Constitutive hyperdopaminergia is functionally associated with reduced behavioral lateralization.

According to the dopamine (DA) hypothesis of schizophrenia and the strong evidence for decreased cerebral lateralization in schizophrenic patients, we postulated that hyperactivity of the dopaminergic system could be associated with a reduced behavioral lateralization in mice. Mice lacking the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene were used as a genetic model of persistent hyperdopaminergia. The DAT null mutation was transferred on C57BL/6JOrl (B6) and DBA/2JOrl (D2) inbred backgrounds for more than 10 generations of backcrossing to derive three DAT strains, B6, D2, and B6xD2(F1). Adult mutant mice of the three DAT strains and their littermates were tested for paw preference using Collins' protocol. Our results demonstrated that, whatever the genetic background, persistent hyperdopaminergia directly impairs the degree of lateralization without affecting the direction. Our results support the degree of lateralization as a good candidate phenotype to further improve genetic analysis of cerebral lateralization in normal and pathological conditions.     

Tremendous bleeding complication after vacuum-assisted sternal closure

Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) of complex infected wounds has recently gained popularity among various surgical specialties. The system is based on the application of negative pressure by controlled suction to the wound surface. The effectiveness of the VAC System on microcirculation and the promotion of granulation tissue proliferation are proved. No contraindications for the use in deep sternal wounds in cardiac surgery are described. In our case report we illustrate a scenario were a patient developed severe bleeding from the ascending aorta by penetration of wire fragments in the vessel. We conclude that all free particles in the sternum have to be removed completely before negative pressure is used.     

Licht- und Elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen am menschlichen Nebenhoden nach Ostrogen- und Antiandrogentherapie

Epididymal tissue from 8 patients treated with estrogen and antiandrogen for a long time was studied by light- and electron microscopy. There are severe regressive-degenerative changes within the epithelium characterized by a decrease or loss of the normal surface differentiation, a decrease of cell organelles and an increase of phagolysosomes. Hyperplasia of the smooth muscle layer occurs in the extra-epithelial part of the ductus epididymidis.     

Common Variations in 4p Locus are Related to Male Completed Suicide

Suicidal behavior is a multifactorial phenomenon, with a significant genetic predisposition. To assess the contribution of genes in the 4p region to suicide risk, we genotyped 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms from a 49Mb region on the chromosome arm 4p11-16 in a total of 288 male suicide victims and 327 healthy male volunteers. The nonsynonymous variants rs1383180 in EVC gene, rs6811863 in TBC1D1 gene, rs362272 in HTT gene, and rs734312 in WFS1 gene were associated to the male completed suicide. However, only EVC polymorphism remained significant after correcting for multiple comparisons (P < .05 after 10 K permutations). The function of these genes is not clear yet. WFS1 and HTT are related to the unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum stress, and TBC1D1 is a GTPase activator. EVC is a protein with transmembrane and leucine zipper domains, its function has not been elucidated yet. Further studies are required in order to reveal the role of these four polymorphisms in the pathoetiology of suicide. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Three-dimensional time-of-flight MR-angiography and the surgical indication in brainstem cavernomas

Summary This study was designed to assess the diagnostic value of 3D time-of-flight MR-angiography in cerebral cavernomas. In seven patients, nine out of ten cavernomas were removed by microsurgery. While MR-angiography demonstrated well branches of brain arteries adjacent to the lesions, no flow signal in the vascular malformations was observed. On the other hand, there was a high intensity signal induced by methaemoglobin in those three patients with brainstem cavernomas who had experienced a significant bleeding attack seven months prior to admission. It had a spotted appearence in MR-angiography with volumes of the largest spots around 1.8 cm³. It is suggested that this spot signal could be used as a path marker for the surgical approach in brainstem cavernomas.Abbreviations FISP Fast Imaging with Steady Precision - FLASH Fast Low Angle Shot - MIP Maximum Intensity Projection Method - MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRA Magnetic Resonance Angiography - SE Spin Echo Sequence - 3D Three dimensional     

Comparison of an immortalized human corneal epithelial cell line and rabbit corneal epithelial cell culture in cytotoxicity testing.

The cytotoxicity of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and disodium edetate (EDTA) was evaluated in vitro in rabbit corneal epithelial primary cells and in the immortalized human corneal epithelial cell line SV40. Cell injury was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage and by reduction of the tetrazolium salt WST-1 to formazan by mitochondrial metabolic activity. Cell cultures were exposed to test compounds both in serum-free and in serum-containing medium. Although WST-1 and LDH tests measured different physiological endpoints, they yielded comparable results. However, the LDH test seemed less reliable due to great variation. The use of serum was found to result in lower toxicity of the compounds in both tests. The rabbit primary cell culture and the human corneal cell line were quite similar in their responses to BAC and EDTA. The human cell line is a promising in vitro alternative in oculotoxicity testing.     

Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Context

Mobilization and manipulation therapies are widely used to benefit patients with chronic low back pain. However, questions remain about their efficacy, dosing, safety, and how these approaches compare with other therapies.

The Role of Appearance Schematicity in the Development of Adolescent Body Dissatisfaction

Although much is now known about the development of body image disturbance, relatively little is known about the role of cognitive processes. The aim of the present study was to examine longitudinally the role of appearance schemas as a predictor of body dissatisfaction change over 2 years among adolescent girls and boys. Participants were 54 Australian school students in Year 10 at Time 1 (M age = 15.1) who were assessed 2 years later when they were in Year 12 (Time 2). It was found that girls' body dissatisfaction worsened from Time 1 to Time 2 compared to boys, and that this change in girls' body dissatisfaction was related to initial appearance schematicity, but not to initial self-esteem. The results support the importance of cognitive processing models for understanding the development of body image disturbance.