Objective:
Hypersensitive aesthesia for coldness is known to occur more frequent in women. We hypothesized that it is derived from sex difference of vascular response to coldness. In order to confirm this hypothesis, we examined the arterial response to cold exposure in rat hindlimbs.
Methods:
Male (M), female (F) and ovariectomized (OVX) Wistar rats were used. Cold exposure was induced by cooling spray on the hindlimb. Tissue temperature was recorded using digital thermometer after cold exposure. Synchrotron radiation microangiography (SRA) with a resolution of 26 um was employed for the measurement of arterial diameter. Timing of imaging was pre and one minute after cold exposure.
Results:
The reduction in temperature was significant in F and OVX compared with M (p<0.01). SRA showed that arteries of hindlimbs are dilated by cold exposure in all groups. Percentage of arterial dilatation in response to cold exposure was statistically small in F compared with M and OVX (69+/−40% (F), 118+/−73% (M), 99+/−42% (OVX), p < 0.05 vs F, respectively).
Conclusion:
Although it has been recognized that cutaneous vessels are constricted by cold exposure, the reaction of deep vessels of lower limbs were not investigated in association with gender difference. From this experiment, it is clarified that female arteries are less expansive, and existence of ovarian hormones disturbed the dilation of arteries against cold exposure.
Background
Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) as a primary cardiac tumor is rare, with extremely poor prognosis owing to high recurrence and invasion. We encountered a patient who presented with a primary cardiac tumor incarcerating the mitral valve and who was in a shock state.
Case presentation
A 41-year-old man was transported emergently to our hospital owing to acute respiratory distress and hemoptysis. He was diagnosed with acute left heart failure caused by a large mass in the left atrium (LA) that obstructed cardiac blood flow, as revealed by imaging study findings, and he underwent an emergency open-heart surgery for tumor resection. He was pathologically diagnosed with UPS invading the muscle layer of the LA. However, after receiving combined therapy for local recurrence and distant metastasis, including proton beam radiotherapy and chemotherapy with molecularly targeted drugs, he could return to work for 2 more years after surgery.
Conclusion
In this study, we reported the case of a patient who was in a state of shock state owing to the presence of UPS in the LA. The patient underwent an emergency surgery and received combined therapy. He survived for 2 more years after an initial diagnosis, without active local recurrence and distant metastasis.
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