Right ventricle pierced by a traditional sharp hair straightener: a case report.

The case presents a traumatic ventricular perforation of a girl, accidentally felt on a sharp instrument. The uniqueness of the case presented is due to the very high infrequency of injuries with this type of sharp object. The 7-year-old girl was transported to the hospital after accidentally falling on a sharp instrument.

Preferential myofibroblast differentiation of cardiac mesenchymal progenitor cells in the presence of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by electrical, contractile, and structural remodeling mediated by interstitial fibrosis. It has been shown that human cardiac mesenchymal progenitor cells (CMPCs) can be differentiated into endothelial, smooth muscle, and fibroblast cells. Here, we have investigated, for the first time, the contribution of CMPCs in the fibrotic process occurring in AF.

Biomarkers in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Ready for Prime Time and Outcome Prediction?

Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is still one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures all over the world. The results of this procedure have been constantly improved over the years with low perioperative mortality rates, with relatively low complication rates. To further improve these outstanding results, the clinicians focused their attention at biomarkers as outcome predictors.

Molecular pathways activation in coronary artery bypass surgery: which role for pump avoidance?

In this study, we review current knowledge regarding molecular pathways activation and their possible mechanisms in the perioperative period of coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). We also highlight the role of off-pump CABG as a possible way to better understand these biological changes.We show that, after both on-pump and off-pump CABG, there is a marked and protracted activation of several molecular pathways indicating increased inflammatory status, haemostasis activation, as well as increased oxidative stress and unfavourable endothelial milieu.

Ring or suture annuloplasty for tricuspid regurgitation? A meta-analysis review.

We performed a meta-analysis of early and long-term outcomes after tricuspid repair to compare the results of suture-based and prosthetic ring annuloplasty with the employment of an algorithm that derives the original patient time-to-event data. There was an advantage in early but not in long-term survival with the use of the annuloplasty ring. The freedom from moderate tricuspid regurgitation was significantly better in patients with ring annuloplasty (78.

Biological features of thoracic aortic diseases. Where are we now, where are we heading to: established and emerging biomarkers and molecular pathways.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) and aortic dissections (ADs) are among the main causes of mortality and morbidity in Western countries. For this reason, the diagnosis, prevention and prediction of TAAs and ADs have become a very active area of research; in fact, it is important to monitor and predict the evolution of these diseases over time. It is also critical, in cases of doubtful diagnosis, to receive some guidance from biochemical assays, particularly in the case of ADs.