Prior Radiological Investigations in 65-Year-Old Men Screened for AAA.

BACKGROUND: The National Health Service abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programme (NAAASP) is now fully operational. Those who have previously been formally investigated for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are excluded; however, many patients undergo radiological investigation of the abdomen for other reasons. Such practices may find incidental AAA which may be eroding the performance of the NAAASP. We investigated the rates of preinvestigation before invitation to screening in our local AAA screening programme. METHODS: Electronic patient records were retrospectively reviewed for all patients called between March 2013 and February 2016 in 1 local AAA screening programme. Their records were interrogated to identify any abdominal imaging within 5 years of their invitation to screening. RESULTS: Two thousand six hundred thirty-eight men were invited for screening; of these, 563 (21.3%) had been "prescreened". Median time between prescreening and screening was 19 months (0-60 months). Ultrasound abdomen was the most prevalent at 248 (44.0%). Two thousand two hundred forty-three (85.0%) men attended screening, and 6 (0.27%) were excluded for known AAA. Prevalence of AAA was 1.8% (n = 41). Of these, 15 (36.6%) had prior investigation with 6 (40.0%) having AAA diagnosed. Therefore, 9 (22.0%) had potential missed AAA on "prescreening" (mean diameter 35 mm [30-45], mean time lapse between investigation and screening 21.1 months [1-49]). Incidence of missed aneurysm in the "prescreened" cohort was 1.6% (9/563). CONCLUSIONS: Large numbers of men invited for AAA screening have undergone preinvestigation of their abdominal aorta, with 60% of the present AAA being missed. Reliance on incidental detection of AAA would leave many patients undiagnosed in the community-at risk of future rupture.

Isolated Peripheral Nerve Palsies in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) poses a difficult diagnostic entity with varied etiology and clinical presentation. We present a 35-year-old gentleman with unilateral long thoracic nerve palsy and contralateral subscapular paralysis caused by aberrant scalenus medius anatomy. TOS ought to be considered in patients presenting with isolated nerve palsies.

Methylarginines within the RGG-Motif Region of hnRNP A1 Affect Its IRES Trans-Acting Factor Activity and Are Required for hnRNP A1 Stress Granule Localization and Formation.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) is a stress granule-associated RNA-binding protein that plays a role in apoptosis and cellular stress recovery. HnRNP A1 is a major non-histone target of protein arginine methyltransferase 1, which asymmetrically dimethylates hnRNP A1 at several key arginine residues within its arginine-glycine-glycine (RGG)-motif region. Although arginine methylation is known to regulate general RNA binding of hnRNP A1 in vitro, the functional role of arginine methylation in hnRNP A1 cytoplasmic activity is unknown. To test the impact of key methylarginine residues on hnRNP A1 cytoplasmic activity and stress granule association, cytoplasmically restricted Flag-tagged mutants of hnRNP A1 were generated in which key methylarginine residues within the RGG-motif region were changed to either lysine or alanine. Lysine substitution, which mimics unmethylated arginine, resulted in a 40% increase in internal ribosome entry site trans-acting factor (ITAF) activity and the protein readily associates with stress granules. Alanine substitution resulted in a loss of ITAF activity and reduced mRNA binding. The alanine mutant also displays reduced stress granule association and suppresses stress granule formation. Our data suggest that arginine residues within the RGG-motif region are critical for hnRNP A1 cytoplasmic activities and that endogenous asymmetric dimethylation of the RGG-motif region suppresses hnRNP A1 ITAF activity in cells. Our findings indicate that methylarginine residues within the RGG-motif region of hnRNP A1 are important for its cytoplasmic activities and that hypomethylation and/or mutation of the RGG-motif region may contribute to the role of hnRNP A1 in diseases such as cancer.

Decreased eIF3e Expression Can Mediate Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition through Activation of the TGFß Signaling Pathway.

UNLABELLED: The eIF3e protein is a component of the multisubunit eIF3 complex, which is essential for cap-dependent translation initiation. Decreased eIF3e expression is often observed in breast and lung cancer and has been shown to induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in breast epithelial cells by an unknown mechanism. Here, we study the effect of decreased eIF3e expression in lung epithelial cells by creating stable clones of lung epithelial cells (A549) that express an eIF3e-targeting shRNA. Our data indicate that decreased eIF3e expression in lung epithelial cells leads to EMT, as it does in breast epithelial cells. Importantly, we show that decreased eIF3e expression in both lung and breast epithelial cells leads to the overproduction of the TGFß cytokine and that inhibition of TGFß signaling can reverse eIF3e-regulated EMT in lung epithelial cells. In addition, we discovered that several mRNAs that encode important EMT regulators are translated by a cap-independent mechanism when eIF3e levels are reduced. These findings indicate that EMT mediated by a decrease in eIF3e expression may be a general phenomenon in epithelial cells and that it requires activation and maintenance of the TGFß signaling pathway. IMPLICATIONS: These results indicate that inhibition of TGFß signaling could be an efficient way to prevent metastasis in patients with NSCLC that display reduced eIF3e expression.

Accelerated development of mesenteric and renal artery calcific atherosclerosis following radiotherapy for testicular cancer.

We present a case of a 61-year-old male presenting with post-prandial epigastric pain and marked weight loss. Investigation revealed calcific atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta, coeliac axis, superior mesenteric (SMA) and renal arteries. He had undergone radiotherapy for testicular teratoma 34 years previously. Percutaneous mesenteric revascularization by primary stenting of the SMA proved successful. Radiotherapy for intra-abdominal malignancy has the potential to induce both acute and chronic enteritis and an accelerated atherosclerotic process in the arteries within the field of beam.

Isolated dissecting aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. A case report and literature review.

Supracoeliac abdominal aortic dissections are rare and require complex interventions for repair. Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissections are also rare and even less frequently reported to involve aneurysmal change. We present the case of a 65-year-old man with a dissecting supracoeliac aortoiliac aneurysm and a separate dissecting aneurysm of the SMA The surgical intervention performed and a review of the literature on the management of SMA dissection in the endovascular era are presented.

Coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet activation in patients undergoing open and endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is associated with an improved perioperative mortality compared to open surgical repair. This benefit may reflect reduced incidence of microvascular and macrovascular thrombotic complications after EVAR. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to review and compare the effects of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), open surgical repair, and EVAR on coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet activation. METHODS: A MEDLINE (1966-2010) and Cochrane library search for articles relating to the effects of AAA, open surgical repair, and EVAR on hemostasis was performed utilizing and cross-linking terms such as clotting, fibrinolysis, AAA, EVAR, and open surgical repair. Studies with a small cohort of patients (less than 7) or in which values of assessed biomarkers were not included were rejected. RESULTS: AAA is associated with increased thrombin generation, activity, and fibrin turnover as evidenced by increased plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin III-complex (TAT), activated protein C-protein C inhibitor (APC-PCI), fibrin-monomer-fibrinogen (FM-F), F1+2, fibrinogen, and D-dimer. The extent of hemostatic derangement correlates with the volume of intraluminal thrombus. This procoagulant state is exaggerated in the immediate perioperative period after both open surgical repair and EVAR, but is attenuated at medium-term follow-up although not normalized. CONCLUSION: The resultant prothrombotic diathesis after open surgical repair and EVAR may account for the high level of perioperative thrombotic complications.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumour presenting with duodenal-jejunal intussusception: a case report.

Duodenal-jejunal intussusception is an extremely rare occurrence and has never been reported in the context of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). We present the case of a duodenal GIST which presented with major intestinal haemorrhage in addition to duodenal-jejunal intussusception.

The ectopic expression of the wheat Puroindoline genes increase germ size and seed oil content in transgenic corn.

Plant oil content and composition improvement is a major goal of plant breeding and biotechnology. The Puroindoline a and b (PINA and PINB) proteins together control whether wheat seeds are soft or hard textured and share a similar structure to that of plant non-specific lipid-transfer proteins. Here we transformed corn (Zea mays L.) with the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) puroindoline genes (Pina and Pinb) to assess their effects upon seed oil content and quality. Pina and Pinb coding sequences were introduced into corn under the control of a corn Ubiquitin promoter. Three Pina/Pinb expression positive transgenic events were evaluated over two growing seasons. The results showed that Pin expression increased germ size significantly without negatively impacting seed size. Germ yield increased 33.8% while total seed oil content was increased by 25.23%. Seed oil content increases were primarily the result of increased germ size. This work indicates that higher oil content corn hybrids having increased food or feed value could be produced via puroindoline expression.

Carotid artery pseudoaneurysm after carotid endarterectomy: case series and a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Pseudoaneurysm (PA) after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a rare complication with incidence less than 1%. There is a potential for rupture, embolization, thrombosis or compression of cranial nerves. OBJECTIVE: We reviewed our experience and compare it to the literature to raise awareness of this rare though serious condition. It is crucial to treat these patients early to avoid the hazardous consequences. METHODS: A review of the case records of patients who had CEA at University Hospital Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust from 1990-2007, was undertaken. Information of patients including their aetiology, presenting features, treatment and results was collected. The English-language literature was searched using PubMed database for post CEA pseudoaneurysm. RESULTS: Five patients developed post CEA PA. This represents 0.4% of the 1200 CEA performed at our hospital in the last 18 years. The timing of their presentation varied from three days to eight months after the original operation. All had patch reconstruction after CEA. Patches were intact at exploration of the PAs. There was one death and one stroke. The literature revealed 154 carotid PAs after CEA and two cases following carotid stenting 52 of these cases had infected PA. Patients with synthetic patches have the least incidence of infection. More than 80% had open surgery and 9% had endovascular repair. CONCLUSION: Post CEA surveillance is necessary to detect patients with PA early. Factors that favour infection must be avoided. Endovascular repair of carotid PA should be encouraged in specialised centres.

Cessation of epilepsy in an 8-year-old girl following removal of carotid body paraganglioma.

We present a case of an 8-year-old girl with established focal epilepsy, whose fits resolved permanently after excision of a carotid body paraganglioma.

Iliofemoral pulsion endarterectomy.

We present our experience with a technique of endarterectomy for use in patients with iliofemoral occlusive disease, in which the atheromatous plug is extruded from the intact artery by external manipulation (pulsion). A retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent surgical iliofemoral pulsion endarterectomy (IFPE) in two vascular surgery units between 1998 and 2006 was performed. Primary and secondary graft patency, limb salvage, and patient survival rates were determined using Kaplan-Meier methods. Fifty-eight IFPEs were carried out successfully on 54 patients (36 men, 18 women, median age 66 years) presenting with critical limb ischemia (n=23), with claudication (n=29), or in conjunction with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (n=6). Mean (range) follow-up was 17 months (1-69). During this period six patients (all male, mean age 64 years) underwent iliofemoral bypass using a prosthetic graft when the iliac arteries were found unsuitable for endarterectomy because of hypoplasia or heavy calcification. Two-year cumulative primary patency of IFPE was 95%, secondary patency 100%, limb salvage 98.5%, and patient survival 73%. This modification of iliac endarterectomy is a relatively simple and safe technique that eschews prosthetics and offers a durable solution for the majority of patients with extensive iliofemoral occlusive disease.

Surgical versus endovascular reconstruction for chronic mesenteric ischemia: a contemporary UK series.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of surgical (SR) and endovascular (ER) reconstruction for chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). METHODS: Retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent SR or ER for CMI in 3 UK vascular surgery units between 1996 and 2006. Early (<30 days; technical success, morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay) and late (>30 days) outcomes (symptom recurrence, vessel/graft patency, reintervention, mortality) were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients underwent 32 reconstructions (SR = 17, ER = 15). A total of 44 of 56 (79%) diseased arteries underwent SR (n = 26; bypass = 24, reimplantation = 2; occlusion = 16, stenosis = 10) or ER (n = 18; stenosis = 16, occlusion = 2). Perioperative mortality for SR and ER was 6% and 0%, respectively (P > or = .99). Hospital stay was shorter following ER (mean, 4.3 vs. 14.2 days, P = .0003). Mean (range) follow-up for SR and ER was 34 (1-94) and 34 (0-135) months, respectively. At 2 years, SR demonstrated superior secondary patency (100% vs. 65%) and clinical patency (100% vs. 73%). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical mesenteric reconstruction is associated with significantly longer hospital stay, but superior long-term outcome compared to endovascular reconstruction.

Modified trapdoor exposure for open repair of brachiocephalic artery branch injury: case report.

Central venous catheterization is associated with a wide spectrum of vascular complications, including inadvertent arterial puncture. We describe 2 cases of successful open surgical repair of iatrogenic cervicothoracic arterial injuries secondary to central venous catheterization. In both patients, a novel transmanubrial approach was incorporated to expose and control the brachiocephalic artery.