Tissue remodeling of rat pulmonary artery in hypoxic breathing. I. Changes of morphology, zero-stress state, and gene expression

The remodeling of the pulmonary arterial tissue in response to a step change of the oxygen concentration in the gas in which a rat lives was recorded as function of time and function of O₂ concentration. Three steps of changing from 20.9% to 17.2%, 13.6%, and 10% O₂ were imposed. Earlier work in our laboratory has shown that pulmonary arterial tissue remodeling is significant in the first 24 h after a step change of oxygen tension. Hence we made measurements in this period. Furthermore, data were obtained for tissue remodeling of circumferential and axial lengths of the pulmonary arteries. We recorded the activities of gene expressions in the lung tissues by microarray, determined the dose response curves of gene expression in the homogenized whole lungs with respect to four levels of O₂ concentration, and obtained the time courses of gene expression in the lung parenchyma in 30 days after a step decrease of O₂ concentration from 20.9% to 10%. We would like to suggest that the correlation of gene expression with physiological function parameters, i.e., time, O₂ tension, blood pressure, opening angle, wall thicknesses, etc., is the way to narrow down the search for specific genes for specific physiological functions. © 2001 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC01: 8719Uv     

Microsurgical anatomy of VII and VIII cranial nerves and related arteries in the cerebellopontine angle

Summary The relationships of VII and VIII cranial nerves and related arteries are reviewed in 26 preparations by microdissection techniques. These vessels may be grouped in large (AICA, PICA), medium (LA, SA, CSA, RPI) and small calibre (vasa nervorum, radicullar and medullar branches). The importance of these structures in acoustic neuroma surgery, vestibular neurectomy and cross-compression syndromes is discussed. Vascular loops and elongated arteries are normal structures present at birth.This work was supported by a grant from the AJ Roemmers Foundation     

Study of the carrying angle of the human elbow joint in full extension: a morphometric analysis

This study measured the carrying angle of the elbow joint in full extension in 600 students, using the supplementary angle to that between the longitudinal axis of the arm and that of the forearm. The mean carrying angle was 12.88°±5.92: 10.97°±4.27 in men and 15.07°±4.95 in women. The carrying angle changes with skeletal growth and maturity. The angle is always greater on the side of the dominant hand. We confirmed the inverse relationship between the carrying angle and the intertrochanteric diameter. Also, the type of constitution influences the value of the carrying angle, especially in women.     

Length and moment arm of human leg muscles as a function of knee and hip-joint angles

Summary Lengths of muscle tendon complexes of the quadriceps femoris muscle and some of its heads, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius muscles, were measured for six limbs of human cadavers as a function of knee and hip-joint angles. Length-angle curves were fitted using second degree polynomials. Using these polynomials the relationships between knee and hip-joint angles and moment arms were calculated. The effect of changing the hip angle on the biceps femoris muscle length is much larger than that of changing the knee angle. For the rectus femoris muscle the reverse was found. The moment arm of the biceps femoris muscle was found to remain constant throughout the whole range of knee flexion as was the case for the medial part of the vastus medialis muscle. Changes in the length of the lateral part of the vastus medialis muscle as well as the medial part of the vastus lateralis muscle are very similar to those of vastus intermedius muscle to which they are adjacent, while those changes in the length of the medial part of the vastus medialis muscle and the lateral part of the vastus lateralis muscle, which are similar to each other, differ substantially from those of the vastus intermedius muscle. Application of the results to jumping showed that bi-articular rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles, which are antagonists, both contract eccentrically early in the push off phase and concentrically in last part of this phase.     

Approximately 80% of Japanese osteoarthritic patients fall out of the safety range in restricted kinematically-aligned total knee arthroplasty in an analysis of preoperative long-leg radiograms

BackgroundRestricted kinematically-aligned total knee arthroplasty (KA-TKA) is a reasonable modification to avoid the alignment outlier that may cause implant failure. However, despite a noted high incidence of constitutional varus in Japanese individuals, there has been no investigation into how many knees require the restriction in restricted KA-TKA (RKA-TKA) among Japanese patients. Therefore, we conducted a study using preoperative long-leg radiograms.MethodsWe studied long-leg radiographs of 228 knees in 114 consecutive patients. The numbers of knees within the safety range and their corrective osteotomy angle in the restriction algorithms advocated by Almaawi et al. (2017) and MacDessi et al. (2020) were evaluated.ResultsAccording to the algorithms used by Almaawi et al. and MacDessi et al., out of 228 knees, 46 (20%) and 39 (17%) fell within the safety range, respectively. The mean correction angles of the hip-knee-ankle angle, lateral distal femoral angle and medial proximal tibial angle were 2.8 ± 3.4°, 0.4 ± 1.4° and 2.4 ± 2.8° in the algorithm used by Almaawi et al., while they were −4.9 ± 4.7°, 1.1 ± 2.5° and −6.0 ± 3.4° in the algorithm used by MacDessi et al. Most of the knees needed to be restricted in order to perform RKA-TKA, regardless of the algorithm used.ConclusionsBased on a preoperative analysis of long-leg radiograms in a Japanese population, most knees fall out of the safety range in RKA-TKA. Surgeons must consider whether to allow component outlier or to perform corrective osteotomy that likely requires soft tissue release.     

枢椎侧弓螺钉安全钉道的判定与测量

目的:利用Unigraphics(UG)三维重建技术寻找枢椎侧弓螺钉安全钉道的经过,并进行相关参数的测量.方法:对4例干燥和8例新鲜枢椎行CT扫描, UG软件重建虚拟实体,利用3.5 mm虚拟螺钉模拟进钉,寻找安全钉道经过的特征标记点.以此为基础,测定57例干燥枢椎安全钉道的内倾角与上倾角(AutoCAD环境)及进针点距峡部及下关节突外缘的距离(手工测量).结果:模拟发现横断面安全钉道经过前弓中宽后界的内中1/3交界与中宽前界的外中1/3交界,矢状面经过前弓中宽后界中部及前界中宽与上关节突下界交界处.对另57例干燥标本进行测量发现安全钉道的内倾角为左/右＝(10.94±6.53)°/(11.95±2.82)°,上倾角为(13.31±5.44)°/(14.45±3.80)°,在大多数标本椎板后下方有一突起的骨嵴 (左/右＝84.2%/84.98%) ,进针点多位于这一骨嵴线上(左/右＝87.5%/84.9%).进针点距离下关节外侧缘左/右＝(6.71±1.33)mm/(6.28±1.48)mm,距离后弓左/右＝(9.93±1.38)mm/(8.47±1.70)mm.个体间差异较大.结论:侧方椎弓螺钉固定的安全钉道在横断面经过横突孔区域(侧弓前份)中宽后界的内中1/3交界与中宽前界的外中1/3交界,矢状面经过后方中宽中部及前方中宽与关节突下界交界处,不同侧别间及不同个体间有明显差别.     

Saccadic anomalies: vergence induces large departures from ball-and-socket behavior

The configuration of muscular forces, which maintains a given orientation of the eye, varies with vergence state. As a consequence, changes in vergence produce both static and dynamic violations of simple ball-and-socket behavior: during strong convergence, the entire eye is displaced temporally within its orbit at steady state by as much as 200 microns; and the axis of ocular rotation for small horizontal saccades is consistently displaced forward within the globe by an average of about 1 mm. These phenomena occur regardless of whether vergence is maintained by accommodation or by binocular disparity. Hence, systematic errors of as much as a full degree can arise in measurement of vergence movement, unless monitoring methods are used which are insensitive to translational motion. The observed displacement on the axis of rotation for saccades may be involved in subjective shrinkage of visual targets during convergence ("experimental micropsia ").     

老年转子间骨折角型钢板治疗失误和并发症分析

目的分析角型钢板治疗股骨转子间骨折中出现的各种失误和并发症,并提出预防措施。方法1990年10月以来共治疗股骨转子间骨折68例,逐例分析治疗失误的原因。结果术中操作失误致股骨外侧皮质崩裂2例;钢板刀口穿破股骨头进入髋臼1例,术后切口感染1例,共8例出现并发症,发生率14．7％。结论角型钢板治疗股骨转子间骨折效果好,但不应忽视可能发生的各种失误和并发症。     

Alignment in Medial Fixed-Bearing Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: The Limb Has a Leg Up on the Component

BackgroundTo assess how implant alignment affects unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) outcome, we compared tibial component alignment of well-functioning UKAs against 2 groups of failed UKAs, revised for progression of lateral compartment arthritis (“Progression”) and aseptic loosening (“Loosening”).MethodsWe identified 37 revisions for Progression and 61 revisions for Loosening from our prospective institutional database of 3351 medial fixed-bearing UKAs performed since 2000. Revision cohorts were matched on age, gender, body mass index, and postoperative range of motion with “Successful” unrevised UKAs with minimum 10-year follow-up and Knee Society Score ≥70. Tibial component coronal (TCA) and sagittal (TSA) plane alignment was measured on postoperative radiographs. Limb alignment was quantified by hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle on long-leg radiographs. In addition to directly comparing groups, a multivariate logistic regression examined how limb and component alignments were associated with UKA revision.ResultsIn the Progression group, component alignment was similar to the matched successes (TCA 3.6° ± 3.5° varus vs 5.1° ± 3.5° varus, P = .07; TSA 8.4° ± 4.4° vs 8.8° ± 3.6°, P = .67), whereas HKA angle was significantly more valgus (0.3° ± 3.6° valgus vs 4.4° ± 2.6° varus, P < .001). Loosening group component alignment was also similar to the matched successes (TCA 6.1° ± 3.7° varus vs 5.9° ± 3.1° varus, P = .72; TSA 8.4° ± 4.6° vs 8.1° ± 3.9°, P = .68), and HKA was significantly more varus (6.1° ± 3.1° varus vs 4.0° ± 2.7° varus, P < .001). Using a multivariate logistic regression, HKA angle was the most significant factor associated with revision (P < .001).ConclusionIn this population of revised UKAs and long-term successes, limb alignment was a more important determinant of outcome than tibial component alignment.Level of EvidenceLevel III case-control study.     

Knee Flexion Angle Following Total Knee Arthroplasty Relates to a Preoperative Range of Motion of the Hip

BackgroundMany factors have been reported to affect postoperative range of knee flexion after total knee arthroplasty (TKA); however, no study has reported the impact of preoperative range of motion of the hip to the postoperative flexion angle of the knee thus far.MethodsOf 38 consecutive patients who underwent posterior-stabilized TKA, we assessed 21 patients after excluding 17 patients who met exclusion criteria. The range of motion of the knee and the hip, age, body-mass index, serum albumin level, HbA1c, Kellgren–Lawrence grade, knee extension strength and radiological femorotibial angle as well as postoperative knee flexion angle at three months were evaluated. The preoperative data and the knee flexion angle at three months after TKA were compared using Spearman''s rank correlation coefficient.ResultsKnee flexion angle at three months after TKA was positively correlated with preoperative flexion (ρ = 0.616, p = 0.007) and external rotation angle (ρ = 0.576, p = 0.012) of the hip as well as preoperative knee flexion angle (ρ = 0.797, p = 0.001). There were no correlations between postoperative knee flexion angle and other preoperative data.ConclusionsPatients with restricted flexion and/or external rotation of the hip may have contractures of Gluteus maximus, Gluteus medius and Tensor fasciae latae, which can cause hypertension of iliotibial tract. It may cause decreased internal rotation of the tibia when the knee is flexed, which affects postoperative knee flexion angle, thus limited flexion and/or external rotation of the hip might restrict knee flexion angle following TKA.