Which Neural Tract Plays a Major Role in Memory Impairment After Multiple Cerebral Infarcts? A Case Report.

Injury to the thalamocortical tract (one in the Papez circuit) that leads to memory impairment following brain injury is very rare. In this study, we present a case of partial injury to the thalamocortical tract that causes memory impairment after concurrent thalamic and hippocampal infarct. A 20-year-old male complained of memory impairment 1 month after partial injury to the thalamocortical tract.

Mechanism of cognitive impairment in chronic patients with putaminal hemorrhage: A diffusion tensor tractography.

It is not clear whether the fornix and cingulum are involved in cognition after putaminal hemorrhage (PH). We investigated structural changes and differences of the neural tracts, and the relationship between the integrity of the neural tracts and cognition not only at the affected but also at the unaffected side.Sixteen patients with left chronic putaminal hemorrhage and 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled.

A novel double snare technique to retrieve embolized septal and left atrial appendage occluders.

Background: Device embolization is the most frequent procedural complication during transcatheter closure of congenital cardiac defects. Retrieval of an embolized device may often be complicated by failure to introduce the right atrial (RA) disk hub into the sheath or difficulty in securely grasping the hub pin of RA disk. We aimed to evaluate the efficiency and success rate of device retrieval using a novel double snare technique.

Modification to the injection needle to a screw needle improves effective cell delivery in acute myocardial infarction.

Evaluation of therapeutic effects of transplanted cells in ischemic heart failure models are important issues. However, traditional injection needles that are widely used in clinical practice tend to reduce the amount of functional cells relative to the injected amount. We now describe a cell transplantation technique using a screw needle.

The use of aggregates of purified cardiomyocytes derived from human ESCs for functional engraftment after myocardial infarction.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have the capacity to undergo directed differentiation into contracting cardiomyocytes. Therefore, functional cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC-CMs) are potential candidates for cellular cardiomyoplasty to regenerate the myocardium after infarction. However, the directed differentiation of hESCs induces not only contracting cardiomyocytes but also other cell types.

Aortic dissection and rupture in a child.

After developing sudden severe chest pain, an 11-year-old boy presented to the emergency room with chest pain and palpitations and was unable to stand up. The sudden onset of chest pain was first reported while swimming at school about 30 minutes prior to presentation. Arterial blood pressure (BP) was 150/90 mmHg, heart rate was 120/minute, and the chest pain was combined with shortness of breath and diaphoresis.

Aortic dissection and rupture in an 11-year-old child: A case report.

We present the case of an 11-year-old boy who developed sudden severe chest pain. When he was referred to the emergency department with this chest pain and palpitation, he could not even stand up. The sudden onset of chest pain was first complained about while he was swimming at school about 30 min previously.

Overexpression of phosphoinositide-3-kinase class II alpha enhances mesenchymal stem cell survival in infarcted myocardium.

The efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy for myocardial regeneration is limited by the poor survival of stem cells after transplantation into the infarcted heart. To improve the cell survival of MSCs in the infarcted heart, MSCs were genetically engineered to overexpress phosphoinositide-3-kinase class II alpha (PI3K-C2α). PI3K-C2α overexpression increased PI3K expression and the cell viability of MSCs.

Isolated pulmonary arterial hypertension-janus' faces of hyperthyroidism.

We describe a 54-year-old woman with isolated pulmonary arterial hypertension accompanied by hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease. Her pulmonary artery hypertension resolved spontaneously after restoration of euthyroidism. This case suggests that hyperthyroidism should be considered a reversible cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Is stem cell-based therapy going on or out for cardiac disease?

Acute myocardial infarction and subsequent heart failure are leading causes of death worldwide. Stem cell-based therapies have improved cardiac function in recent clinical trials, but cardiomyocyte regeneration has not been demonstrated in human hearts. Angiogenesis and restoration of cardiac perfusion have been successfully performed using bone marrow derived stem cells and other adult stem cells.

Clopidogrel pretreatment before primary percutaneous coronary stenting in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: comparison of high loading dose (600 mg) versus low loading dose (300 mg).

Background: Aggressive platelet inhibition is crucial to reduce myocardial injury and early cardiac events after coronary intervention. As compared with the conventional 300-mg dose, pretreatment with a 600-mg loading dose of clopidogrel significantly reduced periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We investigated that the advantage of the 600-mg dose in inhibiting platelet aggregation more rapidly than the 300-mg dose may actually have special value for acute ST-segment elevation MI patients.

Successful endovascular treatment of iatrogenic coronary artery dissection extending into the entire ascending aorta.

Iatrogenic acute dissection of the ascending aorta during percutaneous coronary intervention occurs rarely. Localized aortic dissections may be treated by sealing the entry with a coronary stent. However, extensive dissections may require a surgical intervention.

Serum levels of advanced glycation end products are associated with in-stent restenosis in diabetic patients.

The formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), in various tissues has been known to enhance immunoinflammatory reactions and local oxidant stresses in long standing diabetes. Recently, AGEs have been reported to play a role in neointimal formation in animal models of arterial injury. We attempted to determine whether the serum levels of AGEs are associated with coronary restenosis in diabetic patients.

Upregulation of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) and gelatinases in human atherosclerosis infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae: the potential role of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in the progression of atherosclerosis.

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection implicated as an important etiologic factor of atherosclerosis, especially in coronary artery disease (CAD), was found in vitro to be associated with the induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). An extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN)/ membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) system which induces and activates MMPs, is suggested to be functional and were upregulated in the failing myocardium. However, the upstream regulation of MMPs by C.