Mixtures of short and long chain phospholipids called bicelles can form discs-shaped nanoobjects (40 nm) that can indeed be oriented in magnetic fields. This is due to the cooperative effect of the small diamagnetic negative anisotropic susceptibility of each of the individual lipids that
build up a macroscopic magnetic moment that orients in the field like a compass. Chain saturated lipids have a tendency to be oriented with their long molecular axis perpendicular to the field, thus leading to a disc plane with a parallel orientation. Newly synthesized phosphatidylcholine (PC) containing a biphenyl group in one of its acyl chains (1-tetradecanoy1-2-(4-(4-biphenyl)butanoyl)-sn-glycero-3-PC, TBBPC) shows very unusual macroscopic orienting properties due to the strong positive anisotropy of the biphenyl diamagnetic Metabolism inhibitor susceptibility. Mixing with short chain lipids leads to bicelles of 80 nm diameter that are oriented by magnetic fields such that the disc plane is perpendicular
to the field. Tuning the lipid molecular structure thus affords controlling the orientation of this “”molecular goniometer”". Because the magnetic alignment is remnant for tens of hours even outside the field, applications in structural biology and biotechnology, are discussed. Of great interest, micrometer-sized liposomes made from such a new lipid are strongly deformed into oblates when placed in a magnetic field greater than a few Tesla. Increasing the selleck chemicals magnetic field leads to even greater deformations which could potentially be used in medicine for specific drug delivery purposes, under magnetic resonance imaging. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: We compared a hybrid approach combining staged percutaneous Alectinib manufacturer coronary intervention (PCI) and minimally invasive valve surgery with concurrent valve surgery plus bypass via a median
sternotomy approach.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 65 consecutive patients with coronary disease and surgical valvular heart disease who underwent planned PCI followed within 60 days by minimally invasive valve surgery, and we compared them with 52 matched control patients who underwent conventional bypass grafting and valve surgery.
Results: There were no in-hospital deaths in the hybrid group, compared with 2 (3.8%) observed in the matched group (P = .11). Death, renal failure, or stroke occurred in 1 (1.5%) in the hybrid group versus 15 (28.8%) in the conventional group (P = .001). The median number of days between PCI and surgery was 24 (interquartile range, 2.5-37). At surgery, 23 hybrid patients were receiving both aspirin and clopidogrel;, 18, clopidogrel alone; 4, aspirin alone; and 22 stopped the antiplatelet agents 5 days before the operation. Intensive care unit hours and total hospital length of stay, including PCI stay for the hybrid group, were less in the hybrid group (P = .001 for both comparisons).