Esophageal carcinoma cuniculatum: systematic review of the literature and report of two cases.

Background And Aims: Carcinoma cuniculatum (CC) is a rare variant of an extremely well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The most commonly involved site is the skin, with a preference for the sole. Only 15 cases of esophageal CC have been reported so far.

Surgical Technique Notes of Arterial Vascular Reconstruction During Kidney Transplantation: Personal Experience and Literature Review.

Background: Arterial vascular anomalies in patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KT) are correlated with a higher incidence of early surgical complications, potentially causing graft loss. Arterial reconstruction allows patients to overcome these surgical challenges, thus minimizing the risk of poor outcomes. The aim of the present study is to retrospectively investigate the safety and effectiveness of the multiple arterial reconstruction technique with a Teflon patch in case of an unavailable aortic patch: to do so, surgical complications, graft function, and patient survival were evaluated.

Collaterals management during pancreatoduodenectomy in patients with celiac axis stenosis: A systematic review of the literature.

Background/objectives: Celiac axis stenosis (CAS) represents an uncommon and typically innocuous condition. However, when a pancreatic resection is required, a high risk for upper abdominal organs ischemia is observed. In presence of collaterals, such a risk is minimized if their preservation is realized.

Early hemodynamic and biochemical changes in overloaded swine ventricle.

The present study was undertaken to investigate, in an animal model, the relationship between sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) activity, phospholamban phosphorylation, acylphosphatase activity, and hemodynamic changes that occur in the early phase of pressure overload. In 54 study-group pigs, weighing 40±5 kg each, an aortic stenosis was created with a band of umbilical tape tied around the aorta; 18 sham-operated pigs formed our control group. Eight animals (6 study and 2 control) were randomly assigned to each experimental time (0.

Dystrophin-glycoprotein complex and vinculin-talin-integrin system in human adult cardiac muscle.

Costameres were identified, for the first time, in skeletal and cardiac muscle, as regions associated with the sarcolemma, consisting of densely clustered patches of vinculin; they have many characteristics common to the cell-extracellular matrix-type of adherens junctions. Costameres are considered 'proteic machinery' and they appear to comprise two protein complexes, the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) and the vinculin-talin-integrin system. In comparison to skeletal muscle, few studies have focused on cardiac muscle regarding these two complexes, and study is generally relative to dystrophin or to cardiac diseases, such as cardiomyopathies.

Sarcoglycan subcomplex expression in refluxing ureteral endings.

Purpose: Functional and structural lesions of ureteral endings seem to alter the active valve mechanism of the ureterovesical junction, causing vesicoureteral reflux. The interaction of the dystroglycan complex with components of the extracellular matrix may have an important role in force transmission and sarcolemma protection, and the sarcoglycan complex is an essential component of the muscle membrane located dystroglycan complex. We performed immunofluorescence and molecular analysis on the expression of sarcoglycan complex subunits.

A comparison of Power Doppler with conventional sonographic imaging for the evaluation of renal artery stenosis.

Background: Power Doppler (PD) has improved diagnostic capabilities of vascular sonography, mainly because it is independent from the angle of insonation. We evaluated this technique in a prospective comparison with conventional imaging, consisting in Duplex and Color Doppler, for the evaluation of Renal Artery (RA) stenosis.

Methods: Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of PD and conventional imaging were assessed in a blinded fashion on eighteen patients, 9 with angiographic evidence of unilateral RA stenosis (hypertensive patients) and 9 with angiographically normal arteries (control group).

Manifest and concealed AV nodal reentry in Wenckebach type of AV conduction with AV junctional escape rhythm.

An electrocardiogram was obtained that was characterized by sinus rhythm with progressive prolongation of the PR interval not followed by a blocked sinus impulse. After a critically long PR interval, the QRS complex was followed by a premature P' wave, representing an echo beat, a manifest reentry in the atrioventricular (AV) node. The pause, occasioned by the premature P' wave, was at times interrupted by an AV junctional escape beat, occurring with an escape interval of 1.

Bundle branch block in alternate beats: the role of supernormal and concealed bundle branch conduction.

This article reports an example of right bundle branch block occurring on alternate beats in the presence of atrial tachycardia with 2:1 atrioventricular conduction. Analysis of the tracing suggests that the alternate disappearance of right bundle branch block is a manifestation of supernormal bundle branch conduction. The phenomenon is assumed to be caused by retrograde concealed conduction within the bundle branch that is blocked in anterograde direction (the "linking" mechanism).

[Pseudo AV dissociation caused by interpolated junctional extrasystoles in the presence of a first-degree AV block].

This presentation reports an electrocardiogram showing first degree A-V block with a very prolonged P-R interval of 0.80 sec. On several occasions an arrhythmia occurred, characterized by what looked like an A-V junctional escape rhythm with A-V dissociation.

[Extrasystolic ventricular bigeminy in ventricular tachycardia].

A patient with recent myocardial infarction presented with premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), couplets, and runs of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Two types of ectopic complexes, labeled A and B, were present. Isolated PVCs, as well as the first complex in a couplet, were always type A beats.

Electrocardiographic changes associated with haematocrit variations.

The electrical resistivity of intracardiac blood is less than the resistivity of the surrounding tissues. This affects the transmission of cardiac forces to the body surface: the radial forces are enhanced, whereas the transmission of tangential forces is diminished (the Brody effect). Blood resistivity is directly related to haematocrit, hence, haematocrit changes are expected to affect the transmission of cardiac forces, resulting in changes in QRS complex voltage.

Sinus parasystole.

Sinus parasystole is the expression of a protected nondominant sinus pacemaker, which is totally independent of the dominant rhythm. Two forms of sinus parasystole are described: (1) an active form, where both the dominant and the parasystolic pacemakers are located within the sinus node and (2) a passive form, where the basic rhythm is ectopic and the sinus pacemaker is protected as a result of complete retrograde SA block. Three cases of sinus parasystole are analyzed.

[Correlation between the sites of mitral annular calcification and conduction disturbances: echocardiographic evaluation].

A clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic (M-Mode, 2D) study was performed to explain the causal relationship between mitral annular calcification and cardiac conduction disturbances. Forty-seven patients, 28 women and 19 men (mean age 69) with mitral annular calcification were studied. In 18 patients A-V and/or intraventricular conduction disturbances were present.