scholarly journals Article Title: Implications of Carotid Arterial Plaque Assessment by Ultrasound for the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist: An Overview of the 2020 American Society of Echocardiography Recommendations for the Assessment of Carotid Arterial Plaque by Ultrasound for the Characterization of Atherosclerosis and Evaluation of Cardiovascular Risk

Author(s):  
Dylan R. Addis ◽  
Matthew M. Townsley
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
pp. 4628
Author(s):  
Anna Kabłak-Ziembicka ◽  
Tadeusz Przewłocki

Recently published recommendations from the American Society of Echocardiography on ‘Carotid Arterial Plaque Assessment by Ultrasound for the Characterization of Atherosclerosis and Evaluation of Cardiovascular Risk’ provoked discussion once more on the potential clinical applications of carotid intima-media complex thickness (CIMT) and carotid plaque assessment in the context of cardiovascular risk in both primary and secondary care patients. This review paper addresses key issues and milestones regarding indications, assessment, technical aspects, recommendations, and interpretations of CIMT and carotid plaque findings. We discuss lacks of evidence, limitations, and possible future directions.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Awais ◽  
Sa’ed A Musmar ◽  
Faryal Kabir ◽  
Iram Batool ◽  
Muhammad Asif Rasheed ◽  
...  

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel usually produced from vegetable oils and animal fats. This study investigates the extraction of oil and its conversion into biodiesel by base-catalyzed transesterification. Firstly, the effect of various solvents (methanol, n-hexane, chloroform, di-ethyl ether) on extraction of oil from non-edible crops, such as R. communis and M. azedarach, were examined. It was observed that a higher concentration of oil was obtained from R. communis (43.6%) as compared to M. azedarach (35.6%) by using methanol and n-hexane, respectively. The extracted oils were subjected to NaOH (1%) catalyzed transesterification by analyzing the effect of oil/methanol molar ratio (1:4, 1:6, 1:8 and 1:10) and varying temperature (20, 40, 60 and 80 °C) for 2.5 h of reaction time. M. azedarach yielded 88% and R. communis yielded 93% biodiesel in 1:6 and 1:8 molar concentrations at ambient temperature whereas, 60 °C was selected as an optimum temperature, giving 90% (M. azedarach) and 94% (R. communis) biodiesel. The extracted oil and biodiesel were characterized for various parameters and most of the properties fulfilled the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard biodiesel. The further characterization of fatty acids was done by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) and oleic acid was found to be dominant in M. azedarach (61.5%) and R. communis contained ricinoleic acid (75.53%). Furthermore, the functional groups were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The results suggested that both of the oils are easily available and can be used for commercial biodiesel production at a cost-effective scale.


Angiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Sakakura ◽  
Takanori Yasu ◽  
Yasuyuki Kobayashi ◽  
Takuji Katayama ◽  
Yoshitaka Sugawara ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. 1643-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith S. Bond

The Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) has been a major vehicle for disseminating and recording the discovery and characterization of proteolytic enzymes. The pace of discovery in the protease field accelerated during the 1971–2010 period that Dr. Herb Tabor served as the JBC's editor-in-chief. When he began his tenure, the fine structure and kinetics of only a few proteases were known; now thousands of proteases have been characterized, and over 600 genes for proteases have been identified in the human genome. In this review, besides reflecting on Dr. Tabor's invaluable contributions to the JBC and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), I endeavor to provide an overview of the extensive history of protease research, highlighting a few discoveries and roles of proteases in vivo. In addition, metalloproteinases, particularly meprins of the astacin family, will be discussed with regard to structural characteristics, regulation, mechanisms of action, and roles in health and disease. Proteases and protein degradation play crucial roles in living systems, and I briefly address future directions in this highly diverse and thriving research area.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 923-931
Author(s):  
Monica Roşca ◽  
Leonard Mandeş ◽  
Daniela Ciupercă ◽  
Andreea Călin ◽  
Carmen C Beladan ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims To assess the carotid mechanical properties in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the relation between arterial stiffness and left ventricular function in this setting. Methods and results We have prospectively enrolled 71 patients (52 ± 16 years, 34 men) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, divided into two groups depending on the presence (46 patients) or absence (25 patients) of cardiovascular risk factors associated with increased arterial stiffness. Twenty-five normal subjects similar by age and gender with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients without risk factors formed the control group. A comprehensive echocardiography was performed in all subjects. Carotid arterial stiffness index (β index), pressure–strain elastic modulus, arterial compliance, and pulse wave velocity were also obtained using an echo-tracking system. β index, pulse wave velocity, and pressure–strain elastic modulus were significantly higher in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients without risk factors compared to controls. After linear regression analysis, the increase in carotid β index was independently correlated with the presence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [beta = 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–3.02; P < 0.001]. In the entire hypertrophic cardiomyopathy population arterial stiffness parameters correlated with age, gender, hypertension degree, presence of hypercholesterolaemia, and the E/e′ ratio. In multivariable analysis, β index (beta = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.32–1.25; P = 0.001), global left ventricular longitudinal strain, and the presence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction were independently correlated with the E/e′ ratio. Conclusion In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy arterial stiffness is increased independently of age or presence of cardiovascular risk factors. Carotid artery stiffness is independently related to left ventricular filling pressure, increased arterial stiffness representing a possible marker of a more severe phenotype.


2008 ◽  
Vol 606 ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.H. Hsueh

Although standard test methods for biaxial strength measurements of ceramics have been established and the corresponding formulas for relating the biaxial strength to the fracture load have been approved by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and International Organization for Standardization, respectively, they are limited to the case of monolayered discs. Despite the increasing applications of multilayered ceramics, characterization of their strengths using biaxial flexure tests has been difficult because the analytical description of the relation between the strength and the fracture load for multilayers subjected to biaxial flexure tests is unavailable until recently. Using ring-on-ring tests as an example, the closed-form solutions for stresses in (i) monolayered discs based on ASTM formulas, (ii) bilayered discs based on Roark’s formulas, and (iii) multilayered discs based on Hsueh et al.’s formulas are reviewed in the present study. Finite element results for ring-on-rings tests performed on (i) zirconia monolayered discs, (ii) dental crown materials of porcelain/zirconia bilayered discs, and (iii) solid oxide fuel cells trilayered discs are also presented to validate the closed-form solutions. With Hsueh et al.’s formulas, the biaxial strength of multilayered ceramics can be readily evaluated using biaxial flexure tests.


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