Background: The achievement of an effective compound for prevention/treatment of hypertension with fewer complications has been of interest in recent years. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the effects of L-citrulline pretreatment on the tension of isolated rat aortic tissues precontracted by different vasoconstrictors. METHODS: Sixteen male Wistar rats (300-350g) were randomly divided i...

OBJECTIVE To increase applicability and stability of aortic valve repair, a three-dimensional aortic annuloplasty ring has been developed for intra-annular placement. The goal of this study was to test the safety of this device with in vivo implantation in the calf model. METHODS In 10 chronic calves, the HAART annuloplasty ring was sutured to the aortic valve annulus using cardiopulmonary by...

OBJECTIVES This study observed midterm results of vascular ring connectors in surgery for aortic dissection. METHODS Vascular ring connectors were used as stents in vascular grafts to achieve quick, sutureless anastomoses. Tapes were used to secure ringed vascular grafts from outside the aorta. RESULTS From November 2007 to February 2011, 113 consecutive patients with aortic dissection, exc...

Prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis is associated with valve ring abscess, conduction abnormalities and a grave prognosis. Aortic root abscess is a serious complication of infective endocarditis with high mortality. We report a case of a patient who had echocardiographic features resembling aortic root abscess along with severe aortic regurgitation, 6 weeks following aortic valve replacement. ...

The present work examined ex vivo the acute effect of quercetin on diabetic rat aortic ring reactivity in response to endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine, ACh) and endothelium-independent (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) relaxants, and to the alpha(1)-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PE). Responses were compared to those of aortic rings from age- and sex-matched euglycemic rats. Compared to euglyc...

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate surgical results using Castro Bernardes intraluminal ring in ascending aorta surgery, instead of conventional suture. METHODS 95 patients underwent ascending aorta surgery from December 2008 to April 2011 at Madre Tereza Hospital (Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil), using Castro Bernardes intraluminal ring instead of conventional suture of the aorta. RESULTS Ninety five pa...

congenital anomalies of the great thoracic vessels have been reported in 20% of dogs and cats. in some cases, the vascular ring anomalies remain unrecognized throughout the lifetime of an animal. this report describes a case with an unusual vascular ring anomaly (vra) that was detected during dissection on a cadaver of an approximately two-year-old male native mixed breed dog. no history of the...

Vascular ring, caused by Kommerell's diverticulum and ligamentum arteriosum, in a patient with right aortic arch and mirror image branching is extremely rare. A 10-month-old boy with coughing and stridor was diagnosed as having tracheo-esophageal stenosis, which is caused by a vascular ring with Kommerell's diverticulum, ligamentum arteriosum, right aortic arch, and mirror image branching. Komm...

Echocardiograms were recorded in two patients with suspected aortic root dissection. In the first patient with a massive pulmonary embolus, a simultaneous recording of the mitral ring and posterior aortic wall created a pattern similar to true posterior aortic wall dissection; in the second patient with severe generalized atherosclerosis, thickened aortic walls recorded echocardiographically we...

The effects of ostreolysin, a cardiotoxic cytolysin produced by the edible oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), were studied on tension development in isolated rat aortic ring. Its cytotoxic effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells and Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts were also studied. Ostreolysin induced a concentration-dependent increase in aortic ring tension in the range from 5 ...