The Growth Potential and Patency of Free Right Internal Thoracic Arteries Verified by Computed Tomography Angiography.

BACKGROUND: The use of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) is the gold standard in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Multiarterial grafting for CABG is being increasingly emphasized. This study aimed to resolve the utility of the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) for multiple CABG as "free" RITA and described new evidence. METHODS: One hundred sixty-three patients received solo CABG with bilateral internal thoracic arteries between 2005 and 2018. The RITA was used as in situ RITA, group A (n = 62), and the composite graft created with saphenous vein graft (SVG), group B (n = 101). The patency rate and graft size of the composite free RITA and SVG were examined by coronary computed tomography angiography. RESULTS: The average number of distal anastomoses per patient was 3.4 ± 1.0 in group A, and 4.2 ± 1.1 in group B (P < .001). The sequential grafting with free RITA was in 86 patients. The patency rate of both LITA and RITA was similar in both groups. In group B, 40 patients received late computed tomography angiography at a mean of 46 months (range, 17 to 175). The late patency rate was 95.1% in LITA and 96.9% in free RITA. The diameter of free RITA increased from 2.06 ± 0.34 mm to 2.37 ± 0.23 mm (P = .036); that of in situ LITA increased from 2.08 ± 0.51 mm to 2.44 ± 0.49 mm (P = .047); and that of composite SVG decreased from 4.1 ± 0.9 mm to 2.6 ± 0.7 mm (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple bypass grafting can be sufficiently achieved with LITA and free RITA. The growth potential of free RITA and in situ LITA might play the important role of expected long-term patency.

Minimally Invasive Multiple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with Composite Graft Using in situ Right Gastroepiploic and Radial Arteries.

Minimally invasive surgery/coronary artery bypass grafting (MICS CABG) via left thoracotomy and multiple CABG is a reported alternative to the standard sternotomy approach. However, harvesting the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) under direct vision requires high surgical skill. We describe MICS CABG with the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and a composite graft using the in situ right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) and radial artery (RA) to achieve complete coronary revascularization. No complications occurred, and postoperative computed tomography showed patency of all grafts. Our experience suggests that this composite graft can be used safely and effectively in MICS CABG for complete arterial revascularization without difficulty.

Staged open surgery for bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation and coarctation of the aorta in a Jehovah's witness.

BACKGROUND: Jehovah's Witnesses refuse allogeneic blood transfusions, which makes cardiovascular surgery challenging. Surgeons must minimize blood and fluid loss within one procedure. CASE PRESENTATION: We herein describe a 17-year-old male Jehovah's Witness with bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation and coarctation of the aorta. The procedures were performed in the following order: aortic valve replacement combined with Nick's aortic root enlargement, right axillary artery-bilateral external iliac artery bypass, and distal arch-descending aorta bypass. CONCLUSIONS: Axillary artery-bilateral external iliac artery bypass maintained distal perfusion and reduced the amount of heparin during distal arch-descending aorta bypass surgery.

A clampless anastomosis technique using the aortic cannula mounted by a prosthetic graft for a severely calcified aorta in a patient with subclavian steal syndrome.

Patients with severely calcified aorta are at high risk of embolic stroke during surgery and it is not feasible to clamp the aorta, necessitating alternative surgical strategies. We present a clampless anastomosis technique using the aortic cannula mounted by a prosthetic graft for a severely calcified aorta in a patient with subclavian-vertebral artery steal syndrome.

Anxiety- and depression-like behavior in mice lacking the CD157/BST1 gene, a risk factor for Parkinson's disease.

CD157, known as bone marrow stromal cell antigen-1, is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored ADP-ribosyl cyclase that supports the survival and function of B-lymphocytes and hematopoietic or intestinal stem cells. Although CD157/Bst1 is a risk locus in Parkinson's disease (PD), little is known about the function of CD157 in the nervous system and contribution to PD progression. Here, we show that no apparent motor dysfunction was observed in young knockout (CD157 (-/-)) male mice under less aging-related effects on behaviors. CD157 (-/-) mice exhibited anxiety-related and depression-like behaviors compared with wild-type mice. These behaviors were rescued through treatment with anti-psychiatric drugs and oxytocin. CD157 was weakly expressed in the amygdala and c-Fos immunoreactivity in the amygdala was less evident in CD157 (-/-) mice than in wild-type mice. These results demonstrate for the first time that CD157 plays a role as a neuro-regulator and suggest a potential role in pre-motor symptoms in PD.

Displays of paternal mouse pup retrieval following communicative interaction with maternal mates.

Compared with the knowledge of maternal care, much less is known about the factors required for paternal parental care. Here we report that new sires of laboratory mice, though not spontaneously parental, can be induced to show maternal-like parental care (pup retrieval) using signals from dams separated from their pups. During this interaction, the maternal mates emit 38-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations to their male partners, which are equivalent to vocalizations that occur following pheromone stimulation. Without these signals or in the absence of maternal mates, the sires do not retrieve their pups within 5 min. These results show that, in mice, the maternal parent communicates to the paternal parent to encourage pup care. This new paradigm may be useful in the analysis of the parental brain during paternal care induced by interactive communication.