BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE An earlier retrospective study indicated that the neck size of elastase-induced aneurysms could be controlled by adjusting the position of the inflated balloon. We report the current prospective study to confirm our previous work. METHODS Ninety elastase-induced aneurysms were created in rabbits. Group 1 (n = 62) included cases in which the occlusion balloon resided low...

Our research aims to evaluate the function of the STAMP2 gene, an important trigger in insulin resistance (IR), and explore its role in macrophage apoptosis in diabetic atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques. The characteristics of diabetic mice were measured by serial metabolite and pathology tests. The level of STAMP2 was measured by RT-PCR and Western blot. The plaque area, lipid and collagen co...

BACKGROUND Histopathological analyses of debris captured by a cerebral protection system during transcatheter aortic valve replacement have been reported, but the origin of the captured debris was not determined and risk factors were not defined. METHODS AND RESULTS Embolic debris was analyzed from 322 filters used in a dual-cerebral-filter protection system implemented during transcatheter a...

1.1 Anatomy The superior vena cava (SVC) originates in the chest, behind the first right sternocostal articulation, from the confluence of two main collector vessels: the right and left brachiocephalic veins which receive the ipsilateral internal jugular and subclavian veins. It is located in the anterior mediastinum, on the right side. The internal jugular vein collects the blood from head and...

The present study tested the effect of ketamine on the fetal reflex responses of late-gestation sheep to brachiocephalic occlusion (BCO), a stimulus that mimics the reduction in cerebral blood flow that results from severe fetal hypotension. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic and known noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, has previously been shown to impair chemo...