[Atrial myxomas: histopathologic variants].

Atrial myxomas are rare, usually benign, intracardiac tumors composed of mucopolysaccharides. Almost all myxomas are found attached to the endocardium in the atria with vast majority being on the left side and can be removed by surgical resection. Two rare cases of myxomas ablated from the left atrial cavity are presented. Surgical correction, is curative with a low operative mortality and an excellent long term prognosis. Tumor morphology and histological appearance are presented. Effect of age on left atria morphology was observed.

[Combination treatment with coenzyme Q10 and simvastatin in patients with coronary atherosclerosis].

In order to assess efficacy of one of natural antioxidants--coenzyme Q10 (90 mg daily) and its combination with simvastatin (10 mg daily) 44 outpatients with coronary atherosclerosis were examined. Twenty four patients had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery, 12--coronary angioplasty and in 8 coronary heart disease was confirmed by angiography. Duration of treatment was 12 weeks. Positive effects of coenzyme Q10 was particularly expressed in relation to antiatherogenic fraction of cholesterol which increased by 23%. Index of atherogenicity decreased by 27%. At the background of coenzyme Q10 treatment 30% reduction in plasma lipoperoxide levels occurred demonstrating potentially independent role of coenzyme Q10 in positive modification of oxidative stress. Coenzyme Q10 revealed antiaggregatory ability. It was not related to the improvement of endothelial function. Normalization of plasma nitric oxide concentrations was achieved only with combination of coenzyme Q10 and simvastatin. This fact may be explained by positive action of statins on endothelial function.

[Risk factors and methods of prevention of complications in digestive organs after myocardial revascularization in patients with generalized atherosclerosis]. / Faktory riska i metody profilaktiki oslozhnenii so storony organov pishchevareniia pri revaskuliarizatsii miokarda u bol'nykh generalizovannoi formoi ateroskleroza.

The clinico-hemodynamic and angiographic findings in 66 patients with ischemic heart disease were analysed to identify the risk factors of complications in the digestive system and to determine the methods for their prevention after myocardial revascularization. It was found that complications in the gastrointestinal tract develop after extracorporeal circulation more often in patients with lesions of the visceral branches of the abdominal aorta than in those without them. With purposeful preventive therapy and observance of definite precautions before, during, and after the operation, the incidence of complications in abdominal organs and the organs of the retroperitoneal space reduced to one fourth while the nature of these complications was less aggressive. This was confirmed by no postoperative deaths in the group of patients who had undergone preventive treatment.

[The causes of cerebral complications in patients with ischemic heart disease following myocardial revascularization operations]. / Prichiny tserebral'nykh oslozhnenii u bol'nykh ishemicheskoi bolezn'iu serdtsa posle operatsii revaskuliarizatsii miokarda.

In the period from Jan. 1988 to Jan. 1991 operations for the formation of an aortocoronary shunt were carried out in 437 patients at the Department of Combined Affections of the Coronary and Peripheral Arteries, Bakulev Research Institute. In some cases the operation was combined with resection of a postinfarction aneurysm of the left ventricle. Cerebral complications developed in the postoperative period in 28 (6.4%) patients. Their analysis showed the prevalence of severe forms of consciousness disturbances: coma and comatose states were encountered in 85.7% of cases. The main causes of the complications were acute heart failure (64.3%) and arterial embolism (14.3%). In only one case concomitant affection of the branches of the aortic arch was found to be the main cause of the development of a transitory ischemic attack. It is concluded that the development of acute heart failure in the patients may sharply increase the incidence of neurologic complications.