Clinical analysis of the neurological involvement in primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To analyze the clinical and laboratory manifestations of primary Sj(o)gren's syndrom (pSS) with neurological involvement.Methods One hundred and forty eight patients fulfilling the 2002 American-European pSS classification criteria were retrospectively analyzed.Neurological manifestations were diagnosed based on the clinical,biological,electrophysiological,and imaging findings.Biographical,clinical,and laboratory data were compared between patients with and without neurological manifestations.Statistical methods used were Mann-Whitney U test,Chi-square test and Fisher exact probability.Results The prevalence of neurological involvement in pSS was 20.3％ (30/148),and the incidence of peripheral neuropathy,the central neuropathy and combination of the central neuropathy with peripheral neuropathy were 10.1％(15/148),9.5％(14/148) and 0.7％(1/148),respectively.The clinical spectrum of peripheral neuropathies encountered in Sj(o)gren's syndrome (SS) patients varied,with the pure sensory neuropathies being the most common,followed by sensorimotor neurophathies.Motor neuron disease was the most common type of central neurophathies.Compared with those without neurological manifestations,the duration of peripheral nerve system/central nerve system (PNS/CNS)-pSS patients was relatively short [(55±76) months vs (100±108) months,Z=-2.682,P＜0.05],and the antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer and RF titer were lower [(234±248) vs (377±339),Z=-2.008,P＜0.05;(126±279) U/ml vs (359±1 445) U/ml,Z=-2.243,P＜0.05].In PNS/CNS-pSS patients,the most common clinical manifestations included numbness (50％),pain (23％),and muscle weakness (63％).Conclusion The prevalence of neurological involvement in pSS is high.The duration is relatively short and the disease activity is high,but the disease features are atypical and may be neglected by rheumatologists.

Retrospective canine skin peripheral nerve sheath tumors data with emphasis on histologic, immunohistochemical and prognostic factors / Dados retrospectivos de tumores de bainha de nervo periférico na pele de cães com ênfase a fatores histológicos, imuno-histoquímicos e prognósticos

In this retrospective study was determined the frequency of canine skin peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) in cases diagnosed by the Setor de Patologia Veterinária of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (SPV-UFRGS), Brazil, between the years 2000 and 2012. The canine profiles, as well as histological, immunohistochemical and prognostic aspects of the tumors were based on 70 samples, comprising 40 females, 29 males and one unspecified sample. Between 2000 and 2012, 2,984 skin tumors of dogs were diagnosed in the SPV-UFRGS, totaling 2.34% of skin neoplasms in dogs. Animals that comprised the largest amount of samples (43%) were those with no breed (SRD), followed by German Shepherds (10%). Females were more affected than males (40/70 - 57% and 29/70 - 41% respectively). Skin PNST of this research showed predominant localization on the limbs (40% in the forelimbs and 29% in the hindlimbs); affecting adult dogs, mostly aged between 8 and 11 years (54%). The samples were routinely processed for hematoxylin and eosin, and were also evaluated by toluidine blue and Masson's trichrome staining, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) anti-vimentin, -S-100, -GFAP, -actin, von Willebrand factor and neurofilament. Anisocytosis and anisokaryosis, mitotic index, intratumoral necrosis, invasion of adjacent tissues, tumor location, local recurrence and metastasis were related to the diagnosis of benign (49/70) or malignant tumor (21/70). The Antoni A histological pattern was observed more frequently in benign tumors. The immunohistochemistry helped to diagnose PNST, and anti-vimentin and anti-protein S-100 showed the highest rates of immunostaining. Throughout statistical analysis of animals with tumor recurrence, it was found that the chance of an animal with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor to develop recurrence is 4.61 times higher than in an animal that had a benign tumor...

Neste estudo retrospectivo foi determinada a frequência dos tumores de bainha de nervo periférico (TBNP) na pele de cães diagnosticados pelo Setor de Patologia Veterinária da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (SPV-UFRGS), Brasil, no período de 2000 a 2012. O histórico dos cães, assim como a histologia, a imuno-histoquímica e o prognóstico em relação aos tumores foram baseados em 70 amostras histológicas, correspondendo a 40 fêmeas (57%), 29 machos (41%) e uma amostra sem a informação do sexo. De 2000 a 2012, foram diagnosticados 2984 tumores de pele de cães pelo SPV-UFRGS, totalizando 2,34% das neoplasias em cães. A maior parte das amostras (43%) foi proveniente de animais sem raça definida (SRD), seguidos pelos da raça Pastor Alemão (10%). A localização predominante dos TBNP desta pesquisa ocorreu em membros (40% em membro tóracico e 29% em membro pélvico), afetando principalmente cães de oito a 11 anos idade (54%). As amostras foram processadas rotineiramente para coloração de Hematoxilina e eosina, e foram realizadas as colorações de azul de toluidina e tricrômio de Masson, assim como realizada imuno-histoquímica (IHQ) anti-vimentina, -S-100, -GFAP, -actina, von Willbrand e neurofilamento. Os fatores anisocitose e anisocariose, índice mitótico, necrose intratumoral, invasão tumoral em tecidos adjacentes, localização tumoral, local de recorrência e metástase foram relacionados com o diagnóstico de benignidade (49/70) ou malignidade (21/70). O padrão histológico de Antoni A foi observado com mais frequência em tumores benignos. A IHQ auxiliou no diagnóstico dos TBNP, com maiores índices de imunomarcação anti-vimentina e S-100. A análise estatística das amostras de animais que apresentaram recidiva tumoral evidenciou que a chance de um animal com tumor de bainha de nervo periférico maligno desenvolver recidiva é 4,61 vezes maior do que em animais que apresentam tumor benigno...

Regeneração de nervos periféricos: terapia celular e fatores neurotróficos / Peripheral nerve regeneration: cell therapy and neurotrophic factors

Traumatismos em nervos periféricos resultam na perda de função do órgão inervado e raramente apresentam recuperação sem a intervenção cirúrgica. Diversas técnicas cirúrgicas são passíveis de serem empregadas para o reparo nervoso. Dentre elas, ressalta-se o uso da técnica de tubulização, podendo ser acrescentados fatores com capacidade regenerativa na câmara. A terapia celular e engenharia de tecidos surgem como uma alternativa para estimular e auxiliar a regeneração de nervos periféricos. Portanto, o objetivo desta revisão é fornecer um levantamento e uma análise de estudos experimentais e clínicos, quanto aos resultados obtidos, que utilizam a terapia celular e engenharia de tecidos como ferramentas para otimizar o processo de regeneração. Os artigos utilizados são oriundos de bases de dados científicas LILACS e Medline, através de pesquisas realizadas no PubMed e SciELO. Artigos sobre o uso de células-tronco, células de Schwann, fatores de crescimento, colágeno, laminina e plasma rico em plaquetas no reparo de nervos periféricos foram sintetizados ao longo da revisão. Com base nos diversos estudos pode-se concluir que a utilização de células-tronco derivadas de diferentes fontes apresentam resultados promissores na regeneração nervosa, pois estas possuem capacidade de diferenciação neuronal, demonstrando, assim, resultados funcionais eficazes. O uso de tubos acrescidos de elementos bioativos com liberação controlada também otimiza o reparo nervoso, promovendo uma maior mielinização e crescimento axonal dos nervos periféricos. Outro tratamento promissor é o uso de plasma rico em plaquetas, que, além de liberar fatores de crescimento importantes no reparo nervoso, ainda serve como um carreador para fatores exógenos estimulando a proliferação de células específicas no reparo de nervo periférico.

Peripheral nerve trauma results in functional loss in the innervated organ, and recovery without surgical intervention is rare. Many surgical techniques can be used for nerve repair. Among these, the tubulization technique can be highlighted: this allows regenerative factors to be introduced into the chamber. Cell therapy and tissue engineering have arisen as an alternative for stimulating and aiding peripheral nerve regeneration. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide a survey and analysis on the results from experimental and clinical studies that used cell therapy and tissue engineering as tools for optimizing the regeneration process. The articles used came from the LILACS, Medline and SciELO scientific databases. Articles on the use of stem cells, Schwann cells, growth factors, collagen, laminin and platelet-rich plasma for peripheral nerve repair were summarized over the course of the review. Based on these studies, it could be concluded that the use of stem cells derived from different sources presents promising results relating to nerve regeneration, because these cells have a capacity for neuronal differentiation, thus demonstrating effective functional results. The use of tubes containing bioactive elements with controlled release also optimizes the nerve repair, thus promoting greater myelination and axonal growth of peripheral nerves. Another promising treatment is the use of platelet-rich plasma, which not only releases growth factors that are important in nerve repair, but also serves as a carrier for exogenous factors, thereby stimulating the proliferation of specific cells for peripheral nerve repair.

Origin and distribution of the femoral nerve in fetuses of zebu-crossed bovines

In this study the femoral nerve origin and distribution was assessed through the dissection of 30 fetuses of zebu-crossed bovines, 20 males and 10 females. These animals samples fixation in 10% formaldehyde aqueous medium occurred either by subcutaneous, intra-muscle, and intra-cavity injections in different sites, or by immersion of the mentioned pieces in vessels containing the same medium. The femoral nerve originated from the forth (L4), fifth (L5), and sixth (L6) spinal lumbar ventral branches in 14 animals (46.7%), from L4 and L5 in 13 samples (43.3%), and L5 and L6 in three cases (10%). In the course of its way, on both antimeres the mentioned nerve was branched to the greater psoas (100%), iliac (100%), pectinal (56.7%), femoral quadriceps (100%), muscles, and gave off saphena nerve, which gave branches for the pectinal (43.3%) and sartorius (100%) muscles and continued distally along the saphena artery to spread on the medial face of the knee and leg medial articulation skin. Statistically, there was no significant difference between the muscle branch frequencies given by the femoral nerve to the right and left antimeres. The obtained results related to the femoral nerve origin and distribution in fetuses of zebu-crossed bovines generally presented common characteristics with the ruminant corresponding data found in the literature, and this information is important as the basis for clinical or surgical approaches involving the studied structures.

Some characteristics of the conduction index of peripheral nerve system in healthy subjects from 17-40 of ages

The study was carried out in 100 healthy subjects (60 males and 40 females) with age from 17-40. The investigative parameters of the conduction index in the peripheral nerve system were: nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of median, ulnar, common peroneal, posterior tibial, sural nerves and the latency of Hoffmann reflex. The result are following: NCV of median nerve was 59.345.98m/s, ulnar nerve was 59.586.08m/s, common peroneal nerve was 52.065.67m/s, posterior tibial nerve was 49.735.89m/s, sural nerve was 48.335.59m/s and latency of Hoffmann reflex was 28.152.57m/s.