The systemic inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with increased production of cytokines. This systemic inflammatory response characterized by the activation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) during and after CPB is well documented. A prospective randomized double-blind study was performed so as to understand the effects of low-dose methyl prednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) on the circulating levels of serum cytokines and clinical outcome. Twenty ...

This paper presents results of a longitudinal case study inquiry into the measurement of organizational culture change through the implementation of total quality management (TQM) concepts in a higher education context. The inquiry deals with the relationship between national culture and the company corporate culture the consequences of manager style change for TQM implementation and how culture change can be measured adequately. The results are achieved by the utilization of external (quantitative) ...

In this study a synthesis tool using a novel multirate folding technique which handles each FIR filter in a multirate DSP system as a single node is developed. A new architecture is presented for the multiplierless realization of a fold of multirate FIR filters. This synthesizer fully exploits the redundancies (i.e. `idle' and `missing' cycles) and common terms in multirate systems without sacrificing from overall system quality to produce multiplierless multirate systems. It also enables the usage ...

Objective:To evaluate the effect of the 5-HT3-receptor antagonist ondansetron in patients with postcardiotomy delirium. Design: Prospective study. Setting: University hospital. Participants: Thirty-five patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Interventions: Thirty-five patients 23 men and 12 women who developed delirium in the intensive care unit after coronary artery bypass graft surgery were included. Mean patient age was 51.3 years (range 36 to 79 years). A mental status ...

In hardware implementations of Gaussian Potential Function Neural Networks (GPFNN) deviation from ideal network parameters is inevitable because of the techniques used for parameter storage and implementation of the functions electronically resulting in loss of accuracy. This loss in accuracy can be represented by quantization of the network parameters. In order to predict this effect theoretical approaches are proposed. One-input one-output GPFNN with one hidden layer have been trained as function ...

A potential complication of UroLume endoprosthesis is migration which may necessitate removal of the stent. Stent removal may be associated with complications such as urethral injury bleeding and external sphincter trauma. We report a patient in whom a holmium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser was used to cut the UroLume endoprosthesis into fragments which led to easy and uneventful stent removal.

Electrical activity of myotubes represses nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) gene expression. This effect is mimicked by okadaic acid and blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX) or staurosporine in cultured myocytes [Altiok et al. EMBO J. 16 (1997) 717-725]. In this study we investigated the mechanism of this repression. We show that addition of exogenous phospholipase D (PLD) and C inhibits AChR expression in a manner which parallels that of okadaic acid. Furthermore okadaic acid caused an increase ...

We report a case of pulmonary trunk aneurysm extending into the left pulmonary artery due to pulmonary hypertension secondary to mitral valve disease. The mitral valve was replaced with a bileaflet mechanical prosthesis. A Dacron graft interposed between main trunk and left pulmonary artery branch and right pulmonary branch attached to the graft in an end-to-side fashion. Early postoperative angiogram revealed a very successful treatment.

Thirty-two patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis underwent anterior fusion with rigid single rod (third generation instrumentation) and titanium mesh cages. The mean follow-up was 31 (24-45) months and the mean age was 14.9 years. There were 8 patients with King type I 10 with type II 6 with type III 4 with type IV and 4 with lumbar curves. Titanium mesh cages were used in all the lumbar procedures and at the cranial and caudal ends of the instrumented area in thoracic cases. All the ...