Vastus medialis: anatomical and functional considerations and implications based upon human and cadaveric studies.

Objective: To provide an electrophysiological and functional description of the vastus medialis (VM) and contrast it to an anatomical description.

Methods: Motor points of all superficial portions of the quadriceps were identified on the dominant side of 8 human subjects and electrically stimulated to achieve a light contraction to trace and measure the orientation of the fibers. Electromyography of the VM was then recorded over 2 motor points during isometric and isokinetic maximum knee extensions.

Anatomical basis of the role of vastus medialis muscle in femoro-patellar degenerative arthropathy.

In order to evaluate the femoro-patellar syndrome, more especially to better define the vastus medialis/vastus lateralis imbalance, we performed 44 anterior thigh region examinations in dissecting room subjects. Vastus medialis morphological aspect was always found regular without definite separation. One the other hand we found two innervation possibilities: either only one nerve pedicle from femoral nerve, associated with cartilage degeneration (arthrosis) located on the patella lateral facet, or two pedicles from femoral nerve, associated with either no arthrosis, or diffuse cartilage degeneration.

[Anatomic bases of groin strain].

It was attempted to identify the anatomical bases of the syndrome frequently encountered in sportsmen and women and commonly known under the all-encompassing term of "groin strain". The continuity of fasciae and the intersection of the insertion tendinous fibers of the abdominal and thigh muscles in the pre-pubic region binds the muscle elements firmly together and helps to understand why the disorder occurs and how to treat it. In contrast, the articular portion made up of the symphysis pubis, which is greatly exerted both during movement and at rest, has early signs of ageing making articular strain much more difficult to treat.

Discrepancy between 3H-thymidine uptake and cell cycle studies in stimulated lymphocyte cultures treated with methotrexate.

The mode of action of methotrexate (MTX) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unknown. The hypothesis that its cytostatic effect may be involved has been questioned based on the evidence of several negative results, the most intriguing being its lack of effect on the Lymphoblastic Transformation Test (LTT) and other lymphoproliferations in cultures from patients' samples. Our study demonstrates that LTT evaluation by 3H-thymidine uptake, a standard method, is misleading when applied to MTX-treated cells.