Re-orchiopexy: advantages and disadvantages

Re-orchiopexy was performed in 33 boys (42 testes) in order to place an undescended testis in the scrotum after failure of the initial operation. Success was achieved in 80.9%. Seven of the 10 testes, reported to have short spermatic vessels at the first surgery, had no elongation of the vessels and only 1 of these resulted in a high scrotal location of the testis. It appears that most orchiopexy failures are the result of technical failures of the initial procedure. Standard orchiopexy with extensive mobilization of the spermatic vessels and testis can successfully correct most of the undescended testes. However, the preferred management for the intra-abdominal testis with short vessels may be transection of the spermatic vessels rather than a planned two-stage technique.     

Self-inflicted specific pattern burns in psychiatric patients

Self-inflicted burns represent a major social and medical problem for society. Differences have been demonstrated between patients who attempt suicide and those who deliberately harm themselves without any intention of killing themselves. These self-inflicted injuries may resemble injuries that are intentionally inflicted by others and may require investigation by protective services. Little is known about these specific pattern burn injuries in psychiatric patients.     

Growth and repair of cartilage: organ culture system utilizing chondroprogenitor cells of condylar cartilage in newborn mice

The zone of progenitor cells of mandibular condyles of neonatal mice was kept in an organ culture system for up to 8 days. Qualitative and quantitative determinations indicated a pronounced proliferative activity during the initial phases of the culture followed by a differentiation phase and the acquisition of typical hyaline cartilage. The mature hypertrophic chondrocytes were found to be surrounded by cartilage-specific macromolecules such as type II collagen, cartilage proteoglycans, and cartilage anchorin. The extracellular mineralization proceeded along matrix vesicles as is usually noted in vivo. A unique finding in this study was the observation that explants comprising cartilage progenitor cells and their adjacent extracellular matrix succeeded in repairing the damaged condylar in vitro.     

Antinuclear and related autoantibodies in sera of healthy subjects with IgA deficiency

The sera of 49 healthy IgA-deficient (SIgAD) subjects were evaluated for the presence of autoantibodies directed against 10 different nuclear and cytoskeletal antigens, as well as for the presence of the common lupus anti-DNA idiotype (16/6 Id). Twenty-nine sera were from IgG subclass-deficient subjects (4 = IgG2, 25 = IgG3), and 25 from normal healthy subjects, used as controls. The incidence of antinuclear but not anti-cytoskeletal antibodies were found to be significantly greater in the SIgAD group, as compared to the IgG-deficient subjects and the normal controls. Overall, 39% of SIgAD sera demonstrated polyreactivity, namely reactivity against more than one nuclear antigen. The incidence of specific antibody detection ranged from 37% against cardiolipin to 12% against RNP in the IgA-deficient group, albeit not with statistical significance in all cases when compared to the control group. Isotype evaluation of the antinuclear and related antibodies in the SIgAD group showed a greater tendency towards IgG. This increased incidence of autoantibody production in SIgAD may preceed the development of an overt autoimmune disease in the future.     

A morphological,biochemical, and radioautographic study in rats

Splenectomy has long been an establishmd surgical procedure in various conditions, including trauma. Because total splenectomy has often been correlated with sepsis, every surgeon tries to preserve as much of the injured spleen as possible. Contradictory reports have been published as to whether regeneration of the remaining splenic tissue is possible. In the present study, 28 Sprague-Dawley rats ( 100 g) were divided into four groups. They underwent two-thirds partial splenectomy; the remaining splenic tissue was examined after 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively. The following parameters were determined: weight, length, and protein and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content of the remaining spleen. The incorporation of ³H-thymidine into the remaining spleen tissue was also measured. Histology and radioautography were studied in parallel. Results were compared with control animals that were operated upon but with no partial splenectomy. One day, 1 week, and 1 month following partial splenectomy, a slight increase in weight, length, protein, and DNA content as well as incorporation of the radioisotope into cellular DNA was found. By 3 months after the operation, there was no difference in the above parameters between the experimental animals and controls.Radioautographs indicated that most of the cells containing the isotope were situated in the perinodular areas in the red pulp, accompanied by an increased number of inflammatory cells. We found this cell proliferation mainly along the cut surface of the spleen. The slight increase that was found in all the parameters examined up to 1 month after partial splenectomy is an inflammatory response and not regeneration of the spleen.     

Differential metabolic responses to local administration of TGF-beta and IGF-1 in temporomandibular joint cartilage of aged mice

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by destruction of the articular cartilage in aging and senescence. The aim of this study was to study the possible treatment of this disease by intraarticular injection of growth factors to osteoarthritic joints of aged animals. 20-month-old female ICR mice were injected with insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) or TGF-beta+IGF-1 on days 1, 4, and 7. On day 9 the joints were dissected and cultured in the presence of 35S-sulfate and 3H-thymidine. Combined treatment of TGF-beta and IGF-1 resulted in elevated 3H-thymidine incorporation and DNA and protein contents, reduction of 35S-sulfate incorporation and alkaline phosphatase activity, with no significant change in the activity of acid phosphatase. Following injections of TGF-beta, contents of DNA and protein, and incorporations of 3H-thymidine were induced, and 35S-sulfate and alkaline phosphatase activity were reduced. Treatment with IGF-1 resulted in reduced incorporation of 3H-thymidine with no significant changes in the activity of acid phosphatase. Atypically hypertrophic chondrocytes were observed along the articular surface and the endogenous production of TGF-beta and of IGF-1, as revealed by immunohistochemistry, was reduced. It is concluded that although 3H-thymidine incorporation and alkaline phosphatase activity appeared to be induced by TGF-beta and IGF-1, the overall responsiveness of cartilage from aged mice to these growth factors appeared to be inhibitory. Moreover, their effects appeared to be limited to specific cell populations in the cartilage itself.     

Increased rate and greater severity of allergic reactions to insect sting among schoolchildren with atopic diseases

The question of whether atopic diseases are a risk factor for allergic reactions to insect sting is still unresolved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between atopic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema) and allergic reactions to insect stings among schoolchildren in Israel. A self‐report questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood was administered to a national sample of 13–14‐yr‐old schoolchildren. Questions regarding reactions to insect stings were added. A total of 10,021 questionnaires were available for analysis. Among the children who reported insect stings (56.3%), the prevalence of current asthma was 6.0%, of allergic rhinitis, 10.5%, and of atopic eczema, 8.7%, with no significant differences from the whole study population. Among children with any of the atopic diseases, 36.9% reported an allergic reaction to insect sting compared to 24.8% of the non‐atopic children (p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic eczema were found to be significant risk factors for allergic reactions of any severity. Children in the atopic group had a significantly higher rate of severe allergic reactions than the non‐atopic children, and relatively higher rates of milder ones (p < 0.0001). Asthmatic patients with severe allergic reactions had more parameters of severe asthma than asthmatic patients with mild or no reactions. In conclusions, allergic diseases are associated with a higher rate and greater severity of allergic reactions to insect sting in children. The severity of the allergic reaction is related to the severity of the asthma symptoms.