Alternative to left ventricular lead implantation through the coronary sinus: 1-year experience with a minimally invasive and robotically guided approach.

Aims: Left ventricular (LV) lead implantation through the coronary sinus (CS) can be limited and sometimes not possible-alternative approaches are needed. Minimally invasive, robotically guided LV lead implantation has major advantages, but there are little published data about the short- and long-term follow-ups, in terms of feasibility, safety, electrical performance, and impact on clinical outcome.

Methods And Results: A total of 21 heart failure patients underwent robotically guided LV lead implantation using the Da Vinci Robotic System.

Long-term controlled GDNF over-expression reduces dopamine transporter activity without affecting tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the rat mesostriatal system.

The dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane glycoprotein expressed in dopaminergic (DA-) cells that takes back DA into presynaptic neurons after its release. DAT dysfunction has been involved in different neuro-psychiatric disorders including Parkinson's disease (PD). On the other hand, numerous studies support that the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has a protective effect on DA-cells.

Validation of the EORTC QLQ-INFO 25 questionnaire in Lebanese cancer patients: Is ignorance a Bliss?

Introduction: Despite worldwide trends toward optimizing full disclosure of information (DOI), the prevailing belief that cancer diagnosis should be concealed from patients, for their own good, has endured for a substantial period of time in Middle Eastern communities.

Objectives: This study would assess the reliability of the Arabic translated version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-INFO 25). The study was also designed to quantify DOI to Lebanese cancer patients and determine patient satisfaction with this DOI.

Pancreatic small cell cancer.

Small cell carcinoma (SCC) is most commonly associated with lung cancer. Extra-pulmonary SCC can originate in virtually any organ system, with the gastrointestinal tract being the most common site of involvement. We review the clinical presentation, pathogenesis, histology, imaging modalities and optimal therapeutic management of PSCC in light of available evidence.

Adult neural precursor cells form connexin-dependent networks that improve their survival.

Establishment of cellular networks and calcium homeostasis are essential for embryonic stem cell proliferation and differentiation. We also hypothesized that adult neural progenitor cells form functional cellular networks relevant for their development. We isolated neuronal progenitor cells from the subventricular zone of 5-week-old mice to investigate the role of gap junctions, calcium homeostasis, and cellular networks in cell differentiation and survival.

Vulvar metastasis from bladder cancer.

Vulvar metastasis of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is a very rare entity; few cases are reported in the English literature. In this paper, we describe the clinical and pathological characteristics, evolution, and treatment of a patient with vulvar metastasis of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder followed by a brief review of the reported cases in the literature.

MiRNA expression may account for chronic but not for acute regulation of mRNA expression in human thyroid tumor models.

Background: For thyroid tumorigenesis, two main human in vitro models are available: primary cultures of human thyrocytes treated with TSH or EGF/serum as models for autonomous adenomas (AA) or papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) respectively, and human thyroid tumor derived cell lines. Previous works of our group have assessed properties of those models, with a special emphasis on mRNA regulations. It is often assumed that miRNA may be one of the primary events inducing these mRNA regulations.

Nitrate Supplementation, Exercise, and Kidney Function: Are There Detrimental Effects?

Purpose: Recently, dietary supplementation with inorganic nitrate (NO3) has been proposed to endurance athletes to increase their performance. However, it has been suggested that an excess of NO3 might be harmful. The present study analyzed the effect of NO3 supplementation on kidney function.

The role of exercise testing in pediatric cardiology.

Exercise testing for cardiac disease in children differs in many aspects from the tests performed in adults; their cardiovascular response to exercise presents different characteristics, which are essential for the interpretation of hemodynamic data. Moreover, diseases that are associated with myocardial ischemia are very rare in young patients, and the main indications for exercise testing are evaluation of exercise capacity and identification of exercise-induced arrhythmias. This article describes the specificity of exercise testing in pediatric cardiology, in terms of techniques, indications and interpretation of data.

Long-term conservative management of a giant cardiac fibroma.

A giant cardiac fibroma was discovered during evaluation for a soft systolic murmur in an asymptomatic 2-week-old girl. Echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a large intraventricular solid mass developed at the expense of the left ventricular lateral wall. Tumour progression resulted in failure to thrive and ventricular arrhythmia between 2 and 18 months of age.

The role of biventricular assistance in primary graft failure after heart transplantation.

A 37-year-old man suffered from systolic heart failure as a result of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy since 1995 and was followed up in our cardiology department. In June 2006, the patient arrived at our outpatient clinic with an acute renal impairment and all manifestations of acute heart failure. He was already registered on the waiting list for heart transplantation (Eurotransplant) as a highly urgent request.

Relation between red cell distribution width and clinical outcome after surgery for congenital heart disease in children.

Recent studies have reported a strong association between increased red cell distribution width (RDW) and the risk of adverse outcomes for adults with heart failure. This study investigated the association between preoperative RDW and postoperative clinical outcomes for children with cardiac disease. The relation between preoperative RDW and the length of postoperative stay was tested with 688 consecutive children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD).

Decreased neuroautonomic complexity in men during an acute major depressive episode: analysis of heart rate dynamics.

Major depression affects multiple physiologic systems. Therefore, analysis of signals that reflect integrated function may be useful in probing dynamical changes in this syndrome. Increasing evidence supports the conceptual framework that complex variability is a marker of healthy, adaptive control mechanisms and that dynamical complexity decreases with aging and disease.

Pericarditis as a rare complication of pneumococcal pneumonia in a young infant.

Purulent pericarditis is an exceptionally rare complication of pneumococcal pneumonia in infants but a rapidly fatal disease if left untreated. A previously healthy 4-month-old boy presented at our emergency department with a 10-day history of fever and non-productive cough. No signs of heart failure or cardiac friction rub were evidenced.

Prevalence of preoperative arrhythmias in children with delayed treatment of severe congenital heart disease.

Aim: Our aim was to determine the real importance of rhythm and conduction disorders in children with unoperated severe congenital heart disease.

Methods: Consecutive children with delayed treatment of severe congenital heart disease were prospectively studied for the occurrence of arrhythmias before any invasive investigation or surgical procedure was performed.

Results: All 168 children were in sinus rhythm.

Low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast--A case report with a BRCA1 germline mutation.

Breast cancers occurring in women with germline BRCA1 mutations tend to fall into the category of triple-negative or basal-like phenotypes, such as metaplastic carcinoma. Low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast is a rare variant of metaplastic carcinoma. We present the case of a 49-year-old woman with a past medical history of invasive ductal breast carcinoma 13 years ago, and who was recently diagnosed as having a low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma in the same breast.

High prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection among women with Trichomonas vaginalis infection on monolayer cytology.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in women with Trichomonas vaginalis infection, and the reason remains unclear.

Methods: A total of 40,000 liquid-based cytology specimens were tested from 2005 to 2008. Among these, high-risk HPV testing using the hybrid capture II assay was performed in positive cases of T.

Evaluation of accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology in BI-RADS3 category breast lesions: cytohistological correlation in 337 cases.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in BI-RADS3 breast lesions.

Methods: Between January 2004 and December 2007, 337 cases from BI-RADS3 lesions underwent FNAC. Three to six needle passes were made on each patient.

Accuracy of lymph nodes cell block preparation according to ultrasound features in preoperative staging of breast cancer.

To analyse the correlation between axillary ultrasonography (US), cell block (CBs) preparation, and histological diagnosis of lymph nodes from patients with primary breast cancer with the intention to assess the accuracy of cell block (CB) technique in preoperative staging. We tested a series of 26 patients who underwent axillary cell blocks from ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration with histologic follow-up (axillary lymph nodes dissection). The specificity of axillary cell block was 100% vs.

Gender differences in inflammatory markers in children.

No clear explanation exists to understand how sex hormones and/or chromosomes affect the immune system. In vitro studies of human lymphoid cells also show sex differences in immune function. To evaluate these differences in frequent pediatric emergencies, we analyze the expression of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and neutrophil count) underlying inflammatory processes in children: 482 children (241 girls and 241 boys) hospitalized for pneumonia (n = 384), pyelonephritis (n = 39), or bronchiolitis (n = 59) matched for age and sex.

Anatomic significance of a positive barium enema in deep infiltrating endometriosis of the large bowel.

Purpose: The anatomopathological significance of a positive double-contrast barium enema (DCBE) for suspicion of deep infiltrating endometriosis of the large bowel was studied. This is a retrospective study of a prospective database.

Methods: A large-bowel resection was proposed for patients who were suspicious for large-bowel endometriosis and had a positive DCBE.