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Background: Nitroglycerin (NTG) reduces cardiac pre-load and after-load through venodilation and arterial dilation respectively but the relative contributions of these effects to reduction in myocardial wall stress is unknown. Methods: We estimated myocardial wall stress from transthoracic echocardiographic...

Objectives: Traditional outcomes after vascular intervention include vessel patency, limb salvage rates and mortality but correlate poorly with functional goals. Patent-oriented outcomes are patient-reported functional outcomes. The aim of this study is divided into 2 complementary parts: Part A: To...

Rationale: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic modulation plays an important role in arterial stiffening associated with ageing. Serum response factor (SRF) is a major transcription factor regulating smooth muscle (SM) genes involved in maintenance of the contractile state of VSMCs. Objective:...

Objectives: The metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of risk factor including abdominal fat, hypertension, dyslipidemia and raised fasting plasma glucose, is associated with modifications in the arterial wall, endothelial dysfunction and atherothrombosis. To explore the course of events we characterized...

Network-based crime has been increasing in both extent and severity and network-based forensics encapsulates an essential part of legal surveillance. A key network forensics tool is traceback that can be used to identify true sources of suspects. Both accuracy and secrecy are essential attributes of...

The objective of our work is to investigate the optimal combination of durations of both stages of incremental Genetic Programming (IncGP) on the simulated Snake-like robots (Snakebots). The obtained results suggest that the number of generations cannot be used as criteria for separating the two stages...

Image algorithms used herein are Tracking-Learning-Detection (TLD) and Speed UP Robust Features (SURF). TLD is used for target tracking and SURF is used for identifying targets. We use zoning identification, with the use of statistical probability to strengthen the efficiency of TLD and SURF. With such...

Sustainability or sustainable development is possible only if health issues of mother and their child and the employment or involvement of women can be ensured in society by promoting social business using the easiest technological system like mobile technology. In this paper, we demonstrate how Grameen...

In [18] Jacobi introduced a third-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation which links two different moduli of an elliptic integral. In the present paper Lie group analysis is applied to that equation named Jacobi's modular differential equation. A six-dimensional Lie symmetry algebra is obtained...

We study dynamics of the shearless stratified turbulent flows. Using the method of differential constraints we find a class of explicit solutions to the problem under consideration and establish that the differential constraint obtained coincides with the well-known Zeman­Lumley model for stratified...

The purpose of this report is to show the influence of imperfections on creation and evolution of a kink network. Our main finding is a mechanism for reduction of the kinetic energy of kinks which works in both the overdamped and underdamped regimes. This mechanism reduces mobility of kinks and therefore...

This short note is devoted to introduce the discussion carried out along this special issue on the concept of Soft Computing by key researchers in the field. We shall stress some aspects of the conception and origins of Soft Computing, supported by the scientific relevance of its participants. The contributors...

Female recipients of hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) may develop lower genital tract (LGT) dysplasia or new malignancies. A comprehensive systematic review to delineate the occurrence and risk factors for post-HCT LGT precancer and cancer in women was conducted via electronic search of the Cochrane...

Purpose: To examine the impact of artificial intelligence-assisted social media marketing (AISMM)on the performance of start-up businesses of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach: A survey technique was employed whereby primary and secondary data was collected,...

We propose a method to convert sensory information into non-contact tactile sensation by vibrating of very low-frequency sound. The vibrator does not directly touch the object in a non-contact tactile sensation. Then, the object vibrates with the extremely low frequency. Previous research has shown that...

A technique to identify new C-integrable and S-integrable systems of nonlinear partial differential equations is reported, with two representative examples displayed and tersely discussed.

In this article, we discuss the history of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) from the pre-therapeutic era, which began after its recognition by Hillestad in 1947 as a nosological entity, to the present day. It is a paradigmatic history that has transformed the “most malignant leukemia form” into the...

Background/aims: The impact of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) virus infection on atherosclerosis is controversial. In this pilot clinical study, we examined whether HCV patients significantly differed in markers of subclinical atherosclerosis compared to patients with alcohol-related chronic liver disease. Methods:...

Objective: Oxidative stress and vascular inflammation are increased in hypertension. These factors may contribute to target organ damage and increased cardiovascular risk in these patients. We studied the effect of four classes of antihypertensive drugs on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in...

Objectives: To examine the impact of glycaemic homeostasis on arterial stiffness and cardiac diastolic function in healthy subjects. Methods: Subjects (100 male & 115 female) were normotensive and normolipidaemic and had normal oral glucose tolerance test responses. Carotid-femoral arterial stiffness...

Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is the commonest complication of diabetes. Previous studies from our group have identified diabetes-evoked changes in copper homeostasis that cause accumulation of chelatable-Cu(II) in the heart (1). We also showed that treatment by Cu(II)-selective chelation with TETA...

Bare bones particle swarm optimization is a parameter-free swarm intelligence algorithm which is famous for easy applying. It has aroused wide concern of academic circle on its principles and applications in recent years. However, losing the diversity quickly still causes the premature convergence in...

We propose a way of discretization for the soliton equations associated with the toroidal Lie algebra based on the direct method. By the discretization, the symetry of the system is modified so that the discrete time evolutions are no longer compatible with the original continuous ones. The solutions...

The paper is devoted to the Lie group analysis of a nonlinear equation arising in metallurgical applications of Magnetohydrodynamics. Self-adjointness of the basic equations is investigated. The analysis reveals two exceptional values of the exponent playing a significant role in the model.

A total of 312 sputum samples from pediatric patients presumptive of multidrug resistant tuberculosis were tested for the detection of drug resistance using the GenoTypeMTBDRplus assay. A total of 193 (61.8%) patients were smear positive and 119 (38.1%) were smear negative by Ziehl–Neelsen staining....

Objective: To assess families’ health problems and the health facility choices in an urban and a rural district in Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with a multi-stage random sample of 948 urban and 401 rural households was undertaken in a district of Cairo and rural Giza. Data was...

The aim of this study is to determine the risk factors for percutaneous and mucocutaneous exposures in healthcare workers (HCW) in one of the largest centers of a middle income country, Turkey. This study has a retrospective design. HCWs who presented between August 2011 and June 2013, with Occupational...

Customer satisfaction is an indicator that is generally utilized to improve goods/services for customer retention. Therefore, companies should understand the changes in customers’ perception of their goods/services and decide improvements. Therefore, a transitional evaluation approach is needed for goods/services...

“Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase” (SSAO) metabolizes primary amines into aldehydes, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia and is largely expressed in adipocytes, lymphatic endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In vitro SSAO expression and activity increase during VSMC differentiation...