Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in situs inversus totalis-surgical technique and procedure safety using anatomical checkpoints.

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare congenital condition in which there is complete transposition of both the thoracic and abdominal viscera. Given how infrequently this abnormality is encountered, operating on patients with SIT can be technically difficult and challenging for the surgeon. This case report outlines the steps used to successfully carry out a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on a patient with SIT.

Menopausal Symptoms and Utian Quality of Life Scale Following a Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Its Impact on Endocrine Adherence.

Introduction Standard treatment for oestrogen-positive breast cancers involves a minimum of five years of adjuvant endocrine treatment with a significant improvement in survival. However, the side effects of endocrine treatments are often underestimated. We aimed to identify the frequency of side effects, adherence to treatment, and impact on the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Mecoptera of Canada.

The Mecoptera are represented in Canada by 25 extant species in four families, an increase of three species since the prior assessment in 1979. An additional 18 or more species and one family are expected to occur in Canada based on distributional records, recent collections and DNA analyses. The Barcode of Life Data System currently lists 24 Barcode Index Numbers for Canadian Mecoptera.

Neuroptera of Canada.

The Neuroptera of Canada consists of 101 extant species, an increase of 26 (35%) since the previous assessment of the fauna in 1979. More than 48 additional species are believed to occur in Canada based largely on recent DNA evidence and new distribution records. The Barcode Of Life Data System (BOLD) currently includes 141 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for Canadian Neuroptera.

Raphidioptera of Canada.

There are eight species in two families of Raphidioptera known from Canada, an increase of one species since the prior assessment in 1979. Another four species are likely to occur in Canada based on DNA evidence and distributional records. The Barcode of Life Data System currently lists ten Barcode Index Numbers for Canadian Raphidioptera.

Efficacy of methylprednisolone therapy for the injured rat spinal cord.

Currently the synthetic glucocorticosteroid methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) is the standard therapy after acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in humans based on reported neurological improvements. The mechanisms for its beneficial actions are not entirely clear, but experimental evidence suggests MPSS affords some degree of neuroprotection. As many studies with rat models of SCI have been unable to demonstrate improved behavioral outcome or tissue sparing after MPSS treatment, we chose to stereologically assess whether it alters lesion volume and tissue sparing over time, as well as long-term behavioral recovery.

A study of junior doctors to investigate the factors that influence career decisions.

Both pre-registration house officers and general practitioner (GP) registrars agree on several desirable and undesirable factors that define their ideal career. These relate to fulfilling clinical work and preservation of a meaningful personal life. Many young doctors regret their choice of medicine as a career because of poor job conditions and stress and perceive career advice as inadequate.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) enhances functional recovery following severe spinal cord injury to the rat.

We have recently demonstrated that following a moderate contusion spinal cord injury (SCI) to rats, subsequent administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) significantly enhances functional recovery and tissue sparing. To further characterize the effects of bFGF, we evaluated its efficacy after a more severe contusion injury at T(10) using the NYU impactor. Immediately after SCI, osmotic minipumps were implanted into the lateral ventricle and lumbar thecal sac to deliver bFGF at 3 or 6 microg per day versus control vehicle for 1 week.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) enhances tissue sparing and functional recovery following moderate spinal cord injury.

The rapid increase in basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) production following spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats is thought to serve a role in the cellular processes responsible for the functional recovery often observed. In this study, bFGF was intrathecally administered continuously for 1 week beginning 30 min after a moderate (12.5 mm) spinal cord contusion in adult rats using the New York University impactor device.

Alterations in temporal/spatial distribution of GFAP- and vimentin-positive astrocytes after spinal cord contusion with the New York University spinal cord injury device.

Astrocytes become reactive as a result of various types of lesions and upregulate 2 intermediate filaments, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and the developmentally regulated protein vimentin. Young female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a spinal cord contusion at segment T10 using the New York University injury device. Animals were killed at 1, 2, 7, 14, and 30 days postinjury.

The presence of 4-hydroxynonenal/protein complex as an indicator of oxidative stress after experimental spinal cord contusion in a rat model.

Object: The authors tested the hypothesis that breach of the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) will produce evidence of oxidative stress and that a similar staining pattern will be seen between 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE)/protein complexes and extravasated immunoglobulin G (IgG).

Methods: Adult female Fischer 344 rats, each weighing 200 to 225 g, were subjected to a spinal cord contusion at T-10 by means of a weight-drop device. Spinal cord tissue was assessed for oxidative stress by localizing extravasated plasma contents with a monoclonal antibody for rat IgG and protein conjugation with HNE, which is an aldehyde byproduct of lipid peroxidation.

Evaluation of the temporal evolution of acute spinal cord injury.

Rationale And Objectives: After receiving a controlled injury to the thoracic cord, five rats were examined on a 1.5-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system at regular intervals over 1 month to assess evolution of the injury.

Methods: After the rats received pentobarbital anesthesia, a T10 laminectomy was performed on them, which exposed the dura over the dorsal surface of the spinal cord.

Alzheimer's disease and control brain contain soluble derivatives of the amyloid protein precursor that end within the beta amyloid protein region.

The 39-43 amino acid beta amyloid protein (A beta) that deposits as amyloid in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is encoded as an internal sequence within a larger membrane-associated protein known as the amyloid protein precursor (APP). In cultured cells, the APP is normally cleaved within the A beta to generate a large secreted derivative and a small membrane-associated fragment. Neither of these derivatives can produce amyloid because neither contains the entire A beta.

Potentially amyloidogenic, carboxyl-terminal derivatives of the amyloid protein precursor.

The 39- to 43-amino acid amyloid beta protein (beta AP), which is deposited as amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, is encoded as an internal peptide that begins 99 residues from the carboxyl terminus of a 695- to 770-amino acid glycoprotein referred to as the amyloid beta protein precursor (beta APP). To clarify the processing that produces amyloid, carboxyl-terminal derivatives of the beta APP were analyzed. This analysis showed that the beta APP is normally processed into a complex set of 8- to 12-kilodalton carboxyl-terminal derivatives.

Cervical paraganglioma with subsequent intracranial and intraspinal metastases. Case report.

Paragangliomas, tumors derived from the extra-adrenal paraganglion system, have commonly been found in the retroperitoneum, abdomen, mediastinum, skull base, and neck. Rare intraspinal cases have included involvement of the cauda equina and filum terminale, and a recent case has been reported of thoracic cord paraganglioma with metastasis to the cauda equina. The authors present the case of a patient with a cervical paraganglioma who underwent subtotal resection followed by postoperative irradiation; she subsequently developed multiple intracranial and intraspinal metastases 7 months following the first decompression procedure.