Engineering control of bacterial cellulose production using a genetic toolkit and a new cellulose-producing strain.

Bacterial cellulose is a strong and ultrapure form of cellulose produced naturally by several species of the Acetobacteraceae Its high strength, purity, and biocompatibility make it of great interest to materials science; however, precise control of its biosynthesis has remained a challenge for biotechnology. Here we isolate a strain of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus (K. rhaeticus iGEM) that can produce cellulose at high yields, grow in low-nitrogen conditions, and is highly resistant to toxic chemicals.

Adiposity Is Associated with Gender-Specific Reductions in Left Ventricular Myocardial Perfusion during Dobutamine Stress.

Background: Obesity and visceral adiposity are increasingly recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Visceral fat may reduce myocardial perfusion by impairing vascular endothelial function. Women experience more anginal symptoms compared to men despite less severe coronary artery stenosis, as assessed by angiography.

Minimally invasive retrieval of patent foramen ovale closure device after device migration to the descending aorta.

Percutaneous treatment of patent foramen ovale with a septal closure device has become a common procedure, but it is associated with various complications. Migration of the device is uncommon, and migration through the aortic valve into the aorta is rare. Managing the migration of a patent foramen ovale occluder can be challenging; it usually requires surgical retrieval of the foreign body.

Effect of initial heart rate on cardiac troponin and ejection fraction in patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Increased heart rate has shown to be associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. This aim of this study was to find the association of troponin level and ejection fraction (EF) with triage heart rate in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). It was hypothesized that heart rate at triage will be independently associated with higher troponin level and lower EF after NSTEMI.

Aging reduces left atrial performance during adrenergic stress in middle aged and older patients.

Background: During adrenergic stress, the influence of age on left atrial (LA) function is unknown. We hypothesized that aging decreases LA total emptying fraction (LAEF) during maximal adrenergic stress. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of aging on LA function during adrenergic stress in middle aged and older patients.

Successful repair of a type 2 endoleak with coiling of inferior mesenteric artery.

Background: One of the most common complications of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is type 2 endoleak. We describe a patient who presented with a recurrent endoleak despite initial intervention and was successfully treated with coil embolization of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA).

Case Report: A 63-year-old Caucasian male was found to have a 7.

Wrist drop: an atypical presentation of renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) causing metastasis to the skeletal muscles is extremely rare. The authors describe a patient with history of RCC treated 5 years ago with radical nephrectomy who presented with left arm swelling after receiving seasonal flu shot. He was initially diagnosed with cellulitis, treated with intravenous antibiotics and discharged home.

Intraperitoneal fat is associated with thickening of the thoracic aorta in individuals at high risk for cardiovascular events.

Increased intraperitoneal (IP) fat is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk, but mechanisms for this increase in risk are not completely established. We performed this study to assess whether IP fat is associated with ascending aortic wall thickness (AOWT), a risk factor for CV events. Four hundred and forty-one consecutive participants, aged 55-85 years, with risk factors for CV events underwent magnetic resonance measures of AOWT and abdominal fat (subcutaneous (SC) fat + IP fat).

Predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients receiving thrombolytic therapy for pulmonary embolism.

Predictors of in-hospital mortality from massive pulmonary embolism (PE) were retrospectively assessed in 78 patients who received thrombolytic therapy. Mortality from PE was 19% (15 of 78). Mortality from PE was higher in those with shock, 36% (12 of 33) versus no shock, 7% (3 of 45; P = .

Elevated cardiac biomarkers with normal right ventricular size indicate an unlikely diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism in stable patients.

The purpose of this investigation is to assess the prevalence of elevated cardiac biomarkers, with or without estimates of right ventricular (RV) size, in stable patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Our hypothesis is that the combination of high levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), high creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), and normal size RV are sufficiently uncommon in stable patients with PE to make the diagnosis of PE unlikely. Retrospective review showed a high cTnI plus high CK-MB in 20 (3.

Prognostic value of D-dimer in stable patients with pulmonary embolism.

Prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) based on levels of D-dimer has shown mixed results, and data on in-hospital prognosis of stable patients are sparse. We assessed in-hospital prognosis in 292 stable patients with PE based on retrospective chart review using an arbitrarily selected value of D-dimer ≥5000 ng/mL as cut-off level. In-hospital mortality from PE was 0% (0 of 222) with D-dimer <5000 ng/mL compared with 2.

Prognosis based on creatine kinase isoenzyme MB, cardiac troponin I, and right ventricular size in stable patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Prognosis of stable patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) has been assessed with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and right ventricular (RV) function or size. Whether creatine kinase-MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) would add to the prognostic assessment is uncertain. We retrospectively assessed in-hospital mortality from PE in 392 stable patients to test the hypothesis that CK-MB would be of greater prognostic value than cTnI or RV size and we assessed whether combinations would increase prognostic value.

Renal sinus fat and poor blood pressure control in middle-aged and elderly individuals at risk for cardiovascular events.

Fat in the renal sinus (RS), a region of the kidney in which low pressure venous and lymphatic vessels are present, may indirectly influence blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between RS fat and control of blood pressure on receipt of antihypertensive medications. A total of 205 participants aged 55 to 85 years at risk for cardiovascular events underwent MRI assessments of abdominal and RS fat, measurement of blood pressure, and determination of the number of prescribed antihypertensive medications.

Prehospital delay and its impact on time to treatment in ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Purposes: We performed this study to assess the impact of pre-hospital time on the patient's outcome.

Procedures: Starting from the symptoms onset, "total time to treatment" was divided into less than or equal to 120 minutes and more than 120 minutes ("pre-hospital time" of ≤ or > 30 minutes respectively). Adverse patient's outcomes were compared in the two subgroups.

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair by interventional cardiologists--a community-based experience.

Introduction: Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a relatively recent technology. In comparison to the conventional open surgical treatment for AAA, endovascular AAA repair (EVAR) combines a less-invasive approach with lower morbidity and mortality. There have been few studies regarding the performance of this procedure in a community-based setting.

Iatrogenic intrapericardial diaphragmatic hernia diagnosed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Intrapericardial diaphragmatic hernias are very uncommon and are most typically caused by high-force blunt trauma. Other iatrogenic causes such as prior surgical formation of a pericardial window have been described, but are exceedingly rare. We present a case of an intrapericardial diaphragmatic hernia in a patient with a prior pericardial window in which the diagnosis was unclear using conventional imaging modalities, but was established using cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Massive pulmonary embolism and paradoxical migration during surgical embolectomy: role of transesophageal echocardiogram.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) in the setting of venous thromboembolism is associated with paradoxical embolization. We describe a patient who presented with pulmonary embolism, underwent pulmonary embolectomy, and postoperatively developed paradoxical embolization to the lower extremity.A 27-year-old African American male presented to the hospital with shortness of breath and midsternal chest pain along with neck vein distention.

Adverse effect of increased left ventricular wall thickness on five year outcomes of patients with negative dobutamine stress.

Background: To determine if patients without dobutamine induced left ventricular wall motion abnormalities (WMA) but an increased LV end-diastolic wall thickness (EDWT) exhibit a favorable cardiac prognosis.

Results: Between 1999 and 2001, 175 patients underwent a dobutamine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DCMR) procedure utilizing gradient-echo cines. Participants had a LV ejection fraction >55% without evidence of an inducible WMA during peak dobutamine/atropine stress.