Compresión del nervio cubital por quiste sinovial en el canal epitrócleo-olecraneano

Se presenta un caso de compresión del nervio cubital por un quiste sinovial a nivel del canal epitrócleo-olecraneano. El tratamiento fue quirúrgico y consistió en la resección del ganglión asociada a la exoneurolisis y transposición anterior del nervio. La evolución fue satisfactoria, produciéndose una mejoría progresiva de sus síntomas preoperatorios.A rare case of cubital nerve compression due to a synovial cyst in the epitrochlear groove is presented. It was treated surgically by cyst resection and exoneurolisis together with anterior transposition of the nerve. The follow-up was satisfactory, with gradual improvement of the previous symptoms

The Influence of Urban Environments on Oxidative Stress Balance: A Case Study on the House Sparrow in the Iberian Peninsula

The House Sparrow is a globally distributed species and is closely associated with anthropised environments. They are well-adapted to urban life; therefore the decline of their populations in Europe represents an unexpected event that demands an investigation into its causes. Causes that have promoted this decline are not well-known, but one of the highlighted hypotheses is an increase of oxidative stress linked to the toxicity of pollution in urban areas. From an ecophysiological perspective, oxidative damage, antioxidant defense, and oxidative balance are considered reliable indicators of environmental stressors such as pollutants. To carry out this study, blood samples were collected from House Sparrows in three different habitats that varied in terms of urbanization degree: urban, suburban, and rural; during the winter and breeding season. According to our results, urban sparrows showed higher levels of oxidative damage and higher activity of antioxidant enzymes, but lower antioxidant capacity in comparison with the rural birds; and these differences especially increase during the breeding season. The maintenance of oxidative balance increases in an urban environment in comparison to a rural one; we suggest that the high level of pollution and the poor quality diet linked to urban environments. The breeding season is expected to be particularly challenging for the oxidative balance of urban birds, when the reallocation of resources between self-maintenance and reproduction may be critical due to the scarcity of antioxidants found in urban areas. This study may contribute to determining the causes of the population decrease of House Sparrows in cities

Complicaciones torácicas en un paciente con luxación subclavicular del hombro

Se presenta una paciente de 88 años de edad con una luxación subclavicular de hombro derecho y un traumatismo torácico asociado que incluía fractura de las tres primeras costillas y hemotórax. El traumatismo torácico parecía estar muy estrechamente relacionado con la luxación glenohumeral. El tratamiento de la luxación se efectuó mediante reducción cerrada e inmovilización con vendaje de Gilchrist. El traumatismo del hemitórax derecho requirió toracocentesis en 2 ocasiones e ingreso en la unidad de cuidados intensivos por insuficiencia respiratoria. La evolución fue satisfactoria, estando la paciente asintomática a los 3 meses del traumatismo, con movilidad del hombro prácticamente completa.The case of a 88-year-old women with a subclavicular right shoulder dislocation and concomitant thoracic trauma involving fracture of the three first ribs and hemothorax is reported. The thoracic trauma appeared to be closely related to the shoulder dislocation. Close reduction and Gilchrist's immovilization was the treatment applied to the shoulder dislocation. Right thoracic trauma required evacuation of the hemothorax in two ocasions and inward in the Intensive Care Unit. Three months after trauma, the outcome was satisfactory with almost complete recovery of the shoulder range of motion

Los corticoides epidurales en el tratamiento del síndrome del canal lumbar estrecho

Se presenta una serie de 67 pacientes diagnosticados de síndrome del canal lumbar estrecho, tratados todos ellos con infíltraciones epidurales de corticosteroides, asociadas a un programa de rehabilitación realizado a continuación de las inyecciones. Tras el análisis de los datos se ha observado un porcentaje de buenos resultados cercano al 80%. Asimismo, el estudio ha puesto en evidencia la influencia clara del factor rehabilitación en la calidad del resultado final de los pacientes.The authors present a study on 67 patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. The treatment consisted in epidural injections with corticosteroids and a program of physical therapy. There was 80% of good results. A clear influence of the physical therapy program on the quality of the final result, has been proved

Los corticoides epidurales en el tratamiento de la hernia discal

Se presenta una serie de 233 pacientes diagnosticados de hernia discal lumbar y tratados mediante infiltraciones epidurales de corticoides, asociadas a un programa de rehabilitación realizado a continuación de las inyecciones. Los resultados con dicho tratamiento fueron satisfactorios en un 75% de los casos. Se observó una mejor evolución en pacientes varones, en pacientes cuya profesión conlleva esfuerzo físico, en hernias discales L5-S1, y en aquellos que han seguido un programa de rehabilitación tras las infiltraciones.An study on 233 patients with lumbar disc herniation, treated by means of epidural injections of steroids, added to a physical therapy programme is presented. The results obtained were fully satisfactory in 75% of the cases. Better results were observed in male patients, in patients subject to heavy physical activity in their laboral life, in disc herniations at L5-S1 level, and finally in those patients following a physical therapy programme after injections

Lengthening of the first metatarsal bone. A case of congenital shortening

A 14-year-old boy had a congenital shortening of the first right metatarsal bone, with overloading of the central metatarsals and medial deviation of the second toe. A percutaneous osteotomy and slow distraction by an external fixator for 10 weeks lengthened the bone from 32 mm to 60 mm. After the distraction, a bone graft was performed, and tenotomies and a capsulotomy corrected a threatening subluxation. Consolidation of the lengthening focus required 16 weeks

Densification of WC-Fe-Ni-Co-Cr cemented carbides processed by HIP after sintering: effect of WC powder particle size

Shrinkage, liquid formation and mass losses of WC-19 vol% FeNiCoCr alloys during sintering have been inves- tigated in compositions either with coarse or submicron WC powders. Mass losses detected by thermogravimetry are compatible with carbothermal reduction of the different oxides present in the powder mixtures. Hardness and fracture toughness of materials based on submicron WC powders are within tolerances of those reported for WC- Co materials with similar microstructures. However, fracture strength is approx. 25% lower

Absence of system xc⁻ on immune cells invading the central nervous system alleviates experimental autoimmune encephalitis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), leading to neurodegeneration and chronic disability. Accumulating evidence points to a key role for neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and excitotoxicity in this degenerative process. System x(c)- or the cystine/glutamate antiporter could tie these pathological mechanisms together: its activity is enhanced by reactive oxygen species and inflammatory stimuli, and its enhancement might lead to the release of toxic amounts of glutamate, thereby triggering excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. Methods: Semi-quantitative Western blotting served to study protein expression of xCT, the specific subunit of system x(c)-, as well as of regulators of xCT transcription, in the normal appearing white matter (NAWM) of MS patients and in the CNS and spleen of mice exposed to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an accepted mouse model of MS. We next compared the clinical course of the EAE disease, the extent of demyelination, the infiltration of immune cells and microglial activation in xCT-knockout (xCT(-/-)) mice and irradiated mice reconstituted in xCT(-/-) bone marrow (BM), to their proper wild type (xCT(+/+)) controls. Results: xCT protein expression levels were upregulated in the NAWM of MS patients and in the brain, spinal cord, and spleen of EAE mice. The pathways involved in this upregulation in NAWM of MS patients remain unresolved. Compared to xCT(+/+) mice, xCT(-/-) mice were equally susceptible to EAE, whereas mice transplanted with xCT(-/-) BM, and as such only exhibiting loss of xCT in their immune cells, were less susceptible to EAE. In none of the above-described conditions, demyelination, microglial activation, or infiltration of immune cells were affected. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate enhancement of xCT protein expression in MS pathology and suggest that system x(c)- on immune cells invading the CNS participates to EAE. Since a total loss of system x(c)- had no net beneficial effects, these results have important implications for targeting system x(c)- for treatment of MS