RECONSTRUCTION OF A NATURAL-LOOKING UMBILICUS

Based on the assumption that the umbilicus is a wound that has healed by second intention, we describe a method of reconstruction. The procedure consists of complete resection of the umbilical scar and its reconstruction by a linear incision at the site of the new umbilicus and inversion of the skin hedges, which are sutured to the linea alba leaving a 1 cm space between the skin borders to cause secondary wound healing. This procedure provides a natural-looking umbilicus. It is easy and quick to do, and can be used for reconstruction after abdominoplasty, excision of a naevus, or when the umbilicus has been removed during a previous xiphopubic incision.     

Correction of hypospadias with a vertical preputial island flap: the Göteborg experience of 47 patients

We report the follow-up of 47 patients with penile hypospadias who were treated by the Scuderi procedure between 1988 and 1998 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. Forty of the patients (85%) had had no previous operations, while the remaining seven had had meatotomy with chordectomy only, or an unsuccessful Dennis-Browne procedure. Hypospadias was distal in 35 (74%), mediopenile in 8 (17%), and proximal in 4 (9%); 21 (45%) showed signs of curvature. After a Scuderi urethroplasty one patient developed a fistula (2%) and 4 developed mild stenosis. The early success rate was therefore 42/47 (89%) and this later increased to 46/47 (98%) after non-surgical treatment of the stenoses. The results support the use of the Scuderi procedure for correction of primary and secondary penile hypospadias with a low complication rate.     

Influence of visual feedback sampling on obstacle crossing behavior in people with Parkinson's disease

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the role of visual information on gait control in people with Parkinson's disease as they crossed over obstacles. Twelve healthy individuals, and 12 patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, walked at their preferred speeds along a walkway and stepped over obstacles of varying heights (ankle height or half-knee height), under three visual sampling conditions: dynamic (normal lighting), static (static visual samples, similar to stroboscopic lighting), and voluntary visual sampling. Subjects wore liquid crystal glasses for visual manipulation. In the static visual sampling condition only, the patients with Parkinson's disease made contact with the obstacle more often than did the control subjects. In the successful trials, the patients increased their crossing step width in the static visual sampling condition as compared to the dynamic and voluntary visual sampling conditions; the control group maintained the same step width for all visual sampling conditions. The patients showed lower horizontal mean velocity values during obstacle crossing than did the controls. The patients with Parkinson's disease were more dependent on optic flow information for successful task and postural stability than were the control subjects. Bradykinesia influenced obstacle crossing in the patients with Parkinson's disease.     

Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity of 10 medicinal plants used in northeast Mexico

The aim of this study was to screen the trypanocidal activity of plants used in traditional Mexican medicine for the treatment of various diseases related to parasitic infections. Cultured Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes were incubated for 96 h with different concentrations of methanolic extracts obtained from Artemisia mexicana, Castela texana, Cymbopogon citratus, Eryngium heterophyllum, Haematoxylum brasiletto, Lippia graveolens, Marrubium vulgare, Persea americana, Ruta chalepensis and Schinus molle. The inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) was determined for each extract via a colorimetric method. Among the evaluated species, the methanolic extracts of E. heterophyllum, H. brasiletto, M. vulgare and S. molle exhibited the highest trypanocidal activity, showing percentages of growth inhibition between 88 and 100% at a concentration of 150 μg/ml. These medicinal plants may represent a valuable source of new bioactive compounds for the therapeutic treatment of trypanosomiasis.