BACKGROUND The relationship between biomechanical properties and biological activities in aortic aneurysms was investigated with finite element simulations and 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography. METHODS AND RESULTS The study included 53 patients (45 men) with aortic aneurysms, 47 infrarenal (abdominal aortic) and 6 thoracic (thoracic aortic), who had ≥1 18F-FDG p...

RATIONALE Aortic dissection or rupture resulting from aneurysm causes 1% to 2% of deaths in developed countries. These disorders are associated with mutations in genes that affect vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation and contractility or extracellular matrix composition and assembly. However, as many as 75% of patients with a family history of aortic aneurysms do not have an identified g...

The combination of an onphalocele, an anterior thoracic wall defect and an anterior diaphragmatic defect constitutes classical Cantrell's pentalogy. We present a case of Cantrell's pentalogy diagnosed prenataly in twins with conventional and three-dimensional sonography.

BACKGROUND Maintenance of the structure and mechanical properties of the thoracic aorta contributes to aortic function and is dependent on the composition of the extracellular matrix and the cellular content within the aortic wall. Age-related alterations in the aorta include changes in cellular content and composition of the extracellular matrix; however, the precise roles of these age-related...

Preliminary evidence supports an association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and thoracic aortic dilatation, although potential causative mechanisms are incompletely understood; these may include an increase in aortic wall transmural pressures, induced by obstructive apneas and hypopneas. In patients undergoing cardiac catheterization, mean blood pressure (MBP) in the thoracic aorta and e...

The pharmacokinetics and tissue penetration of ceftriaxone after a single intravenous injection of 1,000 mg to 17 patients for antibiotic prophylaxis in thoracic surgery were studied. The patients were scheduled for elective noncardiac thoracic surgery. Adequate levels in serum (higher than or equal to the MIC for 90% of isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, H...

Thoracic aortic diseases that involve progressive enlargement, acute dissection, or rupture are influenced by the hemodynamic loads and mechanical properties of the wall. We have only limited understanding, however, of the mechanobiological processes that lead to these potentially lethal conditions. Homeostasis requires that intramural cells sense their local chemomechanical environment and est...

The somites are metameric structures. Although these structures appear uniform, other types of muscles differentiate from them along the rostro-caudal body axis. This study investigated whether the somites are committed to producing level specific muscles by heterotopic transplantations between quail and chick embryos. Our results were as follows: 1) Cervical somites, when transplanted into the...

Subcutaneous facial emphysema is a well-known consequence of oral and maxillofacial traumatic injury. In some rare cases, the subcutaneous air collection could spread through retropharyngeal paralatero-cervical spaces, reaching mediastinum. A 55-year-old man was presented to emergency room after blast injury caused by blown truck tire while trying change tires. The chest radiograph demonstrated...