BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation after initial extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in patients with cardiogenic shock and the incidence of post implantation right ventricular failure. METHODS & RESULTS All patients on ECLS therapy for cardiogenic shock prior to LVAD implantation (n = 15) between October 201...

In patients with end-stage left ventricular (LV) heart failure who receive LV assist device (LVAD) implantation, right ventricular (RV) failure represents a possible critical complication that heavily affects morbidity and mortality. Several clinical, laboratory, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic variables have been found to be associated with RV failure occurrence after surgery. Different mod...

OBJECTIVES Transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) using the Edwards SAPIEN™ prosthesis has evolved into a routine procedure for selected high-risk elderly patients. The recently introduced SAPIEN™ delivery system (Ascendra II+™) with an added nose cone seems to facilitate direct valve implantation without prior balloon valvuloplasty (BAV). Here, we report our initial experience with thi...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation combined with limbal relaxing incision (LRI) for patients with high-amplitude astigmatism. METHODS This single-center, prospective study evaluated 22 eyes of 19 patients with cataract and >2.50 diopters (D) astigmatism that underwent bimanual micro-phacoemulsification cataract surgery and toric IOL implantation...

Methods 34 patients underwent implantation of Heartmate II (HMII); we performed 4 resections of malignant tumors: 2 partial nephrectomies for renal tumors (8 months after implantation), a left segmentectomy for lung cancer (2 years later) under videothoracoscopy and a tumorectomy with lymphadenectomy for breast cancer (9 months later). Renal tumors were diagnosed during the pre-implantation scr...

The present study was done to uncover the possible beneficial and/or detrimental effect(s) of nano-micelle curcumin (NMC) on oocyte in-vitro maturation and pre-implantation embryo development. Forty-eight mature female Wistar rats were assigned to control, 7.5, 15, and 30 mg/kg-1 NMC-receiving (orally, for 48 days) groups. To assess the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), the ovaries were stimulat...

BACKGROUND Complications of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pump implantation for treatment of pediatric patients with spasticity and dystonia associated with cerebral palsy remain unacceptably high. To address the concern that some patients may have underlying arrested hydrocephalus, which is difficult to detect clinically because of a low baseline level of neurological function, and may contribute...

Phospholipase C beta 1 (PLCβ1) is a downstream effector of G-protein-coupled receptor signalling and holds central roles in reproductive physiology. Mice with a disruption in the Plcβ1 gene are infertile with pleiotropic reproductive defects, the major reproductive block in females being implantation failure. Here, PLCβ1 was demonstrated at the luminal and glandular epithelia throughout the pre...