Post-traumatic brachial plexus MRI in practice

AbstractInjuries are separated into spinal nerve root avulsions (pre-ganglionic lesions) and more distal rupture (post-ganglionic lesions). The lesions may be associated with different nerve root levels. Spinal MRI is used to diagnose pre-ganglionic lesions, which may be present in the absence of pseudomeningoceles. The other sequences described are used to diagnose post-ganglionic lesions, regardless of the type of lesion. Knowledge that a graftable C5 nerve root is present is important in the treatment strategy. Contrast enhancement in the scalene triangle does not predict the quality of the nerve root (continuous injury with response to peroperative stimulation or division of the root needing grafting). Understanding post-traumatic neuronal injuries to the brachial plexus. Knowing how to look for spinal MRI abnormalities and post-ganglionic abnormalities

Paradigmas y enfoques teóricos en la sociología de la música

The aim of this paper is to present the state of affairs on the theoretical currents in the sociology of contemporary music. Internationally, the sociology of music has been productive in empirical research, especially in the European tradition. The theoretical scenario found in the sociology of music is based on a pluralistic paradigm which follows general trends in sociology. This shows in a variety of approaches, which we will present here, which differ according to the plane in which they operate: macro, meso and micro. We provide a summary of classic proposals like Weber, Adorno, Bourdieu and DeNora, and include new methodological proposals from social network analysis, ethnography and cultural studies. We consider that in order to consolidate a theoretical framework we must avoid the postmodern trap, which avoids sociological criticism, and recognize the need for doing true social theory.<br><br>El objetivo de este artículo es plantear un estado de la cuestión sobre las corrientes teóricas en la sociología de la música actual. A escala internacional, la sociología de la música ha sido un campo pródigo en teorías más que en investigación empírica, sobre todo en la tradición europea. El escenario teórico que encontramos en la sociología de la música sigue el pluralismo paradigmático de la sociología general. Esto se refleja en una variedad de enfoques, que presentaremos aquí, y que diferenciamos según el plano en el que operan: macro, meso y micro. Ofrecemos una síntesis de las propuestas de clásicos como Weber, Adorno, DeNora y Bourdieu, e incluimos nuevas propuestas metodológicas desde el análisis de redes sociales, la etnografía y los estudios culturales. Para consolidar un marco teórico de referencia debemos huir de la trampa postmoderna, que renuncia a la crítica sociológica, y reconoceremos el carácter necesario de una verdadera teoría social

Distinct functions of HTLV-1 Tax1 from HTLV-2 Tax2 contribute key roles to viral pathogenesis

While the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), to date, its close relative HTLV-2 is not associated with ATL or other types of malignancies. Accumulating evidence shows that HTLV-1 Tax1 and HTLV-2 Tax2 have many shared activities, but the two proteins have a limited number of significantly distinct activities, and these distinctions appear to play key roles in HTLV-1 specific pathogenesis. In this review, we summarize the functions of Tax1 associated with cell survival, cell proliferation, persistent infection as well as pathogenesis. We emphasize special attention to distinctions between Tax1 and Tax2

The gene mutated in juvenile nephronophthisis type 4 encodes a novel protein that interacts with nephrocystin

Nephronophthisis, the most common genetic cause of chronic renal failure in children, is a progressive tubulo-interstitial kidney disorder that is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The disease is characterized by polyuria, growth retardation and deterioration of renal function during childhood or adolescence. The most prominent histological features are modifications of the tubules with thickening of the basement membrane, interstitial fibrosis and, in the advanced stages, medullary cysts(1). Nephronophthisis can also be associated with conditions affecting extrarenal organs, such as retinitis pigmentosa (Senior-Loken syndrome) (2,3) and ocular motor apraxia (Cogan syndrome)(4). Three loci are associated with the juvenile, infantile and adolescent forms, on chromosomes 2q13 (NPHP1; refs 5,6), 9q22 (NPHP2; ref. 7) and 3q21 (NPHP3; ref. 8), respectively. NPHP1, the only gene identified so far, encodes nephrocystin(9,10), which contains a Src homology 3 (SH3) domain and interacts with intracytoplasmic proteins involved in cell adhesion (11-13). Recently, a second locus associated with the juvenile form of the disease, NPHP4, was mapped to chromosome 1p36 (ref. 14). We carried out haplotype analysis of families affected with nephronophthisis that were not linked to the NPHP1, NPHP2 or NPHP3 loci, using markers covering this region. This allowed us to reduce the NPHP4 interval to a one centimorgan interval between D1S2795 and D1S2870, which contains six genes. We identified five different mutations in one of these genes, designated NPHP4, in unrelated individuals with nephronophthisis. The NPHP4 gene encodes a 1,250-amino acid protein of unknown function that we named nephrocystin-4. We demonstrated the interaction of nephrocystin-4 with nephrocystin suggesting that these two proteins participate in a common signaling pathway

Integrative oncology in the Middle East: from traditional herbal knowledge to contemporary cancer care

Background: Based on traditional, historical, ethnobotanical, laboratory, and clinical findings, we present research framework aiming to identify Middle Eastern herbs that are worthy of further research for their anticancer potential