xpensive complete blood count parameters and may be more valuable in predicting major adverse events in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

This study aims to evaluate early postoperative arrhythmias in children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery.

A total of 670 pediatric patients (355 males, 315 females; median age 4 months; range, 1 day to 18 years) who underwent cardiac surgery due to congenital heart defects between December 2018 and November 2019 were included. The rate of postoperative arrhythmias, diagnosis, potential risk factors, and management strategies were evaluated. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify significant factors of development of postoperative arrhythmias.

Tachyarrhythmia was detected in 54 patients (8.1%), and the most common tachyarrhythmia was junctional ectopic tachycardia. Medical treatment was required in 25/38 (66%) of junctional ectopic tachycardia patients. Amiodarone was initiated in 18, dexmedetomidine in five, and flecainide + amiodarone in two of the patients. Different degrees of atrioventricular block were observed in 30 patients (4.5%). In 12 patients, permanent pacemakers were implanted during hospitalization. Age at the time of surgery under one-year-old, high inotropic scores, prolonged operation time, and high Aristotele”s scores were independent risk factors associated with early postoperative arrhythmia (p<0.05). The most common operations associated with early postoperative arrhythmia were left ventricular outflow tract, (6/20, 30%), complete atrioventricular septal defect (13/53, 24%), and tetralogy of Fallot (20/134, 14%) surgeries.

Cardiac arrhythmias are common in the early period after congenital heart surgery in children. The diagnosis and frequency of arrhythmias may vary according to different surgical procedures.

Cardiac arrhythmias are common in the early period after congenital heart surgery in children. The diagnosis and frequency of arrhythmias may vary according to different surgical procedures.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role of 3D-printed physical and digital anatomical models in pre-procedural planning, practice and training in lower extremity arterial interventions.

A total of 16 patients (9 males, 7 females; mean age 72.1±1.5 years; range, 69 to 75 years) who underwent superficial femoral artery balloon angioplasty between February 2016 and April 2019 were retrospectively reviewed for vascular access site preference and balloon sizing. Pre-procedural computed tomography volumetric images used for diagnosis were analyzed and modeled with 3D printing. Procedural and 3D-based data regarding the size of the balloon and deployment sites and the severity of the stenosis were compared.

Measurements obtained from 3D models manually and segmentation images from software were similar (p>0.05). Both were smaller than the actual size of balloons used (p<0.001). Stenosis severity was similar with manual and software methods and both were significantly lower than the reported quantitative angiographic measurements (p<0.001). Vascular access site preference was changed in five (31.2%) patients, when the model was simulated by a non-sterile practice on 3D-printed physical models. The wire and catheter selection differed in eight patients, while practicing with models.

The planning and practicing of lower extremity arterial procedures with 3D models may reduce operator-dependent variables, avoid unnecessary interventions, reduce endothelial damage, and increase procedural success. The 3D-printed models may be used for educational purposes for medical professionals.

The planning and practicing of lower extremity arterial procedures with 3D models may reduce operator-dependent variables, avoid unnecessary interventions, reduce endothelial damage, and increase procedural success. The 3D-printed models may be used for educational purposes for medical professionals.

This study aims to analyze the safety and efficacy of permanent hemodialysis catheter insertion via the brachial vein in unsuitable patients for catheter insertion from other vascular access sites.

A total of 21 patients (6 males, 18 females; mean age 54.4±11.3 years; range, 48 to 77 years) who underwent permanent hemodialysis catheter insertion via the brachial vein between February 2019 and February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent brachial venous tunneled catheter insertion under the ultrasound guidance and under local anesthesia. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed before and six months after catheter insertion. The primary patency rate of the catheter at six months of follow-up, potential associated complications of a permanent hemodialysis catheter including catheter thrombosis and catheter infections, and all-cause mortality rates were recorded.

Catheter removal was required in eight patients (catheter thrombosis, n=5; catheter infection, n=2; and extensive hematoma, n=1). The catheters were patent in the remaining 13 (62%) patients at six months. Mortality occurred in one patient due to bacterial pneumonia. No life-threatening complications including hemothorax or pneumothorax and neurological injury was observed in any of the patients.

Our study results show that brachial venous tunneled catheter placement for hemodialysis can be a safe and valid alternative to catheter insertion from the jugular or subclavian veins for vascular access in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Our study results show that brachial venous tunneled catheter placement for hemodialysis can be a safe and valid alternative to catheter insertion from the jugular or subclavian veins for vascular access in patients with end-stage renal disease.

We present early and mid-term clinical outcomes of endovascular revascularization for femoropopliteal involvement of peripheral arterial disease.

A total of 128 patients (113 males, 15 females; mean age 63.4±9.9 years; range, 32 to 87 years) who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for femoropopliteal lesions between August 2016 and April 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Treatment with Luminor® paclitaxel-coated drug-eluting balloon catheter or bailout therapy with iVolution® self-expanding nitinol stent were performed. Overall patency rates and freedom from reintervention rates were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. The primary patency and freedom from reintervention to target lesion rates at 12 and 24 months were evaluated.

Technical success was achieved in 133 (93%) of the interventions with a median follow-up of 11 (range, 1 to 35) months. At 12 and 24 months, the mean overall patency rates were 85.6±3.7% and 66.8±6.7%, respectively and the mean freedom from reintervention to temoropopliteal arteries.The technique of antegrade cerebral perfusion has been adopted by many aortic surgery centers as the routine method of brain protection with some variations in its implementation. These variations stem from the issues with regard to the perfusion pressure, flow, temperature, pH management, hematocrit value, cannulation sites, and unilateral versus bilateral application. In this review, the prespecified issues were discussed and some recommendations about the implementation of antegrade cerebral perfusion were given.Arginine methylation is an essential post-translational modification (PTM) deposited by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) and recognized by Tudor domain-containing proteins. SIS3 purchase Of the nine mammalian PRMTs, PRMT5 is the primary enzyme responsible for the deposition of symmetric arginine methylation marks in cells. The staphylococcal nuclease and Tudor domain-containing 1 (SND1) effector protein is a key reader of the marks deposited by PRMT5. link2 Both PRMT5 and SND1 are broadly expressed and their deregulation is reported to be associated with a range of disease phenotypes, including cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an example of a cancer type that often displays elevated PRMT5 and SND1 levels, and there is evidence that hyperactivation of this axis is oncogenic. Importantly, this pathway can be tempered with small-molecule inhibitors that target PRMT5, offering a therapeutic node for cancer, such as HCC, that display high PRMT5-SND1 axis activity. Here we summarize the known activities of this writer-reader pair, with a focus on their biological roles in HCC. This will help establish a foundation for treating HCC with PRMT5 inhibitors and also identify potential biomarkers that could predict sensitivity to this type of therapy.Epigenetic studies in animal models have demonstrated that diet affects gene regulation by altering methylation patterns. We interrogated methylomes in humans who have different sources of protein in their diet. We compared methylation of DNA isolated from buffy coat in 38 vegans, 41 pescatarians and 68 nonvegetarians. Methylation data were obtained using Infinium HumanMethylation450 arrays and analyzed using the Partek Genomic software. Differences in differentially methylated sites were small, though with the use of relaxed statistical tests we did identify diet-associated differences. To further test the validity of these observations, we performed separate and independent comparisons of the methylation differences between vegans and nonvegetarians, and between vegans and pescatarians. The detected differences were then examined to determine if they were enriched in specific pathways. Pathway analysis revealed enrichment of several specific processes, including homeobox transcription and glutamate transport. The detected differences in DNA methylation patterns between vegans, pescatarians, and nonvegetarians enabled us to identify 77 CpG sites that may be sensitive to diet and/or lifestyle, though high levels of individual-specific differences were also noted.Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are a family of rare mesenchymal tumors with discrete histological and immunohistochemical characteristics. Even rarer among them are cutaneous and subcutaneous PEComas. We describe a 34-year-old woman who presented with a large anterior abdominal subcutaneous lesion showing intact overlying skin and no obvious invasion of the abdominal musculature. A wide local excision was performed. Histopathology revealed a solitary tumor measuring 75 × 55 × 90 mm with epithelioid cells in nests with thin fibrovascular septa and spindle cells. Resection margins were clear with no invasion to the skin or rectus sheath. link3 Tumor cells were positive for HMB-45 but negative for other markers. This is the largest subcutaneous PEComa reported to date.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the major chronic diseases with a world prevalence of 8.5%. Oman has shown a consistent rise in the prevalence of DM, reaching 14.5% in 2017. A major complication of DM is diabetic retinopathy (DR). There is limited information available about the prevalence of DR and its subtypes in Oman. This is the largest national study conducted to determine the prevalence of DR and its subtypes in Oman.

We extracted the records of 2000 Omani patients with DM and retrospectively screened for DR, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) reported between 2000 and 2017. The sample included patients from 79 medical centers from all governorates of Oman. A total of 616 patients were included in the study. We investigated the prevalence of DR among both genders and different age groups. We studied the association between the progression of DM into DR.

The prevalence of DR, NPDR, and PDR within patients diagnosed with DM was 19.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 16.