Anatomical variations of the superficial ulnar artery: case series observed on historical specimens prepared by Ludwik Karol Teichmann.

BACKGROUND: This report presents a series of cases representing variant origin and course of the ulnar artery, namely the superficial ulnar artery (SUA), observed during the review of collection of historical specimens prepared in the 19th century by the prominent Polish anatomist Ludwik Karol Teichmann and his collaborators, exhibited in the Anatomy Museum of Jagiellonian University Medical College. RESULTS: Three distinct variants of the SUA were found on anatomical specimens of the upper limb with arteries injected by using Teichmann's method. In case no. 1, the SUA originated from the brachial artery slightly above the interepicondylar line of the humerus. This aberrant vessel gave off the common interosseous artery in the upper half of the cubital fossa and then ran superficially to the bicipital aponeurosis and over the muscles arising from the medial epicondyle of the humerus. The cases no. 2 and 3 involved two similar variants of the superficial artery in which the common interosseous artery arose from the radial artery. In the unique case no. 4, the SUA arose from the radial artery. CONCLUSIONS: The SUA shows diverse anatomy regarding its topography and blood supply territory. Orthopaedic, hand, and plastic surgeons should be aware of anatomic variations of the SUA both in planning and in conducting surgeries of the upper limb.

The Genetics of Racing Performance in Arabian Horses.

Arabian horses are commonly believed to be one of the oldest and most influential horse breeds in the world. The high financial benefits obtained from races tend to search for genetic markers strongly correlated with the results achieved. To date, the modern approaches such as transcriptome, miRNAome, and metabolome analyses have been used to investigate the genetic background of racing performance as well as endurance capacity in Arabians. The analysis of polymorphisms at the genome level has also been applied to the detection of genetic variants associated with exercise phenotype in the Arabian breed. The presented review summarizes these findings, with a focus on the genetics underlying flat racing and endurance performance traits in different Arabian horse populations.

The Internal Cerebral Vein: New Classification of Branching Patterns Based on CTA.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The internal cerebral vein begins at the foramen of Monro by the union of the thalamostriate and the anterior septal veins. The lateral direct vein is its other major tributary. Numerous researchers have reported differences in internal cerebral vein branching patterns but did not classify them. Hence, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the anatomy of the internal cerebral vein and its primary tributaries and classify them depending on their course patterns using CTA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Head CTAs of 250 patients were evaluated in this study, in which we identified the number and termination of the anterior septal vein and the lateral direct vein. The course of the lateral direct vein and its influence on the number of thalamostriate veins and their diameters and courses were assessed. The anterior septal vein-internal cerebral vein junctions and their locations in relation to the foramen of Monro also were evaluated. RESULTS: We classified internal cerebral vein branching patterns into 4 types depending on the presence of an extra vessel draining the striatum. Most commonly, the internal cerebral vein continued further as 1 thalamostriate vein (77%). The lateral direct veins were identified in 22% of the hemispheres, and usually they terminated at the middle third of the internal cerebral vein (65.45%). The most common location of the anterior septal vein-internal cerebral vein junction was anterior (57.20%), with the anterior septal vein terminating at the venous angle. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the deep cerebral veins is of great importance in neuroradiology and neurosurgery because iatrogenic injury to the veins may result in basal nuclei infarcts. A classification of internal cerebral vein branching patterns may aid clinicians in planning approaches to the third and lateral ventricles.

Sequence analysis and expression profiling of the equine ACTN3 gene during exercise in Arabian horses.

The ACTN3 gene codes for α-actinin-3, a protein localized in the Z-line in the skeletal muscle. Actinin-3 is critical in anchoring the myofibrillar actin filaments and plays a key role in muscle contraction. ACTN3 (α-actinin-3) cross-links glycogen phosphorylase (GP), which is the key enzyme catalysing glycogen metabolism. The aim of present study was to establish the expression level of the ACTN3 gene (for both isoforms separately and together in the gene expression analysis) in the gluteus medius muscle in order to verify if the α-actinin-3 gene can be related to training intensity in Arabian horses. A structural analysis of the ACTN3 gene was performed simultaneously to identify polymorphisms that can be related to racing performance traits. Our results showed the significant decrease (p < 0.05) of ACTN3 expression in the skeletal muscle of Arabian horses during the training periods preparing for flat-racing, and this decrease differed by the intensity of the exercises. The highest mRNA abundance measured for all ACTN3 genes was detected in the muscle of untrained horses, while the lowest expression was identified at the end of the racing season when horses had fully adapted to the physical effort. This gene expression profile was confirmed for both ACTN3 isoforms. The analysis of the ACTN3 sequence allowed us to identify 14 polymorphisms, which were localized in the promoter region, the 5'UTR (7 SNPs), exons (2 SNPs) and introns (5 SNPs). Two of them, a novel c.2334C>T - splice variant and the g.1104G>A polymorphism in the promoter region, were proposed as the causative mutations that might affect gene expression. The presented gene expression analyses indicated the significant role of the ACTN3 gene in adaptation to physiological effort in horses. Due to previous reports and our findings, further studies should be conducted to verify the usage of the ACTN3 gene as a potential genetic marker for determining exercise performance in Arabian horses and other horse breeds.

Triggered high-purity telecom-wavelength single-photon generation from p-shell-driven InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot.

We report on the experimental demonstration of triggered single-photon emission at the telecom O-band from In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. Micro-photoluminescence excitation experiments allowed us to identify the p-shell excitonic states in agreement with high excitation photoluminescence on the ensemble of QDs. Hereby we drive an O-band-emitting GaAs-based QD into the p-shell states to get a triggered single photon source of high purity. Applying pulsed p-shell resonant excitation results in strong suppression of multiphoton events evidenced by the as measured value of the second-order correlation function at zero delay of 0.03 (and ~0.005 after background correction).

Impact of excessive gestational weight gain in non-smoking mothers on body fatness in infancy and early childhood. Prospective prebirth cohort study in Cracow.

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is important for health policy as it may be associated with overweight epidemics in childhood and adolescence. The purpose of the study was to perform the risk assessment of joint effects of the excessive GWG and the pregravid maternal BMI on overweight in infancy and childhood. The observations were collected in the ongoing prospective birth cohort study of 482 non-smoking mothers and their newborns in Cracow inner city area. At 5 years of age the subsample of 312 infants were reexamined in order to assess their nutritional status. Body fatness was assessed by means of the weight/length ratio (WLR) in neonates and weight/height ratio (WHR) in 5-year-olds since they showed the strongest correlation with subcutaneous fat mass of young children. In the statistical analysis the binary regression models were applied to identify predictors of overweight. The excessive GWG (>18 kg) increased more than twofold the adjusted relative risk (RR) of neonatal fatness (R=2.7; 95% CI 2.0-3.7) and was also a significant independent risk factor for postnatal body fatness at 5 years of age (RR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.3-3.3). The results confirmed earlier findings that pregravid overweight increased not only the relative risk of neonatal fatness (RR=2.9; 95% CI: 2.2-3.9) but also overweight in early childhood (RR=2.7; 95% CI: 1.7-4.4). The conclusion is that excessive GWG may be a risk factor for overweight in early childhood and should be a focus of public health policy.

Slightly modified technique of the original essed plication procedure for congenital penile deviation

PURPOSE: The Schroeder-Essed plication procedure is a standard technique for the correction of penile curvature. In a retrospective analysis we compared functional results and quality of life (LQ) of the original technique with inverted sutures as described by Schroeder-Essed and our slight modification consisting of horizontal incisions into the tunica albuginea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with congenital penis deviation were treated for penile deviation by the original Schroeder-Essed plication with inverted sutures (11 patients) and by the described modification (15 patients). In case of modified technique, horizontal and parallel incisions 4 mm to 6 mm apart and about 8 mm - 10 mm long were made through the tunica albuginea. The outer edges of the incisions were then approximated with permanent inverted sutures (Gore-Tex® 3-0). Mean age was 21.6 years in the first group and 23.2 years in the second group. Average follow-up was 28 months and 13 months, respectively. The preoperative penile deviation angle was > 25° in all patients without difference between the 2 groups. RESULTS: All patients in both groups reported an improvement in their quality of life and full ability to engage in sexual intercourse. Nine patients (88 percent) in the first group and 14 patients (93 percent) in the second group were satisfied with the cosmetic result. In contrast, 10 patients (91 percent) of the first and 13 patients (87 percent) of the second group complained of penile shorting. Recurrence of deviation was only noticed in 2 males in the first group (18 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that this simple modification of the Schroeder-Essed plication offers good functional and cosmetic results. Most patients were satisfied with the penile angle correction results.

Slightly modified technique of the original Essed plication procedure for congenital penile deviation.

PURPOSE: The Schroeder-Essed plication procedure is a standard technique for the correction of penile curvature. In a retrospective analysis we compared functional results and quality of life (LQ) of the original technique with inverted sutures as described by Schroeder-Essed and our slight modification consisting of horizontal incisions into the tunica albuginea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with congenital penis deviation were treated for penile deviation by the original Schroeder-Essed plication with inverted sutures (11 patients) and by the described modification (15 patients). In case of modified technique, horizontal and parallel incisions 4 mm to 6 mm apart and about 8 mm - 10 mm long were made through the tunica albuginea. The outer edges of the incisions were then approximated with permanent inverted sutures (Gore-Tex 3-0). Mean age was 21.6 years in the first group and 23.2 years in the second group. Average follow-up was 28 months and 13 months, respectively. The preoperative penile deviation angle was > 25 degrees in all patients without difference between the 2 groups. RESULTS: All patients in both groups reported an improvement in their quality of life and full ability to engage in sexual intercourse. Nine patients (88%) in the first group and 14 patients (93%) in the second group were satisfied with the cosmetic result. In contrast, 10 patients (91%) of the first and 13 patients (87%) of the second group complained of penile shorting. Recurrence of deviation was only noticed in 2 males in the first group (18%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that this simple modification of the Schroeder-Essed plication offers good functional and cosmetic results. Most patients were satisfied with the penile angle correction results.

[Ldr brachytherapy, a minimally invasive alternative in the treatment of organ-confined prostate cancer]. / Die LDR-Brachytherapie, eine minimal invasive Alternative in der Therapie des organbegrenzten Prostatakarzinoms.

LDR Brachytherapy, a Minimally Invasive Alternative in the Treatment of Organ-Confined Prostate Cancer In den letzten Jahren erlebte die Brachytherapie mit permanenten Implantaten beim organbegrenzten Prostatakarzinom besonders in den USA, wo im Jahre 1999 mehr als 40 000 Implantationen durchgeführt wurden, eine Renaissance. Mit einer gewissen Verzögerung nimmt die Popularität dieser Methode auch in Europa immer mehr zu. Dies, obwohl die Brachytherapie keine absolut neue Methode in der Behandlung des Prostatakarzinoms ist, sie hat im Gegenteil eine lange Tradition.

Inducible nitric-oxide synthase is regulated by the proteasome degradation pathway.

Inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) is responsible for nitric oxide (NO) synthesis from l-arginine in response to inflammatory mediators. To determine the degradation pathway of iNOS, human epithelial kidney HEK293 cells with stable expression of human iNOS were incubated in the presence of various degradation pathway inhibitors. Treatment with the proteasomal inhibitors lactacystin, MG132, and N-acetyl-l-leucinyl-l-leucinyl-l-norleucinal resulted in the accumulation of iNOS, indicating that these inhibitors blocked its degradation. Moreover, proteasomal inhibition blocked iNOS degradation in a dose- and time-dependent manner as well as when NO synthesis was inhibited by N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester. Furthermore, proteasomal inhibition blocked the degradation of an iNOS splice variant that lacked the capacity to dimerize and of an iNOS mutant that lacks l-arginine binding ability, suggesting that iNOS is targeted by proteasomes, notwithstanding its capacity to produce NO, dimerize, or bind the substrate. In contrast to proteasomal inhibitors, the calpain inhibitor calpastatin and the lysosomal inhibitors trans-epoxysuccinyl-l-leucylamido-4-guanidino butane, leupeptin, pepstatin-A, chloroquine, and NH(4)Cl did not lead to significant accumulation of iNOS. Interestingly, when cytokines were used to induce iNOS in RT4 human epithelial cells, the effect of proteasomal inhibition was dichotomous. Lactacystin added prior to cytokine stimulation prevented iNOS induction by blocking the degradation of the NF-kappaB inhibitor IkappaB-alpha, thus preventing activation of NF-kappaB. In contrast, lactacystin added 48 h after iNOS induction led to the accumulation of iNOS. Similarly, in murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7, lactacystin blocked iNOS degradation when added 48 h after iNOS induction by lipopolysaccharide. These data identify the proteasome as the primary degradation pathway for iNOS.

[Diagnosis and therapeutic options for prolonged erection and priapism: up-date review]. / Diagnóstico y opciones terapéuticas de la erección prolongada y el priapismo: revisión actualizada.

OBJECTIVE: To review the pathophysiology, diagnostic methods and treatments of priapism, with special reference to alternative treatment options. METHODS: The different surgical options are presented and discussed, with special emphasis on the oral drugs and intracavernous therapy for priapism. The advantages and inconveniences of the different agents and surgical techniques are discussed. The publications in MEDLINE 1980-2000, our experience and the results of our studies previously reported in the literature were reviewed. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Complete detumescence and recovery of normal arterial blood flow can be achieved in a majority of the cases by systematic and standardized management. Sedatives, alpha-adrenergic agents or oral ketamine hydrochlorate can be utilized. However, due to the importance of the time factor, intracavernosal therapy should be the priority for persistent erection, using alpha-adrenergic agonists or other alternatives, such as methylene blue, which do not have the well-recognized risks of the conventional agents. The etiology of the priapism should be clearly established by metabolic and hemodynamic studies, since treatment will be based on the underlying disorder. In veno-occlusive low flow priapism, surgical shunting should be performed if aspiration of intracavernosal blood and other treatments are not successful. Arterial embolization and surgical ligation should be performed for high flow persistent priapism.

Influence of continuous, isobaric rectal distention on smooth muscle tone and cardiovascular activation in healthy volunteers.

UNLABELLED: Interactions between visceral, intestinal stimulation and autonomic cardiovascular function have received increasing attention over the last years. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of long-term continuous rectal distention on rectal tone and cardiovascular function at the threshold for first sensation of distention and moderate urge to defecate compared to a resting period without distention. Continuous isobaric rectal distention was performed in 13 healthy volunteers with a ten minute pressure tracking procedure at each subject's predetermined individual threshold for either moderate urge or first sensation, separated by a ten minute resting period. Rectal volume, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were determined continuously. RESULTS: Rectal tone decreased significantly over time at the threshold for moderate urge and first sensation. Cardiovascular measures remained stable over the distention procedures, except for a significant increase in systolic blood pressure at the threshold for moderate urge. DISCUSSION: The previously reported rectal accommodation response to rectal distention was confirmed. The increase in systolic blood pressure is most likely mediated through sympathetic efferent pathways.

Interleukin-1 and endothelin stimulate distinct species of diglycerides that differentially regulate protein kinase C in mesangial cells.

Diglycerides are phospholipid-derived second messengers that serve as cofactors for protein kinase C activation. We have previously shown that, in rat glomerular mesangial cells, the cytokine, interleukin-1 alpha, and the vasoactive peptide, endothelin, generate diglycerides from unique phospholipid precursors. However, neither the molecular species of these diglycerides nor their biological actions were determined. It is now hypothesized that interleukin-1- and endothelin-treated mesangial cells form distinct molecular species of diglycerides which may serve different roles as intracellular signaling molecules. Diglyceride molecular species were resolved and quantified by TLC and high performance liquid chromatography as diglyceride-[14C]acetate derivatives. Endothelin stimulates predominantly ester-linked species (diacylglycerols) in contrast to interleukin-1 which stimulates only ether-linked species (alkyl, acyl- and alkenyl,acylglycerols). In support of these data, interleukin-1-treated mesangial cells hydrolyze ethanolamine plasmalogens, vinyl ether-linked phospholipids. It has been reported that ether-linked, in contrast to ester-linked, diglyceride species do not activate protein kinase C activity. Thus, we next assessed membrane protein kinase C activity in endothelin- or interleukin-1-treated mesangial cells. Even though interleukin-1 has no effect upon basal protein kinase C activity, this cytokine, through the formation of ether-linked diglyceride second messengers, inhibits endothelin, platelet-activating factor, or arginine vasopressin-stimulated protein kinase C activity. We further demonstrate that ester-linked diacylglycerols but not alkyl,acyl- or alkenyl,acylglycerols substitute for phorbol esters in a cell-free protein kinase C assay. In addition, alkenyl,acylglycerols inhibit diacylglycerol-stimulated immunoprecipitated protein kinase C alpha activity in vitro and total protein kinase C activity in permeabilized mesangial cells ex vivo. Taken together, these data suggest that interleukin-1-induced formation of ether-linked diglycerides may physiologically serve to down-regulate receptor-mediated protein kinase C activity and that individual molecular species of diglycerides may serve different roles as intracellular signaling molecules.

Endothelin stimulates phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis through both PLC and PLD pathways in mesangial cells.

Endothelin (ET) is a recently characterized vasoconstrictor hormone that has potent effects on glomerular function. Many vasoconstrictors, like ET, that stimulate phospholipase C (PLC) hydrolysis of polyphosphoinositides also stimulate phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) hydrolysis via both PLC and phospholipase D (PLD) pathways. We have previously reported that ET stimulates a protein kinase C (PKC)-regulated, intracellular calcium-insensitive PLD activity that forms phosphatidic acid (PA) in rat mesangial cells (MC). We now ask whether ET-induced diglyceride (DG) production is also, in part, a result of either PLC- or PLD-induced hydrolysis of PtdCho. ET induced both a time- and dose-dependent stimulation in DG as measured by radioflux and mass assays. ET-stimulated DG production was still elevated even at time points where inositol polyphosphates had returned to basal levels. In addition, using [3H]choline-labeled cells, ET stimulated [3H]phosphocholine accumulation, suggesting a PLC-mediated hydrolysis of PtdCho. Stimulation of DG was unaffected by the presence of ethanol or propranolol, suggesting that ET-stimulated DG were not a result of a sequential PLD/PA phosphohydrolase activity. We further dissociated PtdCho-dependent PLC and PLD activities because, in contrast to ET-induced stimulation of PLD, the effect of ET on DG formation was mimicked with ionomycin and was inhibited with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid but not ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. ET stimulation of DG could not be mimicked by phorbol myristate acetate and was not blocked by PKC inhibition or depletion. Together, these data suggest that ET stimulates multiple signaling pathways in MC that hydrolyze PtdCho via separate PLC and PLD mechanisms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)