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Meeting abstractsEMPTY Summary To examine the association between aortic dimensions on cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and risk of adverse events related to pregnancy in women with coarctation of the aorta (CoA). Cardiovascular events (hypertension, sustained arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, cardiac arrest, and/or need for an urgent cardiac procedure), obstetric complications (eclampsia, pre-term labour, post-partum hemorrhage) and fetal/neonatal events (still birth, prematurity, low birthweight, respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, death) were recorded.

To identify concepts including misconceptions among the community members regarding family doctors, and determine factors affecting decisions on which doctor to consult in different clinical scenarios. Household telephone survey conducted between 4 and 13 September 2006. Hong Kong community. Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents aged 18 years or more were targeted. Randomly selected participants were asked to complete a questionnaire, which was designed based on a literature search and subsequent focus group discussions. Among the 1811 households with eligible subjects to survey, 1204 completed the questionnaire (response rate, 67%). More than 85% considered a family doctor to be the first doctor they wanted to see even if it was inconvenient. \"Clearly knowing my physical conditions\", \"fast-acting and effective treatment\", and \"doctor with friendly and sincere attitude\" were the three most important factors influencing the choice of a family doctor. When affected by flu-like symptoms, 65% would go to a private clinic, 20% to a general out-patient clinic, 6% to a designated clinic with staff approved by their respective medical insurance/medical benefit scheme, and 5% to a private hospital outpatient clinic. Among the latter two groups, 65% consulted the same doctor every time when they felt sick. More than 50% of those willing to have regular follow-up by a family doctor for hypertension and diabetes paid more than HK$300 per month. Approximately 64% might consider having regular follow-up at a general out-patient clinic by a nurse specialist. Hong Kong inhabitants already have their own ideas regarding how to care for their own health, and what kind of family doctors they prefer. This survey should help both doctors and health care policy makers to realign their current thinking, and thus provide a platform for the development of a primary care model unique to Hong Kong.

A lot of economists believe that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will increase GDP and inflation, lower unemployment rate and exchange rate. In this study, yearly data from 30 different countries, 15 developed and 15 developing, between the years 1980 to 2011 is used to analyze the effect of FDI to the macroeconomic variables: GDP, unemployment rate, inflation rate, interest rate and exchange rate. In this study, Vector Auto-Regression (VAR) is being used to estimate the effects. The results shown that in developed countries, both inflow FDI and net FDI lead to an increase in future FDI inflow and GDP. Unemployment rate decreases for couple years and start to increase. In developing countries, both FDI inflow and net FDI increase GDP for a period of time and then it will start to decrease. Interest rate will increase and then decrease for a long time. FDI inflow and net FDI will have different effects on inflation and unemployment rate. FDI inflow will increase inflation where net FDI will decrease the inflation rate. For unemployment rate, FDI inflow will decrease the unemployment rate and net FDI will affect the unemployment rate in the way similar to developed countries, i.e., it decreases for one year and it increases for couple years after that. Then it decreases for a long time. In the end, exchange rate experiences similar effects also. Inflow FDI and net FDI will depreciate the host countries' currency for two years and it appreciates after two years. The appreciation will last for another year and it depreciates again for a long time.

Solar coronal loops are observed to be amazingly stable structures. To be able to understand why, we need to know something about their magnetic fields, their pressure profiles and their special boundary conditions at the surface of the sun. In this dissertation, theoretical models are constructed to fit the observational data collected from various sources and then the stability of the loops is analyzed by using the laws of plasma physics. First a reasonable equilibrium field/pressure model is chosen, which can provide some stability effect. However, the photospheric inertia-tying boundary conditions, due to the anchoring of the feet of the loops at the surface of the sun, are the major stability factor. The energy principle is used extensively on the above magnetohydrodynamic system. The results of such applications enable us to determine the critical parameter (the aspect ratio of the loop, for example) which specifies stability. To use the energy principle correctly, one needs to treat a loop as an isolated system in which energy is conserved; i.e., the inflow of energy must be equal to the outflow. In addition, one must use the most general perturbation consistent with the symmetry and boundary conditions. This is necessary because, in a stability test, we should apply perturbations which are arbitrary except for these restrictions. For this purpose, we express our function in a complete sine/cosine series. This set has the property that the perturbations perpendicular to the magnetic field vanish at the solar surface, because of the high mass inertia there. This new theory for applying the energy principle, which involves the minimization of the potential energy of the coronal loop system, can be expressed in a general analytical formalism. However, when numerical applications are considered, approximations must be made because of the complexity of the generalized series which makes the problem an infinite dimensional one. Examples are worked out with the help of mathematical theorems of the calculus of variations applicable to coupled functions. We thereby illustrate that this problem can be solved very generally. The final computational accuracy is limited by the availability of time and energy only.

The mammalian sensory neocortex consists of hierarchically organized areas reciprocally connected via feedforward (FF) and feedback (FB) circuits. Several theories of hierarchical computation ascribe the bulk of the computational work of the cortex to looped FF-FB circuits between pairs of cortical areas. However, whether such corticocortical loops exist remains unclear. In higher mammals, individual FF-projection neurons send afferents almost exclusively to a single higher-level area. However, it is unclear whether FB-projection neurons show similar area-specificity, and whether they influence FF-projection neurons directly or indirectly. Using viral-mediated monosynaptic circuit tracing in macaque primary visual cortex (V1), we show that V1 neurons sending FF projections to area V2 receive monosynaptic FB inputs from V2, but not other V1-projecting areas. We also find monosynaptic FB-to-FB neuron contacts as a second motif of FB connectivity. Our results support the existence of FF-FB loops in primate cortex, and suggest that FB can rapidly and selectively influence the activity of incoming FF signals. In the cerebral cortex, information is processed by multiple hierarchically organized areas, reciprocally connected via feedforward and feedback circuits. Here the authors show that in primate visual cortex, feedforward projection neurons receive monosynaptic feedback contacts selectively from the area to which they project.

The global demand for ethanol as an alternative fuel continues to rise. Advancement in all aspects of ethanol production is deemed beneficial to the ethanol industry. Traditional fermentation requires 50–70 hours to produce the maximum ethanol concentration of 7–8% (v/v). Here we demonstrate an electrostatic fermentation method that is capable of accelerating the fermentation of glucose using generic Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the fermenting microorganism to produce ethanol. The method, when applied to the batch fermentation of 1 liter fermenting mixture containing dry yeast without pre-culture, is able to achieve ethanol yield on the high gravity level (12.3% v/v) in 24 hours. The fermentation results in almost complete consumption of glucose. With pre-cultured yeast, ethanol yield can reach 14% v/v in 20 hours. The scale-up capability of the method is demonstrated with 2 liter fermenting mixture. The method does not consume external energy due to its electrostatic nature. Our results indicate the applicability of the fermentation technique to industry applications.

Background. Animal studies suggest that Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, may persist after antibiotic therapy and can be detected by various means including xenodiagnosis using the natural tick vector (Ixodes scapularis). No convincing evidence exists for the persistence of viable spirochetes after recommended courses of antibiotic therapy in humans. We determined the safety of using I. scapularis larvae for the xenodiagnosis of B. burgdorferi infection in humans. Methods. Laboratory-reared larval I. scapularis ticks were placed on 36 subjects and allowed to feed to repletion. Ticks were tested for B. burgdorferi by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture, and/or isothermal amplification followed by PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy. In addition, attempts were made to infect immunodeficient mice by tick bite or inoculation of tick contents. Xenodiagnosis was repeated in 7 individuals. Results. Xenodiagnosis was well tolerated with no severe adverse events. The most common adverse event was mild itching at the tick attachment site. Xenodiagnosis was negative in 16 patients with posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) and/or high C6 antibody levels and in 5 patients after completing antibiotic therapy for erythema migrans. Xenodiagnosis was positive for B. burgdorferi DNA in a patient with erythema migrans early during therapy and in a patient with PTLDS. There is insufficient evidence, however, to conclude that viable spirochetes were present in either patient. Conclusions. Xenodiagnosis using Ixodes scapularis larvae was safe and well tolerated. Further studies are needed to determine the sensitivity of xenodiagnosis in patients with Lyme disease and the significance of a positive result. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01143558.

Background and Objectives: The benefit of carotid artery stenting (CAS) for stroke prevention has been established, but less is known about CAS’s effect on cognition. Here, we investigate (1) changes in the blood flow in both treated and non-treated carotid arteries, (2) associations between the severity of artery occlusion and CAS-induced flow change, and (3) whether the flow changes relate to cognitive improvement. Materials and Methods: We used quantitative flow magnetic resonance imaging to assess blood flow and computerized neurocognitive assessment to evaluate cognitive performance. Fourteen patients identified for CAS as part of their standard care participated in this study; ten completed the CAS procedure and the pre- and post-CAS assessments (age = 77.0 ± 5.6; 70% males). Results: An increased ipsilateral flow following CAS was seen in 70% of the participants, while 50% also showed an increase in the total flow. The participants with ≥90% stenosis showed the greatest flow changes, such that the post-CAS flow was 60% higher relative to pre-CAS (p < 0.050). Cognitive responses to the flow increase were variable: attention showed a positive association; in comparison, higher cognitive flexibility and memory were only seen when treated stenosis was below 80%. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings highlight the impact of CAS and the complex relationship between blood flow and cognitive changes post-CAS, warranting larger-scale studies with extended follow-up periods.

ImportanceAerobic exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression. However, current exercise recommendations do not account for the limited functional capacity of patients with chronic illness and comorbid depression. Consequently, these recommendations risk being inappropriate and having low therapeutic application in this population.ObjectiveTo examine the dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise volume and the severity of depressive symptoms, and to determine the exercise volume needed to alleviate depressive symptoms to the minimally important difference (MID) threshold in patients with chronic illness and comorbid depression.Data sourcesWe searched four databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and PsycINFO) for randomised controlled trials published between database inception and May 2025, without language restrictions.Study selectionWe included studies that compared the effects of aerobic exercise interventions with passive controls on depressive symptoms in adults with chronic illness and comorbid depression.Data extraction and synthesisData extraction was performed independently by two reviewers using a standardised form. A random-effects meta-analysis was employed to calculate the pooled estimate (Hedges’ g) and the 95% CI. Meta-regression was conducted to determine the dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise volume and the severity of depressive symptoms.Main outcome and measureThe prespecified primary outcome was depressive symptoms and was assessed using validated depression rating scales.Results36 randomised controlled trials involving 2500 patients were included. Aerobic exercise compared with passive controls reduced the severity of depressive symptoms in patients with chronic illness and comorbid depression (Hedges’ g: −0.73, 95% CI −0.99 to –0.46, p<0.001, I2=81%). Additionally, aerobic exercise had a dose-response effect of −0.01 (95% CI −0.016 to –0.002, p=0.014) per 10 metabolic equivalent of task minutes per week (MET-min/week) on the severity of depressive symptoms. A weekly volume of 405 MET-min/week was found to alleviate depressive symptoms to an extent perceived as important (MID) by patients with chronic illness and comorbid depression.Conclusions and relevanceThis study presents a dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise volume and the severity of depressive symptoms, suggesting that minimal volumes of aerobic exercise can confer improvements. Importantly, it informs stakeholders that achieving the WHO recommendation of 450 MET-min/week is not mandatory to elicit improvements in depressive symptoms. These findings underscore that irrespective of the functional capacity of patients with chronic illness and comorbid depression, aerobic exercise remains a viable strategy to manage their depressive symptoms.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021282103.