1,720,976 research outputs found
A case of AndraStent®fracture in a patient with aortic coarctation: A review of the literature
No full textPercutaneous treatment of aortic coarctation is based on angioplasty and/or stenting of the isthmus. We report a case of a 28-year-old girl suffering from aortic coarctation syndrome (coarctation + ventricular septal defect + bicuspid aorta). She underwent coarctectomy with subclavian flap and pulmonary bandage followed by ventricular septal defect closure and bandage removal in her first year of life. When she was 27 years old, a follow-up echocardiography detected an isthmic pressure gradient and a demodulated Doppler in abdominal aorta. A cardiac catheterisation confirmed the diagnosis of aortic re-coarctation. An AndraStent® XL 48 mm was implanted with a resolution of the isthmic gradient. One year later, because of the reappearance of demodulated Doppler in abdominal aorta, a chest X-ray was performed, which showed a stent third-grade fracture. The fracture was corrected by positioning a covered stent cheatham platinum 45 mm through the fragments. The rarest complication after stenting procedures is the fracture of the device with an incidence between 0.01% and 0.08%. Pressure overload beyond the elastic threshold of the material and the pulsatile tension exerted by the blood flow on the walls of the stent are the main mechanisms at the base of the fracture, together with the compliance of the tissue. A vessel that underwent multiple surgical rearrangements could interfere with and complicate the physiopathology at the basis of the fracture. In conclusion, stenting is a safe technique to treat aortic coarctation; stent fracture is a rare event, and different anatomical and haemodynamic factors are related to this complication
A unique case of aortic valve leaflet's aneurysm detected by cardiac computed tomographic angiography
No full textHeart valve leaflet's aneurysm is a rare finding, and literature about this topic is sparse. Early recognition is important because their rupture can lead to catastrophic valve regurgitation. An 84-year-old male with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy was admitted to the coronary intensive care unit for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Baseline transthoracic echocardiography showed normal biventricular function with inhomogeneous thickening of aortic leaflets with moderate aortic regurgitation. Because the acoustic window was limited, a transesophageal echocardiography was performed, detecting a small mass in the right aortic coronary cusp with moderate regurgitation (orifice regurgitation area: 0.54 cm(2); med/max gradient: 16/32 mmHg). Endocarditis was ruled out. Because of the rapid worsening of the patient's conditions, requiring mechanical ventilation and hemofiltration, and the potential hazard of an urgent coronary angiography, a cardiac computed tomographic angiography was performed. Detailed spatial reconstructions highlighted a bilobed cavitation in the aortic leaflets. Diagnosis of aortic leaflets' aneurysm was made. A "wait and see" strategy was chosen, and the patient's general conditions gradually improved and now he is stable and uneventful. To date, no aortic leaflet's aneurysm was described in literature
Can rapid antibody tests and chest computed tomography really substitute real-time polymerase chain reaction in COVID-19?
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Role of Lugol solution before total thyroidectomy for Graves’ disease: randomized clinical trial
No full textBackground Lugol solution is often administered to patients with Graves' disease before surgery. The aim is to reduce thyroid vascularization and surgical morbidity, but its real effectiveness remains controversial. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of preoperative Lugol solution on thyroid vascularization and surgical morbidity in patients with Graves' disease undergoing total thyroidectomy.Methods Fifty-six patients undergoing total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease were randomly assigned to receive 7 days of Lugol treatment (Lugol+ group, 29) or no Lugol treatment (LS- group, 27) before surgery in this single-centre and single-blinded trial. Preoperative hormone and colour Doppler ultrasonographic data for assessing thyroid vascularization were collected 8 days before surgery (T0) and on the day of surgery (T1). The primary outcome was intraoperative and postoperative blood loss. Secondary outcomes included duration of surgery, thyroid function, morbidity, vascularization, and microvessel density at final pathology.Results No differences in demographic, preoperative hormone or ultrasonographic data were found between LS+ and LS- groups at T0. At T1, free tri-iodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels were significantly reduced compared with T0 values in the LS+ group, whereas no such variation was observed in the LS- group. No differences between T0 and T1 were found for ultrasonographic vascularization in either group, nor did the histological findings differ. There were no significant differences between the LS+ and LS- groups concerning intraoperative/postoperative blood loss (median 80.5 versus 94 ml respectively), duration of surgery (75 min in both groups) or postoperative morbidity.Conclusion Lugol solution significantly reduces FT3 and FT4 levels in patients undergoing surgery for Graves' disease, but does not decrease intraoperative/postoperative blood loss, thyroid vascularization, duration of surgery or postoperative morbidity.Registration number NCT05784792 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov).Lugol solution is often administered before surgery in patients with Graves's disease, with the aim of reducing thyroid vascularization and surgical morbidity, but its real effectiveness remains controversial. The present prospective randomized single-centre study aimed to evaluate the effects of Lugol solution on thyroid vascularization and surgical morbidity before total thyroidectomy in patients with Graves's disease; Lugol solution significantly reduced free tri-iodothyronine and free thyroxine levels in patients undergoing surgery for Basedow's disease but did not decrease intraoperative/postoperative blood loss, thyroid vascularization, duration of surgery, and morbidity
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale and secundum atrial septal defects with the gore® cardioform septal occluder: Incidence and implications of device wire frame fracture
Full text linkBackground: Trans-catheter closure has become the treatment of choice for patent foramen ovale (PFO) and ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASD). A wide variety of devices are commercially available, however, concerns have been raised about the risk of cardiac erosion associated with stiff/rigid devices. The GORE® CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder (GSO) is a double-disc, soft and conformable device with no reported incidence of cardiac erosions. How-ever, wire frame fracture (WFF) have been reported. Aim: To assess the incidence and clinical significance of WFF after GSO implantation in paediatric patients. Methods: Seventy-seven consecutive patients were enrolled. Periprocedural and follow-up assessments included clinical, echocardiographic, and X-ray fluoro-scopy examinations. Results: Mean patient age was 10.0 ± 3.9 years. In 7 patients the indication was PFO closure, in 70 patients ASD closure. Mean follow-up period was 3.1 ± 1.3 years. X-ray fluoroscopy evaluations were available for 60 patients. WFF was detected in a total of 22 (35.4%) GSO devices. Three WFF compromised the outer perimeter of the device. Incidence of WFF was higher for the 30 mm GSO device (58%; p = 0.001). A multivariate analysis confirmed that the GSO device diameter (p = 0.013; F = 6.7) and stretched ASD diameter (p = 0.034; F = 4.38) were independent factors related to WFF. WFF did not result in any clinical sequelae/patient harm. Residual shunt was observed in 4 patients (5%) at 24 hours following procedure. Conclusion: The GSO device is safe and effective for PFO and ASD closure. WFF was not associated with clinical sequelae or device instability. Device diameter strongly correlates with incidence of WFF
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