Rupture of a Left Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm with a Vertebral Artery Originating from the Aorta.

Objective: Cerebral aneurysms (ANs) in the cortical segment (CS) of the distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) with a vertebral artery (VA) of aortic origin are markedly rare. Endovascular therapy was performed to treat subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by a ruptured cerebral AN.

Case Presentation: The patient was a 68-year-old female who was transported to emergency care for headache.

Effect of fluid-air exchange on reducing residual silicone oil after silicone oil removal.

Purpose: Our purpose was to determine the effect of fluid-air exchange on the amount of silicone oil (SO) droplets remaining in the vitreous cavity after removal of the main body of the SO.

Methods: This was a retrospective comparative study of 56 eyes of 56 patients that had undergone vitrectomy with SO tamponade. Fluid-air exchange was performed during surgery in 30 eyes [Air Ex(+) group] and was not done in 26 eyes [Air Ex(-) group].

Increased risk of coronary artery bypass grafting for left ventricular dysfunction with dilated left ventricle.

Unlabelled: The operative mortality and morbidity in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remain high. The low ejection fraction is the major risk factor for operative mortality. However, ejection fraction (EF) alone may not necessarily be an accurate predictor of operative mortality.

[One-stage replacement of the entire thoracic aorta with aortic valve reimplantation technique--a reoperation for a Marfan patient with annulo-aortic ectasia and chronic aortic dissection of DeBakey type I].

A 23-year-old man with Marfan syndrome, who had annulo-aortic ectasia and chronic aortic dissection of type I, was successfully treated. He underwent one-stage replacement of the entire thoracic aorta using a retrograde pull-through technique with aortic valve sparing reimplantation (David procedure). The descending aorta was replaced with a Hemashield graft, and then the graft was passed through within the descending aortic aneurysm in the retrograde fashion.

[Life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia after CABG in a patient with poor LV function--an experience with the implantable cardioverter defibrillator].

A 52-year-old man with reduced left ventricular function (ejection fraction 0.27) due to myocardial infarction, underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG; LITA-LAD, free RITA-4PD) for angina pectoris. He had suffered from recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) since 5 hours after CABG.

Discharge properties of mitral/tufted cells in the olfactory bulb of cats.

The spontaneous activity of mitral/tufted cells of the cat olfactory bulb was subjected to time-series analysis. Ninety percent of 284 cells displayed either bimodal or skewed distribution under both tracheal and nasal respiration, indicating that the spontaneous activity is characterized by burst discharge. We conclude that the source of the burst discharge originates in the olfactory bulb, rather than being induced by nasal airflow or by centrifugal inputs to the olfactory bulb.

[Extended aortoplasty for supravalvular aortic stenosis with Williams syndrome].

We report a male case of supravalvular aortic stenosis associated with Williams syndrome requiring surgery at age 11. At 5 years of age, this boy presented with a harsh systolic heart murmur and was diagnosed as having a supravalvular aortic stenosis. In association with mental retardation, elfin face and bilateral inguinal hernias, he was diagnosed as a Williams syndrome confirmed by the chromosomal analysis revealing the deletion of 7q11.

Anti-factor VIII inhibitor alloantibodies recognizing the A2 domain in the human factor VIII heavy chain poorly bind to porcine factor VIII.

Anti-factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor alloantibodies from 11 patients with hemophilia A, along with five anti-FVIII neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, were examined for differences in their reactivities with the A2 and C2 domains of human and porcine FVIII. None of the patients had been previously treated with porcine FVIII. Six inhibitors which specifically recognized the human FVIII C2 domain bound to both the 76-kDa porcine FVIII light chain and its 69-kDa proteolyzed fragments, showing cross-reactivity against porcine FVIII between 33 and 100%.

Successful treatment of intraoperative pulmonary tumor embolism from renal cell carcinoma.

During left nephrectomy in a 35-year-old woman with a left renal cell carcinoma extending into the inferior vena cava (IVC) and right atrium, cardiac arrest occurred. Immediate transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated that the event was caused by a pulmonary tumor embolism. Emergent cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was established and the tumors in the pulmonary arteries were successfully removed.

Clinical xenotransplantation: past, present and future.

The ability to use animal organs, such as from the pig, for the purposes of transplantation in humans, would clearly overcome the major shortage of human organs that greatly restricts transplantation programmes worldwide. Recent experimental advances have raised the possibility of renewed attempts at organ xenotransplantation in humans within the near future. Previous clinical experience, dating back to 1906, is briefly reviewed.

Transplantation of genetically marked cardiac muscle cells.

We examined the possibility that cardiomyocytes could be genetically marked or modified before being grafted to the heart under conditions applicable to the clinical setting. We used a replication-defective recombinant adenovirus carrying the beta-galactosidase reporter gene, and delivered it to cultured murine fetal cardiac myocytes. Virtually all fetal cardiomyocytes in a primary culture expressed beta-galactosidase 24 hours after recombinant adenovirus infection.

Thoracoscopic wedge resection of blebs under local anesthesia with sedation for treatment of a spontaneous pneumothorax.

We performed thoracoscopic wedge resections of blebs with a stapling device under local anesthesia with sedation in 34 consecutive patients who presented with spontaneous pneumothoraces. The indications for surgery included the absence of parietal pleural adhesions and knowledge of the precise bleb location prior to the procedure. Prior to surgery, 0.

Preservation of myocardial function and metabolism at subzero nonfreezing temperature storage of the heart.

Background: The hypothermic simple immersion technique has been widely used to preserve the donor heart for transplantation. However, there is still controversy as to which temperature provides the best protection against prolonged ischemia. The low molecular weight solutes within cells depress the freezing point to -0.

Odor representation and discrimination in mitral/tufted cells of the rat olfactory bulb.

Extracellular single-unit responses to odorants with various properties were recorded from mitral/tufted cells over large areas of the olfactory bulb of anesthetized rats. Each cell was exposed to one stimulus set consisting of five different odorants each at five concentrations. The resulting concentration-response profiles were compared.

In vitro comparison between Argon Beam Coagulator and Nd:YAG laser in lung contraction therapy.

Background: The Argon Beam Coagulator (ABC) and neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser are used for lung tissue contraction. Assessing the damage of treated lung tissue is helpful in choosing devices for pulmonary volume reduction by pneumoplastic procedures.

Methods: We assessed the damage of in vitro lung lobes resected at operation for pulmonary carcinoma.

Ex vivo gene transfer into myocardium using replication-defective retrovirus.

Heart transplantation is the most effective therapy for chronic severe heart failure, but there is an extreme shortage of hearts available. We examined the possibility that cardiomyocytes can be modified genetically prior to being grafted to the heart. We used a replication-defective retrovirus carrying the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) reporter gene.

Changes in platelet, granulocyte, and complement activation during cardiopulmonary bypass using heparin-coated equipment.

The effects of heparin-coated cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) systems on platelet, granulocyte, and complement activation were investigated during cardiopulmonary bypass. Thirty patients underwent coronary artery bypass surgery with a heparin-coated (Carmeda Bio-Active Surface, CBAS, Medtronic, U.S.

[Investigation of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor in patients with active tuberculosis].

It is assumed that soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I and II (sTNF-RI, II) play important roles in the regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) activity. We measured the levels of circulating sTNF-R in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (n = 31) and the correlation between TNF-alpha and sTNF-R in serum level was investigated. We also compared sTNF-R levels before and after the treatment in 7 cases.

Echocardiographic characteristics of the cryopreserved allograft aortic valve replacement assessed by intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography.

Improvements in cryopreservation techniques have made possible excellent long-term results using aortic valve allografts. Few studies, however, have examined the echocardiographic characteristics of allograft aortic valves and postoperative valve function. Aortic allograft function was evaluated in 16 patients by intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography, postoperative catheterization, and angiography.

Annuloplasty for severe mitral regurgitation due to dilated cardiomyopathy.

We present a 74-year-old woman who underwent corrective annuloplasty for severe mitral regurgitation due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Postoperatively, congestive heart failure improved, with her New York Heart Association status changing from IV to II, although her cardiac functional improvement was minimal. Severe mitral regurgitation may be the indication for annuloplasty in symptomatic patients with dilated cardiomyopathy when cardiac transplantation is not indicated.