A new resorbable device for ligation of blood vessels - A pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During surgery, controlled haemostasis to prevent blood loss is vital for a successful outcome. It can be difficult to ligate vessels located deep in the abdomen. A device that is easy to use and enables secure ligatures could be beneficial. Cable ties made of nylon have been used for ligation but the non-resorbable material caused tissue reactions. The objective of this study was to use a resorbable material to construct a device with a self-locking mechanism and to test its mechanical strength and ligation efficiency.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The device was manufactured by injection moulding of polydioxanone, a resorbable polymer used for suture materials. Polydioxanone with inherent viscosities of 1.9 dL/g and 1.3 dL/g were tested. The device consisted of a perforated flexible band which could be pulled through a case with a locking mechanism. After a first version of the device had been tested, some improvements were made. The locking case was downsized, corners were rounded off, the band was made thicker and the mould was redesigned to produce longer devices. Tensile tests were performed with the second version.</p> <p>The first version of the device was used to ligate the ovarian pedicle in a euthanized dog and to test echogenicity of the device with ultrasound. Compression of vessels of the ovarian pedicle was examined by histology. Both versions of the device were tested for haemostasis of and tissue grip on renal arteries in six anaesthetised pigs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The tensile strength of the flexible band of the devices with inherent viscosity of 1.9 dL/g was 50.1 ± 5.5 N (range 35.2-62.9 N, <it>n </it>= 11) and the devices with inherent viscosity of 1.3 dL/g had a tensile strength of 39.8 ± 8.1 N (range 18.6-54.2 N, <it>n </it>= 11). Injection moulding of the polymer with lower inherent viscosity resulted in a longer flow distance.</p> <p>Both versions of the device had an effective tissue grip and complete haemostasis of renal arteries was verified. The device attached to the ovarian pedicle could be seen with ultrasound, and vessel compression and occlusion were verified by histology.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Tests of functionality of the device showed complete haemostasis and good tissue grip. Devices with a band of sufficient length were easily applied and tightened in tissue.</p

Surgical correction of ear curling caused by scar tissue formation in a horse

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Partial food restriction increases hepatic inner ring deiodinating activity in the chicken and the rat

The effects of a long term partial food restriction were studied in chickens and rats. In chickens the treatment resulted in increased plasma T-4 levels while T-4 levels in rats remained unchanged. Plasma T-3 decreased in both species. In vitro hepatic outer ring deiodinating type I (ORD-I) activity was not influenced by the food restriction, suggesting that the amount of ORD-I enzyme present in the liver remained unchanged. In vitro hepatic inner ring deiodinating type III activity, on the contrary, was greatly increased in both species. This increase may contribute to the decreased circulating T-3 levels by increasing the degradation of T-3 and diverting the deiodination of T-4 to rT(3) instead of to T-3. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.status: publishe

Safety and sample adequacy of renal transplant surveillance biopsies

Purpose: To report on the safety and adequacy of surveillance biopsy for detecting subclinical lesions in clinically stable renal grafts. Materials and methods: We established an in-patient surveillance biopsy program with the elective performance of a renal transplant biopsy during the first year after renal transplantation. All biopsies in our centre were performed or supervised by the same operator. Patients were admitted to the hospital the day of biopsy and were discharged after 24h of observation. All patients were biopsied in supine position, using a 16-gauge needle with a spring-loaded gun (Bard (R)) under real-time ultrasound guidance. Complication rates were retrospectively scored using the patients' charts and blood counts before and after biopsy. Major complications were defined as those requiring an intervention for resolution, a transfusion of blood products or an invasive procedure (angiography or surgery), and those that led to acute renal obstruction or failure, septicaemia, graft loss or death. In all other cases complications were considered minor. An adequate biopsy was defined as the presence of 7 or more glomeruli and at least one artery in the biopsy specimen. Results: We performed 282 surveillance biopsies in 248 patients between January 2006 and December 2011. None of the complications were major. We observed 6% minor complications (n = 17). 5.6% (n = 16) of the complications were related to bleeding, with macroscopic haematuria as the most common condition (n = 10; 3.5%), followed by pain (n = 6; 2.1%) eighter due to a perinephric hematoma (n = 5) or a subcutaneous hematoma (n = 1). The biopsies contained a median number of 9 glomeruli (range 0-39) with 70% of biopsies containing at least 7 glomeruli and one artery. Conclusion: The procedure for taking surveillance biopsies was proven to be safe. There were no major complications and only rare minor complications. The majority of the samples were adequate for histological examination

Growth performance of rats fed jojoba proteins. Possible correlations with trypsin inhibitory activity in jojoba proteins

The effects of the water-soluble protein fraction of jojoba meal on growth and relative organ weight in rats were tested. Trypsin inhibitory activity (TIA) was measured in the untreated water-soluble jojoba proteins and in preparations after dry-heating (100 degrees C, 2 h) or methanol extraction (Soxhlet, 6 h). TIA was found in the jojoba protein fraction and could not be destroyed by dry-heating or methanol extraction of the jojoba proteins. In the first feeding experiment, growth performance and relative organ weight were compared of young rats fed ad libitum a diet containing either 18% soybean proteins (C), 6% soybean proteins (P6), or 6% soybean proteins supplemented with 12% jojoba proteins (JJ) or 12% toasted jojoba proteins (JJT). In a second 3 week experiment, growth and relative organ weight of young rats receiving a diet containing 6% soybean proteins supplemented with 12% methanol-extracted jojoba proteins (JJM) were compared for rats pair-fed with JJM with a diet containing 18% soybean proteins (PF). Although food intakes of C, JJ, and JJT rats were similar and P6 rats ate more than C rats, PG, JJ, and JJT rats showed growth retardation compared to C rats. JJM rats and PF rats showed a similar growth. The pancreas was hypertrophied in JJ and JJT rats, compared to C rats, and in JJM rats, compared to PF rats. Interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) was hypertrophied in P6, JJ, and JJT rats but normal in the JJM group. Jojoba proteins induce growth retardation. This is accompanied by pancreatic and BAT hypertrophy. As trypsin inhibition does not change but growth does ameliorate and BAT hypertrophy is abolished after methanol extraction, trypsin inhibition has no major influence on growth in the present experiments, while BAT hypertrophy is accompanied by growth reduction