Cat-301 immunoreactivity in the lateral geniculate nucleus and visual cortex of the strabismic amblyopic cat

Purpose: It was investigated whether alterations in neuronal structure and function occasioned by strabismic amblyopia also may be reflected in alterations in the expression on Y type neurons of a Cat-301 antibody sensitive antigen in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and cortex of our cat model of strabismic amblyopia. Methods/Results: The percentage of positively labelled cells was reduced in LGN laminae that received input from the deviated eye in strabismic amblyopic cats compared with normal cats. In the strabismic cortex, the density of immunopositive neurons was significantly reduced compared with normal, the effect being most pronounced in layer IV Conclusions: Despite previous physiological recordings indicating a decrease in X-cell associated acuity in strabismic amblyopia, the present findings imply that the changes in the early visual experience occasioned by strabismus also produce specific molecular changes in theY neuronal class.     

Enhancement of sperm motility by bradykinin and kinin analogs

Washed human spermatozoa were incubated with different concentrations of bradykinin, des-arg9-bradykinin, and Ile-Ser-bradykinin (T-kinin). Bradykinin significantly increased the total motility of human spermatozoa at a very low concentration (10(-9) M corresponding to about 1 ng/ml). Enhancement of sperm motility was dependent on the bradykinin concentration, and the effect showed saturation at concentrations above 10(-8) M bradykinin (i.e., sperm motility does not increase further with increasing bradykinin concentration). In the concentration range between 10(-11) to 10(-6) M, des-arg9-bradykinin and T-kinin showed no significant change in motility of washed human spermatozoa. The low effective concentration and the saturation of the effect at higher concentrations of kinin makes it probable that the action of bradykinin is mediated by a specific bradykinin receptor. The kinin receptor of human spermatozoa should be of subtype B2 because the specific B1-agonist, des-arg9-bradykinin, showed no influence on sperm motility.     

Aortopulmonary window with patent ductus arteriosus and interrupted aortic arch: A case report

Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery -     

Peribursal fat plane of the shoulder: anatomic study and clinical experience

A comprehensive anatomic and radiographic analysis of the peribursal fat plane in 12 cadavers confirmed that the fat plane seen on radiographs represents extrasynovial fat lining the subacromial bursa and documented the anatomic relations of the bursa. A three-part retrospective clinical evaluation of rotator cuff tears, calcific tendinitis, and rheumatoid arthritis was performed. Two osteoradiologists blindly graded the appearance of the peribursal fat plane with the shoulder in external versus internal rotation in 21 patients with arthrographically intact rotator cuffs and 21 patients with disrupted rotator cuffs. The peribursal fat plane was seen better with disrupted rotator cuffs. The peribursal fat plane was seen better with the shoulder in internal rotation and was seen in 60% of control subjects but only 21% of patients with rotator cuff tears. Partial or complete obliteration of this fat plane is a sensitive (79%) but less specific (60%) indicator of rotator cuff tears. Obliteration of the peribursal fat plane by inflammatory processes in adjacent tissues, including calcific tendinitis and rheumatoid arthritis, occurred with a high frequency.