A homeostatic gut-to-brain insulin antagonist restrains neuronally stimulated fat loss.

In C. elegans mechanisms by which peripheral organs relay internal state information to the nervous system remain unknown, although strong evidence suggests that such signals do exist. Here we report the discovery of a peptide of the ancestral insulin superfamily called INS-7 that functions as an enteroendocrine peptide and is secreted from specialized cells of the intestine. INS-7 secretion is stimulated by food withdrawal, increases during fasting and acts as a bona fide gut-to-brain peptide that attenuates the release of a neuropeptide that drives fat loss in the periphery. Thus, INS-7 functions as a homeostatic signal from the intestine that gates the neuronal drive to stimulate fat loss during food shortage. Mechanistically, INS-7 functions as an antagonist at the canonical DAF-2 receptor and functions via FOXO and AMPK signaling in ASI neurons. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that INS-7 bears greater resemblance to members of the broad insulin/relaxin superfamily than to conventional mammalian insulin and IGF peptides. The discovery of an endogenous insulin antagonist secreted by specialized intestinal cells with enteroendocrine functions suggests unexpected and important properties of the intestine and its role in directing neuronal functions.

An Interesting Case of Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome in a Young Patient With Sensorineural Deafness.

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a condition associated with tachycardia due to accessory pathways in the heart, and it is one of the most common causes of tachycardia in infants and children. WPW may also be associated with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, stroke-like episodes (MELAS syndrome) or LEOPARD syndrome (LS). We report a case of pre-excitation WPW syndrome in a 17-year-old man who was brought to the hospital by ambulance following the collapse. WPW syndrome type A was diagnosed from precordial leads. Electrocardiography (ECG) revealed a short PR interval, delta waves, and positive waves with dominant R in all pericardial leads. Blood test results showed an isolated elevated ALT level. Subsequent echocardiography was unremarkable, with an ejection fraction of 55%, apart from septal and inferior wall dyssynchrony. With regard to the past medical history, he had sensorineural deafness (SND) since childhood and had a family history of SND. Consequently, the patient was transferred to the cardiac electrophysiology department at another hospital after consultation and underwent ablation. A successful post-ablation electrocardiogram revealed the resolution of the WPW syndrome signs and post-ablation features, such as peak T waves.

Sex-specific associations between circadian-related genes and depression in UK Biobank participants highlight links to glucose metabolism, inflammation and neuroplasticity pathways.

Depressive disorders have increased in global prevalence, making improved management of these disorders a public health priority. Prior research has linked circadian clock genes to depression, either through direct interactions with mood-related pathways in the brain or by modulating the phase of circadian rhythms. Using machine learning and statistical techniques, we explored associations between 157,347 SNP variants from 51 circadian-related genes and depression scores from the patient health questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) in 99,939 UK Biobank participants. Our results highlight multiple pathways linking the circadian system to mood, including metabolic, monoamine, immune, and stress-related pathways. Notably, genes regulating glucose metabolism and inflammation (GSK3B, LEP, RORA, and NOCT) were prominent factors in females, in addition to DELEC1 and USP46, two genes of unknown function. In contrast, FBXL3 and DRD4 emerged as significant risk factors for male depression. We also found epistatic interactions involving RORA, NFIL3, and ZBTB20 as either risk or protective factors for depression, underscoring the importance of transcription factors (ZBTB20, NFIL3) and hormone receptors (RORA) in depression etiology. Understanding the complex, sex-specific links between circadian genes and mood disorders will facilitate the development of therapeutic interventions and enhance the efficacy of multi-target treatments for depression.

Statistical analysis of Cotton-Jute blended ratio for producing good quality blended yarn.

The present world is focusing on sustainable products. Most of the natural products collected from are environmentally friendly. In the textile sector the main raw material is fiber. Most textile products are made from the natural cotton fibers. But because of the shortage of this fiber, most of the researchers are looking forwards to other sources of natural fibers. Here in Bangladesh the natural jute fiber is available and the textile industries are making jute products but the jute products are comparatively lower price than cotton products. That's why some factories are making cotton-jute blended yarn to minimise the cost and increase the product's quality and appearance. Here in this research work, it was tried to identify the best cotton-jute blended ratio for producing good quality yarn. 80C-20 J, 60C-40 J and 40C-60 J blended ratios are compared with 100 C and 100 J yarn to analyse the results. The CV m%, Thick/Km +50 %, Neps/Km +200 %, IPI, RKM and Elongation% of blended yarns are evaluated and compared the results between the ratios. After that the yarn quality index (YQI) was calculated to identify the ratio which indicates a relation between yarns strength, elongation% and CVm. The other quality index was fiber quality index (FQI) which indicates a relation between fibers strength, fiber mean length, elongation% and fiber fineness. One way ANOVA was applied to see the significance level between the independent variables. Box plot was applied to see the visual effect of statistical analysis at the same time the regression results show the impact of cotton-jute ratio with an equation, through which it was easy to identify the perfect ratio. It was found that higher percentage of cotton and lower percentage of jute fiber blended yarn shows good results than others. The products which were made from the ratios were shown good results for their different use of purposes.

Pandemic disruptions in vaccine uptake in a low-income setting: a qualitative inquiry.

BACKGROUND: While the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of immunization delivery systems globally, the devastating impact of the pandemic on immunization delivery is most pronounced in low and middle-income countries like Pakistan. We conducted a qualitative study to capture the views and experiences of parents and healthcare workers (HWs) and assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood routine immunization (CRI) and COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan. METHODS: We used a qualitative research design with a purposive sampling approach. Semi-structured interviews (via telephone) and focus group discussions (via Zoom) were conducted with parents/child caregivers and HWs, respectively. All qualitative interviews were conducted between February and July 2021 from three sites (two urban and one rural) in Sindh, Pakistan. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for a team-based thematic analysis. RESULTS: Overall, most parents and HWs indicated a strong trust in the benefits of CRI; nonetheless, a substantial disruption in the delivery and uptake of these services was also reported. The barriers towards CRI included closed vaccination centers, drastic reduction in outreach programs, lack of information for parents/child caregivers on vaccine availability, fear in the community regarding vaccine safety, limited vaccine supply, and a lack of healthcare staff. For COVID-19 vaccines, challenges cited included skepticism about the reality of the pandemic and confusion over COVID-19 vaccines due to conflicting (or mis-or-dis) information. Both participant groups showed a willingness to integrate COVID-19 vaccination into Pakistan's Expanded Program for Immunization if required in the future. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions of regular immunization delivery in Pakistan were not due to parental unwillingness to vaccinate, but rather to social and logistical challenges caused by a rapidly changing context and difficulties in providing vaccination services safely. Barriers to vaccine access and concerns about COVID-19 exposure during clinic visits also contributed to uncertainty regarding immunization services early in the pandemic. For catchup campaigns and future pandemics, more than focusing interventions on persuading people, strategic approaches to building resilience through system-based interventions, such as investing in surge capacity in the immunization workforce to bounce back quickly after the first shock are required.

A homeostatic gut-to-brain insulin antagonist restrains neuronally stimulated fat loss.

In C. elegans mechanisms by which peripheral organs relay internal state information to the nervous system remain unknown, although strong evidence suggests that such signals do exist. Here we report the discovery of a peptide of the ancestral insulin superfamily called INS-7 that functions as an enteroendocrine peptide and is secreted from specialized cells of the intestine. INS-7 secretion increases during fasting, and acts as a bona fide gut-to-brain homeostatic signal that attenuates neuronally induced fat loss during food shortage. INS-7 functions as an antagonist at the canonical DAF-2 receptor in the nervous system, and phylogenetic analysis suggests that INS-7 bears greater resemblance to members of the broad insulin/relaxin superfamily than to conventional mammalian insulin and IGF peptides. The discovery of an endogenous insulin antagonist secreted by specialized intestinal cell with enteroendocrine functions suggests that much remains to be learned about the intestine and its role in directing neuronal functions.

Pheochromocytoma-Induced Hypertension After Traumatic Brain Injury.

A 23-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) after sustaining a motor vehicle accident and subsequent loss of consciousness. In the ED, the patient was hemodynamically stable and was appropriately discharged with a diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury. The patient presented 10 days post-injury to the outpatient brain injury clinic with complaints of headache, anxiety, and dizziness, with an elevated blood pressure of 160/100 mmHg. Initial head imaging, drug screen, complete blood count, and complete metabolic panel were unremarkable, however, urine and plasma metanephrines were found to be elevated. Abdominal computed tomography imaging revealed a pheochromocytoma, and the patient was adequately treated with medication and adrenalectomy with complete resolution of symptoms. Existing literature has indicated that stress and physical trauma can contribute to the escalation of pheochromocytoma symptoms in previously asymptomatic individuals; here, the stress and trauma stemming from an automobile accident and mild traumatic brain injury may have precipitated the onset of pheochromocytoma symptoms in the patient. Symptoms of pheochromocytoma can align with those commonly observed after traumatic brain injury (TBI), encompassing headaches, anxiety, and dizziness. Our case demonstrates the need for clinicians to consider the presence of pheochromocytoma in a post-traumatic brain injury patient.

An Unfortunate Incident Of A Surgical Swab Left In The Sphenoid Sinus For Eight Years.

Retained foreign bodies are foreign materials which are left accidentally inside a patient's body after a procedure. In this report we present the case of a 57 year old man who presented to the ENT clinic with a history of symptoms stretching over 8 years back to when he underwent a hypophysectomy through the transsphenoidal approach. These symptoms included cacosmia, ageusia, altered taste at times, foul smelling discharge, nasal discharge and dizziness. He had undergone multiple radiological examinations as well as antibiotic courses. It was only after the examination of the nose under general anaesthesia, conducted by the corresponding author that a swab was found in the sphenoid sinus which was left behind from his surgery 8 years ago. Cases of retained foreign bodies are very rare and are easily preventable. This case highlights the importance of adherence to health and safety protocols to prevent such an avoidable complication.

Postpartum maternal tachycardia - diagnostic pitfalls!

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Maternal tachycardia is a common sign with a multitude of causes. We attempt to look at the most common sinister ones in the postpartum period. RECENT FINDINGS: Current guidelines differ in the definition of maternal tachycardia. It has been associated with adverse outcomes such as increased length of stay as well as higher mortality if there is underlying peripartum cardiomyopathy. Some recent studies look at common investigations and how these apply to peripartum women, such as ECG markers of arrhythmogenesis, reference ranges for PCT and echocardiogram findings during pregnancy prior to diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy. SUMMARY: Physiological changes make it difficult to interpret maternal tachycardia and thus how best to manage it. We propose the idea of a three-step approach for the assessment of patients, aiming to identify causes including tachyarrhythmias, obstetric haemorrhage, sepsis, venous thromboembolism and peripartum cardiomyopathy.The first step 'BEDSIDE' applies to all patients looking at observations, history and examination. The second step 'BASIC', applies to most patients and covers ECG and basic blood tests. The final step 'EXTRA' assesses the need for further investigations including additional blood tests and imaging. By using this model, clinicians and healthcare professionals should be able to rationalise the need for more invasive investigations whilst maintain good high-quality care.

Effect of fibre loading on mechanical properties of jute fibre bundle reinforced gypsum composites.

Gypsum plasterboards are widely used in interior decoration like false ceilings, wall partitioning etc. The main component of this plasterboard is gypsum, which is a mineral material. These boards contain poor mechanical strength with lower durability. The addition of natural fibres in these plasterboards can be useful to achieve better mechanical properties. Since Jute fibre is abundant in Bangladesh and its usability in reinforced composites is well established, for this reason, jute fibre was selected to do the research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of jute fibre on the mechanical properties of the gypsum plasterboard. To make this board, Plaster of Paris and water were thoroughly mixed to make a suspension first. Different fibre loadings of 2, 4, 6, and 8% were incorporated into gypsum composites. Reinforcement of 6% fibre provided the highest tensile properties, but 8% fibre loading showed inferior tensile and flexural properties. Impact test results showed a gradually improving nature with fibre loading, and hardness values showed a decreasing trend in hardness with higher fibre loading. FTIR results and SEM images confirmed that no significant chemical bonding took place in the composites, instead, the composite depended mainly on the mechanical bonding among the reins crystals and between the fibre and gypsum matrix.

Coir fiber as thermal insulator and its performance as reinforcing material in biocomposite production.

Coir is a lignocellulosic natural fiber derived from the coconut's husk, an abundantly found fruit or nut worldwide. This fiber has some unique characteristics, such as its resistance to seawater, microbial attack, high impact, etc. But its low thermal conductivity or high thermal insulating property makes it suitable for being used as insulators in civil engineering sites. On the other hand, the sustainability of a material depends heavily on its environmental impact of the material. For making sustainable materials like biocomposite, there are no options other than using polymers derived from natural renewable sources. Polylactic acid(PLA) is an example of those types of material. And these materials are often being reinforced by fibers like coir for various reasons including improving mechanical properties, reducing the cost of the material, and improving the material's sustainability. Many coir-reinforced sustainable biopolymer composites have already been produced in many pieces of research, which will be discussed in this paper, along with the chemical and physical structure of coir fiber. In addition, this paper will try to focus on the insulating properties of coir and coir-reinforced composites while will also compare some properties of the composites with some commonly used materials based on different parameters to show the suitability of using the coir fiber in heat-insulating applications and to produce sustainable biocomposite materials.

An Atypical Case of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Associated With Ciprofloxacin and Quetiapine.

A 29-year-old male presented to the emergency department with complaints of shortness of breath and numbness in bilateral upper and lower extremities that started a few hours prior to arrival. On physical examination, the patient was afebrile, disoriented, tachypneic, tachycardic, and hypertensive with generalized muscle rigidity. Further investigation revealed that the patient had recently been prescribed ciprofloxacin and restarted on quetiapine. The initial differential diagnosis was acute dystonia, and subsequently, the patient was placed on fluids, lorazepam, diazepam, and later benztropine. The patient's symptoms began to resolve, and psychiatry was consulted. Given the patient's autonomic instability, altered mental status, muscle rigidity, and leukocytosis, psychiatric consultation revealed an atypical case of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). It was postulated that the patient's NMS was caused by a drug-drug interaction (DDI) between ciprofloxacin, a moderate cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 inhibitor, and quetiapine, which is primarily metabolized by CYP3A4. The patient was then taken off quetiapine, admitted overnight, and discharged the next morning with complete resolution of his symptoms along with a prescription for diazepam. This case highlights the variable presentation of NMS and the need for clinicians to consider DDI when managing psychiatric patients.

An Unusual Case of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Concurrent Necrotizing Fasciitis Following a Fall.

A 74-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department following a fall with signs and symptoms consistent with right lower extremity (RLE) deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and non-specific skin changes. Further imaging confirmed the initial diagnosis of DVT, and the patient was appropriately treated. However, his condition continued to deteriorate with worsening overlying skin changes, which prompted a computed tomography (CT) scan of his right femur without intravenous (IV) contrast. This revealed fluid tracking along the lateral compartment muscles, which raised suspicion of an abscess. Suspicion for necrotizing fasciitis (NF) was raised with a subsequent CT of the right femur with IV contrast that demonstrated a considerable increase in rim-enhancing fluid collections intramuscularly and extending into both the anterior and posterior compartments, likely correlating with increasing intermuscular abscesses. On imaging, no subcutaneous emphysema or gas accumulation was found, which is a common finding in NF. However, necrotic-appearing muscle was found on surgical debridement and wound cultures confirmed the diagnosis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) NF. The patient was then treated with appropriate IV antibiotics and was discharged to long-term inpatient wound care. Similar presentations of DVT and NF made a prompt diagnosis of NF difficult, and it highlights the need for further imaging to rule out NF when a patient has a confirmed diagnosis of DVT.

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Contrast Enhanced Ct For Detection Of Renal Cell Carcinoma Taking Histopathology As Gold Standard.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma being the commonest primary renal malignancy of adulthood accounts for approximately 80-90% renal malignant lesions. The purpose of radiological imaging modalities when devising the treatment options for renal masses is crucial as it significantly influence the clinical outcome and prognosis of the disease. Subjective impression by a radiologist for diagnosing a mass lesion is known to be critical and its precision is improved by contrast enhanced CT as demonstrated by certain retrospective analyses. We aimed to ascertain the diagnostic accuracy of contrast enhanced computed tomography to diagnose renal cell cancers by verifying through histopathology reported diagnoses. METHODS: This Cross-sectional (validation) study was carried out in Radiology and Urology departments of Ayub Teaching Hospital; Abbottabad, from 1st November 2020 to 30th April 2022. The study population included all admitted symptomatic patients with age range 18-70 years of either gender. The patients were subjected to detailed clinical examination and history and an ultrasound and contrast enhanced CT abdomen and pelvis. CT scans were reported under supervision of single consultant radiologist. Data was analysed in SPSS version 20.0. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 38.88±11.62 years ranging from 18-70 years and mean duration of symptoms was 54.64±49.171 ranging from 3-180 days. All of the total 113 patients underwent contrast enhanced CT scan and later operated to confirm the diagnoses by histopathology. The comparison yielded true positive (TP) cases to be 67, True Negative (TN) 16, False Positive (FP) 26, and 4 False Negative (FN) as per CT scan diagnoses. CT scan had a diagnostic Accuracy of 73.45% with 94.37% sensitivity and 38.10% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Contrast-enhanced CT has a high sensitivity for making the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma; however, its specificity is low. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to overcome the low specificity. Therefore, collaboration between radiologists and urologic oncologists should be considered while devising treatment plan for patients.

Field evaluation of typhoid conjugate vaccine in a catch-up campaign among children aged 9 months to 15 years in Sindh, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) has recently been introduced in the expanded program for immunization (EPI) in Pakistan. Before its introduction in routine immunization, a onetime catchup campaign among children 9 months to 15 years old was conducted in November 2019. We performed field evaluation of TCV against culture confirmed Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) among 9 months to 15 years old children during the catch up campaign in Karachi and Hyderabad. METHODS: A rapid assessment of blood culture confirmed S. Typhi was performed. Age eligible cases of culture confirmed S. Typhi were identified from the laboratory networks of Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi and Hyderabad, Kharadar General Hospital Karachi, and Liaqat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) Hyderabad. Information on sociodemographic, typhoid vaccination history and antimicrobial resistance was collected using a structured questionnaire. Patient medical records and lab reports were also reviewed to collect information on diagnosis and antimicrobial susceptibility information. Information about the population vaccination coverage during catch-up campaign was obtained from the provincial EPI office. Field performance of TCV in catchup campaign was measured by calculating the effectiveness using rapid screening method which is less resource-intensive technique of calculating vaccine effectiveness (VE). RESULTS: Overall, 968 culture confirmed typhoid cases were enrolled. Among them, 82% (793/968) were from Karachi and 18% (175/968) from Hyderabad. The average age of the participants was 5.68 years, and 54% (523/968) were male. 6% (62/968) of the culture confirmed S. Typhi cases were multidrug resistant (MDR), and 61% (586/968) were extensively drug resistant (XDR). The VE using the TCV coverage data provided by EPI was 98%. CONCLUSION: TCV is effective against culture confirmed S. Typhi among children aged 9 months to 15 years in the catch-up campaign setting. While typhoid vaccination can significantly decrease the burden of typhoid disease, improvements in sanitation and hygiene are necessary for the prevention of spread of enteric fever. Longer term follow up will be needed to assess the duration of protection and requirement for booster doses of TCV.

Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms Syndrome in a Patient Taking Lamotrigine: A Case Report Based Literature Review.

A 29-year-old patient presented to the hospital with worsening generalized rash for the last two days from a mental health facility. The patient was commenced on lamotrigine two weeks earlier, and he developed fever and generalized macular rash on his body. His blood tests showed deranged liver function tests (LFTs) and clotting with raised eosinophil count, and he was treated for lamotrigine-induced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. The patient was commenced on prednisolone 50 mg once daily with a proton pump inhibitor cover, and lamotrigine was suspended on advice from Dermatology. The patient showed improvement after 3-4 days of treatment. His skin biopsy showed prominent suppurative granulomatous folliculitis, mild perivascular chronic inflammation, and red blood cell extravasation, including the rare eosinophil. He was weaned off from prednisolone by 5 mg weekly and had complete resolution of symptoms.

An Effective Synchronization Approach to Stability Analysis for Chaotic Generalized Lotka-Volterra Biological Models Using Active and Parameter Identification Methods.

In this manuscript, we systematically investigate projective difference synchronization between identical generalized Lotka-Volterra biological models of integer order using active control and parameter identification methods. We employ Lyapunov stability theory (LST) to construct the desired controllers, which ensures the global asymptotical convergence of a trajectory following synchronization errors. In addition, simulations were conducted in a MATLAB environment to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed techniques. Exceptionally, both experimental and theoretical results are in excellent agreement. Comparative analysis between the considered strategy and previously published research findings is presented. Lastly, we describe an application of our considered combination difference synchronization in secure communication through numerical simulations.

A Rare Case of Clopidogrel-Induced Migratory Polyarthritis in a Patient With Recent Myocardial Infarction.

Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet drug used for secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, and it is also used in patients with cerebrovascular ischemia. Patients with acute myocardial infarction tend to be on dual antiplatelet therapy for 12 months followed by aspirin lifelong to prevent the risk of stent thrombosis. The most common side effects of clopidogrel are bleeding, neutropenia, and rash; however, arthritis is also one of the rare side effects. We present a case of a 53-year-old patient who had a recent myocardial infarction and was commenced on dual antiplatelet therapy in the form of aspirin and clopidogrel. He started to have severe joint pain, particularly in his knees and shoulders, and was not able to mobilize anymore only three weeks after starting the medications. His clopidogrel was stopped and the patient showed dramatic improvement within three to four days after discontinuation with complete resolution one week later.

Role of silver nanoparticles in fluorimetric determination of urea in urine samples.

Herein, an economical, analytical and sensitive method was established for the fluorometric determination of urea using freshly prepared silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in real urine samples. The standard addition and second-order derivative methods were selected for the ongoing research work to eliminate the possible effect of interferences in a real environment. In this work, Ag-NPs were prepared by reducing silver nitrate salt in the presence of 1,3-di-(1H-imidazole-1-yl) -2-propanol (DIPO) in an aqueous medium. Urea in the urine samples was successfully determined through the complexation of Ag-NPs with urea molecules. The results revealed high percent recovery with ± RSD of urea in the three different urine samples, where percent recoveries by spectrofluorometric standard addition were 99.77 ± 3.4, 100.24 ± 5.1, 100.93 ± 2.8 and that is by the spectrofluorometric second-order derivative method were 103.57 ± 2.4, 101.8 ± 1.3, 98 ± 3.2, respectively. The successful application of these analytical methods in the spectrofluorometric determination of urea in urine samples can accumulate further addition in the effects and possible role of Ag-NPs in the determination of biological molecules in biological and non-biological samples in the scientific as well as clinical fields.

Left Heart and Systemic Arterial Circulation Air Embolus During CT-Guided Lung Biopsy.

A transthoracic needle biopsy (TTNB) of the lung, commonly referred to as a "lung biopsy," is a commonly performed procedure in Interventional Radiology. It is usually associated with well-known risks including pneumothorax and hemothorax. One of the rare and lesser-known risks of TTNB, however, is a phenomenon called an air embolism. The term "air embolism" alone may be somewhat ambiguous, as it could indicate i) air entering the systemic veins, or ii) air entering the pulmonary veins. Here, we present a case of an air embolus entering the pulmonary veins. The pulmonary veins naturally drain into the left side of the heart (left atrium and ventricle) which provides oxygenated blood to the major arteries of the body including the coronary, carotid, and major abdominal visceral branches. Therefore, an air embolism in this vasculature can lead to potentially devastating hemodynamic consequences downstream.