Effects of Pemafibrate on Reducing Oxidative Stress and Augmenting Angiogenesis in Ischemic Limb Tissue.

OBJECTIVE: Oxidative damage is observed in the ischemic limbs of patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans. We investigated whether pemafibrate, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha modulator, reduced oxidative stress in ischemic limbs and consequently rescued limb damage in model mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We surgically induced hind-limb ischemia in mice and orally administered pemafibrate solution (P-05 group, 0.5 mg/kg/day; P-10 group, 1.0 mg/kg/day) or control solution (control group). Seven days after the surgery, differences in reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents, antioxidative enzyme and transcription factor expression, blood flow, and capillary density in ischemic limbs were assessed. RESULTS: Tissue ROS levels were lower in the P-05 and P-10 groups compared with those in the control group. Although the tissue expression levels of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 increased in the P-10 group compared with that in the control group, no corresponding changes were observed in the tissue expression of four antioxidative enzymes. The limb salvage rates and capillary densities in ischemic limbs were higher in the P-05 and P-10 groups than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: Pemafibrate treatment reduced oxidative stress and augmented angiogenesis in ischemic limbs, contributing to prevention of limb damage in mice.

Large Thrombus Entrapped in a Patent Foramen Ovale during Inferior Vena Cava Filter Protection for Venous Thromboembolism.

Background. A large thrombus entrapped in the patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an extremely rare condition. Moreover, it is considered even rarer after temporary inferior vena cava filter (TIVCF) placement for the prevention of fatal pulmonary embolism due to venous thromboembolism (VTE). Case Report. A 58-year-old man presented with syncope following chest pain and dyspnea due to PE exacerbation during TIVCF protection, which then led to cardiogenic shock. Echocardiography revealed a large thrombus entrapped in the PFO, and computed tomography (CT) showed a bilateral pulmonary artery embolism. The patient was treated with open surgical embolectomy for a pulmonary artery thrombus and PFO thrombus with simultaneous closure of the PFO. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Results and Conclusion. Surgical embolectomy was useful with respect to the feasibility of resection of both intracardiac thrombus and pulmonary artery thrombus performed simultaneously, contributing to the prevention of systemic embolisms, and echocardiography plays an important role for early diagnosis.

Isolated External Iliac Artery Aneurysm with Fibromuscular Dysplasia.

Isolated aneurysms of the external iliac artery are rare in patients with fibromuscular dysplasia. In this study, we report the case of a 74-year-old man with advanced gastric cancer who was found to have a medium-sized aneurysm of the external iliac artery (35 mm) on preoperative computed tomography angiograms. The patient underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy followed by replacement of the external iliac artery 6 months later. Histological examination of biopsy specimens revealed fibromuscular dysplasia. The 6 month postoperative course was uneventful. Such a case of external iliac artery aneurysm caused by fibromuscular dysplasia is very rare, and open surgery is recommended for its removal.

Endovascular Aortic Repair for Heavily Calcified Abdominal Aortic Stenosis Using the Gore Viabahn Vbx Balloon-Expandable Covered Stent.

Open surgery for the treatment of focal infrarenal aortic stenosis in high-risk patients may result in complications and mortality. Endovascular aortic repair may be used to treat these lesions. Here, we present the case of a 78-year-old woman with severe, highly calcified stenosis of the infrarenal abdominal aorta, which was successfully treated with the GORE VIABAHN VBX (Gore Medical; Flagstaff, AZ) balloon-expandable covered stent. Long-term and randomized controlled studies comparing open surgery with EVAR are necessary to evaluate the usefulness of this novel device.

Intimo-Intimal Intussusception due to Stanford Type A Acute Aortic Dissection Presenting as Cerebral Infarction.

Complete circumferential dissection is a rare clinical presentation of aortic dissection, wherein the dissected flap has the potential to cause intimo-intimal intussusception, which can lead to several catastrophic complications. We report a case of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection with intimo-intimal intussusception causing unstable cerebral ischemic symptoms. An 82-year-old man was taken to another hospital with severe intermittent dizziness. Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple right-hemispheric cerebral infarctions. Computed tomography also showed a "missing flap," indicating that the intimal flap was observed in the aortic root and arch but not in the ascending aorta. The patient was referred to our hospital for emergent surgery. Intraoperatively, the intimal tear was found to be circumferential, and the transected intima was folded and superimposed from the origin of the brachiocephalic artery to the aortic arch. Ascending aortic replacement and aortic valve replacement were performed; the postoperative course was good.

Prosthetic cardiac valves: history and review of cardiac prostheses clinically available in Japan.

Recently developed prosthetic valves are reliable and essential for the treatment of valvular heart disease. The mechanical valve evolved remarkably following the introduction of pyrolite carbon material, which enabled the creation of a bileaflet form incorporated with a pivot mechanism. The improved durability of the biological valve is attributed mainly to the development of a tissue fixation process and anti-calcification treatments. However, optimal antithrombogenicity and durability have not yet been achieved for either prosthetic valve type. To select the most suitable prosthetic valve for each individual patient from among the many clinically available prosthetic valves, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the characteristics of each valve.

Prevention of postoperative intrapericardial adhesion by dextrin hydrogel.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative intrapericardial adhesion increases the risk of complications in patients undergoing reoperation. We investigated the effect of a bioabsorbable dextrin hydrogel (DHG) on the formation of intrapericardial adhesions. METHODS: Intrapericardial adhesion was surgically induced in Japanese white rabbits with DHG treatment (Adh + DHG) or without DHG treatment (Adh). The sham group was not treated with DHG and intrapericardial adhesion was not induced. The extent of intrapericardial adhesion was assessed by adhesion scoring and crystal violet staining of the pericardial cavity. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake assay was performed to assess the proliferative response to the injury in the tissue beneath the intrapericardial adhesion. RESULTS: The Adh + DHG group showed looser intrapericardial adhesions compared to the Adh group. The adhesion area of the Adh + DHG group was 4.6 ± 2.2%, whereas that of the Adh group was 32.6 ± 6.4% at the end of the 28-day observation period (p < 0.01). The induction of intrapericardial adhesion resulted in a proliferative response mainly in the cardiac tissue just beneath the adhesion. There were 48.6 ± 10.7 cells/0.1 mm2 BrdU-positive cells in the Adh + DHG group and 135.7 ± 23.8 cells/0.1 mm2 BrdU-positive cells in the Adh group on day 28 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that DHG effectively prevented intrapericardial adhesion in this model.

Use of Edoxaban for the Treatment of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threatening adverse drug reaction of heparin therapy, which increases a patient's risk of developing venous and/or arterial thromboembolism. HIT should be treated through discontinuation of heparin and administration of nonheparin anticoagulants such as argatroban. For long-term anticoagulation, parenteral nonheparin anticoagulants are generally converted to oral treatment with a vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin. Although administration of warfarin is recommended to overlap with a nonheparin anticoagulant for a minimum of 5 days, overlapping with argatroban and warfarin presents high risks of bleeding. We describe a case of HIT treated with edoxaban. A 78-year-old man underwent surgery for esophageal cancer and was administered heparin perioperatively. After surgery, he was diagnosed with HIT and venous thromboembolism. We immediately stopped heparin and initiated parenteral argatroban. The patient was subsequently started on edoxaban without any overlap between the two drugs. The treatment was successful. The treatment of edoxaban following argatroban for HIT could reduce bleeding complications and shorten the length of hospital stay. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of edoxaban for HIT treatment.

[Surgically Managed Flail Chest Caused by Resuscitation].

A 84-year-old man who had experienced cardiac arrest in the ambulance was brought to the emergency room. He had been followed at outpatient after surgery for colon cancer and known to be suffered from mild renal impairment. The cardio pulmonary arrest was likely to be caused by acute exacerbation of that. He was resuscitated and immediately recovered without severe hypoxic encephalopathy or deterioration of renal function. However, the flail chest by manual cardiac compression sustained. It urged him to be managed under the ventilator and he seemed difficult to leave from that within a couple of weeks. So we decided to perform surgery. The course after surgery was favorable.