A unique aortic arterial meshwork with a major aortopulmonary collateral artery, a major arteriovenous collateral artery, and a coronary arteriovenous fistula in a young man with a bicuspid aortic valve.

This report describes a case of an asymptomatic 18-year-old boy with a grade 1/6 ejection systolic murmur in the aortic area referred for an echocardiographic study to rule out a congenital heart disease. The patient had situs solitus, levocardia, bicuspid aortic valve, dilation of the proximal portions of the right coronary artery, and arteriovenous coronary fistula of the anomalous coronary branch originating from the anterior descending coronary artery into the main pulmonary artery. In addition he had a unique aortic arterial meshwork constituted by arteries originating from the inferior and posterior aspect of the distal portion of the transverse aortic arch, intersegmentary arteries originating from the lateral and anterior aspect of the proximal portion of the descending aorta, and the true bronchial artery with a major arteriovenous collateral artery draining into the superior vena cava and the superior division of the left lower pulmonary vein as well as a major aortopulmonary collateral artery anastomosed with a bronchial artery and draining into the posterior aspect of the right pulmonary artery.

A common standard is inappropriate for determining the potency of ultra low molecular weight heparins such as semuloparin and bemiparin.

Introduction: Lower low-molecular-weight heparins are being developed to improve on the safety and efficacy of antithrombotic therapy. Semuloparin and bemiparin are two depolymerized heparins produced by distinct manufacturing processes. The objective of this investigation was to determine whether a common standard could be used to define their potency.

Importance of early combined N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin T measurements for long-term risk stratification of patients with decompensated heart failure.

Background: Markers of myocardial necrosis and natriuretic peptides are risk predictors in decompensated heart failure (DHF). We prospectively studied the optimal timing of combined cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measurements for long-term risk stratification.

Methods: cTnT and NT-proBNP were measured upon admission, and before discharge in 76 patients hospitalized for DHF (mean age 62.

Somatropin and its variants: structural characterization and methods of analysis.

Human Growth hormone (hGH, somatotrophin) is a 22 kDa, 191 amino-acid single chain protein produced by somatroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland. It is the major physiological regulator of growth, and deficiencies in growth hormone levels have long been recognized as the underlying cause of growth disorders (dwarfism). The ability of exogenous hGH to restore normal rates of growth in both human and animal models of growth retardation has long been recognized and the use of hGH in therapy goes back several decades.

Stabilization of rasburicase and physico-chemical characterization of the resulting injectable formulation.

Rasburicase (Fasturtec/Elitek) is a new generation of recombinant urate oxidase administred therapeutically by intravenous infusion for the prevention or treatment of hyperuricemia during chemotherapy. To ensure a long storage period, a freeze-dried formulation was developed to guarantee the molecular integrity and enzyme activity. Screening of potential excipients was the first stage of the preformulation study.