Optical coherence tomography findings in patients with alcohol use disorder and their relationship with clinical parameters

Abstract

Purpose: In our study, we aimed to investigate the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness (GCIPL), retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFL), mean macular volume (MMV), central macular thickness (CMT), mean macular thickness (MMT), and choroidal thickness (CT) values with optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients who are diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Materials and methods: The study included 43 patients who were diagnosed with AUD, and 43 healthy controls. Detailed biomicroscopic examinations of all the participants, visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior and posterior segment examinations, and then, OCT measurements were carried out.

Results: Although the measured values for RNFL in the superior and temporal quadrant are within normal limits, they were slightly higher compared to those in the control group (p values 0.127 and 0.191 for superior quadrant and temporal quadrant, respectively). The CT measurements in all quadrants were higher than the control group; however, these measurements were not statistically significant (p?>?0.05). When the relation between clinical features and OCT findings of the patients were examined, it was determined that the ages of the patients were statistically significantly and inversely correlated with the temporal CT and also the nasal and temporal quadrants of RNFL.

Conclusions: Our study is the first study that examines the retinal GCIPL and CT with OCT in patients who are diagnosed with AUD. In our results, it was determined that there were no statistically significant differences between the participants in terms of OCT parameters. Further studies with larger sampling groups evaluating neurotransmission findings may provide wider results.     

Congenital anomalies of the optic nerve

Congenital optic nerve head anomalies are a group of structural malformations of the optic nerve head and surrounding tissues, which may cause congenital visual impairment and blindness. Each entity in this group of optic nerve anomalies has individually become more prevalent as our ability to differentiate between them has improved due to better characterization of cases. Access to better medical technology (e.g., neuroimaging and genetic analysis advances in recent years) has helped to expand our knowledge of these abnormalities. However, visual impairment may not be the only problem in these patients, some of these entities will be related to ophthalmologic, neurologic and systemic features that will help the physician to identify and predict possible outcomes in these patients, which sometimes may be life-threatening. Herein we present helpful hints, associations and management (when plausible) for them.     

神经营养因子家族与宫颈癌

近年研究中，神经营养因子家族及其受体在肿瘤发生发展中的作用日益受到重视。神经营养因子家族在宫颈癌中高表达，在肿瘤发展进程中，被视为宫颈癌进展的早期事件；同时，神经营养因子促进宫颈癌细胞的增殖，增强肿瘤细胞的转移能力，并作用于宫颈癌细胞，诱导肿瘤细胞合成血管内皮生长因子，从而促进肿瘤癌灶中血管生成。本文就神经营养因子在宫颈癌发生发展中作用的最新研究进展作一综述。     

Mechanoreceptors of the ligaments and tendons around the knee

Proprioceptive inputs from the joints and limbs arise from mechanoreceptors in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. The knee joint has a wide range of movements, and proper neuroanatomical organization is critical for knee stability. Four ligaments (the anterior (ACL) and posterior (PCL) cruciate ligaments and the medial (MCL) and lateral (LCL) collateral ligaments) and four tendons (the semitendinosus (STT), gracilis (GT), popliteal (PoT), and patellar (PaT) tendons) from eight fresh frozen cadavers were harvested. Each harvested tissue was divided into its bone insertion side and its tendinous part for immunohistochemical examination using S100 staining. Freeman–Wyke's classification was used to identify the mechanoreceptors. The mechanoreceptors were usually located close to the bone insertion. Free nerve endings followed by Ruffini endings were the most common mechanoreceptors overall. No Pacini corpuscles were observed; free nerve endings and Golgi‐like endings were most frequent in the PCL (PCL‐PaT: P = 0.0.1, PCL‐STT: P = 0.00), and Ruffini endings in the popliteal tendon (PoT‐PaT: P = 0.00, Pot‐STT: P = 0.00, PoT‐LCL: P = 0.00, PoT‐GT: P = 0.00, PoT‐ACL: P = 0.09). The cruciate ligaments had more mechanoreceptors than the medial structures (MS) or the patellar tendon (CR‐Pat: P = 0.000, CR‐MS: P = 0.01). The differences in mechanoreceptor distributions between the ligaments and tendons could reflect the different roles of these structures in the dynamic coordination of knee motion. Clin. Anat. 29:789–795, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

神经松动术治疗神经性疼痛的机制进展和临床应用拓展＊

神经松动术作为一种基于神经组织结构、生理功能和生物力学的手法治疗技术，在上个世纪80年代最早用于腕管综合征和胸廓出口综合征的治疗，后广泛运用于周围神经损伤、坐骨神经痛和脑卒中后遗症等疾病的康复。神经松动术改善神经粘连、减缓慢性疼痛效果显著，极大丰富了现代康复治疗手段。近年，神经松动术在临床康复上不断推陈出新，逐渐拓展了神经松动术的临床应用，神经松动术联合其他康复手段、医疗方法和药物治疗在临床上也逐步得到推广，并取得了良好效果，但其作用机制尚不完全明确。笔者通过查阅文献资料，对近年来神经松动术的研究进行整理，主要从神经松动术改善神经水肿、改善神经血管的血流状况、对神经位置和长度的改变、改善关节运动范围、促进神经修复和再生等方面进行论述，旨在阐明神经松动术的作用机制，为实验研究、临床研究和临床应用提供参考。     

Different pattern of pleiotrophin and midkine expression in neuropathic pain: Correlation between changes in pleiotrophin gene expression and rat strain differences in neuropathic pain

Pleiotrophin (PTN) and midkine (MK) are two growth factors highly redundant in function that exhibit neurotrophic actions and are upregulated at sites of nerve injury, both properties being compatible with a potential involvement in the pathophysiological events that follow nerve damage (i.e. neuropathic pain). We have tested this hypothesis by comparatively studying PTN and MK gene expression in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of three rat strains known to differ in their behavioural responses to chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve: Lewis, Fischer 344 (F344) and Sprague–Dawley (SD). Real time RT-PCR revealed minimal changes in PTN/MK gene expression in the spinal cord after CCI despite the strain considered, but marked changes were detected in DRG. A significant upregulation of PTN gene expression occurred in injured DRG of the F344 strain, the only strain that recovers from CCI-induced mechanical allodynia 28 days after surgery. In contrast, PTN was found to be downregulated in injured DRG of SD rats, the most sensitive strain in behavioural studies. These changes in PTN were not paralleled by concomitant modifications of MK gene expression. The results demonstrate previously unidentified differences between PTN and MK patterns of expression. Furthermore, the data suggest that upregulation of PTN, but not MK, could play an important role in the recovery from CCI.