General

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: Extensive resection of the infected calcified annulus and the reconstruction with a pericardial patch for the debrided annulus is an effective surgical option for the treatment of infectious endocarditis in patients with mitral annular calcification.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical treatment of esophago-tracheobronchial fistulas (ETBFs) that occurred after esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction in a tertiary referral center for esophageal surgery. All patients who underwent surgical repair for an ETBF after esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction were included in a tertiary referral center. The primary outcome was successful recovery after surgical treatment for ETBF, defined as a patent airway at 90...

Although low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level is considered one of the main prognostic factors in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the question about “the lower the better” is...

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of endovascular treatment for massive haemoptysis caused by pulmonary pseudoaneurysm (PAP).

Although low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level is considered one of the main prognostic factors in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the question about “the lower the better” is...

The number of patients with valvular heart disease is increasing yearly, and valve replacement is the most effective treatment, during which bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) are the most widely used. Commercial BHVs are mainly prepared with glutaraldehyde (Glut) cross-linked bovine pericardial or porcine aortic valves, but the residual free aldehyde groups in these tissues can cause calcification and cytotoxicity. Moreover, insufficient glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in tissues can further reduce...

Esophageal duplication cysts are rare congenital tumors usually diagnosed and treated during childhood. Most of them are located in the mediastinum and appear as a mass besides the esophagus. Unfortunately, sy...

Esophageal duplication cysts are rare congenital tumors usually diagnosed and treated during childhood. Most of them are located in the mediastinum and appear as a mass besides the esophagus. Unfortunately, sy...

Blood-biomaterial compatibility is essential for tissue repair especially for endovascular biomaterials where small-diameter vessel patency and endothelium formation is crucial. To address this issue, a composite biomaterial termed PFC fabricated from poly (glycerol sebacate), silk fibroin, and collagen was used to determine if functionalization with syndecan-4 (SYN4) would reduce thrombogenesis through the action of heparan sulfate. The material termed, PFC_SYN4, has structure and composition...

With the widespread use of low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer screening, the detection rate of pulmonary lesions manifesting as ground-glass opacities (GGOs) has been increasing dramatically. The vol...