scholarly journals Long-term adaptive versus maladaptive remodelling of the pulmonary autograft after the Ross operation

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 977-985
Author(s):  
Magdi H Yacoub ◽  
Victor Tsang ◽  
Padmini Sarathchandra ◽  
Hanna Jensen ◽  
Sian Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Vasa Vasorum ◽  
Calcium Deposition ◽  
Free Standing ◽  
Ross Operation ◽  
Pulmonary Autograft ◽  
Arteriolar Wall ◽  
Aortic Media

Abstract OBJECTIVES Following the Ross operation, the pulmonary autograft undergoes structural changes (remodelling). We sought to determine the extent, nature and possible determinants of long-term remodelling in the different components of the pulmonary autograft. METHODS Ten pulmonary autografts and 12 normal control valves (6 pulmonary and 6 aortic) were examined by conventional histology, immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. The structural changes were quantified by morphometry. RESULTS The leaflets from free-standing root replacement valves demonstrated thickening to levels comparable to the normal aortic leaflets, largely due to the addition of a thin layer of ‘neointima’ formed of radial elastic fibres, collagen bundles and glycoaminoglycans, on the ventricular aspect of the leaflets. The leaflets of valves from sub-coronary implantation demonstrated a significantly thicker fibroelastic layer on the ventricularis and calcium deposition in the fibrosa. The media of the explanted valves showed increased number of lamellar units to levels comparable to normal aortic roots. Electron microscopy of valves inserted as free-standing roots showed increased organization into continuous layers. However, intralamellar components showed varying degrees of ‘disorganization’ in comparison to those in the normal aortic media. In addition, there was a marked increase in the number of vasa vasorum with thickened arteriolar wall in the outer media and adventitia. CONCLUSIONS Following the Ross operation, in the very long term, all components of the autograft showed varying degrees of remodelling, which was judged to be largely adaptive. Defining the type, determinants and possible functional effects of remodelling could help in understanding and optimizing the results of the Ross operation.

Long-Term Fate of the Neoaortic Root After Neonatal Ross Operation: A Case Series

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-366
Author(s):  
Nicola Pradegan ◽  
Biagio Castaldi ◽  
Danila Azzolina ◽  
Giovanni Stellin ◽  
Vladimiro L. Vida
Keyword(s):  
Case Series ◽  
Somatic Growth ◽  
Ross Operation ◽  
Pulmonary Autograft ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Z Scores ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
One Year

The aim of this study is to analyze the adaptation properties of the pulmonary autograft in four infants who underwent the Ross operation before one year of life. The patients underwent serial echocardiographic assessments of the autograft diameters at short- and long-term follow-up and values were reported as the Z scores for normal aortic and pulmonary diameters. At a median follow-up time of 18.5 years (range: 18.2-19.4 years), all the patients are alive, none requiring autograft reinterventions. This series shows excellent adaptation potential of the “infant pulmonary autograph” in the long-term, during somatic growth of the patient.

Embedding Procedure for Water Swollen Samples

1970 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 504-505
Author(s):  
Ann M. Thomas ◽  
Virginia Shemeley
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Ion Exchange Resins ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
First Pass ◽  
Exchange Resins

Those samples which swell rapidly when exposed to water are, at best, difficult to section for transmission electron microscopy. Some materials literally burst out of the embedding block with the first pass by the knife, and even the most rapid cutting cycle produces sections of limited value. Many ion exchange resins swell in water; some undergo irreversible structural changes when dried. We developed our embedding procedure to handle this type of sample, but it should be applicable to many materials that present similar sectioning difficulties.The purpose of our embedding procedure is to build up a cross-linking network throughout the sample, while it is in a water swollen state. Our procedure was suggested to us by the work of Rosenberg, where he mentioned the formation of a tridimensional structure by the polymerization of the GMA biproduct, triglycol dimethacrylate.

The time course of calcium deposition in shells of the barnacle (Balanus amphititre amphititre) during cyprid-juvenile metamorphosis

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 178-179
Author(s):  
Nancy R. Wallace ◽  
Craig C. Freudenrich ◽  
Karl Wilbur ◽  
Peter Ingram ◽  
Ann LeFurgey
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Vertical Plane ◽  
Mantle Cavity ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Calcium Deposition ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Freeze Dried ◽  
Scanning Electron

The morphology of balanomorph barnacles during metamorphosis from the cyprid larval stage to the juvenile has been examined by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The free-swimming cyprid attaches to a substrate, rotates 90° in the vertical plane, molts, and assumes the adult shape. The resulting metamorph is clad in soft cuticle and has an adult-like appearance with a mantle cavity, thorax with cirri, and incipient shell plates. At some time during the development from cyprid to juvenile, the barnacle begins to mineralize its shell, but it is not known whether calcification occurs before, during, or after ecdysis. To examine this issue, electron probe x-ray microanalysis (EPXMA) was used to detect calcium in cyprids and juveniles at various times during metamorphosis.Laboratory-raised, free-swimming cyprid larvae were allowed to settle on plastic coverslips in culture dishes of seawater. The cyprids were observed with a dissecting microscope, cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen-cooled liquid propane at various times (0-24 h) during metamorphosis, freeze dried, rotary carbon-coated, and examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). EPXMA dot maps were obtained in parallel for qualitative assessment of calcium and other elements in the carapace, wall, and opercular plates.

Conformational characterization of nucleosome structure by Electron Microscopy

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 194-195
Author(s):  
Gregory J. Czarnota
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Gene Activation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Macromolecular Complex ◽  
Ultrastructural Studies ◽  
Ionic Environment ◽  
Nucleosome Structure ◽  
Dimensional Reconstruction

Chromatin structure at the fundamental level of the nucleosome is important in vital cellular processes. Recent biochemical and genetic analyses show that nucleosome structure and structural changes are very active participants in gene expression, facilitating or inhibiting transcription and reflecting the physiological state of the cell. Structural states and transitions for this macromolecular complex, composed of DNA wound about a heterotypic octamer of variously modified histone proteins, have been measured by physico-chemical techniques and by enzyme-accessibility and are recognized to occur with various post-translational modifications, gene activation, transformation and with ionic-environment. In spite of studies which indicate various forms of nucleosome structure, all current x-ray and neutron diffraction studies have consistently resulted in only one structure, suggestive of a static conformation. In contrast, two-dimensional electron microscopy studies and three-dimensional reconstruction techniques have yielded different structures. These fundamental differences between EM and other ultrastructural studies have created a long standing quandary, which I have addressed and resolved using spectroscopic electron microscopy and statistical analyses of nucleosome images in a study of nucleosome structure with ionic environment.

A Transmission Electron Microscopical Investigation of Phase Transformations in TiNi

1980 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 340-341
Author(s):  
P. Moine ◽  
G. M. Michal ◽  
R. Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Phase Transformations ◽  
Applied Stress ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Microscopical Investigation ◽  
Temperature Range ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Electron Microscopical ◽  
Diffraction Effects ◽  
Microscopy Images

Premartensitic effects in near equiatomic TiNi have been pointed out by several authors(1-5). These include anomalous contrast in electron microscopy images (mottling, striations, etc. ),diffraction effects(diffuse streaks, extra reflections, etc.), a resistivity peak above Ms (temperature at which a perceptible amount of martensite is formed without applied stress). However the structural changes occuring in this temperature range are not well understood. The purpose of this study is to clarify these phenomena.

Coming Together Through Falling Apart

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-168
Author(s):  
Heather Churchill ◽  
Jeremy M. Ridenour
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Psychological Assessments ◽  
Transference And Countertransference ◽  
Testing Data ◽  
Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy

Abstract. Assessing change during long-term psychotherapy can be a challenging and uncertain task. Psychological assessments can be a valuable tool and can offer a perspective from outside the therapy dyad, independent of the powerful and distorting influences of transference and countertransference. Subtle structural changes that may not yet have manifested behaviorally can also be assessed. However, it can be difficult to find a balance between a rigorous, systematic approach to data, while also allowing for the richness of the patient’s internal world to emerge. In this article, the authors discuss a primarily qualitative approach to the data and demonstrate the ways in which this kind of approach can deepen the understanding of the more subtle or complex changes a particular patient is undergoing while in treatment, as well as provide more detail about the nature of an individual’s internal world. The authors also outline several developmental frameworks that focus on the ways a patient constructs their reality and can guide the interpretation of qualitative data. The authors then analyze testing data from a patient in long-term psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy in order to demonstrate an approach to data analysis and to show an example of how change can unfold over long-term treatments.

Structural Studies of Fibrinolysis by Electron and Light Microscopy

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 277-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Veklich ◽  
Jean-Philippe Collet ◽  
Charles Francis ◽  
John W. Weisel
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Degradation Products ◽  
Molecular Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Type Plasminogen Activator

IntroductionMuch is known about the fibrinolytic system that converts fibrin-bound plasminogen to the active protease, plasmin, using plasminogen activators, such as tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator. Plasmin then cleaves fibrin at specific sites and generates soluble fragments, many of which have been characterized, providing the basis for a molecular model of the polypeptide chain degradation.1-3 Soluble degradation products of fibrin have also been characterized by transmission electron microscopy, yielding a model for their structure.4 Moreover, high resolution, three-dimensional structures of certain fibrinogen fragments has provided a wealth of information that may be useful in understanding how various proteins bind to fibrin and the overall process of fibrinolysis (Doolittle, this volume).5,6 Both the rate of fibrinolysis and the structures of soluble derivatives are determined in part by the fibrin network structure itself. Furthermore, the activation of plasminogen by t-PA is accelerated by the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, and this reaction is also affected by the structure of the fibrin. For example, clots made of thin fibers have a decreased rate of conversion of plasminogen to plasmin by t-PA, and they generally are lysed more slowly than clots composed of thick fibers.7-9 Under other conditions, however, clots made of thin fibers may be lysed more rapidly.10 In addition, fibrin clots composed of abnormally thin fibers formed from certain dysfibrinogens display decreased plasminogen binding and a lower rate of fibrinolysis.11-13 Therefore, our increasing knowledge of various dysfibrinogenemias will aid our understanding of mechanisms of fibrinolysis (Matsuda, this volume).14,15 To account for these diverse observations and more fully understand the molecular basis of fibrinolysis, more knowledge of the physical changes in the fibrin matrix that precede solubilization is required. In this report, we summarize recent experiments utilizing transmission and scanning electron microscopy and confocal light microscopy to provide information about the structural changes occurring in polymerized fibrin during fibrinolysis. Many of the results of these experiments were unexpected and suggest some aspects of potential molecular mechanisms of fibrinolysis, which will also be described here.

Economic Institutions and Growth Nexus: The Role of Governance and Democratic Institutions—Evidence from Time Varying Parameters’ (TVPs) Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (4I-II) ◽  
pp. 675-688
Author(s):  
Ghulam Murtaza ◽  
Muhammad Zahir Faridi
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Economic Institutions ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Rolling Window

The present study has investigated the channels through which the linkage between economic institutions and growth is gauged, by addressing the main hypothesis of the study that whether quality of governance and democratic institutions set a stage for economic institutions to promote the long-term growth process in Pakistan. To test the hypothesis empirically, our study models the dynamic relationship between growth and economic institutions in a time varying framework in order to capture institutional developments and structural changes occurred in the economy of Pakistan over the years. Study articulates that, along with some customary specifics, the quality of government and democracy are the substantial factors that affect institutional quality and ultimately cause to promote growth in Pakistan. JEL Classification: O40; P16; C14; H10 Keywords: Economic Institutions, Growth, Governance and Democracy, Rolling Window Two-stage Least Squares, Pakistan

Individual differences in white and grey matter structure associated with verbal habits of thought

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin C. Hayes ◽  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
White Matter Tracts

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.

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