The Fitness Facility as a Rehabilitation Care Extender

In brief: Fitness facilities can play an important role in the postacute rehabilitation of injured recreational athletes, especially now that sports medicine practitioners are widely accessible. Such facilities offer special equipment necessary for rehabilitation; their hours suit the recreational athlete's schedule; they can reduce the cost of rehabilitation; and they can help make the injured person the primary agent rather than a passive participant in re habilitation. But patients need supervision by a practitioner to pursue such active rehabilitation safely. The practitioner should know what equipment the patient's health club has and should give him or her detailed instructions for rehabilitative exercises.     

Genotypic analysis of epstein-barr virus isolates associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in chinese immigrants to the united states

EBV genotypes of first- and second-generation Chinese diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the United States were analyzed by PCR techniques. Previous studies showed a geographical distribution of genotypically distinct sub-types of EBV. Viruses detected at a higher frequency among Chinese NPC patients (Cf) were distinguished from those found in the majority of Caucasian NPC patients (DF) in the United States by polymorphisms in the BamHI F and I regions. Exploiting this distinction, we analyzed the biopsies of Chinese immigrants in the United States for their C/D and F/f genotypes to evaluate the importance of retention of the Cf virus among Chinese NPC patients in a geographical area where the DF virus prevails. This study shows that approximately 45.5 to 50% of first- and second-generation Chinese NPC patients in California harbor the Cf virus, which is present in only 8% of Caucasian NPC patients in California. It is interesting that, while only 48% of the viral isolates from immigrant Chinese to California harbor the “f” variant, 96% harbor the type-C viruses.     

A rat model of radiofrequency ablation of trigeminal innervation via a ventral approach with stereotaxic surgery

Neurotrophic keratopathy (NK), a consequence of sensory denervation of the cornea, must be better understood in order to develop new approaches to therapy. The purpose of this study was to create a rat model for neurotrophic keratopathy by denervating the trigeminal nerve through a ventral approach with stereotaxic surgery. Stereotaxic coordinates were measured in 46 male Sprague Dawley rat cadavers for localization of V1. After further refining the coordinates in nine live animals, radiofrequency ablation was chosen as an effective method of disrupting the innervation to the cornea. Fifty-two live rats were treated with radiofrequency ablation to define the anatomical localization of the lesion by utilizing gross and histopathological studies. A gross lesion of the trigeminal nerve and/or ganglion was observed in 47 (90%) of the 52 animals. Histopathological studies revealed that all 52 animals had anatomical damage of the trigeminal innervation to the eye. Low mortality and little morbidity were observed in these animals. We have developed a rat model for neurotrophic keratopathy that is simple to produce, accurate in creating a lesion by utilizing stereotaxic techniques combined with radiofrequency ablation, and successful in decreasing morbidity and mortality.     

XY99-5038 promotes long-term survival of cultured retinal neurons

We have previously reported that XY99-5038, a preparation from a specific formula of Traditional Chinese Medicine, could effectively inhibit hydrogen peroxide-induced retinal cell death. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of XY99-5038 to prolong neuronal survival in a long-term retinal neuronal culture. Basic fibroblast survival factor (bFGF), a potent neurotrophic factor, was employed as comparable agent. Retinas of 0-2 days old Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated and dissociated. The cells were maintained in tissue culture for up to 9 weeks in a synthetic serum-free media. XY99-5038 (100 ng/ml) or a vehicle was added to culture every 3-4 days, starting at the first week of culturing. The number of cells were counted and compared for each time point and treatment. Cell viability was also determined by MTT assay, whereas apoptotic cell death was evaluated by the TUNEL assay. XY99-5038 treatment significantly reduced cell loss, increased cell viability, and inhibited apoptosis in this long-term retinal neuronal culture. Our data also show that the protective effect of XY99-5038 is more potent than that of bFGF. Our data suggest that XY99-5038 could be beneficial to the prolongation of neuron survival.     

Sports-induced inflammation in the lower extremities

Inflammations of the patellar and Achilles tendons, knee and ankle apophyses, and plantar fascia are common among professional and amateur athletes. The tendency to favor a sore leg and delay seeking medical attention often results in muscle atrophy. Many patients thus require physical as well as pharmacologic therapy to prevent further injury and regain full use of the leg.     

Reproductive influences on behavioral thermoregulation in the lizard Sceloporus cyanogenys

Several thermoregulatory parameters were measured for female and male Sceloporus cyanogenys during one reproductive season. Body temperatures, body temperature thresholds for thermoregulatory behavior, and thermoregulatory activity all declined to a minimum at pregnancy as lizards progressed through preovulatory and ovulatory states. Marked increases in these parameters occurred in post parturient lizards. Males were not significantly different from post parturients. Progesterone administration significantly depressed body temperature levels and body temperature thresholds for thermoregulatory behavior, but not thermoregulatory activity in another post parturient group. Callard detected greater amounts of plasma progesterone in pregnant S. cyanogenys compared to other reproductive states [6]. Therefore, it is proposed that during pregnancy progesterone functions to modulate thermoregulatory behavior and energy expenditure. These results support the idea that the sensitivity of the thermostatic components to internal and external environmental factors determines a labile rather than a fixed regulated body temperature in some reptiles.     

Multiple sclerosis, dental caries and fillings: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between multiple sclerosis, dental caries, amalgam fillings, body mercury and lead. DESIGN: Matched case-control study. SETTING: Leicestershire in the years 1989-1990. SUBJECTS: Thirty-nine females with multiple sclerosis (of recent onset) were matched with 62 controls for age, sex and general practitioner. METHODS: Home interview of cases and controls within which there was an assessment of the DMFT index and blood and urine mercury and lead levels. RESULTS: The odds of being a MS case increased multiplicatively by 1.09 (95% CI 1.00, 1.18) for every additional unit of DMFT index of dental caries. This represents an odds ratio of 1.213 or a 21% increase in risk of MS in relation to dental caries in this population. There was no difference between cases and controls in the number of amalgam fillings or in body mercury or lead levels. There was a significant correlation between body mercury levels and the number of teeth filled with amalgam (controls: r = +0.430, P = 0.006, cases: r = +0.596, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: There was evidence of excess dental caries among MS cases compared with the controls. This finding supports the strong geographical correlation between the two diseases. A further study of this association is recommended.     

Plumboporphyria (ALAD deficiency) in a lead worker: a scenario for potential diagnostic confusion.

A lead worker developed bilateral wrist drop. At first this seemed to be a lead neuropathy but all his screening tests for blood and urine toxicity had been within the accepted safety limit during employment. Detailed investigation showed that he had plumboporphyria (ALAD deficiency) which had been symptom free until he was exposed to lead. Details of his porphyrin metabolism are presented.