Development of a ratiometric fluorescent urea biosensor based on the urease immobilized onto the oxazine 170 perchlorate-ethyl cellulose membrane.

In this work, the oxazine 170 perchlorate (O17)-ethyl cellulose (EC) membrane was successfully applied in the fabrication of a urea-sensing membrane. The urea-sensing membrane was a double layer consisting of the O17-EC membrane and a layer of the enzyme urease entrapped into EC matrix. The sensing principle of urea was based on the hydrolysis reaction of urea under the catalysis of the urease to produce ammonia in water and also on the binding of ammonia with the dye O17 to create the shift in the emission wavelength from λ(em)=630 nm to λ(em)=565 nm.

Cox-Maze III procedure with valvular surgery in an autopneumonectomized patient.

Destructive pulmonary inflammation can leave patients with only a single functional lung, resulting in anatomical and physiological changes that may interfere with subsequent cardiac surgeries. Such patients are vulnerable to perioperative cardiopulmonary complications. Herein, we report the first case, to our knowledge, of an autopneumonectomized patient who successfully underwent a modified Cox-Maze III procedure combined with valvular repairs.

Successful treatment of an iatrogenic giant femoral artery pseudoaneurysm with percutaneous thrombin injection.

A femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP) is one of the most troublesome complications following invasive procedures related to the femoral arterial access. Post-procedure FAP rarely occurs; however, its occurrence tends to increase with the more frequently antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, and larger-sized catheter used for interventional procedures. Traditionally, surgical repair has been considered as the standard treatment modality for FAP; however, less invasive methods currently exist such as blind manual or ultrasound-guided compression repair (UGCR) as well as percutaneous thrombin injection, both of which have replaced the need for surgery.

Lack of additional benefit of intracoronary transplantation of autologous peripheral blood stem cell in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Recently the potential of myocardial repair by transplantation of autologous bone marrow stem cells has been suggested. Whether the additional intracoronary transplantation of autologous peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), which were mobilized by granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), could safely improve myocardial function in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was investigated.

Methods And Results: Seventy-three patients with AMI who had successfully undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were enrolled in the present prospective nonrandomized open-labeled study.

Effects of balloon-based distal protection during primary percutaneous coronary intervention on early and late infarct size and left ventricular remodeling: a pilot study using serial contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Distal protection devices are effective in preventing distal embolization during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We investigated whether balloon-based distal protection could reduce early and late infarct size and left ventricular (LV) remodeling using serial analysis of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI).

Methods: Patients undergoing primary PCI for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction within 12 hours after symptom onset were randomized to a distal protection group (n = 19) or to a control group (n = 20).

Ischemia-modified albumin is a highly sensitive serum marker of transient myocardial ischemia induced by coronary vasospasm.

Background: Ischemia-modified albumin, a new marker of myocardial ischemia, is known to elevate during ischemia induced by percutaneous coronary intervention. It is, however, not known whether ischemia-modified albumin also elevates during transient coronary vasospasm.

Methods: We evaluated ischemia-modified albumin in patients undergoing intracoronary ergonovine spasm provocation test (n=26).

Successful whole blood exchange by apheresis in a patient with acute cyclosporine intoxication without long-term sequelae.

Acute cyclosporine A (CsA) intoxication after organ transplantation may occur during the changeover from one form of drug to another, or from miscalculation of dosage. Sometimes, it may cause severe hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. However, the therapeutic plasma exchange for the CsA intoxication was not established.