The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jun 2013
Controlled Clinical TrialApplication of bronchoscopic argon plasma coagulation in the treatment of tumorous endobronchial tuberculosis: historical controlled trial.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bronchoscopic argon plasma coagulation for tumorous endobronchial tuberculosis. ⋯ Bronchoscopic argon plasma coagulation can accelerate the healing of tumorous endobronchial tuberculosis and can help prevent progressive bronchial stenosis resulting from tumorous endobronchial tuberculosis, and it is a very safe method.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jun 2013
Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism inhibits vein graft remodeling in mice.
Vein graft failure rates resulting from adverse graft remodeling remain high with no effective therapy. The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) plays a role in pathologic arterial remodeling. We demonstrated recently that the MR is upregulated in venous tissues after grafting and hypothesized that MR inhibition would reduce vein graft remodeling. ⋯ MR is expressed in human venous tissue and cells and modulates gene expression in HSVSMC in response to physiologic aldosterone concentrations. In vivo, MR inhibition reduces vein graft thickening and inflammation. These preclinical data support the potential to use MR antagonists as novel treatments to preserve vein graft patency.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jun 2013
New ascending aortic aneurysm model in rats reproduces main structural features of degenerative ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms in human beings.
The singularity of the ascending aorta regarding mechanisms driving aneurysm formation requires the development of specific animal models. We investigated if adventitial elastase application results in ascending aorta aneurysms in rats. ⋯ Elastase application on rat ascending aortic adventitia produced aneurysms, creating a reproducible model. Aortic wall remodeling evolved toward an increase in total wall area, reproducing the main structural features of this disease in human beings.