Background: The circular nMARQ™ ablation catheter is a useful tool for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). We assessed acute and long-term efficacy of NMARQ™ ablation catheter for PVI in paroxysmal and persistent AF.

Methods and Results: We report a case series of 200 patients (mean age 56±9 years; 73% male) referred to our center to perform PVI. One hundred patients (group 1) underwent PVI with the nMARQTM and 100 patients (group 2) with the single tip ThermocoolR ablation catheters. All patients performed 24 months of FU. AF recurrences were documented in 13 patients of group 1 (13%) and 32 patients of group 2 (32%) (p=0.003). Regarding the patients with paroxysmal AF, 8 patients in group 1 (11%) and 20 patients in group 2 (26%) had AF recurrences at clinical FU (p=0.02). In patients with persistent AF, 8 patients in group 1 (33%) and 12 patients in group 2 (59%) had AF recurrences at clinical FU (p=0.06). A trivial pericardial effusion not requiring any pharmacological or interventional correction appeared in 10 patients of group 1 (10%) and 6 patients of group 2 (6%); two patients reported groin haematoma.

Conclusion: The use of nMARQ™ ablation catheter for PVI is feasible and safe. Compared to standard single tip approach, we found a significant higher success rate in the nMARQ™ group at long term FU.

Background: Aortic dissection commonly affects the thoracic aorta and is associated with the high morbidity and mortality. But localized dissections originating from the infrarenal abdominal aorta are extremely rare and appear to have better treatment results than those with thoracic dissections.

Case presentation: A 52-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of a half mouth history of lower back pain. Computed Tomography (CT) and three-dimensional Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) showed a saccular infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA), maximum diameter 70 mm, with dissection from the level of left inferior renal artery to the left common iliac artery. Open surgical repair was successfully performed without any complications.

Conclusions: Operation surgical repair may be advisable in patients with acceptable operative risk because of the possibility for full intraoperative exploration to rule out coexisting intra-abdominal diseases.

The immune response after stroke is known to play a significant role in ischemic brain. The inflammatory messages let out by immune contacts activated by brain damage sets off a complex series of pathologic events which have been progressively recognized as an essential attendant to neuronal death. The primary immune mediators contained are glial cells and infiltrating leukocytes, including neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocyte. After ischemic stroke, infiltrated leukocytes release inflammatory mediators into the site of the lesion, thereby exacerbating brain injury. This review describes how the roles of circulating neutrophils are a double-edged sword for neuroinflammation by focusing on their detrimental and protective effects in ischemic stroke. Here, we will concentrate on underlying characterize of glial cells and leukocytes under inflammation after ischemic stroke.

Hyperlipidemia is disorder disease characterize by an excess on blood lipids which include cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein and decrease in high density lipoprotein in blood stream. Hyperlipidemia is modifiable risk factor of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular disease; hyperlipidemia may be primary or secondary type according to the cause of hyperlipidemia either high food intake rich of fat or as result of other disease or metabolic disturbances. Hyperlipidemia may affect different animals, diagnostic by laboratory measure of blood lipid indexes and the treatment of hyperlipidemia depend on reducing lipids on the blood stream.

Transcatheter Aortic Valves Implantation (TAVI) is a valid treatment for elderly patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis considered high- or intermediate risk surgical candidates. Retrograde trans-femoral approach should be considered the less invasive approach; however, TAVI patients are often affected also by severe iliac-femoral arteriopathy, rendering the trans-femoral approach either unemployable or deemed to carry a high risk of vascular complications. We describe a case of Portico™ TAVI system (St Jude Medical, St Paul, MN, USA) implantation made through a right anterior mini-thoracotomy in an 83 year-old patient affected by severe aortic stenosis and severe peripheral vasculopathy.