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Congestive heart failure affects 23 million people worldwide [1]. Cardiac transplantation provides a lifesaving treatment for patients with end-stage heart disease. It offers a longer life with a higher quality to those who have no other treatment alternative. Although cardiac transplantation offers a relief from heart immunosuppression. The goal of immunosuppression immediately following surgery is to prevent hyperacute and acute rejections. Transplantation immunosuppression must be balanced in order to prevent rejection while minimizing the serious adverse effects of therapy including life-threatening infections and malignancies. Immunosuppressive regimens are classified as induction, maintenance, or anti-rejection regimens. Induction regimens consist of intense early post-operative immunosuppression while maintenance regimens are used indefinitely for prevention of acute and chronic rejection. This chapter will review the induction and maintenance immunosuppressive regimens used in heart transplantation with summaries of selected literature as well as the most common complications of these therapies and significant drug-drug interactions.

We give an overview of some of the applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing in the Arctic regions. The review places special emphasis on the potential of high resolution SAR to provide quantitative insights - day and night at nearly all-weather conditions - into the physical properties, at meter-scale spatial resolution, of soils (e.g., soil moisture, roughness, and climate-induced permafrost displacements), sea-ice (e.g., ice type, distribution, and motion) and snowpack volumes (e.g., snow cover area, density, and snow water equivalent).

During this study a method was developed for the quantitative determination of diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin using deuterated T-2 toxin (T-2 d3 toxin) as an internal standard. The described method involves a clean up step of maize extract by the use of Mycosep® 227 columns a chromatographic separation on a Zorbax® bonus-RP-column (2,1×150mm) and the detection and quantification step on a mass spectrometer in SIM (Selected Ion Monitoring) mode. Data on the occurrence of three type A trichothecenes in Austrian maize, maize silage and oats were collected. It could be shown that maize and silage samples harvested in 2002 were only contaminated to a small extent with T-2 toxin (8% of the maize, 0% of the silage) and with HT-2 toxin (30% of the maize, 18% of the silage). But most of the analysed oats samples showed significant levels of T-2 toxin (64%) or HT-2 toxin (82%).

An approach for simultaneous determination of the main type A-trichothecenes by liquid chromatography and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry is described. Parameters for coupling of LC-MS such as cone voltage, nebulizing temperature and the LC flow-rate, were optimized to provide detection of mycotoxins with maximum sensitivity. Furthermore, the effects of cone voltage and temperature on the fragmentation pattern of the tested toxins were studied. Main type A-trichothecenes such as T-2 Toxin, HT-2 Toxin, acetyl T-2 Toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, monoacetoxyscirpenol (15-acetoxyscirpenol) and neosolaniol were separated on a reversed-phase narrow bore C18 column, using a linear gradient and a flow-rate of 0.3 ml/min. Mass spectra were obtained in positive ion mode for confirmation and quantitation. The method involves extraction and purification of toxins by using multifunctional Mycosep columns. Deuterated T-2 Toxin was used as an internal standard. A linear working range between 80 and 500 microg/kg in matrix with an acceptable correlation coefficient was observed. The developed method was validated by using a blank oats sample. The detection limit in the matrix was found to be between 50 and 85 microg/kg in selected ion mode for all tested A-trichothecenes. Recovery data were found to be between 77 and 101%. Within run and day-to-day precision were determined as having comparable levels to those found using GC methods. Furthermore, the matrix effect was investigated by comparing the internal standard versus the external standard method in quantification studies. In addition, the developed method was applied for the analysis of naturally contaminated oats, maize, barley and wheat samples.

Biodegradation of two B-trichothecenes nivalenol (NIV) and deoxynivalenol (DON) have been studied in a RUSITEC (rumen simulation technique) system. The fermentation studies were carried out in vessels containing the rumen fluid. To reach steady state an adaptation period of one week was carried out. The mycotoxin standards were then added into the fermentor in a concentration of 1ppm NIV and 2ppm DON. The kinetics of NIV and DON biodegradability during the fermentation process were monitored by using a rapid HPLC method combined with a mass spectrometer and an atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI(-)) interface. Also the effect of mycotoxin addition on different parameters such as ammonia production, pH, gas production and volatile fatty acids have been studied.

In vitro biodegradation experiments were done using some probiotic microorganisms. DifferentSaccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacilli andBacilli strains were tested for their ability to degrade Nivalenol (NIV), Deoxynivalenol (DON), Diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), T2-Toxin and Ochratoxin A (OTA). The concentrations of selected mycotoxins were in the range of natural occurring toxin contaminations (1ppm for NIV and DON, 500ppb for DAS and T-2 and 50ppb for OTA). No alteration of concentrations could be registered for the tested trichothecenes. The best results could be achieved in experiments with OTA by up to 94% detoxification. Influence of toxins on colony forming unit of all tested microorganisms were recorded. Especially T-2 toxin and DAS have a slowing effect on growth of some strains.

Small valve size and patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) generate high postoperative transvalvular gradients and may decrease both early and long-term survival. The study aim was to evaluate whether mismatch affected early mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for isolated aortic stenosis (AS).A total of 701 patients (437 males, 264 females; mean age 53.3 +/- 15.1 years; range: 14-84 years) with pure AS underwent AVR at the authors' institution between 1985 and 2005. The majority of patients (92%) received a mechanical valve. PPM was considered severe if the indexed effective orifice area wasor =0.65 cm2/m2, and moderate if0.65 butor = 0.85 cm2/m2.Moderate-severe PPM was present in 47% of patients, and severe PPM in 13%. The early mortality was 5.4% (n=38). Multivariate analysis revealed ageor = 70 years (p0.001), female gender (p = 0.04) and severe PPM (p = 0.003) as independent predictors of early mortality. Moderate mismatch was not a predictor of early mortality on both univariate and multivariate analysis. Left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fractionor = 40%) was a risk factor for early mortality only in patients with severe PPM.Patient-prosthesis mismatch should be prevented in patients undergoing AVR for isolated AS, especially in those with left ventricular dysfunction.

Traumatic aneurysms of the brachiocephalic artery may cause mostly nonspecific symptoms, which may lead to a misdiagnosis with serious complications. This report describes a 27-year-old woman with a traumatic aneurysm of the brachiocephalic artery,suffering from lung symptoms. Brachiocephalic aneurysm and bronchiectasis were diagnosed by chest CT scan. A bypass from the ascending aorta to the distal brachiocephalic artery with a prosthetic graft and aneurysmectomy were performed without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient had an uneventful recovery.

A number of groups are currently active in radar interferometry in Canada, including government institutions, universities and industry. This paper will present a survey of interferometry applications in Canada, and illustrate recent results. In the airborne radar domain, early research with the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) Convair-580, has led to successful commercial programs at MacDonald Dettwiler (MDA) and Intermap Technologies. MDA has built three single-pass interferometers that are in operational use in the Amazon basin, and Intermap have built five systems that are producing DEMs with 1-m vertical accuracy. On the satellite front, RADARSAT-1 data has been used for repeat pass mapping in the Canadian Arctic. A number of subsidence and landslide sites are being continually monitored with the permanent scatterers technique. A 3-satellite constellation, the RADARSAT constellation mission, will support future InSAR applications.

Die A-Trichothecene (A-TCT) gehoren zu den besonders toxischen Stoffwechselprodukten der Fusarien. Einige Vertreter dieser Gattung wicF. poae, F. acuminatum undF. sporotrichioides sind im Stande eine Reihe der A-Trichothece zu biosynthetisieren.