The development of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has allowed a minimally invasive approach for management of an array of thoracic aortic pathologies. Initially developed specifically for exclusion of thoracic aortic aneurysms, TEVAR is now used as an alternative to open surgery for a variety of disease pathologies due to the lower morbidity of this approach. Advances in endograft technology continue to broaden the applications of this technique.

The interaction of mono-, di-, and tripolyphosphate anions with the various protonated forms of the hexaaza macrocyclic ligand BMXD,3,6,9,17,20,15 ]triaconta-1(29),11(30),12,14,25,27-hexaene, was investigated by potentiometric equilibrium studies. The protonated ligand forms a number of stable binary complexes in solution with each of the anionic substrates and the strength of interaction increases in the order mono-< di-< tripolyphosphate. Formation constants for all the species found are reported and compared with those of analogous systems. The hexahydrobromide salt of BMXD, (H 6 BMXD)Br 6 ‚7H 2 O crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group Pna2 1 , with a ) 11.597(4) Å, b ) 12.604(4) Å, c ) 27.361(7) Å, and Z ) 4. The binary complex (H 4 BMXD-H 2 P 2 O 7 )Br 2 ‚5.2H 2 O crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group C2/c, with a ) 28.194(6) Å, b ) 13.875(3) Å, c ) 20.811(4) Å, β ) 113.72(3)°, and Z ) 8. The X-ray structure results reveal the nature of the interaction between the protonated macrocycle and anionic substrates to be that of multiple hydrogen bonding.

Upper extremity access appears to be a safe and feasible approach for patients undergoing FEVAR. Open exposure in the upper extremity may be safer than percutaneous access during FEVAR. Unlike chimney and snorkel grafts, upper extremity access during FEVAR is not associated with an increased risk of stroke, despite the need for multiple visceral vessel stenting.

The host-guest interactions between ortho-, pyro-, and tripolyphosphate anions and the mono and dinuclear copper(II) complexes of the hexaaza macrocyclic ligand BMXD (3,6,9,17,20,23-hexaazatricyclo[23.3.1.1(11,15)]triaconta-1(29),11(30),12,14,25,27-hexaene) were investigated by potentiometric equilibrium methods. Ternary complexes are formed in aqueous solution as a result of coordinate bonding, hydrogen bond formation, and Coulombic attraction between the host and guest. Formation constants for all the species found are reported. The dinuclear copper(II) complexes of BMXD show strong selectivity for pyrophosphate ions in the presence of orthophosphate ions over the whole p[H] range; the pyrophosphate/tripolyphosphate selectivity is p[H] dependent. The dinuclear copper(II) complex of BMXD, (Cu(2)-BMXD)(SO(4))(2), crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn, with a = 15.73(2) Å, b = 20.27(1) Å, c = 9.045(5) Å, and Z = 4. The sulfate counterions are found to bridge the copper(II) ions in adjacent molecules leading to an extended polymeric structure.

A method is described for visualizing the contents of a Web site with a hierarchical table of contents using a Java program and applet called WebTOC. The automatically generated expand/contract table of contents provides graphical information indicating the number of elements in branches of the hierarchy as well as individual and cumulative sizes. Color can be used to represent another attribute such as file type and provide a rich overview of the site for users and managers of the site. Early results from user studies suggest that WebTOC is easily learned and can assist users in navigating websites.