Abnormal Ultrasonographic Findings among Referred Patients with Pain Abdomen in the Radiology Department of a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Correct and prompt diagnosis is essential for the appropriate management of patients. Often, children and their caretakers cannot provide a reliable history to allow clinicians to determine the cause of the pain. This study's objective was to find out the prevalence of abnormal ultrasonographic findings among referred patients with pain abdomen in the radiology department of a tertiary care center of Nepal.

Intravenous lobular capillary hemangioma originating in the iliac veins: a case report.

Intravenous lobular capillary hemangioma is a rare benign lesion that can mimic other intravascular lesions encountered by vascular surgeons, such as angiosarcoma, papillary endothelial hyperplasia, and deep vein thrombus. These lesions have been described originating in the veins of the head, neck, and upper extremities. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases of intravenous capillary hemangioma arising from within a pelvic vein.

Urgent carotid endarterectomy is safe in patients with few comorbid medical conditions.

Recent reports from single institutions have confirmed the efficacy of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) performed in the urgent or emergent setting, although with higher perioperative mortality and morbidity. We determined the results of urgently performed CEA in academic and community hospitals and whether patient or hospital factors affected outcome. The records of patients undergoing CEA in all nonfederal hospitals in the state of Connecticut between 1992 and 2002 were reviewed, and symptomatic patients who presented in an urgent or emergent fashion were compared to patients treated electively.

Increased aortic arch calcification in patients older than 75 years: implications for carotid artery stenting in elderly patients.

Objective: Recent studies reveal a consistently higher periprocedural risk of stroke during carotid artery stenting in octogenarians compared with younger patients. The mechanisms accounting for this increased risk of embolization and stroke in elderly patients are poorly understood. We analyzed the calcium content and aortic arch type in a consecutive series of patients to determine whether aortic arch calcium content is related to either age or arch type classification.

Utility of the aortic fenestration technique in the management of acute aortic dissections.

Type B acute aortic dissection is not uncommonly encountered by cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons. However, the optimal treatment of patients, particularly those with visceral and renal vessel ischemia, is not well standardized. This is, in part, because of the high morbidity and mortality that continues to plague aortic replacement surgery in that setting.

Malnutrition after vascular surgery: are patients with chronic renal failure at increased risk?

Background: The deleterious effects of perioperative malnutrition on recovery after general surgery are established. Since the effects of perioperative malnutrition on recovery after vascular surgery are not known, we examined the effects of nutritional status, and risk factors predictive of malnutrition, on outcome after vascular surgery.

Methods: The records of all open index vascular cases (abdominal aortic aneurysm [AAA] repair, carotid endarterectomy [CEA], lower extremity bypass) performed at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut between July 2004 and June 2005 were reviewed.

Nicotine enhances human vascular endothelial cell expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 via protein kinase C, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, NF-kappaB, and AP-1.

Investigation into the etiology of atherosclerosis has identified cigarette smoking as a major risk factor. Although it has been established that cellular adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cells is stimulated by nicotine, the mechanism by which this occurs is not clear. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nicotine on the expression of the adhesion molecules, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 in endothelial cells and to determine the involvement of important known intermediaries, protein kinase C (PKC), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), and the transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1.

The role of STAT-3 in the mediation of smooth muscle cell response to cyclic strain.

Hemodynamic forces, including shear stress and cyclic strain, have been recognised as important modulators of vascular cell morphology and function. However, the mechanism by which vascular cells sense and transduce the extracellular mechanical signals into the cell nucleus has not yet been clarified. The purpose of our study was to assess the involvement of the signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) in the signaling pathway mediating the response of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) to cyclic strain.

Nicotine induces mitogen-activated protein kinase dependent vascular smooth muscle cell migration.

Cigarette smoke, specifically the nicotine contained within, has been shown to cause ultrastructural changes in vascular endothelium resulting in the development of atherosclerosis. Our study examines the effects of nicotine on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and attempts to eludicidate the cellular mechanisms governing those effects. Bovine aortic VSMC were cultured in 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) growth media and exposed to 10(-8) nicotine for varying periods of time.

Molecular and biological effects of hemodynamics on vascular cells.

A variety of systemic risk factors, including smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes have been found to promote atherosclerosis. Although these elements affect blood vessels equally, clinically significant lesions develop at predictable locations, i.e.