Tissue expansion for the treatment of complete syndactyly of the first web

Tissue expansion is a well-established technique for the management of soft tissue deficiencies. In congenital hand surgery the construction of an adequate first web is paramount. We used tissue expansion in four hands in three patients with complete complex syndactyly of the first web space. Two of these patients had Apert's syndrome and the other an isolated mitten hand anomaly. The expander is preferably placed early in life so that first web construction is completed in the first year. Tissue expander ports are left exposed. There have been no infections, flap or expander loss in our series.     

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF HIP ARTHROPLASTY

The impact of total hip arthroplasty on psychological functioning was examined in 51 patients; 25 females and 26 males with a mean age of 65 years (range 42–81 years). Assessments of psychological well-being and distress were made with the Mental Health Inventory. Life satisfaction, self-rated health, and pain ratings were also obtained. Assessments were made prior to surgery, immediately after surgery, and at a 2 month follow-up. The operation produced significant improvements in psychological well-being (P < 0.001), psychological distress (P < 0.001). life satisfaction (P < 0.01), self-rated health (P < 0.001), and pain (P < 0.001). It is concluded that the changes in medical and functional status following hip arthroplasty documented in previous research are accompanied by substantial improvements in psychological state, and that the inclusion of psychological factors in hip arthroplasty research will provide a more comprehensive assessment of outcome.     

db/db mice exhibit severe wound-healing impairments compared with other murine diabetic strains in a silicone-splinted excisional wound model

The pathophysiology of diabetic wound healing and the identification of new agents to improve clinical outcomes continue to be areas of intense research. There currently exist more than 10 different murine models of diabetes. The degree to which wound healing is impaired in these different mouse models has never been directly compared. We determined whether differences in wound impairment exist between diabetic models in order to elucidate which model would be the best to evaluate new treatment strategies. Three well-accepted mouse models of diabetes were used in this study: db/db, Akita, and streptozocin (STZ)-induced C57BL/6J. Using an excisional model of wound healing, we demonstrated that db/db mice exhibit severe impairments in wound healing compared with STZ and Akita mice. Excisional wounds in db/db mice show a statistically significant delay in wound closure, decreased granulation tissue formation, decreased wound bed vascularity, and markedly diminished proliferation compared with STZ, Akita, and control mice. There was no difference in the rate of epithelialization of the full-thickness wounds between the diabetic or control mice. Our results suggest that splinted db/db mice may be the most appropriate model for studying diabetic wound-healing interventions as they demonstrate the most significant impairment in wound healing. This study utilized a novel model of wound healing developed in our laboratory that stents wounds open using silicone splints to minimize the effects of wound contraction. As such, it was not possible to directly compare the results of this study with other studies that did not use this wound model.     

Efficacy and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation in the acute treatment of major depression: a multisite randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: We tested whether transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is effective and safe in the acute treatment of major depression. METHODS: In a double-blind, multisite study, 301 medication-free patients with major depression who had not benefited from prior treatment were randomized to active (n = 155) or sham TMS (n = 146) conditions. Sessions were conducted five times per week with TMS at 10 pulses/sec, 120% of motor threshold, 3000 pulses/session, for 4-6 weeks. Primary outcome was the symptom score change as assessed at week 4 with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Secondary outcomes included changes on the 17- and 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and response and remission rates with the MADRS and HAMD. RESULTS: Active TMS was significantly superior to sham TMS on the MADRS at week 4 (with a post hoc correction for inequality in symptom severity between groups at baseline), as well as on the HAMD17 and HAMD24 scales at weeks 4 and 6. Response rates were significantly higher with active TMS on all three scales at weeks 4 and 6. Remission rates were approximately twofold higher with active TMS at week 6 and significant on the MADRS and HAMD24 scales (but not the HAMD17 scale). Active TMS was well tolerated with a low dropout rate for adverse events (4.5%) that were generally mild and limited to transient scalp discomfort or pain. CONCLUSIONS: Transcranial magnetic stimulation was effective in treating major depression with minimal side effects reported. It offers clinicians a novel alternative for the treatment of this disorder.     

Anesthetics Inhibit Acetylcholine-promoted Guanine Nucleotide Exchange of Heterotrimeric G Proteins of Airway Smooth Muscle

Background: Anesthetics inhibit airway smooth muscle contraction in part by a direct effect on the smooth muscle cell. This study tested the hypothesis that the anesthetics halothane and hexanol, which both relax airway smooth muscle in vitro, inhibit acetylcholine-promoted nucleotide exchange at the [alpha] subunit of the Gq/11 heterotrimeric G protein (G[alpha]q/11; i.e., they inhibit muscarinic receptor-G[alpha]q/11 coupling).

Methods: The effect of halothane (0.38 +/- 0.02 mm) and hexanol (10 mm) on basal and acetylcholine-stimulated G[alpha]q/11 guanosine nucleotide exchange was determined in membranes prepared from porcine tracheal smooth muscle. The nonhydrolyzable, radioactive form of guanosine-5'-triphosphate, [35S]GTP[gamma]S, was used as the reporter for G[alpha]q/11 subunit dissociation from the membrane to soluble fraction, which was immunoprecipitated with rabbit polyclonal anti-G[alpha]q/11 antiserum.

Results: Acetylcholine caused a significant time- and concentration-dependent increase in the magnitude of G[alpha]q/11 nucleotide exchange compared with basal values (i.e., without acetylcholine), reaching a maximal difference at 100 [mu]m (35.9 +/- 2.9 vs. 9.8 +/- 1.2 fmol/mg protein, respectively). Whereas neither anesthetic had an effect on basal G[alpha]q/11 nucleotide exchange, both halothane and hexanol significantly inhibited the increase in G[alpha]q/11 nucleotide exchange produced by 30 [mu]m acetylcholine (by 59% and 68%, respectively).