Treatment For Infected Frozen Elephant Trunk Prosthesis Caused by Propionibacterium acnes: A Surgical Challenge

ABSTRACT In this article, we present the case of a 47-year-old man who underwent Bentall-Bono procedure and frozen elephant trunk prosthesis implantation due to severe aortic regurgitation and aortic dilatation with a second-time endovascular stent-graft repair in descending aorta. Over eight years, a subacute graft infection by Propionibacterium acnes was developed, culminating in cardiogenic shock secondary to severe aortic regurgitation due to a complete aortic root dehiscence because of multiple aortic pseudoaneurysms. The patient underwent emergency surgery in which the replacement of the graft by a biological valve tube was performed accompanied by a complete debranching of the three supra-aortic vessels.

Fibrosis mediastínica post-irradiación: un factor a tener en cuenta en cirugía cardiaca / Post-radiation mediastinal fibrosis: a factor to take into account in cardiac surgery

Resumen La radioterapia mediastínica es uno de los tratamientos fundamentales de las enfermedades malignas torácicas, pero también representa una causa potencial de complicaciones, tanto a corto como a largo plazo. Se presenta una serie de casos de rotura de vena innominada durante esternotomía media en pacientes con fibrosis mediastínica. Los tres casos descritos corresponden a pacientes intervenidos de cirugía cardiaca con antecedentes de radioterapia mediastínica, entre 15-30 años antes de la cirugía, por tres diferentes enfermedades malignas (linfoma de Hodgkin, timoma y cáncer de mama). En los tres casos se reporta rotura de la vena innominada, con desinserción de su origen en la vena cava superior debido a fibrosis mediastínica intensa.

Abstract Although mediastinal radiotherapy is one of the basic treatments of malignant thoracic diseases, it is also a potential cause of short and long-term complications. A series of cases of rupture of the innominate vein during sternotomy are presented in patients with mediastinal fibrosis. The three cases described correspond to patients intervened by cardiac surgery, with a history of mediastinal radiotherapy between 15 to 30 years before the surgery, due to three different malignant diseases (Hodgkin lymphoma, thymoma, and breast cancer). In the three cases, a rupture of the innominate vein is reported; with de-insertion of its origin in the superior vena cava sue to intense mediastinal fibrosis.

Ligature of the left main coronary artery after surgery in kawasaki disease: case report

Abstract We report a case of a 23-year-old man who was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease that progressed to a coronary aneurysm in the left main coronary artery (LMA). He had suffered from acute coronary syndrome and then underwent an emergent percutaneous coronary angioplasty, in which a polyurethane-covered stent was placed inside the aneurysm. The stent was thrombosed one year later, despite the patient had been treated with anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy. Emergency percutaneous intervention was then performed. LMA was reopened and stent malposition was observed. Therefore, urgent coronary bypass grafting was performed in which a high degree of competitive flow was observed through the reopened stent. LMA was ligated at the inflow of the aneurysm, resulting in an improvement of graft flow. Left main ligature has not been previously reported.

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda and HFE Gene Mutations in Argentina.

Aims: Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT), the most common of porphyrias is triggered by several factors, including iron overload. Type I Hereditary Hemochromatosis is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait of the mutation p.C282Y or as a compound heterozygous form p.C282Y/p.H63D in HFE gene. Our aim was to study the frequency of HFE mutations in Argentinean PCT patients and in control subjects. Place and Duration of Study: CIPYP, CONICET, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín: Av. Córdoba 2351, 1º subsuelo, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1120). Between March 2008 and March 2010. Methodology: We analyzed HFE mutations in 103 PCT patients (67 males, 36 females) and in 93 control subjects (63 males and 30 females). PCT patients were classified as familial, sporadic or Type III PCT measuring URO-D activity in red blood cells. HFE mutations were detected by amplification and automatic sequencing of exons 2 and 4 in the HFE gene. In some cases p.H63D and p.C282Y mutations were also detected by digestion with restriction enzymes (Mbo I for p.H63D and Rsa I for p.C282Y), followed by 3% polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis. Results: In PCT group, 34.9% carried mutation p.H63D (26.2% heterozygous, 5.8% homozygous and 2.9% as p.C282Y/p.H63D) and 7.8% carried mutation p.C282Y (2.9% in heterozygocity, 1.9% in homozygocity and 2.9% as p.C282Y/p.H63D). In the control group, 30.1% carried p.H63D (28% in heterozygous and 2.1% in homozygous), and 5.4% had p.C282Y in heterozygosity. There were no significant differences between sporadic and familial PCT and neither between PCT and control groups. Our findings are in agreement with the prevalence of the Mediterranean origin of our patients, where p.C282Y mutation is less common than p.H63D mutation. Conclusion: We conclude that mutations in HFE gene do not play a relevant role in the triggering of PCT in our country.

Os idosos e seus tempos de lazer em família: uma aproximação pedagógico-social / The elderly and their leisure time in family: a sociopedagogical approximation

Na sociedade atual, o tempo de lazer é um direito da cidadania,constituindo a educação um pilar fundamental para a transformaçãodo tempo livre num tempo de lazer satisfatoriamente vivido. Aeducação do lazer resulta-se essencial para que os idosos possamdesenvolver a criatividade, a liberdade, a autonomia, a participaçãocomunitária, a convivência intergeracional, etc., de forma que avelhice seja um tempo de novas aprendizagens e de desenvolvimentopessoal e social.Partindo da revisão da literatura cientifica atual – fundamental menteespanhola – e de diversas experiências desenvolvidas na Espanha,destacamos os tempos de lazer dos idosos e a educaçãodo lazer familiar (experiências em que participam avós, pais e filhos)como importantes oportunidades educativas. Os tempos de lazer, satisfatoriamente vividos, podem contribuir a superar a visãonega tiva da velhice, à existência de tempos compartilhados entre asdife rentes pessoas da família e ao intercâmbio de saberes entre asdiversas gerações, em uma perspectiva da aprendizagem ao longoda vida. Uma tarefa que a Pedagogia Social vem desenvolvendonas últimas décadas.

In the current society, leisure time is the right of every citizen, andeducation constitutes a fundamental pillar for the transformation offree time into rewarding leisure time. Leisure education is essential,enabling elderly people to develop creativity, freedom, independence,community participation, intergenerational coexistence, etc., insuch a way that old age becomes a time for learning and for personaland social development.Based on the review of current scientific literature on leisure and onvarious experiences in Spain, we highlight the leisure time of theelderly and family leisure education (experiences in which grandparents,parents and children participate) as important educationaloppor tunities. Rewarding leisure time can help overcome the negativeview of old age, enhance the time shared between different familymembers and promote knowledge exchange between differentgene rations, from the perspective of lifelong learning. A task thatSocial Pedagogy has been developing in the last decades.