OBJECTIVE : To test an alternative to catheter and open-heart techniques, by documenting the feasibility of implanting an unmodified mechanical aortic valve (AoV) in the off pump, beating heart using the universal cardiac introducer (UCI) attached to the left ventricular (LV) apex. METHODS : In six pigs, the LV apex was exposed by a median sternotomy. The UCI was attached to the apex. A 12-mm...

The incidence of severe complications of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection has presented variations over recent decades since the advent of penicillin. Gonococcal endocarditis (GE) still remains an ever-present threat afflicting the society's poor and sexually active young population. This entity frequently requires surgical intervention and usually exhibits a poor outcome. The interval betwe...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors including quinapril could exert a protective effect on cardiovascular system through endothelial system in normoglycemic and diabetic rats. The present experimental work was designed to study the vascular reactivity of aortic ring segments isolated from streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats treated for 4 weeks with nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAM...

A 81-year woman was admitted to our institution due to worsening chronic heart failure. The patient presented herself with severe aortic valve stenosis and mitral valve insufficiency. Due to estimated high operative risk a TAVI approach was chosen. Following the fist TAVI implantation (Sapien XT 26 mm) a big paravalvular leakage was diagnosed. Hence, in order to close the paravalular leakage, a...

INTRODUCTION Vasculopathy, including altered vasoreactivity and abnormal large vessel biomechanics, is a hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, the pathogenic link with other aspects of the disease is less clear. To assess the potential role of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) overactivity in driving these cardiovascular abnormalities, we studied a novel transgenic mouse model...

OBJECTIVE Cardiovascular anomalies are present in 75% to 80% of patients with a chromosome 22q11 deletion. In the majority of cases, the cardiovascular defect becomes evident in the neonatal period and is often the initial manifestation of the chromosome 22q11 deletion syndrome. However, a 22q11 deletion may also be associated with cardiovascular defects that are less obvious, such as a vascula...

The cytokine IL6 has a number of tumor-promoting activities in human and experimental cancers, but its potential as an angiogenic agent has not been fully investigated. Here, we show that IL6 can directly induce vessel sprouting in the ex vivo aortic ring model, as well as endothelial cell proliferation and migration, with similar potency to VEGF. However, IL6-stimulated aortic ring vessel spro...

Myocardial abscess caused by anaerobic infection is rare and usually occurs in cases of myocardial infarction, in which it may be related to areas of low oxygen tension. Bacteroides CDC group F-1 infective endocarditis complicated by an aortic valve ring abscess with resultant complete heart block developed in a patient with steroid dependent systemic lupus erythematosus. The genitourinary syst...