Prevalence and morphological changes of carotid kinking and coiling in growth: an echo-color Doppler study of 2856 subjects between aged 0 to 96 years.

Extracranial internal carotid artery (EICA) kinking and coiling are the most frequently reported carotid anomalies in the literature. Embryogenic and acquired causes for such anomalies have been postulated but the prevalence of kinking and coiling has not been well characterized across age categories. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of EICA coiling and kinking among different age groups to better understand its potential causes and changes during the course of life. A total of 2856 subjects aged 0 to 96 years were studied by echo-color Doppler (ECD). Morphology and anatomical anomalies of the EICA were assessed. Patients with anatomical anomalies were stratified by age groups and the prevalence of EICA abnormalities was calculated. The maximal velocity recorded at the level of the kinking was compared with that measured in the common carotid artery and the peak systolic velocity kinking ratio (PSVKR) was calculated. A total of 284 subjects (9.94% of the sample) were found to have kinking or coiling of the EICA. The prevalence was significantly higher at the extremes of age (≤ 20 and > 60 years old, p < 0.001) supporting the hypothesis of a reduction with growth and a new increase in the elderly. PSVKR was higher in subjects with more severity kinking. This study showed a higher prevalence of EICA coiling and kinking in the very young and in the elderly. This bimodal prevalence distribution supports the hypothesis of a congenital anomaly that resolves with somatic growth, while advanced age with its many anatomical changes leads to its reappearance or worsening. Studies with longitudinal follow-up and paired observation are required to support this hypothesis.

Vittorio Benussi's "Emotional Functional Autonomy": Resumption and Re-Evaluation.

This study resumes and reevaluates the research on emotional functional autonomy developed by Vittorio Benussi in the 1920s, using hypnosuggestive methods. Four fundamental human emotions were studied in hypnosis: hope, happiness, despair, and unhappiness. Participants received training aimed at experiencing neutral hypnosis, characterized by the absence of any suggested images or suggested cognition. During the neutral hypnosis, the participants were asked to experience emotions isolated from all cognitive and imaginative experience so as to produce what can be assumed to be physiological responses driven by emotion only. The measured physiological variables were breathing and skin conductance. The study found evidence for a specific respiratory profile for each of the emotions examined.

Thyroid Gland Hemorrhage in a Patient with Past Medical History of Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma: Report of a Very Rare Case.

BACKGROUND The incidence of metastasis to the thyroid gland is extremely rare, with hemorrhage being a particularly uncommon manifestation of metastatic thyroid disease. CASE REPORT A 68-year-old man who underwent a right nephrectomy for RCC 8 years ago was referred to the Emergency Department (ED) complaining of upper-chest pain radiating to the left shoulder, tachycardia, and increased dysphonia. An enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan suggested a thyroid mass originating from both thyroid lobes, with right deviation of the trachea due to active bleeding. The patient underwent an emergency total thyroidectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful. The histopathological analysis of the surgical specimen revealed metastasis of an RCC. CONCLUSIONS Active bleeding of the thyroid gland is a formal indication for emergency surgical management. In patients with a history of cancer, especially in cases of RCC, metastatic disease should be suspected, although in most cases the final diagnosis can only be made after surgery.

Evaluating intimal hyperplasia under clinical conditions.

OBJECTIVES: Open arterial revascularization using venous segments is frequently associated with the development of intimal hyperplasia (IH), leading to severe restenosis and graft failure. The lack of treatment to prevent this pathology is a major problem. Therefore, we generated a new porcine model, which closely mimics the clinical development of human IH, to test the therapeutic potential of candidate drugs. METHODS: A patch of jugular vein was sutured to the right common carotid artery of pigs, to expose the vein to haemodynamic conditions of the arterial bed. Four weeks after surgery, the operated vessels which received no further treatment (the control group) were compared with (i) contralateral, non-operated vessels (the healthy group); (ii) vessels of pigs that received a perivascular application of a drug-free microparticle gel (the placebo group) and (iii) vessels of pigs that perioperatively received the same gel loaded with 10-mg atorvastatin (the atorvastatin group). RESULTS: When compared with non-operated vessels, all operated segments displayed a sizable IH which was thicker in the venous patch than in the host artery. These alterations were associated with a thickening of the intima layer of both vessels in the absence of inflammation. The intima/media ratio has been significantly increased by 2000-fold in the vein patches. Perivascular application of atorvastatin did not prevent IH formation. However, the drug increased the adventitial neovascularization in the operated vessels. CONCLUSIONS: The novel porcine model allows for monitoring IH formation under haemodynamic conditions which mimic clinical situations. It should facilitate the screening of innovative treatments to prevent restenosis.

Impact of synthetic elements on aortic root haemodynamics: computed fluid dynamics of aortic root reconstruction and valve reimplantation.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the impact of the aortic valve reimplantation (David) and of the aortic root (AoR) remodelling (Yacoub) on the AoR haemodynamics. Methods: In an experimental setup where the clinical scenario of Yacoub, ( n = 5, domestic pig) and of David ( n = 5, domestic pig) procedure was performed in each AoR, six high-fidelity (200 Hz) sonomicrometric crystals were implanted. Crystals were positioned at three commissures with their projection at the root base. In post-measurement processing 3D deformation of both AoR was determined and used for computed fluid dynamic modelling in order to evaluate pressure, velocity and shear stress profiles. Results: In David AoR: high pressure (> 150 mmHg) and low to moderate shear stress (0-30 Pa) were found from the period of isovolemic contraction to the closure of the aortic valve. At mid diastole pressure augmentation (> 120 mmHg) a low shear stress (0-10 Pa) was registered at the leaflets, three commissures, and intervalvular triangles. In Yacoub AoR: high pressure (110-130 mmHg) with moderate low shear stress (0-30 Pa) was only registered at isovolemic contraction. Conclusions: The results show that haemodynamic conditions following a David procedure have a less favourable pattern as compared to a Yacoub AoR. In David AoR, high pressure and low shear stress are present during 2/3 of the cardiac cycle, whereas in Yacoub root, these conditions are present only for a short period of isovolemic contraction.

Perivascular sustained release of atorvastatin from a hydrogel-microparticle delivery system decreases intimal hyperplasia.

Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is the major cause of grafted vessel occlusion and occurs frequently after bypass intervention. No pharmaceutical formulation is currently available to prevent this pathology. Local perivascular delivery of an appropriate active compound released in a time-dependent manner (from day one up to 4weeks) is necessary for an efficient single-administration preventive therapy. To this aim, we propose the combination of gel and microparticles delivery system containing atorvastatin (ATV). The incorporation of ATV in a cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel, provided in vitro a fast release over 3days, while ATV-loaded poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microparticles dispersed in the gel gave a sustained release over 4weeks. In vivo, ATV formulations were applied perivascularly in mice undergoing carotid artery ligation. IH was significantly reduced (-68%) in presence of ATV incorporated in hyaluronic acid gel and encapsulated in microparticles compared to control. No significant IH alteration was observed when ATV was incorporated only in the gel (fast release) or only in the microparticles (slow release) demonstrating that a biphasic release of ATV is essential to interfere with the development of IH. ATV was detected in adjacent tissues 28days after the intervention, showing the sustained presence of the drug in vivo. After four weeks ATV was not detected in remote tissues, except at a very low concentration (0.044ng/mg) in the liver, suggesting a very low risk of systemic toxicity of locally delivered ATV. Additionally, the ex vivo data showed that ATV in solution permeates through isolated human saphenous veins and thus is a good candidate for perivascular delivery. Our data demonstrate that a local biphasic ATV release on the mice ligated carotid efficiently prevents the development of IH without apparent toxicity.