The degree of symptomatology of a patient with peripheral arterial disease dictates the kind of treatment. Despite the known therapies, some patients continue to have pain with ambulation, which affects their quality of life. The therapeutic implications of the angiogenic growth factors were identified by the pioneering studies of Folkman et al. 2 decades ago. Further investigations established the possibility of the use of formulations of recombinant angiogenic growth factors, with the objective of developing or increasing the network of collaterals in animal models of chronic myocardial or limb ischemia. Researches suggest that primitive stem cells with whole bone marrow possess greater functional plasticity, capable of contributing to regeneration of ischemic limb muscle and vascular endothelium by adult stem cells. Local autologous marrow stromal cells implantation induces a neovascular response resulting in a significant increase in blood flow to the ischemic limb. In this article we review the studies that have established how the implantation of bone marrow cells into ischemic limbs increases collateral vessel formation.

No abstract

IntroduçãoA síndrome de compressão da veia ilíaca, também conhecida como Síndrome de May-Thurner, é uma doença pouco comum causada pela compressão da veia ilíaca esquerda pela artéria ilíaca direita, proporcionando uma sé-rie de sintomas dependendo do grau de compressão, entre eles: edema assimétrico de membro inferior esquerdo, dor, surgimento de varizes e trombose venosa [1][2][3] . Esta síndrome foi descrita pela primeira vez em 1956, por May e Thurner, a partir do estudo de cadáveres, como variações anatômicas da veia ilíaca esquerda proporcionando uma interrupção do fluxo venoso 4,5,[7][8][9] . Lesões vasculares fibrosas chamadas de spurs foram encontradas no nível em que a artéria ilía-ca direita comprimia a veia ilíaca esquerda contra a quinta vértebra lombar 5,10 . Em 1965, Cockett e Thomas relataram ResumoA Síndrome de May-Thurner é uma causa pouco comum de sinais e sintomas venosos relacionados ao membro inferior esquerdo. Esta síndrome é caracterizada pela compressão da veia ilíaca comum esquerda pela artéria ilíaca comum direita e, quando tal alteração anatômica causa sintomas que venham a prejudicar a qualidade de vida do paciente, existe a indicação de tratamento cirúrgico ou endovascular para correção desta alteração anatômica. Este artigo é o relato de um caso, no qual optou-se pelo tratamento endovascular com resultado satisfatório e as indicações, as nuances e os resultados esperados para esta técnica no tratamento da Síndrome de May-Thurner são discutidos. Foi concluído que, nesta síndrome, há eficácia do tratamento endovascular com melhora dos sintomas pela recanalização do sistema venoso, sem grandes riscos inerentes ao procedimento e com curto período de internação hospitalar.Palavras-chave: veia ilíaca; artéria ilíaca; varizes; edema; flebografia AbstractMay-Thurner Syndrome is an uncommon cause of venous symptoms and signs related to the left lower limb. It is characterized by compression of the left common iliac vein by the right common iliac artery and, when such anatomical change causes symptoms that may impair the patients' quality of life, surgical treatment is indicated. This article addresses a case of May-Thurner syndrome in which we opted for endovascular treatment with satisfactory outcome, as well as a discussion about indications, nuances, and expected results. We concluded that endovascular treatment is effective in treating this syndrome, for it resolves the symptoms by recanalization of the venous system with little risks during the procedure and with short hospital stay.

Introduction:The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and MetS-related stroke is set to increase dramatically in coming decades. MetS is a complex disease that includes endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, ectopic obesity, and dyslipidaemia and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. One function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C) is the cholesterol-efflux pathway, which is the pathway where cholesterol is removed from macrophages within the arterial walls back into the bloodstream and out to the liver. As one of the key functions of HDL, their hypothesis was that if they could measure HDL-C-efflux capacity, they would have a better handle on the role of HDL in atherosclerosis. However, there are no systematic analyses or well-conducted meta-analyses to evaluate the relationship between HDL-C functionality and MetS. The aim of this study is to examine this association of HDL-C functionality with MetS in different ages and sex.Methods and analysis:The update systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted using published studies that will be identified from electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). Studies that examined the association between HDL-C functionality and MetS; focused on cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies; were conducted among in adults aged 40 to 70 years; provided sufficient data for calculating odds ratio or relative risk with a 95% confidence interval; were published as original articles written in English or other languages; and have been published until January 2018 will be included. Study selection, data collection, quality assessment, and statistical syntheses will be conducted based on discussions among investigators.Ethics and dissemination:Ethics approval was not required for this study because it was based on published studies. The results and findings of this study will be submitted and published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration number: PROSPERO (CRD42018083465).

Angiogenic therapies for critical limb ischemia were tested in a mouse model. The mice were anesthetized and their femoral arteries were ligated. The animals were treated with bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) alone, BMMCs combined with plasmid vector encoding granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), received no treatment, or no intervention (controls). The degree of ischemia was monitored for 4 weeks using a visual scale. Muscle atrophy and strength were assessed at 4 weeks postoperatively; the mice were then killed. In treated animals, total necrosis of the limb was not found, the weight of the gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles was significantly higher, functional ability and tissue regeneration were significantly increased, and muscle impairment and adipocyte presence were significantly reduced compared with untreated animals. At inducing angiogenesis, the BMMCs alone was more effective than BMMCs combined with plasmid vector encoding GM-CSF. Treated animals showed increased angiogenesis compared with ischemic untreated ones.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text

Resumo Muitos pacientes com COVID-19 apresentam complicações tromboembólicas que acabam piorando seu prognóstico. Os autores propõem uma modificação no escore CHA2DS2-VASc, incluindo 1 ponto para COVID-19, para, desse modo, indicar profilaxia de eventos tromboembólicos antes do agravamento do quadro. As vantagens dessa modificação seriam evitar a piora do paciente por problemas tromboembólicos, bem como a necessidade de internação em unidade de tratamento intensivo e de ventilação mecânica, e diminuir a mortalidade.

Background The COrona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has radically changed the possibilities for vascular surgeons and trainees to exchange knowledge and experience. The aim of the present survey is to inventorise the e-learning needs of vascular surgeons and trainees as well as the strengths and weaknesses of vascular e-Learning. Methods An online survey consisting of 18 questions was created in English, with a separate bilingual English-Mandarin version. The survey was dispersed to vascular surgeons and trainees worldwide through social media and via direct messaging from June 15th to October 15th 2020. Results 856 records from 84 different countries could be included. Most participants attended several online activities (>4: n=461, 54%; 2-4: n=300, 35%; 1: n=95, 11%) and evaluated online activities as positive or very positive (84.7%). In deciding upon participation, the topic of the activity was most important (n=440, 51.4%), followed by the reputation of the presenter or the panel (n=178, 20.8%), but not necessarily receiving accreditation or certification (n=52, 6.1%). The survey identified several shortcomings in vascular e-Learning during the pandemic: limited possibility to attend due to lack of time and increased workload (n=432, 50.5%), no protected/allocated time (n=488, 57%) and no accreditation or certification, while technical shortcomings were only a minor problem (n=25, 2.9%). Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic vascular e-Learning has been used frequently and was appreciated by vascular professionals from around the globe. The survey identified strengths and weaknesses in current e-Learning that can be used to further improve online learning in vascular surgery.