Oxytocin increases itch sensitivity of mice in late pregnancy and its peripheral receptor mechanism of itch-promoting effect.

Oxytocin (OXT) is secreted in a large amount during the middle and late pregnancy. Except for the regulation of functions related to childbirth, OXT is involved in the regulation of cognition, social behavior, addiction, pain and so on. Our aim is to confirm the increase of OXT content in mice in late pregnancy is the main cause of itch during pregnancy and observe whether exogenously administered OXT can induce or increase itch sensitivity. The research shows that itch sensitivity of mice increased significantly in late pregnancy and basically returned to normal one day after delivery. The number of OXT-positive neurons in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and the content of OXT in serum of the late pregnant mice increased significantly, and decreased sharply after delivery. Intradermal injection of low concentration of OXT (0.2 nmol/L) could not induce scratching behavior in mice, but high concentration of OXT (5 nmol/L, 10 nmol/L) could do this in a dose-dependent manner. Low concentration of OXT significantly increased the itch sensitivity to histamine. Intradermal injection of oxytocin receptor (OXTR) or arginine vasopressin-1a receptor (AVPR1A) antagonist did not affect histamine-induced scratching behavior, but both reversed the increase of itch sensitivity in late pregnant mice or the facilitated itch sensitivity by OXT. Study suggests that both endogenous and exogenous increases in OXT can increase the body's sensitivity to itch, and even induce itch directly. Pruritus during pregnancy is closely related to the increase of OXT content in vivo. In the periphery, the itch-promoting effect of OXT is mediated by OXTR and AVPR1A.

Beware of Pleural Thickening and Calcification: An Enlightenment from a Case of Tuberculous Pleurisy.

Tuberculous pleurisy, a type of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, is the pleural inflammation caused by hypersensitive response of the pleural cavity stimulated by mycobacterium tuberculosis and its metabolites. If the patient does not receive timely and effective treatment and intervention, a large amount of fibrin will be deposited which will cause pleural thickening, adhesions, and even calcification. At present, clinical cases of typical pleural thickening and calcification have been rarely reported. In this paper, we will report a case of significant pleural thickening and calcification caused by tuberculous pleurisy; moreover, the patient earliest got tuberculous pleurisy about in 20 years ago and had received anti-tuberculous treatment at that time. The patient's typical crescent-shaped shadow created by pleural thickening and calcification is very rare in the domestic and international literature.

A Rare Giant Midesophageal Diverticulum: Fever is the Only Symptom.

A 55-year-old man was treated at the village hospital with six months medical history of recurrent chills and fever. Due to the lack of imaging examination, antipyretic and anti-infective medications were given. Although symptomatic treatment can relieve fever symptoms, symptoms easily flare up again two to three days after taking the drug. Later, the patient suffered from fever again during the COVID-19 epidemic and was sent to our hospital for isolation and treatment. During this hospitalization, chest CT examination is mandatory for all patients in order to meet the requirements of epidemic prevention and control. This led to the inadvertent discovery of a large cystic solid mass in the right thoracic cavity communicating with the esophageal lumen. The patient was preliminarily diagnosed as giant midesophageal diverticulum after three-dimensional CT image reconstruction of the chest was reviewed. Considering the patient's persistent fever with poor nutritional status, we decided to temporarily place two gastric tubes (diverticulum decompression and gastrointestinal nutrition), and antibiotics were used at the same time as another main treatment. However, after the symptoms eased and nutritional status improved, he refused all further treatment. We believe that this patient's diverticulum is very classic, and the treatment plan is highly integrated with the needs of epidemic prevention and control and achieves a satisfactory therapeutic effect, so we hope to provide colleagues with new diagnosis and treatment enlightenment through this case.

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.

A giant symptomatic cardiac lipoma recurring at the fifth year.

Cardiac lipomas are extremely rare in the heart diseases and only few present with a wide spectrum of clinical signs, including life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden death. We report a 48-year-old woman who with a 2-year history of recurrent dyspnea with mild anemia was admitted to our hospital as a huge mass was found in her mediastinum. After complete surgical tumor resection, she was recurred at the fifth year. This case underlines the giant cardiac lipomas had a slightly higher risk of recurrence over the next five years.

Feasibility study on the application of fenestrated stent grafts in canine aortic arches.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the feasibility and effectiveness of applying fenestrated stent grafts in canine aortic arches. METHODS: According to the anatomic characteristics of the aortic arches from four adult beagle dogs, a straight-type aortic coated vascular stent system from Lifetech Scientific (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. was released in vitro, after which a square window was burnt out at the back tendon of the coated vascular stent with an electrocautery pen, and the fenestrated stent grafts were then returned in the catheter and delivery sheath, following the original release path. Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) was then performed in the canine aorta. Immediately after surgery, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and computed tomography (CT) angiography were conducted. On day 3, the dressing was changed, and on day 7, the stitches were removed and CT angiography was reviewed. Animal autopsies were performed 2 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: DSA and CT angiography were conducted in 4 beagles immediately after the experiments. The CT angiography reviewed on day 7 after surgery and the animal autopsy performed two weeks after surgery both revealed that the fenestrated stent grafts were anchored in the canine aortic arch, the openings were aligned against the branch vessels above the aortic arch, and in each branch vessel, the blood flow was smooth, without any obvious internal leakage phenomena. CONCLUSION: An ordinary straight-type coated vascular stent, fenestrated in vitro, followed by the performance of EVAR in the canine aortic arch for in vivo stent implantation, was technically feasible. When a branch coated vascular stent cannot meet the individual needs of the wound, this technology may provide a valuable strategy for clinical thoracic aortic trauma emergencies.

TGF-ß1 induces human aortic vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype switch through PI3K/AKT/ID2 signaling.

The vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic switch is considered to be the key pathophysiological change in various cardiovascular diseases, such as aortic dissection, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. The results in this study showed that TGF-ß1 promotes the proliferation, migration and morphological changes of VSMC.TGF-ß1 promoted the expressions of PI3K, P-PI3K, AKT, P-AKT, ID2, and OPN protein and suppressed the expressions of α-SMA and SM22α protein; the opposite results were observed for TGF-ß1 inhibitor group, AKT inhibitor group and Combined inhibitors group. After the stimulation of TGF-ß1 signaling, the mRNA levels of PI3K, AKT, ID2, and OPN were the highest, while the mRNA levels of α-SMA and SM22α were the lowest; the opposite results were found in the same groups above. These results suggested the PI3K/AKT/ID2 signaling pathway is involved in TGF-ß1-mediated human aortic VSMC phenotypic switching, that is from a contractile to synthetic phenotype, and Combined inhibitors was more effective in inhibiting the phenotypic switch than a single inhibitor. The Combined inhibitors experiments may provide new avenues for the prevention and treatment of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) that are based on the pathological effects of phenotypic switching.

Secondary aortoesophageal fistula after thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascular repair: literature review and new insights regarding the hypothesized mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular aortic repair was first performed nearly two decades ago and has become a well-established alternative therapy for many thoracoabdominal aortic diseases. Early survival results with the endovascular aortic repair were impressive, but it also brought many complications. Aortoesophageal fistula is little-known and may be underestimated because it is an unusual complication of thoracic endovascular aortic repair. OBJECTIVE: To provide a review of the general features of aortoesophageal fistula as a little-known complication after thoracic endovascular aortic repair and to present a new insight regarding the hypothesized mechanisms of this complication based on clinical experience. METHODS: The new insights regarding the hypothesized mechanisms built on the literature review and clinical experience. Literature Review from PubMed and Web of Knowledge for relevant studies with English paper. Searches were performed without year, and used the combinations of the following key words: "thoracic aortic aneurysm", "endovascular", "aortoesophageal fistula", "complication". RESULTS: The authors' hypothesized mechanisms of aortoesophageal fistula after thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascular repair include the relatively thin vessel wall on thoracic aortic aneurysm hard to prevent the relatively rigid stent graft projecting the aortic and direct erosion into the esophagus. CONCLUSION: Selecting flexibility and appropriate size stent graft, avoiding the thin aortic wall, and identifying the risk factors may reduce the morbidity of complications with aortoesophageal fistula after thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascular repair.

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.

Descending aortic aneurysm associated with coarctation.

A large aneurysm of the descending aorta associated with coarctation is an extremely rare congenital coronary abnormality. This report presents a case of descending aortic large aneurysm associated with coarctation, which was confirmed by 16-slice computed tomography.

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.

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.