[Iliac artery reconstruction in patients with chronic critical limb ischemia: endarterectomy or replacement]. / Vybor metoda rekonstruktsii podvzdoshnykh arterii u bol'nykh khronicheskoi kriticheskoi ishemiei: endarterektomiya ili protezirovanie.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and postoperative morbidity after endarterectomy from the iliac arteries in comparison with ilio-femoral and aorto-femoral replacement in patients with chronic critical lower limb ischemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were 95 patients with chronic critical lower limb ischemia. Iliac artery replacement was carried out in 43 (45.3%) patients, endarterectomy from the iliac arteries - in 52 (54.7%) cases. Trophic disorders on the lower extremities occurred in 36 (37.9%) patients. RESULTS: Iliac artery replacement was accompanied by postoperative wound suppuration and infection of prosthesis in 3 (6.9%) patients, postoperative ventral hernia in 2 (4.7%) patients. The total number of complications specific for endarterectomy (iliac artery perforation - 1 (1.9%) patient, iliac artery thrombosis - 3 (5.8%) patients) was similar to the literature data. Successful endarterectomy was performed in 52 (88.1%) patients. Iliac segment patency was similar in both groups throughout a 12-month follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Endarterectomy from the iliac arteries has some advantages over replacement and should be preferred for trophic complications on the lower extremities.

6Li from Solar Flares.

By introducing a hitherto ignored 6Li producing process, due to accelerated 3He reactions with 4He, we show that accelerated particle interactions in solar flares produce much more 6Li than 7Li. By normalizing our calculations to gamma-ray data, we demonstrate that the 6Li produced in solar flares, combined with photospheric 7Li, can account for the recently determined solar wind lithium isotopic ratio, obtained from measurements in lunar soil, provided that the bulk of the flare-produced lithium is evacuated by the solar wind. Further research in this area could provide unique information on a variety of problems, including solar atmospheric transport and mixing, solar convection and the lithium depletion issue, and solar wind and solar particle acceleration.

Alteration of lymphocyte membrane phospholipids and intracellular free calcium concentrations in hyperlipidemic subjects.

Hypercholesterolemia has been proposed to influence cell functions via changes in membrane composition. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the membrane phospholipid composition of human lymphocytes is modified in hypercholesterolemia and whether these changes are accompanied by functional modifications. The phospholipid fatty acid contents and intracellular free calcium concentrations were determined in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 13 subjects with serum total cholesterol levels ranging from 4.6 to 8.8 mmol/l. The spontaneous basal rate of thymidine incorporation in lymphocyte of hypercholesterolemic individuals increased, while its relative stimulation by ConA was less effective. Important changes in membrane lipid composition, consisting mainly of decrease of the mass of phospholipids, and of associated polyunsaturated fatty acids were observed in hypercholesterolemia. In contrast, the cell cholesterol content was significantly increased. The intracellular free calcium concentration was enhanced and strongly associated with circulating cholesterol levels, cell cholesterol content and phospholipid fatty acids. These results indicate that hypercholesterolemia is accompanied by profound changes in lymphocyte membrane lipid composition and Ca(2+) handling.