Congenital anomaly of the external iliac artery: a case report.

A 51-year-old man was admitted with acute ischemic pain in the left leg. An angiogram demonstrated a well-developed left internal iliac artery that appeared to be continuous with the left common femoral artery, but no left external iliac artery. The left superficial and proximal deep femoral arteries were obstructed with thrombi.

Changing predictors of postoperative mortality in acute type A aortic dissection. Is only coronary artery compromise significant?

Objectives: Rapid emergency transport and early diagnosis and surgical treatment for acute type A aortic dissection have improved postoperative survival, which has, however, plateaued at about 80%. End-organ malperfusion is regarded as a strong predictor of postoperative mortality, replacing factors such as cardiac tamponade complications, aortic rupture, and left ventricular dysfunction due to aortic insufficiency. It is thus important to reevaluate risk factors for surgical death to assess current therapeutic strategies.

Traumatic cardiac rupture with acute ascites.

A rare accumulation of serous ascites following traumatic cardiac rupture is reported for a 21-year-old man transferred to the emergency center of our hospital from a community hospital suffering from severe shock due to a motorcycle accident. Computed tomography scan showed moderate pericardial and intrapelvic fluid accumulation strongly suggesting cardiac and visceral injuries. An emergency sternotomy disclosed a rupture of the right atrial appendage, successfully closed with primary sutures.

Is the difference in alpha-amylase activity in the strains of Drosophila melanogaster with different allozymes due to transcriptional or posttranscriptional control?

The alpha-amylase in Drosophila melanogaster is a highly polymorphic enzyme, at both the allozyme level and the specific activity level. This enzyme changes its specific activity drastically depending on both food conditions and developmental stages, and it has been suggested that the ability to change its activity depending on the source of food has positive correlation with fitness. But the cause of the difference of specific activity among strains and food compositions is not known.