Ultrastructural alterations in the mouse lung caused by real-life ambient PM10 at urban traffic sites.

Current levels of ambient air particulate matter (PM) are associated with mortality and morbidity in urban populations worldwide. Nevertheless, current knowledge does not allow precise quantification or definitive ranking of the health effects of individual PM components and indeed, associations may be the result of multiple components acting on different physiological mechanisms. In this paper, healthy Balb/c mice were exposed to ambient PM10 at a traffic site of a large city (Thessaloniki, northern Greece), in parallel to control mice that were exposed to filtered air.

Reconstruction of skin avulsion injuries of the upper extremity with integra(®) dermal regeneration template and skin grafts in a single-stage procedure.

Introduction: Management of skin avulsion injuries of the upper extremity may require coverage with large flaps or skin autografts. Cutaneous grafting is frequently combined with artificial skin to optimize the final functional and cosmetic result. The conventional use of bilaminated dermal substitutes consists of a two-stage procedure and requires long immobilization of the operated area.

Olfactory mucosa in nasal polyposis: implications for FESS outcome.

Objective: This study investigates olfactory epithelium biopsies from patients with nasal polyposis, in correlation with olfactory test results and ratings of olfactory dysfunction pre- and postoperatively.

Material & Methods: Twenty-seven patients with nasal polyposis were included. Olfactory function was tested with the "Sniffin Sticks" test.

Manual stimulation, but not acute electrical stimulation prior to reconstructive surgery, improves functional recovery after facial nerve injury in rats.

Unlabelled: The outcome of peripheral nerve injuries requiring surgical repair is poor. Recent work suggested that electrical stimulation (ES) of the proximal nerve stump to produce repeated discharges of the parent motoneurons for one hour could be a beneficial therapy if delivered immediately prior to reconstructive surgery of mixed peripheral nerves.

Purpose: We tested whether ES has a positive influence on functional recovery after repair of a purely motor nerve, the facial nerve.

Electrical stimulation of paralyzed vibrissal muscles reduces endplate reinnervation and does not promote motor recovery after facial nerve repair in rats.

The outcome of peripheral nerve injuries requiring surgical repair is poor. Recent work has suggested that electrical stimulation (ES) of denervated muscles could be beneficial. Here we tested whether ES has a positive influence on functional recovery after injury and surgical repair of the facial nerve.

Manual stimulation of the orbicularis oculi muscle improves eyelid closure after facial nerve injury in adult rats.

We have shown that manual stimulation of rat whisker-pad muscles following facial-facial-anastomosis (FFA) restores normal whisking by lowering the proportion of polyinnervated motor endplates. Here we examined whether manual stimulation of the orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) after FFA would also improve outcome. Blink responses to standardized air puffs were analyzed using video-based motion analysis.