A Cadaveric Study of the Mean Distance of the Radial Artery During the Approach to the First Carpometacarpal Joint.

Multiple surgical procedures have been described to treat first carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis. Although the superiority of one procedure over the others continues to be a controversial topic, they all approach the trapezium and require careful attention to the surrounding structures. One potential complication is injury to the radial artery, which lies in close proximity to the trapezium and is often encountered during surgical approach.

Adenoviral Delivery of the VEGF and BMP-6 Genes to Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells Potentiates Osteogenesis.

The combined delivery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) to sites of bone injury results in enhanced repair compared to the administration of a single factor or a combination of two factors. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that coexpression of VEGF and BMP-6 genes would enhance the osteoblastic differentiation of rat bone-marrow-derived stem cells (rMSCs) and osteogenesis by comparison to rMSCs that do not express VEGF and BMP-6. We prepared a GFP tagged adenovirus vector (Ad-VEGF+BMP-6) that contained DNA encoding the hVEGF and hBMP-6 genes.

Transport properties of members of the ZIP family in plants and their role in Zn and Mn homeostasis.

A better understanding of the role of the Arabidopsis ZIP family of micronutrient transporters is necessary in order to advance our understanding of plant Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu homeostasis. In the current study, the 11 Arabidopsis ZIP family members not yet well characterized were first screened for their ability to complement four yeast mutants defective in Zn, Fe, Mn, or Cu uptake. Six of the Arabidopsis ZIP genes complemented a yeast Zn uptake-deficient mutant, one was able partially to complement a yeast Fe uptake-deficient mutant, six ZIP family members complemented an Mn uptake-deficient mutant, and none complemented the Cu uptake-deficient mutant.

The pathogenesis of nontraumatic osteonecrosis.

Nontraumatic osteonecrosis continues to be a challenging problem causing debilitating major joint diseases. The etiology is multifactorial, but steroid- and alcohol-induced osteonecrosis contribute to more than two thirds of all cases with genetic risk factors playing an important role in many other cases, especially when they contribute to hypercoagulable states. While the exact mechanisms remain elusive, many new insights have emerged from research in the last decade that have given us a clearer picture of the pathogenesis of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Blood supply to the chicken femoral head.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the vascular supply to the femoral head, including the vessels that give rise to the terminal perfusing branches. Using a casting agent, we highlighted the anatomy of the external iliac and ischiatic arteries with their associated branches after anatomic dissection of 24 hips from 12 Leghorn chickens. We confirmed published findings regarding perfusion of the femoral head and identified 3 previously undescribed arterial branches to this structure.