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Background Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is a risk factor for exacerbating the outcome of critically ill patients. Dysbiosis induced by the exposure to antibiotics reveals the potential therapeutic role of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in these patients. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the safety and potential benefit of rescue FMT for AAD in critically ill patients. Methods A series of critically ill patients with AAD received rescue FMT from Chinese fmtBank, from September 2015 to February 2019. Adverse events (AEs) and rescue FMT success which focused on the improvement of abdominal symptoms and post-ICU survival rate during a minimum of 12 weeks follow-up were assessed. Results Twenty critically ill patients with AAD underwent rescue FMT, and 18 of them were included for analysis. The mean of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores at intensive care unit (ICU) admission was 21.7 ± 8.3 (range 11–37). Thirteen patients received FMT through nasojejunal tube, four through gastroscopy, and one through enema. Patients were treated with four (4.2 ± 2.1, range 2–9) types of antibiotics before and during the onset of AAD. 38.9% (7/18) of patients had FMT-related AEs during follow-up, including increased diarrhea frequency, abdominal pain, increased serum amylase, and fever. Eight deaths unrelated to FMT occurred during follow-up. One hundred percent (2/2) of abdominal pain, 86.7% (13/15) of diarrhea, 69.2% (9/13) of abdominal distention, and 50% (1/2) of hematochezia were improved after FMT. 44.4% (8/18) of patients recovered from abdominal symptoms without recurrence and survived for a minimum of 12 weeks after being discharged from ICU. Conclusion In this case series studying the use of FMT in critically ill patients with AAD, good clinical outcomes without infectious complications were observed. These findings could potentially encourage researchers to set up new clinical trials that will provide more insight into the potential benefit and safety of the procedure in the ICU. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, Number NCT03895593. Registered 29 March 2019 (retrospectively registered).

Rationale: Cardiac fibroblasts do not form a syncytium but reside in the interstitium between myocytes. This topological relationship between fibroblasts and myocytes is maintained throughout postnatal life until an acute myocardial injury occurs, when fibroblasts are recruited to, proliferate and aggregate in the region of myocyte necrosis. The accumulation or aggregation of fibroblasts in the area of injury thus represents a unique event in the life cycle of the fibroblast, but little is known about how changes in the topological arrangement of fibroblasts after cardiac injury affect fibroblast function. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate how changes in topological states of cardiac fibroblasts (such as after cardiac injury) affect cellular phenotype. Methods and Results: Using 2 and 3-dimensional (2D versus 3D) culture conditions, we show that simple aggregation of cardiac fibroblasts is sufficient by itself to induce genome-wide changes in gene expression and chromatin remodeling. Remarkably, gene expression changes are reversible after the transition from a 3D back to 2D state demonstrating a topological regulation of cellular plasticity. Genes induced by fibroblast aggregation are strongly associated and predictive of adverse cardiac outcomes and remodeling in mouse models of cardiac hypertrophy and failure. Using solvent-based tissue clearing techniques to create optically transparent cardiac scar tissue, we show that fibroblasts in the region of dense scar tissue express markers that are induced by fibroblasts in the 3D conformation. Finally, using live cell interferometry, a quantitative phase microscopy technique to detect absolute changes in single cell biomass, we demonstrate that conditioned medium collected from fibroblasts in 3D conformation compared with that from a 2D state significantly increases cardiomyocyte cell hypertrophy. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings demonstrate that simple topological changes in cardiac fibroblast organization are sufficient to induce chromatin remodeling and global changes in gene expression with potential functional consequences for the healing heart.

Objective This study aimed to describe treatment of serious complications after primary thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in type B aortic dissection. Methods From June 2008 to March 2016, serious complications occurred in 58 patients without Marfan syndrome who received TEVAR for type B aortic dissection. Results Complications included endoleak, distal true lumen collapse, retrograde dissection, stroke, stent–graft (SG) migration and mistaken deployment, lower limb ischaemia, and SG fracture. Treatment included endovascular repair, surgical procedures, or conservative medication. Forty-six patients recovered from complications. Twelve patients were not cured. The median follow-up time was 29.5 months (2–61 months). The overall 30-day mortality rate was 1.7% (1/58) and the total mortality rate following secondary complications was 8.6% (5/58). The causes of death were stroke and aortic rupture. Conclusion Some treatments need to be performed after TEVAR because of severe complications. A reduction in these complications can be achieved by optimal evaluation of patients, selection of SGs, and specialized endovascular manipulation.

The present research investigated the relationships among sensory attributes and volatile components in dry porcini mushrooms by multivariate statistical analyses. The sensory characteristics were based on quantitative descriptive analysis and consumer hedonic assessment. The volatile compounds were extracted by solid-phase microextraction, then were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-olfactometry. The results showed that the high hedonic rating of porcini mushrooms was due in part to its aroma notes such as seasoning-like, roasted, cacao-like and smoky. High hedonic liking and positive aromas of porcini mushrooms could be responsible for the volatiles including 3-(methylthio)propanal, 3-(methylthio)propanol, pyrazines, phenolic and furanone components. On the other hand, raw mushroom-like, cardboard-like, as well as sweaty attributes were attributed to the relatively low hedonic liking of porcini mushrooms, which correlated with high contents of 1-octen-3-ol, octanal, 2-pentylfuran and 3-methylbutanoic acid. The information reported here could be important for the quality control of commercial porcini mushrooms by providing an approach to strengthen the interpretation of sensory data by showing how they were affected by the chemical properties.

Polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) is an essential mitochondria-localized exoribonuclease implicated in multiple biological processes and human disorders. To reveal role(s) for PNPase in mitochondria, we established PNPase knockout (PKO) systems by first shifting culture conditions to enable cell growth with defective respiration. Interestingly, PKO established in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) resulted in the loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The transcriptional profile of PKO cells was similar to rho0 mtDNA deleted cells, with perturbations in cholesterol (FDR = 6.35 x 10-13), lipid (FDR = 3.21 x 10-11), and secondary alcohol (FDR = 1.04x10-12) metabolic pathway gene expression compared to wild type parental (TM6) MEFs. Transcriptome analysis indicates processes related to axonogenesis (FDR = 4.49 x 10-3), axon development (FDR = 4.74 x 10-3), and axonal guidance (FDR = 4.74 x 10-3) were overrepresented in PKO cells, consistent with previous studies detailing causative PNPase mutations in delayed myelination, hearing loss, encephalomyopathy, and chorioretinal defects in humans. Overrepresentation analysis revealed alterations in metabolic pathways in both PKO and rho0 cells. Therefore, we assessed the correlation of genes implicated in cell cycle progression and total metabolism and observed a strong positive correlation between PKO cells and rho0 MEFs compared to TM6 MEFs. We quantified the normalized biomass accumulation rate of PKO clones at 1.7% (SD ± 2.0%) and 2.4% (SD ± 1.6%) per hour, which was lower than TM6 cells at 3.3% (SD ± 3.5%) per hour. Furthermore, PKO in mouse inner ear hair cells caused progressive hearing loss that parallels human familial hearing loss previously linked to mutations in PNPase. Combined, our study reports that knockout of a mitochondrial nuclease results in mtDNA loss and suggests that mtDNA maintenance could provide a unifying connection for the large number of biological activities reported for PNPase.

Background A custom-made unibody single-branch endograft (USBE) could provide great gains in the landing zone, while maintaining a left subclavian artery (LSA) perfusion in some patients with Stanford type B dissections (TBADs). We performed a computed tomography (CT)-based planning study to determine the proportion of TBAD patients who could benefit from this custom-made USBE and ascertained the possibility of an off-the-shelf USBE in an emergency setting. Methods We carried out a retrospective study of TBAD patients with optimal CT scans at our center from 2007 to 2013. Patients' CT scans were analyzed using 3-dimensional reconstruction software. After generating a centerline of flow, measurements (including numerous morphologic characteristics of anatomy) were evaluated. A selected subset of patients suitable for USBE was determined. Finally, the most frequently used configurations of endografts were figured out by subgroup analysis. Results A total of 314 patients with optimal digital imaging communications in medicine (DICOM) data were included in our study. The main primary entry tears (MPETs) were located at 22.8 ± 17.3 and 36.3 ± 18.6 mm distal to the LSA and the left common carotid artery, respectively. Overall, 169 (54.2%) patients with MPET distal to LSA (＞20 mm) could be treated by tubular stent grafts. Of the 143 patients who had intimal tears adjacent to the LSA (≤20 mm), there were 111 (35.4%) patients who could benefit from treatment using USBE based on our selection criteria. Subgroup analysis estimated the number of graft configurations needed to treat a proportion of patients: 1 design would treat 6.7% of the population, 5 designs would treat 23.1%, 10 designs would treat 37.6%, and 20 configurations would treat 54.8% . Conclusions In all, 35.4% patients with TBAD could potentially benefit from USBE. The use of off-the-shelf endografts might be possible in cases of emergency, given the evidence of recurrent configurations.

Objectives Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is often asymptomatic until rupture occurs. Although ultrasound screening has significantly improved the early diagnosis of AAA, the timely biomarker-based diagnosis of AAA remains a major clinical challenge. In this study, we aimed to assess plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) as promising novel biomarkers in patients with AAA. Methods Pooled plasma samples from 10 AAA and 10 healthy controls were profiled by microarray. The differentially expressed miRNAs were evaluated in a separate cohort of 120 subjects, including 60 AAA patients and 60 normal controls. Results The initial profiling study identified 151 miRNAs that showed more than two-fold change. Among them, three miRNAs, miR-191-3p, miR-455-3p and miR-1281 exhibited the largest increase in the patient group (fold change > 5). A subsequent validation study confirmed the elevation of these three miRNAs. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis using the expression ratio of miR-191-3p, miR-455-3p and miR-1281 showed an area under the curve of 0.9700, 0.9825 and 0.9206, respectively. Conclusion Our results suggest that plasma miR-191-3p, miR-455-3p and miR-1281 may be used as potential diagnosis biomarkers for AAA.

To investigate the theraputic effects of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) on cognitive function in patients with carotid stenosis (CAS) and congnitive impairment.CEA was performed on 38 patients with CAS from December 2011 to July 2013. There were 26 male and 12 female patients, with an average age of (70 ± 7) years. Patients was underwent neuropsychological examinations (NPEs) including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at 1 week before and 6 weeks after treatment. Cerebral perfusion was assessed with MR perfusion-weighted imaging and diffusion-weighted inmaging at 1 week before and 6 weeks after treatment.All of the 38 patients completed NPEs and MRI at baseline and 6 weeks after CEA. After therapy, the parameters and the extents of abnormal perfusion was improved, including the decrease of time to peak (29 ± 9 vs. 23 ± 4), relative mean transit time (22 ± 8 vs. 14 ± 6), arrive time (21 ± 8 vs. 15 ± 4) and relative cerebral blood volume (11.6 ± 3.5 vs. 7.5 ± 3.2) (t = 1.31 to 5.24, all P0.05). Significant improvement in MoCA (20.4 ± 1.5 vs. 22.0 ± 1.6, t = -4.25, P = 0.000) but MMSE (26.16 ± 1.35 vs. 26.47 ± 1.52, t = -0.96, P = 0.341) was observed. CEA significantly improved the assessment of visuospacial/constructive abilities (2.4 ± 0.9 vs. 2.8 ± 0.7), naming (2.0 ± 0.7 vs. 2.3 ± 0.6), abstraction (1.2 ± 0.7 vs. 1.6 ± 0.6) and attention (2.3 ± 0.6 vs. 2.6 ± 0.5) (t = 0.015 to 0.029, P = 0.015).CEA can improve the cognitive function of patients with carotid stenosis as well as the cerebral perfusion of patients and has therapeutic effects on vascular mild cognitive impairment.

To characterize type A aortic dissection (TAAD) in the Chinese population using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and explore potential candidacy for endovascular repair of TAAD.The imaging studies and medical records of all 302 patients presenting with TAAD at two Chinese hospitals from 2010 to 2013 were reviewed. Of these, 221 patients were excluded because of missing/inadequate preoperative CT scans. The remaining 91 patients (64 men; mean age 51.1±7.5 years) had CT data adequate to assess anatomical suitability for endovascular treatment. Entry tears were identified using multiplanar reconstructions, while morphological measurements were based on a centerline of flow (CLF) technique. Suitability for endovascular treatment was based on a proximal landing zone ≥20 mm long, a true lumen aortic diameter ≤38 mm, and a total aortic diameter ≤46 mm; no coronary bypass grafts originating from the ascending aorta; no malfunctioning aortic valve; and good cerebral and cardiac perfusion.In the 91 patients, the precise location of the primary proximal entry tear could be identified in only 34 (37.4%) patients; in these patients, the identifiable intimal tears were located 36.4±41.0 mm distal to the closest coronary artery. The CLF was successfully generated in the CT scans of all patients; the mean lumen and total aortic lumen diameters at the entry tear level were 37.6±6.3 and 44.3±13.3 mm, respectively. Based on the CT measurements, stent-graft repair would have been anatomically feasible in 35 (38.5%) patients. No proximal landing zone (n=23), large aortic diameter (n=15), abnormal aortic valve (n=10), previous coronary bypass graft surgery (n=5), and poor cerebral and cardiac perfusion (n=3) were obstacles that affected the suitability for this treatment.Based on high-resolution CT scans, our pilot study suggested that 38% of Chinese patients with TAAD could potentially be treated by stent-grafting based on the anatomical characteristics of the proximal dissection.

Min Zhou, Dian Huang, Chen Liu, Zhao Liu, Min Zhang, Tong Qiao, Chang-Jian Liu Department of Vascular Surgery, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China Objective: To compare outcomes of hybrid (combined surgical and endovascular) procedures (HYBRID) with open surgical reconstructions (OPEN) in patients with multilevel infrainguinal artery occlusive diseases. Design: Case series study with retrospective analysis of prospectively collected nonrandomized data.Methods: Between 2008 and 2012, 64 patients underwent OPEN and 43 underwent HYBRID. Patient characteristics, technique success, clinical improvement, and procedure-related morbidity were reviewed and compared. Patency rates and limb salvages were analyzed and compared using Kaplan–Meier life tables. Cox regression analyses were used to assess the influence of various risk factors on primary patency.Results: HYBRID patients were older and presented with worse New York Heart Association function compared with OPEN patients. The increase in the ankle-brachial index and improvement of Ruthford category after procedures were equivalent between two groups, but HYBRID patients had shorter hospital length of stay (7.6±12.0 versus 15.5±17.3; P= 0.018) and less overall perioperative morbidity (12% versus 28%; P=0.042) compared with OPEN patients. No statistically significant difference in 36-month primary (47.1%±7.1% versus 50.1%±9.4%; P=0.418), assisted primary (57.0%±7.9% versus 62.4%±9.2%; P=0.517), or secondary (82.0%±6.8% versus 83.1%±7.3%; P=0.445) patency was seen between the two groups. Limb salvage rates of HYBRID vs OPEN at 3 years were similar (76.3%±9.3% versus 80.4%±8.2%; P=0.579). Critical limb ischemia was a negative predictor of long-term patency of patients in both the HYBRID and OPEN groups (P=0.012 and P

To investigate the mRNA and protein expression of FK506-binding protein 52 (FKBP52) in the chorionic villi of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and normal women during early pregnancy.Fresh chorionic villus tissues were collected from 60 subjects. A total of 30 patients with a history of RSA were enrolled into the RSA group and 30 normal pregnant women were enrolled into the control group. The FKBP52 mRNA expression levels in chorionic villi of the RSA patients and healthy controls were measured via semiquantitative RT-PCR. The protein distribution and expression levels of FKBP52 in chorionic villi were analyzed through immunohistochemistry (IHC). The correlation between FKBP52 expression and RSA was analyzed.We demonstrated that FKBP52 mRNA is expressed in chorionic villi samples of normal pregnancy and RSA. RSA patients exhibited significantly lower FKBP52 gene expression levels compared with those in normal pregnancies (p0.05). FKBP52 immunoreactivity in chorionic villi was mainly observed in trophoblast cell cytoplasm. The FKBP52 protein expression levels in the chorionic villi of RSA patients was significantly lower than in normal women during pregnancy (p0.05).FKBP52 protein levels were decreased in the chorionic villi of RSA patients, which indicate that the decrease in FKBP52 may be associated with RSA. The low FKBP52 mRNA expression level, which is consistent with the IHC result, may affect embryonic development and even lead to abortion. FKBP52 may be involved in the pathogenesis of RSA and new therapies that increase the FKBP52 expression may help treat RSA.

To observe the occurrence condition of endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) operation for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and to analyze the factors of the endoleak.Between July 2005 and June 2013, 210 cases of AAA were treated with EVAR. Of 210 patients, 175 were male and 35 were female, aging 42-89 years (mean, 65.7 years). The patients were all proved to have infrarenal AAA by computed tomography angiography (CTA). The disease duration ranged from 1 week to 2 years (median, 11.3 weeks). The maximum diameter of the aneurysms was 44-72 mm (mean, 57.3 mm). The proximal landing zone was longer than 1.5 cm. CTA was performed routinely at 2 months after operation to detect the endoleak of contrast agent. If endoleak was found, CTA was performed again at 6 months. If obvious endoleak still existed, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) would be performed to clarify the character and the degree of the endoleak, and EVAR should be done if necessary.Endoleak occurred in 31 cases (14.8%) during operation, including 11 cases of type I endoleak (8 cases of type IA and 3 cases of type IB), 18 cases of type II endoleak, and 2 cases of type III endoleak (type IIIB). The patients were followed up 2-8 months (mean, 3.1 months). At 2 months after operation, contrast agent endoleak was found in the remnant aneurysm cavity of 12 cases (5.7%). At 6 months after eperation, contrast agent endoleak was found in 10 cases (4.8%) by CTA. In 8 patients receiving DSA, there were 4 cases of type I endoleak (3 cases of type IA and 1 case of type IB), 3 cases of type II endoleak, and 1 case of type III (type IIIB) endoleak. In 5 patients having type I and type III endoleak, collateral movement of stent graft was observed in different degree; after increased stent graft was implanted, the endoleak disappeared after 2-4 months. The patients having type II endoleak were not given special treatment, endoleak still existed at 2 months after reexamination of CTA, but the maximum diameter of AAA had no enlargement.The collateral movement of stent graft is a very important factor to cause type I and type III endoleak in the patients of AAA after EVAR, and endoleak can be plugged by EVAR again.

To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of hybrid procedure for the treatment of multi-level iliac and common femoral occlusive disease.From January 2008 to June 2011, 36 lower limbs with sever iliac and common femoral occlusive diseases were treated by iliac artery stenting combined with open femoral endarterectomy. The mean age of the whole study population was 65 years (range 49 to 87 years) with a male predominance (26 males, 72.2%). The early clinical results were determined by ankle brachial index and intermittent claudication distance. Patency analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier life tables. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to assess the influence of various risk factors on primary patency.All lower limbs underwent successful hybrid surgical and endovascular therapy. Clinical improvement was seen in 94.4% of patients. The mean duration of follow-up was 24.2 months, overall, the primary patency rates, primary assisted patency rates and second patency rates were 72.2%, 83.3% and 94.4% respectively. The primary patency rate for intermittent claudication was significantly higher than that for critical limb ischemia (P = 0.041, 0.012). Cox regression analysis did not reveal any independent predictor of primary patency.Hybrid procedures provided an effective treatment management of multilevel iliac-femoral arterial occlusive disease.

To compare the early complications of carotid stenting (CAS) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in treatment of carotid artery stenosis.Between January 2005 and December 2007, 63 patients with carotid artery stenosis were treated with CEA in 36 cases (CEA group) and with CAS in 27 cases (CAS group). There were 42 males and 21 females with an average age of 67.5 years (range, 52-79 years). The locations were the left side in 28 cases and the right side in 35 cases. The carotid stenosis was 60%-95% (mean, 79%). The major clinical symptoms were stroke and transient ischemic attack. The cranial CT showed old cerebral infarction in 24 cases, lacunar infarction in 22 cases, and no obvious abnormal change in 17 cases. The encephalon, heart, and local complications were compared between 2 groups within 7 days after operation.In CEA group, encephalon complications occurred in 3 cases (8.3%), heart complications in 2 cases (5.6%), and local complications in 5 cases (13.9%); while in CAS group, encephalon complications occurred in 8 cases (29.6%), heart complications in 1 case (3.7%), and local complications in 3 cases (11.1%). The encephalon complication ratio of CAS group was significantly higher than that of CEA group (chi2 = 4.855, P = 0.028); and there was no significant difference in other complications ratios between 2 groups (P0.05).CEA is the first choice to treat carotid artery stenosis.

to retrospectively analyze 4-year results after hybrid (combined surgical-endovascular) therapy in patients with complex peripheral TASC type D atherosclerotic occlusive disease.from January 2006 to December 2009, 48 lower limbs in 46 patients with TASC type D atherosclerotic occlusive disease were treated by hybrid surgical and endovascular therapy. There were 32 male and 16 female, age ranged from 54 to 85 years with an average of 67 years. The early clinical results were determined by ankle brachial index (ABI) and intermittent claudication distance. Patency analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier life tables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the influence of various risk factors on primary patency.all lower limbs underwent successful hybrid surgical and endovascular therapy. The average ABI before and after hybrid therapy were 0.63 ± 0.18 and 0.24 ± 0.13 (P0.05). The average intermittent claudication distance significantly increased from (87 ± 48) m to (247 ± 62) m (P0.05). The mean duration of follow-up was 21.7 months (ranging 1 to 46 months). Over all, the primary patency rates, primary assisted patency rates and second patency rates were 79.2%, 83.3% and 95.8% respectively. The primary patency rate for intermittent claudication was significantly higher than that for critical limb ischemia (P0.05). Primary patency rates were lower in patients who underwent open surgery with both proximal and distal endoluminal procedures when compared with endovascular reconstruction proximal or distal to the site of open reconstruction (P0.05). The presence of diabetes and dyslipidaemia were independent predictors of decreased primary patency rate (P = 0.013 and P = 0.008, respectively).Hybrid procedures provide an effective treatment management of selected patients with multilevel lower extremity arterial disease.

To investigate the efficacy of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation in treating lower limb thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO).From January 2005 to November 2008, 25 patients (27 limbs) with lower limb TAO were treated. There were 24 males (26 limbs) and 1 female (1 limb), aging 16-44 years (33 years on average). Fifteen left limbs and 12 right limbs were involved. The median duration of disease was 2 years (from 3 months to 9 years). Intermittent claudication was observed in 5 cases (5 limbs), 16 patients (17 limbs) had symptom of rest pain, 4 patients (5 limbs) suffered ulcer on the distal limbs. The results of visual analogue scale (VAS), maximum walking distance (MWD), ankle/brachial index (ABI), and transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2) before operation were (7.16 +/- 1.12) points, (0.098 +/-0.043) km, 0.20 +/- 0.09, and (11.78 +/- 3.46) mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa), respectively. A total of 300 mL bone-marrow blood was extracted from the iliac bone. And then the mononuclear cells were isolated from the bone-marrow blood. All patients received cell transplantation only one time. The amount of transplantation bone marrow mononuclear cells was (1.82-29.46) x 10(9) (mean 13.33 x 10(9)).All patients were followed up for 1 years. After 4 weeks of implantation, the results of VAS, MWD, ABI, and TcPO2 were (2.39 +/- 0.51) points, (0.783 +/- 0.176) km, 0.28 +/- 0.16, (21.33 +/- 6.57) mm Hg, respectively, showing significant difference compared with preoperative results (P0.05). The VAS, MWD, ABI, and TcPO2 increased to (2.44 +/- 0.67) points, (1.199 +/- 0.304) km, 0.37 +/- 0.09, (27.90 +/- 5.23) mm Hg after 1 year of implantation, showing significant differences compared with preoperative results (P0.05). One ulcer healed well and the improvement was obtained in other 3 cases after 4 weeks of implantation (80%). Four ulcers healed well after 1 year of implantation (80%). After 1 year of implantation, angiography revealed 37.04% affected limbs had a satisfactory neovascularization. The angiographic levels were grade 0 in 5 cases, grade 1 in 12 cases, grade 2 in 4 cases, and grade 3 in 6 cases.Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells transplantation could be a simple, safe, effective method to treat TAO.

To discuss the experience with special consideration for the occurrence and management of complications after thoracic aortic stent-graft treatment (EVAR).Retrospectively review the 33 cases with complications following EVAR from July 2002 to March 2008. There were 21 male patients and 12 female patients with a mean age of 46.3 years and mean postoperative period of 12.3 d. There were 5 cases with left carotid artery covered, 5 cases with proximal or distal endoleak, 4 cases with limbs artery injuries, 3 cases with entire stent in false lumen, 3 cases with retrogression dissections, and 2 cases with Stanford A type dissection. In addition, there were 1 case of acute cerebral infarction during the procedure, 1 case of cerebral haemorrhage 2 d after endovascular repair and 1 case of pseudoaneurysm of the left brachial artery. The procedures for the complications included second stent grafts placement in 13 cases, right-left carotid and left carotid-subclavian bypass in 7 cases, iliac-femoral artery repair or graft implantation in 4 cases, abdominal aortic dissection windowing in 2 cases, one artery thrombectomy and one Beutall's procedure.Follow-up consisted of a CTA, MRI and office visit at 1, 6, 12 months and yearly thereafter. All the endoleak and retrogression dissections disappeared after secondary endovascular procedure. The ischemic complication of limbs, central nervous system and intestinal were cured after artery bypass. One case died of cardiac tamponade due to Stanford A aortic dissection and another case died of cerebral hemorrhage.The complication should be corrected as soon as possible and it might get more success to combine the endovascular approach and open surgery. Meanwhile, enhanced follow-up would help to find correlative complications in time.

To investigate the expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in breast carcinoma tissues and its association with microvessel density (MVD), and explore the relationship between FAK-mediated cell signaling and angiogenesis in breast carcinoma.FAK and CD34 expressions were examined by immunohistochemistry with SP method in 88 breast carcinoma tissues and 30 tissues of benign breast disease. The correlations of FAK protein expression with MVD marked with CD34 and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed in breast carcinoma.In the 88 breast carcinomas, the positivity rate of FAK was 68.2% (60/88) with MVD of (34.52-/+13.11) /HPE, showing significant differences from those of the benign disease group (P0.01). FAK expression and MVD in breast carcinoma tissues were positively related to tumor size, axillary lymph node metastasis and clinical stage (P0.05), but not to the patients' age or histopathological grade of the tumors (P0.05). In breast carcinoma, the expression of FAK was positively related to MVD (P0.01).FAK protein expression and MVD are closely correlated with the invasion and metastasis of breast carcinoma. FAK expression can promote angiogenesis of breast carcinoma.

To observe the effect of using eversion carotid endarterectomy (eCEA) for carotid stenosis.Twenty four patients with carotid stenosis (stenosis grade 65% approximately 95%), of which 18 were symptomatic and 6 were asymptomatic, were treated by eCEA under regional anesthesia. All patients underwent preoperative cervical duplex and DSA, CT or MRA scanning examination. The eversion technique involved an oblique transection of the internal carotid artery at the carotid bulb and a subsequent endarterectomy by everting the internal carotid artery over the atheromatous plaque.There was no perioperative mortality and stroke. Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) disappeared, cerebral ischemia symptom improved in our patients. But there were mini chronic symptom of cerebral ischemia in 4 patients with both carotid arterial stenosis.Carotid eversion endarterectomy appears to be a universally applicable, safe, and durable operative technique.

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a health problem that affects approximately 1% to 5% reproductive age woman. Yet, in around half of these patients, the mechanism for RSA is unexplained. Recent studies have indicated that placental ischemia/hypoxia and endothelial dysfunction are important factors in miscarriage. Other studies have indicated that the level and expression of soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) is increased under a hypoxic environment. However, decreased sFlt-1 in the maternal circulation during the first trimester has recently been proposed as a potential marker for identifying risk of pregnancy loss. In this prospective study clinical samples were obtained within a short time after the fetal death, protein expression and maternal serum levels of sFlt1 were assessed and compared to samples taken from those with normal pregnancies. Our results indicate that levels of VEGF and sFlt-1 are both increased in women during early pregnancy compared women that are not pregnant (p