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Phototriggered kinetics is investigated in the dark for holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal gratings. Subsequently to holographic recording, the diffraction efficiency first slightly increases, then decreases, and afterwards starts to grow again. The remarkable growth continues for several days until the diffraction efficiency stabilizes at values several times larger than the initial ones. The initial increase is attributed to a dark polymerization reaction as confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The slow process is associated with the kinetics of a phase-separation mechanism. The non-monotonic behaviour of the diffraction efficiency is explained by superposition of refractive-index and extinction modulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation energy of thermal fixing of photorefractive gratings is determined in congruent and nearly stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals, both doped with iron or manganese. The novel technique called holographic scattering method is compared with the standard two-wave mixing method. A measurement of the angular distribution of the self scattered intensity and its possible analytical function is presented. The mathematical problems of the holographic scattering method are discussed applying the angular distribution functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffraction experiments with holographic gratings recorded in SiO2 nanoparticle-polymer composites have been carried out with slow neutrons. The influence of parameters such as nanoparticle concentration, grating thickness, and grating spacing on the neutron-optical properties of such materials has been tested. Decay of the grating structure along the sample depth due to disturbance of the recording process becomes an issue at grating thicknesses of about 100 microns and larger. This limits the achievable diffraction efficiency for neutrons. As a solution to this problem, the Pendellösung interference effect in holographic gratings has been exploited to reach a diffraction efficiency of 83% for very cold neutrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) is recommended for moderate to severe symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The current guidelines don not recommend particular alcohol doses and the amount of alcohol injected into the septal artery is based more on the interventionalist's decision rather than on systematic evidence. Our objective is to execute a comprehensive assessment of the efficacy and safety of low alcohol doses (1-2 ml)) in comparison to large ones (2-4 ml)., Methods: Multiple databases, encompassing PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane library were systemically assessed from inception to October 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing low-alcohol and high-alcohol dose in patients with HOCM was included. The main outcome was creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB). The secondary ones are septal thickness, left ventricular outflow pressure gradient, and atrioventricular (AV) block., Results: Eight studies, with a total of 1446 individuals, were finally involved in our investigation. low alcohol doses showed lower CK-MB levels relative to high ones (MD=-0.93, 95% CI [-1.15 to -0.72], P = 0.00001). Furthermore, in terms of septal thickness, left ventricular outflow pressure gradient, and AV block, neither of the two doses was preferred., Conclusion: We propose that the low alcohol dose is equally effective as the high dose. moreover, the low alcohol dose was associated with a lower CK-MB levels in comparison to the high one., Prospero Registration: CRD42024511537., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Eplerenone and spironolactone, recognized as mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), have been reported to improve clinical prognosis among individuals diagnosed with heart failure (HF). However, the difference in the clinical effects between eplerenone and spironolactone in individuals with HF remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the impact of eplerenone compared to spironolactone on clinical outcomes within the HF population., Methods: An extensive search was executed in several databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library). All relevant studies evaluating eplerenone compared to spironolactone in patients with HF were included. Dichotomous data were pooled as Hazard ratio (HR) or Risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Our main outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included death from cardiovascular causes, treatment withdrawal, and gynecomastia., Results: Ten studies, comprising 21,930 HF individuals, were included in our investigation. Eplerenone showed a lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 0.78, 95%CI [0.64 to 0.94], P = 0.009) and cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.54, 95%CI [0.39, 0.74], P = 0.0001) compared to spironolactone. Furthermore, eplerenone exhibited a reduced risk of treatment withdrawal (RR = 0.69, 95% CI [0.62, 0.78], P = 0.0001) and gynecomastia (RR = 0.07, 95% CI [0.02 to 0.31], P = 0.0001) than spironolactone., Conclusion: Eplerenone revealed lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality events in comparison to spironolactone. Moreover, eplerenone was associated with lower gynecomastia and treatment withdrawal events compared to spironolactone. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials are still warranted better to identify the clinical differences between eplerenone and spironolactone., Trial Registration: Protocol registration: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/VNMGK., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) has emerged as an innovative alternative to radiofrequency (RF) and cryoablation because it selectively targets myocardial tissue. Thus, we aim to estimate the efficacy and safety of PFA versus thermal ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation., Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were retrieved from PubMed, WOS, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and CENTRAL through September 2023. We used RevMan V. 5.4 to pool dichotomous data using risk ratio (RR) and continuous data using mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). PROSPERO ID: CRD42023480321., Results: We included 17 studies with a total of 2255 patients. PFA was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of AF recurrence (RR: 0.66 with 95% CI [0.51, 0.87], p  = .003). However, there was no significant difference between PFA and thermal ablation in arrhythmia recurrence (RR: 0.92 with 95% CI [0.74, 1.46], p  = .42). PFA was significantly associated with decreased total procedure time (MD: -15.15 with 95% CI [-20.23, -10.07], p  < .00001), decreased heart rate change (MD: -7.39 with 95% CI [-12.16, -2.62], p  = .002), decreased phrenic nerve palsy (RR: 0.38 with 95% CI [0.15, 0.98], p  = .05), and reduced esophageal lesions (RR: 0.09 with 95% CI [0.01, 0.69], p  = .02). On the contrary, PFA was significantly associated with increased pericardial tamponade (RR: 6.14 with 95% CI [1.43, 26.33], p  = .01)., Conclusion: PFA was significantly associated with decreased AF recurrence, total procedure time, heart rate change, phrenic nerve palsy, esophageal lesion, and increased incidence of pericardial tamponade compared with thermal ablation., Competing Interests: Disclosures for Dr. Annabelle S. Volgman (October 2023) Consulting—Sanofi, Pfizer, Janssen; Clinical Trials: Janssen, Novartis and NIH Clinical Trials; Stock: Apple, Inc while the other authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Arrhythmia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Heart Rhythm Society.)

Objectives: Plain radiography has been widely used in dentistry. Because of the variability of the quality of equipment, radiographic technique, accuracy of interpretation, and radiation risk to the patients, the field is ripe for the introduction of other newer diagnostic modalities. In this report, we demonstrate the utility of ultrasonography in the diagnostic workup of cystic or cystlike lesions of the jaw., Methods: We used a transfacial ultrasonographic scanning approach to examine 32 patients with clinical or radiographic presentation of a jaw cyst. Computed tomography and histopathologic analysis were used as the reference standards to confirm the findings., Results: Ultrasonography could establish the presence or absence of a lesion, erosion of the buccal cortical plate, and identification of associated soft tissue involvement in all cases (sensitivity and specificity, 100% and 100%, respectively; area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 1.0; P < .001)., Conclusions: Our observations revealed the usefulness of ultrasonography and demonstrated its potential value when introduced as a routine office-based imaging method for dentistry., (© 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.)

Introduction: Superficial temporal artery aneurysms account for less than 1% of all reported aneurysms. It is often the result of mild blunt trauma to the side of the head and patients present several weeks later with a pulsatile head mass., Presentation of Case: We report two cases referred to surgery in a 3 month period, from the same GP, of patients which this condition. The first case is a 21 year old carpenter who sustained blunt trauma during a rugby match to the side of the head. He presented several weeks later with headache and an otherwise painless pulsatile mass. The second case refers to a 20 year old male who received blunt trauma to the side of head from an assault. He was referred to his GP due family observing a painless pulsatile mass to the scalp., Discussion: These cases highlight the relatively little force required to cause this pathological process. Management of this condition is by surgical excision. Simple examination techniques to obliterate the pulse locally can reveal the diagnosis. Subsequent literature search allowed discussion of the management of this rare but important differential diagnosis of a pulsatile head mass., Conclusion: Although rare, STA represents a complication of low energy trauma that requires elective surgical management., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)