Conclusions: Addition of intraoperative local vancomycin did not improve the rates of inguinal wound dehiscence or deep infections but had a positive impact on superficial wound infections. (J Vasc Surg 2013;57:1079-83.)”
“Introduction:
Cognitive flexibility and the flexible learning and relearning of stimulus-reward-associations are important for decision-making and goal-directed behavior. Studies on patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have shown difficulties in cognitive functions associated with malnutrition and extreme underweight. However, to date we find a tack of neuropsychological studies on cognitive flexibility among adolescent patients with AN. Furthermore, the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we aim to examine cognitive functions, click here especially
reward association learning, as a measure of Verubecestat order cognitive flexibility in adolescent patients with AN and investigate the relationship between Agouti-related protein (AGRP) and cognitive functions.
Methods: The study population consists of 30 patients with AN (M-age = 16.2 +/- 1.2) and a healthy control group (CG) of 28 female adolescents (M-age = 16.3 +/- 1.3). All subjects completed a neuropsychological test battery including the probabilistic Object Reversal Task, the Digit Symbol Test and the Trail Making Test. Patients with AN were explored before and after weight gain, the CG initially and after 3 months.
Results: Subtle deficits in cognitive flexibility were found in patients with AN compared to the CG. After weight gain, the AN group improved relative to their baseline values in most of the variables but did not reach CG values. They still showed slight impairments. Moreover the study revealed a clear association
between AGRP levels and cognitive flexibility.
Discussion: Cognitive flexibility plays an important role in AN and may be modulated by abnormal levels of the appetite-regulating peptide AGRP. Even subtle impairments in cognitive flexibility can be relevant for the ability to fully engage in therapy and therefore may hinder a prosperous treatment. (C) 2011 Elsevier Low-density-lipoprotein receptor kinase Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Objective: Poor aortic arch apposition increases the risk of technical failure after thoracic endovascular repair. The aim of this study was to assess the conformability of the latest generation of thoracic stent grafts in relation to the degree of device oversizing and aortic arch angulation.
Methods: A benchtop pulsatile flow model was designed to test stent graft anchorage in a 2-cm-long proximal landing zone at varying landing zone angles (from 140 degrees down to 70 degrees) and stent graft oversizing (12%-28%). The experiments were performed using 10 human thoracic cadaveric aortas and four stent grafts: C-TAG, Zenith TX2 Pro-Form, Valiant Captivia, and Relay. Device-wall apposition was measured as a function of landing zone angulation and oversizing during static and dynamic (60 pulses/min, 300/150 mm Hg) tests.