Vessel Size Research Articles

Transcatheter Pulmonary Artery Banding in High-Risk Neonates: In-Vitro Study Provoked by Initial Clinical Experience.

Very high-risk, ductal-dependent or complex two-ventricle patients with associated comorbidities often require pulmonary blood flow restriction as bridge to a more definitive procedure, but current surgical options may not be well-tolerated. An evolving alternative utilizes a fenestrated Micro Vascular Plug (MVP) as a transcatheter, internal pulmonary artery band. In this study, we report a case series and an in-vitro evaluation of the MVP to elicit understanding of the challenges faced with device implantation. Following single-center, retrospective review of eight patients who underwent device placement, an in-vitro flow study was conducted on MVP devices to assess impact of device and fenestration sizing on pulmonary blood flow. A mathematical model was developed to relate migration risk to vessel size. Results of the engineering analysis were compared to the clinical series for validation. At median follow-up of 8months (range 1-15), survival was 63% (5/8), and 6 (75%) patients underwent subsequent target surgical intervention with relatively low mortality (1/6). Occluder-related challenges included migration (63%) and peri-device flow, which were evaluated in-vitro. The device demonstrated durability over normal and supraphysiologic conditions with minimal change in fenestration size. Smaller vessel size significantly increased pressure gradient due to reduced peri-device flow and smaller effective fenestration size. Device oversizing, with appropriate adjustment to fenestration size, may reduce migration risk and provide a clinically appropriate balance between resulting pressure gradient and Qp:Qs. Our results can guide the interventionalist in appropriately selecting the device and fenestrations based on patient-specific anatomy and desired post-implantation flow characteristics.

Optical Coherence Tomography–Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Rationale and Design of the ATLAS-OCT Study

Even after successful revascularization with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), subsequent adverse events still occur. Previous studies have suggested potential benefits of intravascular imaging, including optical coherence tomography (OCT). However, the feasibility of OCT-guided primary PCI has not been systematically examined in these patients. The ATLAS-OCT (ST-elevation Acute myocardial infarcTion and cLinicAl outcomeS treated by Optical Coherence Tomography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention) trial was designed to investigate the feasibility of OCT guidance during primary PCI for STEMI in experienced centers with expertise on OCT-guided PCI as a prospective, multicenter registry of consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent a primary PCI. The sites' inclusion criteria are as follows: (1) acute care hospitals providing 24/7 emergency care for STEMI, and (2) institutions where OCT-guided PCI is the first choice for primary PCI in STEMI. All patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI at participating sites will be consecutively enrolled, irrespective of OCT use during PCI. The primary end point will be the rate of successful OCT imaging during the primary PCI. As an ancillary imaging modality to angiography, OCT provides morphologic information during PCI for the assessment of plaque phenotypes, vessel sizing, and PCI optimization. Major adverse cardiac events, defined as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization at 1year, will also be recorded. The ATLAS-OCT study will clarify the feasibility of OCT-guided primary PCI for patients with STEMI and further identify a suitable patient group for OCT-guided primary PCI.

Abstract P1129: Directing Revascularization In Vivo With Local Controlled Release Of An Optimized Angiogenic Growth Factor Cocktail

Reduced vascular perfusion due to aging, ischemia, or injury impedes healing and tissue function in conditions like skin ulcers and myocardial infarction, motivating development of therapies to restore vasculature locally in target tissues. We hypothesize that specific combinations of signaling molecules stimulate angiogenesis and vascular remodeling in the local tissue environment to increase perfused vessel density. Using a vascular tissue engineering approach with a fractional factorial design of experiments (DOE), we evaluated in vivo angiogenesis of combinations of ten growth factors, cytokines and/or enzymes including VEGF, bFGF, Shh, PDGF, IGF-1, EGF, TGF-β1, Ang-1, MCP-1 and MMP-9 in a subcutaneous gel plug assay in the WT immune competent rat. Our initial assessment with Matrigel identified 5 factors that maximized CD31+ vessel lumen density and aSMA+ encoated vessels at 7 days, warranting further evaluation. We developed a fully defined biomaterial system with covalently bound heparin to alginate mixed with collagen type 1 as an injectable gel. This defined biomaterial prolonged protein release up to 14 days in vitro versus Matrigel and unmodified alginate (2-4 days). The defined biomaterial was used for a second round DOE to deliver high (2 μg) and low (0.5 μg) doses of VEGF, bFGF, Shh, PDGF, and/or IGF-1. The defined biomaterial alone enhanced average lumen diameter 15-fold and endothelial cell infiltration 12-fold versus Matrigel. Perfused lumen density increased 16-fold with high Shh; aSMA-positive lumen wall area increased 4-fold with high VEGF, PDGF, and IGF-1; perfused vessel size increased 3-fold with high VEGF, bFGF, and Shh; and endothelial cell recruitment increased 2-fold with high IGF-1 relative to unloaded controls after 7 days in vivo. Empirical testing of 2- to 5-factor combinations showed that cocktail potency required initiation of angiogenic sprouting by VEGF or bFGF and vascularization responses were strongest in the presence of Shh and IGF-1. In conclusion, we identified sets of highly potent cocktails and leveraged controlled release from a defined biomaterial as a tailored revascularization therapy for local angiogenesis, vascular remodeling, and tissue regeneration.

Gelation of Uniform Interfacial Diffusant in Embedded 3D Printing.

While the human body has many different examples of perfusable structures with complex geometries, biofabrication methods to replicate this complexity are still lacking. Specifically, the fabrication of self-supporting, branched networks with multiple channel diameters is particularly challenging. Here, we present the Gelation of Uniform Interfacial Diffusant in Embedded 3D Printing (GUIDE-3DP) approach for constructing perfusable networks of interconnected channels with precise control over branching geometries and vessel sizes. To achieve user-specified channel dimensions, this technique leverages the predictable diffusion of crosslinking reaction-initiators released from sacrificial inks printed within a hydrogel precursor. We demonstrate the versatility of GUIDE-3DP to be adapted for use with diverse physicochemical crosslinking mechanisms by designing seven printable material systems. Importantly, GUIDE-3DP allows for the independent tunability of both the inner and outer diameters of the printed channels and the ability to fabricate seamless junctions at branch points. This 3D bioprinting platform is uniquely suited for fabricating lumenized structures with complex shapes characteristic of multiple hollow vessels throughout the body. As an exemplary application, we demonstrate the fabrication of vasculature-like networks lined with endothelial cells. GUIDE-3DP represents an important advance toward the fabrication of self-supporting, physiologically relevant networks with intricate and perfusable geometries.

Reclamation analysis to evaluate measures to increase an acceptable capacity of dredged clay disposal pond

Shipping plays an important role in Japan surrounded by the sea and navigation channel must be dredged to accommodate the increasing size of vessels. Most of the dredged soil is usually discharged into a disposal pond. Since it is not easy to secure a new disposal pond, it is necessary to make effective use of the pond currently in use. Therefore, measures to accurately predict the amount of consolidation settlement of dredged soil discharged into the disposal pond are being studied. In this paper, regarding the Shinmoji-Oki disposal pond (S-3 area), which currently accepts dredged soil from the Kanmon waterway, we reported the way to discharge the dredged soil to the pond and the annual accumulated soil volume in it. Then, through the distribution chart of mud surface elevation in S-3 area and elapsed time, we clarified the effects of different way to discharge the dredged soil. Furthermore, to accurately estimate the future acceptable capacity of the pond, the prediction model identified by back analysis is also proposed.

Rapfish: A Rapid Appraisal Technique to Evaluate the Sustainability Status of Pelagic Fisheries in North Aceh Waters

Rapfish is used as an indicator to assess pelagic fisheries' sustainability in Aceh's northern waters. This study aims to determine the sustainability of pelagic fishing and the factors that mostly influence the sustainability of pelagic fisheries. Surveys and interviews with questionnaires were conducted in collecting data, then analyzed by RAPFISH analysis with five dimensions. The results show that the ecological and economic dimensions are in a quite sustainable category, the social dimension is in a less sustainable category, the technological dimension is in the very sustainable category and the institutional dimension is in the less sustainable category. In addition, there are several indicators that most influence the sustainability of pelagic fisheries with purse seine on the ecological dimensions; (1) the location of fishing grounds; (2) the Fishing season. The economic dimension is influenced by (1) assistance from the government; (2) dependence on subsidies. Meanwhile, the social dimension is influenced by (1) The development of the number of fishermen; (2) The level of conflict. Lastly, the technological dimensions which influenced by (1) fishing vessel size; (2) Mechanical power, and institutional dimensions (1) The role of customary leadership, and (2) Fishermen's involvement in the process of preparing management regulations

Evaluation of the changes in choroidal macular anastomoses after photodynamic therapy and in the follow-up of central serous chorioretinopathy by en face optical coherence tomography

PurposeTo evaluate the changes in the choroidal macular anastomoses after photodynamic therapy (PDT) and in the follow-up of patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) by en face optical coherence tomography (EF-OCT). MethodsProspective study using EF-OCT images of patients with chronic CSCR treated by PDT with a minimum follow-up of 12 months and with the presence of at least two prominent anastomoses in the macula. Scans of 6 × 6 mm and 12 × 12 mm were made to assess the changes in choroidal macular anastomoses (defined as a diameter ≥150 µm) crossing the medial raphe. EF-OCT was performed before PDT and 3 days, 3 months and at the end of the follow-up after PDT. ResultsThe mean follow-up time was 23.6 ± 12.1 months. The mean number of anastomoses was 2.5 ± 1.1 in the baseline examination, being 2.3 ± 1.2 in the final examination, with no differences being observed (p = 0.110). A sub-analysis was performed to assess differences in the evolution of the anastomoses between active chronic CSCR and those in which the subretinal fluid (SRF) had been resolved, with no differences being observed in the number or caliber of anastomoses (p = 0.642 and p = 0.306). A significant decrease in the size of anastomoses was found at the 3-day (p<0.01) and 3-month (p = 0.032) visits, but not at the last follow-up visit (p = 0.156). ConclusionsThere was an early decrease in the size of the major macular choroidal anastomotic vessels after PDT treatment. Long-term studies are required to assess its evolution and its possible role in the etiopathogenesis of this disease.

Refining Auxiliary Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (AOLT) Improves Outcomes in Adult Patients With Acute Liver Failure.

To investigate whether and how experience accumulation and technical refinements simultaneously implemented in auxiliary orthotopic liver transplantation (AOLT) may impact on outcomes. AOLT for acute liver failure (ALF) provides the unique chance of complete immunosuppression withdrawal after adequate native liver remnant regeneration but is a technically demanding procedure. Our department is a reference center for ALF and an early adopter of AOLT. This is a single-center retrospective before/after study of a prospectively maintained cohort of 48 patients with ALF who underwent AOLT between 1993 and 2019. In 2012, technical refinements were implemented to improve outcomes: (i) favoring the volume of the graft rather than that of the native liver, (ii) direct anastomosis of graft hepatic artery with recipient right hepatic artery instead of the use of large size vessels, (iii) end-to-side hepaticocholedocostomy instead of bilioenteric anastomosis. Early experience (1993-2011) group (n=26) and recent experience (2012-2019) group (n=22) were compared. Primary endpoint was 90-day severe morbidity rate (Clavien-Dindo≥IIIa) and secondary endpoints were overall patient survival and complete immunosuppression withdrawal rates. Compared with the earlier experience group, the recent experience group was associated with a lower severe complication rate (27% vs 65%, P <0.001), as well as less biliary (18% vs 54%, P =0.017) and arterial (0% vs 15%, P =0.115) complications. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival was significantly improved (91%, 91%, 91% vs 76%, 61%, 60%, P =0.045). The rate of complete immunosuppression withdrawal increased to 94% vs 70%, ( P =0.091) with no need of long-term graft explant. These technical refinements favoring the liver graft and reducing morbidity may promote AOLT implementation among LT centers.

A prospective double-blinded randomized study on drug-eluting stent implantation into nitrate-induced maximally dilated vessels in patients with coronary artery disease

BackgroundPercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been developed using drug-eluting stents (DES); however, stent implantation is associated with concerns of stent thrombosis and target vessel revascularization (TVR). The stent diameter is a critical factor in TVR and clinical events. The nitrate administration in coronary angiography can dilate the reference vessel diameter, enabling accurate vessel size measurement and optimal stent implantation support. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of stent implantation in the maximally dilated coronary artery in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).MethodsThis prospective double-blinded randomized (1:1) study is designed to compare the efficacy and safety between DES implantation into the nitrate-induced maximally dilated vessels and conventional DES implantation in patients with CAD. A total of 400 patients who underwent PCI with a sirolimus-eluting stent will be enrolled. The primary endpoint is the mean diameter of the deployed stents. Secondary endpoints include cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or ischemia-driven TVR 1 year after the procedure.DiscussionThis study will be the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of DES implantation on nitrate-induced maximally dilated vessels in patients with CAD.Trial registrationThe trial was registered on 18 June 2021 as Effect of Ultimaster Stents Treated to the Most Dilated Coronary Vessels (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04931784).

Anatomical and isotopic traits in grapevine wood rings record environmental variability

Summary In the Mediterranean region, prolonged droughts affect the growth and reproductive cycles of grapevine. Changes in the physiological processes of grapevine, consequent to variations in environmental factors or cultivation management, are recorded in wood anatomical and isotopic traits in grapevine stems. In this study, we measured the anatomical traits and stable carbon isotope content in the annual rings of Vitis vinifera L. subsp. vinifera ‘Falanghina’ in four vineyards located in southern Italy, characterised by different water availability. The aim was to investigate how wood anatomical traits respond to interannual climatic variations according to local conditions. Wood cores were taken from the stem of the grapevines and subjected to both microscopy and carbon stable isotope analyses to quantify functional wood anatomical traits, such as vessel size and frequency, and the intrinsic water-use efficiency of the grapevine. Wood traits were correlated with data on precipitation and temperature. The results showed that the plants at the four vineyards were characterised by differences in wood structure influencing the grapevine’s physiology under different conditions of water availability. Overall, the analyses showed that the grapevines at the wetter sites developed wood traits, e.g., wide vessels, which favour the efficiency of water flow, while at the drier sites, they developed plant traits, e.g., small vessels, which favour safety against embolism. However, the robustness of such main trends is trait-specific and is influenced by interannual climatic variability.

Stability Profile and Clinical Evaluation of an Innovative Hydrogel Containing Polymeric Micelles as Drug Delivery Systems with Oregano Essential Oil against Fibroepithelial Polyps.

Skin tags, also known as fibroepithelial polyps (FPs) or acrochordons, are soft, pigmented excrescences, with a prevalence of 50-60% in the population, occurring especially in the fourth decade of life. To date, FPs have been efficiently eliminated using minimum invasive methods such as surgical removal, cauterization, laser irradiation, and cryosurgery. Over-the-counter treatments are also of interest for patients due to their non-invasive character, but their clinical efficiency has not been clearly demonstrated. This study was designed in order to evaluate the efficacy of a modern-pharmaceutical-formulation-type poloxamer-based binary hydrogel, having Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OEO-PbH) as an active ingredient in the management of FPs. The formulation has been shown to possess good qualities in terms of stability and sterility. Non-invasive measurements revealed changes in some physiological skin parameters. An increase in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and erythema index was noted, while skin surface water content (SWC) decreased during eight weeks of treatment. The macroscopic evaluation revealed that the FPs dried and shrunk after topical treatment with OEO-PbH. Clinically, patients presented a lowering of the number of lesions on the treated area of 20-30% after one month of treatment and around 50% after the second month. Histopathological examination suggests that topical treatment with OEO-PbH may induce histological changes in the epidermis, dermis, and fibrovascular cores of FPs, including a loss of thickness, reduced size and number of blood vessels, and low cellularity. These changes may contribute to the observed reduction in size of FPs after treatment with OEO-PbH.

Robust vessel segmentation in laser speckle contrast images based on semi-weakly supervised learning

Objective. The goal of this study is to develop a robust semi-weakly supervised learning strategy for vessel segmentation in laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), addressing the challenges associated with the low signal-to-noise ratio, small vessel size, and irregular vascular aberration in diseased regions, while improving the performance and robustness of the segmentation method. Approach. For the training dataset, the healthy vascular images denoted as normal-vessel samples were manually labeled, while the diseased LSCI images involving tumor or embolism were denoted as abnormal-vessel samples and annotated as pseudo labels by the traditional semantic segmentation methods. In the training phase, the pseudo labels were constantly updated to improve the segmentation accuracy based on DeepLabv3+. Objective evaluation was conducted on the normal-vessel test set, while subjective evaluation was performed on the abnormal-vessel test set. Main results. The proposed method achieved an IOU of 0.8671, a Dice of 0.9288, and a mean relative percentage difference (mRPD) with supervised learning of 0.5% in the objective evaluation. In the subjective evaluation, our method significantly outperformed other methods in main vessel segmentation, tiny vessel segmentation, and blood vessel connection. Additionally, our method exhibited robustness when abnormal-vessel style noise was added to normal-vessel samples using a style translation network. Significance. The proposed semi-weakly supervised learning strategy demonstrates high efficiency and excellent robustness for vascular segmentation in LSCI, providing a potential tool for assessing the morphological and structural features of vessels in clinical applications.

A new method for activation of multicomponent nickel catalysts for alkenes hydrogenation

The paper reports on a possible modification of the multicomponent catalytic system based on Ni(acac)2 and AlEt3 by different amines. It is shown that, depending on the nature of the amine, the performance of the modified Ni(acac)2–AlEt3 system is limited only to the size of the reaction vessel. Using various physical-chemical methods, it is found that during the formation of a catalytically active system, the NR3→AlEt3 adducts are produced. The latter, unlike AlEt3 excess, are not able of poisoning the nickel-containing catalytically active centers. The model of the formation of a catalytically active site in the presence of an amine is proposed.

Spatial estimation and yearly trends in abundance-index of Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) in the East China Sea and Sea of Japan

Catch per unit effort (CPUE) of commercial fisheries is recommended to be standardized because various factors can affect catch rates. Recently, the spatio-temporal analysis has been required to standardize fishery data, because catch is spatially distributed in proportion to fishery distribution and not in proportion to fish abundance. We developed the spatio-temporal models for the CPUE of large- and medium-sized purse seine fisheries for the different age groups of Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) to evaluate the potential spatial distribution and estimate the annual trends in abundance index. Japanese jack mackerel is widely distributed in the East Asian seas, including the East China Sea and Sea of Japan, and is an important fishery resource in Japan. Our models were delta-lognormal generalized additive mixed models that incorporated the temporal components of year and month, and size of fishing vessels as categorical variables, and the identity of the fishing vessels as a random variable. The spatial component represented by the latitude and longitude points of the fishing location was smoothed using an isotropic bivariate function. The water temperature at a depth of 50 m was incorporated to detect the effects of environmental factors. After all combinations of explanatory variables were evaluated, the model with the lowest Bayesian information criterion score was selected as the best model. All the best models among both binomial models and lognormal models contained all explanatory variables, although the best binomial model for age 2 exclude the vessel size and the best lognormal model for age 0 exclude the water temperature at a depth of 50 m. Our results indicate that the potential distribution areas for all ages of Japanese jack mackerel exist on the continental shelf in the southern part of the East China Sea, the western side of Kyushu Island, and along Honshu Island in the western part of the Sea of Japan. In contrast, the main distribution areas with higher density for age 0 were segregated into two: the southwestern East China Sea and the coastal area off Kyushu Island, although fish over age 1 were widely distributed. The standardized CPUE was higher than the nominal CPUE for age 0 from 2015 to 2020, and the standardized CPUE was also higher for age 1 in 2020. These results were derived from spatial models that compensated for the lack of spatial data due to the recent decrease in fishing operations in the Southeast China Sea. The yearly trends of standardized CPUE for each age could be used for the age-structured stock assessment model such as a tuned virtual population analysis. Improving the accuracy of the abundance index helps to further improve the reliability of stock assessments.

Seasonality of the global cruise industry

Seasonality is a unique characteristic of the cruise industry. Cruise lines move their ship deployment areas seasonally to meet tourism needs. Taking advantage of the climatic differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres could allow greater growth in the global cruise industry. This study aims to provide basic findings for governments and ports to consider ways to encourage growth by capitalizing on the seasonality of the global cruise industry. Automatic identification system data for all ocean-going cruise ships worldwide in 2019 were compiled and categorized into three travel groups (short, middle, and long) based on the latitudinal distance traveled. Differences between these three groups were analyzed in terms of deployment area/port, vessel size, and itinerary design. As a result, we found that the long travel group had the following characteristics. Cruise ships were deployed to Alaska and Northern Europe in summer and dispersed to the equator and Southern Hemisphere in winter. The vessel size was standard and neither too large nor too small. Specifically, long travel of cruise ships was limited by the maximum gross tonnage, length, and breadth of the ship, but there was no draught restriction. Although the number of nodes and edges, and the average degree comprising the itineraries were high, hub ports appeared only in the summer. Furthermore, despite the long distances traveled by season, the number of communities tended to be small, reflecting the design of their itineraries. In conclusion, the development of several ports in the Southern Hemisphere that can accommodate mega-sized cruise ships with standard draught, while considering overtourism, would allow cruise ships to take advantage of the seasonality and, thereby, grow the cruise industry.

Impact of Dry Port on Seaport Competitiveness

Ports play an important role in connecting individuals in need of logistics services with organizations that provide logistics services. Rather of being merely transshipment hubs. Ports have recently evolved into integrated logistics centers with a continuous transport chain, with these developments primarily relying on the supply chain systems of major port operators. Though changes impact terminal handling traffic, rising quantities have increased job pressure, as well as congestion levels and dwell periods in terminal areas. The dry port model relies on a seaport which is directly connected to inland intermodal stations, where freight may be rotated immediately to the seaport in intermodal loading units. This research investigates the influence of vessel growth on port competitiveness and investigates integration between seaports and dry ports to counteract the huge increase in ship size at seaports. To achieve this goal, a survey was conducted to measure the relationship between dry ports and seaports. This paper also illustrates how the vessel expansion is associated with reduced operational efficiency, congestion, limited capacity and infrastructure support, outdated guidelines for existing port development, and the urgent need for additional investment in spatial development, and human resource development. Keywords: Dry Ports – Competitiveness – Seaports – Vessel size

First Human Use of Shockwave L6 Intravascular Lithotripsy Catheter in Severely Calcified Large Vessel Stenoses.

Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) modifies superficial and deep vascular calcium by delivering pulsatile sonic pressure energy that fractures calcium in situ with the consequent enhancement of transmural vessel compliance, limitation of fibroelastic recoil, and optimization of stent implantation. To date, the use of IVL as an adjunct to facilitate stent implantation has been limited by large target vessel size and eccentricity of calcium distribution. The Shockwave L6 IVL balloon delivery system includes 6 sonic energy emitters mounted on the shaft of a 30.0-mm long balloon with diameters ranging from 8.0 to 12.0 mm. The balloon nominal pressure is 4 atm. We describe first human use of this novel IVL delivery system to facilitate covered stent implantation in severely calcified stenoses involving the distal abdominal aorta and bilateral iliac arteries. Full IVL balloon expansion was achieved at low pressures (3 atm), despite the severity of calcification, with subsequent safe and effective covered stent implantation. The Shockwave L6 balloon seems to expand the application of IVL to the treatment of severely calcified large vessels, such as the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries.

한평생 한국 신석기 문화를 세계에 알린 사라 넬슨(Sarah M. Nelson) 교수를 추모하며

The news of the passing of Professor Sarah Nelson who had dedicated her life on investigating Korean Neolithic Culture was received on April 27th 2020.&#x0D; As a person with a special friendship with her who have walked along the same path for the last 5 decades, her abrupt passing has placed me in a great sorrow. I offer my most sincere condolences on behalf of all members of the Korean Archaeological Society.&#x0D; Our first encounter was made at the sandy fields of the prehistoric site at Amsa-dong. Back in 1970, a student working on her doctoral degree at University of Michigan was performing an 1-year on-site survey at the sandy beach near Han-River trying to collect data for her research on Neolithic Culture.&#x0D; Right there, our first encounter was made. During those days I was also conducting survey near the sites in Han-River for 1 year funded by Ministry of Education. She seemed like she was also delighted by this unexpected encounter. We gladly agreed some of the collected data from survey to be jointly published. Since then daily survey and data analysis continued and the combined result was published in Journal of Korean Archaeological society under the title, ｢Implications of the Sizes of Comb-pattern Vessels in Han River Sites in Korea｣.&#x0D; In 1973, after receiving her doctoral degree with her thesis ｢Chulmun Period Villages on the Han River in Korea, Subsistence and Settlement｣, she started her academic career as a tenure tarck faculty at University of Denver in the state of Colorado. Her published thesis drew attention in relation to whether the theory and methodology of L. Binford on New Archaeology can be applied in regions other than the United States. Back in those days many of archaeological interpretation relied on “diffusion” and those chronology focused research were recognized as main stream archaeology. In 1962, Binford emphasized the irrationalism of the previous researches in his paper ｢Archaeology as Anthropology｣ and released a new theory stating that understanding social aspect is also possible through the study of material culture. The research of professor Nelson on the basin of Han-River caught more attention, for it became the first research on Korean Peninsula to be performed within the framework of New Archaeology.&#x0D; Even after that, professor Nelson published the total of 9 books and up to 150 articles on the archaeology of North-Eastern China and Neolithic Korea, establishing her fame as the leader of this field.&#x0D; Of her publications, 『The Archaeology of Korea』 (1993)became the foundation for understanding Korean archaeology. In 『Gender in Archaeology: Analyzing Power and Prestige』 she exposed her thoughts on how the matriarchal society in Neolith age transformed into patriarchal society in modern days.&#x0D; Back in 1996 at Honolulu, she witnessed an overwhelming moment of the separation of Korean Archaeology from being part of those of China and Japan. Back in 1980, only limited number of Korean Neolithic sites were excavated and none of them were found in Gangwon Province leaving the region as a chronological vacant. In this circumstance, when the news of the excavation at Osan-ri site by Seoul National University delivered to the United States, professor Nelson instantly appeared at site as if she was already their. As the team dug more into the sand dunes surrounded by lakes and sea, more they’d find the house pits left by the dwellers of Osan-ri. Near the hearth, various artifacts including net sinker, fish hook, stone saw, face figurine, were unearthed. With the initial application of water flotation in Korean Archaeology, number of plant remains including acorn and insects’ feces were found.&#x0D; With her keen insight and sensitivity from studying theology back in university years, she wrote a novel titled 『Spirit Bird Journey』 based on the inspiration she received from the Osan-ri prehistoric site. With this book, we can “read” her thoughts on matriarchal Neolith society and gender in Archaeology.

Associations of Culprit Vessel Size and Plaque Characteristics in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Small vessel disease (SVD) widely exists in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, the plaque characteristic of SVD has not been investigated. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of culprit lesion was examined in 576 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and finally 404 patients with qualified images were analysed of plaque phenotypes and microstructure. The cohort was divided into three groups according to vessel diameters of culprit lesion which were measured by OCT. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were recorded of each patient and compared among patients with different vessel diameters and plaque phenotypes. Gender, age and body mass index (BMI) were significantly different among patients with different diameters of culprit vessels (98.4% vs. 85.7% vs.71.4%, p 0.001; 40.0 7.0 vs. 54.9 6.6 vs. 68.9 5.8, p 0.001; 28.4 4.0 vs. 25.8 2.9 vs. 25.2 3.0, p 0.001, respectively). Moreover, patients with diameters of culprit lesion 3 mm presented with more incidence of plaque rupture and macrophage (57.7% vs. 42.1% vs. 46.2%, p = 0.015, 55.1% vs. 41.0% vs. 36.9%, p = 0.010). Total MACE did not differ among groups of different vessel diameters and plaque phenotypes. Vessel size of culprit lesion is significantly associated with plaque phenotype in patients with STEMI. However, patients with different diameters and plaque phenotypes showed no significant difference of clinical outcomes. NCT03593928.

Noninvasive Brachial Artery Mechanics and Endothelial Function

I t has been recognized that endothelial dysfunction is an early indication of Arterial disease. Endothelial function can be noninvasively evaluated by Inducing a temporary increase in blood flow and then observing the degree of vasodilation response or flow-mediated dilation. Impaired flow mediated vasodilation is then an indication of impaired endothelium. Vascular ultrasound Imaging has been the typical approach to access vasodilation by flow-mediated dilation most often at the brachial artery. Together with other measures of cardiovascular risk, the flow-mediated dilation response provides a very early noninvasive screen for cardiovascular disease. The skill and equipment required for brachial artery ultrasound imaging have limited the use of flow-mediated dilation as a routine medical test. Moreover, it has been recognized that other vascular parameters such as vessel size and blood pressure may influence the test itself. We have introduced a potential solution to the routine measurement of flow-mediated dilation by Analyzing the response of a simple occlusive arm cuff to obtain the Brachial Artery diameter in a noninvasive way. The analysis for occlusive cuff Plethysmography was provided here in a calibrated manner. This approach is an alternative to ultrasound flow-mediated dilation testing. It requires no special operator skills and may be automated for precision. Two experimental evaluations of the proposed cuff method are provided. First, The cuff- based brachial diameters were compared to Ultrasound obtained diameters. Second, as a sensitivity test, the cuff-based dilation test was used to measure the dilation response of several subjects to blood sugar loading. For further evaluation, the cuff-based measurements were applied to a mechanical model of the brachial artery to reveal a standard error of estimate less than 5%. The results show that the cuff-based diameters compare well to those obtained via ultrasound imaging. Moreover, the cuff-based dilation testing showed the expected reduction in endothelial function response due to a blood sugar load. Additionally, cuff-based flow-mediated dilation testing provides measurements as a function of the subject blood pressure, which Ultrasound generally cannot.