The incidence of Chiari malformation in nonsyndromic, single suture craniosynostosis

Introduction  

This study was designed to determine the incidence of Chiari malformation (CM) in nonsyndromic single suture craniosynostosis (N-SSSC).     

Burn injuries requiring hospitalization for infants younger than 1 year

To investigate burn injuries requiring hospitalization sustained during the first year of life, clinical data collected during hospital treatment of infants younger than 1 year were reviewed. The principal aim was to chart the etiology and mechanism of burn injuries in this group to focus on the necessary preventive measures. The authors also review literature focusing especially on children younger than 1 year. Patients identified in the electronic database were referred to the Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, from January 2005 to December 2009. Specific inclusion criteria yielded a cohort of 20 patient records, which accounted for 3% of the 692 admissions due to pediatric burn injury during the 5-year study period. The male to female ratio was 1:1.5 and the mean age was 6.3 months. Most burns were sustained at home during domestic tasks and were most often witnessed. The etiology in the majority of the cases was scalding (85%), while contact burns accounted for the remaining. The final TBSA ranged from 0.5 to 40% (mean 8.5%). In 13 cases (65%), the initial TBSA was overestimated. Overall, it was concluded that burn injuries in this age group are most often witnessed and take place while the infant is being held at the same time as the hot item. Parental education on typical situations in which burn injuries happen in preambulatory infants may help reduce the number of burn injuries.     

Tattoos and dermatological, plastic and visceral surgery

The estimated prevalence of tattooed individuals in Europe and in France is around 10%. The current "tattooed generation" was born mainly between 1975 and 1986, and according to a recent German study, the "typical tattooed" individual is a 30-year-old male or female with a mean tattooed area of 300 cm(2) or over in 61% of cases and more than one tattoo in 65% of cases. As this population gradually ages, physicians will be increasingly called on to treat tattooed areas, either for surgical removal of the tattoo itself or for excision of a suspect lesion or skin tumour, or for incision of the skin in a setting of either elective or emergency visceral surgery. This review focuses on the surgical situations potentially arising in tattooed patients.     

Determinants of peripheral blood count value in long‐term survivors of allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation

Hemopoeitic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are monitored by regular complete blood picture (CBP). The reference ranges for acceptable values are undefined. We analysed the CBP in 228 stable HSCT survivors (median follow‐up 103 months, range 60–212) without transplant‐related medications and complications. Compared with donors, recipients had lower absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and platelet levels (Plt) and higher mean corpuscular volume (MCV), but comparable hemoglobin (Hb) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC). There was significant donor–recipient correlation in all CBP parameters (Hb, ALC, ANC, MCV, Plt). Significant correlation was also found between levels of Hb, white cell and Plt among recipients. All counts were higher in patients with longer follow‐up. Donor and recipient gender, age and underlying diagnosis can influence stable CBP values. We conclude that both host and marrow factors influence CBP values in stably engrafted recipients. ‘Abnormal’ CBP values deviating from that in normal populations may not have clinical significance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sphingosine-1-phosphate in inhibition of male germ cell apoptosis in the human testis

It has been suggested that apoptosis is controlled by two intracellular sphingolipids, ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which are widely distributed in mammalian tissues. In the ovary, S1P was found to effectively block apoptosis caused by cancer therapies. Its role in male germ cell death, however, was unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of ceramide and S1P on human male germ cell apoptosis. Germ cell death was induced by incubation of segments of seminiferous tubules in vitro. During apoptosis, ceramide levels increased rapidly before appearance of caspase 3 activation and DNA laddering, suggesting a role for ceramide in the induction of germ cell death. Ceramide appeared to regulate an early step of apoptosis because n-acetyl-L-cysteine and blockade of mitochondrial respiration inhibited apoptosis but had no effect on ceramide levels. Moreover, fumonisin B1 (ceramide synthetase inhibitor) did not significantly affect testicular apoptosis. Therefore, elevated ceramide levels are likely to result from breakdown of sphingomyelin rather than from de novo synthesis. Finally, we found that S1P at 1 and 10 micromol/liter suppressed germ cell apoptosis by 30% (P < 0.001). Taken together, sphingolipids appear to play a role in male germ cell apoptosis and can partly be inhibited by S1P.     

Initiation of the proton pump of cytochrome c oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase is the terminal enzyme of the respiratory chain that is responsible for biological energy conversion in mitochondria and aerobic bacteria. The membrane-bound enzyme converts free energy from oxygen reduction to an electrochemical proton gradient by functioning as a redox-coupled proton pump. Although the 3D structure and functional studies have revealed proton conducting pathways in the enzyme interior, the location of proton donor and acceptor groups are not fully identified. We show here by time-resolved optical and FTIR spectroscopy combined with time-resolved electrometry that some mutant enzymes incapable of proton pumping nevertheless initiate catalysis by proton transfer to a proton-loading site. A conserved tyrosine in the so-called D-channel is identified as a potential proton donor that determines the efficiency of this reaction.