[Left Atrium Appendage Aneurysm Late After Suture Exclusion:Report of a Case].

Left atrial appendage closure is widely performed in cardiac surgery to prevent intracardiac thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation. Herein, we report the surgical case of an 80-year-old man whose left atrial appendage became aneurysmic long after undergoing suture exclusion. At the age of 67, he underwent mitral valve annuloplasty and left atrial appendage suture exclusion for mitral regurgitation and chronic atrial fibrillation at our institution.

Patterns of collateral arteries to the spinal cord after thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Objectives: Our goal was to evaluate postoperative patterns of collateral arteries to the spinal cord during occlusion of the segmental arteries supplying the artery of Adamkiewicz (AKA).

Methods: Between April 2011 and December 2022, a total of 179 patients underwent thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; 141 had an identifiable AKA on preoperative multidetector computed tomography scans, 40 underwent thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm replacement (TAAR) and 101 underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). New postoperative collateral blood pathways invisible on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans were identified in 42 patients (10 patients who had TAAR vs 32 patients who had TEVAR) who underwent preoperative and postoperative multidetector computed tomography scanning for AKA identification.

The interplay between the epithelial permeability barrier, cell migration and mitochondrial metabolism of growth factors and their inhibitors in a human endometrial carcinoma cell line.

It is known that there are abnormalities of tight junction functions, cell migration and mitochondrial metabolism in human endometriosis and endometrial carcinoma. In this study, we investigated the effects of growth factors and their inhibitors on the epithelial permeability barrier, cell migration and mitochondrial metabolism in 2D and 2.5D cultures of human endometrioid endometrial carcinoma Sawano cells.

[Mitral Valve Replacement for Eclipsed Mitral Regurgitation with Multiple Episodes of Acute Exacerbation and Remission].

Eclipsed mitral regurgitation is a relatively new disease concept reported in recent years, of which is not fully elucidated. A 73-year-old female had repeated episodes of heart failure of unknown cause. During cardiac catheterization and echocardiography performed, mitral regurgitation suddenly worsened and improved in a few minutes.

Solvent-assisted stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with simultaneous olfactometry for the characterization of aroma compounds in Japanese Yamahai-brewed sake.

Yamahai-brewed sake, a Japanese alcoholic beverage brewed from rice and produced via natural lactic acid fermentation, has a complex and rich flavor compared with Sokujo-brewed sake, brewed with a general method using pure lactic acid. This study aimed to characterize the aroma compounds in Yamahai-brewed sake using solvent-assisted stir bar sorptive extraction (SA-SBSE) with gas chromatography-olfactometry/mass spectrometry (GC-O/MS) and to confirm the enhanced sensitivity of GC-O/MS with SA-SBSE compared with SBSE alone. SA-SBSE with GC-O/MS increased the number of detected odor-active compounds and improved the FD factor sensitivity of Yamahai-brewed sake.

Pacemaker Lead-induced Tricuspid Valve Stenosis and Reverse Lutembacher Syndrome.

Reverse Lutembacher syndrome is a rare cause of hypoxia characterized by the triad of tricuspid valve stenosis, elevated right atrial pressure, and an interatrial right-to-left shunt. We report a case of pacemaker lead-induced reverse Lutembacher syndrome in a 45-year-old woman who presented with dyspnea. The patient also developed pacemaker lead-induced superior vena cava obstruction accompanied by a right-to-left shunt through systemic-to-pulmonary venous collaterals, which exacerbated the hypoxia.

Investigation of Factors Causing Nonuniformity in Luminescence Lifetime of Fast-Responding Pressure-Sensitive Paints.

Factors that cause nonuniformity in the luminescence lifetime of pressure-sensitive paints (PSPs) were investigated. The lifetime imaging method of PSP does not theoretically require wind-off reference images. Therefore, it can improve measurement accuracy because it can eliminate errors caused by the deformation or movement of the model during the measurement.

Avoiding anticoagulation drugs for postoperative atrial fibrillation enabled successful conservative treatment of left atrial dissection: a case report.

Background: Left atrial dissection is a rare complication of cardiac surgery, most commonly associated with mitral valve surgery. Herein, we report on the successful conservative treatment of left atrial dissection while avoiding anticoagulation therapy.

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old man developed left atrial dissection during operation for acute type A aortic dissection, most likely due to retrograde cardioplegia cannulation.

[Traction-assisted Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Pediatric Poststernotomy Mediastinitis:Report of Two Cases].

We herein report two cases of pediatric poststernotomy mediastinitis treated by traction-assisted negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with Zip Surgical Skin Closure (Zip), which is a non-invasive skin closure device. We used this device with NPWT in cases of pediatric poststernotomy mediastinitis to stabilize the sternum and reduce the natural retractive forces of the skin. The patients were two boys (two and three months old), with an onset of infection at 13 and eight postoperative days, respectively.

Direct Abdominal Aortic Access for Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair in a Patient with Severe Aortic and Arterial Calcification.

Aortic and arterial calcification is a complication of advanced atherosclerosis and is a critical intraoperative issue that can reduce the ability to achieve safe and adequate access for stent graft introduction. Different vascular access sites are used to deliver stent grafts when a standard transfemoral or iliac access is not feasible. We report a challenging case of a direct transabdominal aortic thoracic endovascular aortic repair for a thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated with severe aortic and arterial calcification, in which the noncalcified area of the infrarenal abdominal aorta was extremely limited.

Supplemental feeding of phospholipid-enriched alkyl phospholipid from krill relieves spontaneous atopic dermatitis and strengthens skin intercellular lipid barriers in NC/Nga mice.

Plasmalogen (Pls) is a glycerophospholipid derived from alkyl phospholipid (Alk) with antioxidant functions in vivo. The present study investigated the effects of ether phospholipids, such as Pls and Alk, on intercellular lipid barriers in the skin of NC/Nga mice, a model of atopic dermatitis (AD). NC/Nga mice fed Alk showed increased plasma levels of Alk and Pls.

Computational ghost imaging with designed low spatial frequency masks.

Minimally invasive imaging using weak illumination is required in the biomedical field. Computational ghost imaging (CGI) achieves imaging under illumination. However, CGI requires a large number of measurements to obtain an image.

Involvement of SRF coactivator MKL2 in BDNF-mediated activation of the synaptic activity-responsive element in the Arc gene.

The expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) is thought to be an essential molecular basis of neuronal plasticity for higher brain function. Many IEGs contain serum response element in their transcriptional regulatory regions and their expression is controlled by serum response factor (SRF). SRF is known to play a role in concert with transcriptional cofactors.

Transport-of-intensity computational ghost imaging.

Computational ghost imaging (CGI) allows us to obtain a sample image under a low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) condition. However, phase information cannot be obtained by CGI; therefore, observation of transparent objects such as living cells is difficult. Although interferometry has been applied to CGI for phase retrieval, its optical setup is cumbersome.

Lipids, fatty acids and hydroxy-fatty acids of Euphausia pacifica.

Euphausia pacifica is a good candidate for a resource of marine n-3 PUFA. However, few reports exist of the lipid and fatty acid composition of E. pacifica.

Modified Gas Chromatographic Method to Determine Monoacylglycerol and Diacylglycerol Contents in Edible Fats and Oils.

Monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) are minor components of edible fats and oils, and they relate to the quality of these foods. The AOCS official method Cd 11b-91 has been used to determine MAG and DAG contents in fats and oils. There are, however, difficulties in the determination of MAG and DAG using this analytical procedure.

Proportion of nervonic acid in serum lipids is associated with serum plasmalogen levels and metabolic syndrome.

An increase in serum plasmalogens (1-O-alk-1-enyl-2-acyl glycerophospholipids), which are endogenous anti-oxidative phospholipids, can potentially prevent age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in plasma may supply the materials for plasmalogen biosynthesis through peroxisomal beta-oxidation. On the other hand, elevated levels of saturated and monounsaturated VLCFAs in plasma appear to be associated with decreased peroxisomal function, and are a symptom of age-related diseases.

Serum choline plasmalogens, particularly those with oleic acid in sn-2, are associated with proatherogenic state.

Serum plasmalogens (Pls) (1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl glycerophospholipids) are of particular interest for studies on metabolic disorders associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Serum levels of Pls are known to correlate positively with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C); however, few studies have examined serum Pls molecular species in association with pathophysiological conditions and their clinical significance. To clarify these, we determined serum levels of individual ether glycerophospholipids in Japanese asymptomatic cohorts (n = 428; 362 male and 66 female subjects) by LC/MS/MS, and examined their correlations with clinical parameters.

Improvement of reticuline productivity from dopamine by using engineered Escherichia coli.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are pharmaceutically important compounds. We have previously devised a reticuline (BIA) production method from dopamine by using Escherichia coli; however, its productivity was relatively low (33 µM, 11 mg/L). We report here, by fine-tuning the method, higher reticuline productivity of 165 µM (54 mg/L), increasing the conversion efficiency by 8-fold.

Improvement and validation of ¹²⁵I-high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of total human serum choline and ethanolamine plasmalogens.

Background: Serum plasmalogens (Pls) have gained interest in several clinical symptoms such as metabolic syndrome/atherosclerosis or Alzheimer's disease possibly because of their antioxidant properties. We have developed a highly sensitive and simple method to determine plasmenylcholine (PlsCho; choline plasmalogen) and plasmenylethanolamine (PlsEtn; ethanolamine plasmalogen) separately, using a radioactive iodine and high-performance liquid chromatography ((125)I-HPLC method). The present study reports the improvement and validation of (125)I-HPLC method by introducing a quantitative standard (QS) and online detection with a flow γ-counter.

Lymphatic absorption of choline plasmalogen is much higher than that of ethanolamine plasmalogen in rats.

Background: Plasmalogen is a subclass of phospholipids widely distributed in animal tissues and ingested as food; however, the absorptive characteristics of different classes of plasmalogen have not been clarified.

Aim Of Study: Our object was to compare the lymphatic output of choline and ethanolamine plasmalogens after an administration of phospholipid preparations containing each class of plasmalogens, and to analyze molecular species of plasmalogen absorbed into the lymph.

Methods: A duodenal infusion of 1 ml of 10% emulsion of choline phospholipid (PC) containing 50.

Production of hydroxy-fatty acid derivatives from waste oil by Escherichia coli cells producing fungal cytochrome P450foxy.

Cytochrome P450foxy (P450foxy) is a fatty acid (FA) monooxygenase that is characterized by self-sufficient catalysis and high turnover numbers due to the fused structure of cytochrome P450 and its reductase. Here we found that resting recombinant Escherichia coli cells producing P450foxy converted saturated FA with a chain length of 7-16 carbon atoms to their omega-1 to omega-3 hydroxy derivatives. Most products were recovered from the culture supernatant.

High-resolution NMR spectra of n-alkanes penetrating into carbon fibers and of protons in carbon fibers.

We present a simple NMR method for microscopically exploring the local environment in carbon fibers. The method utilizes n-alkanes as probe molecules, where the n-alkanes penetrate carbon fibers of interest. The high-resolution (1)H NMR spectra for a mixture of a carbon fiber and n-alkanes acquired by this method show a shift of the resonance line, which is due to the local structure of the fiber.

Novel intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase in Wautersia eutropha H16.

Wautersia eutropha H16 (formerly Ralstonia eutropha) mobilizes intracellularly accumulated poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with intracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerases. In this study, a novel intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase (PhaZc) gene was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Then PhaZc was purified and characterized.