Evaluation of a suspended radiation protection system to reduce operator exposure in cardiology interventional procedures.

Objectives: To investigate a novel suspended radiation shield (ZG), in reducing operator radiation exposure during cardiology interventions.

Background: Radiation exposure to the operator remains an occupational health hazard in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Methods: An anthropomorphic mannequin simulating an operator was placed near a phantom, simulating a patient.

Patient exposure data and operator dose in coronary interventional procedures: Impact of body-mass index and procedure complexity.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess patient exposure data and operator dose in coronary interventional procedures, when considering patient body-mass index and procedure complexity.

Methods: Total air kerma area product (P), Air-Kerma (AK), Fluoroscopy time (FT), operator dose and patient body-mass index (BMI) from 97 patients' procedures (62 coronary angiography (CA) and 35 Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) were collected for one year. For PCI procedures, also the complexity index-CI was collected.

The rabbit as an orthologous small animal model for APOBEC3A oncogenesis.

APOBEC3 are cytidine deaminases that convert cytidine to uridine residues. APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B enzymes able to target genomic DNA are involved in oncogenesis of a sizeable proportion of human cancers. While the locus is conserved in mammals, it encodes from 1-7 genes.

Multilayer Flow Modulator Treatment of Abdominal and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms With Side Branch Coverage: Outcomes From a Prospective Single-Center Moroccan Registry.

Purpose: To evaluate endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) using the Multilayer Flow Modulator (MFM) in high-surgical-risk patients with at least one covered branch vessel.

Methods: In this prospective single-center nonrandomized trial, 18 patients (mean age 61.1 years; 16 men) with TAAA (n=10, mean diameter 74.

Endovascular treatment of a tuberculous thoracoabdominal aneurysm with the Multilayer stent.

Purpose: To describe a case of multiple thoracoabdominal aneurysms of tuberculous origin treated in an endovascular procedure with the Multilayer stent.

Case Report: A 16-year-old girl had been treated 4 years previously for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm of tuberculous origin. Due to the presence of 4 rapidly evolving saccular aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta and a fusiform aneurysm of the suprarenal aorta, an endovascular solution was chosen after the patient refused open surgery.

Evolution of the primate APOBEC3A cytidine deaminase gene and identification of related coding regions.

The APOBEC3 gene cluster encodes six cytidine deaminases (A3A-C, A3DE, A3F-H) with single stranded DNA (ssDNA) substrate specificity. For the moment A3A is the only enzyme that can initiate catabolism of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Human A3A expression is initiated from two different methionine codons M1 or M13, both of which are in adequate but sub-optimal Kozak environments.

Lethal mutagenesis of foot-and-mouth disease virus involves shifts in sequence space.

Lethal mutagenesis or virus transition into error catastrophe is an antiviral strategy that aims at extinguishing a virus by increasing the viral mutation rates during replication. The molecular basis of lethal mutagenesis is largely unknown. Previous studies showed that a critical substitution in the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) polymerase was sufficient to allow the virus to escape extinction through modulation of the transition types induced by the purine nucleoside analogue ribavirin.

Somatic hypermutation of human mitochondrial and nuclear DNA by APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases, a pathway for DNA catabolism.

The human APOBEC3 (A3A-A3H) locus encodes six cytidine deaminases that edit single-stranded DNA, the result being DNA peppered with uridine. Although several cytidine deaminases are clearly restriction factors for retroviruses and hepadnaviruses, it is not known if APOBEC3 enzymes have roles outside of these settings. It is shown here that both human mitochondrial and nuclear DNA are vulnerable to somatic hypermutation by A3 deaminases, with APOBEC3A standing out among them.

Double-stranded RNA adenosine deaminase ADAR-1-induced hypermutated genomes among inactivated seasonal influenza and live attenuated measles virus vaccines.

We sought to examine ADAR-1 editing of measles and influenza virus genomes derived from inactivated seasonal influenza and live attenuated measles virus vaccines grown on chicken cells as the culture substrate. Using highly sensitive 3DI-PCR (R. Suspène et al.

APOBEC1 and APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases as restriction factors for hepadnaviral genomes in non-humans in vivo.

Reverse transcription of the hepadnavirus RNA pre-genome means that nascent cDNA may be vulnerable to genetic editing by host cell APOBEC cytidine deaminases that have specificity single-stranded DNA as substrate. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is particularly vulnerable to editing by APOBEC3G (hA3G) in late-stage disease where up to 35% of genomes can be edited. Yet, the organization of the A3 locus varies considerably among mammals with a single gene for the mouse and seven genes for Old and New World monkeys, which suggests that the outcome may be very variable for other natural hepadnavirus infections.

Massive APOBEC3 editing of hepatitis B viral DNA in cirrhosis.

DNA viruses, retroviruses and hepadnaviruses, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), are vulnerable to genetic editing of single stranded DNA by host cell APOBEC3 (A3) cytidine deaminases. At least three A3 genes are up regulated by interferon-alpha in human hepatocytes while ectopic expression of activation induced deaminase (AICDA), an A3 paralog, has been noted in a variety of chronic inflammatory syndromes including hepatitis C virus infection. Yet virtually all studies of HBV editing have confined themselves to analyses of virions from culture supernatants or serum where the frequency of edited genomes is generally low (< or = 10(-2)).

Human APOBEC1 cytidine deaminase edits HBV DNA.

Retroviruses, hepadnaviruses, and some other retroelements are vulnerable to editing by single stranded DNA cytidine deaminases. Of the eleven human genes encoding such enzymes, eight have demonstrable enzymatic activity. Six of seven human APOBEC3 are able to hyperedit HBV DNA, frequently on both strands.

Genetic editing of HBV DNA by monodomain human APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases and the recombinant nature of APOBEC3G.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is vulnerable to editing by human cytidine deaminases of the APOBEC3 (A3A-H) family albeit to much lower levels than HIV cDNA. We have analyzed and compared HBV editing by all seven enzymes in a quail cell line that does not produce any endogenous DNA cytidine deaminase activity. Using 3DPCR it was possible to show that all but A3DE were able to deaminate HBV DNA at levels from 10(-2) to 10(-5)in vitro, with A3A proving to be the most efficient editor.

Carotid angioplasty and stenting under protection: advantages and drawbacks.

Carotid stenosis is responsible for approximately 30% of strokes, and carotid endarterectomy is considered to be the gold-standard treatment. Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) has been proposed as an alternative to surgery but the risk of neurological complications and brain embolism remains the major drawback to this procedure. Embolic protection devices (EPDs), which retain particles and debris generated during the procedure, have been proposed to reduce the frequency of neurological complications.

Inversing the natural hydrogen bonding rule to selectively amplify GC-rich ADAR-edited RNAs.

DNA complementarity is expressed by way of three hydrogen bonds for a G:C base pair and two for A:T. As a result, careful control of the denaturation temperature of PCR allows selective amplification of AT-rich alleles. Yet for the same reason, the converse is not possible, selective amplification of GC-rich alleles.

Treatment of renal artery aneurysm with the multilayer stent.

Purpose: To describe a new type of stent consisting of a 3-dimensional (3D) braided tube made of 2 interconnected layers without any covering to treat a renal artery aneurysm.

Case Report: A 78-year-old hypertensive man with multiple comorbidities was incidentally found to have a large (28- x 30 mm) saccular aneurysm in the main right renal artery involving the inferior renal artery. Via a percutaneous femoral approach, a 6- x 30-mm Multilayer stent was deployed easily in front of the aneurysm neck covering the inferior renal artery.

Evidence for editing of human papillomavirus DNA by APOBEC3 in benign and precancerous lesions.

Cytidine deaminases of the APOBEC3 family all have specificity for single-stranded DNA, which may become exposed during replication or transcription of double-stranded DNA. Three human APOBEC3A (hA3A), hA3B, and hA3H genes are expressed in keratinocytes and skin, leading us to determine whether genetic editing of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA occurred. In a study of HPV1a plantar warts and HPV16 precancerous cervical biopsies, hyperedited HPV1a and HPV16 genomes were found.

New distal embolic protection device the FiberNet 3 dimensional filter: first carotid human study.

Objective: Evaluate the performance and safety of the FiberNet Embolic Protection System during carotid artery intervention.

Background: Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting (CAS) can be proposed to treat the majority of carotid stenoses. Brain embolization takes place and routine use of Embolic Protection Devices (EPD) is warranted.

Induction of mutations in Drosophila melanogaster gypsy retroelements by modulation of intracellular deoxynucleoside triphosphate pools in vivo.

The retroviral mutation rate is susceptible to a number of variables, including the balance between intracellular deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pools. While this follows from tissue culture studies, the issue has never been addressed directly in vivo. To explore this question in a tractable experimental system, we analyzed the impact of thymidine treatment on the synthesis of gypsy retroelement cDNA from Drosophila melanogaster during development through to hatching.

Extensive editing of a small fraction of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 genomes by four APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases.

In the absence of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vif protein, the host-cell cytidine deaminases APOBEC3F and -3G are co-packaged along with virion RNA. Upon infection of target cells, nascent single-stranded DNA can be edited extensively, invariably giving rise to defective genomes called G-->A hypermutants. Although human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) replicates in the same cell type as HIV-1, it was shown here that HTLV-1 is relatively resistant to the antiviral effects mediated by human APOBEC3B, -3C, -3F and -3G.

Extensive editing of both hepatitis B virus DNA strands by APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases in vitro and in vivo.

Because the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) proceeds via an obligatory reverse transcription step in the viral capsid, cDNA is potentially vulnerable to editing by cytidine deaminases of the APOBEC3 family. To date only two edited HBV genomes, referred to as G --> A hypermutants, have been described in vivo. Recent work suggested that HBV replication was indeed restricted by APOBEC3G but by a mechanism other than editing.

Renal angioplasty and stenting: long-term results and the potential role of protection devices.

Renal angioplasty and stenting have become the first treatments to be proposed to patients presenting with renal artery stenosis. The immediate technical success rate is high, with a low complication rate and good long-term patency. In most reports, renal stenting has been proven to improve blood pressure.

Bilateral carotid angioplasty and stenting.

Bilateral carotid stenosis is generally treated by staged stenting procedure and rarely simultaneously due to concerns about hemodynamic impairment from stimulation of the carotid sinus baroreflex (severe bradycardia, hypotension) and the risk of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome. Most of the accounts of bilateral carotid stenting are of small series. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of simultaneous bilateral carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) in comparison with staged procedure.

Recovery of APOBEC3-edited human immunodeficiency virus G->A hypermutants by differential DNA denaturation PCR.

Virus genomes from the same family may exhibit a wide range in their DNA GC content, whereas viral hypermutants differ substantially in GC content from their parental genomes. As AT-rich DNA melts at lower temperatures than GC-rich DNA, use of a lower denaturation temperature during PCR should allow differential amplification of AT-rich genomes or variants within a quasispecies. The latter situation has been explored explicitly in a two-step process by using a series of well-defined viral sequences differing in their AT content.