The ascending aorta and aortic arch were replaced in a 72-year-old woman with Stanford type A aortic dissection. Preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) revealed that the anatomy of an isolated left vertebral artery was abnormal. After hypothermic circulatory arrest, a 12-mm sealed graft was connected to the island-shaped arch under retrograde cerebral perfusion, followed by antegrade cerebral perfusion via a branch of the graft. The main graft was distally anastomosed, and the graft of the cerebral arteries was subsequently anastomosed on the main graft under continuous cerebral and systemic perfusion. The patient tolerated all procedures well without cerebral or bleeding complications, and was discharged 18 days after surgery. This technique was useful for island reconstruction, even with abnormal cerebral arteries and bleeding control of this anastomosis was simple compared to the conventional island technique.

A 51-year-old woman, who had been undergoing regular treatment and follow-up for hypertension since the age of 17, was diagnosed to have a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) 6 months previously. On experiencing dyspnea, she visited the emergency room, where she was found to have a complete Atrioventricular (AV) Block and therefore was immediately admitted. The next day, she experienced acute heart failure requiring intubation. A DDD pacemaker was then implanted and the patient recovered thereafter. After recovery, a screening contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed coarctation of the thoracic aorta. The arterial pressure gradient between the arms and legs was about 70mmHg. The division of the PDA and the replacement of the coarcted aortic segment were performed under femoro-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass through a left posterolateral thoracotomy. The patient's postoperative course was good, however, she complained of abdominal pain on the 6th postoperative day. An abdominal CT scan showed hemorrhage in the left rectus abdominus and right iliopsoas muscles. This improved after rest. No arterial pressure gradient was observed between the arms and the legs postoperatively. She was discharged on postoperative day 20.Because the average life expectancy of patients with untreated coarctation of the aorta has been reported to be about 34 years, it is recommended that surgical repair be performed as soon as possible. Patients with childhood-onset hypertension should therefore be evaluated to determine the primary disease whenever possible, such as coarctation of the aorta as in this case.

A 78-year-old man presented at the emergency department with anterior chest pain. Coronary angiography (CAG) revealed three-vessel disease and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed on the right coronary artery. A preoperative plain chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed hyperostosis of the sternum and clavicle. The patient underwent elective coronary artery bypass surgery 49 days later. During surgery, the thickness of the sternum caused difficulties with implementing median sternotomy. The pleura was also thicker than usual and even pulsation of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) could not be determined due to severe adhesion. We harvested the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) instead of the LITA. The RITA was in a similar condition, but a 5 cm proximal portion could be prepared. The saphenous vein graft was anastomosed to the left anterior descending coronary artery after proximal anastomosis to the ascending aorta with the heartstring device because of the calcified aorta. The RITA-saphenous vein composite graft was anastomosed sequentially to the distal right coronary and circumflex artery. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful but he complained of numbness and lassitude of both upper extremities for one month. A postoperative contrast-enhanced CT scan revealed a patent LITA surrounded by thick tissue, indicating inflammatory disorders. The CT findings indicated a diagnosis of sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis. The postoperative CAG findings indicated that all bypass grafts were patent and the patient was discharged 32 days after surgery. Sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis is an inflammatory disease that might require surgeons to carefully reconsider graft selection.

Nematode sperm undergo a drastic physiological change during spermiogenesis (sperm activation). Unlike mammalian flagellated sperm, nematode sperm are amoeboid cells and their motility is driven by the dynamics of a cytoskeleton composed of major sperm protein (MSP) rather than actin found in other crawling cells. This review focuses on sperm from Caenorhabditis elegans and Ascaris suum to address the roles of external and internal factors that trigger sperm activation and power sperm motility. Nematode sperm can be activated in vitro by several factors, including Pronase and ionophores, and in vivo through the TRY-5 and SPE-8 pathways. Moreover, protease and protease inhibitors are crucial regulators of sperm maturation. MSP-based sperm motility involves a coupled process of protrusion and retraction, both of which have been reconstituted in vitro. Sperm motility is mediated by phosphorylation signals, as illustrated by identification of several key components (MPOP, MFPs and MPAK) in Ascaris and the characterization of GSP-3/4 in C. elegans.
Animals ; Helminth Proteins ; metabolism ; Male ; Nematoda ; cytology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; Signal Transduction ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; growth & development ; metabolism

Objective: To assess the noncontrast two-dimensional single-shot balanced turbo-field-echo magnetic resonance angiography (b-TFE MRA) features of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) status following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and evaluate to detect endoleaks (ELs). Materials and Methods: We examined four aortic stent-grafts in a phantom study to assess the degree of metallic artifacts. We enrolled 46 EVAR-treated patients with AAA and/or common iliac artery aneurysm who underwent both computed tomography angiography (CTA) and b-TFE MRA after EVAR. Vascular measurements on CTA and b-TFE MRA were compared, and signal intensity ratios (SIRs) of the aneurysmal sac were correlated with the size changes in the AAA after EVAR (AAA prognoses). Furthermore, we examined six feasible b-TFE MRA features for the assessment of ELs. Results: There were robust intermodality (r = 0.92–0.99) correlations and interobserver (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.97–0.99) agreement. No significant differences were noted between SIRs and aneurysm prognoses. Moreover, “mottled high-intensity” and “creeping high-intensity with the low-band rim” were recognized as significant imaging findings suspicious for the presence of ELs (p < 0.001), whereas “no signal black spot” and “layered high-intensity area” were determined as significant for the absence of ELs (p < 0.03). Based on the two positive features, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the detection of ELs were 77.3%, 91.7%, and 84.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the k values (0.40–0.88) displayed moderate-toalmost perfect agreement. Conclusion Noncontrast MRA could be a promising imaging modality for ascertaining patient follow-up after EVAR.

Objective: To assess the noncontrast two-dimensional single-shot balanced turbo-field-echo magnetic resonance angiography (b-TFE MRA) features of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) status following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and evaluate to detect endoleaks (ELs). Materials and Methods: We examined four aortic stent-grafts in a phantom study to assess the degree of metallic artifacts. We enrolled 46 EVAR-treated patients with AAA and/or common iliac artery aneurysm who underwent both computed tomography angiography (CTA) and b-TFE MRA after EVAR. Vascular measurements on CTA and b-TFE MRA were compared, and signal intensity ratios (SIRs) of the aneurysmal sac were correlated with the size changes in the AAA after EVAR (AAA prognoses). Furthermore, we examined six feasible b-TFE MRA features for the assessment of ELs. Results: There were robust intermodality (r = 0.92–0.99) correlations and interobserver (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.97–0.99) agreement. No significant differences were noted between SIRs and aneurysm prognoses. Moreover, “mottled high-intensity” and “creeping high-intensity with the low-band rim” were recognized as significant imaging findings suspicious for the presence of ELs (p < 0.001), whereas “no signal black spot” and “layered high-intensity area” were determined as significant for the absence of ELs (p < 0.03). Based on the two positive features, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the detection of ELs were 77.3%, 91.7%, and 84.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the k values (0.40–0.88) displayed moderate-toalmost perfect agreement. Conclusion Noncontrast MRA could be a promising imaging modality for ascertaining patient follow-up after EVAR.