Pattern of Maxillofacial Fractures in Severe Multiple Trauma Patients: A 7-year Prospective Study

The incidence of facial trauma is high. This study has the primary objective of documenting and cataloging maxillofacial fractures in polytrauma patients. From a total of 1229 multiple trauma cases treated at the Emergency Room of the Santo Antonio Hospital - Oporto Hospital Center, Portugal, between August 2001 and December 2007, 251 patients had facial wounds and 209 had maxillofacial fractures. Aged ranged form 13 to 86 years. The applied selective method was based on the presence of facial wound with Abbreviated Injury Scale ≥1. Men had a higher incidence of maxillofacial fractures among multiple trauma patients (86.6%) and road traffic accidents were the primary cause of injuries (69.38%). Nasoorbitoethmoid complex was the most affected region (67.46%) followed by the maxilla (57.42%). The pattern and presentation of maxillofacial fractures had been studied in many parts of the world with varying results. Severe multiple trauma patients had different patterns of maxillofacial injuries. The number of maxillofacial trauma is on the rise worldwide as well as the incidence of associated sequelae. Maxillofacial fractures on multiple trauma patients were more frequent among males and in road traffic crashes. Knowing such data is elementary. The society should have a key role in the awareness of individuals and in prevention of road traffic accidents.

É alta a incidência de traumas na face. Este estudo teve por objetivo documentar e catalogar as fraturas maxilofaciais em pacientes com politraumatismos. De um total de 1229 casos de politraumatizados tratados na Sala de Emergência do Hospital de Santo António - Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, entre Agosto de 2001 e Dezembro de 2007, 251 pacientes tiveram ferimentos na face e 209 apresentaram fraturas maxilofaciais. As idades variaram de 13 a 86 anos. O método de seleção baseou-se na presença de ferimentos na face com Abreviated Injury Scale ≥1. Os homens apresentaram maior incidência de fraturas maxilofaciais (86,6%) entre os pacientes com múltiplos traumatismos na face e os acidentes de trânsito foram a causa principal dos traumatismos (69,38%). A região mais afetada foi o complexo naso-órbito-etmoidal (67,46%), seguido pela maxila (57,42%). O padrão e a apresentação das fraturas maxilofaciais tem sido estudado em muitas regiões do mundo com resultados variados. Pacientes com politraumatizados graves apresentaram padrões diferentes de traumatismos maxilofaciais. O número de traumatismos maxilofaciais tem aumentado à escala mundial, assim como a incidência das sequelas associadas. Entre os pacientes com traumatismos múltiplos, a maioria pertencia ao sexo masculino, assim como a causa mais frequente foram os acidentes automobilísticos. É elementar o conhecimento destes dados. A sociedade tem um papel primordial nos cuidados individuais e na prevenção dos acidentes de trânsito.

La regulación del transportador de colina de alta afinidad dependiente de AMPc/PKA no es mediada por dopamina en neuronas de retina / cAMP/PKA - dependent regulation of the high affinity choline transporter is not mediated by dopamine in retinal neurons

La actividad del transportador de colina de alta afinidad (HAChT) es considerado el paso limitante en la síntesis de acetilcolina (ACh) en el terminal colinérgico. Estudios recientes muestran que el HAChT contiene residuos de serina y treonina consensuales para la fosforilación por proteína kinasa A (PKA). Usando neuronas de retina de embrión de pollo se evaluó el efecto del segundo mensajero AMPc sobre la actividad del HAChT. El aumento de los niveles intracelulares de AMPc a través de la inhibición de la fosfodiesterasa, activación de la adenilato ciclasa o usando un análogo de AMPc resistente a la fosfodiesterasa disminuyó la actividad del HAChT entre 29 y 69%. Por otra parte, la activación de receptores de dopamina tipo-D1 aumenta los niveles de AMPc intracelular y activa PKA, sin embargo, el tratamiento con dopamina o con antagonistas de los receptores dopaminergicos D1 o D2 no induce cambios en la actividad del transportador

The high affinity choline transporter (HAChT) activity is considered to be the rate-limiting step in acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis in the cholinergic terminal. Recent studies show that HAChT contains consensus serine and threonine residues for protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation. Using chick retinal neurons evaluated the effects of the second messenger cAMP on the HAChT activity. The increase of the intracellular cAMP levels through phosphodiesterase inhibition, adenilatecyclase activation or using a phosphodiesterase-resistant cAMP analog decreased HAChT activity between 29 and 69%. Moreover, the activation of dopamine D1-type receptors increase the intracellular cAMP levels and activates PKA, however, the treatment with dopamine D1 or D2 receptor antagonists does not induce changes on transporter activity

Choline supplementation facilitates short-term memory consolidation into intermediate long-term memory of young Sprague-Dawley rats / La suplementación con colina facilita la consolidación de la memoria a corto plazo y su transformación en memoria intermedia a largo plazo, en las Ratas Sprague-Dawley jóvenes

Choline is important for the synthesis of acetylcholine, an integral neurotransmitter involved in memory formation. In order to investigate the effect of choline supplementation on memory consolidation, the study utilized a T-maze to facilitate passive avoidance learning and memory in young female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were placed in two groups; choline-supplemented that received choline chloride daily for two weeks, and control that received vehicle daily for two weeks. Rats were evaluated to determine their ability to avoid an aversive electric foot-shock (0.1 mA at 60V) when they characteristically entered the preferred dark area (DA) of the T-maze. Both groups of rats showed preference, without significant difference, for entry into DA of the T-maze. However, fifteen minutes after passive avoidance both choline supplemented and control rats avoided entry into DA. This display of DA avoidance 15 minutes after training, suggests that both groups of rats had acquired short-term memory of the aversive stimulus. However, when the test was repeated 24 hours after training, the control group did not avoid entry into DA, whereas the choline-supplemented group either avoided entry or entered after a significantly longer latency period (p < 0.01). These results suggest that supplementation with choline facilitated the consolidation of short-term memory of the avoidance learning into intermediate long-term memory in young rats.

La colina es importante para la síntesis de la acetilcolina – un neurotransmisor integral que participa en la formación de la memoria. Para investigar el efecto de la suplementación con colina en la consolidación de la memoria, el estudio utilizó un laberinto T para facilitar la memoria y el aprendizaje de evitación pasiva en ratas hembras jóvenes Sprague-Dawley. Las ratas fueron colocadas en dos grupos: uno que recibió cloruro de colina diariamente por espacio de dos semanas, y uno de control que recibió vehículo diariamente por dos semanas. Las ratas fueron evaluadas a fin de determinar su habilidad para evitar un choque eléctrico aversivo (0.1mA a 60V) cuando entraban característicamente a la preferida área oscura (AO) del laberinto en T. Ambos grupos de ratas mostraron preferencia – sin diferencia significativa – por entrar en el área oscura del laberinto en T. Sin embargo, quince minutos después de la evitación pasiva, tanto las ratas que recibieron la suplementación con colina como las ratas de control, evitaban entrar al área oscura. El hecho de que se observe la evitación del área oscura15 minutos después del entrenamiento, sugiere que ambos grupos de ratas habían adquirido una memoria a corto plazo del estímulo aversivo. Sin embargo, cuando la prueba se repitió 24 horas después del entrenamiento, el grupo de control no evitó el entrar al AO, mientras que el grupo que recibió el complemento de colina, o evitó entrar o entró luego de un período de latencia significativamente más largo (P < 0.01). Por lo tanto, estos resultados sugieren por consiguiente que la suplementación con colina facilitó la consolidación de la memoria a corto plazo del aprendizaje de la evitación, y su transformación en memoria a largo plazo en las ratas jóvenes.

Central injection of captopril inhibits the blood pressure response to intracerebroventricular choline

In the present study, we investigated the involvement of the brain renin-angiotensin system in the effects of central cholinergic stimulation on blood pressure in conscious, freely moving normotensive rats. In the first step, we determined the effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) choline (50, 100 and 150 µg) on blood pressure. Choline increased blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner. In order to investigate the effects of brain renin-angiotensin system blockade on blood pressure increase induced by choline (150 µg, icv), an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril (25 and 50 µg, icv), was administered 3 min before choline. Twenty-five µg captopril did not block the pressor effect of choline, while 50 µg captopril blocked it significantly. Our results suggest that the central renin-angiotensin system may participate in the increase in blood pressure induced by icv choline in normotensive rats.

Amelioration of salinity effect in salt sensitive wheat by choline chloride presoaking of caryopses

Caryopses of salt sensitive wheat cultivar were presoaked in 5 mM choline chloride and then subjected for 100 mM NaCl added to the 1/4-strength Hoagland solution for 21 days. The effect of salt stress in the presence and absence of choline was studied on the vegetative growth, mineral contents of shoot and root and cell permeability of leaf sheath subepidermal cells and root cortex cells. Choline presoaking of wheat caryopses alleviated the NaCl-induced growth reduction of shoot and root comparing with those received only salt treatment. Also, choline decreased cell permeability of shoot and root cells. NaCl stress increased root and shoot Na and Cl, and decreased K and Ca levels, whereas choline treatment decreased Na and Cl and increased K levels in relation to those that did not receive choline treatment. The results were discussed in terms of how choline induced salt tolerance in sensitive wheat cultivar under salt stress

Efflux of acetylcholine in dimorphic skeletal muscle from castrated male rats

The effect of testosterone on motor neurons of dimorphic muscles is demostrable by increased frequency of miniature end-plate potentials (mepp) and decreased end-plate acetylcholinesterase activity observed in castrated rats. No change occurs in induced acetylcholine (ACh release. Although these muscles atrophy after castration there is no loss of muscle fibers. In the present study we reinvestigate the neuromuscular transmission in levator ani (LA) muscles from normal (N) adult (120 days) male rats and from rats castrated (C) 30 days before. The measurement of radioactive [3H]-choline was used to evaluate ACh release since it permits simultaneous estimation of quantal and non-quantal and non-quantal ACh release. The LA muscle was incubated with [3H]-choline (1µCi/ml) for 30 min and ACh efflux was measured after washout. The basal release of [3H]-choline (dpm total tissue radioactivity-1 number of fibers-1) was 296 ñ 33 and 156 ñ 24 in N and C, respectively. Induced ACh release (25 Hz, 5 min) was the same in N and C (653.19 ñ 66.46) and 496.62 ñ 68.67, respectively). These results indicate that castration increased nepp frequency buth reduced the total spontaneous release of ACh

The effect of centrophenoxine at the skeletal neuromuscular junction.

Centrophenoxine exhibited some interesting actions at the neuromuscular junction. The drug was ineffective in rat or chick preparations, but blocked neuromuscular transmission in frog preparations. The blockade was reversed by adrenaline, potassium, choline and physostigmine. The drug had no effect on muscle contractility or endplate cholinoceptor. Hemicholinium 3 induced a neuromuscular blockade in rat (in vivo) which was reversed by choline but not by centrophenoxine. Neither of these two drugs could reverse the blocking effect of hemicholinium in frog preparations. It is concluded that centrophenoxine acts only in frog and the blockade involves a presynaptic mechanism. The work further suggests that choline uptake systems in the rat and the frog may not be identical, since choline competed with hemicholinium for the uptake system in rat and with centrophenoxine (but not with hemicholinium) in the frog.