Protective role of taurine on tomaxifen-induced liver damage in rats: a morphological study

To study the protective role of taurine in tamoxifen-induced hepatic steatosis in albino rats. Prospectve experimental study. Department of Anatomy, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, from July 2011 to November 2011. Four groups of female albino rats, each containing 8 animals, were treated for 21 days as follows: Group A served control, Group B treated with tamoxifen, Group C treated with tamoxifen plus taurine, Group D treated with taurine alone. The animals were weighed at the start and end of treatment and then sacrificed under ether anaesthesia. The livers were fixed in 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin. H and E stained 4 micro thick sections were examined microscopically. There was significant decrease in the body weights of groups B and C as compared groups A and D. Significant increase in the body weights of group C rats in comparison with group B was noted. Histologically the livers of group B animals showed generalized microvesicular and macrovesicular steatosis, with no evidence of hepatocyte necrosis. In group C the fatty change was much less pronounced as compared to group B. The study data suggest that taurine supplementation can reverse / attenuate the hepatic steatosis caused by tamoxifen treatment for 21 days, in albino rats

Manual measurement compared with ultrasonographically measured fetal liver length

To assess the reliability of sonographic measurement of liver length by comparing the measurement of fetal liver length obtained by ultrasonography with that obtained by manual measurement. 30 fetuses of 18 to 30 weeks of gestation diagnosed as cases of inevitable abortion were selected at the antenatal clinics. Liver length was measured sonographically and after abortion the fetuses were collected and their livers were dissected out for measurement of liver length. Both the sonographic and manually measured reading of liver length were compared. Insignificant difference was found between the manually measured fetal liver length and that measured sonographically at each gestational week of pregnancy. Sonographically measured fetal liver length is accurate and can be used for monitoring fetal well being

Wide resection and arthrodesis of knee using fibular graft in aggressive giant cell tumor of distal femur

This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of resection and massive allograft arthodesis in the management of aggressive giant cell tumor of distal femur. 10 Patients with mean age 37.8 years [30-46] with Giant cell tumor, Enneking stage-Ill of distal femur were treated by wide resection and reconstruction allograft arthodesis using free fibular graft and fixed with suitable hardware from July 1999 to 2008. There were 6 female patients and 4 male. Follow up period ranged from 30 to 65 months with an average of 45.3 months. At the final follow up, functional score ranged from 18-27 out of a total of 30. Average was 80.4%, range 66-90%. At the end of follow up all the patients were alive and disease free. All the patients achieved union. The mean union time was 16.4, ranged 14-20 weeks. Two patients had fall and fractured the graft. We had to do revision and additional cancellous grafting. Later on healed full union was achieved. One patient developed superficial wound infection which was treated with systemic antibiotics. In selected patients of giant cell tumor of distal femur, resection arthodesis of knee using fibular graft is an effective reconstructive method. It offers biological reconstruction alternative to amputation in selected patients where mobile joint reconstruction can not be carried out

Wide subtalar release in congenital talipes Equino Varus deformity of foot

There is controversy regarding preferred operative procedure for correction of Congenital Talipes Equino Varus [CTEV]. Objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of wide subtalar release as described by Mackay in 1983 in children having CTEV. Twenty patients up to the ages of 3 with grade-Il, Ill congenital club foot were treated with this procedure; those having deformity secondary to diseases like CP, arthrogryposis multiplex congenital were excluded. Patients were followed for a minimum of one year after operation. Results were graded as per Frank and Hem criteria. Clinical and radiological evaluations were done and compared with other soft tissue procedures. 72.41% patients had satisfactory, 17.24% moderate and 10.34% poor results. Club foot surgery is instituted when well planned cast correction fails. Children up to the age of 3 years can be successfully treated with this method under skilled hands

Histological changes in parts of forgut of rat after indomethacin administration

Indomethacin, a non-steriodalanti-inflammatory drug, is used mainly for the treatment of painful joints such as rehumatoid arthritis, osteo'arhtritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis etc. It relieves pain, reduces swelling and tenderness of the joints. It also induces ulceration of stomach and small intestine both in experimental animals and humans. In this study indomethacin was given intrapertioneally in maximum therapeutic dose [4 mg/Kg body weight] to three experimental groups B, C and D for one, two and three weeks respectively. Group A was the control group. Effects were observed in stomach pylorus and proximal duodenum. In the stomach pylorus, well defined superficial ulcers were identified during initial two weeks of drug administration. The ulcer penetrated as for as muscularis mucosae and ulcer bed had coagulative necrosis and inflammatory cells. During third week, stomach pylorus showed minor damage in the form of focal necrosis. Duodenum was affected less than stomach and showed villi with lost tips, tilted and distorted villi. Morphometric analysis showed changes in stomach pylorus and in duodenum. The number of mitotic figure was significantly increased in stomach pylorus. Duodenum showed insignificant to significant decrease in the height of villi. Increase in the number of goblet cells, columnar cells, and mitotic figure was also noted; which was undoubtedly part of the tissue response to an injury. These observations suggested that indomethacin given in a ma ximum therapeutic dose, initially induces lesions in stomach pylorus and proximal duodenum but almost no effects were noted when duration of the drug administration was prolonged