Differences in internal carotid artery tortuosity in ruptured and unruptured anterior circulation aneurysms. A matched case-control study.

Objective: Tortuosity of the internal carotid artery is believed to contribute to the formation of intracranial aneurysms, although there is scant literature on its role as a risk factor for rupture specifically. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of cervical internal carotid artery (cICA) tortuosity on rupture of aneurysms of the anterior cerebral circulation.

Methods: Angiographic imaging studies from patients who underwent endovascular embolisation for anterior circulation aneurysms at a tertiary centre were identified.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cardiovascular Consequences of Myocardial Bridging in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital variant in which a segment of a coronary artery follows an atypical intramural course under a "bridge" of myocardium and is notably common in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This systematic review and meta-analysis explored the clinical consequences of MB in patients with HCM. A total of 3 outcome domains were investigated: cardiovascular mortality, nonfatal adverse cardiac events, and investigative indicators of myocardial ischemia.

Intracellular oxygen metabolism during bovine oocyte and preimplantation embryo development.

We report a novel method to profile intrcellular oxygen concentration (icO) during in vitro mammalian oocyte and preimplantation embryo development using a commercially available multimodal phosphorescent nanosensor (MM2). Abattoir-derived bovine oocytes and embryos were incubated with MM2 in vitro. A series of inhibitors were applied during live-cell multiphoton imaging to record changes in icO associated with mitochondrial processes.

Amino Acids and the Early Mammalian Embryo: Origin, Fate, Function and Life-Long Legacy.

Amino acids are now recognised as having multiple cellular functions in addition to their traditional role as constituents of proteins. This is well-illustrated in the early mammalian embryo where amino acids are now known to be involved in intermediary metabolism, as energy substrates, in signal transduction, osmoregulation and as intermediaries in numerous pathways which involve nitrogen metabolism, e.g.

Probing morphological, genetic and metabolomic changes of in vitro embryo development in a microfluidic device.

Assisted reproduction technologies for clinical and research purposes rely on a brief in vitro embryo culture which, despite decades of progress, remain suboptimal in comparison to the physiological environment. One promising tool to improve this technique is the development of bespoke microfluidic chambers. Here we present and validate a new microfluidic device in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for the culture of early mouse embryos.