Summary of a consensus conference on heart-liver transplantation.

Patients with severe heart disease may have coexisting liver disease from various causes. The incidence of combined heart-liver transplant (CHLT) is increasing as more patients with congenital heart disease survive to adulthood and develop advanced heart failure with associated liver disease from chronic right-sided heart or Fontan failure. However, the criteria for CHLT have not been established.

Propofol-Based Anesthesia Maintenance and/or Volatile Anesthetics during Intracranial Aneurysm Repair: A Comparative Analysis of Neurological Outcomes.

Background: Volatile and intravenous anesthetics have substantial effects on physiological functions, notably influencing neurological function and susceptibility to injury. Despite the importance of the anesthetic approach, data on its relative risks or benefits during surgical clipping or endovascular treatments for unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) remains scant. We investigated whether using volatile anesthetics alone or in combination with propofol infusion yields superior neurological outcomes following UIA obliteration.

Estrogen rescues heart failure through estrogen receptor Beta activation.

Background: Recently, we showed that exogenous treatment with estrogen (E2) rescues pre-existing advanced heart failure (HF) in mice. Since most of the biological actions of E2 are mediated through the classical estrogen receptors alpha (ERα) and/or beta (ERβ), and both these receptors are present in the heart, we examined the role of ERα and ERβ in the rescue action of E2 against HF.

Methods: Severe HF was induced in male mice by transverse aortic constriction-induced pressure overload.

Modified Langendorff technique for mouse heart cannulation: Improved heart quality and decreased risk of ischemia.

Oscar Langendorff introduced the first method for isolating a heart with contractile activity in 1895. Since then, the Langendorff method has remained a powerful technique in cardiac research and has led to major advances in medicine. The primary goal of the Langendorff method is to provide an isolated heart with oxygen and metabolites via a cannula inserted into the aorta.

Lipid Emulsion, More Than Reversing Bupivacaine Cardiotoxicity: Potential Organ Protection.

Efforts to develop a treatment for bupivacaine cardiotoxicity led to the discovery that Intralipid, a popular brand of intravenous lipid emulsion, could be used not only as an effective treatment for anesthetic-induced cardiac arrest, but also as a means of reversing many other toxicities. Contradictory data exist regarding the mechanism of action of lipid emulsion, a combination of fatty acids traditionally used in parenteral nutrition. Some researchers attribute the effects to lipophilicity and the individual characteristics of the lipids, while other data demonstrate a direct empowering mechanism through cellular upstream and downstream pathways.

A Review of Anesthetic Effects on Renal Function: Potential Organ Protection.

Background: Renal protection is a critical concept for anesthesiologists, nephrologists, and urologists, since anesthesia and renal function are highly interconnected and can potentially interfere with one another. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of anesthetic drugs and their effects on renal function remains fundamental to the success of renal surgeries, especially transplant procedures. Some experimental studies have shown that some anesthetics provide protection against renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury, but there is limited clinical evidence.

Intralipid protects the heart in late pregnancy against ischemia/reperfusion injury via Caveolin2/STAT3/GSK-3β pathway.

Background: We recently demonstrated that the heart of late pregnant (LP) rodents is more prone to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury compared to non-pregnant rodents. Lipids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids, have received special attention in the field of cardiovascular research. Here, we explored whether Intralipid (ITLD) protects the heart against I/R injury in LP rodents and investigated the mechanisms underlying this protection.

Role of oxidized lipids in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a multifactorial disease characterized by interplay of many cellular, molecular, and genetic events that lead to excessive proliferation of pulmonary cells, including smooth muscle and endothelial cells; inflammation; and extracellular matrix remodeling. Abnormal vascular changes and structural remodeling associated with PAH culminate in vasoconstriction and obstruction of pulmonary arteries, contributing to increased pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular failure. The complex molecular mechanisms involved in the pathobiology of PAH are the limiting factors in the development of potential therapeutic interventions for PAH.

Fluoxetine normalizes the effects of prenatal maternal stress on depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mouse dams and male offspring.

Maternal depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period (lactation) is a common debilitating condition affecting mother-fetus/-infant interactions, which can be a risk factor for cognitive and affective disorders in mothers and their children. Selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor-(SSRI) pharmacotherapy is known as the first-line treatment of maternal depression. However, its use during pregnancy and lactation is a topic of concern.

A time-saving method for transferring occlusal vertical dimension and centric relation of complete denture to a full arch implant prosthesis.

Aim: This clinical report describes a time-saving recording procedure for implant prosthesis.

Background: In implant prosthodontics, a few procedures have been suggested to record jaw relationships. Record bases with occlusion rims supported by healing abutments, or screw retained bases are the conventional methods used for mounting definitive implant casts in the articulator.

Spontaneous rupture of adrenal pheochromocytoma in a patient with Von Recklinghausen's disease.

Spontaneous rupture of an adrenal pheochromocytoma is extremely rare and can be lethal because of dramatic changes in the circulation. We describe a 35-year-old Iranian female with previously diagnosed von Recklinghausen ' s disease who suffered spontaneous rupture of an adrenal pheochromocytoma, misdiagnosed as renal colic followed by an extensive retroperitoneal hematoma, irreversible hemodynamic shock, and death.