Removing direct photocurrent artifacts in optogenetic connectivity mapping data via constrained matrix factorization.

Monosynaptic connectivity mapping is crucial for building circuit-level models of neural computation. Two-photon optogenetic stimulation, when combined with whole-cell recording, enables large-scale mapping of physiological circuit parameters. In this experimental setup, recorded postsynaptic currents are used to infer the presence and strength of connections.

All-optical recreation of naturalistic neural activity with a multifunctional transgenic reporter mouse.

Determining which features of the neural code drive behavior requires the ability to simultaneously read out and write in neural activity patterns with high precision across many neurons. All-optical systems that combine two-photon calcium imaging and targeted photostimulation enable the activation of specific, functionally defined groups of neurons. However, these techniques are unable to test how patterns of activity across a population contribute to computation because of an inability to both read and write cell-specific firing rates.

Targeted and selective knockout of the TLQP-21 neuropeptide unmasks its unique role in energy homeostasis.

Pro-peptide precursors are processed into biologically active peptide hormones or neurotransmitters, each playing an essential role in physiology and disease. Genetic loss of function of a pro-peptide precursor results in the simultaneous ablation of all biologically-active peptides within that precursor, often leading to a composite phenotype that can be difficult to align with the loss of specific peptide components. Due to this biological constraint and technical limitations, mice carrying the selective ablation of individual peptides encoded by pro-peptide precursor genes, while leaving the other peptides unaffected, have remained largely unaddressed.

Perioperative presepsin as a potential early predictor for postoperative infectious complications in cardiac surgery.

Introduction: Postoperative infection remains a serious complication of cardiac surgery; however, no existing biomarkers can detect infection in the early perioperative period. We investigated the usefulness of presepsin, a novel biomarker, in predicting postoperative infectious complications in cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Material And Methods: For patients aged > 18 years who underwent elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass between 2015 and 2017, data of clinical features, perioperative presepsin levels, and infectious complications were collected.

High-performance microbial opsins for spatially and temporally precise perturbations of large neuronal networks.

The biophysical properties of existing optogenetic tools constrain the scale, speed, and fidelity of precise optogenetic control. Here, we use structure-guided mutagenesis to engineer opsins that exhibit very high potency while retaining fast kinetics. These new opsins enable large-scale, temporally and spatially precise control of population neural activity.

NT5E mutation in sisters who underwent aortic valve replacements for aortic stenosis.

Mutations of the NT5E gene encoding the cluster of differentiation 73 (CD73) protein have been found in patients with characteristic calcification of joints and arteries (CALJA). CD73 plays a protective role against aortic valve calcification; therefore, its deletion results in aortic valve calcification. However, to date, there are no reports of a patient with CALJA with aortic stenosis.

Double left brachiocephalic vein in an adult patient who underwent cardiac surgery: a case report.

Background: A double left brachiocephalic vein is an extremely rare venous anomaly.

Case Presentation: Herein, we present the case of a 79-year-old woman with a double left brachiocephalic vein who underwent cardiac surgical procedures. The normal left brachiocephalic vein was patent, and the accessory left brachiocephalic vein passed across the heart and aorta in front of the pericardium and drained into the superior vena cava.

Surgical Treatment for a Super-Giant Right Coronary Artery Aneurysm Induced by Kawasaki Disease.

A 32-year-old man diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at the age of three years presented with coronary artery aneurysm (CAA). The aneurysm increased in size, and the patient was referred to our hospital for surgery. Preoperative computed tomography scan showed a super-giant right CAA and giant left CAAs; surgery was performed.

Outcome of thoracoscopic anatomical sublobar resection under 3-dimensional computed tomography simulation.

Background: Previous studies have reported the feasibility and efficacy of thoracoscopic anatomical sublobar resection under three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) simulation; however, its long-term outcomes have not been clearly established in primary lung cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this technique.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 112 consecutive patients with selected clinical stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent thoracoscopic anatomical sublobar resection from 2004 to 2014.

[Surgical Strategy for Aortic Arch Aneurysms in Octogenarians].

Backgrounds: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and mid-term outcomes of open aortic arch surgery and debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair( TEVAR) in octogenarians.

Methods: Between 2011 and 2019, 26 patients with atherosclerotic aortic arch aneurysms underwent surgery at our institution [open aortic arch surgery( group O):10 patients, debranching TEVAR(group D):16 patients].

Results: There was no operative death in either group.

Post-error recruitment of frontal sensory cortical projections promotes attention in mice.

The frontal cortex, especially the anterior cingulate cortex area (ACA), is essential for exerting cognitive control after errors, but the mechanisms that enable modulation of attention to improve performance after errors are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that during a mouse visual attention task, ACA neurons projecting to the visual cortex (VIS; ACA neurons) are recruited selectively by recent errors. Optogenetic manipulations of this pathway collectively support the model that rhythmic modulation of ACA neurons in anticipation of visual stimuli is crucial for adjusting performance following errors.

Aortic remodelling effect of the frozen elephant trunk technique on Stanford type A acute aortic dissection.

Total arch replacement using the frozen elephant trunk procedure is performed for true lumen expansion of the descending aorta in patients with type A acute aortic dissection. However, the remodelling effect of the frozen elephant trunk on the dissected descending aorta is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of the frozen elephant trunk on postoperative descending aortic remodelling after surgery.

Spinal Cord Ischemia Following Endovascular Repair of Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) following endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a rare but serious complication. Case 1 presented with ruptured AAA and shock and underwent emergency EVAR. The patient developed incomplete paraplegia 2 days following EVAR.

Creating an appropriate access for endovascular repair by replacing a dissected femoral artery in aortic dissection.

Transfemoral endovascular repair has been widely accepted as an effective treatment for type B aortic dissection. However, if the dissection extends to the femoral artery, the transfemoral approach increases the risk of access complications. We describe a case of acute complicated type B aortic dissection involving the dissected bilateral femoral arteries.

A prefrontal-paraventricular thalamus circuit requires juvenile social experience to regulate adult sociability in mice.

Juvenile social isolation reduces sociability in adulthood, but the underlying neural circuit mechanisms are poorly understood. We found that, in male mice, 2 weeks of social isolation immediately following weaning leads to a failure to activate medial prefrontal cortex neurons projecting to the posterior paraventricular thalamus (mPFC→pPVT) during social exposure in adulthood. Chemogenetic or optogenetic suppression of mPFC→pPVT activity in adulthood was sufficient to induce sociability deficits without affecting anxiety-related behaviors or preference toward rewarding food.

Hybrid Operation for a Brachiocephalic Aneurysm in a Young Woman With Loeys-Dietz Syndrome.

In the currently evolving field of endovascular surgery, most brachiocephalic aneurysms are treated with stent grafts. Connective tissue disorders are considered a relative contraindication for endovascular repair because of the risk of adverse events at the landing zone in the aorta and its branches, although the surgical grafts from previous repairs could provide stable landing zones. We attempted a new hybrid operative technique for a brachiocephalic aneurysm in a patient with Loeys-Dietz syndrome, who was unsuitable for open surgery because of multiple previous surgeries and possible lung malignancy.

Adolescent frontal top-down neurons receive heightened local drive to establish adult attentional behavior in mice.

Frontal top-down cortical neurons projecting to sensory cortical regions are well-positioned to integrate long-range inputs with local circuitry in frontal cortex to implement top-down attentional control of sensory regions. How adolescence contributes to the maturation of top-down neurons and associated local/long-range input balance, and the establishment of attentional control is poorly understood. Here we combine projection-specific electrophysiological and rabies-mediated input mapping in mice to uncover adolescence as a developmental stage when frontal top-down neurons projecting from the anterior cingulate to visual cortex are highly functionally integrated into local excitatory circuitry and have heightened activity compared to adulthood.

Aortobifemoral Bypass Grafting with Reversed L-Shaped Technique for Endograft Infection.

Endograft infection after abdominal endovascular aortic repair is a rare but catastrophic complication associated with high perioperative mortality and postoperative recurrent infection. The optimal surgical treatment is still controversial, particularly regarding in situ or extra-anatomical revascularization. Herein, we describe a successful surgically treated case of a patient with an endograft infection complicated with abscess formation in the retroperitoneal space around the right common iliac artery.

Exacerbation of severe constrictive pericarditis after prior inadequate pericardiectomy.

Pericardiectomy is commonly used to treat constrictive pericarditis (CP); however, persistent calcification can complicate recovery. An 82-year-old man presented with CP following an inadequate pericardiectomy at another hospital two years earlier. He was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of recurrent CP.

Right-sided double valve replacement in an adult patient who underwent surgery for pulmonary stenosis in childhood: a case report.

Background: Pulmonary regurgitation and the subsequent functional tricuspid regurgitation are frequently observed in adult patients who previously underwent pulmonary valvular operations. Pulmonary valve replacement, in combination with tricuspid annuloplasty, is frequently performed in adult patients. However, postoperative worsening or recurrence of tricuspid regurgitation is a major concern after pulmonary valve replacement with tricuspid annuloplasty.

Ruptured aneurysm of coronary arteriovenous fistula without aneurysmal coronary artery.

Background: Approximately 25% of coronary arteriovenous fistulas present aneurysmal dilatation; however, spontaneous rupture of the aneurysm is rare. Most coronary arteries branching the feeding arteries demonstrate aneurysmal formation, possibly because of shunt flow.

Case Report: A 48-year-old woman was referred to our institution for surgical management of ruptured aneurysm of coronary arteriovenous fistula.

Oxidative stress evaluation of skeletal muscle in ischemia-reperfusion injury using enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Acute extremity arterial occlusion requires prompt revascularization. Delayed revascularization induces ischemia-reperfusion injury in the skeletal muscle. Organ injury-induced oxidative stress is widely reported, and oxidative stress is heavily involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Bare stent removal in open thoraco-abdominal aortic repair after endovascular treatment with the PETTICOAT technique.

The Provisional Extension to Induce Complete Attachment (PETTICOAT) technique using distal bare stents can enhance the effect of proximal thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Here, we present the case of a patient who underwent open surgical conversion and bare stent removal due to progressive thoraco-abdominal aortic enlargement. Previously placed bare-metal stents were embedded deeply in the aortic wall.