Spontaneous and field-induced linear birefringence is measured at low temperatures on singledomained single crystals of weakly doped SrTi0,:Ca (x=0.002 and 0.007) in order to investigate polar ordering processes near to T,-4 and 18 K, respectively. In agreement with direct polarization measurements the size of mesoscopic polar nanodomains is determined within the framework of a nonlinear polarization optical response model. Quasi-first-order Raman scattering of soft and hard polar modes, TO,, TO, and TO,, is observed on local precursor nanodomains above T,. Below T, the change of the global symmetry from D,, to C,, is reflected by selection rules imposed on first-order Raman lines in various scattering geometries.

A new hepatitis-associated RNA virus of the Flaviviridae products, intravenous drug use, hemodialysis, and maybe sexual contacts and from mothers to infants. 4-11 HGV RNA family has been identified and named GB virus C/ hepatitis G virus (HGV). We carried out a case-control study to evaluate has been found in patients with acute or chronic hepatic diseases and in subjects without liver diseases by use of RTthe association of HGV infection with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We recruited 170 patients hospitalized for HCC PCR. 1,2 A test was developed recently to detect the presence of antibodies against HGV envelope 2 protein in human sera, (143 male and 27 female, mean age 64 years) and 306 patients hospitalized for nonliver diseases (controls) in Brescia, Italy. the HGV E2 antigen (anti-E2). 12-14 Anti-E2 has been associated with loss of detectable HGV viremia, and therefore it is HGV RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antibodies against HGV E2 pro-considered a marker for recovery from infection. Data on its seroprevalence suggest that the number of people infected tein (anti-E2) by an immunoassay test. HGV RNA was found in 8 cases (4.7%) and 4 controls (1.3%). The relative risk by the virus is higher than was estimated on the basis of HGV RNA seroprevalence. (RR) for HGV RNA positivity adjusted for demographic variables and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis CIn spite of the large number of studies carried out on HGV so far, it is still unknown whether the virus can determine virus (HCV) RNA, and alcohol was 7.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.7-30.6; P Å .009). No HGV RNA-positive subject was liver disease in humans. 15 In fact, most information on HGV prevalence comes from case series, in which selection bias also positive for anti-E2. Anti-E2 prevalence did not differ significantly between cases (20%) and controls (15.3%), and cannot be excluded, thus making comparisons difficult. The case-control study design has been suggested to investigate no RR increase was found by this marker. Among subjects with HGV exposure (HGV RNA plus anti-E2 positive), a whether HGV is associated with liver disease. 5 To assess the association of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with HGV greater proportion of cases (40%) than controls (14%) had transfusion history. The possible role of HGV in HCC etiology infection, we carried out a hospital-based case-control study in the province of Brescia, an area in northern Italy with one seems modest because the population-attributable risk is lower (4%) than those for HBsAg (22%), HCV RNA (36%), of the highest incidence rates of HCC in Europe. 16 and heavy alcohol intake (52%). This study supports the hy- PATIENTS AND METHODS pothesis of an association between HGV infection and HCC,This study is part of a large case-control study carried out to although at present there are insufficient data on the causality A new hepatitis-associated RNA virus of the Flaviviridae (HCV) and its genotypes, and alcohol drinking have been reported family...

The dielectric permittivity of Sr1−xCaxTiO3, x = 0.002, measured at frequencies 10 −3 ≤ f ≤ 10 7 Hz and temperatures 1.5 ≤ T ≤ 15 K, exhibits enhanced loss, ε (f ), on its low-f slope. This contrasts with conventional glassy dynamics and is attributed to dynamic heterogeneity involving thermally activated relaxation of dynamically coupled mesoscopic domains. Crossover into non-activated dynamics occurs at very low f as corroborated by temporal relaxation studies of the field-induced polarization P . Below T ≈ 3 K athermal quantum tunneling starts to dominate both ε (f ) and P (t).

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Forty-one percent of anti-HCV-positive donors with persistently normal ALT had active HCV infection. Long-term ALT monitoring allowed the detection of significantly increased enzyme values in only 2 of 16 viremic donors. Reactivity on RIBA-2 or -3, greater age, mean ALT levels in the upper range of normal, higher S:CO ratio on second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and higher gamma globulin levels were predictive of viremia.

Analogue and digital lock-in techniques are proposed for very-low-frequency impedance spectroscopy, ˜ = − i versus f , involving modest instrumental effort, but achieving very high resolution, ( / ) < 10 −3 , in the frequency range 10 −3 ≤ f ≤ 10 4 Hz. Systematic errors are eliminated after careful network analysis. As an example, some data observed on the relaxor system Sr 0.998 Ca 0.002 TiO 3 (SCT) at low temperatures, 1.5 ≤ T ≤ 15 K, are presented. Its dielectric non-linearity and its transition into a frozen domain state at T g = 3.8 K are briefly discussed.

The free margin running suture (FMRS) is a novel technique for nonresection correction of degenerative mitral regurgitation. It was employed in 37 minimally invasive mitral repair cases. We performed a retrospective collection of in-hospital data and a clinical/echocardiographic follow-up. All patients were discharged with none or mild mitral regurgitation, except one who had mild-to-moderate (2+) regurgitation. At follow-up (average: 2.1 years), all patients were alive; there were no instances of recurrent regurgitation, one case of 2+ regurgitation, and no valve-related complications. Average mitral valve area, mean gradient, and coaptation length were 2.9 cm ±0.1, 3.5 mm Hg ±0.9, and 1.1 cm ±0.2.

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