookies prepared with different fats

Alina Culetu,Valentin Ionescu,Maria Cristina Todasca,Denisa Eglantina Duta 한국식품과학회 2020 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.29 No.6

This study was carried out to investigate storageassociatedchanges in the fatty acid profile (with GC and1H-NMR techniques) of oat-based gluten-free cookiesprepared with different fats: margarine (MAR), butter(BUT), lard (LAR), refined palm oil (RPO), refined palmoil with stearin (RPOS), and hydrogenated palm oil (HPO). GC analysis indicated that palmitic and stearic acid werethe predominant saturated fatty acids (SFAs), regardless ofthe type of fat used. cis-Oleic acid represented the majormonounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), while cis-linoleicacid was the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA). After 6 months of storage, a significant decreasingtrend in SFA concentration was observed for LAR andRPOS cookies, while a decrease in MUFA concentrationwas observed only for HPO cookies. In fresh cookies andin cookies stored for 6 months, the contents of SFA,MUFA, and PUFA determined by GC were positivelycorrelated with those determined by 1H-NMR (r[0.90).

Neuroprotective effects of <i>Scrophularia buergeriana</i> extract against glutamate-induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells

Lee, Hae Jin,Spandidos, Demetrios A.,Tsatsakis, Aristidis,Margina, Denisa,Izotov, BorisN.,Yang, Seung Hwan UNKNOWN 2019 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE Vol.43 No.5

<P>The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities, as well as the underlying mechanisms of action, of <I>Scrophularia buergeriana</I> (<I>S. buergeriana</I>) extract (SBE) in glutamate-induced SH-SY5Y cell death. The roots of <I>S. buergeriana</I> were extracted with 70% ethanol, and standardized SBE was used in this study. To induce cytotoxicity, the SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to glutamate for 3 h, or pre-treated with SBE for 1 h, and subsequently incubated with glutamate for 3 h. The neuro-protective effects were assessed by measuring cell viability and the total glutathione contents using commercial kits. The antioxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms of action of SBE were evaluated by western blot analysis. The results confirmed that glutamate-induced toxicity was caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, leading to oxidative stress and DNA damage, thus leading to cell death. However, treatment of the SH-SY5Y cells with SBE significantly increased the viability of the cells exposed to glutamate by upregulating the levels of antioxidant proteins, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD)1, SOD2 and glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1), and directly enhancing the total glutathione contents. Furthermore, SBE attenuated DNA impairment and decreased B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly(adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation. In addition, SBE upregulated Bcl-2 expression via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). On the whole, the findings of this study demonstrated that SBE exerts neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced cell toxicity through its antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities.</P>