BACKGROUND Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7, the causative agent of hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), produces long bundles of type IV pili (TFP) called hemorrhagic coli pili (HCP). HCP are capable of mediating several phenomena associated with pathogenicity: i) adherence to human and bovine epithelial cells; ii) invasion of epithelial cells; iii) hem...

PURPOSE To assess the histologic changes produced by platinum microcoils with an inner core of cross-linked bovine collagen in experimentally induced aneurysms in swine, and to assess the feasibility of the system for the delivery of the collagen. METHODS Bilateral pouch aneurysms were created in the side wall of the common carotid artery in seven barnyard pigs. Eight aneurysms were treated w...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and reliability of the mechanical detachment system of a new platinum coil, Detach-18, when used as a vascular occlusive device for neurovascular disease. METHODS Forty-one patients (nine male and 32 female patients; age range, 26-75 years; mean age, 54.4 years) underwent treatment at seven centers. Twenty-two patien...

Presented here is a method, the hierarchical charge partitioning (HCP) approximation, for speeding up computation of pairwise electrostatic interactions in biomolecular systems. The approximation is based on multiple levels of natural partitioning of biomolecular structures into a hierarchical set of its constituent structural components. The charge distribution in each component is systematica...

Introduction The transmit efficiency and receive signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of transceive RF coils depends on how well the resonance circuit is tuned to the Larmor frequency and matched to the 50 ohm coaxial cable. Patient size variability changes the load the coil couples with and adversely impacts both tuning and matching, and subsequently the power efficiency and SNR of the coil. The loadin...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether implanting exogenous fibroblasts on platinum coils could enhance intra-aneurysmal fibrosis. Hypotheses included: (1) fibroblast-coated (FBC) platinum coils can improve angiographic results after embolization; and (2) FBC platinum coils can accelerate histological healing of embolized aneurysms. METHODS Experimental aneu...

The crystallization characteristics in supercooled liquid Zn during isothermal relaxation were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations by adopting the cluster-type index method (CTIM) and the tracing method. Results showed that the crystallization process undergo three different stages. The size of the critical nucleus was found to be approximately 90-150 atoms in this system; the gro...

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that nearly half of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not achieve an adequate response to antidepressant treatments (ADTs), which impacts patients' functioning, quality of life (QoL), and well-being. This patient survey aimed to better understand patient perspectives on the emotional impact of experiencing an inadequate response to ADTs. METHODS An ...

Air-core coils are more practical than iron-core magnets for producing the required magnetic field distribution for electron paramagnetic resonance imaging at frequencies of a few hundred megahertz. An air-core, air-cooled magnet/gradient coil system is presented in this paper, which is optimum in the sense that mathematically it produces fields, which for the number of coils specified, are as ...

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all health care personnel (HCP). In August 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule requiring acute care hospitals that participate in its Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program to report HCP influenza vaccination data through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) beginning January 1, 2013. Da...