Decision Aid for Colectomy in Recurrent Diverticulitis: Development and Usability Study.

Background: Diverticular disease is a common gastrointestinal diagnosis with over 2.7 million clinic visits yearly. National guidelines from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons state that "the decision to recommend elective sigmoid colectomy after recovery from uncomplicated acute diverticulitis should be individualized.

Statistical power analysis and sample size planning for moderated mediation models.

Conditional process models, including moderated mediation models and mediated moderation models, are widely used in behavioral science research. However, few studies have examined approaches to conduct statistical power analysis for such models and there is also a lack of software packages that provide such power analysis functionalities. In this paper, we introduce new simulation-based methods for power analysis of conditional process models with a focus on moderated mediation models.

Opioid Utilization in Outpatient Anorectal Surgery: An Opportunity for Improvement.

Introduction: The opioid epidemic has resulted in close examination of postsurgical prescribing patterns. Little is known about postoperative opioid use in outpatient anorectal procedures. This study evaluated patient opioid use and created prescribing recommendations for these procedures.

Is There Really a Difference in Outcomes between Men and Women with Hepatocellular Cancer?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a male-dominated disease. Currently, gender differences remain incompletely defined. Data from the state tumor registry were used to investigate differences in demographics, comorbidities, treatment patterns, and cancer-specific survival (HSS) among HCC patients according to gender.

Autophagy is Activated during Trimethyltin-Induced Apoptotic Neurodegeneration: A Study in the Rat Hippocampus.

Trimethyltin (TMT) is an organotin compound known to produce significant and selective neuronal degeneration and reactive astrogliosis in the rodent central nervous system. Autophagy is the main cellular mechanism for degrading and recycling protein aggregates and damaged organelles, which in different stress conditions, such as starvation, generally improves cell survival. Autophagy is documented in several pathologic conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases.

Bactericidal efficacy of hydrogen peroxide on .

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the bactericidal efficacy of hydrogen peroxide (HO) on (). We hypothesize that HO reduces the bacterial burden of .

Methods: The effect of HO was assessed by testing bactericidal effect, time course analysis, growth inhibition, and minimum bactericidal concentration.

Adaptation of to Reactive Sulfur Species.

is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that is highly resistant to different oxidative stresses. How reactive sulfur species (RSS) such as sulfite regulate gene expression and the role of the transcription factor Zcf2 and the sulfite exporter Ssu1 in such responses are not known. Here, we show that specifically adapts to sulfite stress and that Zcf2 is required for that response as well as induction of genes predicted to remove sulfite from cells and to increase the intracellular amount of a subset of nitrogen metabolites.

Increased expression of Aquaporin 4 in the rat hippocampus and cortex during trimethyltin-induced neurodegeneration.

Trimethyltin chloride (TMT) is a neurotoxicant producing neuronal degeneration and reactive astrogliosis in the mammalian central nervous system, especially the hippocampus. A previous magnetic resonance imaging investigation in TMT-treated rats evidenced dilation of lateral ventricles, also suggesting alterations in blood-brain barrier permeability and brain edema. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4), a glial water channel protein expressed mainly in the nervous system, is considered a specific marker of vascular permeability and thought to play an important role in brain edema (conditions).

Cathepsin D plays a crucial role in the trimethyltin-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration process.

Trimethyltin chloride (TMT) is known to produce neuronal damage in the rat hippocampus, especially in the CA(1)/CA(3) subfields, together with reactive astrogliosis. Previous studies indicate that in cultured rat hippocampal neurons the Ca(2+) cytosolic increase induced by TMT is correlated with apoptotic cell death, although some molecular aspects of the hippocampal neurodegeneration induced by this neurotoxicant still remain to be clarified. Cathepsin D (Cat D) is a lysosomal aspartic protease involved in some neurodegenerative processes and also seems to play an important role in the processes that regulate apoptosis.

Lower trunk of brachial plexus injury in the neonate rat: effects of timing repair.

Objective: After lesion of a peripheral nerve in neonatal mammals, motoneurons undergo a cell death. We wanted to ascertain if early surgery could influence such post-axotomy motoneuronal death and improve the functional outcome. In this study, we investigated the functional and anatomical results after immediate and delayed repair of the lower trunk of brachial plexus (BP) sectioned at birth in rats.

Organoleptic Analysis of Doughs Fermented with Yeasts From A Nigerian Palm Wine (Elaeis guineensis) and Certain Commercial Yeasts.

Yeasts isolated from a freshly tapped palm wine obtained from Akure, Nigeria were identified as Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Debaryomyces hansenii, Geotrichum lactis and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. Each of the isolates was used to ferment wheat flour dough and baked. Sensory analysis of the doughs was carried out using leavening, texture, aroma, taste and appearance.

Dysregulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis is responsible for neuronal death in an experimental model of selective hippocampal degeneration induced by trimethyltin.

Trimethyltin (TMT) intoxication is considered a suitable experimental model to study the molecular basis of selective hippocampal neurodegeneration as that occurring in several neurodegenerative diseases. We have previously shown that rat hippocampal neurons expressing the Ca(2+)-binding protein calretinin (CR) are spared by the neurotoxic action of TMT hypothetically owing to their ability to buffer intracellular Ca(2+) overload. The present study was aimed at determining whether intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis dysregulation is involved in the TMT-induced neurodegeneration and if intracellular Ca(2+)-buffering mechanisms may exert a protective action in this experimental model of neurodegeneration.

Canine cognitive dysfunction and the cerebellum: acetylcholinesterase reduction, neuronal and glial changes.

The specific functional and pathological alterations observed in Alzheimer's disease are less severe in the cerebellum than in other brain areas, particularly the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. Since dense core amyloid-beta plaque formation has been associated with an acetylcholinesterase heterogeneous nucleator action, we examined if an acetylcholinesterase imbalance was involved in cerebellum plaque deposition. By using the canine counterpart of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type, a promising model of human brain aging and early phases of Alzheimer's disease, we investigated how cerebellar pathology and acetylcholinesterase density could be related with cognitive dysfunction.

Early nuclear factor-kappaB activation and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in injured spinal cord neurons correlating with a diffuse reduction of constitutive nitric oxide synthase activity.

Object: Because of toxicity at high concentrations, nitric oxide (NO) contributes to spinal cord injury (SCI) secondary lesions. At low concentrations NO modulates nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation. The authors investigated the activity of neuronal and endothelial NO synthase (nNOS and eNOS) to determine correlations with NF-kappaB activation and inducible NOS (iNOS) expression soon after SCI.

Reelin is transiently expressed in the peripheral nerve during development and is upregulated following nerve crush.

Reelin is an extracellular matrix protein which is critical for the positioning of migrating post-mitotic neurons and the laminar organization of several brain structures during development. We investigated the expression and localization of Reelin in the rodent peripheral nerve during postnatal development and following crush injury in the adult stage. As shown with Western blotting, immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR, Schwann cells in the developing peripheral nerve and in primary cultures from neonatal nerves produce and secrete Reelin.

Reinnervation of extraocular muscles by facial-to-oculomotor nerve anastomosis in rats: anatomic nuclear changes.

Objective: Oculomotor nerve palsy greatly impairs the patient's daily life. After oculomotor nerve injury, when the central nerve stump is not available, neurotization of the distal nerve stump with a donor nerve may be performed. Here, we present an experimental anatomic study in rats related to the motor nuclear organization after facial-to-oculomotor nerve anastomosis.

Experimental repair of the oculomotor nerve: the anatomical paradigms of functional regeneration.

In adult guinea pigs, the oculomotor nerve was sectioned proximally (at the tentorial edge) or more distally (at the orbital fissure) and immediately repaired by reapproximation. During a 24-week postoperative period, extrinsic eye motility was assessed by analyzing the vestibulo-ocular reflexes. The regenerated oculomotor nerve was studied morphometrically on semi-thin histological sections at 16 and 24 weeks postinjury.

Levocarnitine acetyl prevents cell death following long-term section of the vagus nerve in rats.

Levocarnitine acetyl has previously been found to significantly prevent axotomy-induced cell death in the spinal cord motor nucleus 9 and 12 months after section of the sciatic nerve in rats. In the present paper, the effects of levocarnitine acetyl on axotomy-induced cell death in the brain stem motor nuclei 90 days after section of the vagus nerve were studied. The right vagus nerve was cut at the neck.

Studies on the degenerative and regenerative phenomena occurring after transection and repair of the sciatic nerve in rats: effects of acetyl-L-carnitine.

The effects of acetyl-L-carnitine on some degenerative and regenerative phenomena following sciatic nerve transection in rats, were studied. In Experiment 1, acetyl-L-carnitine was administered intraperitoneally at the dose of 50 mg/kg/day for 28 and 56 days following transection and microsurgical repair of the sciatic nerve. On day 56, the acetyl-L-carnitine-treated rats showed a significantly (p less than 0.

Effects of L-carnitine, L-acetylcarnitine and gangliosides on the regeneration of the transected sciatic nerve in rats.

Three pharmacological agents, L-carnitine, L-acetylcarnitine and gangliosides, were tested for their ability to enhance the regeneration of the rat sciatic nerve following transection and microsurgical repair. The drugs were administered intraperitoneally at the dose of 50 mg/kg/d for 28 and 56 d postoperatively. At the end of treatment, the motor function recovery of the peroneal component of the sciatic nerve was assessed and the regenerated nerves were analysed morphometrically on histological semi-thin sections.

Studies on embryonic transplants to the transected spinal cord of adult rats.

Spinal cord tissue was obtained from 13- and 14-day embryonic rats and homologously grafted to the completely transected spinal cord of adult rats. Eight and 12 weeks after grafting, clinical, electrophysiological, histological, and neuroanatomical studies were performed. Motor performance of the hosts was assessed by the inclined-plane test.

The third nerve transection and regeneration in rats with preliminary results on the sixth nerve transection and regeneration in guinea pigs.

The relationship between the phenomenon of the nonselective reinnervation and the functional recovery after section and repair of the highly organized third cranial nerve motor system in rats was studied. The same relationship after section and repair of the more simply organized sixth cranial nerve motor system in guinea pigs is presented as preliminary results. Anatomical demonstration of nonselective reinnervation was obtained by injecting horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the extraocular muscles.

Oculomotor nerve regeneration in rats. Functional, histological, and neuroanatomical studies.

To study oculomotor nerve regeneration in rats, the oculomotor nerve was approached microsurgically and was sectioned at the base of the skull. The nerve stumps were reapproximated and affixed with a plasma clot in Group I animals and were separated by a gap in Group II animals. Visceral eye motility was evaluated weekly between 1 day and 40 weeks after surgery by recording the pupillary diameter under standardized photic stimulation.

[Location of acetylcholinesterase in axotomized ciliary ganglia].

In the present note we have investigated the cytochemical localization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the chick ciliary ganglion (CG) after post-ganglionic axotomy obtained by ablation of the eyeball. Preliminary results show at quite early stages after axotomy a remarkable reduction of cytoplasmic AChE, the residual one being localized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. On the contrary synaptic areas, in particular those concerning the calyciform synapses, still show a marked AchE activity, similarly to what observed in physiological conditions.