Left Main Coronary Artery Thrombosis With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Management Dilemma

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) thrombosis with acute myocardial infarction is a rare condition with very high mortality. The low incidence of this condition and exclusion of patients with LMCA thrombosis from clinical trials prevent the development of optimal management strategy in these patients. Therefore, there are no clear-cut guidelines describing an evidence-based approach for this condition. We describe a patient with LMCA thrombosis presenting with acute myocardial infarction, who was found to have hypercoagulable state related to homocysteinemia on further work-up. This case highlights the challenges faced during the management of this rare condition due to lack of clear-cut guidelines describing an evidence-based approach.     

气管镜诊断气管-支气管肺低度恶性肌上皮瘤2例并文献复习

目的:探讨气管镜诊断气管-支气管肺肌上皮瘤的要点及肌上皮瘤的治疗方案。方法:回顾性分析本院2例及国内外报道的气管-支气管肺肌上皮瘤病例资料和随访记录。结果:气管-支气管肺肌上皮瘤多表现为咳嗽、气促、咯血;确诊及治疗需依靠手术。结论:气管-支气管肺低度恶性肌上皮瘤是一种非常罕见的肿瘤,气管镜标本量少,需要仔细观察标本组织形态并结合免疫组化明确诊断。     

The psychotic mummified hand: An unusual hand injury complication

The authors report the case of a patient with psychotic symptoms secondary to a posttraumatic stress disorder following a work-related hand injury. The somatic presentation was a “mummified” hand neglected for several years in a splint without any care. The psychiatric analysis concluded that this was part of a delusion of persecution expressing a conflict against the patient's employer and insurance company. Surgical treatment was limited to a hand cleaning with hardware removal. Despite 3 years of antipsychotic medication the patient was still suffering from delusion and the hand remained neglected at the last follow-up.     

Role of intravascular ultrasound in unprotected left main percutaneous coronary intervention

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to the unprotected left main stem offers an attractive alternative to bypass grafting, but is associated with a significant clinical risk and therefore demands special consideration. Successful left main PCI is dependent upon the morphology of the lesion and the technical quality of the procedure. For these reasons, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been the most popular adjunct to coronary angiography during left main PCI. However, trials of IVUS in left main PCI have produced inconclusive results, and most data predate the use of drug-eluting stents. Despite this, IVUS offers practical benefits in both case selection, and in guiding angioplasty and stenting. Here, we review the arguments for the present and future role of IVUS in left main PCI.     

Accumulation of lipid in muscular arteries of short-term diabetic rats

Summary Lipid accumulation in muscular (pulmonary, coronary and tibial) arteries and elastic (aorta and pulmonary) arteries of streptozotocin diabetic (65 mg/kg) rats was studied with an electron microscope. Arterial tissue specimens taken 4 days after the induction of diabetes showed lipid deposits in smooth muscle cells in the muscular arteries of 9 out of 24 diabetic rats, but in none of the 17 control rats. Histochemically the lipid was identified as triacylglycerol. Lipid accumulation was not seen in the elastic arteries of either diabetic or control rats. The diabetic animals with lipid deposits had slightly but significantly higher plasma glucose concentrations (p<0.02), higher non-esterified fatty acids levels (p<0.01), and lower concentrations of plasma insulin (p<0.02) than those without arterial deposits. The amount of lipid deposited in the arteries was closely related to the plasma non-esterified fatty acid level, which was in the ranges 0.8–1.1 mmol/l in diabetic rats without deposits, and 1.1–2.4 mmol/l in those with deposits. The findings suggest that lipid accumulation in smooth muscle cells of muscular arteries during acute diabetes could result from the high plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations.