Overexpression of Toll-Like Receptors 2, 3, 4, and 8 Is Correlated to the Vascular Atherosclerotic Process in the Hyperlipidemic Rabbit Model: The Effect of Statin Treatment.

Background: Atherosclerosis is the major cause of cardiovascular disease; hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor. We hypothesized that specific TLR members (TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR8) may play a role in atherosclerosis progression and its accompanying inflammatory response. We determined the association of atherosclerotic lesions and TLR mRNA expression in different aortic sites.

Initial Clinical Experience with the Endologix AFX Unibody Stent Graft System for Treating Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Case Controlled Comparative Study.

Purpose: The newly designed unibody AFX endograft system for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair is the only graft with anatomical fixation to the aortic bifurcation in comparison to most other grafts that use the infrarenal neck as the main fixation point. The aim of this study was to assess the preliminary results of the AFX stent-graft system used with infrarenal aortic component and compare them with those obtained in patients treated with a well established endograft of the same material and pure infrarenal fixation as the Gore Excluder.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from March 2014 to December 2014 identified 10 elective abdominal aortic aneurysm patients treated with the AFX endograft, in comparison to a matched group of 20 patients treated with the Excluder stent-graft.

The effect of increasing operator experience on procedure-related characteristics in patients undergoing carotid artery stenting.

Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of carotid artery stenting for the treatment of severe carotid artery disease in our department and to investigate the effect of increasing operator experience on perioperative and procedure-related characteristics. Methods From January 2007 to February 2015 200 patients underwent 207 endovascular procedures for carotid artery stenosis. Of all, 113 arteries (56.

Endovascular repair of blunt axillo-subclavian arterial injuries as the first line treatment.

Aim: To report and analyse our results regarding the endovascular management of blunt axillo-subclavian arterial injuries as the first line treatment.

Methods: During an eight-year period, seven patients (mean age 56.4±14.

Endovascular Treatment of Chronic Total Occlusions of the Iliac Arteries: Early and Midterm Results.

Background: To examine the effects of endovascular therapy on the treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) of the iliac arteries.

Methods: We analyzed a cohort of 48 patients (56 limbs) who were treated by endovascular means for iliac artery CTOs during a period of 4 years in 2 vascular surgery centers in Greece. The data were collected retrospectively and were statistically analyzed to report on technical success, morbidity, mortality, primary and secondary patency, and limb salvage through different patient and/or lesion stratifications.

An uncommon, life-threatening, traumatic hematoma in the neck area.

It is well known that blunt neck trauma, when compared to a penetrating injury in the same anatomical area, is very rare. We report a case of an 81-year-old Caucasian woman with a blunt life-threatening neck trauma due to a bully goat. Although rare, direct evaluation should always be done in these cases because any misinterpretation may result in unfavorable outcomes.

Standard endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms in patients with very short proximal necks using the Endurant stent graft.

Objective: This study evaluated and compared the midterm results of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with the Endurant (Medtronic Inc, Santa Rosa, Calif) stent graft system in off-label use in patients with short (<10 mm) proximal aortic necks and in patients treated according to device-specific instructions for use.

Methods: This was a case-control (2:1) single-center retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data performed between September 2008 and December 2012. Analysis identified 19 elective patients with short (<10 mm) proximal necks and mild angulations (≤45°) treated with the Endurant stent graft and 38 patients matched for age, sex, and aneurysm diameter with proximal aortic necks ≥10 mm in length who met the instructions for use.

Management of an aorto-esophageal fistula, complicating a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascularly repaired.

Aorto-esophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare but devastating complication of thoracic aorta endovascular repair (TEVAR). We report a case of a 64-year-old male who presented with chest pain and high CRP levels 10 months after TEVAR for a 9 cm diameter descending thoracic aortic aneurysm. The diagnosis of an AEF was confirmed and the patient was treated conservatively with broad spectrum antibiotics and total parental alimentation.

In endovascular aneurysm repair cases, when should you consider internal iliac artery embolization when extending a stent into the external iliac artery?

A best evidence topic was constructed according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether internal iliac artery (IIA) embolization is necessary for achieving the best clinical outcome in all patients when extension of the stent graft to the external iliac artery is required. Altogether more than 400 papers were found using the reported search, of which 5 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question.

Safe and fast proximal aortic control using an aortic balloon through direct graft puncture for the explantation of an abdominal endograft with suprarenal fixation.

The late removal of an abdominal aortic endograft is technically challenging and can be associated with significant blood loss, especially when a graft with active suprarenal fixation is involved. The main issue in safe explantation of the endograft is control of the aorta above the proximal fixation site. We report an adjunctive technique for the safe and fast proximal control of the suprarenal aorta using an aortic balloon.

Use of the vascu-guard bovine pericardium patch for arteriotomy closure in carotid endarterectomy. Early and long-term results.

Background: To report the early and long-term results of Vascu-Guard bovine pericardium (BP) for patch angioplasty in carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 256 CEAs with BP patch closure performed in 238 patients during the past 12 years in our department. Patch-related complications (restenosis, infection, and aneurysm formation) and early and late (12 to 144 months follow-up) clinical outcomes were recorded and statistically analyzed.

Endovascular treatment for isolated acute abdominal aortic dissection.

Background: Isolated acute abdominal aortic dissection (IAAAD) is considered an unusual clinical entity and is traditionally treated by open surgical repair. We report our single-center experience during the last 9 years, evaluating the outcomes after endovascular repair in this patient population.

Methods: All patients with a diagnosis of IAAAD treated in our institute were included in this retrospective review.

Analysis of effects of fixation type on renal function after endovascular aneurysm repair.

Purpose: To report a prospective nonrandomized study comparing the effects of suprarenal (SR) vs. infrarenal (IR) stent-graft fixation on renal function in patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Methods: Patients with AAA undergoing elective EVAR between June 2008 and June 2010 were eligible for the comparative study of fixation method on renal function.

Biomechanical testing and material characterization for the rat large intestine: regional dependence of material parameters.

The function of the large bowel is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter and subsequently pass useless waste material from the body, but there has been only a small amount of data in the literature on its biomechanical characteristics that would facilitate our understanding of its transport function. Our study aims to fill this gap by affording comprehensive inflation/extension data of intestinal segments from distinct areas, spanning a physiologically relevant deformation range (100-130% axial stretches and 0-15 mmHg lumen pressures). These data were characterized by the Fung-type exponential model in the thick-walled setting, showing reasonable agreement, i.

Experimentally modified Fontan circulation in an adolescent pig model without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: The feasibility and the hemodynamic outcome of Fontan circulation, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, were studied on a beating heart of an adolescent pig model, using a modified total cavopulmonary connection.

Material/methods: Eight open-chest anesthetized pigs underwent a successful total cavopulmonary connection with the use of an appropriate Y-shaped Dacron-type conduit. Through a median sternotomy, the distal part of the superior vena cava was anastomosed end-to-end to one side of the conduit.

ERp46 is reduced by high glucose and regulates insulin content in pancreatic beta-cells.

Our studies focus on ERp46, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) component, and analyze its involvement in glucose toxicity and in insulin production. Differences in pancreatic beta-TC-6 cell proteome under conditions of low vs. high glucose were examined by proteomic approaches, including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, image analysis, and mass spectrometry.

Altered expression of calreticulin during the development of fibrosis.

Tissue damage following injury leads to inflammation and fibrosis. To understand the molecular mechanisms and the proteins involved in the fibrotic process, we used the well-established unilateral ureteric obstruction rat model and we analyzed the alterations at early and late time intervals using a classical proteomic approach. Data analysis demonstrates a correlation between calreticulin up-regulation and progression of fibrosis.