34 research outputs found
Eye bank issues: II. Preservation techniques: warm versus cold storage
Most of the tissue used for penetrating keratoplasty is issued through eye banks that store the corneoscleral button either in hypothermic storage at 2–6°C or in organ culture at 31–37°C
Laparoscopic Resection of a Non-functional, Extra-adrenal Paraganglioma: A Case Report and Literature Review
Non-functional, extra-adrenal, retroperitoneal paraganglioma is a rare,
neuroendocrine, and potentially malignant tumor. Its diagnosis and
treatment may be challenging. A 69-year-old female patient was admitted
because of a left para-aortic, solid, 4.4-cm mass, incidentally
discovered during abdominal ultrasonography for screening purposes. Her
clinical examination was unremarkable. Preoperative differential
diagnosis based on cross-sectional imaging included tumor of
neuroendocrine or mesenchymal origin. Hormonal investigation with
24-hour urinary catecholamines and metanephrines and plasma-fractionated
metanephrines was in the normal range. Following consultation with the
endocrinologist and anesthesiologist, the tumor was removed by using the
three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic transperitoneal surgical approach.
The perioperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged
on the third postoperative day. Histopathologic findings were consistent
with the diagnosis of retroperitoneal extra-adrenal paraganglioma of 5
cm in maximum diameter
Evaluation of Femoral Bone Fracture Healing in Rats by the Modal Damping Factor and Its Correlation With Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography
Introduction
Monitoring the progress of fracture healing is essential in order to
establish the appropriate timing that ensures adequate bone strength for
weight-bearing. In the present experimental study on a rat model of
femoral fracture healing, the measurement of bone density and strength
by peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (pQCT) was correlated
with the modal damping factor (MDF) method.
Methods
Four groups of 12 male six-month-old Wistar rats each were anesthetized
and submitted to baseline femoral pQCT and MDF scanning, followed by
aseptic midshaft osteotomy of the right femur which was fixed by a
locking intramedullary nail technique. The animals were left to recover
and re-scanned following euthanasia of each group after six, eight, 10,
and 12 weeks, respectively. The parameters measured by the pQCT method
were total bone mineral density (BMD) and polar strength strain index
(SSIp).
Results
Fracture healing progressed over time and at 12 weeks post-osteotomy
there was no statistically significant difference between the
osteotomized right and the control left femurs regarding MDF, BMD, and
SSIp measurements. The highest correlations for the osteotomized femurs
were observed between MDF and BMD (r = -0.647, P = 0.043), and between
MDF and SSIp (r = -0.350, P = 0.321), at 10 weeks postoperatively. The
high to moderate correlations between MDF and BMD, and between MDF and
SSIp respectively, support the validity of MDF in assessing fracture
healing.
Conclusions
Based on our findings in this fracture healing animal model, the results
from the MDF method are reliable and correlate highly with the total BMD
and moderately with the SSI polar values obtained by the pQCT method of
bone quality measurement. Further studies are needed which may
additionally support that the MDF method can be an attractive portable
alternative to monitor fracture healing in the community