The Trellis Thrombectomy System in the treatment of acute limb ischemia.

Purpose: To report the use of a new percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy device in the treatment of acute limb-threatening ischemia.

Technique: The Trellis Thrombectomy System is a 7-F drug dispersion catheter that features a treatment segment isolated by proximal and distal occlusion balloons, which help prevent distal embolization and systemic release of the infused thrombolytic agent. After inflating the distal balloon, the thrombolytic agent is infused and held at the target site by inflation of the proximal balloon.

Tolerance to various toxicants by marine bacteria highly resistant to mercury.

Bacteria highly resistant to mercury isolated from seawater and sediment samples were tested for growth in the presence of different heavy metals, pesticides, phenol, formaldehyde, formic acid, and trichloroethane to investigate their potential for growth in the presence of a variety of toxic xenobiotics. We hypothesized that bacteria resistant to high concentrations of mercury would have potential capacities to tolerate or possibly degrade a variety of toxic materials and thus would be important in environmental pollution bioremediation. The mercury-resistant bacteria were found to belong to Pseudomonas, Proteus, Xanthomonas, Alteromonas, Aeromonas, and Enterobacteriaceae.

Host-pathogen interactions during apoptosis.

Host pathogen interaction results in a variety of responses, which include phagocytosis of the pathogen, release of cytokines, secretion of toxins, as well as production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recent studies have shown that many pathogens exert control on the processes that regulate apoptosis in the host. The induction of apoptosis upon infection results from a complex interaction of parasite proteins with cellular host proteins.

An outbreak of mumps in the metropolitan area of Walsall, UK.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of excessive mumps cases during the year 2000, within the metropolitan area of Walsall, UK; to assess the impact of the mumps outbreak on morbidity; and to inform future communicable disease control strategy.

Methods: Demographic records, school attendance, uptake of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, and mumps-associated admission to hospital, were reviewed for all Walsall residents diagnosed and notified with mumps during the year 2000.

Results: There were 200 mumps notifications in 2000 (76.

Unusual rise in mercury-resistant bacteria in coastal environs.

A sharp rise in mercury-resistant bacteria (MRB) capable of tolerating very high concentration of Hg was observed over the last 3-4 years in the coastal environs of India. While none or negligible colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria were counted on seawater nutrient agar with 0.5 ppm ( 2.

Entomological monitoring of annual mass drug administrations for the control or elimination of lymphatic filariasis.

Together, the interruption of transmission, through annual mass treatments with antifilarial drugs, and the alleviation of suffering in chronic cases form the principal strategy of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF). Entomological monitoring of the annual mass drug administrations is necessary to assess transmission levels and progress towards control or elimination of lymphatic filariasis. However, the traditional procedures for entomological monitoring, such as the dissection of mosquitoes caught manually, either as they come to bite at night or as they rest by day, are cumbersome, cost-prohibitive and often not feasible in large-scale control programmes.

Squaraine dyes for photodynamic therapy: study of their cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in bacteria and mammalian cells.

Halogenated squaraine dyes are characterized by long wavelength absorption (>600 nm) and high triplet yields and therefore represent new types of photosensitizers that could be useful for photodynamic therapy. We have analyzed the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the bromo derivative 1, the iodo derivative 2 and the corresponding nonhalogenated dye 3 in the absence and presence of visible light. At concentrations of 1-2 microM, 1 and 2 reduced the cloning efficiency of AS52 Chinese hamster ovary cells to less than 1% under conditions that were well tolerated in the dark.

Crossing the limbs: a useful adjunct for successful deployment of the AneuRx stent-graft.

Purpose: To describe a technique for deploying an AneuRx stent-graft in an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with an acutely angled aortic neck.

Technique: In routine cases, the AneuRx stent-graft main body is positioned with the nose cone notch facing the contralateral side. In severely angulated aortic necks, however, the main body of the AneuRx stent-graft can be positioned with the nose cone notch and iliac limb gate facing the ipsilateral side; this dramatically reduces the acuity of the angle at the aortic neck and the iliac gate.

Prevalence of diurnally subperiodic bancroftian filariasis among the Nicobarese in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India: effect of age and gender.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence of disease and microfilaraemia caused by diurnally subperiodic strain of Wuchereria bancrofti transmitted by day biting Aedes niveus in Teressa Island, remotely located in the Nicobar district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Lymphatic filariasis is a considerable public health problem on this island with an overall endemicity rate of 16.2%.

Upregulated promitogenic signaling via cytokines and growth factors: potential mechanism of robust liver tissue repair in calorie-restricted rats upon toxic challenge.

Previously we reported that moderate calorie restriction or diet restriction (DR, calories reduced by 35% for 21 days) in male Sprague-Dawley rats protects from a lethal dose of thioacetamide (TA). DR rats had 70% survival compared with 10% in rats fed ad libitum (AL) because of timely and adequate compensatory liver cell division and tissue repair in the DR rats. Further investigation of the mechanisms indicate that enhanced promitogenic signaling plays a critical role in this stimulated tissue repair.

A prospective study of ultrasound scan-guided thrombin injection of femoral pseudoaneurysm: a trend toward minimal medication.

Background: Catheterizations and endovascular procedures in which the femoral artery is cannulated are sometimes complicated by iatrogenic pseudoaneuryms. Surgical repair of pseudoaneurysms was the treatment of choice until 1991 when compression was used in those that were small. A less uncomfortable technique involving the ultrasound scan-guided injection of thrombin (UGTI) has been used more recently.

The effect of six rounds of single dose mass treatment with diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin on Wuchereria bancrofti infection and its implications for lymphatic filariasis elimination.

Annual mass treatment with single-dose diethylcarbamazine (DEC) or ivermectin (IVM) in combination with albendazole (ALB) for 4-6 years is the principal tool of lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination strategy. This placebo-controlled study examined the potential of six rounds of mass treatment with DEC or IVM to eliminate Wuchereria bancrofti infection in humans in rural areas in south India. A percentage of 54-75 of the eligible population (> or =15 kg body weight) received treatment during different rounds of treatment - 27.

The AneuRx stent-graft since FDA approval: single-center experience of 230 cases.

Purpose: To compare a single-center experience with the AneuRx stent-graft system before and after FDA approval to results from the multicenter phase II clinical trial.

Methods: The medical records of 230 consecutive patients (218 men; mean age 74 years) undergoing AneuRx stent-graft implantation for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) exclusion since September 1999 were reviewed to collect patient characteristics, aneurysm morphology, procedure variables, perioperative morbidity, mortality, and short-term outcome. These data were compared to the 30 patients treated at our institution during the AneuRx phase II clinical trial and to the overall multicenter trial data.

Survey of NHS staff attitudes to influenza immunisation.

There was a low uptake of influenza vaccination among health care workers in year 1999-2000. The study aimed to identify reasons for low uptake and to use the results to improve uptake during current and future campaigns.

Marine environmental pollution stress detection through direct viable counts of bacteria.

Direct viable counts (DVC) of bacteria were quantified from polluted and relatively less/non-polluted coastal locations during different seasons to assess whether they can be routinely monitored for an understanding of environmental stress(es) that may impede the full functioning of bacterial communities in situ. Most notably, DVC were quite low during pre-monsoon (March-May) in pollution-affected locations when compared to relatively less/non-polluted ones. In contrast, their abundance was significantly higher (up to or > 10%) suggesting a substantially higher microbial activity (thus, a larger turnover of organic matter) during monsoon (June-September) and post-monsoon (October-February) even in pollution-affected locations.

Audit of suspected meningitis in a district in 1996-1997 and in 1999.

The Public Health Laboratory Service has published guidance outlining appropriate investigations and public health action to control the spread of meningococcal disease. We investigated compliance with this guidance in audits of suspected meningitis cases in our district notified to the public health department between January 1996 and December 1997, and in 1999. The total number of suspected meningitis cases in 1996-7 and in 1999 were 58 and 34 respectively.

Entry of Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio fischeri into the viable but nonculturable state.

Aims: Physiological responses of marine luminous bacteria, Vibrio harveyi (ATCC 14216) and V. fischeri (UM1373) to nutrient-limited normal strength (35 ppt iso-osmolarity) and low (10 ppt hypo-osmolarity) salinity conditions were determined.

Methods And Results: Plate counts, direct viable counts, actively respiring cell counts, nucleoid-containing cell counts, and total counts were determined.

Acute traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta treated with endoluminal stent grafts.

Background: Endovascular technologies provide a new therapeutic option in the treatment for acute traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta. We report our experience with endoluminal stent graft repair of thoracic aortic ruptures.

Methods: Five patients underwent repair of the thoracic aorta with an endoluminal stent graft for acute traumatic rupture.

Endoluminal stent grafting of the thoracic aorta: initial experience with the Gore Excluder.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe our experience with endoluminal graft repair of a variety of thoracic aorta pathologies with a commercially developed device currently under investigation. Our patient population included patients eligible for open surgical repair and those with prohibitive surgical risk.

Methods: From February 2000 to February 2001, endovascular stent-graft repair of the thoracic aorta was performed in 46 patients (mean age, 70 years; 29 male and 17 female patients) with the Gore Excluder.

Biclonal gammopathy associated with immunoglobulin A in a dog with multiple myeloma.

A 10-year-old neutered male Airedale Terrier was evaluated for inappetance, weight loss, and lameness. Multiple myeloma was diagnosed based on bone marrow plasmacytosis, multiple lytic bone lesions, and hyperglobulinemia with a clonal gammopathy on serum protein electrophoresis. Splenic plasmacytosis, and retinal lesions consistent with hyperviscosity syndrome also were found.

Stenting for proximal para-anastomotic stenosis of an infrarenal aortic bypass graft.

We present a case in which endovascular stenting was used for recurrent proximal para-anastomotic stenosis 11 years after aorto-bi-iliac bypass grafting for severe aorto-iliac occlusive disease. A 55-year-old woman presented with worsening bilateral hip and buttock claudication. At presentation, her resting ankle-brachial indices were 0.