To minimize the period of brain ischemia and the potential for neurologic damage during aortic arch replacement, we used the arch-first technique. First case was a 28-year-old female with extensive aneurysm involving ascending, arch and descending thoracic aorta. Exposure was obtained via a bilateral via a bilateral thoracotomy (clamshell incision) in the anterior 4th right and 3rd left intercostal space with oblique sternotomy. To prepare for arch perfusion, the side-arm graft(10mm) was anastomosed to the aortic graft, opposite the site of the planned anastomosis to the arch vessels. After completing the arch anastomosis under total circulatory arrest(37min) and retrograde cerebral perfusion(12min), aortic graft was clamped on either side and the arch was perfused via side-arm graft for 36min. When distal aortic anastomosis was finished, distal clamp of aortic graft was released and arch vessels were perfused via common femoral artery, and the proximal aortic anastomosis was accomplished. The patient was discharged with no event. Second case was a 48-year-old male with extensive aneurysm involving ascending, arch, and aortic regurgitaiton(grade III/IV). This case was also done using the clamshell incision. Aortic valve replacement was done by valved-conduit(Vascutek 30mm), both coronary artery anastomosis using Cabrol's procedure. Last operation procedure was the same as the 1st case.
Adult ; Aneurysm* ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Aortic Valve ; Brain Ischemia ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perfusion ; Sternotomy ; Thoracotomy ; Transplants

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Perfluorocarbon exposed sonicated dextrose albumin (PESDA) microbubbles has been suggested to facilitate thrombus disruption under the transcutaneous ultrasound (US). Thus, we investigated whether such a noninvasive approach could augment thrombolytic effect of fibrinolytic agent in an experimental thrombotic model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thrombus formation was induced with electrical injury in the rabbit iliofemoral arteries (n=20): Thrombus occlusion was documented by angiography in all arteries. In the control group, only tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA, 3 mg/kg) was administered intrav-enously in five rabbits. In the Group 1 (n=9), injured arteries were exposed to transcutaneous US (20 kHz, 30 W/cm2, continuous mode) with t-PA (3 mg/kg). In the Group 2 (n=6), the same treatment was given while administering PESDA continuously (10 ml/min, intravenous). Angiographic results were evaluated at 10 minute interval for 1 hour respectively. RESULTS: In the control group, two of five iliofemoral arteries (40.0%) were recanalized and one of nine iliofemoral arteries (11.1%) was recanalized in Group 1. In contrast, four of six iliofemoral arteries (66.7%) were recanalized angiographically in Group 2 (p=0.392 vs. control group: p=0.047 vs. Group 1). However, late reocclusion occurred in all iliofemoral arteries of Group 2. CONCLUSION: Although PESDA with transcutaneous US significantly enhanced initial angiographic patency rate of t-PA, it was associated with high rate of reocclusion. Further studies will be necessary for clinical application of this noninvasive method in acute arterial occlusion.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Glucose* ; Microbubbles ; Rabbits ; Thrombolytic Therapy* ; Thrombosis ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND: Epinephrine used in surgery to provide hemostasis may elicit ventricular arrhythmias. A desirable anesthetic would not sensitize the myocardium to exogenously administered epinephrine. So the effect of sevoflurane, which was introduced to clinical anesthesia recently, on cardiac arrhythmias induced by the infusion of epinephrine was compared with those of halothane which was already known to epinephrine-induced arrhythmia in the 14 mongrel dogs. METHODS: The authors compared the arrhythmogenicity (three or more premature ventricular contractions, PVCs)of intravenously administered epinephrine in 14 mongrel dogs who were randomly assigned to receive sevoflurane (1.7 vol%) or halothane (0.75 vol%) anesthesia equipotently. The arrhythmogenic doses of epinephrine determined in this comparative study were expressed by both infusion rates of epinephrine during sevoflurane and halothane anesthesia. RESULTS: The mean values of the arrythmogenic infusion rates of epinephrine were 27.1 7.6 g/kg for sevoflurane and 2.7 0.8 g/kg for halothane. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the arrythmogenic doses of epinephrine during sevoflurane were significantly higher than those during halothane anesthesia.
Anesthesia* ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Dogs* ; Epinephrine* ; Halothane* ; Hemostasis ; Myocardium ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of exercise on the activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathione peroxidase(GPX) and catalase(CAT) of skeletal muscle(gastrocnemius) and liver in streptozotocin(STZ) induced diabetic rats. The malondialdehyde(MDA) concentration was also measured as an index of lipid peroxidation of the tissues by exercise-induced oxidative stresses in the diabetic rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and STZ-induced diabetic rats. The STZ in citrate buffer solution was injected twice at 5 days intervals intraperitoneally(50, 70 mg/kg respectively). On the 28th day after the first STZ injection, the diabetic animals were randomly divided into pre- and post-exercise groups. The exercise was introduced to the rats of post-exercise group by treadmill running till exhaution with moderate intensity (VO2max: 50-70%) of exercise. The duration of average running time was 2 hours and 19 minutes. RESULTS: The blood glucose concentration was increased(p<0.001) and plasma insulin concentration was decreased(p<0.001) in the diabetic rats. The glycogen concentration in the muscle and liver was decreased by exhaustive exercise in the diabetic rats(p<0.001). In the skeletal muscle, the activities of GPX was increased(p<0.05) and the activities of SOD and CAT were not changed in the diabetic rats compare to the control rats. The activities of GPX was not changed by exercise but the activities of SOD(p<0.01) and CAT (p<0.01) were decreased by exercise in the diabetic rats. The concentration of MDA was not changed by exercise in diabetic rats. and the values of pre-exercise and post-exercise diabetic rats were not different from the value of control rats. In the liver, the activities of SOD was decreased(p<0.01) and the activities of GPX and CAT were not changed in diabetic rats compared to the values of control rats. The activities of SOD, GPX and CAT were not changed by exercise in diabetic rats but the the slight decreasing tendency of the activity of SOD was observed. The MDA concentration was increased in the diabetic rats compared to the values of control rats(p<0.001) but there was no change of MDA concentration by exercise in diabetic rats. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the exhaustive physical exercise has not been shown to impose oxidative stress on skeletal muscle due to oxygen free radicals regardless of decreament of SOD and CAT in the diabetic rats. In liver tissue, the tissue damage by oxidative stress was observed in diabetic rats but the additional tissue damage by the exhaustive physical exercise was not observed.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Cats ; Citric Acid ; Exercise ; Free Radicals ; Glutathione ; Glycogen ; Humans ; Insulin ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Liver* ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxygen ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Running ; Superoxides

Teramethylammonium(TMA) in one of the synthetic compounds of nicotine that act at ganglionic site. The major action of TMA consists of initial stimulation followed by a more persistent depression of all autonomic ganglia by binding to a cholinergic receptor. It is well believed that the level of membrane potential in arterial smooth muscle is an important regulator of tension development. Depolarization and hyperpolarization by only few millivolts results in significant changes in tension. In general, the agents of vascular smooth muscle induce vascular relaxaion. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of TMA on vascular contractility in the isolated rabbit thoracic aorta with or without endothelial cell, and mechanisms involved in the change of vascular contractility by TMA. The results obtained are summarized as follows ; 1) In the presence of endothelial cell, TMA induced a relaxtion of the aorta precontracted with norepinephrine but induced a contraction in the aorta without endothelial cells, indicating that in the rabbit aorta, relaxations produced by TMA were the endothelium-dependent. 2) The addition of inhibitor such as methylene blue, hemoglobin, hydroquinone and p-bromophenacyl bromide during the TMA-induced relaxation reversed the contractile tension to a level similar to or higher than that before the addition of TMA in rabbit thoracic aorta.This relaxation effect of TMA suggest that the TMA-inducdd relaxation in rabbit aorta is due to the release of endotheline derived relaxing factor(EDRF). 3) Relaxation induced by TMA was antagonized by atropine and thus the TMA does seem to act on the muscarinic receptors. 4) TMA reduced the norepinephrine-induced Ca++ influx into rabbit smooth muscle membrane. From the above results, it may be concluded that TMA-induced vacular relaxation in rabbit aorta is due to the release of EDRF. Mechanism involved in the relaxation induced by TMA may be the stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase and increased tissue cGMP concentrations.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Atropine ; Depression ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelins ; Endothelium ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors* ; Ganglia, Autonomic ; Ganglion Cysts ; Guanylate Cyclase ; Membrane Potentials ; Membranes ; Methylene Blue ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Nicotine ; Norepinephrine ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; Relaxation

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to make a comparative analysis of radiological and clinical outcomes of using either one or two interlocking distal screws on a Polarus intramedullary nail for the internal fixation of humeral shaft fractures. METHODS: From January 2008 to March 2014, we enrolled 26 patients with humeral shaft fractures who were operated on using intramedullary nails. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to how many interlocking distal screws were used to lock the Polarus nail: in group 1, a single interlocking distal screw was used in 12 patients; and in group 2, double interlocking distal screws, in 14 patients. We compared the degree of recovery of the displaced fracture fragments between the two groups. To compare the nonunion and shoulder function, we assessed each patient's modified American Shoulder and Elbow Surgerns (ASES) score. RESULTS: We found that 10 of 12 fractures achieved union in group 1, and 13 of 14 fractures, in group 2. We did not find a meaningful difference in the time to bone union between the two groups. The percentage of recovery of displaced fracture fragments until union was 66.9% for group 1 and 59.41% for group 2. At the final follow-up, we found that the scores for shoulder joint modified ASES was 78.7 for group 1 and 80.7 for group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that if locked appropriately, even a single screw on a Polarus nail can provide satisfactory radiological union and improved clinical outcome after intramedullary nailing of humeral shaft fractures.
Bone Screws ; Elbow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Humans ; Humeral Fractures ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint

Appendicitis is a common cause of acute abdomen in pediatrics. Periappendiceal abscesses are frequently found in the pediatric population. Acute appendicitis in children can, at times, be a difficult clinical diagnosis because of its highly variable history? and physical manifestations and its unpredictable course. Despite the uncertainty of the diagnosis, appendicitis demands prompt treatment because of the risk of perforation, which occurs in approximately one third of cases. Urological manifestations of appendicitis and appendiceal abscess can vary. Acute appendicitis presenting with ureteral stenosis and hydronephrosis is very rare. Here, we report a case of acute appendicitis with perforation and left hydronephrosis in a 3-year-old female. This case presents a 3-year-old girl with dysuria having hydronephrosis that originated from a perforated appendix.
Abdomen, Acute ; Abscess ; Appendicitis ; Appendix ; Child ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dysuria ; Female ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Pediatrics ; Preschool Child ; Uncertainty ; Ureter ; Ureteral Obstruction ; Urological Manifestations

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Ozone (03) induces airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness which are characteristic features of asthma. There have been few studies observing O3-induced increase in responsiveness of rat airway muscle. Objectives: The aims of this study were to develop an O3-induced nonallergic asthma model using rat tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) and to evaluate the role of airway epithelium on the modulation of muscle responsiveness. METHOD: Five groups of 20 male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were exposed to filtered air including 0.12, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 ppm 03 for 1 hour. Thirty minutes after the exposure, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and isometric contractile responses of the isolated tracheal ring segments to KCI, acetylcholine (ACh), and electrical field stimulation (EFS) were measured. RESULTS: The percent age of neutrophils was significantly higher and that of alveolar macro-phages in BAL fluid was significantly lower in 2.0 ppm O3-exposed rats than in the control. There were no significant differences in the maximal contractile responses of TSM to KC1, ACh, EFS and in the sensitivity to ACh (ACh-EC50) and EFS (EFS-EC50) between the control group and the ozone exposed group. ACh-EC50 and EFS-EC50 were correlated positively with the percent age of neutrophils and inversely with that of macrophages. Removal of epithelium significantly increased the sensitivity to ACh in O3-exposed group, but not in the control group. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that O3 induces neutrophilic airway inflammation, but not an increased sensitivity of TSM to ACh or EFS in SD rats. However, O3-induced epithelial damage may be associated with increased muscle response.
Acetylcholine ; Animals ; Asthma ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Macrophages ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Neutrophils ; Ozone ; Rats* ; Trachea

The Na+ K+ ATPase activity, whose disturbance have been implicated in the pathophysiology of a variety of disease processes, have been shown to be reduced in traumatized spinal cord and in ischemic brain made by decapitation or carotid artery occlusion by many authors, but MacMillan contrary documented the increase of this ferment in ischemic rat brain following the electrocautery of the bilateral vertebral arteries and carotid arteries. This experiment was intended to study the cause of the above two contradictory results and the effect of Naloxone to the Na+ K+ ATPase activity following experimental spinal cord injury. Thirty cats were divided to 3 groups : Control No. 1, control No.2 and Naloxone groups. The Na+ K+ ATPase activity was measured by variation of Kang & Lee method and the experimental spinal cord injury was made by falling 20 gm. of iron bar from 20 cm height to exposed thoracic cord. 1) In control No. 1 group the Na+ K+ ATPase activity increased 21.4% after 30 minutes of trauma showing significant difference(p<0.05). 2) In control No. 2 group it increased 13.8%(p<0.01) after 5 minutes, 11.6%(p<0.05) after 30 minutes showing significant difference. 3) In Naloxone group (10 mg/kg was injected I.V. before 30 minutes of trauma) it did not show any significant change after 5 and 30 minutes of trauma. 4) Discussion was made upon above experimental results with literature review.
Adenosine Triphosphatases* ; Animals ; Brain ; Carotid Arteries ; Cats ; Decapitation ; Electrocoagulation ; Iron ; Naloxone* ; Rats ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Vertebral Artery