congenital defects of the pericardium are considered rare. until 1979 , the reported cases were only about 200.1 total absence of the left pericardium is the most common defect2 and less common is a partial defect of the left pericardium. other types, i.e. isolated right-sided defects, total pericardial absence and diaphragmatic pericardial defects are very rare.3 before the last decade, the di...

Understanding radiation responses of Fe-based metals is essential to develop radiation tolerant steels for longer and safer life cycles in harsh reactor environments. Nanograined metals have been explored as self-healing materials due to point-defect recombination at grain boundaries. The fundamental defect-boundary interactions, however, are not yet well understood. We discover that the intera...

In the feline species the most common congenital defects are atrioventricular dysplasia (with the mitral valve more commonly affected than the tricuspid valve) and ventricular septal defects. Pulmonic and aortic stenosis are relatively rare. Patent ductus arteriosus is extremely uncommon. However one has to be aware that cats often have multiple congenital defects and do present as adults with ...

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bioceramics such as hydroxyapatite (HA) and zirconium oxide (ZrO2) are used to reconstruct mandibular defects. We sought to determine the synergistic effects of HA/ZrO2 and PRP and compare their osteogenic activity.Methods: ZrO2 scaffolds were constructed by the slurry method and were then coated with HA and impregnated by PRP/heparan sulfate (HS). Bil...

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic neurodegenerative disorder, is caused by mutations or deletions in the survival of motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene that result in SMN deficiency. SMN deficiency impairs microtubule networks in Smn-deficient cells and in SMA-like motor neuron cultures. Microtubule defects can be restored by knockdown of the stathmin gene (Stmn), which is upregulated in SMA. Ho...