Amiodarone plus Ranolazine for Conversion of Post-Cardiac Surgery Atrial Fibrillation: Enhanced Effectiveness in Reduced Versus Preserved Ejection Fraction Patients.

Purpose: Ranolazine (RAN) added to amiodarone (AMIO) has been shown to accelerate termination of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) following coronary artery bypass surgery in patients without heart failure (HF). This study aimed to investigate if treatment efficacy with AMIO or AMIO + RAN differs between patients with concomitant HF with reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF or HFpEF).

Methods: Patients with POAF and HFrEF (n = 511, 446 males; 65 ± 9 years) and with HFpEF (n = 301, 257 males; 66 ± 10 years) were enrolled.

How many lobes do you see?

Accessory fissures represent a variation of the normal lung anatomy. Incomplete development or even the absence of the major or minor fissures can lead to confusion in distinguishing adjacent lobes. This report aims to present a rare intraoperative finding of an anatomic malformation of the right lung in a 19-year old male patient with recurrent pneumothorax who underwent a surgical repair.

Thoracic injuries resulting from intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence affects individuals in every part of the world regardless of financial status, age, race, religion, nationality and educational background. Women are often the victims of assault by their partners and their presence in emergency departments is well documented. This report highlights the relatively infrequent occurrence of a traumatic pneumothorax as a result of intimate partner physical abuse and aims to emphasize the crucial role all health care professionals need to play if domestic violence is to be recognized early.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) expression in lung cancer.

Background: The expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) by tumor cells has been considered as a major tumor immune escape mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of IDO in lung cancer cell lines as well as in surgically resected lung cancer specimens comparing the latter, to the expression in autologous samples from the corresponding non malignant lung tissue. Correlations of IDO expression with clinicopathological parameters of the disease were performed.