Ductus arteriosus aneurysm: an unusual mediastinal mass

The following is a case report of a ductus arteriosus aneurysm in a newborn. Its various appearance on different imaging modalities, including chest x-ray, computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography, are demonstrated. The differential diagnosis of this mediastinal mass, complications related to ductus aneurysms and the appropriate radiographic workup are discussed.

Directional needle for antegrade guide wire placement with vertical arterial puncture

A directional needle with a closed pencil-point tip and a distal side hole was developed to permit antegrade guide wire placement by way of a 90 degrees puncture angle. It has been used in over 25 patients without technical difficulties or complications. It has been very effective for catheterization of the superficial femoral artery for angioplasty, diagnostic studies, and chemotherapy infusion, providing easy antegrade access in patients in whom the traditional antegrade approach may be difficult.

Methanol production from the degradation of pectin by human colonic bacteria

When ingested, pectin can lower serum cholesterol levels in humans. Pectin is degraded by fecal bacteria in the colon. We examined the release of methanol (MeOH) by this degradation. A 0.2% glucose (2 g/L) mixture was used as the control medium. A pure culture of pectinolytic Erwinia carotovora was the control bacterium. The chief substrates were, in set 1, 0.2% pectin (2 g/L) and, in set 2, 0.1% glucose (1 g/L) and 0.1% pectin (1 g/L). Cultures of fecal bacteria and E carotovora grew for 72 h in each of the solutions. By 72 h the fecal flora culture in set 1 cleaved 30% of the possible methoxyl groups on pectin. The fecal flora in set 2 cleaved 90.7% of all possible methoxyl groups. Balance studies suggest that all of the free MeOH comes from methoxyl groups on pectin. This study demonstrates that fecal bacteria are capable of degrading pectin to release MeOH.