Surgical correction of ascending type a thoracic aortic dissection: simultaneous endoluminal exclusion of the arch and distal aorta.

PURPOSE: To describe repair of an ascending type A dissection combining an open ascending tube graft with simultaneous great vessel transposition and antegrade deployment of an endoluminal graft across the arch and into the descending thoracic aorta. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old man was evaluated at an outside hospital and transferred to our service for treatment of an ascending aortic dissection with associated lower extremity ischemia. Imaging identified an aortic dissection extending from the aortic root to the aortic bifurcation and into the right common iliac artery. A hybrid procedure incorporating both open and endovascular techniques successfully repaired the dissection and aneurysm and restored blood flow to the extremity. CONCLUSIONS: Although less invasive procedures are sometimes appropriate for repair in the descending thoracic aorta, surgical correction of an ascending dissection and endoluminal exclusion of the arch and distal aorta may form the basis of future treatment strategies for complex aortic pathologies, possibly eliminating the need for hypothermic cardiac arrest.     

Modern approaches to the treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in women in this country. Until recently, the traditional treatment has been radical surgery with or without radiation therapy for patients with primary breast cancer, and palliative endocrine therapy followed by chemotherapy for patients with advanced disease. These treatments have met with limited effectiveness in terms of eradicating the disease. Studies in the past decade have given cause for optimism for breast cancer patients. Adjuvant systemic therapy after local treatment appears promising for certain subsets of patients with primary breast cancer. The development of estrogen receptor assays has markedly changed our approach to the disease and improved patient care. Estrogen receptor is an important prognostic factor and is useful in planning appropriate therapy for patients with primary breast cancer as well as those with advanced disease. Further research is urgently needed to improve the dismal survival of certain women with this common malignancy.     

Clinical diagnoses and disability in cognitively impaired older persons

A sample of 126 elderly persons with cognitive impairment who were living in the community were clinically assessed for severity on a range of illnesses: somatic, psychiatric, neurodegenerative. At the same time, their disability was examined by self-report and via informant report. The domains of disability that were investigated were personal care, instrumental activities and social functioning. The key findings were that most of the variation in disability in each domain was accounted for by the clinical diagnoses. Analysis of informant data (N = 90) showed that social functioning was affected by behavioural impairment and depression, performance in instrumental activities was affected by extrapyramidal gait disorder, cognitive impairment, behavioural impairment and depression, while personal care was affected by extrapyramidal gait disorder, cognitive impairment, depression and arthritis. Similar results were obtained with subject data (N = 126) on scales of instrumental activities and personal care: disability in instrumental activities was associated with diagnoses of extrapyramidal gait disorder, cognitive impairment, behavioural impairment and stroke, while personal care was affected by extrapyramidal gait disorder, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. In this population, neuropsychiatric disturbances (disorders of cognition, behaviour and mood) and extrapyramidal gait disorders are major independent predictions of disability. Somatic disorders have a lesser impact.     

Effects of social subordination and oestradiol on resting‐state amygdala functional connectivity in adult female rhesus monkeys

Preclinical studies demonstrate that chronic stress modulates the effects of oestradiol (E2) on behaviour through the modification of the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal structure. Clinical studies suggest that alterations in amygdala functional connectivity (FC) with the mPFC may be associated with stress‐related phenotypes, including mood and anxiety disorders. Thus, identifying the effects of stress and E2 on amygdala‐mPFC circuits is critical for understanding the neurobiology underpinning the vulnerability to stress‐related disorders in women. In the present study, we used a well‐validated rhesus monkey model of chronic psychosocial stress (subordinate social rank) to examine effects of E2 on subordinate (SUB) (i.e. high stress) and dominant (DOM) (i.e. low stress) female resting‐state amygdala FC with the mPFC and with the whole‐brain. In the non‐E2 treatment control condition, SUB was associated with stronger left amygdala FC to subgenual cingulate (Brodmann area [BA] 25: BA25), a region implicated in several psychopathologies in people. In SUB females, E2 treatment strengthened right amygdala‐BA25 FC, induced a net positive amygdala‐visual cortex FC that was positively associated with frequency of submissive behaviours, and weakened positive amygdala‐para/hippocampus FC. Our findings show that subordinate social rank alters amygdala FC and the impact of E2 on amygdala FC with BA25 and with regions involved in visual processing and memory encoding.     

缺血性脑损伤诱导内源性神经干细胞的增殖和迁移

目的:观察缺血性脑损伤对内源性神经干细胞增殖、迁移的影响。方法:实验于2004-09/2005-03在新乡医学院人体解剖与组织胚胎重点实验室进行。10～12周体质量300～350g的健康雄性SD大鼠62只,由新乡医学院实验动物中心提供。按随机数字表方法将其分为正常组6只、假手术对照组14只、脑缺血再灌注组42只(分为再灌注1,3,5,7,10,15,20d7个时间点,每时间点6只)。参照Pulsinelli-Brierley法,夹闭大鼠双侧颈总动脉制作短暂性全脑缺血动物模型,全脑缺血10min后再灌注,假手术对照组不夹闭颈总动脉。于脑缺血再灌注不同时间点应用SABC免疫组化法染色显示5-溴-2-脱氧尿嘧啶阳性细胞和巢蛋白阳性细胞,光镜下观察并分析脑缺血损伤后内源性神经干细胞增殖、迁移的变化过程。结果:正常组、假手术对照组大鼠均存活,脑缺血再灌注组大鼠1d、5d、15d、20d各死亡1只,共58只大鼠进入结果分析。①正常组与假手术对照组室管膜下区、海马CA1区、齿状回区域均偶见5-溴-2-脱氧尿嘧啶阳性细胞和巢蛋白阳性细胞。②脑缺血再灌注后1d于海马、齿状回和室管膜下区均有5-溴-2-脱氧尿嘧啶阳性细胞和巢蛋白阳性细胞,随后逐渐增加,7～10d达高峰,术后20d仍有表达;在室管膜下区的5-溴-2-脱氧尿嘧啶阳性细胞和巢蛋白阳性细胞有向皮质、海马迁移的现象。结论:成年大鼠全脑缺血后7～10d内源性神经干细胞增殖达到高峰;增殖的内源性神经干细胞存在由增殖区向靶区迁移的现象。