Effect of ECQ on Iodoacetamide-Induced Chronic Gastritis in Rats

This study investigated effect of extract containing quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronopyranoside from Rumex Aquaticus Herba (ECQ) against chronic gastritis in rats. To produce chronic gastritis, the animals received a daily intra-gastric administration of 0.1 ml of 0.15% iodoacetamide (IA) solution for 7 days. Daily exposure of the gastric mucosa to IA induced both gastric lesions and significant reductions of body weight and food and water intake. These reductions recovered with treatment with ECQ for 7 days. ECQ significantly inhibited the elevation of the malondialdehyde levels and myeloperoxidase activity, which were used as indices of lipid peroxidation and neutrophil infiltration. ECQ recovered the level of glutathione, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and expression of SOD-2. The increased levels of total NO concentration and iNOS expression in the IA-induced chronic gastritis were significantly reduced by treatment with ECQ. These results suggest that the ECQ has a therapeutic effect on chronic gastritis in rats by inhibitory actions on neutrophil infiltration, lipid peroxidation and various steps of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.     

Focal left atrial tachycardias not associated with prior catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: clinical and electrophysiological characteristics

Background: The clinical features and electrophysiological characteristics of patients with focal left atrial tachycardias (LATs) are not well characterized. This study reports the experience of a single center in catheter mapping and radiofrequency ablation of focal LAT not associated with prior atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, including in cardiac sarcoidosis and transplant patients. Methods: Patients with focal LAT without a history of AF ablation were included in this retrospective analysis. Results: A total of 24 focal LATs were documented in 20 patients. Two patients were subsequently diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis. Two patients were status post a thoracic transplant. The mean initial cycle length of the focal LATs was 347.4 ± 96.2 ms (range 190–510 ms). Patients with a pulmonary vein (PV) ostium focus (n = 6) demonstrated a shorter cycle length than patients with other LA foci (259.2 ± 56.4 ms vs 371.9 ± 91.1 ms, P = 0.02), as well as a trend for a history of AF (67% vs 21%, P = NS). Catheter ablation was immediately successful for 19 of 22 focal LATs. Conclusions: Focal LATs not associated with prior AF ablation can originate in a variety of LA locations and clinical settings. Focal LAT arising in the PV ostia is associated with a history of AF and demonstrates a faster tachycardia rate. We also report focal LAT in cardiac sarcoidosis patients and in the donor heart of an orthotopic heart transplant recipient. Radiofrequency ablation is a successful treatment for focal LAT not associated with prior ablation, including those refractory to medical therapy. (PACE 2012; 35:17–27)     

Abdominal Aortic Calcification is Associated with Diastolic Dysfunction, Mortality, and Nonfatal Cardiovascular Events in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

This study evaluated the significance of aortic calcification index (ACI), an estimate of abdominal aortic calcification by plain abdominal computed tomography (CT), in terms of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, mortality, and nonfatal cardiovascular (CV) events in chronic hemodialysis patients. Hemodialysis patients who took both an abdominal CT and echocardiography were divided into a low-ACI group (n = 64) and a high-ACI group (n = 64). The high-ACI group was significantly older, had a longer dialysis vintage and higher comorbidity indices, and more patients had a previous history of CV disease than the low-ACI group. The ACI was negatively correlated with LV end-diastolic volume or LV stroke volume, and was positively correlated with the ratio of peak early transmitral flow velocity to peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/E' ratio), a marker of LV diastolic function. The E/E' ratio was independently associated with the ACI. The event-free survival rates for mortality and nonfatal CV events were significantly lower in the high-ACI group compared with those in the low-ACI group, and the ACI was an independent predictor for all-cause deaths and nonfatal CV events. In conclusion, ACI is significantly associated with diastolic dysfunction and predicts all-cause mortality and nonfatal CV events in hemodialysis patients.     

SSVEP and ERP measurement of cognitive fatigue caused by stereoscopic 3D

Characteristically within the resting brain there are slow fluctuations (around 0.1 Hz) of EEG and NIRS-(de)oxyhemoglobin ([deoxy-Hb], [oxy-Hb]) signals. An interesting question is whether such slow oscillations can be related to the intention to perform a motor act. To obtain an answer we analyzed continuous blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), prefrontal [oxy-Hb], [deoxy-Hb] and EEG signals over sensorimotor areas in 10 healthy subjects during 5 min of rest and during 10 min of voluntary finger movements. Analyses of prefrontal [oxy-Hb]/[deoxy-Hb] oscillations around 0.1 Hz and central EEG band power changes in the beta (alpha) band revealed that the positive [oxy-Hb] peaks preceded the central EEG beta (alpha) power peak by 3.6 ± 0.9 s in the majority of subjects. A similar relationship between prefrontal [oxy-Hb] and central EEG beta power was found during voluntary movements whereby the post movement beta power increase (beta rebound) is known to coexist with a decreased excitability of cortico-spinal neurons. Therefore, we speculate that the beta power increase ∼3 s after slow fluctuating [oxy-Hb] peaks during rest is indicative for a slow excitability change of central motor cortex neurons. This work provides the first evidence that initiation of finger movements at free will in relatively constant intervals around 10 s could be temporally related to slow oscillations of prefrontal [oxy-Hb] and autonomic blood pressure in the resting brain.     

Molecular genetics of gynecologic cancer.

During the past decades, the expansion of molecular biology has had a pivotal role in understanding the basis of cancer development and progression. In addition, real advances have been made in the application of DNA recombinant technology to cancer therapy and patient management. In gynecologic oncologic fields, there are also many investigations to explore the basic pathogenesis of gynecologic cancer, such as cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer. It is now known that specific types of human papilloma virus (HPV) are the principal etiologic agents for both cervical cancer and its precursors. However, the various kinds of alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes may play additional roles in carcinogenesis of cervical cancer. Although ovarian carcinoma is the most frequent cause of death from gynecologic malignancies, the histogenesis and biological characteristics of these tumors are not well understood. During the last several years, many key observations have been made concerning the genetic alterations associated with ovarian cancer. Recent researches including some dominant oncogenes and tumor suppressor gene mutations common to these malignancies are providing bases to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this cancer. The most important basis of endometrial cancer is that K-ras and p53 mutations are also frequently observed.     

External Iliac Artery Dissection During Renal Transplantation: A Case Report and Literature Review

Iliac artery dissection in the setting of renal transplant is a rare but potentially catastrophic event that may result in loss of kidney and lower extremity perfusion. We report a right external iliac artery dissection in a 45-year-old man with end-stage renal disease, diabetes, and hypertension who underwent a renal transplant at our institution. An external iliac artery dissection was diagnosed intraoperatively after completion of the arterial anastomosis given the mottled appearance of the kidney and loss of Doppler signal. The dissection was repaired via open endarterectomy, intimal tacking, bovine patching, and re-anastomosis of the kidney to a proximal site on the external iliac artery. To date, 23 cases of transplant-related iliac artery dissection have been described in the literature. Predisposing risk factors include atherosclerosis and hypertension combined with trauma from vascular clamps or suturing. There is a slight male predominance. Only one group utilized an open endarterectomy approach similar to ours, whereas others used synthetic vascular grafts (12 of 23), endovascular stents (4 of 23), donor iliac artery grafts (4 of 23), or saphenous vein grafts (2 of 23). In the absence of long-term outcomes data, the optimal repair mechanism is yet to be established.