Imaging of the Unstable Shoulder

Unstable shoulder can occur in different clinical scenarios with a broad spectrum of symptoms and presentations: first-time (or recurrent) traumatic acute shoulder anterior dislocation or chronic anterior instability after repeated dislocations.Imaging in unstable shoulder is fundamental for choosing the right treatment preventing recurrence.The goal of imaging depends on clinical scenario and patient characteristics

Efeito de dois métodos de resfriamento sobre a funçao espermática in vitro de semen criopreservado de felinos (Leopardus tigrinus, Leopardus pardalis E Felis catus), avaliada através de ensaio competitivo de ligaçao em ovócitos de gata doméstica (Felis

A busca de estratégias eficientes para a manutenção de espécies em risco de extinção tem impulsionado a comunidade científica a pesquisar alternativas para a preservação de material genético, com intuito de formação de bancos de genoma e aplicação de biotécnicas reprodutivas. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar os efeitos de dois protocolos diferentes de resfriamento pré-congelamento para a criopreservação de sêmen de jaguatirica (n=3), gato-do-mato-pequeno (n=4) e gato doméstíco (n=15). Apenas seis amostras de sêmen de jaguatirica, sete de gato-do-mato-pequeno e treze amostras de gato doméstico apresentaram características qualitativas e quantitativas para serem submetidas aos dois métodos de resfriamento. Estas amostras foram processadas e diluídas em meio crioprotetor, com 4% de glicerol e divididas em duas alíquotas submetidas ao método rápido (30 min a 4°C) ou lento (= 2 horas a 4°C) de resfriamento e, em seguida congeladas. Após o descongelamento as amostras foram avaliadas para índice de motilidade, percentual de células com acrossoma intacto e de células viáveis. Ovócitos de gatas domésticas maturados in vitro foram utilizados para avaliar a capacidade de ligação espermática à zona pelúcida, em ensaios de ligação competitiva in vitro. Os espermatozóides criopreservados pelos dois métodos, diferenciados entre si pelo uso de corante vital, competiram pela ligação à zona pelúcida dos mesmos ovócitos, em iguais condições de tratamento. O índice médio da motilidade espermática, pós-congelamento, foi de aproximadamente 50% para todas as espécies nos dois métodos de resfriamento. O percentual de células com acrossoma intacto, para a jaguatirica, foi de aproximadamente 20% nos dois métodos de resfriamento enquanto o gato-do-mato-pequeno apresentou 30,8% de células com acrossoma intacto no método de resfriamento rápido e 33,4% no método lento. Para o gato doméstico, o percentual de células com acrossoma intacto foi de 33,4% e 32,7% nos métodos de resfriamento rápido e lento, respectivamente. O sêmen do gato-do-mato-pequeno sofreu a menor redução no percentual de células viáveis com 51,2% no método de resfriamento rápido e 44% no método lento. A jaguatirica apresentou os menores índices entre as três espécies com 24% de células viáveis no método rápido e 27,4% no método lento, e o gato doméstico apresentou 28,6% e 28,2% de células viáveis nos métodos rápido e lento, respectivamente. O número médio de espermatozóides ligados por ovócito foi maior (p < 0,05) para o resfriamento lento do sêmen de gato-do-mato-pequeno (5,8 +- 0,9) do que para o resfriamento rápido (2,7 +- 0,4). Já o resfriamento rápido proporcionou melhores resultados na taxa de ligação espermática para a jaguatirica (8,5 +- 1,3) (p < 0,01) e para gato doméstico (4,3 +-0,9) (p< 0,05), enquanto o método de resfriamento lento proporcionou 2,5 +- 0,3 espermatozóides de jaguatirica e 1,4 +- 0,2 espermatozóides de gato doméstico ligados por ovócito. As diferentes respostas entre as espécies podem ser devidas a características espermáticas espécie-específicas e individuais. Os resultados permitiram inferir que os protocolos de criopreservação devem ainda ser aperfeiçoados e adaptados à cada espécie e que o ensaio de ligação espermática competitiva foi eficiente na detecção de diferenças na função espermática entre tratamentos, o que não foi possível com as avaliações espermáticas de rotin

Coleoptera nonnulla nova descripta

Holoparamecus Truquii m. Ferrugineus, convexiusculus, subtilissime parce punctulatus, thorace disco doveola oblonga, summa basi lineola transversa lineis duabus longitudinalibus utrinque terminata impresso, antennis pedibusque lestaceis

Ultrastructural aspects of articular cartilage and subchondral bone in patients affected by post-traumatic shoulder instability: preliminary observations

Post traumatic shoulder instability is a frequent condition in young active population. Notwithstanding a lot of data have been collected on capsular-legament lesions and gleno-humeral defects, no data are available on early ultrastructural ostheo-condral damages that are known to be highly associated with the onset of invalidating pathologies, like osteoarthritis (OA). Thus, the mechanisms of joint instability and the identification of which components in the articular complex are primarily affected in instability are of clinical significance, particularly in the light of deepening knowledge on the onset/development of OA. In the present study, biopsies of the articular cartilage and sub-chondral bone were taken from 10 patients (aged 26-40) underwent surgery in Policlinico of Modena. The withdrawals were immediately fixed and embedded for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The observations were performed in tangential, arcuate, and radial layers of the articular cartilage as well as in sub-chondral bone. TEM observations showed that chondrocytes in the superficial layers (i.e. tangential and arcuate) display normal and very well preserved ultrastructure, probably due to synovial liquid supply; otherwise, chondrocytes in the radial layer (not only in calcified but also in the un-calcified one) show various degrees of degeneration, with cytoplasm partially coerced and variously-sized vacuoles, both signs of suffering; occasionally, in the radial layer, chondrocytes with morphological signs of apoptosis or autophagy were also observed. As far as sub-chondral bone is concerned, osteocytes next the deeper calcified cartilage (within 80-100 micra from the cement line) also show evidences of degeneration, while osteocytes more distant from the osteo-chondral border display normal ultrastructure probably due to the vascular bone supply. In all patients of the study, the ultrastructural features of osteo-chondral complex are not depending on age. The present study represents the first ultrastructural investigation of the articular osteo-chondral complex in shoulder instability, evaluating the state of preservation/viability of both chondrocytes and osteocytes throughout the successive layers of the articular cartilage and sub-chondral bone. These preliminary observations are the basis to understand if the early surgical treatment in shoulder instability could avoid the onset of OA

BRCA1/2 genetic background-based therapeutic tailoring of human ovarian cancer: hope or reality?

Ovarian epithelial tumors are an hallmark of hereditary cancer syndromes which are related to the germ-line inheritance of cancer predisposing mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Although these genes have been associated with multiple different physiologic functions, they share an important role in DNA repair mechanisms and therefore in the whole genomic integrity control. These findings have risen a variety of issues in terms of treatment and prevention of breast and ovarian tumors arising in this context. Enhanced sensitivity to platinum-based anticancer drugs has been related to BRCA1/2 functional loss. Retrospective studies disclosed differential chemosensitivity profiles of BRCA1/2-related as compared to "sporadic" ovarian cancer and led to the identification of a "BRCA-ness" phenotype of ovarian cancer, which includes inherited BRCA1/2 germ-line mutations, a serous high grade histology highly sensitive to platinum derivatives. Molecularly-based tailored treatments of human tumors are an emerging issue in the "era" of molecular targeted drugs and molecular profiling technologies. We will critically discuss if the genetic background of ovarian cancer can indeed represent a determinant issue for decision making in the treatment selection and how the provocative preclinical findings might be translated in the therapeutic scenario. The presently available preclinical and clinical evidence clearly indicates that genetic background has an emerging role in treatment individualization for ovarian cancer patients

Identification and Characterization of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Founder Mutations

A large number of cancer predisposing BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations have been reported, with a wide variety among populations. In some restricted groups, specific germline mutations in these tumor suppressor genes have been found with high predominance, due to a founder effect. We focused our review on the Italian founder mutations. The first Italian BRCA1 founder mutation, 5083del19, was found in Calabria: the presence of common allele in all carriers of this mutation (also in families with Calabrian origin living in other parts of Italy) confirmed its founder effect. The same BRCA1 mutation was identified in the Sicilian population, but only the haplotype analysis can reveal the common ancestor of these groups. Another BRCA1 founder mutation, 4843delC, was found in Sicily. Four distinct BRCA1 mutations are attributable to families original from Tuscany: 3348delAG, 3285delA, 1499insA and 5183delTGT; the latter has been shown to be a founder mutation from North-Eastern Italy. The first BRCA2 mutation was identified in Sardinia, 8765delAG, a mutation already described as a founder mutation in Jewish-Yemenite families and also in French-Canadian population but with independent origins of carriers in these three populations. BRCA2 3951del3 and BRCA1 917delTT have been described as founder mutations in Middle Sardinia and in South and Middle Sardinia, respectively. Studies regarding prevalence and penetrance of founder mutations can allow to quantify the degree of homogeneity within a population and can surely help the geneticist and oncologist to simplify their choices in the genetic testing on high-risk families, on the basis of their ethnical origin