The relationship between the aggrecan VNTR polymorphism and its content in lumbar intervertebral discs.

BACKGROUND: There is a specific polymorphism of the ACAN gene called the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), which is particularly interesting in the light of the development of intervertebral disc pathology and associated low back pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nucleus pulposus specimens were harvested from the L5/S1 intervertebral discs. The aggrecan content was determined using enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, the VNTR polymorphism in the ACAN gene was evaluated. RESULTS: The genotyping of VNTR polymorphism in ACAN gene was successful in 94 tissue samples (48 homozygotes and 46 heterozygotes). The alleles were divided into four groups, in accordance with the number of tandem repeats in the ACAN gene. No difference between groups in the mean aggrecan mass nor in the mean degree of tissue moisture was observed. CONCLUSIONS: No relationship between the ACAN gene VNTR polymorphism and the aggrecan content was observed in studied Caucasian cadavers. Such a relationship may be a more complex phenomenon and exists in other populations.

Correlation of morphological and radiological characteristics of degenerative disc disease in lumbar spine: a cadaveric study.

BACKGROUND: Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of low back pain. Several grading systems have been developed for both morphological and radiological assessment. The aim of this study was to assess the morphological and radiological characteristics of IVD degeneration and validate popular radiological Pfirrmann scale against morphological Thompson grading system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Full spinal columns (vertebrae L1-S1 and IVD between them) were harvested from cadavers through an anterior dissection. Magnetic resonance imaging scans of all samples were conducted. Then, all vertebral columns were cut in the midsagittal plane and assessed morphologically. RESULTS: A total of 100 lumbar spine columns (446 IVDs) were included in the analysis of the degeneration grade. Morphologic Thompson scale graded the majority of discs as grade 2 and 3 (44.2% and 32.1%, respectively), followed by grade 4 (16.8%), grade 1 (5.8%) and grade 5 (1.1%). The radiologic Pfirrmann grading system classified 44.2% of discs as grade 2, 32.1% as grade 3, 16.8% as grade 4, 5.8% as grade 1, and 1.1% as grade 5. The analysis on the effect of age on degeneration revealed significant, although moderate, positive correlation with both scales. Analysis of the agreement between scales showed weighted Cohen's kappa equal to 0.61 (p < 0.001). Most of the disagreement occurred due to a 1 grade difference (91.5%), whereas only 8.5% due to a 2 grade difference. CONCLUSIONS: With the increase of the prevalence of IVD disease in the population, reliable grading systems of IVD degeneration are crucial for spine surgeons in their clinical assessment. While overall there is agreement between both grading systems, clinicians should remain careful when using Pfirrmann scale as the grades tend to deviate from the morphological assessment.

Endplate calcification and cervical intervertebral disc degeneration: the role of endplate marrow contact channel occlusion.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the fundamental relationships between cervical intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, endplate calcification, and the patency of endplate marrow contact channels (MCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty cervical IVDs were excised from 30 human cadavers. After sectioning the specimens underwent micro computed tomography (microCT) - from all images the number, calibre, diameter and distribution of endplate openings were measured using ImageJ. Next, the specimens were scored for macroscopic degeneration (Thompson's classification), and subsequently underwent histological analysis for both IVD and endplate degeneration (Boos's classification) and calcification. RESULTS: The study group comprised 30 female and 30 male IVDs (mean age ± SD: 51.4 ± 19.5). Specimen's age, macroscopic and microscopic degeneration correlated negatively with the number of MCCs (r = -0.33-(-0.95); p < 0.0001), apart from the MCCs > 300 µm in diameter (r = 0.66-0.79; p < 0.0001). The negative relationship was strongest for the MCCs 10-50 µm in diameter. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong negative correlation between the number of endplate MCCs, and both macroscopic and microscopic cervical IVD and endplate degeneration. This could further support the thesis that endplate calcification, through the occlusion of MCCs, leads to a fall in nutrient transport to the IVD, and subsequently causes its degeneration.

Distribution of facial injuries in cases involving a fall on a flat surface.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Determination whether injuries identified on the victim's head were caused by a blow made by another person or by a fall resulting in hitting a surface. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An analysis of archive photographs taken routinely at the Forensic Institute in Krakow, Poland, to document post-mortem examinations in the years 2004-2012. RESULTS: A comparative analysis of the images clearly shows that certain areas are much more vulnerable to contact with the surface and thus to injuries; other areas are clearly protected in the case of a fall on a flat surface. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of a fall on a solid, flat surface, injuries are located first of all on brow ridges, nasal bridge and nasal apex, on the malar area and on the front surface of the chin. The following areas are clearly protected: eyelids, eyebrows, medial and upper parts of the cheeks, lips and the lower part of the chin.

Computer-assisted assessment of the histological structure of the human sural nerve.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the histological structure (cross-sectional area - CSA, number of nerve bundles) of the human sural nerve at the level above the lateral malleolus, using computer-assisted image analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study has been conducted using sural nerves dissected from cadavers during routine autopsies. The harvested tissues samples were dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 4 µm and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Each cross-section was photographed (16 × magnification) and the images were analysed using Java ImageJ. RESULTS: The studied group comprised 12 women and 25 men (mean age 60.1 ± 15.7 years), yielding a total of 74 sural nerves (37 right vs. 37 left). The mean ± standard deviation CSA of the sural nerve was 0.14 ± 0.07 cm2. The mean number of nerve bundles in the sural nerve was 10.5 ± 6.0. In terms of gender and side, neither the CSA (p = 0.45 and p = 0.79, respectively) nor the number of nerve bundles revealed any differences (p = 0.34 and p = 0.47, respectively). Strong negative correlations were noted between the age of the donors and the sural nerve CSA (r = -0.69,p = 0.02), as well as the number of nerve bundles (r = -0.57, p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that there are no statistical differences between the CSA and the number of nerve bundles in the sural nerve when compared by gender and side of the lower limb. This study also allows drawing the conclusion that the sural nerve degenerates with age in terms of both the CSA and the number of nerve bundles.

An assessment of the usefulness of a coconut as a model of the human skull for forensic identification of a homicide weapon.

The authors made an attempt to verify if a coconut can be used as a model of human skull to determine the homicide weapon. During our experiment 27 strike attempts were performed with the use of 9 different tools. Among them there were authentic murder weapons and instruments which had been used in similar experiments conducted on human skulls in 1955. Depending on the size of an area in contact with a coconut, weapons caused dents corresponding to the shape of a weapon, irregular fractures or long linear cracks. Our results have shown that coconut can be used as an inexpensive screening model of human skull, but only to determine fractures made by tools with small striking surface.

Comparative research concerning clinical efficiency of three surgical methods of periodontium recessions treatment in five-year observations.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was a comparative analyses of clinical treatment efficiency of periodontium recessions after the application of double pedicle bilateral flap (DPBF), coronally repositioned flap in combination with connective tissue graft (CRF-CTG), coronally advanced flap in combination with guided tissue regeneration using collagen membranes (GTR-CM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Research material consisted of 37 people (71.2% of initial patient number), including 27 women at the age from 17 to 53. All those people had single or multiple recessions, in I or II Miller's class, with the depth more than 2 mm. There were estimated 98 covered recessions of which 33 after DPBF, 41 after CRF-CTG and 24 after GTR-CM. The clinical estimation of recession level before surgeries and after 12, 24, 60 months was done with the usage of the following parameters: recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), clinical attachment level (CAL) and keratinized tissue hight (HKT). There was also done an ultrasonic measurement of keratinized tissue thickness (TKT) in two groups of patients who had undergone surgeries CRF-CTG and GTR-CM. After 12, 24 and 60 months there were measured: an average percentage of a root coverage (% ARC), a percentage index of the complete root coverage (% CRC) and the percentage of complete coverage (CRC). RESULTS: Five-year inter group analyses of three surgical methods of recession treatment did not show any significant differences among surgeries for the following parameters: RD, CAL and TKT. The value of RD after DPBF was 0.85 mm, after CAF-CTG was 0.83 mm and after GTR-CM 0.38 mm. There was a substantial difference of values such as ARC the best result of which was for the method GTR-CM (90%) and next for CRF-CTG (82%), CRC% and CRC with the best result for the methods GTR-CM (90%; 87.5%) and CRF-CTG (82.8%; 61%). CONCLUSIONS: The authors' observations show that methods GTR-CM and CRF-CTG are mostly predictable and enable the stable coverage of periodotium recession during five-year observations.

Proposed Measurement of the Beta-Neutrino Correlation in Neutron Decay.

Currently, the beta-neutrino asymmetry has the largest uncertainty (4 %) of the neutron decay angular correlations. Without requiring polarimetry this decay parameter can be used to measure λ (ga/gv ), test Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) unitarity limit scalar and tensor currents, and search for Charged Vector Current (CVC) violation. We propose to measure the beta-neutrino asymmetry coeffcient, a, using time-of-flight for the recoil protons. We hope to achieve a systematic uncertainty of σa / a ≈ 1.0 %. After tests at Indiana University's Low Energy Neutron Source (LENS), the apparatus will be moved to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) where the measurement can achieve a statistical uncertainty of 1 % to 2 % in about 200 beam days.

The secretion of prostaglandin E2 and interleukin 1-beta in women with periodontal diseases and preterm low-birth-weight.

Prematurity is of one of the main causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Clinical observations show, that periodontitis in pregnant women can be a direct risk factor for preterm labor, with a greater influence rate compared to other risk factors. The aim of the study was to asses the relationship between periodontal diseases and PLBW in the population of women from the Lower Silesian Region (Poland), and the evaluation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) levels in gingival cervicular (GCF) and blood serum in women with PLBW and women giving birth on time as well as secretion of these proinflammatory mediators in whole blood after bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The study group consisted of 84 women with PLBW (39.2% primiparous), aged 17-41 (mean 27.57). The controls were 44 women (47.7% primiparous) aged 16-38 (mean 26.36) who gave birth on time to a normal birthweight baby. PGE2 and IL-1 beta concentrations in serum and GCF were determined by means of immunoenzymatic method (EIA). In the studied population women over 28 years and exposed to medical risk factors had more frequent PLBW occurrence probability. In primiparous over 28 there is 4 times greater probability of preterm labor, and in case of the severe and generalized periodontitis presence there is 3.9 times higher possibility of PLBW compared to women with healthy periodontium. In all women with PLBW there is a significantly higher PGE2 and IL-1 beta concentration in GCF, and in primiparous also PGE2 level in blood serum, compared to controls.

Nitric oxide synthase II gene disruption: implications for tumor growth and vascular endothelial growth factor production.

The expression of a primary initiator of tumor angiogenic responses, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), may be induced by nitric oxide (NO) in carcinoma cells. However, the net impact of NO on carcinogenesis remains unclear, because manipulation of NO levels has been shown to either stimulate or inhibit tumor growth. We have investigated the relationship between inducible NO synthase (NOS II), VEGF expression, and growth of B16-F1 melanoma over 14 days in wild-type (NOS II+/+) mice and in those in which the gene for NOS II has been deleted (NOS II-/-). B16-F1 tumor growth was measured as wet weight of the excised tissue. Tumor NOS II and VEGF localization were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and VEGF mRNA levels were measured by Northern blot analysis. In NOS II+/+ mice inoculated with B16-F1 melanoma cells, macroscopic tumors were always observed at 14 days; however, 22% of NOS II-/- mice had no detectable tumor mass. Immunoreactive NOS II was detected in tumor cells of tumors grown in NOS II+/+ but not in NOS II-/- mice. Although immunoreactive VEGF was detected in the granules of tumor-associated mast cells from both NOS II+/+ and NOS II-/- mice, VEGF mRNA expression in tumors from NOS II-/- was half that in NOS II+/+ mice. Neither NOS II inhibition, exogenous NO, nor peroxynitrite influenced DNA synthesis in culture B16-F1 melanoma cells. The NO donor did not alter either VEGF mRNA levels or degranulation in cultures of the mast cell line RBL-2H3, but peroxynitrite increased both VEGF mRNA expression and degranulation. We conclude that host expression of NOS II contributes to induction of NOS II in the tumor and to melanoma growth in vivo, possibly by regulating the amount and availability of VEGF.

[Comparative evaluation of biomaterials use in surgical treatment of periodontitis]. / Ocena porównawcza zastosowania biomaterialów w chirurgicznym leczeniu zapalen przyzebia.

Clinical and radiological evaluation of three biomaterials--HA-Biocer, Bio-Gran and Bio-Oss was carried out two years after their grafting in parodontium. The tests were carried out for 91 patients with parodontis. Comparative clinical results (remission of the inflammatory state of parodontium tissues, essential reduction of gingival pockets and rebuilding of alveolar process bone on aimed X-ray pictures) were noted. The carried out observations show that biomaterials application for filling vertical alveoral process bone defects for patients with parodontis gives satisfactory clinical results.

[Use of the BIOGRAN preparation in surgical treatment of periodontal disease]. / Zastosowanie preparatu BIOGRAN w leczeniu chirurgicznym schorzen przyzebia.

Biogran is bioglass which thanks to its osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties has found application in rebuilding of bone defects caused by a periodontal illness. In the work the properties of the material and the possibilities of clinical application in periodontology are described. Our own experiences resulting from its application in treatment of 83 bone pockets are also presented.

[The phagocytosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophilic granulocytes in progressive periodontitis]. / Phagozytose der polymorphkernigen neutrophilen Granulozyten bei der progressiven Parodontitis.

The aim of this paper was the evaluation of the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in blood and in gingival pocket fluid in patients suffering from rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP) and postjuvenile periodontitis (PJP). Prior to periodontal treatment the authors evaluated the capacity to phagocytose latex particles of peripheral blood neutrophils from 21 patients with RPP, 51 with PJP and 59 healthy subjects (control group) as well as the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in pocket fluid from 21 patients with RPP, 14 with PJP and from 20 healthy subjects. This phagocytic activity was significantly lower in all examined groups in comparison with the control group. A similar evaluation executed 3 months after treatment revealed normal phagocytosis of blood neutrophils from patients with RPP. In patients receiving complementary pharmacotherapy (spiramycine combined with metronidazol), a better improvement of phagocytosis was noted, than that observed in patients treated only surgically.

[Alloplastic hydroxyapatite implants in treatment of periodontitis]. / Alloplastyczne wszczepy hydroksyapatytowe w leczeniu zapalen przyzebia.

The authors estimated the porous hydroxyapatite alloplasts in the treatment of periodontitis in a clinical and radiological way. The material has been used in 30 patients who had bone pockets deeper than 6 mm. Together, 46 bone pockets were filled. We obtained reduction of the depths of the pockets of 3.02 mm, decrease of the degree of the teeth mobility and the improvement of Engelberger, Marthaler and Raitetschak's radiological indicator by 13%. The results were compared with other works describing the usage of this material in stomatology. Basing on the literature the authors also presented the histological changes in periodontium tissues after the usage of tricalcium phosphate and compact and porous alloplastic hydroxyapatite ceramics.