Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling after Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Regurgitation-An Explorative Study.

Background: The timing of treatment for chronic aortic valve regurgitation (AR), especially in asymptomatic patients, is gaining attention since less invasive strategies have become available. The aim of the present study was to evaluate left ventricular reverse remodeling after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe AR.

Methods: Patients (n = 25) who underwent surgical AVR for severe AR with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 55% were included in this study.

Impact of CytoSorb® on interleukin-6 in cardiac surgery.

Objective: Cardiac surgery is known to activate a cascade of inflammatory mediators leading to a systemic inflammatory response. Hemadsorption (HA) devices such as CytoSorb® have been postulated to mitigate an overshooting immune response, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and thus improve outcome. We aimed to investigate the effect of CytoSorb® on interleukin (IL)-6 levels in patients undergoing complex cardiac surgery in comparison to a control group.

Long-Term Results with 187 Frozen Elephant Trunk Procedures.

The frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique is an established therapeutic option in the treatment of complex aortic diseases. We report our long-term clinical outcomes after FET repair. A total of 187 consecutive patients underwent FET repair at our department between 8/2005 and 3/2023.

Impacts of Telomeric Length, Chronic Hypoxia, Senescence, and Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype on the Development of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is an age-related and life-threatening vascular disease. Telomere shortening is a predictor of age-related diseases, and its progression is associated with premature vascular disease. The aim of the present work was to investigate the impacts of chronic hypoxia and telomeric DNA damage on cellular homeostasis and vascular degeneration of TAA.

Long-Term Results of Endovascular Treatment with Nitinol Stents for Femoropopliteal TASC II C and D Lesions.

: The feasibility of endovascular treatment (EVT) for Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) II C and D femoropopliteal artery lesions has been described, but no prospective study has performed a long-term follow-up. The aim of this study was to report the long-term results of nitinol stents (NS) for the treatment of long femoropopliteal lesions. : A single-center prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing EVT with NS and vein bypass surgery was previously performed.

Graft preservation confers myocardial protection during coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: During on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (ONCAB), graft flushing for distal anastomoses testing also perfuses the downstream myocardium. This single-center retrospective study evaluated the impact of specific preservation solutions on myocardial protection during ONCAB.

Materials And Methods: Between July 2019 and March 2020 either DuraGraft (DG) or 0.

The Role of Telocytes and Telocyte-Derived Exosomes in the Development of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm.

A hallmark of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) is the degenerative remodeling of aortic wall, which leads to progressive aortic dilatation and resulting in an increased risk for aortic dissection or rupture. Telocytes (TCs), a distinct type of interstitial cells described in many tissues and organs, were recently observed in the aortic wall, and studies showed the potential regulation of smooth muscle cell (SMC) homeostasis by TC-released shed vesicles. The purpose of the present work was to study the functions of TCs in medial degeneration of TAA.

A Novel Endothelial Damage Inhibitor Reduces Oxidative Stress and Improves Cellular Integrity in Radial Artery Grafts for Coronary Artery Bypass.

The radial artery (RA) is a frequently used conduit in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Endothelial injury incurred during graft harvesting promotes oxidative damage, which leads to graft disease and graft failure. We evaluated the protective effect of DuraGraft®, an endothelial damage inhibitor (EDI), on RA grafts.

Telocytes in the human ascending aorta: Characterization and exosome-related KLF-4/VEGF-A expression.

Telocytes (TCs), a novel interstitial cell entity promoting tissue regeneration, have been described in various tissues. Their role in inter-cellular signalling and tissue remodelling has been reported in almost all human tissues. This study hypothesizes that TC also contributes to tissue remodelling and regeneration of the human thoracic aorta (HTA).

Surgical stented transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in atrioventricular position in children.

The Melody valve (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) is a stented bovine jugular vein graft that was primarily approved for transcatheter implantation in a pulmonary valve position. The prosthetic valve can also be implanted in an atrioventricular position in infants and young children, and in these cases it must be modified appropriately.  In this tutorial we demonstrate the surgical preparation of a stented transcatheter Melody valve for implantation in the atrioventricular position.

Implantation of a decellularized aortic homograft in a child.

The implantation of a decellularized aortic homograft in children and young adults has been shown to be a good alternative to existing surgical approaches. Lower risk of calcification and the potential of growth render a homograft a promising valve substitute. The child presented in this video tutorial is a 10-year-old boy diagnosed with congenital aortic stenosis which was treated by balloon valvuloplasty early in life.

Endothelial damage inhibitors for improvement of saphenous vein graft patency in coronary artery bypass grafting.

The saphenous vein graft (SVG) remains the most commonly used conduit in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In light of this further research must be aimed at the development of strategies to optimize SVG patency and thereby improve both short- and long-term outcomes of CABG surgery. SVG patency in large part depends on the protection of the structural and functional integrity of the vascular endothelium at the time of conduit harvesting, including optimal storage conditions to prevent endothelial damage.

Implantation of the Berlin Heart EXCOR ventricular assist device.

The Berlin Heart EXCOR® is a mechanical, pulsatile ventricular assist device. The paracorporeal assist device is pneumatically driven and can be used for long-term bridging therapy of one or both ventricles (LVAD, BIVAD, RVAD). It is specifically designed for pediatric patients and can be used in neonates as well as juveniles and adults.

Long interspersed element-1 ribonucleoprotein particles protect telomeric ends in alternative lengthening of telomeres dependent cells.

Malignant cells ensure telomere maintenance by the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) in the absence of telomerase activity (TA). The retrotransposons "long interspersed nuclear element-1" (LINE-1, L1) are expressed in malignant cells and are primarily known to contribute to complex karyotypes. Here we demonstrate that LINE-1 ribonucleoprotein particles (L1-RNPs) expression is significantly higher in ALT- versus in TA-human glioma.

Strong Signs for a Weak Wall in Tricuspid Aortic Valve Associated Aneurysms and a Role for Osteopontin in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Associated Aneurysms.

Central processes in the pathogenesis of TAV- (tricuspid aortic valve) and BAV- (bicuspid aortic valve) associated ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) development are still unknown. To gain new insights, we have collected aortic tissue and isolated smooth muscle cells of aneurysmal tissue and subjected them to in situ and in vitro analyses. We analyzed aortic tissue from 78 patients (31 controls, 28 TAV-ATAAs, and 19 BAV-ATAAs) and established 30 primary smooth muscle cell cultures.

Trans-Iliac Bypass Grafting for Vascular Groin Complications.

Objectives: Groin complications following vascular reconstruction, extensive trauma, or severe radiation induced scarring may complicate future revascularisation procedures of the lower limb. Although several techniques have been described, only few cases of trans-iliac bypass grafting have been published. The aim of this study was to perform a review of the literature on trans-ilac bypass grafting and add the authors' experience.

Extracellular matrix in ascending aortic aneurysms and dissections - What we learn from decellularization and scanning electron microscopy.

Pathological impairment of elastic fiber and other extracellular matrix (ECM) components are described for the aortic media of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (aTAA) but the exact pathological impairment of the structure and its degree still needs further investigations. To evaluate the quantity and quality of elastic fiber sheets and other ECM structures (e.g.

Telomere Biology and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm.

Ascending aortic aneurysms are mostly asymptomatic and present a great risk of aortic dissection or perforation. Consequently, ascending aortic aneurysms are a source of lethality with increased age. Biological aging results in progressive attrition of telomeres, which are the repetitive DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes.

Targeting an Oncolytic Influenza A Virus to Tumor Tissue by Elastase.

Oncolytic viruses are currently established as a novel type of immunotherapy. The challenge is to safely target oncolytic viruses to tumors. Previously, we have generated influenza A viruses (IAVs) containing deletions in the viral interferon antagonist.

Tibiodistal vein bypass in critical limb ischemia and its role after unsuccessful tibial angioplasty.

Objective: Technical progress in angioplasty expanded its application to very distal arterial lesions of the lower extremity. In cases of unsuccessful angioplasty tibiodistal bypass surgery may be required for limb salvage. We investigated the long-term outcome of this technique in patients with critical limb ischemia.

A role of LINE-1 in telomere regulation.

Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1) are well known as retrotransposons. A number of reports indicate that down-regulation of LINE-1 substantially affects growth of malignant cells and epithelial mesenchymal transition, which is difficult to be explained by its function as retrotransposon. More recent data indicate that LINE-1 is broadly involved in the regulation of telomere maintenance.

The megaaortic syndrome: Progression of ascending aortic aneurysm or a disease of distinct origin?

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is an often asymptomatic disease with fatal outcome, such as dissection or rupture. The megaaortic syndrome (MAS) is an extensive dilatation of the whole aorta with low incidence but high lethal outcome with unknown pathophysiology so far.

Methods And Results: We compared aortic tissue of patients with sporadic TAAs and MAS of the ascending aorta with non-aneurysmal control tissues.

PICSO: from myocardial salvage to tissue regeneration.

Despite advances in primary percutaneous interventions (PPCI), management of microvascular obstructions in reperfused myocardial tissue remains challenging and is a high-risk procedure. This has led to renewed interest in the coronary venous system as an alternative route of access to the myocardium. This article reviews historical data describing therapeutic options via cardiac veins as well as discussing the clinical potential and limitations of a catheter intervention: pressure controlled intermittent coronary sinus occlusion (PICSO).