Height, weight and limb bones length of the embryos of pregnant mice injected by sodium valproate

Background and aim: Valproic acid (and its salt, sodium valproate) is one of the drugs that has been widely used for treatment of epileptic patients during the recent decades. The aim of this study was to find the effects of the drug on the morphological characteristics (such as height and weight) and limb bones of mouse embryo. Methods: Case group consisted of 8 pregnant mice that on the ninth day of their gestation, sodium valproate (200 mg/kg) was intraperitonealy injected at three consecutive times (at 0, 6, 12 hours). Seven pregnant mice were injected by distilled water as the control group. On the 18th day of gestation, pregnant mice of both groups were killed by cervical dislocation and their embryos were removed. The embryos height and weight were measured. Then some of embryos were used for Alizarin red & Alciane blue staining. By this method of staining soft tissues would become clear, cartilages become blue and bones turn to red. In stained embryos, the lengths of limb bones were measured. Results: Height and weight of the case group was significantly less than those of the control group. Also, the length of femoral, tibial, fibular, humeral, radial and ulnar bones was significantly less in the case group. Conclusion: Administration of sodium valproate during pregnancy decreases the height and weight of embryos and could cause delay in growth of the limb bones, therefore should not be used during pregnancy.

The effects of lead on motility, viability and DNA denaturation of cauda epididymal spermatozoa of mouse

زمینه و هدف: سرب یکی از آلوده کننده های محیطی است. در این مطالعه اثرات سرب بر تحرک، زنده ماندن و دناتوره شدن DNA اسپرم موش مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. هدف ما بررسی اثرات سرب بر این فاکتورها و نیز قابل بازگشت بودن یا نبودن این اثرات بود. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی 24 موش نر به عنوان گروه آزمایش و 24 موش نیز، گروه کنترل در نظرگرفته شدند. به موش های گروه آزمایش 200 میلی گرم بر کیلوگرم محلول استات سرب و به موش های گروه کنترل تنها آب مقطر به صورت داخل صفاقی تزریق گردید. پس از آن هر کدام از گروه ها به سه زیر گروه مساوی تقسیم شدند و موش های هر زیر گروه در هفته های اول، دوم و سوم پس از تزریق کشته و اپیدیدیم آن ها برداشته شد. در تمامی گروه ها درصد اسپرم های متحرک، درصد اسپرم های زنده و میزان دناتوره شدن اسپرم های ناحیه دم اپیدیدیم اندازه گیری شد. داده ها به کمک آزمون های آماری من ویتنی و کروسکال والیس تجزیه و تحلیل شد. یافته ها: سرب سبب کاهش میزان تحرک و زنده ماندن اسپرم ها در هفته اول پس از تزریق شد (05/0

Bilateral osteochondral defects of the patellae in an 11-year-old girl

Osteochondral defect or osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee usually affects young, active populations. It is a challenging diagnosis as patients typically present with poorly localised activity-related pain, which is non-specific and covers many differentials. We present an active 11-year-old girl with bilateral osteochondral defects of the patellae: a rare clinical disorder which was affecting her sporting activities. She had a 12-month history of bilateral anterior knee pain before the diagnosis was achieved with appropriate imaging. Her pain significantly improved with activity modification and physiotherapy. Follow-up will require outpatient clinic assessment and imaging to determine if non-operative management continues to be successful or surgery may be required. This case report emphasises the importance of appropriate high index of suspicion when managing patients with non-specific knee pain. It also demonstrates the importance of judicious use of imaging to avoid a missed or delayed diagnosis

A rare manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis: Left ventricular cardiac tuberculoma in an HIV infected male �case report�

Cardiac tuberculosis (TB) is rare and most commonly manifests itself as tuberculous pericarditis. Involvement of other parts of the heart is unusual and descriptions in the literature are confined to case reports regarding mainly pericardial TB and very few cases of cardiac tuberculoma. Tuberculomas are space occupying lesions most commonly found in the brain of immunocompromised individuals. These space occupying lesions previously described only after autopsies are now more diagnosed with the use of advanced imaging techniques. Herein, we describe a first case of pericardial TB manifesting as left ventricular (LV) cardiac tuberculoma in a 34-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected male. Upon presentation the patient complained mainly of progressive dyspnoea over the past month. Primary investigations including chest computed tomography (CT) scan and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) suggested probable diagnosis of cardiac and pericardial TB which was later confirmed by histopathological modalities. The patient received anti-TB therapy along with surgical subtotal pericardiotomy which resulted in improvement of symptoms, complete resolution of the mass and reduction in the size of pericardial thickening. Although very rare it is crucial to bear in mind the importance of having cardiac tuberculoma as differential diagnosis in patients with a cardiac mass and implement the optimum diagnostic and therapeutic courses. doi: 10.21037/cdt-20-44

An unusual case of persistent groin pain after total hip arthroplasty: a case report

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Arthroplasty is a well-established routine elective surgical procedure in orthopaedics. To a great extent, diagnosis, treatment and post-operative rehabilitation in these patients is standardised. In a busy clinic, surgeons from time to time tend to focus their attention on common causes of joint pain, but it may lead them to overlook sinister but less common pathologies. Here we report a case of a patient with groin pain due to pre-operatively undetected pelvic metastases from a pyeloureteral carcinoma who underwent total hip arthroplasty. There are several case reports which deal with primary or secondary tumours which were either discovered at the time of replacement surgery or developed at the site of prosthesis years after total hip or knee replacement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in which a metastatic cancer was missed pre-operatively and intra-operatively both by the radiologist and by the orthopaedic surgeon and should be reported so that surgeons are reminded to be careful when dealing with seemingly routine cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 79-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the arthroplasty clinic with groin pain. Initial radiographs showed subtle bilateral abnormalities in the pelvis. Neither the radiologist nor the orthopaedic surgeon recognized it. A diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hip was established, and she underwent total hip arthroplasty. Despite initial improvement, the patient came back with worsening hip pain three months later. Further radiological examination revealed multiple metastatic lesions throughout the pelvis due to a pyeloureteral carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: This case report emphasizes the importance of meticulous, unbiased pre-operative assessment of patients and their radiographs, even in so-called routine clinical cases. Often subtle radiological changes are classed as normal, especially if they are bilateral. Further radiological imaging should be recommended in all cases where unexplained clinical features or radiological findings are present

Clinical value of SPECT/CT for evaluation of patients with painful knees after total knee arthroplasty- a new dimension of diagnostics?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical value of hybrid SPECT/CT for the assessment of patients with painful total knee arthroplasty (TKA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-three painful knees in patients following primary TKA were assessed using Tc-99m-HDP-SPECT/CT. Rotational, sagittal and coronal position of the TKA was assessed on 3D-CT reconstructions. The level of the SPECT-tracer uptake (0-10) and its anatomical distribution was mapped using a validated localization scheme. Univariate analysis (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, Spearmean`s-rho test, p < 0.05) was performed to identify any correlations between component position, tracer uptake and diagnosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>SPECT/CT imaging changed the suspected diagnosis and the proposed treatment in 19/23 (83%) knees. Progression of patellofemoral OA (n = 11), loosening of the tibial (n = 3) and loosening of the femoral component (n = 2) were identified as the leading causes of pain after TKA.</p> <p>Patients with externally rotated tibial trays showed higher tracer uptake in the medial patellar facet (p = 0.049) and in the femur (p = 0.051). Patients with knee pain due to patellofemoral OA showed significantly higher tracer uptake in the patella than others (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>SPECT/CT was very helpful in establishing the diagnosis and guiding subsequent management in patients with painful knees after TKA, particularly in patients with patellofemoral problems and malpositioned or loose TKA.</p

The trochlear isometric point is different in patients with recurrent patellar instability compared to controls: a radiographical study

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the theoretical isometric point based of the curve of the femoral groove and relating it to the origin of the MPFL femoral tunnel on lateral radiograph by comparing a patellar instability cohort with a control cohort. Methods: From a Patellar Instability database the radiographs of 40 consecutive patients were analysed to define Schöttle’s point, and the arc of the circle of the trochlear groove. A comparison population of 20 radiographs from comparable patients with tibiofemoral joint disorders was used as a control. The distance from Schöttle’s point to the most anterior part of the groove (extension) was also compared to the distance to the distal end of the roof of the notch (flexion). Results: The trochlea was circular in the controls but not the Patellofemoral Instability cohort where trochlear dysplasia is usually present. The difference between the extension and flexion length was a mean of − 2.0 ± 0.5 mm in the controls and + 6.0 ± 0.5 mm in the patellofemoral cohort. In neither cohort did the centre of the circle correspond to Schöttle’s point. The extension distance correlated with the boss height. Conclusions: The dysplastic trochlea is not circular and the centre of the best matched circle was different to the control trochleae which were circular. The circle centres did not correlate with Schöttle’s point for either cohort, and was more proximal in the Patellofemoral Instability cohort. Clinical relevance: For the MPFL to have equal tension throughout flexion within the groove, the length should not change. In normal knees the MPFL does not behave isometrically. The change in length, as measured from Schöttle’s point to the trochlea, was greater for patellofemoral instability patients explaining why an isolated MPFL reconstruction in the presence of severe trochlear dysplasia risks poor outcomes