Long-Term Impact of Gender Differences After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background: The short-term and midterm impact of gender differences on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been studied. However, the impact on long-term clinical outcomes remains unclear. The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of gender differences after TAVI on long-term clinical outcomes and structural valve deterioration (SVD).

Relationship between inferior fascicle of anterior talofibular ligament and articular capsule in lateral ankle ligament complex.

Purpose: The lateral ankle ligament complex (LALC) is composed of anterior talofibular (ATFL), calcaneofibular (CFL), and posterior talofibular (PTFL) ligaments, all of which have a connection/continuous fiber. However, the structural link between the LALC and the articular capsule remains unknown. The goal of our study was to determine the connection between ATFL's inferior fascicle and the articular capsule.

Continuous and Connective Fibers of the Lateral Ankle Ligament Complex.

The lateral ankle ligament complex (LALC) is an intricate structure; therefore precise anatomic knowledge is required by the surgeon. However, the structural relationship of the LALC remains unclear. Here, the features of the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL) and the relationship to the LALC at the distal fibula were clarified in a cadaver study.

Hypoglossal nerve injury with long nerve resection leading to slow motoneuron death.

Crush injury to peripheral nerves in adult animals is considered not to trigger retrograde neuronal cell death; however, several studies reported neuronal cell death following severe injuries including nerve transection, resection, or avulsion. However, the rate of neuronal cell death varied among studies. In this study, we evaluated the outcomes of very severe nerve injury by long nerve resection in adult rats.

Independent Attachment of Lateral Ankle Ligaments: Anterior Talofibular and Calcaneofibular Ligaments - A Cadaveric Study.

Anatomic knowledge of lateral ligaments around the lateral malleolus is important for repair or reconstruction of ankle instability. The detailed structure of the connective fibers between the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) is unknown. To clarify the anatomic structure of ATFL and CFL and the connective fiber between the 2 ligaments, the lateral ligament was dissected in 60 ankles of formalin-fixed cadavers, and the distance was measured between bony landmarks and fibular attachment of ATFL and CFL using a digital caliper.

Effects of various lengths of hypoglossal nerve resection on motoneuron survival.

We employed stereological analyses for whole quantification of hypoglossal (XII) motoneurons in adult rats that received varying degrees of resection of the XII nerve. Various lengths of nerve gaps (0.0-13.

Effects of repeated nerve injuries at different time intervals on functional recovery and nerve innervation.

Effects of repeated nerve injuries on functional recovery and nerve innervation were examined in rodents. Crush injuries of the sciatic nerve were inflicted on adult rats and repeated twice or thrice at different time intervals of 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks. Motor function was assessed by the static sciatic index at 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 days after the final crush.

Acetyl-l-carnitine enhances myelination of regenerated fibers of the lateral olfactory tract.

It is well known that acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) has various neuroprotective effects against neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, it has been reported that ALC facilitates myelination of regenerated axons after peripheral nerve injuries. We previously reported that spontaneous regeneration of the lateral olfactory tract (LOT), the main fiber tract of the central olfactory system, consistently occurred in newborn rats and a majority of these regenerated fibers were unmyelinated in neonatally LOT-transected young adult rats.

Stereological assessment of the total number of hypoglossal neurons after repeated crush injuries to the hypoglossal nerve in adult rats.

Objective: Retrograde neuronal cell death does not occur in mature motoneurons following the axonal injury of peripheral nerves. However, a previous study suggested that retrograde neuronal cell death does occur in adult rats after the creation of double lesions on the hypoglossal (XII) nerve based on a substantial decrease in the number of XII neurons. Using stereological methods, we examined neuronal apoptosis in XII neurons and the total number of XII neurons following repeated crush injuries to the XII nerve.

Morphological analysis of regenerated bulbar fibers in relation to neonatal olfaction.

It was revealed that regeneration of the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) occurred in developing rats and the regenerated olfactory system was functional 4 weeks after transection. The aim of this study was to determine the earliest onset of functional recovery in LOT-injured rats and to quantify regenerated nerve components with functional correlation. Neonatal rats on postnatal day (P) 2 were subjected to unilateral transection of the left LOT and underwent unilateral removal of the right olfactory bulb on P11.

Elastic modulus of the femoral trochanteric region measured by scanning acoustic microscopy in elderly women.

Purpose: We have devised a method that can obtain continuous detailed distributions of the elastic modulus along the measurement line in a non-decalcified specimen of human bone tissue. The aim of this study was to determine whether local variations exist in the distribution of mechanical properties within the trochanteric region of the femur of elderly females using a newly developed form of scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) technology.

Methods: Human proximal femurs were harvested from seven female cadavers aged between 67 and 88 years at death.

Effect of graded nerve pressure injuries on motor function.

Object: The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum amount of nerve fibers required to maintain normal motor function after nerve injury in rats.

Methods: The authors first confirmed that a common peroneal nerve injury caused more aggravating effects on lower limb motor function than tibial nerve injury, as assessed by the static sciatic index (SSI). Thereafter, rats were subjected to varying degrees of crush injury to the common peroneal nerve.

Two specific tongue regions receive bilateral hypoglossal innervation: a study in neonatal rat pups.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional role of bilateral hypoglossal (XII) nerve innervation of the tongue.

Materials And Methods: The possibility of bilateral innervation of XII nerve in the tongue was examined using postmortem fibre tracing in normal neonatal rats. In addition, immunohistochemical testing for synaptophysin or vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) was carried out in unilaterally XII nerve-resected neonatal rats.

Stereological estimation of olfactory receptor neurons in rats.

The total number of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the rat main olfactory epithelium (MOE) was estimated using stereological sampling. Skulls and noses of newborn (postnatal day 0), young adult (8 weeks), and adult (6 months) rats were decalcified, embedded in paraffin, cut into 10-μm thick sections serially at 100-μm intervals, and processed for immunohistochemistry for olfactory marker protein (OMP), a specific marker of mature ORNs with fiber connections to the olfactory bulb. The number of OMP (+) receptor neurons was measured using an optical fractionator with stereological software (Stereoinvestigator).

Inhibitory role of the serotonergic system on estrogen receptor α expression in the female rat hypothalamus.

The role of the serotonergic system in regulating the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) α in the hypothalamus was investigated in ovariectomized rats by injecting a serotonin synthesis inhibitor, parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA), or by destroying the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR). The number of ERα-immunoreactive (ir) cells was counted in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus in the preoptic area (AVPV), ventrolateral ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (vlVMN), and arcuate nucleus (ARCN). Seven days after ovariectomy, 100mg/kg PCPA or saline was injected daily for 4 days.

Effect of synovial transthyretin amyloid deposition on preoperative symptoms and postoperative recovery of median nerve function among patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome.

Background: The clinical characteristics of wild-type transthyretin amyloid deposition among patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) have not been well investigated.

Methods: One-hundred and seven patients with idiopathic CTS who underwent carpal tunnel release were enrolled. They underwent physical examination of the hand, nerve-conduction study, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the wrist, and completed a patient-oriented questionnaire.

Salusin-β, an antimicrobially active peptide against Gram-positive bacteria.

Salusin-β has been detected in numerous mammalian tissues and has been shown to have various effects on the cardiovascular system. In this study, we showed that salusin-β exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive microorganisms such as Bacillus subtilis NBRC 3513, Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213, Staphylococcus aureus NBRC 12732, and Staphylococcus epidermidis NBRC 12933. A cytoplasmic membrane-depolarizing assay using the DiSC3(5) dye revealed that the addition of 4 nmol/mL of salusin-β caused the leakage of fluorescence dye from Staphylococcus aureus NBRC 12732.

Stereological quantification of olfactory receptor neurons in mice.

The total number of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the mouse main olfactory epithelium (MOE) was estimated using stereological sampling. Noses and skulls of male and female 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were de-calcified, embedded in paraffin, cut into 10-μm-thick sections serially at 100-μm intervals, and processed for immunohistochemistry for the olfactory marker protein (OMP), a specific marker for ORNs. The number of OMP (+) receptor neurons was measured using an optical fractionator with the Stereo-Investigator software.

Correlation between motor function and axonal morphology in neonatally sciatic nerve-injured rats.

The present study was conducted to investigate the correlation between motor function and axonal morphology in neonatally sciatic nerve-injured rats. The left sciatic nerve of newborn rats was transected or crushed, and functionality of the sciatic nerve was assessed by the static sciatic index after 8 weeks. After functional assessment, the common peroneal nerves in the control, nerve-transected, and nerve-crushed rats were removed and prepared for morphometric examinations.

Bony Landmarks of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tibial Footprint: A Detailed Analysis Comparing 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography Images to Visual and Histological Evaluations.

Background: Although the importance of tibial tunnel position for achieving stability after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction was recently recognized, there are fewer detailed reports of the anatomy of the tibial topographic footprint compared with the femoral side.

Hypothesis: The ACL tibial footprint has a relationship to bony prominences and surrounding bony landmarks.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Quantitative analysis of survival of hypoglossal neurons in neonatally nerve-injured rats: Correlation with milk intake.

Introduction: Tongue movement innervated by the hypoglossal (XII) nerve is essential for the survival of neonatal rats. The pups with bilateral XII nerve resection failed to suckle milk and did not survive, and the pups with unilateral XII nerve resection showed disturbed suckling capability and lower survival rates. The present study was performed to investigate the relation between neuronal population and milk intake of developing rats that had received various degrees of crush injuries to the unilateral XII nerve during the neonatal period.

Postnatal changes in the number of serotonin-immunoreactive cells in midbrain raphe nuclei of male rats.

To clarify the developmental changes in serotonergic neurons in the subdivisions of the dorsal (DR) and median raphe (MR) nuclei before puberty, the extent of the nuclei and the number of serotonin (5-HT) immunoreactive (ir) cells were measured in 5-, 15-, and 30-day-old rats and 8-week-old (adult) castrated male rats. The brains were fixed and 50 μm frozen sections prepared. After immunostaining for 5-HT, the number of 5-HT-ir cells in a 0.

Regenerative capacity of bulbar projection neurons during development: a quantitative neuronal analysis with functional correlation.

Critical periods and degrees of regeneration in injured olfactory bulbar projection neurons (mitral cells) were examined in adult rats whose lateral olfactory tracts (LOTs) were transected at different postnatal (P) days. After the LOTs were transected at P7, P10, and P14, a retrograde fluorescent tracer, Fluoro-Gold (FG), was injected into the posterior olfactory cortex (the olfactory tubercle and the piriform cortex), a target brain region of mitral cells, 5 weeks after the transection. FG (+) mitral cells were observed in P7 LOT-transected bulbs and some of P10 LOT-transected bulbs but not in P14 LOT-transected bulbs.

Analysis of spontaneous regeneration of olfactory structures with emphasis on myelination and re-innervation of cortical areas.

Regeneration of the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) occurs spontaneously after transection in developing rats. In neonatally LOT-transected rats, we observed a newly formed myelinated tract near the rhinal sulcus. The aim of this study was to analyze the precise re-innervated cortical areas and to demonstrate ectopic LOT myelination in neonatally LOT-transected rats.