Association of the protease inhibitor gene with production traits in Holstein dairy cattle.

Positional, comparative candidate gene analysis and previous quantitative trait loci linkage mapping results were used to search for candidate genes affecting milk production and reproduction traits in dairy cattle. The protease inhibitor (PI) gene was chosen for examination, and 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in coding regions of the gene by direct sequencing of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction products from a wide range of cattle tissues. A total of 6 different intragenic haplotypes were identified in North American Holstein population, and these were examined for associations with milk production traits in 24 half-sib families comprising 1007 sons utilizing a granddaughter design.

Subtotal reconstruction of the burned auricle.

The goal for external ear reconstruction is to restore the function of the helical rim in order to provide support for eyeglasses and to provide a cosmetically acceptable auricle. Reconstruction necessitates both flap coverage and flexible framework formation. This article reviews 22 patients who underwent subtotal reconstruction of the auricles after burns.

Monoallelic expression of the protease inhibitor gene in humans, sheep, and cattle.

Alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a genetic disorder that is associated with emphysema and liver disease because of mutations in the protease inhibitor (PI) gene. Although AAT deficiency is known to be an autosomal recessive disorder, some heterozygous individuals have been found to be affected. In this study, a polymorphism-based approach was used to study the expression status of the PI gene in humans, sheep, and cattle.

Gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin in advanced biliary tract and gallbladder carcinoma: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group phase II trial.

Background: Gemcitabine has broad activity in a variety of solid tumors including biliary tract carcinomas. The authors evaluated 6-month survival, response, and toxicity associated with a combination of gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and leucovorin (LV) in patients with unresectable or metastatic biliary tract or gallbladder adenocarcinoma (ACA).

Methods: A 4-week course included 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes on Days 1, 8, and 15, 25 mg/m2 LV by intravenous push, and 600 mg/m2 5-FU by intravenous push after LV.

Abdominal dermolipectomy in an abdomen with pre-existing scars: a different concept.

Although abdominal dermolipectomy is a frequently performed procedure, few publications have reported on the safety of the procedure in the scarred abdomen. The aim of this study was to stress the possibility of performing a natural-looking abdominoplasty with no complication such as skin necrosis or liponecrosis in the presence of abdominal scars and to clarify that the scarred abdomen is not a great limitation for full abdominoplasty as reported in the literature. Seventy-six abdominoplasties were performed on scarred patients from July of 1997 to June of 2003.

Bilobed fasciocutaneous flap for reconstruction of the posterior neck after necrotizing fasciitis.

Necrotizing fasciitis is an aggressive, deep-seated infection of the fascia and subcutaneous fat with necrosis of overlying skin. Eleven cases of necrotizing fasciitis of the posterior neck are reviewed to demonstrate the advantage of using a bilobed fasciocutaneous flap for repair following surgical debridement. Nine men and two women aged 40 to 65 years (mean age, 54.

Imprinting of Nesp55 gene in cattle.

Studies in mouse and human have established that the exon encoding the neuroendocrine secretory protein Nesp55 is transcribed exclusively from the maternal allele. To study the imprinting status of Nesp55 in cattle, we examined transcripts of this exon in a wide range of tissues from four fetuses and the dam of one of the fetuses (not all tissues were examined in all subjects). A polymorphic site was used to determine transcript status as monoallelic or biallelic.

Intraabdominal pressure after full abdominoplasty in obese multiparous patients.

This study measured intraabdominal pressure in morbidly obese and multiparous patients who underwent abdominoplasty with musculoaponeurotic plication. The purpose of this study was to evaluate any potential adverse effect on pulmonary function by virtue of pulmonary function tests and measurement of peak airway pressure. The study included 43 multiparous, morbidly obese women (mean body mass index, 35.

Large thoracolumbar meningomyelocele defects: incidence and clinical experiences with different modalities of latissimus dorsi musculocutaneus flap.

In this study, we report a series of large thoracolumbar meningomyelocele (MMS) defects. The total incidence per 1000 live birth is 0.6, the male incidence per 1000 live birth is 0.

Tendofascial island flap based on distal perforators of the radial artery: anatomical and clinical approach.

The possibility of transferring vascularized tissue to restore function and to resurface large defects, together with the use of composite flaps, has led to recent advances in "one-stage" reconstructive surgical procedures. On the basis of a previous study of the blood supply of the adipofascial flap and a new study of the blood supply of the flexor carpi radialis tendon from the transfascial and direct branches of the radial artery, a fascial island flap complete with tendon was devised and used to treat four male patients who had sustained traumatic soft-tissue losses on the dorsum of the hand and segmental losses of the extensor digitorum communis. The use of a completely vascularized, single-stage, composite flap did not involve sacrifice of the radial artery, the functional and aesthetic results were good, and there was minimal donor-site morbidity.

Lupus anticoagulant associated with transient severe factor X deficiency: a report of two patients presenting with major bleeding complications.

Acquired factor X (FX) deficiency is rare, but has been reported in diverse disease states, including systemic amyloidosis and respiratory infections. FX deficiency associated with lupus anticoagulant (LA) and a bleeding diathesis has not been previously reported. We report two patients both of whom presented with a severe bleeding diathesis after a preceding respiratory infection due to isolated FX deficiency associated with a LA.

V-Y fasciocutaneous pudendal thigh flap for repair of perineum and genital region after necrotizing fasciitis: modification and new indication.

Necrotizing fasciitis is an aggressive, deep-seated infection of the fascia and subcutaneous fat with necrosis of the overlying skin, and it is a toxin-mediated disease. The aim of this study was to review 13 cases of necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum and the external genitalia region with regard to the diagnosis, treatment, and methods of reconstruction of secondary defects. The study was performed from June 1997 to May 2001 and involved 11 men and 2 women who ranged in age from 35 to 67 years (mean age, 53 years).

The use of suction-assisted surgical extraction of moderate and large lipomas: long-term follow-up.

Solitary lipomas and familial multiple lipomatosis are the most common benign tumors and are very well encapsulated. They are very slow growing and have the potential for recurrence if incompletely excised and a very remote chance for malignant changes. These can be freed from surrounding tissue without difficulty, but because of the fibrous nature of the capsule, its violation is more likely with suction technique and may result in an inadequate resection, possibly leading to recurrence.

Use of an adipofascial flap based on the proximal perforators of the ulnar artery to correct contracture of elbow burn scars: an anatomic and clinical approach.

Different techniques can be used to repair contracture of burn scars on the elbow, including local or distant pedicle flaps, muscle or myocutaneous flaps, free flaps, and tissue expanders. Among these, a pedicled adipofascial flap based on the most proximal two to four perforators of the ulnar artery (located 1 to 5 cm from the origin of the artery) can be anastomosed to form a sort of axially patterned blood supply within the fascia and subcutaneous fat. Therefore, no major vessel in the forearm need ever be severed.

Allele frequencies of seven short tandem repeat loci in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

Allele frequencies of seven short tandem repeats (STRs) (THO1, CSF1PO, CD4, LPL, PLA2A, F13A01 and ARA) were obtained from a sample of unrelated Ashkenazi Jews living in Israel.

Combined sciatic-paravertebral nerve block vs. general anaesthesia for fractured hip of the elderly.

Sixty elderly patients scheduled for surgical hip fracture repair were given the choice of either general isoflurane anaesthesia (n = 30) or a nerve stimulator guided combined sciatic-paravertebral nerve block (n = 30). The incidence of intraoperative hypotension and the need for postoperative admission to the intensive care unit/high dependency unit (ICU/HDU) within 48 hours postoperatively were recorded. No differences in patient characteristics, ASA class or concomitant disease status were detected between the two study groups.

Prefabricated temporalis fascia pedicled flap for previously skin-grafted contracted eye socket.

The use of free skin, mucous membrane, or dermis-fat grafts in eye socket reconstruction proved to be unsatisfactory in long-term follow-up because of the progressive contraction of the socket. For achieving eye socket expansion of proper size and shape and a good vascularized lining that can last despite eventual fibrosis, a prefabricated temporalis fascia flap pedicled on the superficial temporal bundle is described in this report. In this technique, a split-thickness skin graft is applied over the termporalis fascia to create a sort of prefabricated flap, on which the proper dimensions of the socket can be fabricated on the grafted temporalis fascia.

[Advantages and disadvantages in the use of central venous catheters in children with malignant diseases].

The authors report the problem of central venous catheter appliance to the children with malignant diseases, employed for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of pediatric oncologic patients treatment. During 1997 central venous catheter type Hickman was used in nine children between two and half to eleven years old (average six years and one months). The average time of catheter placement was six months, in two cases catheter were eliminated after two and three months respectively since application (spontaneous elimination and repeated septic attacks, caused bu resistant bacterial strains).