Load to failure of common meniscal repair techniques: Effects of suture technique and suture material

Success of meniscal repair with early or immediate motion depends on the ability of the suture fixation to withstand the loads applied. Vertical and horizontal mattress suture techniques were tested using 2-0 Ethibond, and 0-PDS and 1-PDS sutures (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ). Mulberry knot technique was tested with 0-PDS and 1-PDS sutures. Twenty menisci (60 sutures) were tested for each suture material. Sutures were placed 3 to 4 mm from the peripheral edge of the meniscus with double barreled cannulas for vertical and horizontal mattress techniques or a spinal needle for the mulberry knot technique, reproducing clinical techniques of meniscal repair. Mechanical testing of suture fixation was performed to failure at a rate of 10 mm/min on a MTS material testing system (MTS Systems Corp. Minneapolis, MN). Suture pullouts were reported as the load displacement to failure from the inner fragment only, because clinical failure would ensue should a suture pull through the inner fragment of a tear. Vertical mattress technique with 1-PDS suture had significantly greater load to failure than any other combination (P < .05). Analysis of variance showed that the vertical mattress technique had statistically superior pullout strength (P < .0001) compared with the horizontal mattress and mulberry knot techniques, which were statistically similar. There were significant differences (P < .0001) between suture types, with 1-PDS proving best compared with 0-PDS, which was stronger than 2-0 Ethibond. Selection of suture material had the greatest impact on vertical mattress load to failure and was not important to the strength of the other techniques.     

A flexible, efficient, checkerboard immunoblot system for the detection and semiquantitation of specific antinuclear antibodies.

In this paper an uncomplicated method for the simultaneous detection and semiquantitation of 11 of the 12 commonly studied antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in a single run is described. This new application of checkerboard immunoblotting (CBIB) is based upon available technology and employs purified antigens which can be either purchased or produced in-house. CBIB requires no electronic instrument, can be formatted to meet the needs of the user, is rapidly performed, and has acceptable labor and materials costs. Data on the use of the method to examine available reference antisera is presented. CBIB has also proven practical for the clinical study of 18 sera, at two dilutions per membrane, for each set of specific antinuclear antibodies, also at two or more dilutions.     

Kohl: a hazardous eyeliner

Kohl is a widely used traditional cosmetic. It is mainly worn around the eyes in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The elemental composition of twenty-one kohl specimens originating from various parts of Saudi Arabia, India and the Middle East was determined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The data indicates the presence of significant lead levels in two thirds (14/21) of the kohl specimens ranging from 2.9–100 (mean 48.5). Other less frequent elements present in kohl preparations include aluminum, carbon, iron, titanium, calcium, magnesium, oxygen, silver silicon, sulfur and antimony. Seven kohl specimens were totally lead-free, four had a lead content in the range of 2.9–34.1 and ten had lead levels in excess of 84. Carbon levels in excess of 60 were detected in six kohl samples. Antimony was present in only one kohl specimen at a concentration of 7.8.Five western made eyeliner pencils analyzed for comparative purposes consistently revealed iron as a common constituent (mean 46) but no lead or carbon were detected in these specimens.The findings of this study indicate that modern kohl preparations contain a number of metals derived from natural sources in addition to carbon. The predominance of lead in the kohl preparations tested is of major concern due to the documented adverse effects in humans and the increased susceptibility of children to lead intoxication. Application of lead-containing kohl needs to be considered as a source of lead in evaluating patients with symptoms of lead intoxication in regions where this tradition prevails. The documented toxic effects of lead in humans and the increased sensitivity of children to lead exposure serve to emphasize potential health risks of using traditional lead containing kohl preparations and the need for increased surveillance and regulation of the manufacture of kohl.The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army or Department of Defense.     

强酸和强碱中和过程的PH控制

讨论了强酸、强碱中和过程ＰＨ控制方案。以０．９ｍｏｌ／Ｌ的ＮａｏＨ中和０．９ｍｏｌ／Ｌ的ＨＮＯ３，流量增量为０．１－０．３ｋｇ／ｍｉｎ，用模糊控制将ＰＨ控制在各要求的值上，ΔｐＨ≤０．２，获得满意的结果。     

角膜溃疡穿孔的修复与修复材料的选择

总结２１例用不同材料修复角膜穿孔的病例，修复材料分别为结膜瓣、硅胶板、断层自体皮片和同种异体角膜。结膜瓣遮盖仅２／３保存眼球，愈合后视力差，并发症多；硅胶板可在穿孔大、情况紧急时作暂时封孔保存眼球之用；自体断层皮片术后不久即溶解，角膜移植者７眼中６眼保存了眼球，且有５例植片透明，视力０．１以上。     

Species- and sex-specific variations in binding of ochratoxin A by renal proteins in vitro

The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is a potent renal carcinogen in rodents and induces renal fibrosis in pigs. Furthermore, OTA has been associated with the development of renal tumors and nephropathies in humans. Large species- and sex-differences are observed in sensitivity toward OTA-mediated toxicity and carcinogenicity, yet neither the mechanism(s) resulting in OTA toxicity nor the reasons for the observed species- and sex-specificities are known. This paper investigated variations in OTA handling viz binding to renal proteins which could possibly explain the observed differences in OTA susceptibility in vivo and in vitro. The results obtained via a modification of a standard receptor-binding assay demonstrated the presence of at least one homogeneous binding component in renal cortical homogenates from pig, mouse, rat and humans. This component was shown to bind OTA in a specific and saturable manner. A range of compounds selected for their affinity for steroid receptors and/or for various known organic anion transporters were employed in a competition assay to answer the question whether this homogenous OTA binding component represents a steroid-like receptor component or one of the known organic anion transporters of the kidney. Although many of the compounds were able to compete with OTA for protein-binding, the competition patterns displayed a distinct species specificity and did not correspond to the competition patterns associated with presently known organic anion transporters of the kidney in the mouse, rat or human. The data thus suggests the presence of a new organic anion transporter or more likely, a cytosolic binding component of unknown function with high affinity and capacity for OTA binding in humans, rats, mice and possibly pigs.     

二硫化碳对大鼠胚胎发育及血清锌和铜含量影响的研究

本文观察了CS_2对大鼠胚胎发育及血清锌、铜含量的影响。发现胚胎着床前死亡率升高,胎鼠皮下出血、心包淤血及骨骼骨化不金的发生率增高。但无明显的致畸效应。14.1及103.9ng/m~3的CS_2对妊娠大鼠的血清锌、铜含量无明显影响。说明CS_2对大鼠的胚胎毒性与其对妊娠大鼠血清锌、铜含量的影响之间没有关联。     

猪肾碱性磷酸酶的提纯及性质研究

目的：从猪肾中提取碱性磷酸酶(ALP)，并对其能否作为参考品进行研究。方法：从猪肾皮质中分离刷状缘微绒毛膜，用正丁醇溶解膜结合的酶，经硫酸铵沉淀，DEAE-Sephacel、ConA-Sepharose、Sephadex G-200及抗γ-谷酰基转移酶(GGT)免疫亲和层析提纯ALP。结果：提纯的ALP比活达402kU／g蛋白，几乎不含杂酶(未检出ALT、AST、ChE、AMY、CK、LDH，GGT仅含2U／780U ALP)。其对底物4-硝基磷酸酚(4-NPP)的Km值为1．35mmol／L，最适pH值为10．40。结论：提纯的猪肾ALP与人血清中的ALP酶动力学特性非常相似，为进一步研制ALP参考品奠定了基础。     

Effects of Carbamazepine on Murine Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses

Summary: Oral administration of carbamazepine (CBZ)(15, 10, or 5 mg/kg) to mice significantly decreased both humoral and cellular immune responses evaluated by enumeration of direct and indirect plaque-forming spleen cells (PFC) and delayed–type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) as compared with those observed in normal control animals. Moreover, spleen T cells obtained from CBZ–treated donor mice were capable of decreasing both PFC and DTH responses of normal spleen cells transferred into lethally irradiated recipient animals. The immunodepressor effect of CBZ was observed even though administration of CBZ induced augmentation of spleen cellularity.     

Nodular hyperplasia surrounding fibrolamellar carcinoma

We report a case of acetaminophen-induced liver necrosis in a 14-year-old girl. At autopsy, a 9 cm subcapsular nodule was present in the right lobe of the liver which showed distinct zonation: a central greyish white area of fibrolamellar carcinoma with a peripheral fleshy, tan-coloured rim ranging from 1 to 2 cm in thickness. This peripheral zone consisted of nodular, hyperplastic parenchyma resembling the changes seen in focal nodular hyperplasia, and stood out from the adjacent necrotic parenchyma. The sparing of this zone from the deleterious effects of acetaminophen provides indirect evidence of a predominantly arterial rather than portal blood supply to this region. The arterial supply was most probably derived from the tumour vasculature and may explain the parenchymal hyperplasia sometimes reported adjacent to a fibrolamellar carcinoma. Awareness of this phenomenon is essential when evaluating a needle biopsy, as sampling of this region may lead to a false negative diagnosis.