[A Combination Therapy with Antibiotic and Surgical Treatment in a Patient with Patent Ductus Arteriosus with Pulmonary Vegetation:Report of a Case].

We present a case of a 24-year-old female who presented with a history of fever and back pain. She had no particular medical history and was not taking any medication. Transthoracic echocardiology and computed tomography showed a patent ductus arteriosus with vegetation in the pulmonary artery. She was treated with penicillin G;however, the vegetation embolized into the left pulmonary artery. After the antibiotics was changed to clindamycin and ceftriaxone, the resolution of the lung abscess was shown by computed tomography( CT). Two months later, a surgical repair of the patent ductus arteriosus was successfully performed. Patent ductus arteriosus-associated infectious endocarditis is relatively rare in adulthood.

Renal Biomarkers in the Early Detection of Acute Kidney Injury After Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac surgery-associated (CSA) acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe postoperative complication in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Early detection of postoperative CSA-AKI may be key to improving patient outcomes. This study explored the use of renal biomarkers measured immediately after surgery for the early detection of CSA-AKI in patients undergoing OPCAB.Methods and Results: In all, 111 patients who underwent OPCAB at Kumamoto University Hospital between June 2020 and October 2022 were included in this study. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, liver-type fatty acid-binding protein, and N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were measured upon arrival in the intensive care unit (ICU) after surgery. AKI was diagnosed using KDIGO criteria. Of the 111 patients, 32 (28.8%) developed postoperative AKI. Regarding AKI staging, 19 (59.4%), 11 (34.4%), and 2 (6.3%) patients had Stage 1, 2, and 3 AKI, respectively. There were significant differences in chronic kidney disease, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and NAG between the AKI and non-AKI groups. Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative eGFR (odds ratio [OR] for 5-mL/min/1.73 m2increase in eGFR 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-0.89) and increasing urinary NAG concentrations at ICU admission (OR 2.44; 95% CI 1.30-4.60) were significant risk factors for CSA-AKI in OPCAB patients. CONCLUSIONS: NAG and eGFR may be valuable biomarkers for the early detection of CSA-AKI in patients undergoing OPCAB.

Do chronic total occlusive lesions affect patency of coronary bypass grafts to the right coronary artery?

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions on the patency of bypass grafts to the right coronary artery territory. METHODS: Two hundred patients undergoing primary isolated coronary artery bypass grafting with revascularization to the right coronary artery territory between April 2015 and July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Study patients were divided into two groups according to their right coronary artery lesion: patients with CTO lesions (n = 76) and those without CTO lesions (n = 124). Graft flow of the right coronary artery territory was evaluated by intraoperative transit time flow measurement and patency of the bypass graft was evaluated by multidetector row computed tomography. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients (76 patients with CTO and 124 patients without CTO) were included in this study. Intraoperative transit time flow measurement demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the median mean graft flow (30 ml/min vs. 25 ml/min; p = 0.114), pulsatility index (2.1 vs. 2.4; p = 0.079), and diastolic filling rate (65% vs. 64%; p = 0.844) between patients with CTO and those without CTO. Postoperative multidetector row computed tomography demonstrated that the patency of bypass grafts to the right coronary artery territory was similar between the groups (94.7% in patients with CTO vs. 96.0% in those without CTO; p = 0.733). In patients with CTO, the patency of bypass graft tended to be worse in subgroup with rich collateral blood flow (Rentrop grade 3). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic total occlusion lesions do not affect the patency of bypass grafts to the right coronary artery territory.

Mitral valve replacement with annuloplasty in a patient with infected mitral annular calcification.

Key Clinical Message: Extensive resection of the infected calcified annulus and the reconstruction with a pericardial patch for the debrided annulus is an effective surgical option for the treatment of infectious endocarditis in patients with mitral annular calcification. Abstract: A 78-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of left-sided hemiparesis. During the treatment for cerebral infarction, the patient became feverish and lost consciousness. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed mitral annular calcification and a tumor-like mass on the posterior leaflet despite no findings of mitral regurgitation. She underwent successful mitral valve replacement with debridement of the infected mitral annulus and reconstruction of the posterior annulus (annuloplasty) with bovine pericardium after removal of the mitral annular calcification.

Factors Affecting Recovery of 6-Minute Walk Distance After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Background: This single-center retrospective analysis investigated the number of days required for postoperative 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) to recover to preoperative values after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and the factors influencing this recovery. Methods and Results: The 6MWD was measured in 101 patients (median age 69 years; 18 women) before and every day after CABG. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors affecting 6MWD recovery to preoperative values after CABG. The median number of days required for recovery of 6MWD after CABG was 9 (interquartile range 7-11 days). Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the median number of days required for recovery of 6MWD; there were 60 patients in the early recovery group (<9 days) and 41 in the "non-early" recovery group (38 who recovered after the median 9 days, and 3 who did not recover during hospitalization). Using univariate logistic regression analysis, diabetes (P=0.01), stroke (P=0.26), left ventricular ejection fraction (P=0.27), and grip strength (P=0.13) were selected for multivariate analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that diabetes (odds ratio 2.955; 95% confidence interval 1.208-7.229; P=0.02) was the only independent predictor of 6MWD recovery. Conclusions: Diabetes was the single factor influencing the recovery of postoperative 6MWD in patients undergoing CABG.

Free Jejunal Graft Interposition with Vascular Reconstruction in Patients Undergoing Pharyngo Laryngo Esophagectomy.

BACKGROUND: Pharyngo-esophageal reconstruction using free jejunal grafts has been widely used for the treatment of locally advanced carcinomas of the hypopharynx and cervical esophagus. However, the procedure is technically demanding and requires complex recontractions. The aim of this study was to evaluate our institutional outcomes of reconstruction using a free jejunal graft with vascular reconstruction in patients undergoing pharyngo laryngo esophagectomy with a multidisciplinary surgical team. METHODS: There were 90 consecutive patients between October 2006 and February 2021. The mean age was 64.6 ± 10.3 years, and there were 76 male patients. Of 90 patients, 49 underwent preoperative chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Jejunal vessels were commonly anastomosed to the common carotid artery and the internal jugular vein (77.8% and 92.2%, respectively). Continuous intravenous infusion of heparin was used postoperatively. RESULTS: Necrosis of the graft was observed in 5 patients. An isolated revision of vein was necessary in 1 patient. In all cases of graft failure, heparin was not used postoperatively. On the other hand, among the patients without graft failure, heparin was used for about two-thirds of the patients and was significantly different (0% vs. 66%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Free jejunal graft with vessel reconstruction is a safe and effective method for patients undergoing pharyngo laryngo esophagectomy. The position for the prevention of kinking as well anastomosis maneuver of vein is especially important. Moreover, early postoperative anticoagulation is essential.

Enlarged coronary sinus thrombosis after repair of Ebstein's anomaly.

A 58-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with progressively increasing breathlessness. She reported a history of bioprosthetic valve implantation for tricuspid valve replacement and direct closure of an atrial septal defect for Ebstein's anomaly, 31 years before presentation. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed prosthetic valve failure, an enlarged coronary sinus, and severe mitral regurgitation. Computed tomography revealed a giant coronary sinus with thrombosis and persistent left superior vena cava. She underwent successful mitral and tricuspid valve replacement; however, severe hemodynamic deterioration necessitated mechanical ventilatory support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

CXCL12 and osteopontin from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells improve muscle regeneration.

Muscle satellite cells are essential for muscle regeneration. However, efficient regeneration does not occur without muscle-resident mesenchymal progenitor cells. We show here that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (Bm-MSCs) also facilitate muscle regeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) model mice. Bm-MSCs transplanted into peritoneal cavities of DMD model mice with severe muscle degeneration strongly suppressed dystrophic pathology and improved death-related symptoms, which resulted in dramatic lifespan extension. Isolated single myofibers from Bm-MSC-transplanted mice manifested considerably less myofiber splitting compared with myofibers from non-transplanted mice, which indicated that transplantation significantly ameliorated abnormal regeneration. With regard to the number of satellite cells, several cells remained on myofibers from Bm-MSC-transplanted model mice, but satellite cells rarely occurred on myofibers from non-transplanted mice. Also, CXCL12 was crucial for muscle regeneration. CXCL12 facilitated muscle regeneration and paired box protein-7 (PAX7) expression after cardiotoxin-related muscle injury in vivo. The majority of primary muscle satellite cells sorted by integrin-α7 and CD34 expressed CXCR4, a receptor specific for CXCL12. CXCL12 strongly suppressed p-STAT3 expression in these sorted cells in vitro. CXCL12 may therefore influence muscle regeneration through STAT3 signaling in satellite cells. Targeting these proteins in or on muscle satellite cells may improve many degenerative muscle diseases.

Curcumin (1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) blocks the chemotaxis of neutrophils by inhibiting signal transduction through IL-8 receptors.

We investigated the impact of curcumin on neutrophils. Chemotactic activity via human recombinant IL-8 (hrIL-8) was significantly inhibited by curcumin. Curcumin reduced calcium ion flow induced by internalization of the IL-8 receptor. We analyzed flow cytometry to evaluate the status of the IL-8 receptor after curcumin treatment. The change in the distribution of receptors intracellularly and on the cell surface suggested that curcumin may affect the receptor trafficking pathway intracellulary. Rab11 is a low molecular weight G protein associated with the CXCR recycling pathway. Following curcumin treatment, immunoprecipitation studies showed that the IL-8 receptor was associated with larger amounts of active Rab11 than that in control cells. These data suggest that curcumin induces the stacking of the Rab11 vesicle complex with CXCR1 and CXCR2 in the endocytic pathway. The mechanism for antiinflammatory response by curcumin may involve unique regulation of the Rab11 trafficking molecule in recycling of IL-8 receptors.