Use of fibrin glue derived from snake venom in testicular biopsy of rams

Sequelae due to testicular biopsy such as hemorrhage, adhesion and fibrosis may be limiting factors to the use of this surgical procedure. Fibrin glue (FG) derived from snake venom was used to minimize these sequelae, as well as to evaluate its healing property in tunica vaginalis and scrotal skin or rams. Applicability of fibrin glue derived from snake venom was tested in different tissues of other animals such as in sciatic nerve and colon of rats and skin of rabbits. In the present study, 30 healthy adult rams were used. They were divided into 3 groups of 10 animals each as follows: G1: fibrin glue group (application of fibrin glue on puncutre sites and skin incisions after bilateral testicular biopsy with a Tru-Cut needle); G2: swab/nylon group (hemostasis by compression with a swab on puncture sites and skin suturing with nylon after biopsy) and G3: control group (the animals were not subjected either to biopsy or to surgery). On the 20th day after biopsy, the presence of adhesion strands between the sites of skin incision and testicle was evaluated by palpation. Adhecion strands were found in three testicles (15 per cent) in G1 and in two testicles (10 per cent) in G2. One hundred days after biopsy, orchiectomy was carried out and the material collected was assessed for subcutaneous (SC) and/or tunica vaginalis adhesions. G3 did not present any abnormality. Groups G1 and G2 presented four testicles each (20 per cent) with adhesion between the tunics and biopsy site. On the other hand, subcutaneous adhesions were found once (5 per cent) in G1 and three times (15 per cent) in G2. Fibrin glue showed to be of easy application, required short postoperative monitoring, presented fast and good-quality healing property and tended to reduce formation of subcutaneous adhesion.

Ausência de ação antitrombótica em trombose venosa experimental / Absence of antithrombotic effect of metronidazolin experimental venous thrombosis

Com base na utilização empírica do metronidazol no tratamento de picada de cobra e em uma possível ação fibrinolítica, alguns médicos brasileiros o usaram no tratamento de trombose venosa profunda, embora não existam estudos que justifiquem tal emprego. OBJETIVO: Verificar possível existência de efeito antitrombótico do metronidazol em modelo de trombose induzida na veia cava de ratos e uma eventual ação anticoagulante ou fibrinolítica dessa droga. MÉTODO: 71 ratos da raça Wistar foram usados em 4 experimentos. No primeiro, 29 animais foram divididos em três grupos: controle (solução salina), heparina (200UI/kg) e metronidazol (6mg/kg). 10 minutos após a injeção IV a trombose foi induzida pela ligadura da veia cava, distalmente à veia renal esquerda. Três horas depois, a veia cava era removida e aberta, e o trombo, se presente, retirado para pesagem, sendo o sangue do animal retirado para medida do TTPA, TT e TP. No segundo experimento, o sangue foi retirado dos animais (n=18) 10 minutos após a injeção das drogas, para medida dos mesmos parâmetros. No terceiro experimento os animais (n=22) foram injetados com metronidazol ou salina e o tempo de lise de euglobulina medido 3 horas após. No quarto experimento, 22 animais foram sorteados para um de dois grupos: controle, com injeção IV de 12ml de salina ou metronidazol, (12mg/kg), sendo a trombose induzida 10 minutos após. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença entre os grupos controles e os grupod tratados com metronidazol, em relação à incidência e peso dos trombos e com relação aos parâmetros hemostáticos estudados. Nos animais tratados com heparina não houve formção de trombos, havendo aumento de TTPA e de TT aos 10 minutos, e de TT, após 3 horas. CONCLUSÄO: No modelo experimental empregado, o metronidazol não mostrou efeito antitrombótico e também ação sobre o parâmetros hemostáticos estudados, sugerindo que o uso clínico dessa droga no tratamento de trombose venosa é duvidoso, a menos que outros estudos venham demosntrar algum efeito benéfico.

Platelet activation following application of an esmarch bandage and tourniquet in rabbits

The present study evaluates platelet activation following application of an Esmarch bandage and a tourniquet, procedures commonly employed to provide a bloodless operative field during limb surgery. Platelet aggregation was increased in blood samples taken from rabbits 60 min after an Esmarch bandage was applied to one thigh and immediately released. When this treatment was combined with the application of a tourniquet for 60 min, a procedure which alone did not affect platelet aggregation, results were similar to those obtained following the Esmarch bandage alone. These data suggest that tissue compression produced by application of an Esmarch bandage, but not the ischemia derived from the tourniquet, produced platelet aggregation