Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disorder for which currently there is no accepted definition. Having a uniform standard for diagnosing and classifying AKI would enhance our ability to manage these patients. Future clinical and translational research in AKI will require collaborative networks of investigators drawn from various disciplines, dissemination of information via multidisciplinary joint conferences and publications, and improved translation of knowledge from pre-clinical research. We describe an initiative to develop uniform standards for defining and classifying AKI and to establish a forum for multidisciplinary interaction to improve care for patients with or at risk for AKI. Members representing key societies in critical care and nephrology along with additional experts in adult and pediatric AKI participated in a two day conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in September 2005 and were assigned to one of three workgroups. Each group's discussions formed the basis for draft recommendations that were later refined and improved during discussion with the larger group. Dissenting opinions were also noted. The final draft recommendations were circulated to all participants and subsequently agreed upon as the consensus recommendations for this report. Participating societies endorsed the recommendations and agreed to help disseminate the results. The term AKI is proposed to represent the entire spectrum of acute renal failure. Diagnostic criteria for AKI are proposed based on acute alterations in serum creatinine or urine output. A staging system for AKI which reflects quantitative changes in serum creatinine and urine output has been developed. We describe the formation of a multidisciplinary collaborative network focused on AKI. We have proposed uniform standards for diagnosing and classifying AKI which will need to be validated in future studies. The Acute Kidney Injury Network offers a mechanism for proceeding with efforts to improve patient outcomes.

Acute Kidney Injury Network: report of an initiative to improve outcomes in acute kidney injury

This is an overview of the mechanisms of obesity and its relation to cardiovascular risks, describing the available treatment options to manage this condition. The pathogenesis of obesity includes the balance between calories consumed and energy expenditure followed by the maintenance of body weight. Diet, physical activity, environmental, behavioral and physiological factors are part of the complex process of weight loss, since there are several hormones and peptides involved in regulation of appetite, eating behavior and energy expenditure. The cardiovascular complications associated to obesity are also driven by processes involving hormones and peptides and which include inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, coronary calcification, activation of coagulation, renin angiotensin or the sympathetic nervous systems. Pharmacological treatments are often needed to insure weight loss and weight maintenance as adjuncts to diet and physical activity in people with obesity and overweight patients. To accomplish satisfactory goals, patients and physicians seek for weight loss, weight maintenance and improvement of the risk factors associated to this condition, especially cardiovascular risk.

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Cardiovascular risk and obesity

Sternal wound infection (SWI) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of cardiac surgery. Predisposing factors for SWI are multiple with varied frequencies in different studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence, risk factors, and mortality of SWI after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at Tehran Heart Center. This study prospectively evaluated multiple risk factors for SWI in 9201 patients who underwent CABG at Tehran Heart Center between January 2002 and February 2006. Cases of SWI were confirmed based on the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deep SWI (bone and mediastinitis) was categorized according to the Oakley classification. In the study period, 9201 CABGs were performed with a total SWI rate of 0.47 percent (44 cases) and deep SWI of 0.22 percent (21 cases). Perioperative (in-hospital) mortality was 9.1% for total SWI and about 14% for deep SWI versus 1.1% for non-SWI CABG patients. Female gender, preoperative hypertension, high functional class, diabetes mellitus, obesity, prolonged intubation time (more than 48 h), and re-exploration for bleeding were significant risk factors for developing SWI (p = 0.05) in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, hypertension (OR = 10.7), re-exploration (OR = 13.4), and female gender (OR = 2.7) were identified as significant predictors of SWI (p < 0.05 for all). The rate of SWI was relatively similar in 3 groups of prophylactic antibiotic regimen (Cefazolin, Cefazolin + Gentamycin and Cefazolin + Amikacin: 0.5%, 0.5%, and 0.34% respectively). Rarely reported previously, the two risk factors of hypertension and the female gender were significant risk factors in our study. Conversely, some other risk factors such as cigarette smoking and age mentioned as significant in other reports were not significant in our study. Further studies are needed for better documentation.

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Superficial and deep sternal wound infection after more than 9000 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG): incidence, risk factors and mortality.

Prevention of poststernotomy wound infections in obese patients by negative pressure wound therapy.

Since the first case of brucellosis detected in a dolphin aborted fetus, an increasing number of Brucella ceti isolates has been reported in members of the two suborders of cetaceans: Mysticeti and Odontoceti. Serological surveys have shown that cetacean brucellosis may be distributed worldwide in the oceans. Although all B. ceti isolates have been included within the same species, three different groups have been recognized according to their preferred host, bacteriological properties, and distinct genetic traits: B. ceti dolphin type, B. ceti porpoise type, and B. ceti human type. It seems that B. ceti porpoise type is more closely related to B. ceti human isolates and B. pinnipedialis group, while B. ceti dolphin type seems ancestral to them. Based on comparative phylogenetic analysis, it is feasible that the B. ceti ancestor radiated in a terrestrial artiodactyl host close to the Raoellidae family about 58 million years ago. The more likely mode of transmission of B. ceti seems to be through sexual intercourse, maternal feeding, aborted fetuses, placental tissues, vertical transmission from mother to the fetus or through fish or helminth reservoirs. The B. ceti dolphin and porpoise types seem to display variable virulence in land animal models and low infectivity for humans. However, brucellosis in some dolphins and porpoises has been demonstrated to be a severe chronic disease, displaying significant clinical and pathological signs related to abortions, male infertility, neurobrucellosis, cardiopathies, bone and skin lesions, strandings, and death.

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Brucella ceti and Brucellosis in Cetaceans

Purpose: to compare the outcomes of vascular access (VA) procedures performed using physical examination (PE) alone to PE and ultrasound vein mapping for assessment of patients needing hemodialysis access. Methods: comparative analysis of data obtained by retrospective review of records of 63 patients who underwent PE and vascular mapping (VM) using colored doppler ultrasonography (cduS) and 76 patients assessed by physical examination alone to schedule vascular access surgery. the parameters assessed to study the impact of these two different pre-operative assessment approaches included selection of surgical site, procedure, construction of arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) and grafts (AVG), negative surgical exploration rates and surgical outcomes (maturation and patency rates). Results: the rate of successfully constructed AVF increased significantly from 75% to 97% (P=.001) with pre-operative ultrasonographic vascular mapping. In 22 patients (34.9%) the access planned with physical examination was modified based on cduS examination. In 12 patients, the surgical site for AVF creation and type of surgical procedure were modified based on the cduS results. Permanent access placement rates were significantly higher in patients assessed with cduS (P=.001). All patients who underwent vascular mapping had successful VA construction while the PE group had a 18.4% negative surgical exploration rate. When fistulas were assessed at six months, the patency rate was 80.7% for the physical examination (PE) group and 93.4% for the vascular mapping (VM) group. Conclusions: Pre-operative vascular mapping using cduS significantly increases the success of AVF construction and patency.

The clinical utility of vascular mapping with Doppler ultrasound prior to arteriovenous fistula construction for hemodialysis access.

In open-heart surgery, sternal wound infection after median sternotomy is a critical complication. The intracutaneous suture is conventionally used in closing sternal incisions. In this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial, intracutaneous and transcutaneous suture techniques for closing the sternum were compared with respect to postoperative sternal wound infections and cosmetic results. In this study, we included 100 patients who had undergone open-heart surgery. Skin wounds were closed with intracutaneous suture in 50 patients and with transcutaneous suture in the remaining 50. Superficial or deep sternal infections that developed within 6 postoperative weeks were evaluated. Cosmetic results were similar in the 2 groups. Deep wound infections were not observed in either group. Superficial infection of postoperative sternal wounds occurred at rates of 2% (n=1) and 16% (n=8) for transcutaneous and intracutaneous techniques, respectively (P = 0.016). One patient in the transcutaneous group and 6 patients in the intracutaneous group who developed superficial sternal infections were diabetic. Although the use of the transcutaneous suture technique in closing sternal incisions of cardiac surgery patients provided no cosmetic improvement, it decreased the risk of superficial sternal infection and reduced the length of postoperative hospital stay, particularly in diabetic patients.

Intracutaneous versus transcutaneous suture techniques: comparison of sternal wound infection rates in open-heart surgery patients.

BACKGROUND  Management of thoracic aorta aneurysms-especially the ones including aortic arch-is highly complicated. Isolated or nonisolated aortic arch aneurysms can be repaired by hybrid procedure especially in patients with comorbidities as well as by conventional open methods. METHODS  Eleven patients who underwent total arch debranching and endovascular stent implantation on antegrade route in the same session between November 2006 and October 2009 were retrospectively evaluated using clinical and perioperative criteria. RESULTS  The mean age was 65 ± 6.2 and nine of the patients were male. Primary technical success rate was 100%. Mortality, stroke, or transient paraplegia/paraparesia was not seen during in-hospital follow-up. Average follow-up period was 36 ± 13 months and no late-term aortic pathology was seen. In only one of the patients, endovascular reintervention was required for type 1B endoleak. No mortality or neurological pathology was seen in long-term postoperative follow-up. CONCLUSION  Hybrid procedures could be performed safely with lower complication and higher success rates in the same session via antegrade route and zone 0 graft deployment for high-risk cases with isolated or nonisolated aortic arch aneurysms.

Hybrid repair of aortic arch aneurysms in same session.

Iliac vein aneurysm is a rare vascular abnormality. It has been reported as a primary aneurysm of unknown cause, or, when a cause could be identified, as a secondary iliac vein aneurysm. Occasionally, iliac vein aneurysm develops in association with distal arteriovenous fistula. Although venous aneurysms occur most commonly in the neck and central thoracic veins, they also have been reported in the visceral veins and the extremities.

Herein, we present the case of a 34-year-old man in whom a giant external-iliac-vein aneurysm was incidentally found during the investigation of a post-traumatic femoral arteriovenous fistula. The aneurysm was surgically resected, the iliac vein was reconstructed by means of lateral venorrhaphy, and the patient had an uneventful, complete recovery. We discuss the origin of the aneurysm and our choice of surgical techniques.

Surgical treatment of a giant external-iliac-vein aneurysm in a patient with a post-traumatic femoral arteriovenous fistula.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of zoledronic acid (ZA), as a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, on neointimal hyperplasia in rabbit carotid anastomosis model. METHODS: New Zealand male rabbits were divided into two groups as placebo and treatment groups in this experimental study. After anesthesia, the right carotid artery of each rabbit was end-to-end anastomosed with an 8/0 polypropylene suture. Left carotid artery was kept as control without any operation. Placebo group (n=6) received phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (0.5mL/kg/day/s.c.) for 28 days postoperatively, whereas ZA group (n=6) received ZA (100 µg/kg/day/s.c.) for the same period. After sacrification, the anastomosed and control arteries were isolated. Morphometric and immunohistochemical examinations were performed. Statistical analyses of morphometric and immunohistochemical data were performed using two-way ANOVA and Chi-square test respectively. RESULTS: In PBS group, vascular injury in the anastomosed artery significantly increased the intimal area (anastomosed: 112.51±61.18 µm(2)*1000 vs. control: 22.62±4.26 µm(2)*1000, p<0.01) and intima/media index (anastomosed: 0.347±0.29 vs. control: 0.075±0.01, p<0.05) compared to control artery. ZA significantly reduced the intimal area (39.29±18.21 µm(2)*1000 , p<0.01) and intima/media index (0.112±0.07, p<0.05) compared to PBS group. Additionally, α-smooth muscle actin immunopositivity was found significantly decreased in anastomosed arteries from ZA group (ZA: 2.33±0.52 vs. PBS: 3.50±0.5, p<0.05). Moreover, intensive gelatinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9) immunoreactivities were clearly seen in anastomosed arteries compared to control arteries from PBS group. ZA apparently decreased immunopositivities for gelatinases in anastomosed arteries. CONCLUSION: ZA might be a promising agent for prevention of neointimal hyperplasia, which is the most significant cause of graft failures in late postoperative period.

Ismail Yurekli

Papers

The clinical utility of vascular mapping with Doppler ultrasound prior to arteriovenous fistula construction for hemodialysis access.

Intracutaneous versus transcutaneous suture techniques: comparison of sternal wound infection rates in open-heart surgery patients.

Hybrid repair of aortic arch aneurysms in same session.

Surgical treatment of a giant external-iliac-vein aneurysm in a patient with a post-traumatic femoral arteriovenous fistula.

The effects of zoledronic acid on neointimal hyperplasia: a rabbit carotid anastomosis model.