Early nerve regeneration after Achilles tendon rupture — a prerequisite for healing? A study in the rat

Nerve regeneration during healing of Achilles tendon rupture in the rat was studied by immunohistochemistry including semi-quantitative assessment. Neuronal markers for regenerating and mature fibers, ie., growth associated protein 43 (GAP-43) and protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), respectively, were analyzed at different time points (1-16 weeks) post-rupture. In the paratenon, both the ruptured and intact contralateral tendon (control) consistently exhibited immunoreactivity to the two neuronal markers. However, in the proper tendinous tissue only the ruptured tendon showed immunoreactivity to GAP-43 and PGP 9.5. This expression was seen already at week 1 post-rupture to reach a peak at week 6 followed by a successive drop till week 16. Also the occurrence of sensory and autonomic fibers according to immunoreactivity for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), respectively, was analyzed. CGRP-positivity was abundantly seen from weeks 2-6 in both perivascular and sprouting free nerve endings in the proper tendon tissue undergoing healing. NPY appeared later, at weeks 6-8 post-rupture around blood vessels mainly located in the surrounding loose connective tissue. Apart from a role in vasoaction (CGRP, vasodilatory; NPY, vasoconstrictory). both neuropeptides have been implicated in fibroblast and endothelial cell proliferation required for angiogenesis. The present study shows that early healing of ruptured tendons is characterized by an orchestrated, temporal appearance of nerve fibers expressing peptides with different actions. The observed pattern of neuronal regeneration and neuropeptide expression may prove to be important for normal connective tissue healing.     

The treatment of late post-traumatic orbital deformities

Trauma to the orbital region may result in fractures of the bony orbit, displacement of which gives rise to malposition of the eye and diplopia. If initial treatment is not feasible or is unsuccessful, later correction may be achieved by osteotomy or reduction and stabilisation of the bony fragments, often with bone grafts. Displaced medial or lateral canthi may need to be repositioned, where feasible in an overcorrected position. Where bone grafts are necessary, the skull is now favoured as the best donor site.     

Bacteriophages fromBombyx mori

Summary Preparations of silkworm larvae contained two large phages with contractile tails (Myoviridae). One phage was active onPseudomonas paucimobilis. The other, not cultivated, was one of the largest viruses known.     

Metabolic evaluation of patients with recurrent idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis

BACKGROUND: Metabolic evaluation in recurrent idiopathic calcium renal stone-formers (RCSF) was analysed with respect to the following questions: (1) do three 24-h urines provide more diagnostic accuracy in the metabolic evaluation of RCSF than 1 or 2 urines?; (2) does time after stone event influence the diagnostic yield?; (3) is urine composition at weekends different from that at mid-week?; (4) what are the prevalences of the most important risk factors (RF) of idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis, i.e. low volume (LV), hypercalciuria (HC), hyperoxaluria (HO), hyperuricosuria (HU), hypocitraturia (Hypo-Cit), and hypomagnesiuria (Hypo-Mg)?; and (5) do male RCSF differ from females with respect to urinary RFs? METHODS: Seventy-five RCSF (59 men, 16 women) collected three 24-h urines (U1-3) while on free-choice diet. To account for possible variations in lifestyle and diet, U1 and U3 had to be collected midweek and U2 at a weekend. RESULTS: When considering all three urines together (U1 + U2 + U3), the number of RF abnormalities/patient was 2.8 +/- 0.1, higher than numbers of any combination of two urines or of any single urine (P = 0.0001 for all comparisons). The number of RF abnormalities also rose with time after stone event, from 0.8 +/- 0.1 (range 0-4) in U1 to 1.1 +/- 0.1 (range 0- 4) in U3 (P = 0.011 vs U1). Whereas all other RF did not change between collections, urine volume was lower in U2 (1793 +/- 90 ml) than in U1 (2071 +/- 97 ml, P = 0.0001 vs U2) and U3 (1946 +/- 97 ml, P = 0.046 vs U2). At least 1 abnormality was found in 85.3% of all RCSF, and multiple abnormalities occurred in 47%. The most frequent RF was HC (39%), followed by HO and LV (32% each), Hypo-Cit (29%), HU (23%) and Hypo-Mg (19%). Males more often had Hypo-Cit (P < 0.001) and Hypo-Mg (P < 0.01) than females, whereas HO was more frequent in female RCSF (P < 0.025 vs males). CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic accuracy of metabolic evaluation in RCSF increases both with the number of urines collected and the time passing after a stone event. Urines collected at weekends differ from those of the week only by their lower volumes. Abnormalities of RF for calcium nephrolithiasis can be detected in 85.3% of RCSF, and HC is the most common RF both in male and female RCSF.      

Serum concentrations of oestradiol-17beta, progesterone, relaxin and chorionic gonadotrophin during blastocyst implantation in natural pregnancy cycle and in embryo transfer cycle in the rhesus monkey

The present study was undertaken to assess the temporal association between the profiles of serum concentrations of oestradiol-17beta, progesterone, chorionic gonadotrophin (CG) and relaxin in pregnancies established naturally, and after embryo transfer, as well as in failed pregnancies in rhesus monkeys. In naturally mated cycles (group 1) a conception rate of 75% was obtained. In group 1, the mean day of CG detection in serum was 11.5 +/- 1.9 day post-ovulation, and for relaxin, 9.0 +/- 2.5 day post-ovulation. In group 2, embryo transfer to synchronous, non-mated surrogate recipients was performed; seven embryo transfer cycles yielded three pregnancies which were allowed to continue to term and normal infants were delivered. In embryo transfer cycles the mean day of CG detection was 14.8 +/- 1.8 day post- ovulation, and for relaxin, 11.4 +/- 2.6 day post-ovulation. A delay of about 3 days was observed in the appearance in circulation of CG (P < 0.05) and also of relaxin (P < 0.05) between natural mated and embryo transfer conception cycles. Significant differences (P < 0.05 for progesterone and P < 0.03 for oestradiol) were obtained for the areas under the curves for progesterone and oestradiol between days 12 and 16 in conception cycles compared with failed pregnancies. These data provide the first observation of the normal hormonal signals associated with maternal recognition of transferred embryos during the peri- implantation period, and suggest that the use of such an experimental primate embryo transfer model may help to elucidate components of maternal and embryonic signal-response mechanisms during embryo implantation.      

Malignant neoplastic emboli to the coronary arteries: report of two cases and review of the literature

Two patients were seen with malignant neoplastic emboli to the coronary arteries. One, a 61-year-old woman with a malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the thigh and a solitary pulmonary metastatic lesion, died of an acute myocardial infarction due to a neoplastic coronary embolus after lobectomy. The other, a 51-year-old woman with bronchogenic adenocarcinoma, died of extensive cerebral metastases. At autopsy, she also was found to have had an acute myocardial infarction associated with a neoplastic coronary embolus.