Comparison of sagittal plane realignment and reduction with posterior instrumentation in developmental low or high dysplastic spondylolisthesis

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: In situ fusion is the gold standard method of treatment of spondylolisthesis. There is no study in the literature evaluating the effect of sagittal contour realignment on clinical outcomes in comparison with the addition of anterior slippage reduction. PURPOSE: The correction of sagittal plane vs. reduction with instrumentation in the patients with low or high dysplastic spondylolisthesis. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A prospective randomized study in patients treated with the same surgical team at the same center. PATIENT SAMPLE: 40 patients, 20 with low and 20 with high dysplastic spondylolisthesis (mean age: 33.1±10.6; average follow-up: 37.9±11.9 Mo.). OUTCOME MEASURES: The extent of displacement, lumbosacral angle values, lumbar sagittal contours, correction rates, JOA scores, SRS-22 questionnaire were evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the final visit. Fusion rates, complications and quality of fusion were recorded. METHODS: 4 groups of patients were generated. Only posterolateral fusion, neural decompression, and sagittal plane correction with posterior instrumentation using 3rd generation instrumentation system transpedicular screws was accomplished in 20 patients (low dysplastic: 10 patients, high dysplastic: 10 patients). Additional reduction of anterior slippage was done in the remaining 20 patients (low dysplastic: 10 patients, high dysplastic: 10 patients). RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between low vs. high dysplastic patients and between patients with sagittal contour realignment vs. patients with additional anterior slippage reduction (p>0.05). The correction rates for displacement were statistically similar at the final visit. Postoperative and final JOA and SRS scores were similar between in situ fusion and reduction groups (p>0.05). A solid fusion mass of 77.5 % was achieved in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of fusion was achieved with posterolateral in situ fusion with or without reduction; and an additional reduction procedure did not have a statistically detectable impact on clinical outcomes. Successful fusion and neural decompression were the most important parameters that have an impact on clinical outcomes in patients with developmental spondylolisthesis, irrespective of the extent of preoperative displacement and the type of listhesis

Prevention of adhesion formation in wistar-albino rats by increased bowel movements achieved with oral ricinus oil use for 8 days postoperatively: an experimental study

Objective: Adhesion formation frequently occurs after abdominopelvic surgery and can cause significant morbidity for patients. Meticulous hemostasis, minimal access surgery and utilization of surgical adjuvants intraoperatively are clinically useful measures to minimize adhesion formation. We investigated the clinical efficiency of oral Ricinus oil treatment for 8 days postoperatively to decrease adhesion formation in this case-control study in a rat model. Study design: Following computer-generated randomization, 24 female Wistar-albino rats were operated on, with 10 standard cautery lesions on the right uterine horn and two simple suture lesions on left uterine horn generated with absorbable material. Half (n = 12) the rats received 0.13 g (0.2 ml) Ricinus oil emulsion (40 g/60 ml) via the oral route during the first 8 days postoperatively, and the remaining rats (n = 11) were considered as controls. The extent, severity, degree, total adhesion scores and histopathological features of the adhesions were the main outcome measures. Results: The degree and total adhesion formation scores in the Ricinus oil group and control group revealed significant differences in adhesion extent and severity. The total adhesion scores of the Ricinus oil and control groups were 3.00 +/- 2.21 and 5.18 +/- 2.78 respectively (P 0.05). Conclusions: Ricinus oil treatment following abdominopelvic surgery for the 8-day period that covers the completion of tissue healing process may be a promising, cheap and cost-effective treatment strategy for patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Cloning, expression, and characterization of a novel CTP synthase gene from Anoxybacillus gonensis G2

The cytidine-5'-triphosphate (CTP) synthase (EC 6.4.3.2) gene (pyrG) was cloned and sequenced from the thermophilic bacterium Anoxybacillus gonensis G2 (Ago). The gene is 1590 bp in length and encodes a protein of 530 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 59.5 kDa. The amino acid sequence of CTP synthase shares approximately 90%–94% similarity to Bacillus sp., and it belongs to the triad glutamine amidotransferases, which utilize a Cys–His–Glu triad for activity. Multiple sequence alignments revealed that the enzyme includes conserved amino acids responsible for catalytic activity and the binding of a divalent metal ion (Mg+2). AgoCTP synthase (AgoG2CTPs) was overproduced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS as recombinant and purified by nickel affinity chromatography. Its biochemical characterization showed that the enzyme had maximal activity at pH 9.0–10.0 and 65 ºC. Km, Vmax, and kcat were found to be approximately 12.415 mM, 0.381 U/L, and 0.762 s–1 at 65 ºC, respectively. CTP synthase promotes the formation of CTP in dividing cells and is a recognized target for anticancer and antibacterial drugs. The results obtained from this study can be improved upon with the use of different species and substrates

Desulfurization of Coals by Molten Caustic Leaching

Düşük kaliteli kömürlerin doğrudan kullanımı, hava kirliliğinin ana kaynaklarından biridir. Yüksek kükürtlü ve küllü kömürleri, uygun fiziksel ve kimyasal yöntemlerle temizlemek mümkündür. Bu araştırma kimyasal bir yöntem olan, ergiyik kostik liç yöntemi. ile farklı kömürlerin kül ve kükürt içeriklerinin azaltılmasına çalışılmış ve Soma linyiti için %98'lik bir kükürtsüzleştirme elde edilmiştir

Buspiron, SSRI / SNRI kaynaklı bruksizm için bir çözüm olabilir mi?

Bruxism is a parafunctional activity characterized by daytime (diurnal) or nighttime (nocturnal) tooth grinding and squeezing and causing various pathologies in oropharyngeal tissues. Buspirone is used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, to reduce the side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and to strengthen the treatment in depression and anxiety disorders. In addition to these uses, buspirone is also used in the treatment of bruxism in adults. In this study, it is aimed to summarize bruxism cases treated with buspirone in literature and to discuss treatment options. A systematic research was conducted on Pubmed, Google Academic and Web of Science databases to evaluate all peer-reviewed articles using buspirone in the treatment of bruxism. The whole study in which buspirone was used in the treatment of bruxism was included in the study. When evaluated on the basis of case reports, buspirone is seen as one of the psychotropes that can be used safely in the treatment of bruxism. In the treatment, it may be recommended to adjust the average daily dose to 10-20 mg and wait a minimum of 2 weeks, although the effectiveness may occur in a much shorter time. This study is important in terms of recommending buspirone, which has been shown to be effective in the treatment of bruxism in many cases, despite its various limitations and as a step for further studies on this subject

Synovial hemangioma in the knee joint mimicking pigmented villonodular synovitis: a case report

Synovial hemangiomas are benign rare tumors of vascular origin. They are frequently seen in children and young adults, they present wıth arthritis that affects a single joint. In this work, a 12 year old girl was admitted complaining of repeated right knee pain and swelling, the condition diagnosed as synovial hemangioma after a second surgical intervention according to histopathologic examination has been reported. A year ago she was treated surgıcally as having villonodular synovitis. One year followup of the second operation showed no recurrance of the mass observed clinically.In such cases either pre-operation or after with the histopathologic examinations some diagnosis problems will be seen. For an accurate treatment sinovial hemanjiyoma must be considered in clinic and histopathologic examinations

FUTBOLDA PENALTI ATIŞININ FOTOGRAMETRİK YÖNTEMLER

Hareketin bilimsel olarak kaydedilmesi ve değerlendirilerek geri dönüş verilmesi sporun vazgeçilmez unsurudur. Sporda hareket analizi günümüzde sadece laboratuar ortamında gerçekleştirilebilmektedir. Bu durumda spora özgün ince farklılıklar ortadan kaybolmakta ve başarıyı beraberinde getiren unsurlarla ilgili sınırlı bilgi edinilebilmektedir. Sporda hareket analizinin doğal ortamda dijital video kameralara  kaydedilerek fotogrametrik yöntemlerle değerlendirilmesi gerek ülkemizde gerekse yurt dışında özgün bir fikir olup orijinallik arz etmektedir. Bu çalışmada futbol sporunda penaltı atış hareketinin, digital video kameralarla çekimi gerçekleştirilerek hareket adımlarının analizleri fotogrametrik yöntemler kullanılarak yapılmıştır

A user-friendly machine learning approach for cardiac structures assessment

BackgroundMachine learning is increasingly being used to diagnose and treat various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Automatic image analysis can expedite tissue analysis and save time. However, using machine learning is limited among researchers due to the requirement of technical expertise. By offering extensible features through plugins and scripts, machine-learning platforms make these techniques more accessible to researchers with limited programming knowledge. The misuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids is prevalent, particularly among athletes and bodybuilders, and there is strong evidence of their detrimental effects on ventricular myocardial capillaries and muscle cells. However, most studies rely on qualitative data, which can lead to bias and limited reliability. We present a user-friendly approach using machine learning algorithms to measure the effects of exercise and anabolic-androgenic steroids on cardiac ventricular capillaries and myocytes in an experimental animal model.MethodMale Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 28): control, exercise-only, anabolic-androgenic steroid-alone, and exercise with anabolic-androgenic steroid. Histopathological analysis of heart tissue was conducted, with images processed and analyzed using the Trainable Weka Segmentation plugin in Fiji software. Machine learning classifiers were trained to segment capillary and myocyte nuclei structures, enabling quantitative morphological measurements.ResultsExercise significantly increased capillary density compared to other groups. However, in the exercise + anabolic-androgenic steroid group, steroid use counteracted this effect. Anabolic-androgenic steroid alone did not significantly impact capillary density compared to the control group. Additionally, the exercise group had a significantly shorter intercapillary distance than all other groups. Again, using steroids in the exercise + anabolic-androgenic steroid group diminished this positive effect.ConclusionDespite limited programming skills, researchers can use artificial intelligence techniques to investigate the adverse effects of anabolic steroids on the heart's vascular network and muscle cells. By employing accessible tools like machine learning algorithms and image processing software, histopathological images of capillary and myocyte structures in heart tissues can be analyzed

Blau Syndrome and Early-Onset Sarcoidosis: A Six Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Objectives: This study aims to discuss the clinical, laboratory and genetic findings, and treatment options for six patients who were diagnosed with Blau syndrome (BS)/early-onset sarcoidosis (EOS). Patients and methods: The study included four patients (2 males,2 females; mean age 7 years; range 4 to 10 years) with EOS and two siblings (1 male, 1 female; mean age 10 years; range, 9 to 11 years) with BS. Age, age of initial symptoms, age of diagnosis; articular involvement, presence of uveitis, dermatitis, or fever, other organ involvement, laboratory findings, results of metabolic tests for mucopolysaccharidosis and mucolipidosis, results of genetic, pathologic, and immunologic tests, radiologic findings to evaluate skeletal dysplasia, and treatment options were collected. Results: The median age at diagnosis of all patients was 6 years (range, 1 to 10 years). Five patients had camptodactyly and bilateral boggy synovitis in the wrists and ankles, one had granulomatous inflammatory changes in the liver and kidney biopsy, and one had attacks of fever and granulomatous dermatitis. None had uveitis. The detected mutations in nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2) were P268S (rs2066842), M513T (rs104895473), R702W (rs2066844), V955I (rs5743291), H343Y (rs199858111), and M491L (16:50745293). The treatments of patients included corticosteroids, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, methotrexate, infliximab, adalimumab, anakinra, and canacinumab. Conclusion: Camptodactyly and boggy synovitis are important signs of BS/EOS. Methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor blockers are more effective in patients with predominantly articular symptoms. In patients 5 and 6 and their mother, we determined a novel M491L mutation in the NOD2 gene. Currently, this work is in progress towards identifying the pathogenesis and treatment options for this disease