[Paradoxical embolism: clinical situation and approaches to treatment].

The authors describe two clinical cases of paradoxical embolism of greater-circulation vessels in patients with thrombosis of deep veins of the lower extremities and patent foramen ovale, also discussing different variants of clinical course of paradoxical embolism, as well as approaches to treatment and prevention.

[Hermetization of aortic sutures - the comparative analysis of methods].

Leakage of the ascending aortic sutures after the aortic valve replacement with the use of various methods of surgical hemostasis was studied. Results of 244 operations were analyzed. Thus, aortic leakage took place in 50 (20,5%) patients. One- or two-fold sewing was successfully used in 16 (32%) cases. The rest benefited from aortic suture fixation with the use of pericardial flap. Algorythm, implying usage of the auto- or xenopericardial flap after two-fold sewing failure, enabled exclusion of repeated aorta cross-clamping, decrease of the blood loss and hemotransfusion, and, therefore, decrease of postoperative complication and lethality rates.

[Short and long-term results of endovascular treatment of bifurcational coronary stenosis].

Short and long-term results of endovascular treatment of true bifurcational coronary stenosis were analyzed in 229 patients. 68 patients received a "provisional-T" stenting on the first stage of the study. On the next stage 40 patients received the same "provisional-T" stenting, a total bifurcational stenting was conducted in 37 patients. Only coated stents were used. Independent risk factors of "provisional-T" stenting conversion to total bifurcational stenting were revealed. There were no differences between "provisional-T" and total bifurcational stenting considering the short-term treatment results. Long-term results (12-18 months) were analyzed in 70 patients. There were no restenosis of the main artery, whereas restenosis of the lateral branch was noticed in 5.5 and 2.94%, respectively, in the groups of "provisional-T" and total bifurcational stenting. Late thrombosis was registered in 1 case from the group of total bifurcational stenting.

[Left ventricular ruptures after the mitral valve replacement].

7 cases of left ventricular rupture after the mitral valve replacement, which occurred per 900 operations performed in our clinic, were analyzed. A successful closure of the defect has been managed in 2 cases. In all cases the external closure with liners and patch plasty was used. In two cases the autopsy revealed a transmural myocardial infarction, underdiagnosed preoperatively, which had caused a rupture.

[One-stage esophagoplasty without transfusion of donor blood components]. / Odnomomentnaia plastika pishchevoda bez ispol'zovaniia komponentov donorskoi krovi.

Six patients aged from 27 to 62 years were operated for subtotal burn strictures, cancer and glandular polyp of a low-thoracic part of the esophagus using a complex program of non-blood surgery. The following methods were used: collection of autoplasma before surgery by plasmapheresis, collection of autologic packet red cells, normovolemic hemodilution during surgery, use of perftoran for oxygen transport and recombinant human erythropoetin to stimulate erythropoiesis and raise preporative level of hemoglobin. Components of donor blood were not used in these patients. There were no complications associated with these methods. Partial failure of esophagol-colonic anastomosis on the neck was seen in 1 patient. The complex program permits one to avoid completely transfusion of donor blood components in esophagol surgery.

[Traumatic surgeries on organs of gastrointestinal tract without components of donor's blood]. / Travmatichnye operatsii na organakh pishchevarutel'nogo trakta bez ispol'zovaniia komponentov donorskoi krovi.

The authors propose a complex program aimed to refuse completely using donor's blood components in surgeries on organs of digestive tract. This method was used in 25 patients who underwent surgeries with 380-1500 ml of blood loss. No patients received transfusion of donor's blood components before, during and after surgery.

Further characterization of the actin-related protein Act3p/Arp4 of S. cerevisiae through mutational analysis.

In the course of functional analysis of the yeast ARP4 (ACT3) gene, we further characterized the role of its protein product Arp4p in the cell. We report that although it is localized in the nucleus, Arp4p performs its function independently of binding to DNA directly. The roles of the core actin structure (the ATP-binding pocket) and a putative Nuclear Localization Signal (NLS) of Arp4p were tested by targeted mutagenesis. The results suggest that under normal conditions, the ATPase activity and the NLS are dispensable for the essential function of this protein in the cell. Furthermore, the use of reporter genes confirmed that Arp4p could be involved in some general mechanism of transcriptional regulation.