OSTEOCHONDRAL AUTOLOGOUS TRANSPLANTATION FOR TREATING CHONDRAL LESIONS IN THE PATELLA

ABSTRACTObjective: The primary aim of this study was to assess the clinical and functional evolution of patients with total-thickness symptomatic cartilaginous injury of the patellar joint surface, treated by means of osteochondral autologous transplantation. Methods: This prospective study was conducted from June 2008 to March 2011 and involved 17 patients. The specific questionnaires of Lysholm, Kujala and Fulkerson were completed preoperatively and one year postoperatively in order to assess the affected knee, and SF-36 was used to assess these patients’ general quality of life. The nonparametric paired Wilcoxon test was used for statistical analysis on the pre and postoperative questionnaires. The data were analyzed using the SPSS for Windows software, version 16.0, and a significance level of 5% was used. Results: The Lysholm preoperative and postoperative average scores were 54.59 and 75.76 points (p < 0.05). The Fulkerson pre and postoperative average scores were 52.53 and 78.41 points (p < 0.05). Conclusions: We believe that autologous osteochondral transplantation is a good treatment method for total-thickness symptomatic chondral lesions of the joint surface of the patella

Face engagement during infancy predicts later face recognition ability in younger siblings of children with autism

Face recognition difficulties are frequently documented in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It has been hypothesized that these difficulties result from a reduced interest in faces early in life, leading to decreased cortical specialization and atypical development of the neural circuitry for face processing. However, a recent study by our lab demonstrated that infants at increased familial risk for ASD, irrespective of their diagnostic status at 3 years, exhibit a clear orienting response to faces. The present study was conducted as a follow-up on the same cohort to investigate how measures of early engagement with faces relate to face-processing abilities later in life. We also investigated whether face recognition difficulties are specifically related to an ASD diagnosis, or whether they are present at a higher rate in all those at familial risk. At 3 years we found a reduced ability to recognize unfamiliar faces in the high-risk group that was not specific to those children who received an ASD diagnosis, consistent with face recognition difficulties being an endophenotype of the disorder. Furthermore, we found that longer looking at faces at 7 months was associated with poorer performance on the face recognition task at 3 years in the high- risk group. These findings suggest that longer looking at faces in infants at risk for ASD might reflect early face-processing difficulties and predicts difficulties with recognizing faces later in life

Face engagement during infancy predicts later face recognition ability in younger siblings of children with autism

Face recognition difficulties are frequently documented in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It has been hypothesized that these difficulties result from a reduced interest in faces early in life, leading to decreased cortical specialization and atypical development of the neural circuitry for face processing. However, a recent study by our lab demonstrated that infants at increased familial risk for ASD, irrespective of their diagnostic status at 3 years, exhibit a clear orienting response to faces. The present study was conducted as a follow-up on the same cohort to investigate how measures of early engagement with faces relate to face-processing abilities later in life. We also investigated whether face recognition difficulties are specifically related to an ASD diagnosis, or whether they are present at a higher rate in all those at familial risk. At 3 years we found a reduced ability to recognize unfamiliar faces in the high-risk group that was not specific to those children who received an ASD diagnosis, consistent with face recognition difficulties being an endophenotype of the disorder. Furthermore, we found that longer looking at faces at 7 months was associated with poorer performance on the face recognition task at 3 years in the high- risk group. These findings suggest that longer looking at faces in infants at risk for ASD might reflect early face-processing difficulties and predicts difficulties with recognizing faces later in life

Distribution of the heavy elements throughout the extended narrow line region of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 7212

The latest observations of line and continuum spectra emitted from the extended narrow line region (ENLR) of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7212 are analysed using models accounting for photoionization from the active nucleus and shocks. The results show that relatively high (500--800 \kms) shock velocities appear on the edge of the cone and outside of it. The model-inferred AGN flux, which is lower than $10^{-11}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ eV$^{-1}$ at the Lyman limit, is more typical of low-luminosity AGN, and less so for Seyfert 2 galaxies. The preshock densities are characteristic of the ENLR and range between 80--150 cm$^{-3}$. Nitrogen and sulphur are found depleted by a factor lower than 2, particularly at the eastern edge. Oxygen is depleted at several locations. The Fe/H ratio is approximately solar, whereas the Ne/H relative abundance is unusually high, 1.5--2 times the solar value. Modelling the continuum spectral energy distribution (SED), we have found radio synchrotron radiation generated by the Fermi mechanism at the shock front, whereas the X-rays are produced by the bremsstrahlung from a relatively high temperature plasma.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Infant Neural Sensitivity to Dynamic Eye Gaze relates to quality of parent–infant interaction at 7-months in infants at risk for Autism

Links between brain function measures and quality of parent–child interactions within the early developmental period have been investigated in typical and atypical development. We examined such links in a group of 104 infants with and without a family history for autism in the first year of life. Our findings suggest robust associations between event related potential responses to eye gaze and observed parent–infant interaction measures. In both groups, infants with more positive affect exhibit stronger differentiation to gaze stimuli. This association was observed with the earlier P100 waveform component in the control group but with the later P400 component in infants at-risk. These exploratory findings are critical in paving the way for a better understanding of how infant laboratory measures may relate to overt behavior and how both can be combined in the context of predicting risk or clinical diagnosis in toddlerhood

In vitro and in vivo ocular biocompatibility of electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) nanofibers.

Biocompatibility is a requirement for the development of nanofibers for ophthalmic applications. In this study, nanofibers were elaborated using poly(ε-caprolactone) via electrospinning. The ocular biocompatibility of this material was investigated. MIO-M1 and ARPE-19 cell cultures were incubated with nanofibers and cellular responses were monitored by viability and morphology. The in vitro biocompatibility revealed that the nanofibers were not cytotoxic to the ocular cells. These cells exposed to the nanofibers proliferated and formed an organized monolayer. ARPE-19 and MIO-M1 cells were capable of expressing GFAP, respectively, demonstrating their functionality. Nanofibers were inserted into the vitreous cavity of the rat's eye for 10days and the in vivo biocompatibility was investigated using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), histology and measuring the expression of pro-inflammatory genes (IL-1β, TNF-α, VEGF and iNOS) (real-time PCR). The OCT and the histological analyzes exhibited the preserved architecture of the tissues of the eye. The biomaterial did not elicit an inflammatory reaction and pro-inflammatory cytokines were not expressed by the retinal cells, and the other posterior tissues of the eye. Results from the biocompatibility studies indicated that the nanofibers exhibited a high degree of cellular biocompatibility and short-term intraocular tolerance, indicating that they might be applied as drug carrier for ophthalmic use

CALONECTRIS BOREALIS (AVES, PROCELLARIIDAE) COMO UN REGISTRO NUEVO PARA DOS ESPECIES DE NEMÁTODOS EN BRASIL

Contracaecum pelagicum Johnston & Mawson, 1942 y Seuratia shipleyi (Stossich, 1900) están registrados en Brasil parasitando Calonectris borealis (Cory, 1881), que es un nuevo huésped para ambas especies. Se presentam las principales medidas de estas especies en el nuevo huésped