Nonoperative management of isolated celiac and superior mesenteric artery dissection: case report and review of the literature.

Isolated dissection of the origin of both celiac and superior mesenteric arteries is a rare vascular pathology with limited management guidelines. The presentation is generally nonspecific, most often manifesting with epigastric pain radiating to the back. A high diagnostic index of suspicion and stepwise management are essential for a successful outcome.

Application of an optical flow method to inspiratory and expiratory lung MDCT to assess regional air trapping: a feasibility study.

Objective: We describe the application of an optical flow method to inspiratory and expiratory high-resolution volumetric lung MDCT for the assessment of regional air trapping.

Conclusion: Qualitative and quantitative assessment of regional air trapping is feasible using an optical flow method to align volumetric MDCT data sets.

Early postinfarction ventricular restraint improves borderzone wall thickening dynamics during remodeling.

Background: Early infarct expansion impairs function of normally perfused borderzone myocardium (BZM), initiates adverse remodeling, and portends a poor long-term outcome. Early ventricular restraint has been demonstrated to improve global remodeling but its effect on BZM function has not been assessed. Using an ovine model of infarct induced remodeling and MRI, we tested the hypothesis that ventricular restraint early after MI preserves BZM function and reduces remodeling.

Cardiac support device modifies left ventricular geometry and myocardial structure after myocardial infarction.

Background: Whether mechanical restraint of the left ventricle (LV) can influence remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) remains poorly understood. This study surgically placed a cardiac support device (CSD) over the entire LV and examined LV and myocyte geometry and function after MI.

Methods And Results: Post-MI sheep (35 to 45 kg; MI size, 23+/-2%) were randomized to placement of the CorCap CSD (Acorn Cardiovascular, Inc) (MI+CSD; n=6) or remained untreated (MI only; n=5).

Fetal testosterone surge: specific modulations induced in male rats by maternal stress and/or alcohol consumption.

Plasma testosterone (T) was measured in control male and female rats on gestational days 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 and on days 17-20 in males from dams who were fed ethanol and/or were stressed during pregnancy. Circulating T in control males showed an earlier rise, yielding a longer period of prenatal T elevation, than was reported previously (Endocrinology 106 (1980)306). Compared to control males, exposure to alcohol-alone augmented T on days 18 and 19, stress-alone attenuated prenatal T, and the combination of stress and alcohol completely blocked the normal rise in T between days 17 and 18.

Negative information: both presence and absence of spatial pattern elements guide rats' spatial choices.

Rats learn the spatial pattern in which hidden caches of food are located. Once the pattern is learned, finding one or more baited locations provides (positive) information about the remaining baited locations. In the present experiment, we examined whether negative information (the absence of food in a location) would also be used in locating the remaining baited locations.