Blood Supply to the Integument of the Abdomen of the Rat: A Surgical Perspective

BACKGROUND: Many fundamental questions regarding the blood supply to the integument of the rat remain to be clarified, namely the degree of homology between rat and humans. The aim of this work was to characterize in detail the macro and microvascular blood supply to the integument covering the ventrolateral aspect of the abdominal wall of the rat. METHODS: Two hundred five Wistar male rats weighing 250-350 g were used. They were submitted to gross anatomical dissection after intravascular colored latex injection (n = 30); conversion in modified Spalteholz cleared specimens (n=10); intravascular injection of a Perspex solution, and then corroded, in order to produce vascular corrosion casts of the vessels in the region (n = 5); histological studies (n = 20); scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts (n = 10); surgical dissection of the superficial caudal epigastric vessels (n = 100); and to thermographic evaluation (n = 30). RESULTS: The ventrolateral abdominal wall presented a dominant superficial vascular system, which was composed mainly of branches from the superficial caudal epigastric artery and vein in the caudal half. The cranial half still received significant arterial contributions from the lateral thoracic artery in all cases and from large perforators coming from the intercostal arteries and from the deep cranial epigastric artery. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that rats and humans present a great deal of homology regarding the blood supply to the ventrolateral aspect of the abdominal integument. However, there are also significant differences that must be taken into consideration when performing and interpreting experimental procedures in rats.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Optimization of an Arterialized Venous Fasciocutaneous Flap in the Abdomen of the Rat

BACKGROUND: Although numerous experimental models of arterialized venous flaps (AVFs) have been proposed, no single model has gained widespread acceptance. The main aim of this work was to evaluate the survival area of AVFs produced with different vascular constructs in the abdomen of the rat. METHODS: Fifty-three male rats were divided into 4 groups. In group I (n = 12), a 5-cm-long and 3-cm-wide conventional epigastric flap was raised on the left side of the abdomen. This flap was pedicled on the superficial caudal epigastric vessels caudally and on the lateral thoracic vein cranially. In groups II, III, and IV, a similar flap was raised, but the superficial epigastric artery was ligated. In these groups, AVFs were created using the following arterial venous anastomosis at the caudal end of the flap: group II (n = 13) a 1-mm-long side-to-side anastomosis was performed between the femoral artery and vein laterally to the ending of the superficial caudal epigastric vein. In group III (n = 14), in addition to the procedure described for group II, the femoral vein was ligated medially. Finally, in group IV (n = 14), the superficial caudal epigastric vein was cut from the femoral vein with a 1-mm-long ellipse of adjacent tissue, and an end-to-side arterial venous anastomosis was established between it and the femoral artery. RESULTS: Seven days postoperatively, the percentage of flap survival was 98.89 ± 1.69, 68.84 ± 7.36, 63.84 ± 10.38, 76.86 ± 13.67 in groups I-IV, respectively. CONCLUSION: An optimized AVF can be produced using the vascular architecture described for group IV.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Model of Free Tissue Transfer: The Rat Epigastric Free Flap

Free tissue transfer has been increasingly used in clinical practice since the 1970s, allowing reconstruction of complex and otherwise untreatable defects resulting from tumor extirpation, trauma, infections, malformations or burns. Free flaps are particularly useful for reconstructing highly complex anatomical regions, like those of the head and neck, the hand, the foot and the perineum. Moreover, basic and translational research in the area of free tissue transfer is of great clinical potential. Notwithstanding, surgical trainees and researchers are frequently deterred from using microsurgical models of tissue transfer, due to lack of information regarding the technical aspects involved in the operative procedures. The aim of this paper is to present the steps required to transfer a fasciocutaneous epigastric free flap to the neck in the rat. This flap is based on the superficial epigastric artery and vein, which originates from and drain into the femoral artery and vein, respectively. On average the caliber of the superficial epigastric vein is 0.6 to 0.8 mm, contrasting with the 0.3 to 0.5 mm of the superficial epigastric artery. Histologically, the flap is a composite block of tissues, containing skin (epidermis and dermis), a layer of fat tissue (panniculus adiposus), a layer of striated muscle (panniculus carnosus), and a layer of loose areolar tissue. Succinctly, the epigastric flap is raised on its pedicle vessels that are then anastomosed to the external jugular vein and to the carotid artery on the ventral surface of the rat's neck. According to our experience, this model guarantees the complete survival of approximately 70 to 80% of epigastric flaps transferred to the neck region. The flap can be evaluated whenever needed by visual inspection. Hence, the authors believe this is a good experimental model for microsurgical research and training.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Anti-tumour necrosis factor discontinuation in inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission: study protocol of a prospective, multicentre, randomized clinical trial

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who achieve remission with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs may have treatment withdrawn due to safety concerns and cost considerations, but there is a lack of prospective, controlled data investigating this strategy. The primary study aim is to compare the rates of clinical remission at 1?year in patients who discontinue anti-TNF treatment versus those who continue treatment. Methods: This is an ongoing, prospective, double-blind, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with Crohn?s disease or ulcerative colitis who have achieved clinical remission for ?6?months with an anti-TNF treatment and an immunosuppressant. Patients are being randomized 1:1 to discontinue anti-TNF therapy or continue therapy. Randomization stratifies patients by the type of inflammatory bowel disease and drug (infliximab versus adalimumab) at study inclusion. The primary endpoint of the study is sustained clinical remission at 1?year. Other endpoints include endoscopic and radiological activity, patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, work productivity), safety and predictive factors for relapse. The required sample size is 194 patients. In addition to the main analysis (discontinuation versus continuation), subanalyses will include stratification by type of inflammatory bowel disease, phenotype and previous treatment. Biological samples will be obtained to identify factors predictive of relapse after treatment withdrawal. Results: Enrolment began in 2016, and the study is expected to end in 2020. Conclusions: This study will contribute prospective, controlled data on outcomes and predictors of relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease after withdrawal of anti-TNF agents following achievement of clinical remission. Clinical trial reference number: EudraCT 2015-001410-1

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019)Swiss National Science Foundation | Ref. 200021_16959

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (nee European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60% from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).Peer reviewe

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology To Monitor Synthetic Cathinones Use in Different European Countries

Synthetic cathinones are among the most consumed new psychoactive substances (NPS), but their increasing number and interchangeable market make it difficult to estimate the real size of their consumption. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) through the analysis of metabolic residues of these substances in urban wastewater can provide this information. This study applied WBE for the first time to investigate the presence of 17 synthetic cathinones in four European countries. A method based on solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was developed, validated, and used to quantify the target analytes. Seven substances were found, with mephedrone and methcathinone being the most frequently detected and none of the analytes being found in Norway. Population-normalized loads were used to evaluate the pattern of use, which indicated a higher consumption in the U.K., followed by Spain and Italy, in line with the European prevalence data from population surveys. In the U.K., where an entire week was investigated, an increase of the loads was found during the weekend, indicating a preferential use in recreational contexts. This study demonstrated that WBE can be a useful additional tool to monitor the use of NPS in a population

Molecular-genetic characterization and rescue of a TSFM mutation causing childhood-onset ataxia and nonobstructive cardiomyopathy

Oxidative phosphorylation dysfunction has been found in many different disorders. This biochemical pathway depends on mitochondrial protein synthesis. Thus, mutations in components of the mitochondrial translation system can be responsible for some of these pathologies. We identified a new homozygous missense mutation in the mitochondrial translation elongation factor Ts gene in a patient suffering from slowly progressive childhood ataxia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Using cell, biochemical and molecular-genetic protocols, we confirm it as the etiologic factor of this phenotype. Moreover, as an important functional confirmation, we rescued the normal molecular phenotype by expression of the wild-type TSFM cDNA in patient's fibroblasts. Different TSFM mutations can produce the same or very different clinical phenotypes, going from abortions to moderately severe presentations. On the other hand, the same TSFM mutation can also produce same or different phenotypes within the same range of presentations, therefore suggesting the involvement of unknown factors