The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Nov 2012
Experience with the first 50 ex vivo lung perfusions in clinical transplantation.
Normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion is a novel method to evaluate and improve the function of injured donor lungs. We reviewed our experience with 50 consecutive transplants after ex vivo lung perfusion. ⋯ Transplantation of high-risk donor lungs after 4 to 6 hours of ex vivo lung perfusion is safe, and outcomes are similar to those of conventional transplants. Ex vivo lung perfusion improved our center use of donor lungs, accounting for 20% of our current lung transplant activity.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Nov 2012
In vitro and in vivo therapeutic efficacy of CXCR4 antagonist BKT140 against human non-small cell lung cancer.
CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions promote non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) growth and dissemination. Furthermore, this axis might promote NSCLC resistance to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Therefore, the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis constitutes an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC. We aimed to characterize the therapeutic efficacy of the novel CXCR4 antagonist BKT140 against human NSCLC. ⋯ Targeting the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis with BKT140 attenuated NSCLC cells tumor growth and augmented the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Future research will benefit from delineating the downstream mechanism of BKT140 action and defining BKT140 susceptibility markers.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Nov 2012
Utility of concomitant tricuspid valve procedures for patients undergoing implantation of a continuous-flow left ventricular device.
Patients referred for implantable continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (cfLVAD) frequently have preoperative right heart failure and tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The objective of this report is to examine early clinical benefits of concomitant tricuspid surgery for these patients. ⋯ Concomitant TVP appears to reduce postprocedure right ventricular failure for patients with significant TR undergoing cfLVAD implantation.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Nov 2012
Unloading of right ventricle by bidirectional superior cavopulmonary anastomosis in hypoplastic left heart syndrome patients promotes remodeling of systemic right ventricle but does not improve tricuspid regurgitation.
To evaluate the influence of volume unloading by bidirectional superior cavopulmonary anastomosis on the systemic right ventricle in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. ⋯ The relative size of the tricuspid annulus in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome decreases after bidirectional superior cavopulmonary anastomosis, most likely owing to volume unloading and promotion of the remodeling of the systemic right ventricle. However, this remodeling of the right ventricle does not improve the grade of tricuspid regurgitation.