Therapeutic angiogenesis for myocardial ischemia revisited: basic biological concepts and focus on latest clinical trials.

Therapeutic angiogenesis is based on the premise that the development of new blood vessels can be augmented by exogenous administration of the appropriate growth factors. Over the last years, successful preclinical studies and promising results of early clinical trials have created great excitement about the potential of therapeutic angiogenesis for patients with advanced ischemic heart disease. The authors provide an overview of the biology of angiogenesis, the basic characteristics of angiogenic factors, and the different routes of their delivery.

Cigarette smoking among university students in Greece: a comparison between medical and other students.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to investigate the smoking habits of medical and other students and to explore the most important factors associated with students' smoking.

Methods: University students were surveyed in late spring 2006 regarding their smoking status and additional health- and behavior-related characteristics.

Results: A total of 1205 (269 medical and 936 nonmedical) students participated in the study.

Lung dysfunction following cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: It is well known by now that during open heart surgery many detrimental factors are involved in lung injury. The influence mainly of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), anesthesia, hypothermia, operation itself, as well as medication and transfusion, can cause a diffuse injury in the lungs, which most often leads to a postoperative pulmonary edema and abnormal gas exchange.

Methods: We performed an unrestricted search of Pubmed Medline and EMBASE from 1966 through 2008.

Tumoral and non-tumoral trachea stenoses: evaluation with three-dimensional CT and virtual bronchoscopy.

Background: We evaluated the ability of 3D-CT and virtual bronchoscopy to estimate trachea stenosis in comparison to conventional axial CT and fiberoptic bronchoscopy, with a view to assist thoracic surgeons in depicting the anatomical characteristics of tracheal strictures.

Methods: Spiral CT was performed in 16 patients with suspected tracheal stenoses and in 5 normal subjects. Tracheal stenoses due to an endoluminal neoplasm were detected in 13 patients, whilst post-intubation tracheal stricture was observed in the other 3 patients.

Klippel-Feil syndrome presenting with bilateral thoracic outlet syndrome.

Study Design: This report aims, in the light of the recent literature, to describe the clinical features of bilateral thoracic outlet syndrome in a case of Klippel-Feil syndrome, the results of electrophysiologic evaluation, and the outcome after surgical intervention.

Objectives: Cervical ribs in the context of Klippel-Feil syndrome as the cause of bilateral thoracic outlet syndrome is discussed.

Summary Of Background Data: In Klippel-Feil syndrome, congenital fusion of cervical vertebrae occurs and may also be associated with various anomalies, including musculoskeletal anomalies.

Surgical implications in the current treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

There are currently two different surgical approaches to the abnormal pathway, Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome-the endocardial (ENDO) and epicardial (EPI) techniques. In recent years, ablation of accessory pathways can be achieved by catheter-induced radiofrequency (RF) current. This study was undertaken to assess our results of surgical treatment for WPW syndrome in the current era of catheter ablation.