[Clinico-anatomic study for constructing pedicled myocutaneous trapezius flaps]. / Klinische-anatomische Studie zur Bildung gestielter myokutaner Trapeziuslappen.

The authors investigated musculocutaneous flaps, paying particular attention to vascular anatomy, the development and length of their main vessels, their potential arc of transposition. Beyond that, their applications for soft tissue coverage in the head and neck region and procedures for coverage of the donor site were studied. When compared with the literature, the results show that pedicled musculocutaneous and osteomusculocutaneous trapezius flaps are especially suited for reconstructive surgery of the head and neck.

[Anatomic studies of the availability of the transverse cervical artery as the stem vessel of pedicled myocutaneous flaps in plastic surgery]. / Anatomische Untersuchungen zur Verwendbarkeit der Arteria transversa colli als Stammgefäss gestielter myokutaner Lappen in der plastischen Chirurgie.

The course and the circulation area of the A. transversa colli were characterized preparatorically as well as with the help of injections of stains and angiographically with contrast media in corpses. Predictions concerning the formation of the angiosomes and thus the size and the shape of musculocutaneous trapezius flaps were derived from the investigations. The presentation of the specific topographic relations of the A. and V. transversa colli revealed indications concerning the formation of the vascular pedicle and thus the possibilities to transpose the musculocutaneous flaps in order to cover skin defects of the head, neck and thorax after extensive surgical intervention.

Expression of pyruvate formate-lyase of Escherichia coli from the cloned structural gene.

It is shown here that a plasmid (p29) derived from the transducing phage lambda aspC2 (Christiansen and Pedersen 1981) codes for pyruvate formate-lyase. The identity of the 80 kilodaltons (kd) gene product of plasmid p29 with the pyruvate formate-lyase polypeptide was proven (i) by co-migration of the gene product expressed in the maxicell system with purified enzyme on O'Farrell gels, and (ii) by comparison of the peptide maps obtained from limited proteolysis. In vivo the 80 kd form of the enzyme was proteolytically converted to a 78 kd polypeptide. The two polypeptides (80 kd and 78 kd) and their charge isomers present in purified enzyme preparations are therefore products of a single gene. Aerobically grown cells of Escherichia coli contained a basal level of pyruvate formate-lyase which was derepressed 5- to 10-fold under anaerobiosis. Derepression also occurred during anaerobic growth on glycerol plus fumarate. Presence of plasmid p29 caused overproduction of pyruvate formatelyase, 11-fold upon anaerobic growth on glucose, 14-fold upon aerobic growth on glucose and 33-fold upon aerobic growth at the expense of D-lactate.