Muscle spasm induced sympathetic reflex bursts on microneurography in a case with pontine demyelination

Microneurography was performed in a 39-year-old woman with demyelination of the pontine white matter associated with muscle spasms in the lower extremities. Single bursts on the microneurogram were observed immediately after cessation of the spasm with no systemic changes in the blood pressure or heart rate. Voluntary tonic flexion of the lower extremities induced similar bursts with small amplitudes. These reflex bursts possessed a characteristic of muscle sympathetic nerve activity, because the latency between the peak of each burst and the prior R-wave on the electrocardiograph was constant. The occurrence of these bursts suggests that a segmental compensatory mechanism in the spinal cord may stabilize the muscle blood flow influenced by muscle contraction.     

Stretching the limits: Stem cells in regeneration science

The focus of regenerative medicine is rebuilding damaged tissues by cell transplantation or implantation of bioartificial tissues. In either case, therapies focus on adult stem cells (ASCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as cell sources. Here we review four topics based on these two cell sources. The first compares the current performance of ASCs and ESCs as cell transplant therapies and the drawbacks of each. The second explores somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as a method to derive ESCs that will not be immunorejected. The third topic explores how SCNT and ESC research has led to the ability to derive pluripotent ESCs by the dedifferentiation of adult somatic cells. Lastly, we discuss how research on activation of intrinsic adult stem cells and on somatic cell dedifferentiation can evolve regenerative medicine from a platform consisting of cell transplantation to one that includes the chemical induction of regeneration from the body's own cells at the site of injury. Developmental Dynamics 237:3648–3671, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Hypothalamic laterality in regulating gonadotropic function: unilateral hypothalamic lesion and ovarian compensatory hypertrophy

Regardless of the side of hemiovariectomy, unilateral lesion placed in the right-side medial anterior hypothalamus suppressed ovarian compensatory hypertrophy, but the lesion made in the left side failed to suppress it. This suggests the presence of a hypothalamic laterality in regulating gonadotropin secretion.     

伴有面转代偿头位的先天性下直肌麻痹临床特征与手术治疗

目的：描述伴有面转代偿头位的先天性单纯下直肌麻痹患者的临床表现,并分析其手术治疗效果。

方法：回顾性分析2014-05/2018-07伴有明显面转代偿头位的先天性下直肌麻痹患者,手术前后患者面转程度的变化借助骨科量角器来检查,垂直、水平斜视度变化通过三棱镜交替遮盖试验来测量,旋转斜视度变化通过眼底对眼球客观旋转状态评估。下直肌缩短术是主要治疗方案。

结果：在15例研究对象中,有13例行下直肌缩短术或者联合上直肌后徙术术后疗效好,下直肌运动不足明显改善,眼球运动协调,以面转为主的代偿头位消失,垂直、水平、旋转斜视得到矫正; 并得出：每缩短1 mm下直肌可矫正1.54±0.93°内旋斜视。而行下斜肌断腱术治疗的垂直斜视度小的患者,面转改善不理想,仍遗留眼球运动不协调。

结论：先天性单纯的下直肌麻痹以面转代偿头位为主,下直肌缩短术治疗效果好,轻度的过矫及欠矫不影响手术疗效。     

Young Men,Masculinities, and Suicide

Young men constitute one of the highest risk groups for suicide in most countries. This gives reason to explore how meanings attached to masculinity can be evoked and handled when a young man takes his life. In-depth interviews with 5 to 8 informants for each of 10 suicides, as well as suicide notes, were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The suicides appeared as signature acts of compensatory masculinity with the following themes: When hope is gone, no one must know; weakness was never allowed; and suicide conducted in a way to present oneself as heroic. The handling of masculinity in triggering suicidal plans and in carrying out suicide is intrinsically connected to avoidance of help-seeking behavior.     

Retinoic acid improves recovery after nephrectomy and decreases renal TGF‐β1 expression. Gender‐related effects

End‐stage renal disease is a cause for death worldwide. Renal transplant is a therapeutic alternative, restricted by the scant number of donors. Function of the donor kidney is under risk of adverse circumstances such as fibrosis, where profibrotic effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF‐β1) plays a key role. Efforts to diminish risks of damage in the remnant kidney of the donor are required. Vitamin A represents one alternative. It has beneficial effects on some nephropathies, mainly those related to oxidative stress. It also participates in normal intrauterine renal development. We studied the effect of all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA), active form of vitamin A, on postnephrectomy compensatory growth, in male or female rats. Compensatory growth and renal function were evaluated on four experimental groups: Control without treatment (CTL), ATRA‐treated intact rats (CTL + RA), nephrectomized rats (NFX), and ATRA‐treated nephrectomized rats (NFX + RA). We evaluated glomerular function (inulin clearance), tubular function (fractional excretions of sodium and potassium), and urinary flow. Renal mass was also estimated. In ATRA‐treated animals, compensatory growth was higher than in nephrectomized rats without treatment. Hyperfiltration after nephrectomy was less intense in ATRA‐treated female than in male rats. In tubular functions, effect of ATRA was more evident in female than in male rats. Glomerular expression of TGF‐β1 was lower in ATRA‐treated animals than in controls. ATRA reduced intensity and duration of compensatory changes after nephrectomy, improving recovery.     

Speech outcomes at 5 and 10 years of age after one-stage palatal repair with muscle reconstruction in children born with isolated cleft palate

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate speech outcomes in children with clefts in the hard and/or soft palate only (CPH/CPS), in order to determine the prevalence of cleft speech characteristics, the change between 5 and 10?years of age, and the difference in occurrence between CPH and CPS.

Methods: A consecutive series of 88 children born with CPH or CPS were included in a retrospective cohort. All participants were treated with one-stage palatal repair using a minimal incision technique with muscle reconstruction (mean age 13?months). Twelve children (14%) received a velopharyngeal flap. Cleft speech variables were rated at 5 and 10?years of age independently by three experienced external speech-language pathologists. Inter- and intra-rater agreements were determined, and the prevalence of cleft speech characteristics was calculated.

Results: Moderate-to-severe hypernasality and weak pressure consonants were present in 5%–10% of the children at 5?years, with marginal but statistically significant improvement at 10?years of age. Frequently or always occurring audible nasal air leakage was detected in 20% of children at age 5, and increased to ～35% of the children at 10?years. Ten per cent had compensatory articulation at age 5, and 25% demonstrated s-distortions, whereas few had these problems at age 10.

Conclusions: The results demonstrate low occurrence of compensatory articulation problems in this cohort, even by 5?years of age. The high presence of symptoms of velopharyngeal insufficiency at 10?years of age suggests a need for additional secondary velopharyngeal surgery.     

Target predictability influences the distribution of coordinated eye-head gaze saccades in patients with homonymous hemianopia

Abstract

In hemianopic patients target predictability plays a differential role for the distribution of different types of initial saccades. A linear correlation was shown to exist between the adaptive state of reading capability and the probability of a correct initial eye-head gaze saccade that hit the target accurately. A constant target frequency of 0.8 Hz was found to be the optimum frequency for hemianopic patients to follow square step targets with an eccentricity of ±20°. Variability of the compensatory eye movement velocity gain was lowest at this frequency. We were able to use this target frequency as a test for a clinical classification of the status of adaptation of hemianopic patients in combination with simple reading tests. The repetition of this manoeuvre could correct the synkinesis and the balance of the VOR during active gaze of hemianopic patients. [Neurol Res 1996; 18; 425-439]     

New strategies in achieving antiangiogenic effect: Multiplex inhibitors suppressing compensatory activations of RTKs

Pathological angiogenesis plays a crucial role in malignant neoplasia. Vascular normalization has been confirmed as a promising strategy to promote chemotherapy efficacy. However, compensatory activation of alternative angiogenic receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) reduces vascular normalization and induces resistance. Moreover, complexity and heterogeneity of angiogenesis make it difficult to treat with single‐target agents. Accordingly, it has been proposed that multiplex inhibition of RTKs could enhance treatment efficacy and overcome resistance on the basis of the vascular normalization concept. Meanwhile, it is feasible to develop multiplex inhibitors against VEGFR‐2/Tie‐2/EphB4 because of their highly conserved ATP‐binding pockets. These inhibitors possess the properties of not only stabilizing the vascular normalization “time window” but also preventing the occurrence of resistance. This novel strategy has yielded promising results in the discovery of antiangiogenic agents. This review highlights the recent progress on the development of such angiogenesis inhibitors.