Introdução: A Síndrome do Coração Esquerdo Hipoplásico (SCEH) compreende um espectro de malformações estruturais cardíacas caracterizadas por um hipodesenvolvimento significativo do complexo coração esquerdo-aorta, que apesar da evolução do tratamento, continua sendo um desafio. O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar diferenças morfológicas e histológicas em corações com atresia e estenose mitral na SCEH. Métodos: Estudo de 33 corações com SCEH e nove corações normais (controle), divididos em dois grupos, atresia mitral (AM) e estenose mitral (EM), obtidos em necrópsia e submetidos a análise morfológica dos segmentos da aorta, características da valva mitral e tricúspide, septo inter atrial, miocárdio, cavidades ventriculares e análise histológica com as colorações e hematoxilina/eosina e picro-sírius. Resultados: Observamos nove espécimes com Atresia Mitral e Atresia Aórtica (AMAA), 27,2%; treze com Atresia Mitral e Estenose Aórtica (AMEA), 39,3% e onze com Estenose Mitral e Estenose Aórtica (EMEA) 33,3%. Encontramos associação significativa de predominância de coronárias tortuosas no grupo EM (?2= 4,911; P=0,027) e a dominância coronariana esquerda está em 75% dos casos de EM, com diferença significativa entre os dois grupos (?2=9,298; P=0,01). No grupo AM encontramos correlação significativa entre aorta descendente e arco aórtico (r =0,692; P=0,039) e entre aorta descendente e istmo aórtico (r=0,796; P=0,010).No grupo EM, há correlação significativa entre as variáveis: Anel mitral e comprimento via de entrada de ventrículo direito (r=0,523; P=0,045); Anel mitral e istmo aórtico (r=0,692; P=0,003); ventrículo esquerdo cavidade e aorta ascendente (r=0,643; P=0,010); Arco aórtico e istmo aórtico (r=0,678; P=0,001); Aorta ascendente e arco aórtico (r=0,444; P = 0,044). Não existe diferença significativa no tamanho dos miócitos (coloração HE) entre o grupo AMAA e o grupo EMAA/EMEA (P=0,427), porém existe diferença significativa entre AMAA e controle (P=0,011) e entre EMAA/EMEA e controle (P=0,023). O percentual de colágeno (coloração de picro-sírius) é significantemente diferente entre os três grupos (P=0,0001) e o grupo AM é o que contém maior percentual de colágeno. Conclusões: 1. Na SCEH os corações com EM apresentam significativamente coronárias tortuosas e dominância coronariana esquerda em comparação com AM; 2. No grupo AM encontramos correlação significativa entre o diâmetro da aorta descendente e arco aórtico e entre aorta descendente e istmo aórtico; 3. No grupo EM, há correlação significativa entre as seguintes variáveis: anel mitral e comprimento via de entrada do ventrículo direito, anel mitral e istmo aórtico, cavidade do ventrículo esquerdo e aorta ascendente, arco aórtico e istmo aórtico e arco aórtico e aorta ascendente; 4. Há hipertrofia dos miócitos nos espécimes com AM e EM em comparação com o grupo controle; 5. Na SCEH o percentual de colágeno é superior ao grupo controle; 6. O grupo AM tem maior percentual de colágeno que o grupo EM / Introduction: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) comprises a spectrum of cardiac malformations characterized by a significant underdevelopment of the left heart-aorta complex, which remains a challenge despite the progress of treatment. The objective of this work is to identify morphological and histological differences in hearts with atresia and mitral stenosis with HLHS. Methods: 33 hearts with HLHS divided into two groups, mitral atresia (AM) and mitral stenosis (MS) and nine normal hearts (control),obtained at autopsy, submitted to morphological analysis of aortic segments, mitral and tricuspid valves, atrial septum, infarction, and ventricular cavities and histological study with Hematoxylin/eosin and picro sírius stain. Results: There were nine specimens with aortic atresia and mitral atresia (AMAA), 27.2%; thirteen with atresia Mitral and Aortic Stenosis (AMEA), 39.3% and eleven with Mitral Stenosis and Aortic Stenosis (EMEA) 33.3%. There is a significant association of prevalence of coronary tortuous in the MS group (x2 = 4.911, P=0.027) and left coronary dominance in 75% of cases of MS, with a significant difference between the two groups (x2 2 = 9.298, P=0,01). In the AM group we found a significant correlation between the descending aorta and aortic arch (r=0.692, P=0.039) and between the descending aorta and aortic isthmus (r =0.796, P=0.01). In the MS group there was a significant correlation between variables: mitral ring and length inlet right ventricle (r= 0.523, P=0.045), mitral and aortic isthmus (r=0.692, P=0.003), left ventricular cavity and ascending aorta (r=0.643, P=0.01); Aortic arch and aortic isthmus (r=0.678, P=0.001), ascending aorta and aortic arch (r=0.444, P=0.044).There is no significant difference in the size of myocites (HE staining) between the group and the group AMAA EMAA / EMEA (P = 0.427), but we found significant difference between AMAA and control (P = 0.011) and between EMAA / EMEA and control (P=0.023). The percentage of collagen (picrosirius staining) is different between the three groups (P=0.0001) and AM is the group that contains a higher percentage of collagen. Conclusions: 1. In HLHS hearts with MS present significant tortuous coronary and left coronary dominance compared with AM; 2. In the AM group there is a significant correlation between the diameter of the descending aorta and aortic arch and descending aorta and across the aortic isthmus; 3. In the MS group, there was significant correlation between the following variables: length and mitral inflow tract, mitral and aortic isthmus, left ventricular cavity and the ascending aorta, aortic arch and isthmus aorta and aortic arch and ascending aorta; 4. There is myocite hypertrophy in specimens with AM and EM compared with control; 5. In the HSLS collagen percentage is higher than control; 6. The AM group has a higher percentage of collagen than the EM group

This thesis tells the story of an historical tradition of radical literacy and literature that is defined as the British radical literary tradition. It takes the meaning of literature at its broadest understanding and identifies the literary and educational relations of what E.P. Thompson terms 'the making of the English working class' through its struggle for literacy and freedom. The study traces the developing dialectic of literary radicalism and the emergent hegemony of capitalism through the dissemination of radical ideas in literature and a groundswell of public literacy. The proposed radical tradition is defined by the oppositional stance of its participants, from the radical intellectual's critical texts to the striving for literacy and access to literature by working class people. This oppositional discourse emerged in the fourteenth century concomitant with nascent capitalism and has its literary origins in utopian vision. This nascent utopian imagination conceived a democratic socialism that underpinned the character of much of the following oppositional discourse. The thesis establishes the nexus of the oppositional discourse as a radical literary tradition and the earliest instances of adult education in autodidacticism and informal adult education. The ascent of middle class power through the industrial revolution is shadowed by the corresponding descent of the working class into poverty. Concomitant with this social polarisation is the phenomena of working class literary agency as the means to political and economic agency. While Protestant dissenting groups such as the Diggers and Levellers were revolutionary activists, it was Methodism that formed a bulwark against revolution. Yet it was their emphasis on self-improvement that contributed to an increasingly literate populace. Radical texts produced and disseminated by individuals and organisations and read by autodidactics and informal reading groups are seminal in the formation of a working class identity. Spearheaded by the Chartist movement, education became a central ethic of working class politics and the civil struggle for economic and political justice throughout the nineteenth and well into the twentieth centuries. The avant garde movements of the early twentieth century are analysed as a strand of this tradition. The narrative of the thesis then moves to the penal colony of Australia and explores the radical literary tradition's development there. Early colonial culture is seen as having a strong impetus towards a developing a native literary expression of the new land. Where conservative colonial literature struggled to differentiate itself from formal British literary models, the radical heritage and its utopian vision of a working man's paradise gave definitive expression to the Australian experience. This expression was strongly influenced by Chartist ideals. The British radical literary tradition is thus seen to have had a dominant influence in the development of a native radical literary tradition that strove to identify the national character. Socialist thought developed in Australia in concert with that in the parent culture, and anarchist and libertarian trends found a ready home amongst independent minded colonials. Yet, in preventing the formation of a native aristocracy the small radical population made a compromise with liberalism that saw a decidedly conservative streak develop in the early labour movement. There were little in the way of sophisticated radical literary offerings at first, but from the mid-nineteenth century a vanguard of radicals produced a thriving native press and other fugitive text forms. At the turn of the century the native radical literary tradition was vibrantly diverse, with a definitive style that claimed literary ownership of the Australian character. However, exhausted by the battles over WWI conscription and isolated by censorship, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was able to subsume the vanguard position from the socialists. The Party laid claim to the Australian radical literary tradition, at once both strengthening it with the discipline of a Marxist ideology and diminishing its independence and diversity. Party literary theory centred upon the issue of class, developing a doctrine of socialist realism that communist writers were expected to practice. How well a writer adhered to socialist realist principles became a measure of their class position and loyalty. Drawing more from primary sources, the thesis develops an analysis of the intellectual development of the Australian post-WWII writer Eric Lambert through his experience of class instability during Depression and war. The study examines Lambert's decision to join the Party and his literary response to his experiences of war, the Party, the turmoil of 1956 and life after the Party. Lambert's body of work is then analysed as the unintentional memoir of a writer working as an adult educator in the radical literary tradition. Lambert's struggles, for artistic independence within the narrow precepts of Party dogma and with class tensions, were common amongst intellectuals committed to the communist cause. Like many of his peers, Lambert resigned from the Party at the end of 1956 and suffered a period of ideological vacuum. However, he continued to write as a Marxian educator, seeking to reveal that which makes us human in the humanity of ordinary people. It is concluded that, while the Party did much to foster disciplined cohesion, the mutual distrust it generated amongst its intellectuals suppressed the independent thought that had kept the radical literary tradition alive. Although the Party developed an ideological strength within the radical literary tradition, its dominance over thirty years and subsequent fall from grace acted to fragment and discredit that centuries-old tradition which it subsumed. An argument is made for a reinvestment of the centrality of the radical literary tradition in the education of adults for the maintenance of social justice and the democratic project.

Abstract Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a common complication of elevated blood pressure (BP), is a risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Adiponectin has been shown to have cardioprotective effects and is inversely associated with LVH. BP can be measured at a clinical visit, as a momentary value. Ambulatory blood pressure (APB) measurement (ABPM) is a method of repeated BP measurements through a defined period, targeted to evaluate the circadian BP profile. High BP and ABPM have been shown to be associated with LVH and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). A high sodium intake has been associated with elevated BP and adverse CV outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between adiponectin and left ventricular mass index (LVMI), a measure of LVH, ABPM and the development of LVDD during long-term follow-up, ABPM and the change in LVMI during long-term follow-up, and the role of dietary sodium intake in the incidence of AF. Adiponectin has been shown to have vasoprotective, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects. Hypoadiponectinemia has been associated with hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD) and LVH. In this study, adiponectin levels were inversely associated with LVMI, even after adjustment with conventional risk factors of LVH, in a fairly large sample of middle-aged subjects. Elevated BP and pulse pressure (PP) have been associated with echocardiographic measures of LVDD. In this study, the association between APBM and the development of LVDD during a 20-year follow-up was evaluated. Ambulatory PP (APP) was shown to independently associate with the development of LVDD, even after adjustment with conventional risk factors of LVDD. APBM has been associated with LVH in cross-sectional assessments and has also been shown to have predictive value in future LVMI or LVH. In a few studies the predictive value of APP in future LVMI was observed. In the present study, an increase in APP was shown to predict the change in LVMI during long-term follow-up. In this study, the association between dietary sodium intake and the incidence of AF was evaluated. A high sodium intake predicted the occurrence of AF, which is a novel finding. In conclusion, this study offers novel findings about predictive factors in the entity of cardiac remodelling. / Tiivistelmä Vasemman kammion hypertrofia on yleinen kohonneen verenpaineen seuraus ja sen on todettu olevan sydän- ja verisuonitapahtumien riskitekijä. Adiponektiinin on osoitettu suojaavan vasemman kammion hypertrofialta. Ambulatorinen verenpaineen mittaus on menetelmä, jossa verenpaine mitataan määritellyllä ajanjaksolla toistuvasti, mikä antaa kuvan verenpaineesta vuorokauden eri jaksoissa. Kohonneella ambulatorisella verenpaineella on osoitettu olevan yhteys vasemman kammion hypertrofiaan sekä vasemman kammion diastoliseen vajaatoimintaan. Runsas natriumin saanti on yhteydessä kohonneeseen verenpaineeseen sekä sydän- ja verisuonisairauksiin. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää yhteyksiä adiponektiinin ja vasemman kammion massaindeksin välillä, ambulatorisen verenpaineen ja vasemman kammion diastolisen vajaatoiminnan kehittymisen välillä, ambulatorisen verenpaineen ja vasemman kammion massaindeksin muutoksen välillä sekä natriumin saannin ja eteisvärinän ilmaantuvuuden välillä. Adiponektiinilla on todettu olevan suotuisia vaikutuksia verisuonistoon, tulehdusreaktion hillintään sekä sydänlihakseen. Matalan adiponektiinitason on osoitettu olevan yhteydessä verenpainetautiin, sepelvaltimotautiin sekä vasemman kammion hypertrofiaan. Tässä tutkimuksessa adiponektiinihormonilla osoitettiin olevan käänteinen yhteys vasemman kammion massaindeksiin, vaikka perinteiset riskitekijät otettiin huomioon. Kohonneella verenpaineella sekä pulssipaineella on osoitettu olevan yhteys vasemman kammion diastoliseen vajaatoimintaan. Tässä tutkimuksessa arvioitiin ambulatorisen verenpaineen merkitystä vasemman kammion diastolisen vajaatoiminnan kehittymisessä. Ambulatorinen pulssipaine osoittautui riskitekijäksi, vaikka perinteiset riskitekijät otettiin huomioon. Ambulatorisella verenpaineella ja pulssipaineella on osoitettu olevan yhteys vasemman kammion hypertrofiaan poikkileikkaustutkimuksissa ja seurantatutkimuksissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa ambulatorisen pulssipaineen nousun havaittiin ennustavan vasemman kammion massaindeksin kasvua pitkäaikaisseurannassa. Tässä tutkimuksessa korkean natriumin saannin todettiin olevan yhteydessä lisääntyneeseen eteisvärinän ilmaantuvuuteen. Tätä yhteyttä ei ole aiemmin todettu muissa tutkimuksissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa löydettiin uusia riskitekijöitä sydämen patologisiin ilmentymiin liittyen.

Introdução: A doença falciforme (DF) é a afecção hematológica hereditária de maior prevalência no mundo, sendo que a anemia falciforme (AF) é a forma mais grave com elevada morbidade e mortalidade. Alterações cardíacas são reconhecidamente associadas à AF, como aumento cavitário, hipertensão arterial pulmonar e disfunção diastólica do ventrículo esquerdo. No entanto, ainda não existe consenso quanto à função sistólica ventricular nesses pacientes. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de investigar a função ventricular de pacientes com anemia falciforme utilizando o strain e o twist ventricular obtidos pelo speckle tracking bidimensional, e reconhecer os indivíduos sob maior risco cardiovascular, em que a instituição precoce de tratamento específico poderá beneficiar essa população. Métodos: Foram recrutados 40 pacientes com anemia falciforme (23,5 ± 9,3 anos; 24 homens) e 40 controles saudáveis pareados por sexo e idade, submetidos à entrevista estruturada, ecocardiograma transtorácico, cintilografia pulmonar ventilação perfusão e coleta de amostras de sangue. Todos os indivíduos foram submetidos à avaliação ecocardiográfica convencional padrão e subsequente avaliação offline do strain sistólico biventricular e estudo rotacional do ventrículo esquerdo utilizando speckle-tracking ecocardiográfico. Resultados: Os pacientes com AF apresentaram volume do VE indexado, massa do VE indexado, pressão arterial pulmonar e E/E\' médio superiores aos controles. As medidas de FE do VE, excursão sistólica do plano da tricúspide (TAPSE), Strain Global do VE (longitudinal, circunferencial, radial) e Strain Global do VD (longitudinal) não evidenciaram diferenças entre os grupos. Twist VE se mostrou reduzido em comparação aos controles (7,4 ± 1,2? vs 10,7 ± 1,8? , P <0,0001 ) e Tempo de pico de rotação apical prolongado (366,7 ± 26,1ms vs 344,6 ± 11,7ms , P <0,0001 ). Algumas variáveis se mostraram fortemente relacionadas ao twist VE, como índice de gravidade clínico (Rho= - 0,97, Z value= - 6,05, P < 0,0001), relação E/E\' médio (r = 0,94, F valor= 156.9, p<0,0001), IVDFVE (índice do volume diastólico final do ventrículo esquerdo)(r = 0,81 e p<0,0001) e pressão sistólica arterial pulmonar (r = 0,72 e p<0,0001). Conclusões: Os resultados deste trabalho indicam que o twist ventricular esquerdo derivado do speckle tracking bidimensional encontra-se alterado em pacientes com anemia falciforme e função sistólica ventricular preservada, avaliada pela metodologia convencional, e existe forte correlação entre o twist ventricular esquerdo e o índice clínico de gravidade, relação E/E\', índice do volume diastólico final do ventrículo esquerdo e pressão sistólica arterial pulmonar. / Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most prevalent hematological condition in the world, with sickle cell anemia (SCA) being its most serious form, displaying a high level of morbidity and mortality. Cardiac changes are known to be associated with SCA, including an increase in cardiac chamber size, pulmonary hypertension and left ventricle diastolic dysfunction. However, there is still no consensus regarding the ventricular systolic function in these patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the ventricular function of patients with sickle cell anemia utilizing the strain and ventricular twist, obtained by two-dimensional speckle tracking, as well as to identify individuals with higher cardiovascular risk, in which early application of specific treatment could benefit this group of people. Methods: 40 patients were recruited with sickle cell anemia (ages 23.5 ± 9.3 years; 24 males) and 40 healthy control individuals paired by gender and age, submitted to structured interviews, transthoracic echocardiogram, pulmonary scintigraphy and collection of blood samples. All individuals were submitted to a standard echocardiographic evaluation and subsequent off line evaluation of the biventricular systolic strain and rotational study of the left ventricle using echocardiographic speckle-tracking. Results: Patients with SCA presented LV volume indices, LV mass Indices, pulmonary arterial pressure and E/ E\' ratios statistically higher than the control individuals. Measurements of Ejection Fraction (EF) of the left ventricle, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), Overall LV Strain (Longitudinal, Circumferential, and Radial) and Overall RV Strain (Longitudinal) did not present differences between the groups. LV twist was significantly lower in relation to the control group (7,4 ± 1,2? vs 10,7 ± 1,8? , P <0,0001 ) and prolonged time to peak apical rotation (366.7 ± 26.1ms vs 344.6 ± 11.7ms , P <0.0001 ). In addition, some variables showed themselves to be strongly related to LV twist such as the clinical severity index ( Rho= - 0.97, Z value= - 6.05, P < 0.0001), E/E\' Ratio (r = 0.94, F value=156.9 e p<0.0001) ), left ventricle end diastolic volume index (LVEDV index) (r = 0,81, p<0,0001) and pulmonary systolic arterial pressure (r = 0.72 e p<0.0001). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the left ventricular twist derived from two-dimensional speckle tracking is altered in patients with sickle cell anemia and a preserved ventricular systolic function, evaluated using conventional methodology and that there is a strong correlation between left ventricular twist and the clinical severity index, E/E\' ratio, left ventricle end diastolic volume index and the pulmonary systolic arterial pressure.

Introdução: A Síndrome do Coração Esquerdo Hipoplásico (SCEH) compreende um espectro de malformações estruturais cardíacas caracterizadas por um hipodesenvolvimento significativo do complexo coração esquerdo-aorta, que apesar da evolução do tratamento, continua sendo um desafio. O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar diferenças morfológicas e histológicas em corações com atresia e estenose mitral na SCEH. Métodos: Estudo de 33 corações com SCEH e nove corações normais (controle), divididos em dois grupos, atresia mitral (AM) e estenose mitral (EM), obtidos em necrópsia e submetidos a análise morfológica dos segmentos da aorta, características da valva mitral e tricúspide, septo inter atrial, miocárdio, cavidades ventriculares e análise histológica com as colorações e hematoxilina/eosina e picro-sírius. Resultados: Observamos nove espécimes com Atresia Mitral e Atresia Aórtica (AMAA), 27,2%; treze com Atresia Mitral e Estenose Aórtica (AMEA), 39,3% e onze com Estenose Mitral e Estenose Aórtica (EMEA) 33,3%. Encontramos associação significativa de predominância de coronárias tortuosas no grupo EM (?2= 4,911; P=0,027) e a dominância coronariana esquerda está em 75% dos casos de EM, com diferença significativa entre os dois grupos (?2=9,298; P=0,01). No grupo AM encontramos correlação significativa entre aorta descendente e arco aórtico (r =0,692; P=0,039) e entre aorta descendente e istmo aórtico (r=0,796; P=0,010).No grupo EM, há correlação significativa entre as variáveis: Anel mitral e comprimento via de entrada de ventrículo direito (r=0,523; P=0,045); Anel mitral e istmo aórtico (r=0,692; P=0,003); ventrículo esquerdo cavidade e aorta ascendente (r=0,643; P=0,010); Arco aórtico e istmo aórtico (r=0,678; P=0,001); Aorta ascendente e arco aórtico (r=0,444; P = 0,044). Não existe diferença significativa no tamanho dos miócitos (coloração HE) entre o grupo AMAA e o grupo EMAA/EMEA (P=0,427), porém existe diferença significativa entre AMAA e controle (P=0,011) e entre EMAA/EMEA e controle (P=0,023). O percentual de colágeno (coloração de picro-sírius) é significantemente diferente entre os três grupos (P=0,0001) e o grupo AM é o que contém maior percentual de colágeno. Conclusões: 1. Na SCEH os corações com EM apresentam significativamente coronárias tortuosas e dominância coronariana esquerda em comparação com AM; 2. No grupo AM encontramos correlação significativa entre o diâmetro da aorta descendente e arco aórtico e entre aorta descendente e istmo aórtico; 3. No grupo EM, há correlação significativa entre as seguintes variáveis: anel mitral e comprimento via de entrada do ventrículo direito, anel mitral e istmo aórtico, cavidade do ventrículo esquerdo e aorta ascendente, arco aórtico e istmo aórtico e arco aórtico e aorta ascendente; 4. Há hipertrofia dos miócitos nos espécimes com AM e EM em comparação com o grupo controle; 5. Na SCEH o percentual de colágeno é superior ao grupo controle; 6. O grupo AM tem maior percentual de colágeno que o grupo EM / Introduction: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) comprises a spectrum of cardiac malformations characterized by a significant underdevelopment of the left heart-aorta complex, which remains a challenge despite the progress of treatment. The objective of this work is to identify morphological and histological differences in hearts with atresia and mitral stenosis with HLHS. Methods: 33 hearts with HLHS divided into two groups, mitral atresia (AM) and mitral stenosis (MS) and nine normal hearts (control),obtained at autopsy, submitted to morphological analysis of aortic segments, mitral and tricuspid valves, atrial septum, infarction, and ventricular cavities and histological study with Hematoxylin/eosin and picro sírius stain. Results: There were nine specimens with aortic atresia and mitral atresia (AMAA), 27.2%; thirteen with atresia Mitral and Aortic Stenosis (AMEA), 39.3% and eleven with Mitral Stenosis and Aortic Stenosis (EMEA) 33.3%. There is a significant association of prevalence of coronary tortuous in the MS group (x2 = 4.911, P=0.027) and left coronary dominance in 75% of cases of MS, with a significant difference between the two groups (x2 2 = 9.298, P=0,01). In the AM group we found a significant correlation between the descending aorta and aortic arch (r=0.692, P=0.039) and between the descending aorta and aortic isthmus (r =0.796, P=0.01). In the MS group there was a significant correlation between variables: mitral ring and length inlet right ventricle (r= 0.523, P=0.045), mitral and aortic isthmus (r=0.692, P=0.003), left ventricular cavity and ascending aorta (r=0.643, P=0.01); Aortic arch and aortic isthmus (r=0.678, P=0.001), ascending aorta and aortic arch (r=0.444, P=0.044).There is no significant difference in the size of myocites (HE staining) between the group and the group AMAA EMAA / EMEA (P = 0.427), but we found significant difference between AMAA and control (P = 0.011) and between EMAA / EMEA and control (P=0.023). The percentage of collagen (picrosirius staining) is different between the three groups (P=0.0001) and AM is the group that contains a higher percentage of collagen. Conclusions: 1. In HLHS hearts with MS present significant tortuous coronary and left coronary dominance compared with AM; 2. In the AM group there is a significant correlation between the diameter of the descending aorta and aortic arch and descending aorta and across the aortic isthmus; 3. In the MS group, there was significant correlation between the following variables: length and mitral inflow tract, mitral and aortic isthmus, left ventricular cavity and the ascending aorta, aortic arch and isthmus aorta and aortic arch and ascending aorta; 4. There is myocite hypertrophy in specimens with AM and EM compared with control; 5. In the HSLS collagen percentage is higher than control; 6. The AM group has a higher percentage of collagen than the EM group

Barbora Skálová Whose side are you on? Radical Left in postwar Finland - on the phenomenon of Marxism-Leninism outside the Eastern Bloc Abstract The dissertation aims to explore the phenomenon of a radical left movement - Taistoists - which at the turn of the 60s and 70s for a short period of time dominated the student and cultural circles in Finland. The dissertation strives to shed light on the reasons for the uprise of the - in European context unique - pro-Soviet, Marxist-Leninist and "anti-anti- establishment" youth movement, and on its influence on home and foreign policy of Finland in terms of so-called Finlandization. The work also puts the movement into the Czechoslovakian context, mainly in relation to the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. The dissertation discusses the theoretical anticapitalistic background of the movement and compares it to the theoretical background and political practice of coeval New Left movements in Europe and the USA. The experience of the members of the movement has been elaborated in the oral history part based on personal interviews. The oral history chapter aims to offer an explanation and a broader perspective of the taistolaiset phenomenon presented by direct witnesses and participants of the movement.

Echocardiography examination is an important and familiar method for heart`s examination. Echocardiography is used to assess the function of the heart during to check the heart disease. In an echocardiography examination, the heart´s flow rates, contractility (pumping capacity), wall thickness, and inner diameter can be examined. All these examinations are done with the help of evolution of the ultrasonic waves that the ultrasonic transducer sends out and receives. The transducer consists of piezoelectric crystals that can both transmit and receive ultrasonic waves with frequencies exceeding 20 kHz. The purpose of the study is to compare the measurement of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between an experienced biomedical scientist (BMA) and a student. In addition to see how the image quality affects the result. The measurement was performed by using the Simpson method. The result was analyzed by using with a static method. The results were analyzed by using a paired t-test to see if there is any significant difference between the performance of a BMA and a student. The measurement was performed on apical 4-chamber and apical 2-chamber image. The study included 30 patients, both heart -healthy and cardiac patients of the genders. The result showed that there is a significant difference in the performance of LVEF- measurements between BMA and student, with lower values measured by the student. / Ekokardiografiundersökning är en viktig och vanlig metod vid undersökning av hjärtat. Ekokardiografi används för att bedöma hjärtats funktion vid utredning av hjärtsjukdomar. Vid en ekokardiografiundersökning kan hjärtats flödeshastigheter, kontraktilitet (pumpförmåga), väggtjocklek, och innerdiameter undersökas. Alla dessa undersökningar görs med hjälp av tolkning av ultraljudsvågorna som ultraljudsgivaren skickar ut och tar emot. Givaren består av piezoelektriska kristaller som kan både sända och tar emot ultraljudsvågor med frekvens på över 20 kHz. Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra mätningen av den vänstra ventrikulära ejektionsfraktion (LVEF) mellan en erfaren biomedicinsk analytiker (BMA) och en student samt att se hur bildkvalitén påverkar resultatet. Mätningen utfördes med Simpsons- metoden. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av en statistisk metod. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av parat t-test för att se om det finns någon signifikant skillnad mellan utförandet av en BMA och en student. Mätningen utfördes på apikala 4-kammarbilder och apikala 2-kammarblider. Studien inkluderade 30 patienter, både hjärtfriska och hjärtsjuka patienter av både könen. Resultatet visade att det finns en signifikant skillnad i utförande av LVEF- mätningar mellan BMA och student, med lägre uppmätta värden av studenten.

Introduktion: Vänsterkammarens ejektionsfraktion (VKEF) är ett central mått på systolisk funktion i vänster kammare och är en av de mest betydelsefulla parametrar vid ekokardiografiska undersökningar. Idag är Simpson biplan metoden den mest använda metoden för bestämning av ejektionsfraktionen. Vid ekokardiografiska undersökningar sänder givaren med piezoelektriska kristaller ut ultraljudsvågor med en frekvens över 20 000 Hz. Ljudvågorna som skickas ut i kroppen reflekteras och sedan återvänder de till givaren för att skapa en bild. Denna studie jämför den tvådimensionella (2D) ultraljudsmetoden Simpsons biplan med Philips Heart Model som är en automatiserad tredimensionella (3D) funktion för bedömning av VKEF.  Material och metod: I studien inkluderades 31 hjärtfriska försökspersoner mellan åldrarna 21-64. Det samlades in bilder på apikala 4- och 2 kammarbilder från alla försökspersoner där Simpsons biplan metoden användes för att beräkna ejektionsfraktion. Apikala 4-kammarbilder samlades in för att beräkna ejektionsfraktionen med Philips Heart Model 3D funktion.  Resultat: Resultatet från denna studie visade att det inte föreligger någon signifikant skillnad mellan Simpsons biplan metoden och Philips Heart Model metoden för bestämning av ejektionsfraktion. Båda metoderna visade likvärdiga mätresultat.  Diskussion: Philips Heart Model metoden är en relativ ny funktion som använder sig av artificiell intelligens för att analysera 3D bilder. Philips Heart Model metoden är en säker funktion att använda då de flesta studier bevisar likvärdiga och säkra mätresultat i jämförelse med andra metoder.  Konklusion: Enligt denna studie ger Philips Heart Model funktionen likvärdiga mätresultat av vänsterkammarens ejektionsfraktion i jämförelse med Simpsons biplan. / Introduction: Simpson’s biplane method is the most used method for determining the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in echocardiographic examinations. Ejection fraction is a central measurement of the heart's global systolic function. The probe with piezoelectric crystals emits ultrasound waves with a frequency above 20,000 Hz. The sound waves that are sent out into the body are reflected and then return to the probe to create an image. This study compares the two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound Simpson's biplane method with the Philips Heart Model method, which is an automated three-dimensional (3D) function for assessment of LVEF.                                                                                                                          Material and method: 31 subjects with no recorded heart pathologies between the ages of 21-64 were included in the study. Apical 4- and 2-chamber images were collected from the test subjects, where the Simpson's biplane method was applied to calculate the ejection fraction. 2D apical 4-chamber images were collected to convert to 3D and used to calculate the ejection fraction with the Philips Heart Model.    Results: The results of this study showed that there is no significant difference between the Simpson’s biplane method and the Philips Heart Model method for determining ejection fraction.    Discussion: The Philips Heart Model method is a relatively new feature that uses artificial intelligence to analyze 3D images. The Philips Heart Model method is a reliable feature to use as most studies have proven similar and reliable measurements when comparing it with other methods for determining LVEF.    Conclusion: According to this study, the Philips Heart Model feature provides equivalent measurements in comparison with the manual method Simpson's biplane.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study is to identify and analyse conspiracy narratives as popular counter-knowledge and as alternatives to leftist discourse and explanations of the contradictions of a capitalist system in a systemic crisis. The study makes a distinction between pathological and cultural approaches to conspiracy theories. While pathological approaches critically assess conspiracy theories as expressions of a certain political paranoia, cultural approaches are more inclusive and view conspiracy theory as cultural expressions of the postmodern condition. The cultural understandings break the categorical link between conspiracy theories and irrationality and allows a further discussion on how conspiracy theories might relate to leftist discourse and its attempts to counter neoliberal hegemonic structures. The approach taken by the study relies on the theoretical framework of historical materialism. Key theories used derive from Karl Marx, along with Gramscian, World Systems theory and critical approaches to global political economy. In the historical analysis that was performed, the understanding of structures in the historical development of the world economy, as well as the role of social forces which lead to changes in these structures were shown to be better approaches for understanding both historical events and the current crisis in the capitalist system. However, even within the opportune movement of an on-going capitalist crisis, the Left struggles to create a consistent counter-hegemonic narrative, and current counter-hegemonic movements, whilst being influential, are not succeeding in being transformative This suggests that leftist discourse fails to address the micro-level manifestations of the contradictions of the current system in a way that appeals to the masses. Accordingly, conspiracy theories as frameworks from which to critique the current global political economy are discussed. It is argued that although conspiracy theories are essentially reactionary, as well as historically a product of the far right, these theories might be understood as allegorical narrative constructs that serve as tools of orientation in a confusing political reality and, as such, the label of irrationality should not be applied without further consideration. It is further suggested that there is a proximity between various critical perspectives and conspiracy theories, although it is not implied that there is an exchange of ideas. It is argued that strands of critical theory and conspiracy theory share certain convictions about how the social world is constructed. While leftist/critical discourse relies on a scientific historical analysis, conspiracy discourses are often categorised lacking in scientific support. Critical theoretical perspectives are therefore suggested as the most effective remedy against utopian and simplistic narratives. While the thesis does not challenge the appropriateness of Marxist/critical perspectives at explaining economic crisis and global inequity, it aims at discussing the popularity of conspiracy theories as, for many, preferable tools of orientation in the present times. While political scientific theories and conspiracy theories are generally understood as in essence incompatible, this thesis attempted to discuss and analyse whether this established view could be challenged in light of recent scholarship on conspiracy culture. The study concludes that Marxist/critical approaches should understand conspiracy theories as alternative counter-knowledge and as popular doorways into major social issues that define global political culture, which could actually complement traditional leftist discourse. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie is om sameswerings-verhale as populêre teen-kennis en as alternatiewe vir linkse diskoers en verklarings van die teenstrydighede van ’n kapitalistiese stelsel wat ’n sistemiese krisies beleef, te identifiseer en te analiseer. Die studie onderskei tussen patalogiese en kulturele benaderings tot samesweringsteorieë. Patologiese benaderinge raam samesweringsteorieë krities as uitdrukkings van bepaalde politieke paranoia, terwyl kulturele benaderinge meer inklusief is, samesweringsteorie beskou as ’n kulturele uitdrukking van die postmoderne toestand. Die kulturele begrip breek die kategoriese skakel tussen samesweringsteorieë en irrasionaliteit en fasiliteer nog ’n gesprek oor hoe hierdie teorieë moontlik verwant sou kon wees aan linkse diskoers, asook laasgenoemde se pogings om neoliberale hegemoniese strukture teen te staan. Die benadering wat gevolg word in die studie steun op die teoretiese raamwerk van historiese materialisme. Die vernaamste vertrekpunte wat gebruik word is afgelei van Karl Marx, tesame met Gramsciaanse, Wêreldstelsel-teorie en kritiese benaderings tot globale politieke ekonomie. In die historiese analiese wat onderneem is, word gedemonstreer dat ’n begrip van strukture in die historiese ontwikkeling van die wêreld-ekonomie, asook die rol van sosiale magte wat verandering in hierdie strukture meebring, beter verklarings bied vir beide historiese gebeure en die teenswoordige krisies in die kapitalistiese stelsel. Nietemin, selfs met die geleenthede wat geskep word te midde van die aangaande kapitalistiese krisies, sukkel Linksgesindes om ’n konsekwente teen-hegemoniese “verhaal” te skep. Kontemporêre teen-hegemoniese bewegings, ongeag hul skynbare invloed, slaag nie daarin om verandering te weeg te bring nie. Dit wil voorkom asof linkse diskoers nie daarin slaag om die manifistering van die teenswoordige stelsel se teenstrydighede aan te spreek op ’n wyse wat aanklank vind by die massas nie. Dienooreenkomstig word samesweringsteorieë bespreek as raamwerke vanwaar en waaruit die huidige globale politieke ekonomie gekritiseer kan word. Die argument word aangevoer dat, alhoewel hierdie teorieë essensieel reaksionêr is, asook histories gesien ’n verregse produk, hulle moontlik verstaan kan word as allegoriese verhaal konstrukte wat dien as middele vir orientasie in ’n verwarrende politieke werklikheid. As sulks, behoort die etiket van irrasionaliteit nie sondermeer en onkrities aan hulle toegedien te word nie. Verder, word daar in die studie voorgestel, dat daar raakpunte is tussen verskeie kritiese perspektiewe en samesweringsteorieë. Daar word egter nie gesuggereer dat daar ’n uitruil van idees is nie. Daar word egter wel ge-argumenteer dat daar elemente van kritiese teorieë en samesweringsteorieë is wat bepaalde oortuiginge deel oor hoe die sosiale werklikheid gevorm word. Terwyl linkse en kritiese diskoers gekoppel is aan wetenskaplike-historiese analise, word samesweringsdiskoerse gekategoriseer as verklarings wat gebrek lei aan wetenskaplike ondersteuning. Kritiese teoretiese perspektiewe word dus voorgehou as die mees effektiewe oplossing teen utopieseen simplistiese narratiewe. Terwyl die tesis nie die toepasbaarheid van Marxistiese/Kritiese perspektiewe, as verklarings vir die ekonomiese krisies en globale ongelykheid, uitdaag nie, het dit gepoog om die populariteit van samesweringsteorieë, as voorkeur raamwerke vir orientering in teenswoordige tye, aan te spreek. Die tesis het onderneem om vas te stel en te analiseer of die algemeen aanvaarde aanname dat politiek wetenskaplike teorieë en samesweringsteorieë essensieel onversoenbaar is, uitgedaag kan word, gesien in die lig van onlangse akademiese werk oor samesweringskultuur. Die studie bevind dat Marxistiese/kritiese benaderings samesweringsteorieë behoort te verstaan as alternatiewe teen-kennis en as populêre ingangspunte tot belangrike sosiale kwessies wat die globale politieke kultuur definieer. In die sin, sou samesweringsteorieë selfs tradisionele linkse diskoers kon aanvul.

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