Anatomical aspects of optic nerve decompression in transcranial and transsphenoidal approach

Purpose

The proximal portion of the optic nerve is quite prone to injury at the entrance of the optic foramen by tumoral or traumatic pathologies. As a result, it is important to show which way and which part we can effectively and safely decompress the pathologies affecting the optic nerves. In this study, we compared the decompression of the proximal segment of the optic canal Likewise, we investigated the anatomy and histopathology of the opticocarotid region from below and above.

HMR1402, a potassium ATP channel blocker during hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia: effects on hepato-splanchnic oxygen exchange and metabolism

Objective To assess the effects of the potassium ATP (KATP) channel blocker HMR1402 (HMR) on systemic and hepato-splanchnic hemodynamics, oxygen exchange and metabolism during hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia.Design Prospective, randomized, controlled study with repeated measures.Setting Animal laboratory.Subjects Eighteen pigs allocated to receive endotoxin alone (control group, CON, n=10) or endotoxin and HMR (6 mg/kg h^–1, n=8).Interventions Anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and instrumented pigs receiving continuous i.v. endotoxin were resuscitated with hetastarch to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) >60 mmHg. Twelve hours after starting the endotoxin infusion, they received HMR or its vehicle for another 12 h.Results HMR transiently increased MAP by about 15 mmHg, but this effect was only present during the first 1 h of infusion. The HMR decreased cardiac output due to a fall in heart rate, and thereby reduced liver blood flow. While liver O₂ delivery and uptake remained unchanged, HMR induced hyperlactatemia [from 1.5 (1.1; 2.0), 1.4 (1.2; 1.8), and 1.2 (0.8; 2.0) to 3.1 (1.4; 3.2), 3.2 (1.6; 6.5), and 3.0 (1.0; 5.5) mmol/l in the arterial, portal and hepatic venous samples, respectively] and further increased arterial [from 8 (3; 13) to 23 (11; 57); p<0.05], portal [from 9 (4; 14) to 23 (14; 39); p<0.05] and hepatic vein [from 7 (0; 15) to 30 (8; 174), p<0.05] lactate/pyruvate ratios indicating impaired cytosolic redox state.Conclusion The short-term beneficial hemodynamic effects of KATP channel blockers have to be weighted with the detrimental effect on mitochondrial respiration.P. Asfar and Z. Iványi equally contributed to this work     

Genetic testing for Alzheimer''s disease: Impact on health behaviors

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of illness and death in the USA, as well as other countries. Advances in genetics have led researchers to identified associations between a number of cardiac syndromes and diagnostic molecular findings. Therefore, a more precise understanding of the molecular pathways involved in cardiovascular diseases is clinically significant. Current literature suggests that while etiologies remain complex, a number of cardiovascular diseases can be linked to specific metabolic inheritable factors. A broad multifactorial model is gradually being replaced with disease specific models where independent genetic and/or teratogenic pathways may lead to a particular outcome. These genetic pathways include chromosome deletions, disruptions (translocations), duplications of particular genetic regions, point mutations involving single genes, or alteration in the ability for a gene to be transcribed into a functional protein. In this review the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases and their clinical manifestations will be explained.     

Pattern of primary tumors and tumor-like lesions of bone in children: retrospective survey of biopsy results

Background: Although primary bone tumors are relatively uncommon, they constitute the most important tumors in patients less than 20 years. We aimed to determine the frequencies of primary bone tumors and tumor-like lesions of bone and the anatomical sites of their occurrence. Methods: A retrospective review of histopathology reports of all bone specimens received in a private pathology laboratory in Istanbul between 2009 and 2015. Results: A total of 57 patients (aged 5 to 18 years) with a mean of 13.12 years were studied. Thirty five patients (61.4%) were males and 22 (38.6%) were females. Fifty five (94.4%) of the tumors were benign. Osteochondroma was the commonest tumor accounting for 31 cases (54.3%) followed by osteoid osteoma, 9 cases (15.7%). Chondrosarcoma observed in two patients and Ewing sarcoma in one patient as malignant tumors. Of the 57 bone tumors 13 (22.8%) occurred in the upper extremities, while 44 (77.2%) were in the lower extremities. Proximal humerus was the most commonly involved site in upper extremity tumors, with osteochondromas representing the most frequent type of tumor (4 patients; 7%). In the lower extremities again osteochondromas were the most common type of tumor (8 cases, 14%), with the femur being the most common site of involvement (18 patients, 31.5%). Of the patients with tumor-like lesions; four patients had fibrous dysplasia, 4 patients had non-ossified fibromas, 4 patients had simple bone cysts and 3 had aneurismal bone cyst. Conclusion: This study showed that primary bone tumors were mainly benign, settled predominantly in the lower extremities mostly in the femur with a male preponderance. Osteochondroma was the most common benign bone tumor. We didn’t observed osteosarcoma, which is the most frequent malignant bone tumor.     

Axillary nerve course and position in the fetal period: An anatomic dissection study for surgical practice

Objectives:

To examine the fetal axillary nerve to reveal and compare its morphometric features within the second and third trimester.

Methods:

This study was conducted at the Anatomy Department, School of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey. Thirty-five fetal shoulders were studied to provide anatomic data and to describe its position with regard to certain landmarks around the shoulder.

Results:

The shortest distance between the axillary nerve and the glenoid labrum was found 2.27 mm and 2.89 mm in the second and third trimester fetuses, respectively. The shortest distances between the anterior and posterior acromial tips and the axillary nerve were also measured and were used with arm length measurements to define the anterior and posterior indexes.

Conclusion:

The indexes show that the distance between the axillary nerve and the anterior/posterior acromial tips are approximately one-fourth of the arm length in both the second and third trimester fetuses. The data presented in this study will be of use to surgeons, particularly to pediatric and orthopedic surgeons who will undertake surgical procedures in the axilla and arm in the newborn or early childhood.There is detailed knowledge regarding the morphological features of the axillary nerve in adults, however, it in the fetal period we encountered no information. Brachial plexus injuries have been reported with a rate of 0.38-2.6 per thousand live births. Shenaq et al1 mentioned that the diagnosis, observation, and therapy are the initial approaches to these injuries, and should be initiated immediately. They also stated that early surgical intervention is essential to maximizing the long-term improvements in selected patients by helping to prevent residual growth deformities and underdevelopment of the affected limbs. The surgical treatment options include the reconstruction and neurotization.2 For the axillary nerve injuries, for example in case of C5-C6 avulsion, in which the upper roots have been avulsed from the spinal cord, and the clinical picture is that of a classic Erb palsy, they preferred to use neurotization technique. In this type of avulsion, the upper roots are not available as donors, and the C7-T1 roots are uninvolved. So, the suprascapular nerve is neurotized by the ipsilateral spinal accessory nerve, and the axillary nerve is neurotized by redundant branches to the triceps to ideally restore shoulder and elbow function. The thoracodorsal or the subscapular branches can also be neurotized to the axillary nerve to provide better shoulder function. Thus, anatomical details of the axillary nerve in fetal period become essential for such operations. We carried out this study to evaluate these parameters regarding the axillary nerve anatomy, which may be helpful to surgeons in certain conditions, such as end-to-side neurorrhaphy in brachial plexus reconstruction, neurotization, proximal humeral fracture repair, and shoulder dislocation treatment in the early childhood.