Ex Vivo Application of Carbon Monoxide in University of Wisconsin Solution to Prevent Intestinal Cold Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Carbon monoxide (CO), a byproduct of heme catalysis, was shown to have potent cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. In vivo recipient CO inhalation at low concentrations prevented ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury associated with small intestinal transplantation (SITx). This study examined whether ex vivo delivery of CO in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution could ameliorate intestinal I/R injury. Orthotopic syngenic SITx was performed in Lewis rats after 6 h cold preservation in control UW or UW that was bubbled with CO gas (0.1-5%) (CO-UW). Recipient survival with intestinal grafts preserved in 5%, but not 0.1%, CO-UW improved to 86.7% (13/15) from 53% (9/17) with control UW. At 3 h after SITx, grafts stored in 5% CO-UW showed improved intestinal barrier function, less mucosal denudation and reduced inflammatory mediator upregulation compared to those in control UW. Preservation in CO-UW associated with reduced vascular resistance (end preservation), increased graft cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels (1 h), and improved graft blood flow (1 h). Protective effects of CO-UW were reversed by ODQ, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase. In vitro culture experiment also showed better preservation of vascular endothelial cells with CO-UW. The study suggests that ex vivo CO delivery into UW solution would be a simple and innovative therapeutic strategy to prevent transplant-induced I/R injury.     

对芸香科芦荟不会发生接触性过敏

芦荟自古就被用作化妆品和药物添加剂，近来更受喜爱。虽应用广泛，但过敏反应罕有报道。作者用芦荟叶的油性提取物、来自整个植株的芦荟粉及浓缩的芦荟凝胶，对相继就诊的702例患者做斑贴试验。设计专门的问卷调查芦荟的使用、使用原因、使用部位、不良反应、患者职业、个人爱好及是否为遗传性过敏体质。患者均未对任一制剂发生任何反应。需对芦荟所含的两种成分加以鉴别：即芦荟叶皮含有的具有促进肠蠕动、潜在抗菌及抗癌特性的蒽醌类物质。     

The tongue: structure and function relevant to disease and oral health.

The tongue (L. lingua; G. glossa) functions as a digestive organ by facilitating the movement of food during mastication and assisting swallowing. Other important functions include speech and taste. The tongue consists of striated muscle and occupies the floor of the mouth. The dorsal mucosal surface consists of stratified squamous epithelium, with numerous papillae and taste buds. The tongue, a voluntary muscular structure, is attached by a fold, called the frenulum, to the floor of the mouth. Typically, between 8 and 12 circumvallate papillae are arranged in an inverted V-shape towards the base of the tongue. This anatomical review focuses on structure, function relationships and diseases affecting the tongue. From a primary oral health care perspective, this overview will facilitate the process of differential diagnosis in persons presenting with vesiculo-bullous, ulcerative, atrophic and cystic disorders of the tongue. Suspicious lesions should be biopsied to rule out carcinoma.     

Troubles psychotiques révélateurs de maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob sporadique

The onset of the sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is usually characterized by dementia or neurological symptoms. We are reporting the case of a 31 year-old man with a sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease characterized by a schizophrenia-like onset. The schizophrenic symptoms developed for sixteen months before the neurological symptoms appeared. The psychiatric onset of the present case was linked with the early age of onset and the long duration of the disease and could have been influenced by polymorphism of the codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP) and a type of pathological prion protein (PrPres).     

Bifid mandibular canal.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and characteristics of bifid mandibular canals. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed using panoramic radiographs of 2012 patients subjected to dental treatment in the Dental Clinic of the Valencia University Dental School (Valencia, Spain) between 1996 and 1999. The goal was to investigate the presence of double mandibular canals. RESULTS: The extraoral panoramic radiographs revealed a total of 7 images suggestive of bifid canals. Mandibular computed tomography revealed the existence of this anatomic variant in 2 of 3 patients. An analysis was performed on the incidence of this type of image in extraoral panoramic radiography, its possible interpretations, and the clinical implications of bifid mandibular canals. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 0.35% of canals were bifid. All cases were in women.