A case of Infective Native (Abdominal) Aortic Aneurysm Caused by Streptococcus Agalactiae: An Updated Literature Review Based on New Nomenclature.

The management of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) has evolved significantly with the advent of endovascular strategies. Thus, there has been a decline in the number of open AAA repairs once an endovascular option is available. There have also been reports of successful endovascular management of infective native aortic aneurysms (INAA)1, previously called mycotic aneurysms2. The rarity of this condition makes its management a challenging one as there are no standard guidelines. The European Society of Vascular Surgery has suggested that the nomenclature be changed from mycotic aneurysms as this can be misleading to standardise reporting1. The authors' present a case of a 67-year old male who presented during the peak of the Corona Virus pandemic with constitutional gastrointestinal symptoms. He was subsequently diagnosed with an INAA and successfully managed with open Neo-Aorto Iliac System reconstruction with a homograft3. The report highlights various strategies used in the surgical approach and their benefits in the management of INAA. Furthermore, a literature review of Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) species as a rare cause of INAA and how these cases were managed are also highlighted.

Short term effects of cocoa consumption on blood pressure.

Hypertension, defined as diastolic pressure ≥ 90 mmHg and systolic pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among black populations globally. Several studies have shown that prolonged consumption of cocoa or cocoa containing products leads to decreased blood pressure (BP) in hypertensives. In this study, we investigated the flavonoid content of the top selling cocoa/cocoa based products in Trinidad and Tobago and attempted to determine if consumption of cocoa had any immediate impact on blood pressure levels. The flavonoid content of three 100% cocoa powder products and four cocoa based formulas was measured using a modified Folin-Ciocalteu procedure. The brand with the highest flavonoid content, 372 gallic acid equivalents, was selected to evaluate the short-term impact of cocoa consumption on blood pressure. Thirty-six participants comprising nineteen hypertensives and seventeen persons with normal blood pressure had their blood pressure recorded on three separate days using ambulatory blood pressure monitors; the blood pressure was recorded every half hour for eight hours. On the first day, the participants received no intervention but on the second and third days, they received either the intervention (5 g cocoa in 125 ml water) or a placebo, in any order. Statistical analysis conducted using t-test statistic and a 95% confidence interval revealed that whether participants regularly took antihypertensive medication or not, a single intervention of cocoa induced decreases in both the diastolic and systolic BPs that were significant (p = 0.0001). Mean decreases of between 8 mmHg and 18 mmHg were observed.