Bicuspid aortic valve morphology and hemodynamics by same-day echocardiography and cardiac MRI

The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging - This study investigated the impact of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) on valve morphology and motion as well as proximal and aortic hemodynamics...     

Two wrongs sometimes do make a right: errors in aortic valve stenosis assessment by same-day Doppler echocardiography and 4D flow MRI

The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging - This study aims to systematically verify if the simplified geometry and flow profile of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) assumed in 2D...     

Shape Memory and Mechanical Properties of Cold Rolled and Annealed Fe-17Mn-5Si-5Cr-4Ni-1Ti-0.3C Alloy

In the present study, the shape, memory, and mechanical properties of cold-rolled and annealed Fe-17Mn-5Si-5Cr-4Ni-1Ti-0.3C (wt.%) alloy were investigated. The cold-rolled alloy was annealing heat-treated at different temperatures in the range of 500–900 °C for 30 min. The shape recovery behavior of the alloy was investigated using strip bending test followed by recovery heating. The microstructural evolution and the stress-strain response of the alloy heat-treated at different temperatures revealed that the recovery took place at a heat-treatment temperature higher than 600 °C. Recrystallization occurred when the heat-treatment temperature was higher than 800 °C. Meaningful shape recovery was observed only when the alloy was annealed at temperatures higher than 600 °C. The highest recovery strain of up to 2.56% was achieved with a pre-strain of 5.26% and recovery heating temperature of 400 °C, when the alloy was heat-treated at 700 °C. Conversely, the yield strength reduced significantly with increasing annealing heat-treatment temperature. The experimental observations presented in this paper provide a guideline for post-annealing heat-treatment when a good compromise between mechanical property and shape recovery performance is required.     

An integrative approach for exploring the nature of fibroepithelial neoplasms

Background Malignant phyllodes tumour (MPT) is a rare breast malignancy with epithelial and mesenchymal features. Currently, there are no appropriate research models or effective targeted therapeutic approaches for MPT.Methods We collected fresh frozen tissues from nine patients with MPT and performed whole-exome and RNA sequencing. Additionally, we established patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models from patients with MPT and tested the efficacy of targeting dysregulated pathways in MPT using the PDX model from one MPT.Results MPT has unique molecular characteristics when compared to breast cancers of epithelial origin and can be classified into two groups. The PDX model derived from one patient with MPT showed that the mouse epithelial component increased during tumour growth. Moreover, targeted inhibition of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by imatinib mesylate and PKI-587 showed in vivo tumour suppression effects.Conclusions This study revealed the molecular profiles of MPT that can lead to molecular classification and potential targeted therapy, and suggested that the MPT PDX model can be a useful tool for studying the pathogenesis of fibroepithelial neoplasms and for preclinical drug screening to find new therapeutic strategies for MPT.Subject terms: Breast cancer, Cancer genomics