Female pelvic floor. Descriptive anatomy and clinical exploration by transvaginal ultrasound

In order to assess the state and pathology of the woman's pelvis minor, a number of methods are commonly used among practitioners, encompassing clinical exploration, radiology, MRN, urodynamics, endoscopy and echography.

Echography has been poorly used in clinical pelvic exploration and its reliability is actually a matter of controversy 1. However, echographic surveys can provide us with valuable gynecological data on the state and pathologies of the soft pelvis, within the genital regions or even going beyond them, i.e. the rectal channel, bladder, urethra, anus, vascular plexuses, and all of their supporting tissues.

At our research unit, we have been employing Transvaginal Ultrasound echography (TVU) for a long time in conjunction with other pelvis-focused methods in order to study different kinds of pelvic alterations. TVU has proven to be friendly to use, fast, harmless and inexpensive, allowing serial explorations and producing high-quality dynamic images (loop-cinema, video-tape). Furthermore, this method is fairly aseptic in that the occurrence of faeces in the rectal ampolla is not a nuisance but a bonus in tracking the contours of the rectum walls and other topographical features which would be otherwise difficult to survey.

A complete pelvic floor TVU may add no longer than 5-8 minutes to a routine gynecological examination, can be implemented by the general gynecologist and generates data that can be further studied by the appropriate specialist for a more insightful evaluation 2.     

膝关节镜下膝后侧腔室联合手术入路的探讨

[目的]探讨在关节镜下膝关节后侧腔室联合手术入路的重要性和可操作性。[方法]经过前内侧、前外侧和股骨髁切迹以及后内侧、后外侧和后纵隔内切口联合入路分别入镜、入器械，进行膝关节后侧腔室的探查和手术操作。[结果]216例（239膝）应用联合入路探查和治疗，其中5例膝因关节僵硬操作失败；175例膝用于治疗后侧腔室疾病，膝关节后侧腔室手术视野显著改善，探查和手术操作完善，均达到手术目的。1例膝内侧隐神经不全损伤，没有腘后神经、腓总神经、腘后血管、交叉韧带等重要组织损伤。[结论]膝关节后侧腔室病变较多，是检查和治疗的重要部位，并非“技术盲区”。这种联合手术入路，手术风险低，具备可操作性，可以提高手术效率和质量，可作为膝关节镜下常规手术入路。     

Multivariate comparison of elemental concentrations in human teeth

R-mode factor analysis was applied to characterize the chemical composition of human teeth investigated by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques. The approach developed in this study enabled the separation between essential mineral teeth components and the pollutants deposited in teeth tissues during the human life. The three independent sources of metals incorporated in human teeth were found. The first source, representing about 43% of the variance of the concentration data, was characterized by pollutant elements of power industry emissions. The second factor was loaded with toxic elements of general urban pollution. The third factor represented the tooth source as it contained mainly large fractions of the mineral components of the tooth tissue as Ca and K.     

Specific selection of osteosynthetic material in the treatment of thoracic or lumbar spinal injuries by the posterior approach

Summary The authors report 165 cases of thoraco-lumbar lesions with neurological dysfunction. All the patient were operated. They analyze the neurological and mechanical results and indicate the use of different osteosynthesis apparatus according to the type and level of lesions.Harrington's rods seem to give more precise repositioning while Roy Camille's plates give more stability. When the posterior wall of the spinal canal is intact, Kempf's compression rods can be used.Thoraxic spine injuries seem to be an indication for Harrington's rods, while lumbar injuries seem to call for Camille's plates.     

Neuroimaging and Neurologic Complications after Organ Transplantation

Neurologic complications are common after transplantation and affect 30-60% of transplant recipients. The etiology of most of the posttransplant neurologic disorders is related to the opportunistic infections, both systemic and involving central nervous system (CNS), toxicity of immunosuppressive medications, and the metabolic insult created by the underlying primary disease and the transplant procedure. Neuroimaging studies are one of the key tools in the evaluation and enable early diagnosis of neurologic complications in transplant patients, especially posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome, central pontine myelinolysis, intracerebral hemorrhage, and fungal and bacterial abscesses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred technique, but each of the available neuroimaging techniques offers a unique insight into the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying neurologic complications of transplantation. The role of neuroimaging in this population includes early detection of calcineurin inhibitor neurotoxicity, opportunistic infections, neoplasia, metabolic disorders, or cerebrovascular diseases. In addition, we can monitor longitudinal progression of disease and treatment response.     

Early Designs for the Occlusal Anatomy of Posterior Denture Teeth: Part III

Part III of this series of articles, like Part II, reviews the pioneering efforts in the 19th century to improve the quality of artificial teeth. The focus of this article, unlike that of Part II, is specifically modifications in the design of the occlusal anatomy of the 19th century denture teeth, along with the theories of mandibular movement that inspired those modifications. This article concludes the introductory phase of this project, which seeks to unravel the confusing history of the development of (posterior) denture teeth.     

兔眼后房型人工晶体置入后房水内丙二醛测定

应用ＴＢＡ荧光法检测了兔眼单纯晶体囊外摘除后和晶体囊外摘除并后房型人工晶体置入后房水内丙二醛含量，这二种手术后房水内丙二醛含量比正常眼显著增高（Ｐ＜０．００５，Ｐ＜０．００１）。结果提示前房内发生了脂质过氧化反应，这一发现有利于对眼内后房型人工晶体表面细胞反应及前膜形成进一步认识。     

钕钇铝石榴石激光治疗后囊混浊（353例）

采用钕钆铝石榴石激光切除白内障囊外摘除术后１０１例后房人工晶体植入后２５２例的后囊混浊共３５３例，激光治疗疗后视力均明显提高，矫正视力＞１．０者占８２．４％，无１例＜０．５。无明显并发症。     

Tibialis posterior dysfunction as a cause of flatfeet in elderly patients

Background: Tibialis posterior is a frequent cause of an acquired flatfoot deformity and the prevalence is not known. If tibialis posterior dysfunction was found to occur frequently, a greater awareness may result leading to earlier patient diagnosis, referral and treatment.Objectives: To validate a screening questionnaire for tibialis posterior dysfunction, and to investigate the prevalence of tibialis posterior dysfunction in a high-risk patient population.Methods: The screening questionnaire was given prospectively to 65 patients (44 females, 21 males; mean age 79.6 years) attending an unrelated care of the elderly appointment. A foot and ankle surgery fellow separately examined all feet for tibialis posterior dysfunction.Results: The survey was 100% sensitive and 98.3 % specific at detecting tibialis posterior dysfunction. Six of the 65 patients (5 females, 1 male) had tibialis posterior dysfunction, and two had bilateral involvement. All six of the patients had longstanding symptoms, all had consulted their doctor and three had seen an orthopaedic surgeon; only one of the six patients had been correctly diagnosed.Conclusions: This study suggests that tibialis posterior dysfunction occurs frequently, but is seldom diagnosed in elderly women. Further epidemiologic studies are needed to determine the true prevalence.