Aorto-venous fistula between an abdominal aortic aneurysm and an aberrant renal vein: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The potential complications of an abdominal aortic aneurysm include rupture, compression of surrounding structures, thrombo-embolic events and fistula. The most common site of arterio-venous fistula is the inferior vena cava. Fistula involving a renal vein is particularly uncommon.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>This report describes a 54-year-old Caucasian woman who was admitted to the emergency department with fatigue, severe dyspnea and bilateral lower limb edema. In the first instance this anamnesis suggested possible heart failure. In fact, our patient presented with multi-organ system failure due to a fistula between an infra-renal aortic aneurysm and an aberrant retro-aortic renal vein.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To our knowledge, this is the first report of a woman with a fistula between an infra-renal aortic aneurysm and an aberrant retro-aortic left renal vein. Aorto-venous fistulas may be asymptomatic or may present with symptoms characteristic of arterio-venous shunting and/or aneurysm rupture. This type of fistula is a rare cause of heart failure. Clinical examination and imaging are essential for detection.</p

Influence of training status and exercise modality on pulmonary O2 uptake kinetics in pre-pubertal girls

The limited available evidence suggests that endurance training does not influence the pulmonary oxygen uptake (V(O)(2)) kinetics of pre-pubertal children. We hypothesised that, in young trained swimmers, training status-related adaptations in the V(O)(2) and heart rate (HR) kinetics would be more evident during upper body (arm cranking) than during leg cycling exercise. Eight swim-trained (T; 11.4 +/- 0.7 years) and eight untrained (UT; 11.5 +/- 0.6 years) girls completed repeated bouts of constant work rate cycling and upper body exercise at 40% of the difference between the gas exchange threshold and peak V(O)(2). The phase II V(O)(2) time constant was significantly shorter in the trained girls during upper body exercise (T: 25 +/- 3 vs. UT: 37 +/- 6 s; P &#60; 0.01), but no training status effect was evident in the cycle response (T: 25 +/- 5 vs. UT: 25 +/- 7 s). The V(O)(2) slow component amplitude was not affected by training status or exercise modality. The time constant of the HR response was significantly faster in trained girls during both cycle (T: 31 +/- 11 vs. UT: 47 +/- 9 s; P &#60; 0.01) and upper body (T: 33 +/- 8 vs. UT: 43 +/- 4 s; P &#60; 0.01) exercise. The time constants of the phase II V(O)(2)and HR response were not correlated regardless of training status or exercise modality. This study demonstrates for the first time that swim-training status influences upper body V(O)(2) kinetics in pre-pubertal children, but that cycle ergometry responses are insensitive to such differences

Light regulation of metabolic pathways in fungi

Light represents a major carrier of information in nature. The molecular machineries translating its electromagnetic energy (photons) into the chemical language of cells transmit vital signals for adjustment of virtually every living organism to its habitat. Fungi react to illumination in various ways, and we found that they initiate considerable adaptations in their metabolic pathways upon growth in light or after perception of a light pulse. Alterations in response to light have predominantly been observed in carotenoid metabolism, polysaccharide and carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, nucleotide and nucleoside metabolism, and in regulation of production of secondary metabolites. Transcription of genes is initiated within minutes, abundance and activity of metabolic enzymes are adjusted, and subsequently, levels of metabolites are altered to cope with the harmful effects of light or to prepare for reproduction, which is dependent on light in many cases. This review aims to give an overview on metabolic pathways impacted by light and to illustrate the physiological significance of light for fungi. We provide a basis for assessment whether a given metabolic pathway might be subject to regulation by light and how these properties can be exploited for improvement of biotechnological processes