Iliac Artery Reconstruction with Femoral Vein After Bare Metal Stent Infection.

INTRODUCTION: Primary infection of a bare metal stent is a rare condition, associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Definitive treatment includes stent removal and arterial reconstruction. REPORT: This study details a common iliac stent infection after re-intervention for iliac stent occlusion, complicated by pseudoaneurysm formation and septic embolisation. Potential risk factors for stent infection were identified. An open surgical resection of the affected artery along with all stent material was performed, followed by reconstruction with autologous interposition superficial femoral vein. There were no complications and no recurrent infection at 6 months follow-up. CONCLUSION: Although rare, bare metal stent infection may occur, and a high index of suspicion is required. Stent surgical removal and arterial in situ reconstruction with autologous femoral vein proved to be a definitive procedure with no mid-term morbidity.

Modeling anisotropic magnetoresistance in layered antiferromagnets.

We have investigated the electronic transport and the anisotropic magnetoresistance in systems consisting of pairs of antiferromagnetically aligned layers separated by a non-magnetic layer, across which an antiferromagnetic coupling between the double layers is established. Calculations have been performed within the framework of the tight-binding model, taking into account the exchange coupling within the ferromagnetic layers and the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. Conductivities have been evaluated in the ballistic regime, based on Kubo formula. We have systematically studied the dependence of the conductivity and of the anisotropic magnetoresistance on several material and structural parameters, such as the orientation of the magnetic moments relative to the crystalline axis, band filling, out-of-plane hopping and spin-orbit parameter.

[Leg ulcer clinic at Santa Marta Hospital]. / Consulta de úlcera de perna do Hospital de Santa Marta.

Leg ulcers constitute a highly prevalent pathology in society, and are particularly common in the Angiology and Vascular Surgery outpatient clinic. The prevalence of these patients in this Department result from the fact that 70% of them display superficial and/or deep venous insufficiency of the lower limbs. To address this problem and optimize the therapeutic approaches available to the Chronic Leg Ulcer (CLU) patients, the Department of Angiology and Vascular Surgery has created, in March 2005, an appointment specific to CLU patients. An evaluation protocol was developed, including ulcer characterization, standardization of the conservative treatment, followed by surgical intervention, whenever required. The results obtained were evaluated 18 months after the onset of this protocol. Analysis of the results revealed that the majority of the patients responded positively to the new therapeutic approach, with closure of the ulcer in 43% of the patients and a significant improvement detected for an additional 30%. Furthermore, it was observed that a detailed evaluation of these patients should be regarded as a whole, followed by a standardized and targeted approach, resulting in a particularly successful approach on the treatment of this pathology.

Scaling approach to the magnetic phase diagram of nanosized systems.

Based on the discovery of a simple scaling relation, a new technique for the investigation of the phase diagram of nanosized magnetic systems is proposed. By scaling the exchange interaction between magnetic moments, the magnetic phase diagram of currently lithographically produced particles can be obtained from those corresponding to much smaller systems. Such a technique reduces the computation time by several orders of magnitude, and provides a new approach to the investigation of the relative stability of distinct internal magnetic configurations of nanosized systems. The technique is illustrated by the determination of the phase diagram of cylindrically shaped Co particles.