Protective effect of thymoquinone on smoking-induced vascular damage: An experimental study in rats

Aim: To investigate the protective effect of thymoquinone on smoking-induced vascular damage in rats. Method: A total of 28 rats were allocated in this experimental study. Rats were equally divided in four groups; as control group (n=7) and study groups including only smoking group (n=7), smoking plus thymoquinone group (n=7) and smoking plus dexamethasone group (n=7). The animals in study groups were subjected to regular cigarette smoke exposure during 2 months, hereby smoking-induced vascular injury model was established in the animals. The thoracic aorta of the animals were surgically resected and then evaluated histopathologically. The prepared aortic tissue samples were analyzed under light microscope in terms of thickness of aortic wall, endothelial continuity and injury as well as degenerative alterations on the endothelium. Results: Mean aortic wall thicknesses were 77.8 and 114.5 μ in only smoking group and smoking plus thymoquinone group respectively, and this difference was statistically significant. In only smoking group partial endothelial damage and complete endothelial damage were observed in 2 and 4 animals respectively whereas in smoking plus thymoquinone group no endothelial damage and partial endothelial damage were observed in 2 and 4 animals respectively. When these groups were compared in terms of endothelial damage, the difference was detected to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that thymoquinone has a protective effect on rat endothelium and alleviates the smoking-induced vascular damage in rats

Ultrastructural examination of left internal mammary artery under electron microscopy in patients with chronic kidney disease who underwent coronary bypass surgery

Aim: To investigate the vascular damage of internal mammary artery graft with electron microscope secondary to chronic renal failure transmission in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Method: A total of 30 patients (10 patients with chronic renal failure and 20 patients without chronic renal failure) who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery were included in this prospective study. Left internal mammary artery graft was harvested as conventional fashion with no touch technique. Samples were prepared and then examined with the transmission electron microscope. Every arterial sample was individually examined ultrastructurally, and the changes were recorded. Then the samples of the control group and chronic renal failure group were compared. Results: There were no significant differences between chronic renal failure group and the control group in terms of demographics, comorbidities, intraoperative data and postoperative outcomes, and the groups were statistically similar (p<0.05). Moreover, no statistically significance was detected in terms of structure and ultrastructure between the groups. Conclusion: The results of our study revealed that no ultrastructural changes were observed in the structure of IMA, suggesting that this graft would provide a good graft patency

Our outcomes of aortic valve sparing reimplantation (David procedure) in patients with ascending aortic aneurysm and type A aortic dissection

Aim: To present our outcomes with David procedure in patients with ascending aortic aneurysms (AAA) and type A aortic dissection (AD). Methods: Thirty-six patients, aged between 38-75 years, followed-up in the cardiovascular surgery clinic of our hospital were included in the study. Patients’ demographic data such as age and gender, type of dissection, urea and creatinine values, length of stay in the ICU, duration of hospitalization were recorded. Outcomes of postoperative and long-term ecography were analyzed. Results:  Of the 36 patients included in the study, 26 (72.22%) were male and 10 (22.78%) were female. The mean age of all patients was 60 ± 10 years. Ascending aortic aneurysm (AAA) was found in 20 (55.56%) patients and type A aortic dissection (AD) in 16 (44.44%) patients. In the postoperative echocardiography, 7 (23.33%) patients were normal, while 2 (6.67%) had trace aortic insufficiency, 17 (56.67%) patients had mild aortic insufficiency, 3 (10.00%) patients had moderate aortic insufficiency and 1 (3.33%) severe aortic insufficiency. Echocardiography performed one month after the operation revealed normal pathology in 10 (33.33%) trace aortic sufficiency in 2 (6.67%) patients, mild aortic insufficiency in 17 (56.67%) patients, and moderate aortic insufficiency in 1 (3.33%) patient. Conclusion:  The results of this study indicate that aortic valve-sparing reimplantation (David) procedure can be safely and effectively performed in patients with ascending aortic aneurysm and type A aortic dissection. It eliminates the need for a mechanical prosthesis and its complications

Multi-inflammatory index as a novel predictor of new-onset atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting

Background: To our knowledge, a possible predictive relationship of the multi-inflammatory index (MII) with new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has not yet been studied in the literature. Aims: We aimed to investigate whether the MII is a novel group of hematological markers for predicting postoperative new-onset AF in patients undergoing off-pump CABG. Methods: A total of 427 patients undergoing isolated off-pump CABG between October 2021 and December 2023 were enrolled in this retrospective observational cohort study and allocated to two groups: the AF group (n = 108) and the non-AF group (n = 319). The groups were compared in terms of baseline clinical patient characteristics, laboratory parameters, and operative and postoperative data. Results: The median values of age, length of hospital stay, platelet and neutrophil count, C-reactive protein level, systemic immune-inflammation index, MII-1, MII-2, and MII-3 were significantly greater in the AF group compared to the non-AF group in univariate analyses. In multiple explanatory variable logistic regression analysis, MII-1, MII-2, and MII-3 were determined to be significant hematological variables, and thereby these indices were considered the independent predictors of postoperative new-onset AF. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that to predict postoperative new-onset AF, MII-1 of 22.47 constituted the cut-off value with 62.0% sensitivity and 57.0% specificity, MII-2 of 141.77 constituted the cut-off value with 43.5% sensitivity and 76.8% specificity, and MII-3 of 5669 constituted the cut-off value with 63.8% sensitivity and 58.3% specificity. Conclusion: This study demonstrated for the first time that all MIIs predicted new-onset AF after off-pump CABG

Effects of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery on Olfactory and Taste Functions

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that olfactory function was impaired in patients, who underwent on-pump CABG in the postoperative period, and significant impairment in taste function was present in neither off-pump nor on-pump CABG patients. However, the results of our study should be supported by more comprehensive, prospective, randomized controlled trials with more extensive patient series and by further tests