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BioMed Research International 2017. This study was to evaluate the utility of the compound graft for tubularized urethroplasty by seeding mesothelial cells onto autogenous granulation tissue. . Silastic...
. This study was to evaluate the utility of the compound graft for tubularized urethroplasty by seeding mesothelial cells onto autogenous granulation tissue. . Silastic tubes were implanted subcutaneously in 18 male rabbits, of which nine underwent omentum biopsies simultaneously for in vitro expansion of mesothelial cells. The granulation tissue covering the tubes was harvested 2 weeks after operation. Mesothelial cells were seeded onto and cocultured with the tissue for 7 days. A pendulous urethral segment of 1.5 cm was totally excised. Urethroplasty was performed with mesothelial cell-seeded tissue tubes in an end-to-end fashion in nine rabbits and with unseeded grafts in others as controls. Serial urethrograms were performed at 1, 2, and 6 months postoperatively. Meanwhile, the neourethra was harvested and analyzed grossly and histologically. . Urethrograms showed cell-seeded grafts maintained wide at each time point, while strictures formation was found in unseeded grafts. Histologically, layers of urothelium surrounded by increasingly organized smooth muscles were observed in seeded grafts. In contrast, myofibroblasts accumulation and extensive scarring occurred in unseeded grafts. . Mesothelial cell-seeded granulation tissue tube can be successfully used for tubularized urethroplasty in male rabbits.
Topics: Animals; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; Coculture Techniques; Dimethylpolysiloxanes; Epithelial Cells; Granulation Tissue; Male; Myofibroblasts; Peritoneal Cavity; Rabbits; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Tissue Engineering; Urethra; Urothelium
PubMed: 28337443
DOI: 10.1155/2017/1850256 -
PhytoKeys 2018The taxonomic positions and phylogenetic relationships of six Pavetteae species endemic to Madagascar were tested with a phylogenetic study of the Afro-Madagascan...
The taxonomic positions and phylogenetic relationships of six Pavetteae species endemic to Madagascar were tested with a phylogenetic study of the Afro-Madagascan representatives of the tribe Pavetteae based on sequence data from six markers , , , -, and ITS. The six species were resolved into four well-supported and morphologically distinct clades which we here formally recognise at generic level. The new genera are the monospecific and , each with a single species, and and , each with two species. Each genus is characterised by one or more autapomorphies or by a unique combination of plesiomorphic characters. Mostly, the distinguishing characters are found in fruit and seed; differs from all other Pavetteae genera by the fruit consisting of two stony pyrenes, each with a single laterally flattened seed with irregularly distributed ridges on the surface; is unique by its single spherical seed rolled-in on itself in the shape of a giant pill-millipede. is characterised by the combination of three ovules pendulous from a small placenta and triangular stipules with a strongly developed awn, whereas is characterised by robust sericeous flowers, small leaves, uni- or pauciflorous inflorescences and fruits with two pyrenes, each with a single ruminate seed. The four new genera show marked adaptations to the dry habitats in which they grow. They represent multiple radiations into drylands and highlight the importance of the dry forest and scrub vegetation in western, southern and northern Madagascar for plant biodiversity. The description of the four new genera shows that the tribe Pavetteae exhibits the same pattern as many plant groups in Madagascar, which are characterised by a high proportion of endemic genera comprising a single or a few species. In the four new genera, five new species are described and one new combination is made: De Block; (Drake) De Block, De Block, Capuron ex De Block; De Block and De Block.
PubMed: 29861651
DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.99.23713 -
Journal of Radiology Case Reports Feb 2017The classic presentation of penile fracture is a cracking or snap sound, with sharp pain, immediate detumescence, swelling, deformation and ecchymosis. A penile fracture...
The classic presentation of penile fracture is a cracking or snap sound, with sharp pain, immediate detumescence, swelling, deformation and ecchymosis. A penile fracture involves rupture of the tunica albuginea of one or both corpora cavernosa. Concomitant urethral rupture is reported to occur in 10% to 20% of penile fracture cases. Isolated urethral injury without penile fracture is extremely rare. We report the first case of isolated pendulous urethral rupture from an abrupt coital distractive force. We include a literature review and discussion of isolated urethral trauma secondary to sexual intercourse. Retrograde urethrography rendered a stunning clinical image which was integral to the diagnosis and management of this patient's injury.
Topics: Adult; Coitus; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Male; Rupture; Urethra; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male
PubMed: 28580070
DOI: 10.3941/jrcr.v11i2.2907 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Mar 2017The origins of the five groups of living seed plants, including the single relictual species , are poorly understood, in large part because of very imperfect knowledge...
The origins of the five groups of living seed plants, including the single relictual species , are poorly understood, in large part because of very imperfect knowledge of extinct seed plant diversity. Here we describe well-preserved material from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia of the previously enigmatic Mesozoic seed plant reproductive structure , which has been presumed to be a ginkgophyte. Abundant new material shows that is a seed-bearing cupule that was borne on a stalk at the tip of a short shoot. Each cupule is umbrella-like with a central column that bears a thick, resinous, four-lobed outer covering, which opens from below. Four, pendulous, winged seeds are attached to the upper part of the column and are enclosed by the cupule. Evidence from morphology, anatomy, and field association suggests that the short shoots bore simple, elongate leaves that have similar venation and resin ducts to leaves of living seed-bearing structures are very different from those of but very similar to fossils described previously as and do not closely resemble the seed-bearing structures of any living or extinct plant, but are comparable in some respects to those of certain Peltaspermales and Umkomasiales (corystosperms). Vegetative similarities of the plant to , and reproductive similarities to extinct peltasperms and corystosperms, support previous ideas that may be the last survivor of a once highly diverse group of extinct plants, several of which exhibited various degrees of ovule enclosure.
Topics: Fossils; Ginkgo biloba; Plants; Seeds
PubMed: 28265050
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1621409114 -
United European Gastroenterology Journal Jun 2017Many endoscopists acknowledge that the appearance of the papilla of Vater seems to affect biliary cannulation. To assess the association between the macroscopic...
BACKGROUND
Many endoscopists acknowledge that the appearance of the papilla of Vater seems to affect biliary cannulation. To assess the association between the macroscopic appearance of the papilla and biliary cannulation and other related clinical issues, a system is needed to define the appearance of the papilla.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to validate an endoscopic classification of the papilla of Vater by assessing the interobserver and intraobserver agreements among endoscopist with varying experience.
METHODS
An endoscopic classification, based on pictures captured from 140 different papillae, containing four types of papillae was proposed. The four types are (a) Type 1: regular papilla, no distinctive features, 'classic appearance'; (b) Type 2: small papilla, often flat, with a diameter ≤ 3 mm (approximately 9 Fr); (c) Type 3: protruding or pendulous papilla, a papilla that is standing out, protruding or bulging into the duodenal lumen or sometimes hanging down, pendulous with the orifice oriented caudally; and (d) Type 4: creased or ridged papilla, where the ductal mucosa seems to extend distally, rather out of the papillary orifice, either on a ridge or in a crease. To assess the level of interobserver agreement, a web-based survey was sent out to 18 endoscopists, containing 50 sets of still images of the papilla, distributed between the four different types. Three months later a follow-up survey, with images from the first survey was sent to the same endoscopists.
RESULTS
Interobserver agreement was substantial (κ = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58-0.65) and were similar for both experts and non-experts. The intraobserver agreement assessed with the second survey was also substantial (κ = 0.66, 95% CI 0.59-0.72).
CONCLUSION
The proposed endoscopic classification of the papilla of Vater seems to be easy to use, irrespective of the level of experience of the endoscopist. It carries a substantial inter- and intraobserver agreement and now the clinical relevance of the four different papilla types awaits to be determined.
PubMed: 28588881
DOI: 10.1177/2050640616674837 -
Indian Dermatology Online Journal 2018Acquired cutis laxa (ACL) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by pendulous and coarsely wrinkled skin. There have been few cases of its association to...
Acquired cutis laxa (ACL) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by pendulous and coarsely wrinkled skin. There have been few cases of its association to monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease (MIDD), which constitutes the light chain (LCDD), heavy chain (HCDD), and light and heavy chain (LHCDD) deposition disease. MIDD predominantly involves the kidney. Skin is the next common organ to be affected by HCDD, which presents as ACL. We report the case of a 40-year-old male who presented with ACL associated with LHCDD. The clinical features of ACL in the present case appeared prior to the development of clinical features related to LHCDD.
PubMed: 29441298
DOI: 10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_403_16 -
Journal of Plant Research May 2024The family Thismiaceae, known as "fairy lanterns" for their urn- or bell-shaped flowers with basally fused tepals, consists of non-photosynthetic flowering monocots...
The family Thismiaceae, known as "fairy lanterns" for their urn- or bell-shaped flowers with basally fused tepals, consists of non-photosynthetic flowering monocots mainly in tropical regions, extending into subtropical and temperate areas. Here, we propose a new mycoheterotrophic genus, Relictithismia Suetsugu & Tagane (Thismiaceae), with its monotypic species Relictithismia kimotsukiensis Suetsugu, Yas.Nakam. & Tagane from Kimotsuki Mountains in the Osumi Peninsula, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu Island, southern Japan. Relictithismia resembles Haplothismia Airy Shaw in having a cluster of tuberous roots, a feature previously observed only in this genus within the family Thismiaceae. However, it differs in having solitary flowers (vs. 2-6-flowered pseudo-raceme in Haplothismia), anther thecae largely separated (vs. connate), and the presence of an annulus (vs. absent). Additionally, Relictithismia differs from the geographically overlapping genus Thismia Griff. in its stamen structure and the position of the annulus. In Relictithismia, the stamens lack connectives, and its free filaments arise from the annulus located inside the perianth mouth, while in Thismia, the stamens typically have connate connectives, forming a staminal tube pendulous from the annulus located at the mouth of the floral tube. Our morphological and phylogenetic data indicated that R. kimotsukiensis holds an early-diverging position within the family, situated outside the Old World Thismia clade. This paper offers an extensive description and color photographs of R. kimotsukiensis, complemented by notes on its phylogenetic relationship and evolutionary history.
Topics: Japan; Phylogeny; Flowers
PubMed: 38421521
DOI: 10.1007/s10265-024-01532-5 -
The British Journal of Radiology Sep 2016To develop an alternative three-dimensional treatment plan with standardized fields class solution for whole-breast radiotherapy in patients with large/pendulous breast...
A new three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) technique for large breast and/or high body mass index patients: evaluation of a novel fields assessment aimed to reduce extra-target-tissue irradiation.
OBJECTIVE
To develop an alternative three-dimensional treatment plan with standardized fields class solution for whole-breast radiotherapy in patients with large/pendulous breast and/or high body mass index (BMI).
METHODS
Two treatment plans [tangential fields and standardized five-fields technique (S5F)] for a total dose of 50 Gy/25 fractions were generated for patients with large breasts [planning target volume (PTV) >1000 cm(3) and/or BMI >25 kg m(-2)], supine positioned. S5F plans consist of two wedged tangential beams, anteroposterior: 20° for the right breast and 340° for the left breast, and posteroanterior: 181° for the right breast and 179° for the left breast. A field in field in medial-lateral beam and additional fields were added to reduce hot spot areas and extra-target-tissue irradiation and to improve dose distribution. The percentage of PTV receiving 95% of the prescribed dose (PTV V95%), percentage of PTV receiving 105% of the prescribed dose (PTV V105%), maximal dose to PTV (PTV Dmax), homogeneity index (HI) and conformity index were recorded. V10%, V20%, V105% and V107% of a "proper" normal tissue structure (body-PTV healthy tissue) were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using SYSTAT v.12.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL).
RESULTS
In 38 patients included, S5F improved HI (8.4 vs 10.1; p ≤ 0.001) and significantly reduced PTV Dmax and PTV V105%. The extra-target-tissue irradiation was significantly reduced using S5F for V105% (cm(3)) and V107% (cm(3)) with a very high difference in tissue irradiation (46.6 vs 3.0 cm(3), p ≤ 0.001 for V105% and 12.2 vs 0.0 cm(3), p ≤ 0.001 for V107% for tangential field and S5F plans, respectively). Only a slight increase in low-dose extra-target-tissue irradiation (V10%) was observed (2.2719 vs 1.8261 cm(3), p = 0.002).
CONCLUSION
The S5F technique in patients with large breast or high BMI increases HI and decreases hot spots in extra-target-tissues and can therefore be easily implemented in breast cancer radiotherapy.
ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE
The treatment planning strategy proposed in this study has several advantages: (a) it is extremely reliable as the standard supine positioning is used; (b) the standardized class solution allows for widespread use;
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Mass Index; Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Female; Humans; Hypertrophy; Mastectomy, Segmental; Middle Aged; Organ Sparing Treatments; Organs at Risk; Radiotherapy Dosage; Radiotherapy, Conformal
PubMed: 27355127
DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20160039 -
Membranes May 2024As a central component for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), the anion exchange membrane is now facing the challenge of further improving its conductivity and...
As a central component for anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), the anion exchange membrane is now facing the challenge of further improving its conductivity and alkali stability. Herein, a twisted all-carbon backbone is designed by introducing stereo-contorted units with piperidinium groups dangled at the twisted sites. The rigid and twisted backbone improves the conduction of hydroxide and brings down the squeezing effect of the backbone on piperidine rings. Accordingly, an anion exchange membrane prepared through this method exhibits adapted OH conductivity, low swelling ratio and excellent alkali stability, even in high alkali concentrations. Further, a fuel cell assembled with a such-prepared membrane can reach a power density of 904.2 mW/cm and be capable of continuous operation for over 50 h. These results demonstrate that the designed membrane has good potential for applications in AEMFCs.
PubMed: 38921488
DOI: 10.3390/membranes14060121 -
The Canadian Veterinary Journal = La... Feb 2017From May 2008 to December 2013, 320 cases of otitis externa were diagnosed among 2012 dogs undergoing routine physical examinations at Celtic Creatures Veterinary...
From May 2008 to December 2013, 320 cases of otitis externa were diagnosed among 2012 dogs undergoing routine physical examinations at Celtic Creatures Veterinary Clinic, Sydney River, Nova Scotia for a diagnosis frequency of 15.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 14.3% to 17.6%]. Twenty-four percent of these dogs exhibited 1 or multiple recurrences despite initial treatment with topical antimicrobial/anti-inflammatory solutions. The frequency of diagnosis was significantly higher in breeds with pendulous ears, but was not affected by ear hairiness. There were no seasonal patterns in the frequency of diagnosis. In clinical examination of 60 dogs with otitis externa, bacteria were evident in 47% of infections. Of 10 genera cultured, spp. and diptheroids were most common. In this study, analysis of clinical records provided insights into the local prevalence of otitis externa and the efficacy of treatment in routine clinical situations.
Topics: Actinomycetales; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Nova Scotia; Otitis Externa; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Staphylococcus
PubMed: 28216686
DOI: No ID Found