Using functions in various forms, recent database publications have assigned “scores”, “preference values”, and “probabilistic values” to object-relational database tuples. We generalize these functions and their evaluations as sideway functions and sideway values, respectively. Sideway values represent the advices (recommendations) of data creators or preferences of users, and are employed for...

BACKGROUND Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) may be congenital or acquired. They could mimic ventricular tumor symptoms and cause signs and symptoms of ventricular outflow tract obstruction. They may also involve the conduction system and cause palpitations or syncopal episodes. Both transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) serve as quick, noninvasive metho...

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between sagittal alignment of the cervical spine and patient-reported health-related quality-of-life scores following multilevel posterior cervical fusion, and to explore whether an analogous relationship exists in the cervical spine using T1 slope minus C2-C7 lordosis (T1S-CL). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA A recent study ...

Background Cervical sagittal alignment plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), but there are limited studies on the cervical sagittal parameters in CSM patients and their correlations with myelopathy. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlations among the preoperative cervical sagittal alignment parameters and their correlations with the...

Recent evidence has shown that the inhibitors of the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) might exert antiarrhythmic effects both in experimental models and in humans. In this study we analyzed the effects of atorvastatin and simvastatin acid (SVA) on the currents responsible for the duration of the plateau of human atrial action potentials: hKv1.5, Kv4.3, and L-type Ca(2+)...

A 64-year-old man was admitted with unstable angina pectoris. He had been followed-up at outpatient clinics for mild to moderate aortic regurgitation and bicuspid aortic valve. He developed complete atrioventricular block (AVB) and underwent permanent pacemaker implantation 9 years previously. Cardiac catheterization showed severe stenosis at the left main trunk, as well as unexpected unrupture...

A 25-year-old woman with no cardiovascular risk factors was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea and palpitations during the last two months. Physical examination showed blood pressure of 150/50 mm Hg and a continuous murmur across the precordium in cardiac auscultation was observed. The 12 leads electrocardiogram was normal. Chest X-ray showed a slight cardiomegaly. The transthoracic echocard...

SVA is a composite repetitive element named after its main components, SINE, VNTR and Alu. We have identified 2762 SVA elements from the human genome draft sequence. Genomic distribution analysis indicates that the SVA elements are enriched in G+C-rich regions but have no preferences for inter- or intragenic regions. A phylogenetic analysis of the elements resulted in the recovery of six subfam...

BACKGROUND Senecavirus A (SVA), a member of the family Picornaviridae, genus Senecavirus, is a recently identified single-stranded RNA virus closely related to members of the Cardiovirus genus. SVA was originally identified as a cell culture contaminant and was not associated with disease until 2007 when it was first observed in pigs with Idiopathic Vesicular Disease (IVD). Vesicular disease is...

There have been few case reports on giant sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA). We report a case of a giant unruptured right coronary SVA that was confused with a pericardial cyst by transthoracic echocardiography.