Chronic pain following totally extra-peritoneal inguinal hernia repair: a randomized clinical trial comparing glue and absorbable tackers.

Purpose: Chronic pain following inguinal hernia repair occurs in up to 20% of patients. The underlying mechanism probably involves sensory nerve damage and abnormal healing that might be influenced by the materials chosen for mesh fixation. The main objective of this study was to compare glue and absorbable tackers on the rate of chronic pain after surgery in patients undergoing totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair (TEP).

Gene Expression Pattern of Peyer's Patch Lymphocytes Exposed to Kagocel Suggests Pattern-Recognition Receptors Mediate Its Action.

Kagocel is a synthetic carboxymethylcellulose derivative copolymerized with gossypol. Clinical data evidence its safety and efficiency for the treatment of flu and other viral infections via enhancement of interferon production. The gut-associated lymphoid tissue seems a likely site of kagocel action.

Native Bovine Hydroxyapatite Powder, Demineralised Bone Matrix Powder, and Purified Bone Collagen Membranes Are Efficient in Repair of Critical-Sized Rat Calvarial Defects.

Here we evaluated the efficacy of bone repair using various native bovine biomaterials (refined hydroxyapatite (HA), demineralised bone matrix (DBM), and purified bone collagen (COLL)) as compared with commercially available bone mineral and bone autografts. We employed a conventional critical-sized (8 mm diameter) rat calvarial defect model (6-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, = 72 in total). The artificial defect was repaired using HA, DBM, COLL, commercially available bone mineral powder, bone calvarial autograft, or remained unfilled ( = 12 animals per group).

Diagnostic Use of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatectography for Pancreatic Duct Injury in Trauma Patients.

Background: Trauma patients diagnosed with pancreatic duct injury (PDI) have a high complication rate and prolonged hospital stay. The role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the diagnosis of PDI remains unclear. During the last decade, our trauma unit incorporated ERCP into the management protocol for suspected PDI cases.

Reduced postoperative chronic pain after tension-free inguinal hernia repair using absorbable sutures: a single-blind randomized clinical trial.

Background: Chronic pain after inguinal hernia repair occurs in 16% to 62% of patients. The underlying mechanism probably involves sensory nerve damage and abnormal healing that might be influenced by the materials chosen for the procedure. We hypothesize that nonabsorbable sutures used for mesh fixation to the surrounding tissues are associated with higher rates of chronic groin pain after surgery.

Selection of patients with severe pelvic fracture for early angiography remains controversial.

Background: Patients with severe pelvic fractures represent about 3% of all skeletal fractures. Hemodynamic compromise in unstable pelvic fractures is associated with arterial hemorrhage in less than 20% of patients. Angiography is an important tool in the management of severe pelvic injury, but indications and timing for its performance remain controversial.

The properties of Bacillus cereus hemolysin II pores depend on environmental conditions.

Hemolysin II (HlyII), one of several cytolytic proteins encoded by the opportunistic human pathogen Bacillus cereus, is a member of the family of oligomeric beta-barrel pore-forming toxins. This work has studied the pore-forming properties of HlyII using a number of biochemical and biophysical approaches. According to electron microscopy, HlyII protein interacts with liposomes to form ordered heptamer-like macromolecular assemblies with an inner pore diameter of 1.

Purification and cytotoxic properties of Bacillus cereus hemolysin II.

The hemolysin II from Bacillus cereus, HlyII, is a member of the beta-barrel pore-forming toxin family of secreted microbial proteins that includes the Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin. Compared with other proteins of the family, hemolysin II has 90 extra amino acids at its C-terminus. To examine more closely the cytotoxic and pore-forming properties of the protein, we have cloned and expressed it in Escherichia coli.

Limits of diagnostic accuracy of anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies detection by ELISA and immunoblot assay.

When human sera samples are tested for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies using different ELISA kits as well as immunoblot assay kits discrepant results often occur. As a result the diagnostics of HCV infection in such sera remains unclear. The purpose of this investigation is to define the limits of HCV serodiagnostics.

Age-Related Changes in Population of Stromal Precursor Cells in Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Organs.

It is shown that the content of precursor cells of stromal tissue (CFC-F) in the hemopoietic and lymphoid organs of SAMP (rapidly-ageing mice) and SAMR mice (mice with a normal ageing rate) decreases as the animals grow older. However the decrease in the content of CFC-F in SAMP mice begins substantially earlier - in the age group of 9-11 months, while in the SAMR mice - only in the age group of 16-19 months. It was found that the age reduction of the number to an equal degree relates to the whole population of CFC-F, in particular both the fraction of weakly-linked CFC-F, which is isolated by means of mechanical disaggregation of the tissue, and the fraction which may only be isolated using trypsin.