Notes

Angiopoietin-2 and also angiopoietin-like Four proteins offer prognostic information in sufferers with suspected severe coronary affliction.
Level of evidence IV.
To present a novel technique to successfully cross a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis.

A 55-year-old female patient with genetically verified Marfan syndrome presented with a 5-cm anastomotic aneurysm of the proximal aortic arch after previous ascending aortic replacement due to a type A aortic dissection in 2007. The patient also underwent mechanical aortic valve replacement in 1991. A 3-stage hybrid repair was planned. The first 2 steps included debranching of the supra-aortic vessels. In the third procedure, a custom-made double branched endovascular stent-graft with a short 35-mm introducer tip was implanted. The mechanical valve was passed with the tip of the dilator on the lateral site of the leaflet, without destructing the valve and with only mild symptoms of aortic insufficiency, as one leaflet continued to work. This allowed the implantation of the stent-graft directly distally of the coronary arteries. Postoperative computed tomography angiography showed no endoleaks and patent coronary and supra-aortic vessels.

Passing a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis at the proper position is feasible and allows adequate endovascular treatment in complex arch anatomy. However, caution should be taken during positioning of the endovascular graft as the tip may potentially damage the valve prosthesis.
Passing a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis at the proper position is feasible and allows adequate endovascular treatment in complex arch anatomy. However, caution should be taken during positioning of the endovascular graft as the tip may potentially damage the valve prosthesis.
Depression both affects physical activity (PA) and cognition in older persons, yet its impact on the association between PA and cognitive decline is to be determined. We aimed to investigate the association between baseline PA and cognitive functioning over time, stratified for depression.

We used data of the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older persons (NESDO), a multi-site cohort study with 6-years follow-up. find more Patients with complete data on PA and cognitive functioning at baseline were included, yielding 394 participants for the analyses of whom 297 were depressed and 97 non-depressed. PA (continuous) was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Linear mixed models were used to determine differential effects of baseline PA on the rate of decline of 5 standardized outcomes of cognitive functioning over 6-year follow-up. For this purpose, we examined the significance of the interaction-term (PA*time) in both basic and adjusted models. We also assessed the association between time and cognitive functioning. All analyses were stratified for depression.

In both groups, no robust significant interactions of PA with time were found. Furthermore, only decline in working memory was significantly worse in the depressed compared to the non-depressed.

At older age, the impact of a more inactive lifestyle on cognitive decline was shown to be limited, irrespective of depression that appeared to worsen age-related decline of working memory only. As a higher PA-level at older age has a positive effect on a multitude of other health outcomes, PA should still be encouraged in this population.
At older age, the impact of a more inactive lifestyle on cognitive decline was shown to be limited, irrespective of depression that appeared to worsen age-related decline of working memory only. As a higher PA-level at older age has a positive effect on a multitude of other health outcomes, PA should still be encouraged in this population.
The use of throat packs during oropharyngeal surgery has long been a topic of debate among cleft surgeons. The advantage of inserting an absorbent tulle within the pharynx must be weighed against the risk of unintended retention postoperatively. Despite safety check mechanisms in place, retention may occur with potentially life-threatening consequences. We present a comprehensive review of throat pack use in all cleft units within the United Kingdom and Ireland.

All 20 cleft surgery units in the United Kingdom and Ireland were surveyed on their use of throat packs in children aged 6 months to 2 years undergoing elective cleft palate surgery.

The response rate to the survey was 100%. Seventy-five percent of units currently use throat packs; in 40%, they are used in addition to cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs). Inclusion of the throat pack in the surgical swab count was perceived as the safest mechanism employed to avoid retention. 26.1% of respondents were aware of at least 1 incident of pack retention is to review routine pharyngeal packing.Nausea and vomiting are consistently identified among the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy. In recent years, Olanzapine (OLZ) treatment was added to anti-emetic guidelines as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), despite little available data supporting a mechanism behind the positive benefits of the drug. Here, we examine whether OLZ reduces cisplatin chemotherapy-induced side effects on food intake and pica behavior in rats (i.e., kaolin intake, a proxy for nausea/emesis). Behavioral experiments tested whether systemic or hindbrain administration of OLZ ameliorated cisplatin-induced pica, anorexia, and body weight loss in rats. We also tested whether systemic OLZ reduces cisplatin-induced neuronal activation in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC), a hindbrain region controlling emesis. Lastly, given their role in regulating feeding and emesis, circulating ghrelin levels and central mRNA expression levels of serotonin (HT) receptor subunits, including 5-HT2C, were measured in brain regions that regulate CINV and energy balance in an exploratory analysis to investigate potential mediators of OLZ action. Our results show that both systemic and hindbrain administration of OLZ attenuated cisplatin-induced kaolin intake and body weight loss, but not anorexia. Systemic OLZ decreased cisplatin-induced c-Fos immunofluorescence in the DVC and prevented cisplatin-induced reductions in circulating ghrelin levels. IP OLZ also blocked cisplatin-induced increases in Htr2c expression in DVC and hypothalamic micropunches. These data suggest hindbrain exposure to OLZ is sufficient to induce reductions in cisplatin-induced pica and that central serotonergic signaling, via 5-HT2C, and changes in circulating ghrelin may be potential mediators of olanzapine anti-emetic action.
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