Erythropoiesis in steel mutant mice: effects of erythropoietin in vitro

Adult SI/SI-d mutant mice have severe macrocytic, normochromic anemia. Moreover these animals are unresponsive to the stimulation of erythropoietin in vivo. By means of a bone marrow cell suspension culture system, the present investigation shows that in adult SI/SI-d marrow, there are cells capable of responding in vitro to erythropoietin in a normal fashion. Moreover, the erythropoietin present in SI/SI-d serum is biologically active in vitro without any prior biochemical modification. These observations support the suggestion that there is a defect in differentiation in the erythroid cell lines of SI/SI-d mice in vivo due to an abnormal hemopoietic microenvironment.     

Effects of perinatal protein deprivation and recovery on esophageal myenteric plexus

AIM:To evaluate effects of preand postnatal protein deprivation and postnatal recovery on the myenteric plexus of the rat esophagus. METHODS: Three groups of young Wistar rats (aged 42 d) were studied: normalfed (N42), proteindeprived (D42), and proteinrecovered (R42). The myenteric neurons of their esophagi were evaluated by histochemical reactions for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), nitrergic neurons (NADPH)diaphorase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), immunohistochemical reaction for vasoactive i...     

Morphological and topographical anatomy of nutrient foramina in the lower limb long bones and its clinical importance

Background

Knowledge regarding nutrient foramina of bones is useful in surgical procedures such as microvascular bone transfer in order to preserve the circulation. The objective of the present study was to study the morphology and topography of nutrient foramina and to determine the foraminal index of the lower limb long bones to provide detailed data on such features.

Method

The study comprised examination of 206 lower limb long bones which included femora, tibiae and fibulae. The nutrient foramina were identified analysed macroscopically and the foramen index calculated. Each bone was divided into five parts and topographical analysis was performed on each section.

Results

Femora had single nutrient foramen in 47.7% of the cases, double foramen in 44.2% of the cases, triple in 3.5% of the cases and an absence of foramen in 4.6%. In the case of tibiae, 98.6% showed single foramen and in 1.4% of the cases, the foramen was absent. With respect to fibulae, 90.2% had single foramen and foramen was absent in 9.8%. The mean foraminal index was 38.9 for the femora, 32.5 for tibiae and 49.2 for fibulae. The majority (51.3%) of the foramina in the femora were located at the 2/5^th part, 98.3% of the tibiae foramina at the 2/5^th part and 60% of the fibulae at the 3/5^th part.

Conclusion

The study provides information on the morphology and topography of nutrient foramina in lower limb long bones. The double foramina were more common in femur and rare in the tibia and fibula. The foramina of the femur and tibia were commonly observed at their upper part, whereas in the fibula they were present on the lower part. This knowledge of the nutrient foramina has to be kept in mind during surgical procedures.