Numerical Drop Test of a Full Composite Fuselage Section Having Two Components of Velocity

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Complication of nasal piercing by Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis: a case report and a review of literature

Body piercing, a growing trend especially in young people, is often complicated by severe infections. We present a case of acute bacterial endocarditis by Staphylococcus aureus complicated by multiple cerebral, kidney, spleen embolisms in a young girl, with no known previous cardiac abnormalities, following the piercing of nasal septum. This case highlights the importance of education of patients with and without structural heart disease to the potential dangerous and even life threatening infectious complications of piercing, and stimulate further discussion on the possibility of antibiotic prophylaxis of such procedures

Rotational atherectomy for the treatment of isolated femoral artery traumatic lesion: a case report

We describe the case of a 50-year-old man with an isolated plaque of the left distal superficial femoral artery (SFA), probably not related to atherosclerosis, but rather to a traumatic event. He was admitted to our hospital because of intermittent claudication. The critical distal SFA stenosis was documented by angiography and the lesion was treated by rotational atherectomy without stent implantation. At 1-year follow up, Doppler Ultrasound scan demonstrated a normal flow pattern of the left SFA and downstream districts in the absence of any complication. Therefore, rotational atherectomy is a safe and effective technique particularly in cases of peripheral arterial disease wherein stent implantation is dangerous

AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy for acute superficial femoral artery stent or femoropopliteal by-pass thrombosis

Thrombosis of superficial femoral artery (SFA) nitinol stents or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) femoropopliteal bypass grafts after discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy is an emergent clinical challenge of acute limb ischemia (ALI), requiring immediate percutaneous intervention. Currently, there is no evidence-based approach for the management of such complications. We describe the cases of two patients presenting with ALI due to nitinol stent thrombosis after discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy and the case of a patient presenting with ALI due to PTFE femoropopliteal graft thrombosis in which limb salvage was obtained by AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy and re-stenting. In both cases, the thrombus was successfully removed using the Possis AngioJet® mechanical thrombectomy catheter and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) was performed to recanalize two femoropopliteal nitinol stents and a femoropopliteal PTFE graft. In both cases, optimal angiographic result was obtained. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first three cases reporting the use of the AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy in ALI due to stent or graft thrombosis. Taken together, these cases suggest that AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy might represent a novel effective strategy in the percutaneous treatment of stent or graft thrombosis determining ALI

AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy for acute superficial femoral artery stent or femoropopliteal by-pass thrombosis

Thrombosis of superficial femoral artery (SFA) nitinol stents or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) femoropopliteal bypass grafts after discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy is an emergent clinical challenge of acute limb ischemia (ALI), requiring immediate percutaneous intervention. Currently, there is no evidence-based approach for the management of such complications. We describe the cases of two patients presenting with ALI due to nitinol stent thrombosis after discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy and the case of a patient presenting with ALI due to PTFE femoropopliteal graft thrombosis in which limb salvage was obtained by AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy and re-stenting. In both cases, the thrombus was successfully removed using the Possis AngioJet® mechanical thrombectomy catheter and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) was performed to recanalize two femoropopliteal nitinol stents and a femoropopliteal PTFE graft. In both cases, optimal angiographic result was obtained. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first three cases reporting the use of the AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy in ALI due to stent or graft thrombosis. Taken together, these cases suggest that AngioJet® rheolytic thrombectomy might represent a novel effective strategy in the percutaneous treatment of stent or graft thrombosis determining ALI

Spectrum of mutations in Italian patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: New results from the LIPIGEN study

Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by elevated plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol that confers an increased risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Early identification and treatment of FH patients can improve prognosis and reduce the burden of cardiovascular mortality. Aim of this study was to perform the mutational analysis of FH patients identified through a collaboration of 20 Lipid Clinics in Italy (LIPIGEN Study). Methods We recruited 1592 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of definite or probable FH according to the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria. We performed a parallel sequencing of the major candidate genes for monogenic hypercholesterolemia (LDLR, APOB, PCSK9, APOE, LDLRAP1, STAP1). Results A total of 213 variants were detected in 1076 subjects. About 90% of them had a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. More than 94% of patients carried pathogenic variants in LDLR gene, 27 of which were novel. Pathogenic variants in APOB and PCSK9 were exceedingly rare. We found 4 true homozygotes and 5 putative compound heterozygotes for pathogenic variants in LDLR gene, as well as 5 double heterozygotes for LDLR/APOB pathogenic variants. Two patients were homozygous for pathogenic variants in LDLRAP1 gene resulting in autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia. One patient was found to be heterozygous for the ApoE variant p.(Leu167del), known to confer an FH phenotype. Conclusions This study shows the molecular characteristics of the FH patients identified in Italy over the last two years. Full phenotypic characterization of these patients and cascade screening of family members is now in progress

Evaluation of the performance of Dutch Lipid Clinic Network score in an Italian FH population: The LIPIGEN study

Background and aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder characterized by high levels of blood cholesterol from birth and premature coronary heart disease. Thus, the identification of FH patients is crucial to prevent or delay the onset of cardiovascular events, and the availability of a tool helping with the diagnosis in the setting of general medicine is essential to improve FH patient identification.Methods: This study evaluated the performance of the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) score in FH patients enrolled in the LIPIGEN study, an Italian integrated network aimed at improving the identification of patients with genetic dyslipidaemias, including FH.Results: The DLCN score was applied on a sample of 1377 adults (mean age 42.9 +/- 14.2 years) with genetic diagnosis of FH, resulting in 28.5% of the sample classified as probable FH and 37.9% as classified definite FH. Among these subjects, 43.4% had at least one missing data out of 8, and about 10.0% had 4 missing data or more. When analyzed based on the type of missing data, a higher percentage of subjects with at least 1 missing data in the clinical history or physical examination was classified as possible FH (DLCN score 3-5). We also found that using real or estimated pre-treatment LDL-C levels may significantly modify the DLCN score.Conclusions: Although the DLCN score is a useful tool for physicians in the diagnosis of FH, it may be limited by the complexity to retrieve all the essential information, suggesting a crucial role of the clinical judgement in the identification of FH subjects

Familial hypercholesterolemia: The Italian Atherosclerosis Society Network (LIPIGEN)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Primary dyslipidemias are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by abnormal levels of circulating lipoproteins. Among them, familial hypercholesterolemia is the most common lipid disorder that predisposes for premature cardiovascular disease. We set up an Italian nationwide network aimed at facilitating the clinical and genetic diagnosis of genetic dyslipidemias named LIPIGEN (LIpid TransPort Disorders Italian GEnetic Network). METHODS: Observational, multicenter, retrospective and prospective study involving about 40 Italian clinical centers. Genetic testing of the appropriate candidate genes at one of six molecular diagnostic laboratories serving as nationwide DNA diagnostic centers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: From 2012 to October 2016, available biochemical and clinical information of 3480 subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia identified according to the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) score were included in the database and genetic analysis was performed in 97.8% of subjects, with a mutation detection rate of 92.0% in patients with DLCN score 656. The establishment of the LIPIGEN network will have important effects on clinical management and it will improve the overall identification and treatment of primary dyslipidemias in Italy