Ependymal reaction after experimental spinal cord injury

Summary Images of ependymal cell proliferation after experimental spinal cord injury in the rabbit are presented. This finding suggests that segmental central canal obliteration after injury could be considered in the pathogenesis of posttraumatic syringomyelia.     

Placental phospholipid composition,impact of maternal nutritional status

The influence of moderate maternal malnutrition on phospholipids and in the content of different types of fatty acids of the total placental phospholipids was investigated. Analysis of placental tissue lipids demonstrated that moderate maternal malnutrition increased total lipids when expressed per mg DNA. The rise in total lipid was due mainly to an increase in phospholipids and sterols content. The increase in phospholipid content was due primarily to phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and sphingomyelin. Fatty acid composition of placental phospholipids showed marked differences between the malnourished and the control group. In the placentas of the malnourished group, phospholipids showed and accumulation of saturated fatty acid (14:0) and retention of highly insaturated fatty acids of the n3 and n6 series. These findings suggest that placenta of malnourished pregnant women suffer an alteration of phospholipids composition which may have functional significance for this organ and for fetal growth.     

Risk factors for the development of distant metastases in patients undergoing pelvic lymphadenectomy for prostatic cancer

Sixty-two patients with clinically localized prostatic cancer underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy between 1972 and 1975. Thirty-one patients had concomitant total prostatectomy. The objectives of this study included determination of the relation of findings at lymphadenectomy, with and without total prostatectomy, to subsequent clinical course, identification of histologic parameters related to the subsequent appearance of distant metastatic disease, and determination of the vital status of patients initially having a staging pelvic lymphadenectomy. Follow-up of at least 5 years was obtained for 52 patients, including 28 who had concomitant total prostatectomy. Ten patients were lost to follow-up. Fifty-four percent are alive without evidence of disease, 25 percent are alive with metastatic disease, 10 percent have died with metastatic cancer, and 12 percent have died without prostate cancer. Metastases have developed in 11 (37 percent) of 30 patients with negative pelvic lymph nodes, reflecting either seminal vesicle or transcapsular invasion. Minimal lymph node involvement (one or two pelvic nodes) alone may not be as poor a prognostic sign as originally thought. Metastases have developed in 22 percent of nine patients with tumor considered stage B₂. No recurrences or metastases were noted in the seven patients with stage b₁ disease. Patients with high grade lesions were at no increased risk for distant metastases, although they constituted a relatively small segment of our series. Thus the extent of local disease correlates with the subsequent development of distant metastasis. Adjuvant systemic treatment (endocrine manipulation, chemotherapy, or both) has a rational basis in patients with one or more of these identifiable risk factors     

Tolerability of amine uptake inhibitors in urologic diseases

Inhibitors of serotonin (5-HT) and/or noradrenaline (NA) reuptake have been developed for pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder. Insights in the role of 5-HT and NA in the neurological control of the lower urinary tract have also led to their application in common urological conditions such as stress urinary incontinence (SUI), nocturnal enuresis and ejaculatory disorders. The European approval of the 5-HT and NA reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) duloxetine for treatment of SUI underlines the importance of a new approach in SUI, but has also given rise to questions about the safety of antidepressants in urology. This paper reviews the safety of 5-HT and NA reuptake inhibitors in their on- and off-label use in urology. A systematic Medline search was performed for randomised controlled trials, meta-analyses and practice guidelines dealing with antidepressants in urology. The safety profiles of the drugs in the urological population were compared with data from psychiatric populations. Tricyclic antidepressants are associated with serious cardiovascular side effects. In addition, anticholinergic and antihistaminic side effects are common. Although recently questions have been raised regarding the cardiovascular safety profile of venlafaxine, most selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors and SNRI have not been associated with serious cardiovascular effects. Their most common side effect is nausea. However, nausea tends to be mild and, importantly, transient. Patient counselling about side effects and up-titrating doses may be useful strategies for minimising discomfort and withdrawals.     

Mucocele of the Gastric Tube after Conversion of Vertical Banded Gastroplasty to Duodenal Switch: Not just a Radiological Image

We present two patients who underwent a duodenal switch operation after a failed vertical banded gastroplasty. Both patients had a complicated postoperative course because of an abdominal infection, and both presented the radiological image of a gastric fundus mucocele in the part of the fundus excluded between two staple-lines. Although initially considered as a radiological image with no clinical significance, the presentation of the second case with the same abdominal complication led us to contemplate the possibility of a connection between the gastric mucocele and the postoperative infection.     

Evolution of the transrectal ultrasound guided prostatic biopsy technique

To analyze the various techniques of transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy of the prostate described in the literature, as well as the anesthesia modalities for its performance. The diagnostic yield of the classic sextant biopsy, described 16 years ago and considered the standard technique ever since, has been overcome by the extended biopsy techniques (greater number of cores from more prostatic areas in each biopsy). Although their intra-study yield is better than sextant biopsy, the scarce randomized studies have not demonstrated a statistically significant improvement. These new techniques of extended biopsy significantly increase the rate of minor complications, not the major. It has not been demonstrated an increase in either the perception of pain or the diagnosis of non-significant tumors. Any anesthetic technique employed diminishes significantly the perception of pain by the patient. The periprostatic nerve blockage with infiltration of lidocaine is better than the rest of the techniques. The best technique of infiltration and the most effective lidocaine dose are to be defined yet. These techniques do not increase complications and only prolong the procedure briefly.     

Effects of prior experience and ‘functional disturbance’ on acute and chronic tolerance to methylphenidate

The degree of habituation or adaptation an animal has experienced prior to the administration of methylphenidate was found to be more crucial in determining the animal's response to the drug than chronic drug administration alone. Rats allowed to adapt in a Y-maze for 24 days showed less methylphenidate-induced activity than animals receiving chronic administration of saline or methylphenidate but no adaptation, when animals were injected with the drug and tested in the Y-maze on Day 25. Animals also were shown to develop tolerance to the methylphenidate-induced activity.A preliminary report of this paper was presented at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, New York City, 1975.     

Experimental and husbandry procedures as potential modifiers of the results of phenotyping tests

To maximize the sensitivity of detecting affects of genetic variants in mice, variables have been minimized through the use of inbred mouse lines, by eliminating infectious organisms and controlling environmental variables. However, the impact of standard animal husbandry and experimental procedures on the validity of experimental data is under appreciated. In this study we monitored the impact of these procedures by using parameters that reflect stress and physiological responses to it. Short-term measures included telemetered heart rate and systolic arterial pressure, core body temperature and blood glucose, while longer-term parameters were assessed such as body weight. Male and female C57BL6/NTac mice were subjected to a range of stressors with different perceived severities ranging from repeated blood glucose and core temperature measurement procedures, intra-peritoneal injection and overnight fasting to cage transport and cage changing.Our studies reveal that common husbandry and experimental procedures significantly influence mouse physiology and behaviour. Systolic arterial pressure, heart rate, locomotor activity, core temperature and blood glucose were elevated in response to a range of experimental procedures. Differences between sexes were evident, female mice displayed more sustained cardiovascular responses and locomotor activity than male mice. These results have important implications for the design and implementation of multiple component experiments where the lasting effects of stress from previous tests may modify the outcomes of subsequent ones.