BACKGROUND Stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SCM) is characterized by apical ballooning on echocardiography, but some of SCM patients show non-apical involvement and their characteristics are not well defined. METHODS We investigated 56 patients that were diagnosed as SCM and divided them into 2 groups: apical ballooning syndrome (ABS, n = 49, 87.5%) and non-apical ballooning syndrome (N-ABS, n ...

Thyroid autoimmunity has been proposed as an endophenotype for Bipolar Disorder (BD), although its relationship with clinical outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether thyroid autoimmune status (thyroperoxidase antibodies [TPO-Abs] and thyroglobulin antibodies [TG-Abs]) in BD is associated with a greater risk for readmission at one year. We studied 77 inpatients with BD admitted f...

a new anti-lock braking system (abs) for motorcycles is proposed in this study. it functions by processing the speed of the motorcycle tire in contact with the ground relative to the speed of the motorcycle itself and by calculating the slip ratio (λ) of the tire slipping on the ground while braking, and reducing it to a minimum which leads to increased controllability of the motorcycle and red...

In this research work, poly (acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene)/polypropylene (ABS/PP) blends were processed by melt compounding in a twin-screw extruder. Upgrading of the thermal characteristics of the obtained materials was attempted by the incorporation of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT), as well as, by the addition of two types of compatibilizers; polypropylene grafted with maleic ...

BACKGROUND Acute brainstem syndrome (ABS) may herald multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica (NMO), or occur as an isolated syndrome. The aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-specific serum autoantibody, NMO-IgG, is a biomarker for NMO. However, the role of anti-AQP4 antibody in the conversion of ABS to NMO is unclear. METHODS Thirty-one patients with first-event ABS were divided into two groups accordin...

Objective To assess the seizure treatment outcome in autoimmune encephalitis (AE). Background Seizures due to AE etiology are increasingly recognized. Timely confirmation of may lead improved outcomes by allowing for earlier immunotherapy, which is more effective than anti-seizure medication (ASM). Currently, seizures/epilepsy can be subcategorized as associated epilepsy or acute symptomatic se...

BACKGROUND Laminin-1, a multifunctional glycoprotein of the basement membrane, is thought to be important in embryogenesis, embryonic implantation, and placentation. We recently showed that serum IgG anti-laminin-1 autoantibodies (auto-Abs) are associated with recurrent first-trimester miscarriages. The present study assessed the clinical significance of anti-laminin-1 Abs with infertility, acc...