A comprehensive morphometric analysis of the internal thoracic artery with emphasis on age, gender and left-to-right specific differences.

Aims Of The Study: The aim of this analysis was the morphometric description of the internal thoracic artery (ITA) with an emphasis on age, gender and left-to-right specific differences, as well as on age and atherosclerosis related changes of the elastic skeleton.

Methods: Forty eight arteries were obtained during forensic autopsies from 32 persons who had died of non-vascular causes. The following morphometric parameters were analyzed: thickness of the intima, the medial layer and the wall, the intima-to media-ratio and the elastic skeleton parameters.

Effect of low temperature cultivation on insulin secretory of human pancreatic islets.

The experiment compared the physiological function (insulin secretory capacity) and membrane integrity of human adult pancreatic islets incubated in culture at 37°C and 24°C. Pancreatic tissue was digested with Collagenase XI, using a non-automated method. Cultures were incubated at 37°C and 24°C.

A novel Notch3 Gly89Cys mutation in a Serbian CADASIL family.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is the most common heritable cause of stroke and vascular dementia in adults. We present a family from Serbia presenting with stroke and depression in the lack of vascular risk factors, with brain MRI indicating CADASIL. A novel NOTCH3 Gly89Cys mutation was located in exon 3.

Skin and sural nerve biopsies: ultrastructural findings in the first genetically confirmed cases of CADASIL in Serbia.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is an inherited vascular disorder caused by Notch3 gene mutations. The main histopathological hallmark is granular osmiophilic material (GOM) deposited in the close vicinity of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The authors report the first 7 ultrastructurally and genetically confirmed cases of CADASIL in Serbia.

[Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactate acidosis with stroke-like episodes syndrome (MELAS): a case report].

Introduction: Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactacidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) represent a multisystemic dysfunction due to various mutations in mitochondrial DNA. Here we report a patient with genetically confirmed MELAS.

Case Outline: A patient is presented whose clinical features involved short stature, easy tendency to fatigue, recurrent seizures, progressive cognitive decline, myopathy, sensorineural deafness, diabetes mellitus as well as stroke-like episodes.