Reoperation for chronological complete dislodgement of the bioprosthetic aortic valve into the left ventricle due to Takayasu arteritis.

Background: Takayasu arteritis is a large-vessel vasculitis, in addition to giant cell arteritis. Various post-operative complications associated with the cardiac macrovasculature have been reported. Detachment of the prosthetic valve, pseudoaneurysm formation, and dilatation of the aortic root are well-known post-operative complications associated with vasculitis syndromes, including Takayasu arteritis.

Effect of a Mixed Fermented Loquat Leaf Tea By-Product on the Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Tsushima-Jidori Crossbred Chicken.

In the present study, the effects of dietary supplementation with a mixed fermented loquat leaf tea residue (MFL) were evaluated on muscle α-tocopherol concentration and drip loss of Tsushima-Jidori crossbred chicken. MFL contained significantly less β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and total catechin than that of residues of green tea leaf infusion, although total polyphenol was significantly higher and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity tended to be higher, indicating increased antioxidant properties. A total of 120 male Tsushima-Jidori crossbred chickens were divided into two groups at 62 days of age.

Acute Dapagliflozin Administration Ameliorates Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in a Rabbit Model.

Background:  Several studies have shown that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors have a renoprotective effect on acute kidney injury (AKI), but their effect on cardiac surgery-associated AKI is unknown.

Methods And Results:  AKI was induced in 25 rabbits without diabetes mellitus by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for 2 h and they were divided into 5 groups: sham; dapagliflozin-treated sham; CPB; dapagliflozin-treated CPB; and furosemide-treated CPB (n=5 in each group). Dapagliflozin was administered via the femoral vein before initiating CPB.

Analysis of the interaction-length dependence of frequency stability in an iodine-stabilized Nd:YAG laser.

We report a numerical simulation and an experimental study on the interaction-length dependence of frequency stability in an iodine-stabilized neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. A saturation spectroscopy model was used in the simulation to calculate the interaction-length dependence of the linewidth and signal-to-noise ratio of the iodine saturation spectrum. We determined that 2 m was the optimal interaction length for laser-frequency stabilization.

Hypoxia stabilizes the H O -producing oxidase Nox4 in cardiomyocytes via suppressing autophagy-related lysosomal degradation.

The hydrogen peroxide (H O )-producing NADPH oxidase Nox4, forming a heterodimer with p22 , is expressed in a variety of cells including those in the heart to mediate adaptive responses to cellular stresses such as hypoxia. Since Nox4 is constitutively active, H O production is controlled by its protein abundance. Hypoxia-induced Nox4 expression is observed in various types of cells and generally thought to be regulated at the transcriptional level.

Redo Aortic Valve Replacement With Perceval Prosthesis via Minithoracotomy in a Patient With Permanent Tracheostoma and Tracheoesophageal Shunt.

A 76-year-old male patient had undergone aortic valve replacement with a 19-mm Carpentier-Edwards Perimount valve 12 years prior and underwent laryngopharyngo-esophagectomy for hypopharyngeal carcinoma followed by permanent tracheostomy and tracheoesophageal shunt creation 2 years later. Echocardiography showed exacerbated structural valve deterioration of the bioprosthesis, necessitating redo surgery. A permanent tracheostoma, located just above the upper edge of the sternum, seemed to be at high risk of serious infections when median resternotomy was performed.

Primary Cardiac T-Cell Lymphoma Localized in the Mitral Valve.

Primary cardiac lymphoma is a rare cardiac tumor, and usually originates from B cells and involves the right side of the heart. We present an extremely rare case of primary cardiac T-cell lymphoma involving the mitral valve alone. A 58-year-old woman who was positive for human T-cell leukemia virus 1 underwent mitral valve replacement because of severe mitral regurgitation.

Onion peel tea ameliorates obesity and affects blood parameters in a mouse model of high-fat-diet-induced obesity.

The present study examined the effects of onion peel tea (OPT) in a mouse model of high-fat-diet-induced obesity. BALB/c mice were fed a high-fat diet for three weeks, followed by a normal diet with or without OPT for 28 days. OPT suppressed the increases in body weight and level of epididymal fat tissue; it also significantly reduced the serum concentrations of total cholesterol on day 14 and those of glucose and leptin on day 28.