Wound healing effect of methanolic leaf extract of Napoleona vogelii(Family:Lecythidaceae) in rats

Objective:To investigate the wound healing properly of Napoleona vogelii leaf extract in folkloric medicine.Methods:Roth sexes of adult albino rats(n=25) were used in this study and another group(n=30) were subjected to acute toxicity test(LD_(50)) of the plant extract.For the LD_(50),three randomized groups of 5 rats were first treated with 10,100,1 000 mg/kg body weight(bw),orally.This w as followed by a second treatment of 1500,3000,and 5 000 mg/kg bw of the leaf extract with continual monitoring of the animals for mortality or non-mortality.Incision wounds(1.3cm) were created on the skin of five groups of 5 rals using surgical blade under anesthesia.The first group was topically treated with petroleum jelly alone,group 2 was topically applied 400 mg/mL w/v of the reference drug,Neobaein,while group 3-5 were topically treated with 5-50 mg/mL w/v of the plant extract,respectively.Results:The percentage yield of the extract was 49.80%w/w dry matter.The phytochemical analysis revealed several bioactive constituents including glycosides,tannins,alkaloids,perpenoids.saponins,steroids,proteins,and carbohydrates.The LD_(50) was beyond our experimental limit and was not determined.Increased concentrations(5,20,and 50mg/mL w/v) of the extract had significant(ANOVA,P0.05) healing effect on the incision wounds giving rise to 125%-140% while treatmentawith Neobacin resulted in 150% healing effect on the third treatment regimen compared to the control(100%).Conclusions:These data indicate that Napoleona vogelii leaf extract contains potent bioactive compounds containing wound healing activity,substantiating its use as a wound healer in folkloric medicine.     

Physical Training as Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Neurocardiogenic Syncope

Background

Characterized as a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness and postural tone, with quick and spontaneous recovery, syncope is caused by an acute reduction of systemic arterial pressure and, therefore, of cerebral blood flow. Unsatisfactory results with the use of drugs allowed the nonpharmacological treatment of neurocardiogenic syncope was contemplated as the first therapeutic option.

Objectives

To compare, in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope, the impact of a moderate intensity aerobic physical training (AFT) and a control intervention on the positivity of head-up tilting test (HUT) and orthostatic tolerance time.

Methods

Were studied 21 patients with a history of recurrent neurocardiogenic syncope and HUT. The patients were randomized into: trained group (TG), n = 11, and control group (CG), n = 10. The TG was submitted to 12 weeks of AFT supervised, in cycle ergometer, and the CG to a control procedure that consisted in 15 minutes of stretching and 15 minutes of light walk.

Results

The TG had a positive effect to physical training, with a significant increase in peak oxygen consumption. The CG did not show any statistically significant change before and after the intervention. After the intervention period, 72.7% of the TG sample had negative results to the HUT, not having syncope in the revaluation.

Conclusion

The program of supervised aerobic physical training for 12 weeks was able to reduce the number of positive HUT, as it was able to increase tolerance time in orthostatic position during the HUT after the intervention period.     

Long-term alteration in maternal blood pressure and renal function after pregnancy in normal and growth-restricted rats

Intrauterine growth restriction is associated with increased risk of adult cardiorenal diseases. Small birth weight females are more likely to experience complications during their own pregnancy, including pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. We determined whether the physiological demand of pregnancy predisposes growth-restricted females to cardiovascular and renal dysfunction later in life. Late gestation bilateral uterine vessel ligation was performed in Wistar-Kyoto rats. At 4 months, restricted and control female offspring were mated with normal males and delivered naturally (ex-pregnant). Regardless of maternal birth weight, at 13 months, ex-pregnant females developed elevated mean arterial pressure (indwelling tail-artery catheter; +6 mm Hg), reduced effective renal blood flow ((14)C-PAH clearance; -23%), and increased renal vascular resistance (+27%) compared with age-matched virgins. Glomerular filtration rate ((3)H-inulin clearance) was not different across groups. This adverse cardiorenal phenotype in ex-pregnant females was associated with elevated systemic (+57%) and altered intrarenal components of the renin-angiotensin system. After pregnancy at 13 months, coronary flow (Langendorff preparation) was halved in restricted females compared with controls, and together with reduced NO excretion, this may increase susceptibility to additional lifestyle challenges. Our results have implications for aging females who have been pregnant, suggesting long-term cardiovascular and renal alterations, with additional consequences for females who were small at birth.     

Association between Thigh Muscle Development and the Metabolic Syndrome in Adults

Background: Previous research has demonstrated an association between the metabolic syndrome (MS) and muscle mass; however, no studies have shown any relationship with a particular segment of the body, which would be more useful in clinical settings. Aims: To investigate the association between muscle development of different segments of the body and presence of the MS in adults. Methods: We used fractionation of body mass to calculate the development of muscle mass and correlated this with presence of the MS in a cross-sectional study in adults. Results: The mean age and body mass index were 42.7 ± 6.6 years and 25.3 ± 3.7 kg/m(2), respectively. 23.1% of adults suffered from the MS. After adjusting for multiple variables, the Z score of both thigh and chest muscle girths were significantly associated with the MS. There were significant differences between adults with or without the MS in the Z score of thigh [-0.686; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -1.020 to -0.351], mid-thigh (-0.566; 95% CI -0.931 to -0.200) and chest (0.611; 95% CI 0.260-0.962) girths. Conclusions: There is an association between muscle development and the MS; moreover, muscle thigh perimeter was larger in those without the MS. The use of muscle development of the thigh as an indicator of cardiovascular health-related metabolic alterations is proposed.     

Osteolysis around total knee arthroplasty: A review of pathogenetic mechanisms

Aseptic loosening and other wear-related complications are some of the most frequent late reasons for revision of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Periprosthetic osteolysis (PPOL) pre-dates aseptic loosening in many cases, indicating the clinical significance of this pathogenic mechanism. A variety of implant-, surgery- and host-related factors have been delineated to explain the development of PPOL. These factors influence the development of PPOL because of changes in mechanical stresses within the vicinity of the prosthetic device, excessive wear of the polyethylene liner, and joint fluid pressure and flow acting on the peri-implant bone. The process of aseptic loosening is initially governed by factors such as implant/limb alignment, device fixation quality and muscle coordination/strength. Later, large numbers of wear particles detached from TKA trigger and perpetuate particle disease, as highlighted by progressive growth of inflammatory/granulomatous tissue around the joint cavity. An increased accumulation of osteoclasts at the bone–implant interface, impairment of osteoblast function, mechanical stresses and increased production of joint fluid contribute to bone resorption and subsequent loosening of the implant. In addition, hypersensitivity and adverse reactions to metal debris may contribute to aseptic TKA failure, but should be determined more precisely. Patient activity level appears to be the most important factor when the long-term development of PPOL is considered. Surgical technique, implant design and material factors are the most important preventative factors, because they influence both the generation of wear debris and excessive mechanical stresses. New generations of bearing surfaces and designs for TKA should carefully address these important issues in extensive preclinical studies. Currently, there is little evidence that PPOL can be prevented by pharmacological intervention.     

Long-term survival of the uncemented Balgrist total hip replacement cup

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of the Balgrist total hip replacement cup.

Methods

We report the results of a retrospective review of 195 total hip prostheses with Balgrist cup implanted in 178 patients. There were 59 men and 119 women with a mean age at surgery of 52.3 years (range, 19–72). Cox regression was used to determine the influence of independent variables on the survivorship of the prosthesis.

Results

There were 117 (66 %) of 178 patients, and 131 (67 %) of 195 hips available for assessment at a mean follow-up of 17.4 years. A total of 21 patients (22 hips) were lost from follow-up (12 %). A total of 25 patients (27 hips) required some type of re-operation during the follow-up period. Eight of 27 re-operations (30 %) were directly caused by the Balgrist cup failure due to fatigue fracture of the metallic shell (n = 5; 19 %), polyethylene wear (n = 2; 7 %) and aseptic loosening (n = 1; 4 %). The mean polyethylene wear rate was 0.068 mm/year (range, 0.008–0.230; SD = 0.043). The risk of re-operation for any reason was decreased with dysplastic hip as a primary diagnosis (hazard ratio; HR = 0.250; 95 % CI 0.086–0.725) and with greater age at the time of surgery (HR = 0.923; 95 % CI 0.880–0.969). The 19-year survivorship with re-operation for any reason was 75.6 % (95 % CI 67.0–84.2). The 19-year survivorship with re-operation for the Balgrist cup failure was 90.5 % (95 % CI 83.4–97.6).

Conclusions

The Balgrist cup continues to provide excellent clinical and radiological outcomes. This is associated at least in part with a low polyethylene wear rate. The main reason for the Balgrist cup failure is fatigue fracture of the metallic shell.     

An AAV2/5 vector enhances safety of gene transfer to the mouse salivary gland

This study was designed to improve AAV-mediated gene transfer to the murine submandibular salivary glands. Our first aim was to utilize AAV pseudotype vectors, containing the genetic elements of the canonical AAV2, packaged within capsids of AAV serotypes 5, 8, and 9. Having determined that this pseudotyping increased the efficiency of gene transfer to the glands by several orders of magnitude, we next asked whether we could reduce the gene transfer inoculum of the pseudotype while still achieving gene transfer comparable with that achieved with high-dose AAV2. Having achieved gene transfer comparable with that of AAV2 using a pseudotype vector (AAV2/5) at a 100-fold lower dose, our final objective was to evaluate the implications of this lower dose on two pre-clinical parameters of vector safety. To evaluate systemic toxicity, we measured AAV vector sequestration in the liver using qPCR, and found that the 100-fold lower dose reduced the vector recovered from the liver by 300-fold. To evaluate salivary gland function, we undertook whole-proteome profiling of salivary gland lysates two weeks after vector administration and found that high-dose (5 × 10?) AAV altered the expression level of ~32% of the entire salivary gland proteome, and that the lower dose (5 × 10?) reduced this effect to ~7%.