The tests were carried out with the spark timing adjusted to the maximum brake torquetiming in various equivalence ratios and engine speeds for gasoline and natural gas operations. In thiswork, the lower heating value of gasoline is about 13.6% higher than that of natural gas. Based on theexperimental results, the natural gas operation causes an increase of about 6.2% brake special fuelconsumpt...

BACKGROUND The safety and effectiveness of the fully repositionable LOTUS valve system as compared with the balloon-expandable Edwards SAPIEN 3 prosthesis for the treatment of aortic stenosis has not been evaluated to date. METHODS AND RESULTS All patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation with the Edwards SAPIEN 3 or the LOTUS valve system were included into the Swiss Transc...

BACKGROUND Several centers favor replacing a diseased native heart valve with a tissue rather than a mechanical prosthesis, even in younger adult patients. However, long-term data supporting this approach are lacking. We examined the survival implications of selecting a tissue versus a mechanical prosthesis at initial left-heart valve replacement in a cohort of adults <60 years of age who were ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the Valsalva maneuver (VM) on cardiac hemodynamics in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO). Sixty-five patients who were highly suspected to have PFO were included. The changes in E, A, E/A ratio of mitral valve blood flow, E, A, E/A ratio of tricuspid valve blood flow, left ventricular end-diastolic volume, area and right atrial...

Background—Benfluorex was withdrawn from European markets in June 2010 after reports of an association with heart valve lesions. The link between benfluorex and valve regurgitations was based on small observational studies and retrospective estimations. We therefore designed an echocardiography-based multicenter study to compare the frequency of left heart valve regurgitations in diabetic patie...

BACKGROUND Surgeons traditionally avoid the use of "small" aortic prostheses because of the potential for residual left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and persistent transvalvular gradients. This study examines the ratio between prosthetic valve size and the body surface area (BSA) of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR). We sought to determine the effect of potential "pros...

BACKGROUND Bicuspid aortic valve is frequent and is reported to cause numerous complications, but the clinical outcome of patients diagnosed with normal or mildly dysfunctional valve is undefined. METHODS AND RESULTS In 212 asymptomatic community residents from Olmsted County, Minn (age, 32+/-20 years; 65% male), bicuspid aortic valve was diagnosed between 1980 and 1999 with ejection fraction...

The tendinous chords of the tricuspid valve are the predominant type of connection between the papillary muscles and the tricuspid valve. Studies describing the evolutionary line of these connections are well known. The flexibility of particular leaflets of the tricuspid valve varies, as does the tension of the blood stream in particular cusps. The present study was performed on a group of 96 f...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of a non-return catheter valve vs. the standard urine bag for prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in critically ill patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD This was a pilot, randomized, stratified, open-label controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01963013). Ninety-six critically illpatients requiring indwelling urinary ca...