Surgical treatment of an invasive thymoma extending into the superior vena cava and right atrium.

Although invasive thymoma commonly infiltrates neighbouring mediastinal structures, its extension into the superior vena cava (SVC) and consequent SVC occlusion are rare. In such cases, the urgent removal of the thymoma and radical resection of the infiltrated SVC representreasonable options, since induction therapy is time-consuming and useless for symptom resolution. A case of invasive thymoma extending into the SVC and right atrium (RA) with SVC syndrome is reported. The patient underwent a combined resection of the invasive tumor and SVC under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and the SVC and bilateral brachiocephalic vein (BCV) were reconstructed with an autologous pericardial 'Y' conduit. After 40 months of follow-up, the patient showed a patent graft and no tumor recurrence.

[Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(3-butynoicamidophenyl) benzothiazole derivatives as antitumor agents].

A series of 2-(3-butynoicamidophenyl)benzothiazole derivatives were synthesized starting from 4-fluoro-3-nitrobenzoic acid. Structures of all the synthesized compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR and HR-MS. Their antitumor activities against human tumor cells lines (HCT116, Mia-PaCa2, U87-MG, A549, NCI-H1975) were evaluated by MTT assay. The results revealed that most of the synthesized compounds showed potent activities against HCT116, Mia-PaCa2, U87-MG tumor cells lines. Particularly, compounds 14c and 14h exhibited better activity with IC50 values of 1 x 10(-8) mol x L(-1) against U87-MG and HCT116 respectively. The structure-activity relationship of compounds was also discussed preliminarily.

Surgical treatment of aortoesophageal fistula induced by a foreign body in the esophagus: 40 years of experience at a single hospital.

BACKGROUND: Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare but usually fatal complication of a foreign body in the esophagus. Little effective therapy exists to cure an AEF induced by esophageal foreign body. This report describes the authors' 40 years of experience treating patients with AEF caused by a foreign body and compares different treatments of patients and their clinical outcomes. METHODS: The treatments of five patients with AEF caused by esophageal foreign body impaction were recorded at Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Command from 1970 to 2011. One of these five patients was managed with nonsurgical measures, whereas three were treated by surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, and one was treated by surgery with endovascular stent-graft repair. RESULTS: All five AEF cases were confirmed by computed tomography, esophagogastroscopy, surgical findings, or two or both. The nonsurgically treated patient died of fatal hemorrhage. Another patient died during the postoperative period because of ventricular fibrillation (he had a history of coronary heart disease before the operation), and still another patient died of fatal hemorrhage during the surgery. The remaining two patients were completely cured by surgery: the one via traditional open thoracotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass and the other by surgery with endovascular stent-graft repair. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' experience indicates that early diagnosis and an aggressive surgical treatment without delay is the only form of effective therapy for AEF. Endovascular stent-graft repair may be a safe and feasible method for treating patients with AEF that has potential as an improved treatment option for AEF.

Management of the vertebral artery during thoracic endovascular aortic repair with coverage of the left subclavian artery.

BACKGROUND: The application of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), a minimally invasive operation, in the aortic arch has been a challenge of cardiovascular surgery in recent years. This study aimed to investigate management of the vertebral artery with coverage of the left subclavian artery (LSA) during TEVAR. METHODS: From January 2007 to September 2014 in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Wuhan General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Region, 160 patients underwent LSA closure or partial coverage during TEVAR of an aortic lesion near the LSA. The vertebral artery treatment, the reason for the surgical approach selection, and the prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: In 94 patients with partial LSA coverage during TEVAR, no treatment was provided for the vertebral arteries, revealing blood flow of the left vertebral artery forward into the skull after surgery. For 66 patients with full LSA coverage (closure) during TEVAR, right carotid artery-left common carotid artery bypass surgery was performed before TEVAR in ten patients, without any treatment for the vertebral artery, showing reverse blood flow of the left vertebral artery after surgery. Left common carotid artery-LSA bypass surgery was performed before TEVAR in four patients; right common carotid artery-left common carotid artery-LSA bypass surgery was performed before TEVAR in three cases, and 6 out of these 7 patients underwent proximal LSA ligation, showing no obvious blood flow in the left vertebral artery. The closure of the LSA aortic arch opening using an occluder was performed in one patient, preserving the forward blood flow in the left vertebral artery. Among the 160 patients in this study, postoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve injury occurred in one patient after right common carotid artery-left common carotid artery-LSA bypass surgery, and the remaining 159 patients had no significant severe complications or death within 1 postoperative month. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate management of the aortic arch branch vessels may expand the application of TEVAR to the aortic arch and reduce complications, especially for high-risk patients who have a difficult time tolerating thoracotomy.

Effect of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine on cell proliferation of non- small cell lung cancer cell line A549 cells and expression of the TFPI-2 gene.

OBJECTIVE: The present study employed 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line A549 to investigate the effects on proliferation and expression of the TFPI-2 gene. METHODS: Proliferation was assessed by MTT assay after A549 cells were treated with 0, 1, 5, 10 µmol/L 5-Aza-CdR, a specific demethylating agent, for 24 ,48 and 72h. At the last time point cells were also analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) to identify any change in their cell cycle profiles. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSPCR), real time polymerase chain reaction(real-time PCR) and western blotting were carried out to determine TFPI-2 gene methylation status, mRNA expression and protein expression. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that the growth of A549 cells which were treated with 5-Aza-CdR was significantly suppressed as compared with the control group (0 µmol/L 5-Aza-CdR). After treatment with 0, 1, 5, 10 µmol/L 5-Aza-CdR for 72h, FCM showed their proportion in G0/G1 was 69.7±0.99%, 76.1±0.83%, 83.8±0.35%, 95.5±0.55% respectively (P<0.05), and the proportion in S was 29.8±0.43%, 23.7±0.96%, 15.7±0.75%, 1.73±0.45%, respectively (P<0.05), suggesting 5-Aza-CdR treatment induced G0/G1 phase arrest. MSPCR showed that hypermethylation in the promoter region of TFPI-2 gene was detected in control group (0 µmol/L 5-Aza-CdR), and demethylation appeared after treatment with 1, 5, 10 µmol/L 5-Aza-CdR for 72h. Real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of TFPI-2 gene mRNA were 1±0, 1.49±0.14, 1.86±0.09 and 5.80±0.15 (P<0.05) respectively. Western blotting analysis showed the relative expression levels of TFPI-2 protein were 0.12±0.01, 0.23±0.02, 0.31±0.02, 0.62±0.03 (P<0.05). TFPI-2 protein expression in A549 cells was gradually increased significantly with increase in the 5-Aza-CdR concentration. CONCLUSIONS: TFPI-2 gene promoter methylation results in the loss of TFPI-2 mRNA and protein expression in the non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549, and 5-Aza-CdR treatment could induce the demethylation of TFPI-2 gene promoter and restore TFPI-2 gene expression. These findings provide theoretic evidence for clinical treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with the demethylation agent 5-Aza-CdR. TFPI-2 may be one molecular marker for effective treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with 5-Aza-CdR.

Remote preconditioning, perconditioning, and postconditioning: a comparative study of their cardio-protective properties in rat models.

OBJECTIVE: Ischemia reperfusion injury is partly responsible for the high mortality associated with induced myocardial injury and the reduction in the full benefit of myocardial reperfusion. Remote ischemic preconditioning, perconditioning, and postconditioning have all been shown to be cardioprotective. However, it is still unknown which one is the most beneficial. To examine this issue, we used adult male Wistar rat ischemia reperfusion models to compare the cardioprotective effect of these three approaches applied on double-sided hind limbs. METHODS: The rats were randomly distributed to the following five groups: sham, ischemia reperfusion, remote preconditioning, remote perconditioning, and remote post-conditioning. The ischemia/reperfusion model was established by sternotomy followed by a 30-min ligation of the left coronary artery and a subsequent 3-h reperfusion. Remote conditioning was induced with three 5-min ischemia/5-min reperfusion cycles of the double-sided hind limbs using a tourniquet. RESULTS: A lower early reperfusion arrhythmia score (1.50 + 0.97) was found in the rats treated with remote perconditioning compared to those in the ischemia reperfusion group (2.33 + 0.71). Meanwhile, reduced infarct size was also observed (15.27 + 5.19% in remote perconditioning, 14.53 + 3.45% in remote preconditioning, and 19.84+5.85% in remote post-conditioning vs. 34.47 + 7.13% in ischemia reperfusion, p<0.05), as well as higher expression levels of the apoptosis-relevant protein Bcl-2/Bax following global (ischemia/reperfusion) injury in in vivo rat heart models (1.255 + 0.053 in remote perconditioning, 1.463 + 0.290 in remote preconditioning, and 1.461 +0.541 in remote post-conditioning vs. 1.003 + 0.159 in ischemia reperfusion, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Three remote conditioning strategies implemented with episodes of double-sided hind limb ischemia/reperfusion have similar therapeutic potential for cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury, and remote perconditioning has a greater ability to prevent reperfusion arrhythmia.

Percutaneous closure of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect with a patent ductus arteriosus occluder.

OBJECTIVE: Ventricular septal defects resulting from post-traumatic cardiac injury are very rare. Percutaneous closure has emerged as a method for treating this disorder. We wish to report our experience in three patients who underwent percutaneous closure of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect with a patent ductus arteriosus occluder. METHODS: We treated three patients with post-traumatic ventricular septal defects caused by stab wounds with knives. After the heart wound was repaired, patient examinations revealed ventricular septal defects with pulmonary/systemic flow ratios (Qp/Qs) of over 1.7. The post-traumatic ventricular septal defects were closed percutaneously with a patent ductus arteriosus occluder (Lifetech Scientific (Shenzhen) Co., LTD, Guangdong, China) utilizing standard techniques. RESULTS: Post-operative transthoracic echocardiography revealed no residual left-to-right shunt and indicated normal ventricular function. In addition, 320-slice computerized tomography showed that the occluder was well placed and exhibited normal morphology. CONCLUSION: Our experiences indicate that closure of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect using a patent ductus arteriosus occluder is feasible, safe, and effective.

Remote preconditioning, perconditioning, and postconditioning: a comparative study of their cardio-protective properties in rat models

OBJECTIVE: Ischemia reperfusion injury is partly responsible for the high mortality associated with induced myocardial injury and the reduction in the full benefit of myocardial reperfusion. Remote ischemic preconditioning, perconditioning, and postconditioning have all been shown to be cardioprotective. However, it is still unknown which one is the most beneficial. To examine this issue, we used adult male Wistar rat ischemia reperfusion models to compare the cardioprotective effect of these three approaches applied on double-sided hind limbs. METHODS: The rats were randomly distributed to the following five groups: sham, ischemia reperfusion, remote preconditioning, remote perconditioning, and remote post-conditioning. The ischemia/reperfusion model was established by sternotomy followed by a 30-min ligation of the left coronary artery and a subsequent 3-h reperfusion. Remote conditioning was induced with three 5-min ischemia/5-min reperfusion cycles of the double-sided hind limbs using a tourniquet. RESULTS: A lower early reperfusion arrhythmia score (1.50 + 0.97) was found in the rats treated with remote perconditioning compared to those in the ischemia reperfusion group (2.33 + 0.71). Meanwhile, reduced infarct size was also observed (15.27 + 5.19% in remote perconditioning, 14.53 + 3.45% in remote preconditioning, and 19.84+5.85% in remote post-conditioning vs. 34.47 + 7.13% in ischemia reperfusion, p<0.05), as well as higher expression levels of the apoptosis-relevant protein Bcl-2/Bax following global (ischemia/reperfusion) injury in in vivo rat heart models (1.255 + 0.053 in remote perconditioning, 1.463 + 0.290 in remote preconditioning, and 1.461 +0.541 in remote post-conditioning vs. 1.003 + 0.159 in ischemia reperfusion, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Three remote conditioning strategies implemented with episodes of double-sided hind limb ischemia/reperfusion have similar therapeutic potential for cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury, and remote perconditioning has a greater ability to prevent reperfusion arrhythmia.

Percutaneous closure of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect with a patent ductus arteriosus occluder

OBJECTIVE: Ventricular septal defects resulting from post-traumatic cardiac injury are very rare. Percutaneous closure has emerged as a method for treating this disorder. We wish to report our experience in three patients who underwent percutaneous closure of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect with a patent ductus arteriosus occluder. METHODS: We treated three patients with post-traumatic ventricular septal defects caused by stab wounds with knives. After the heart wound was repaired, patient examinations revealed ventricular septal defects with pulmonary/systemic flow ratios (Qp/Qs) of over 1.7. The post-traumatic ventricular septal defects were closed percutaneously with a patent ductus arteriosus occluder (Lifetech Scientific (Shenzhen) Co., LTD, Guangdong, China) utilizing standard techniques. RESULTS: Post-operative transthoracic echocardiography revealed no residual left-to-right shunt and indicated normal ventricular function. In addition, 320-slice computerized tomography showed that the occluder was well placed and exhibited normal morphology. CONCLUSION: Our experiences indicate that closure of a post-traumatic ventricular septal defect using a patent ductus arteriosus occluder is feasible, safe, and effective.