Amygdalar tissue transplants improve recovery of nociceptive behaviour in rats

PURPOSE: Amygdala plays a very important role in the mediation of emotional and affective components of pain. Bilateral amygdalectomy increases the threshold for vocalization, a measure of emotional reactivity, without any change in the tail flick latency. The present work was designed to study the recovery of emotional nociceptive behaviour following neural tissue transplantation in lesioned rats. METHODS: In a group of adult wistar rats lesions of the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) were produced electrolytically. In a separate group of rat's amygdalar tissue was transplanted at the lesioned site 2 days thereafter. The vocalization tests, viz. simple vocalization (SV) and vocalization after discharge (VA), which were used to study the emotional nociceptive behaviour were carried out both before and after pro-ducing lesion/transplant. RESULTS: Bilateral CeA lesions increased the thresholds for SV and VA significantly (p < 0.001), indicating analgesia. Following amygdalar tissue transplantation a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the thresholds were observed when compared with the lesioned group, although when compared with the basal data it showed an increase (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a partial recovery of the vocalization response following amygdalar tissue transplantation.     

Microbial keratitis following vegetative matter injury

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the microbiological profile of cases of keratitis following trauma with vegetative matter in a tertiary care center. A retrospective review of the medical records of 49 patients with keratitis following vegetative matter injury over a 3-month period was performed. All patients underwent corneal scraping for smears and inoculation onto various culture media. The microbiological profile was based on the smear and culture reports. For patients who were culture-negative, outcome after standard empirical antibacterial therapy as per hospital protocol was analyzed. Thirteen patients with corneal ulcers had fungal etiology, eight had bacterial etiology, and two had protozoal etiology, while 13 patients were polymicrobial and 13 were culture-negative. Polymicrobial infections were mainly bacterial (eight cases), and the remaining five cases had coexistent fungal and bacterial etiology. The treatment was directed to the specific organism and patients improved with medical or surgical therapy. Only a third of culture-negative cases showed fungal etiology on biopsy or histopathology after keratoplasty while a third showed improvement with therapy. Corneal infections following vegetative matter trauma show a varied etiological profile; however, bacterial and polymicrobial infections are more prevalent. Empirical anti-fungal therapy, as commonly practiced, must be avoided in cases with vegetative matter injury.     

Leukocyte adhesion defect‐I: rare primary immune deficiency

Leukocyte adhesion defect I is a rare disorder (1:1,000,000) caused by diminished expression of CD‐18 β2 integrins on leukocytes leading to abnormal adhesion, migration, and chemotaxis. Clinical manifestations include delayed separation of umbilical cord, omphalitis, recurrent severe infections, impaired wound healing, persistent oral ulcers, and severe periodontitis in primary and permanent dentition. A 5‐year‐old girl, second‐born child to parents with consanguinity, presented with pain and mobility of lower teeth. There was history of recurrent infections and multiple hospital admissions with CD18 level‐3% and frame shift mutation in ITGB2, on 21q22.3. There were scars on hands and feet. Oral examination revealed multiple missing teeth and periodontitis in primary dentition. Oral prophylaxis and palliative treatments were performed with periodic follow‐ups. Interdisciplinary care is ubiquitous for patients with immune deficiencies. Early consultation with pediatric dentists and exploration of medical history is essential for diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.     

Ziltivekimab for Treatment of Anemia of Inflammation in Patients on Hemodialysis: Results from a Phase 1/2 Multicenter,Randomized, Double-Blind,Placebo-Controlled Trial

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Compulsive alcohol consumption is regulated by dorsal striatum fast-spiking interneurons

Compulsive alcohol consumption is a core, treatment-resistant feature of alcohol use disorder. The dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum support goal-directed and habitual action strategies, respectively. How ethanol targets dorsolateral striatum to drive compulsive consumption is poorly understood. Parvalbumin-expressing striatal fast-spiking interneurons comprise ~1% of the total neuronal striatal population, are enriched dorsolaterally and are functionally modulated by ethanol. To test whether fast-spiking interneurons are necessary for the development of compulsive ethanol consumption, we selectively ablated these neurons in adult male and female C57BL/6 J mice undergoing a voluntary chronic intermittent ethanol consumption paradigm followed by a compulsive ethanol drinking assay. Fast-spiking interneuron ablation curtailed the development of organized ethanol lick sequence behavior, reduced ethanol consumption, and abrogated compulsive consumption of ethanol with the added bitterant quinine. In contrast, fast-spiking interneuron ablation did not affect any index of water or sucrose consumption. These data causally implicate the minority striatal fast-spiking interneuron population as a key component of compulsive ethanol consumption.Subject terms: Neuroscience, Physiology     

Closed mitral commissurotomy for mitral stenosis with dextrocardia—case series

Rheumatic valvular affection is not an uncommon disease especially in the developing nations, but its association with dextrocardia is relatively rare. In the present day scenario, where mitral valve replacements far exceed the number of closed commissurotomies, a sound understanding of the anatomy, approach, and technique is vital vis-à-vis surgical management of these patients who do not have the finances for replacement of a severely stenotic valve or patients who may present in extremis. We present a case series of three such patients who underwent successful closed commissurotomies.