Minimally invasive ultrasound-guided technique for central venous catheterization via the external jugular vein in pigs.

Objective: To describe an ultrasound-guided technique for central venous catheter placement via the external jugular vein (EJV) in pigs.

Animals: 96 healthy Landrace-Poland China barrows (approx 16 weeks old with a mean weight of 70 kg).

Procedures: Pigs were anesthetized.

In vivo assessment of printed microvasculature in a bilayer skin graft to treat full-thickness wounds.

Chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers are common problems in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. These can cause pain, and nerve damage, eventually leading to foot or leg amputation. These types of wounds are very difficult to treat and sometimes take months or even years to heal because of many possible complications during the process.

Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on the replanted extremity subjected to prolonged warm ischaemia.

In this investigation, the influence of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on the survival of a replanted extremity subjected to prolonged warm ischaemia is evaluated. Among the relative contraindications to replantation are prolonged warm ischaemia time, since an obstruction to blood reflow ('no-reflow phenomenon') may occur in amputated parts that are subjected to more than 6h of warm ischaemia. Twenty-three rat hindlimbs were amputated and subjected to 4h of normothermic ischaemia.

Muscle versus nonmuscle flaps in the reconstruction of chronic osteomyelitis defects.

Background: Surgical treatment of chronic osteomyelitis requires aggressive debridement followed by wound coverage and obliteration of dead space with vascularized tissue. Controversy remains as to the effectiveness of different tissue types in achieving these goals and in the eradication of disease.

Methods: Chronic osteomyelitis was induced in 26 goat tibias using Staphylococcus aureus as an infecting inoculum.

Human leukocyte antigen-DQ8 transgenic mice: a model to examine the toxicity of aerosolized staphylococcal enterotoxin B.

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) belong to a large group of bacterial exotoxins that cause severe immunopathologies, especially when delivered as an aerosol. SEs elicit the release of lethal amounts of cytokines by binding to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and cross-linking susceptible T-cell receptors. Efforts to develop effective therapeutic strategies to protect against SEs delivered as an aerosol have been hampered by the lack of small animal models that consistently emulate human responses to these toxins.

Neutrophil activation by murine retroviral infection during chronic ethanol consumption.

Aims: Neutrophil adhesion molecule CD11b and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are neutrophil activation markers for evaluating the functional activity of neutrophils. The aim of this study was to determine if neutrophils are activated in murine AIDS and/or chronic ethanol consumption and if neutrophil CD11b expression and ROS production vary when progressive retrovirus infection occurs.

Methods: Four groups were studied: control, murine AIDS, ethanol and ethanol plus murine AIDS.

Thrombin activity and platelet microparticle formation are increased in type 2 diabetic platelets: a potential correlation with caspase activation.

Diabetics suffer from many complications including a prothrombotic condition. Activated platelet membrane provides an anchor, phosphatidylserine, for the attachment of the prothrombinase complex, which allows increased thrombin formation. This study aimed to further elucidate the interrelationship between coagulation proteins and activated platelets in type 2 diabetic blood.