Publications by authors named "Solomon S Shaftel"

Purpose: To compare exophthalmos reduction in lateral orbital decompressions performed via rim sparing versus temporary rim removal techniques.

Methods: The authors performed a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent simple lateral or combined medial and lateral wall orbital decompression between 2005 and 2013 by a single surgeon. Nineteen patients (33 orbits) were identified for inclusion in the study.

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This article highlights the major vascular supply of the orbit and structures supplied by these vessels. Key anatomic principles are then reviewed as they pertain to endoscopic orbital surgery in order to avoid serious orbital hemorrhages. Next, preoperative planning and patient education are outlined as well as description of orbital compartment syndrome.

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Purpose: Canine bites frequently result in periocular injury. The authors aimed to further characterize the dog breeds, types of injuries inflicted, and treatment outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all dog bites recorded in the University of Washington trauma registry from 2003 to 2013.

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Neuroinflammation is an important component of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis and has been implicated in neurodegeneration. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), a potent inflammatory cytokine in the CNS, is chronically upregulated in human AD and believed to serve as part of a vicious inflammatory cycle that drives AD pathology. To further understand the role of IL-1β in AD pathogenesis, we used an inducible model of sustained IL-1β overexpression (IL-1β(XAT)) developed in our laboratory.

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Neuroinflammation is a local tissue response to injurious stimuli in the central nervous system (CNS) and is characterized by glial reactivity, induction of cytokines and chemokines, and vascular permeability. The cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β is rapidly induced following CNS insult, and is chronically expressed in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recently developed a novel method of sustained IL-1β production in the brain to study the link between IL-1β and AD pathogenesis.

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Acute neuroinflammation reduces adult hippocampal neurogenesis but the role of chronic neuroinflammation, which may be more representative of ongoing processes in CNS disorders, remains relatively unknown. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to acutely impair neurogenesis. To further investigate the relationship between sustained IL-1β expression and adult neurogenesis, a mouse model with an IL-1β excisionally activated transgene, IL-1β(XAT), was utilized.

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Interleukin (IL)-1beta is a proinflammatory cytokine implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders. Downstream actions of IL-1beta include production of prostaglandin (PG) E(2) by increasing expression of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and prostaglandin E synthase (PGES) isoforms. We recently developed a transgenic mouse carrying a dormant human IL-1beta eXcisional Activation Transgene (XAT) for conditional and chronic up-regulation of IL-1beta in selected brain regions.

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Elevation of the proinflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is an integral part of the local tissue reaction to central nervous system (CNS) insult. The discovery of increased IL-1 levels in patients following acute injury and in chronic neurodegenerative disease laid the foundation for two decades of research that has provided important details regarding IL-1's biology and function in the CNS. IL-1 elevation is now recognized as a critical component of the brain's patterned response to insults, termed neuroinflammation, and of leukocyte recruitment to the CNS.

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The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) plays a significant role in leukocyte recruitment to the CNS. Although acute effects of IL-1beta signaling in the mouse brain have been well described, studies elucidating the downstream effects of sustained upregulation have been lacking. Using the recently described IL-1beta(XAT) transgenic mouse model, we triggered sustained unilateral hippocampal overexpression of IL-1beta.

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Neuroinflammation is a conspicuous feature of Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology and is thought to contribute to the ultimate neurodegeneration that ensues. IL-1 beta has emerged as a prime candidate underlying this response. Here we describe a transgenic mouse model of sustained IL-1 beta overexpression that was capable of driving robust neuroinflammation lasting months after transgene activation.

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Objective: To evaluate opioid receptor function as a basis for novel antinociceptive therapy in arthritis.

Methods: We induced human mu-opioid receptor (HuMOR) expression in arthritic joints of mice, using the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) vector, which is capable of stably transducing dividing, growth-arrested, and terminally differentiated cells. Male and female Col1-IL-1beta(XAT)-transgenic mice developed on a C57BL/6J background and wild-type littermates were studied.

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Objective: To examine the effects of intraarticular induction of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) expression in adult mice.

Methods: We used somatic mosaic analysis in a novel transgenic mouse with an inducible IL-1beta transcription unit. Transgene activation was induced by Cre recombinase in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) of adult transgenic mice (conditional knockin model).

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We have detected an expressed mRNA encoding a splice variant of COX-1 in the mouse central nervous system. This isoform, referred to as COX-3, is identical in sequence to COX-1 except for the in-frame retention of intron 1. Like its counterpart COX-1, COX-3 does not generally appear to be induced by acute inflammatory stimulation.

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