In situ saphenous vein bypass grafts: angiographic evaluation and interventional repair of complications

In situ saphenous vein grafts are being used with increasing frequency for bypass procedures involving the femoral and popliteal arteries. Complications of these procedures include anastomotic stenoses and persistent arteriovenous fistulae that may result in failure of the graft. Balloon angioplasty and embolotherapy with detachable balloons were employed successfully in three or four recent cases of patients with complications from in situ grafts. Tailored angiography is essential for evaluating in situ grafts, and interventional techniques are extremely useful for managing complications.     

Early bronchoscopic and morphological diagnostics and prognosis in thermal inhalation trauma

Thermal injury is diagnosed by fibrobronchoscopy within the first 5 days after inhalation burn trauma in 73 patients (34% of the total number of patients hospitalized during the last 2 years). Pathological changes of the mucosa with predominant multiple ulceration at different levels of the tracheobronchial tree are detected in 44% patients and in more than 70% patients with acute respiratory deficiency. These changes determine variation and severity of thermal inhalation injury in the patients, and, together with morphofunctional characteristics, provide objective basis for the early diagnostics and prognosis. Translated fromByullelen' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 124, No. 8, pp. 221–225, August, 1997     

A method of portalizing the venous blood flow of the left adrenal gland

The authors, having studied the long-term results of the operation of creating the renoportal venous anastomoses in patients with severe and malignant course of arterial hypertension, revealed anastomotic thrombosis in presence of hypotensive effect. Developed in the experiment and employed in 7 patients was the technique of dosaged narrowing the central left adrenal vein with the aim of achieving its thrombosis, inclusion of the collateral routes of the left adrenal blood outflow into the system of the portal vein and inactivation of aldosterone in the liver.     

The effects of antioxidant supplementation during Percoll preparation on human sperm DNA integrity

The integrity of sperm DNA is crucial for the maintenance of genetic health. A major source of damage is reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation; therefore, antioxidants may afford protection to sperm DNA. The objectives of the study were, first, to measure the effects of antioxidant supplementation in vitro on endogenous DNA damage in spermatozoa using the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay and, second, to assess the effect of antioxidant supplementation given prior to X-ray irradiation on induced DNA damage. Spermatozoa from 150 patients were prepared by Percoll centrifugation in the presence of ascorbic acid (300, 600 microM), alpha tocopherol (30, 60 microM), urate (200, 400 microM), or acetyl cysteine (5, 10 microM). DNA damage was induced by 30 Gy X-irradiation. DNA strand breakage was measured using the comet assay. Sperm DNA was protected from DNA damage by ascorbic acid (600 microM), alpha tocopherol (30 and 60 microM) and urate (400 microM). These antioxidants provided protection from subsequent DNA damage by X-ray irradiation. In contrast, acetyl cysteine or ascorbate and alpha tocopherol together induced further DNA damage. Supplementation in vitro with the antioxidants ascorbate, urate and alpha tocopherol separately has beneficial effects for sperm DNA integrity.