Identification of the Tandem Running Pheromone in Diacamma sp. from Japan (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

The Japanese queenless ponerine ant Diacamma sp. from Japan employs tandem running during nest relocation, in which a leader ant guides nestmate followers one at a time. We replicated this process by presenting one entire abdominal part of a leader, except for the petiole to followers. When the abdominal part had been rinsed with n-hexane, however, it attracted significantlyfewer followers. This suggests that chemicals on the leader’s abdominal part evoke tandem running. Dissection of abdominal major exocrine glands revealed that the Dufour’s gland was the source of this chemical signal. The chemicals were eluted in the hydrocarbon fraction by silica-gel column chromatography, and the quantitatively major component was estimated as heptadecene (C17:1) through gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GCMS) analysis. The position of the double bond was estimated to be between the 8th and 9th carbons through analysis of the epoxidized compound. Only (Z)-isomers of 8-heptadecene evoked tandem running in the followers. We identified the tandem running pheromone of this ant species to be (Z)-8- heptadecene. (163

A surgical case of mitral valve replacement for a patient with Fabry disease complicated with hemodialysis

　Fabry disease is a rare genetic disease, and surgical reports for the patients with Fabry disease are also rarer.　A 58-year-old man presented with chest pain. At the age of 40, he commenced dialysis due to chronic renal failure and at the age of 50, he developed shortness of breath on exertion, and echocardiography showed mitral regurgitation and left ventricular hypertrophy. He was then diagnosed with Fabry disease due to decreased alpha-galactosidase activity. This diagnosis led to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). The ERT was effective as he had not never experienced further exacerbation of congestive heart failure. While the CHF was put under control, his mitral stenosis gradually worsened, and the patient began to have more chest pain and became hypotensive. He then referred to our section for mitral valve replacement. His mitral annulus was severely calcified and we removed mitral annulus calcification (MAC) at minimum so that we could stich needles and implanted mechanical valve. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and bradycardia made his hemodynamics unstable against ERT, which also caused low dialysis efficiency. It took longer than usual to wean him off catecholamines. His hemodynamics became more stable and dialysis efficiency generally improved, so he moved from ICU to ward on postoperative day 11. On day 32, he was transferred back to the referring hospital for his rehabilitation.　We have reported a surgical case of Fabry disease, that are not only rare but have high perioperative risk due to Fabry disease’s specific complications

Case report on a coronary artery bypass graft for a patient with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

　Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is an immune disease in which antiphospholipid antibodies cause hypercoagulability and thromboembolic complications. We experienced APS cases associated with systemic lupus erythematosus with three-vessel lesions of the coronary artery. After a below knee amputation on a 60-year-old woman with APS, she complained of chest pain at rest. An electrocardiogram showed an ST depression and a coronary angiography showed complicated three-vessel disease, as a result she was referred to the cardiac surgery department. A coronary artery bypass with arterial grafts was performed along with postoperative anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy, and the short-term graft patency was good. Case reports of coronary artery bypass grafts for secondary APS are rare, so we report here on our case and our strategy to treat thromboembolic complications

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery via a right mini-thoracotomy

　Minimally invasive surgery, which has become very active outside the cardiovascular field, has recently come to the fore in this area. Then, procedures such as offpump coronary artery bypass grafts without extracorporeal circulation and stent grafts for treating aortic aneurysms have been frequently performed.　In cardiac surgery, as in other surgical fields, more and more surgeries that are less and less invasive have been introduced in recent years. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting has contributed to the development of these less invasive surgeries. For example, cardiac surgery utilizing a partial sternotomy was introduced as a way to better access the surgical location. However, minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) through a right mini-thoracotomy, a portaccess cardiac surgery, is said to be trending recently because it avoids a sternotomy and has less bleeding and wound infection. All of these factors not only promote early recovery, but are also expected to have a positive impact on early discharge and the health care economy.　With surgeons and hospitals accumulating experience, MICS is being applied to more complex lesions and has begun to be used to treat the aortic valve in addition to the mitral valve. Off-the-job training and team building are also key factors for implementing a successful program. This type of port-access cardiac surgery is already beginning to be developed into a robotically assisted heart surgery by various facilities around the world

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery via a right mini-thoracotomy

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