Repeat aortic valve replacement (AVR) for pseudoaneurysm of mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (P-MAIVF) repair due to hemolytic anemia 6 years after AVR: a case report.

Background: Pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (P-MAIVF) after infective endocarditis and/or valve replacement is rarely reported, and transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac multidetector computed tomography are useful for diagnosis. Surgery is mostly recommended to prevent fatal complications.

Case Presentation: A 61-year-old man underwent repeat aortic valve replacement (AVR) with repair of a P-MAIVF due to hemolytic anemia 6 years after AVR, and 4 months after treatment of sepsis and an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm.

[Bentall Procedure and Total Arch Replacement with an Open Stentgraft after Ascending Aortic Replacement for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection].

A 40-year-old man underwent ascending aortic replacement for acute type A aortic dissection. Eight years later, Bentall procedure and total arch replacement with an open stentgraft (OSG) were performed due to enlargement of the aortic root and distal arch dissection as well as exacerbation of aortic valve incompetence. The computed tomography(CT) taken at 22 months postoperatively showed better stentgraft expansion than that immediately after the operation, reduction in the diameter of the distal aortic arch, and thrombosis of the false lumen from the aortic arch to the entire descending aorta.

Aortopulmonary fistula caused by penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer and intramural hematoma.

A 75-year-old woman presented with chronic cough and hemoptysis. Chest computed tomography (CT) and aortography revealed a small, contrast-filled outpouching in the wall of the descending aorta, which was thought to be the source of bleeding. At thoracotomy, there were firm adhesions between the descending aorta and the left S6.

Chemical contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

The 21st Century's Center of Excellence (COE) Program "Coastal Marine Environmental Research" in Ehime University, funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Government of Japan, started its activities in October 2002. One of the core projects of the COE Program in Ehime University is "studies on environmental behavior of hazardous chemicals and their toxic effects on wildlife". This core project deals with studies of the local and global distribution of environmental contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, retrospective analysis of such chemicals, their toxicokinetics in humans and wildlife, molecular mechanisms to determine species-specific reactions, and sensitivity of chemically induced effects, and with the development of methodology for risk assessment for the conservation of ecological and species diversity.

Molecular characterization of the aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AHR1 and AHR2) from red seabream (Pagrus major).

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) mediates the toxic effects of planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs). Bony fishes exposed to PHAHs exhibit a wide range of developmental defects. However, functional roles of fish AHR are not yet fully understood, compared with those of mammalian AHRs.

[Infective endocarditis with splenic abscess and cerebral hemorrhage].

A 65-year-old man was admitted with ataxic gait and high fever. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple cerebral hemorrhages and echocardiogram showed vegetations attached to the mitral valve and moderate mitral regurgitation. No microorganisms were identified by blood culture examination.

[Emergent coronary artery bypass grafting using percutaneous cardiopulmonary support in a patient with a quadricuspid aortic valve; report of a case].

A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for acute myocardial infarction. A cardiac catheter study showed 3 vessels coronary disease. He was treated by percutaneous coronary intervention for a left anterior descending arterial (LAD) lesion.

Global distribution of radionuclides (137Cs and 40K) in marine mammals.

Concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides were measured in the muscle of marine mammals collected from various locations all over the world, and the global distribution of 137Cs in marine mammals was investigated. 40K was detected in all the specimens of marine mammals with no apparent difference between regions. An anthropogenic radionuclide, 137Cs, was detected in most of the species of marine mammals.