Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in a Patient with Mirror-Image Dextrocardia and Situs Inversus

A 26-year-old patient with mirror-image dextrocardia and situs inversus experienced a transient ischemic attack. We suspected that a patent foramen ovale was the reason. A Cardi-O-Fix occluder was used to close the patent foramen ovale with a mirror-reversed rotation of the radiologic views. During the 18-month follow-up, no symptoms of the transient ischemic attack appeared again.

Reversed Bowel Rotation with Midgut Volvulus and Internal Hernia

Congenital intestinal malrotation is a group of intestinal rotational anomalies occurring during embryogenesis. Reversed rotation is considered the rarest type of malrotation and often presents with symptoms of bowel obstruction. We present a rare case of a 27-year-old woman who presented with acute abdomen. The patient’s preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan and operative findings confirmed reverse malrotation, internal hernia of foramen of Winslow, and midgut volvulus. The transverse colon, duodenum, small bowel, cecum, and appendix were abnormally located, with the presence of Ladd bands. The patient underwent an emergency laparotomy (Ladd procedure) with an uneventful postoperative recovery and an unremarkable follow-up CT scan of the abdomen. A review of the literature for intestinal reverse malrotation is also presented to provide an understanding of the expected clinical picture and imaging findings for this rare anomaly.

Reversing Earth’s Spin Moves Deserts, Reshapes Ocean Currents

A climate model with reversed rotation of Earth helps climatologists and oceanographers understand why our planet is the way it is and reveals how different it could have been.

Reversed rotation of the midgut in adults – a case report

Intestinal obstruction is a common surgical emergency. It is often due to adhesions; however, when the patient is young and has a virgin abdomen, we have to consider uncommon causes. We present a rare case of reversed rotation of the midgut as a cause for intestinal obstruction.

Resonant Forcing of Mixed Layer Inertial Motions by Atmospheric Easterly Waves in the Northeast Tropical Pacific*

Westward-propagating atmospheric easterly waves contribute to much of the variability of the low-level wind fields within the northeast tropical Pacific. With the dominant period of these waves (3–5 days) close to the local inertial period (2.4 days at 12°N to 5.7 days at 5°N), there is the expectation that the associated winds may resonantly force mixed layer inertial motions in this region. The authors test this hypothesis using a simple slab model and roughly 4½ yr of wind data from four NOAA Tropical Atmosphere Ocean/Eastern Pacific Investigation of Climate Processes (TAO/EPIC) buoys along 95°W at 12°, 10°, 8°, and 5°N. The degree of resonance is determined by comparing model simulations using observed wind stress with simulations forced with reversed-rotation wind stress. Results strongly indicate that Pacific easterly waves (PEWs) resonantly force inertial motions in the region. This resonance shows both significant seasonality and latitudinal dependence that appears to be related to the meridional position and intensity of the PEWs. North of the zonal axis of the mean track of the PEWs, the low-level winds associated with the waves rotate predominantly clockwise with time and resonantly force mixed layer inertial motions. South of this axis, the winds rotate counterclockwise, resulting in dissonant (antiresonant) forcing. As this axis migrates annually from about 4°N during the boreal winter/spring to a maximum northerly position of about 8°–10°N in the late boreal summer/early fall, the region of strongest resonance follows, consistently remaining to its north. Model output suggests that resonant forcing results in roughly 10%–25% greater net annual flux of kinetic energy from the wind to mixed layer inertial motions than in neutral or nonresonant conditions. This finding has strong implications for mixed layer properties, air–sea coupling, and the generation of near-inertial internal waves.