Delay of cranial bone regeneration by CO2 and Nd-YAG laser application: an experimental study related to craniosynostosis

In this study we have investigated the negative influence of CO₂ and Nd-YAG laser irradiation on rapid cranial regeneration and whether it has any use in certain types of craniosynostosis. Twenty-two newborn rats were used in the study. Both CO₂ and Nd-YAG laser irradiation, which was applied to free bony edges after, suturectomies, resulted in a significant decrease in skull regeneration. Histopathological examinations revealed severe degeneration caused by both types of laser energies.     

Use of the free prefabricated temporoparietal fascia-chondro-cutaneous flap nourished by only arterial inflow: an arterial flap

Summary Pedicled temporoparietal fascial flaps have been used extensively in head and neck reconstruction for many years. Also, the fascia has been grafted, and the skin graft transformed into a vascularized pedicled flap (prefabricated temporoparietal fasciocutaneous flap). On the other hand, some authors have used free temporoparietal fascial flaps for defects that require to be filled in lower and upper extremity wounds. In this case, a free prefabricated temporoparietal fascio-chondro-cutaneous flap having only an arterial inflow was used in eyelid reconstruction.Presented at the 14th Congress of Turkish Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ankara, Turkey, October 1992     

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with protein S deficiency]

Venous thrombosis is rare in children. It can be either acquired or of constitutional origin. Thrombosis during non-Hodgkin lymphoma remains exceptional and is usually locally associated to the tumoral process, raising the issue of its tumoral or cruoric nature. The treatment is based on anticoagulation concomitantly to chemotherapy. We report on a 4-year-old boy admitted for mediastinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who developed a thrombosis of the superior vena cava associated to protein S-deficiency. The mechanism of thrombosis may have been multifactorial: associated protein S-deficiency, vascular compression, tumoral process and chemotherapy.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arg</Emphasis>194<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trp</Emphasis> polymorphism in DNA repair gene XRCC1 and the risk for sporadic late-onset Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined pathologically by the presence of β-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and extensive neuronal loss. Evidence indicates that increased DNA damage may contribute to neuronal loss in AD. Recently, it has been shown that in AD neurons have a reduced capacity for some types of DNA repair. Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes may be associated with differences in repair efficiency of DNA damage. Variants of several DNA repair genes, including the base excision repair gene XRCC1, have been described previously. We hypothesised that Arg194Trp polymorphism of XRCC1 gene may contribute to genetic susceptibility for AD. In order to test this hypothesis, we investigated Arg194Trp polymorphism at the XRCC1 gene in the DNA samples of 98 patients with AD and 95 healthy subjects. The frequency of the Trp allele was more pronounced among cases (11.2%) compared with controls (5.8%). On combining the homozygous and heterozygous variants of each codon, the variants seemed to be at twofold risk of AD, although the risk estimates were not statistically significant (OR=1.95, 95% CI 0.88–4.34, p=0.09). In addition, the 194Trp allele revealed a borderline significance (OR=2.05, 95% CI 0.96–4.37, p=0.056). According to our results, it may be speculated that the polymorphic variants of XRCC1 codon 194 have a role in the development of AD.     

Extending the capability paradigm to address the complexity of disability

Amartya Sen looks at people's well-being in terms of functioning and freedom, rather than in terms of the amount of goods or services consumed. The capability approach, developed by Sen, deals with what people are able to achieve by using these commodities. Concerning disability, he wrote: “We must take note that a disabled person may not be able to do the many things that an able-bodied individual can, with the same bundle of commodities” [Sen, A. K. (1985). Commodities and capabilities. Oxford: Oxford University Press [1999], p. 7]. The capability approach makes it possible to analyse the economic situation of people with disabilities in a different way. What becomes important is their functioning, i.e. what they are able to achieve within a given context. In fact, the capability set includes not only what a person is effectively able to achieve, but also the potential functionings that he/she can choose. This expresses the degree of freedom that a person with disability benefits from in a given environment. The challenge is therefore to reduce the constraints that the environment adds to a person's impairment in order to expand their capability set and to allow them to live a life which they value. This paper reviews the paradigms that address disability and the ways of assessing a person's capability set within this framework. Achieved functionings are easily measured through cross-sectional surveys, using counterfactual analysis to compare the situations of disabled and non-disabled people. This was done in 2005 in Afghanistan when a national disability survey was carried out on a random sample of households. Measuring detailed capabilities, especially their freedom dimension, is quite complex and requires identifying people's potential choices in an ever-changing environment. This implies a need to extend the philosophical framework and to adopt appropriate statistical methodologies.     

A new method for the correction of secondary unilateral cleft lip nose

Summary In 1982, Dibbell described a procedure to correct this distortion by rotating and advancing the nostril medially and superiorly. We used this method in our department for several years, but as Dibbell himself experienced, we didn't always obtain satisfactory results. Like many authors, I agree that the best approach for proper correction of the secondary unilateral cleft lip nose deformity is the external approach using transcolumellar incisions, because the lower lateral cartilage exposure is inadequate with Dibbell's method. I added the transcolumellar incision similar to Bardach's to solve this problem. In this paper, this combination technique will be presented and contrasted with Dibbell's and Bardach's techniques.     

Distribution of α-integrin subunits in fetal polycystic kidney diseases

An alteration in cell/matrix interactions is one of the suggested mechanisms leading to cyst formation in polycystic kidney diseases. Most of these interactions are mediated by β1-integrins, a subfamily of integrin receptors, formed by the association of the β1-chain with different α-subunits. To date, no study on α-integrin subunit distribution during the early stages of cyst development has been reported. Using immunofluorescence, we analyzed the distribution of α-integrin subunits (α1, α2, α3, α5, and α6) and basement membrane proteins in kidneys of fetuses with autosomal dominant (ADPKD) or autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). The distribution was compared with that observed in normal fetal and post-natal kidneys, and in fetal cystic dysplasia and Meckel syndrome. Marked increase in α1-integrin staining was observed in normal and cystic collecting duct cells of both polycystic diseases (PKD), compared with normal and cystic controls. The distribution of integrin subunits α2, α3, and α6 was irregular in cyst epithelial cells of PKD and cystic controls. The increased expression of the α1-subunit specifically observed in PKD collecting duct cells may be an early consequence of the genetic defect in ARPKD. In ADPKD it parallels the reported expression of polycystin, the protein product of PKD1. The irregular expression of α2, α3, and α6 integrin subunits observed in all types of cysts suggests that cell/matrix interactions are altered early and may participate in the development of cysts, perhaps by contributing to the deregulation of cell survival in cystic diseases. Received May 28, 1996; received in revised form October 2, 1996; accepted October 25, 1996     

A fluid level in an acute extradural haematoma

We report a fluid level in an acute extradural haematoma developing after placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt for hydrocephalus. This fluid level was thought to be due to a mixture of blood and cerebrospinal fluid.     

Laryngeal pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma

A case of an extremely unusual tumor of the larynx, pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma, is presented with a review of literature. This is the fifth case of this malignancy described in the larynx in the English language literature. A histopathological diagnosis was made with immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. In contrast to other reported cases, the tumor in the present case had a very aggressive behavior. Despite radical surgery involving total laryngectomy and neck dissection followed by radiation therapy, the patient died of disease 8 months following treatment. Received: 14 March 1997 / Accepted: 23 January 1998