Variability of the lateral ligamentous complex of the knee

The current study examined the prevalence and morphometric values of three extracapsular ligaments on the lateral aspect of the knee namely lateral collateral ligament, anterolateral and triradiate collateral ligaments in human cadavers. Twenty knees were used. The lateral collateral ligament, anterolateral and triradiate collateral ligaments were present in 70%, 5% and 25% of the cases respectively. The triradiate collateral ligament had three parts namely femoral, tibial and fibular arms with average lengths of 20.03mm, 18.14mm and 16.20mm respectively. The lateral collateral ligament was attached on the lateral condyle of femur and the apex of head of fibula. The anterolateral ligament was attached on the lateral epicondyle of femur anterior to the origin of the lateral collateral ligament and both posterior to the Gerdy’s tubercle and on the lateral meniscus. The triradiate collateral ligament attached on the lateral condyle of femur, descends as the femoral arm and divides at the joint line as the tibial arm (anteriorly) and fibular arm (posteriorly). The tibial arm was attached on the posterior aspect of the Gerdy’s tubercle while the fibular arm was attached on the anterior aspect of head of fibula. The triradiate collateral ligament and the anterolateral ligaments possessed internal attachment to the lateral meniscus and could potentiate meniscal damage. There are considerable ligament variations at the lateral side of knee which should be brought to the knowledge of surgeons and radiologists.Keywords: Knee, Lateral complex, lateral collateral ligament, anterolateral ligament, triradiate collateral ligamen

Oxidative and pre-inflammatory stress in wedge resection of pulmonary parenchyma using the radiofrequency ablation technique in a swine model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a thermal energy delivery system used for coagulative cellular destruction of small tumors through percutaneous or intraoperative application of its needle electrode to the target area, and for assisting partial resection of liver and kidney. We tried to evaluate the regional oxidative and pre-inflammatory stress of RFA-assisted wedge lung resection, by measuring the MDA and tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) concentration in the resected lung tissue of a swine model.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Fourteen white male swines, divided in two groups, the RFA-group and the control group (C-group) underwent a small left thoracotomy and wedge lung resection of the lingula. The wedge resection in the RFA-group was performed using the RFA technique whereas in C-group the simple "cut and sew" method was performed. We measured the malondialdehyde (MDA) and TNF-α concentration in the resected lung tissue of both groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In C-group the MDA mean deviation rate was 113 ± 42.6 whereas in RFA-group the MDA mean deviation rate was significantly higher 353 ± 184 (p = 0.006). A statistically significant increase in TNF-α levels was also observed in the RFA-group (5.25 ± 1.36) compared to C-group (mean ± SD = 8.48 ± 2.82) (p = 0.006).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data indicate that RFA-assisted wedge lung resection in a swine model increases regional MDA and TNF-a factors affecting by this oxidative and pre-inflammatory stress of the procedure. Although RFA-assisted liver resection can be well tolerated in humans, the possible use of this method to the lung has to be further investigated in terms of regional and systemic reactions and the feasibility of performing larger lung resections.</p

Stability, Entrapment and Variant Formation of Salmonella Genomic Island 1

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The <em>Salmonella</em> genomic island 1 (SGI1) is a 42.4 kb integrative mobilizable element containing several antibiotic resistance determinants embedded in a complex integron segment In104. The numerous SGI1 variants identified so far, differ mainly in this segment and the explanations of their emergence were mostly based on comparative structure analyses. Here we provide experimental studies on the stability, entrapment and variant formation of this peculiar gene cluster originally found in <em>S</em>. Typhimurium.</p> <h3>Methodology/Principal Findings</h3><p>Segregation and conjugation tests and various molecular techniques were used to detect the emerging SGI1 variants in <em>Salmonella</em> populations of 17 <em>Salmonella enterica</em> serovar Typhimurium DT104 isolates from Hungary. The SGI1s in these isolates proved to be fully competent in excision, conjugal transfer by the IncA/C helper plasmid R55, and integration into the <em>E. coli</em> chromosome. A trap vector has been constructed and successfully applied to capture the island on a plasmid. Monitoring of segregation of SGI1 indicated high stability of the island. SGI1-free segregants did not accumulate during long-term propagation, but several SGI1 variants could be obtained. Most of them appeared to be identical to SGI1-B and SGI1-C, but two new variants caused by deletions via a short-homology-dependent recombination process have also been detected. We have also noticed that the presence of the conjugation helper plasmid increased the formation of these deletion variants considerably.</p> <h3>Conclusions/Significance</h3><p>Despite that excision of SGI1 from the chromosome was proven in SGI1⁺<em>Salmonella</em> populations, its complete loss could not be observed. On the other hand, we demonstrated that several variants, among them two newly identified ones, arose with detectable frequencies in these populations in a short timescale and their formation was promoted by the helper plasmid. This reflects that IncA/C helper plasmids are not only involved in the horizontal spreading of SGI1, but may also contribute to its evolution.</p> </div

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Asymptomatic Carriage of Plasmodium in Urban Dakar: The Risk of Malaria Should Not Be Underestimated

Introduction: The objective of this study was to measure the rate of asymptomatic carriage of plasmodium in the Dakar region two years after the implementation of new strategies in clinical malaria management. Methodology: Between October and December 2008, 2952 households selected in 50 sites of Dakar area, were visited for interviews and blood sampling. Giemsa-stained thick blood smears (TBS) were performed for microscopy in asymptomatic adult women and children aged 2 to 10 years. To ensure the quality of the microscopy, we performed a polymerase chai

Regulation of Cancer Aggressive Features in Melanoma Cells by MicroRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with regulatory roles, which are involved in a broad spectrum of physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. A common strategy for identification of miRNAs involved in cell transformation is to compare malignant cells to normal cells. Here we focus on identification of miRNAs that regulate the aggressive phenotype of melanoma cells. To avoid differences due to genetic background, a comparative high-throughput miRNA profiling was performed on two isogenic human melanoma cell lines that display major differences in their net proliferation, invasion and tube formation activities. This screening revealed two major cohorts of differentially expressed miRNAs. We speculated that miRNAs up-regulated in the more-aggressive cell line contribute oncogenic features, while the down-regulated miRNAs are tumor suppressive. This assumption was further tested experimentally on five candidate tumor suppressive miRNAs (miR-31, -34a, -184, -185 and -204) and on one candidate oncogenic miRNA (miR-17-5p), all of which have never been reported before in cutaneous melanoma. Remarkably, all candidate Suppressive-miRNAs inhibited net proliferation, invasion or tube formation, while miR-17-5p enhanced cell proliferation. miR-34a and miR-185 were further shown to inhibit the growth of melanoma xenografts when implanted in SCID-NOD mice. Finally, all six candidate miRNAs were detected in 15 different metastatic melanoma specimens, attesting for the physiological relevance of our findings. Collectively, these findings may prove instrumental for understanding mechanisms of disease and for development of novel therapeutic and staging technologies for melanoma

Spatial memory in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus)

Wild animals face the challenge of locating feeding sites distributed across broad spatial and temporal scales. Spatial memory allows animals to find a goal, such as a productive feeding patch, even when there are no goal-specific sensory cues available. Because there is little experimental information on learning and memory capabilities in free-ranging primates, the aim of this study was to test whether grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), as short-term dietary specialists, rely on spatial memory in relocating productive feeding sites. In addition, we asked what kind of spatial representation might underlie their orientation in their natural environment. Using an experimental approach, we set eight radio-collared grey mouse lemurs a memory task by confronting them with two different spatial patterns of baited and non-baited artificial feeding stations under exclusion of sensory cues. Positional data were recorded by focal animal observations within a grid system of small foot trails. A change in the baiting pattern revealed that grey mouse lemurs primarily used spatial cues to relocate baited feeding stations and that they were able to rapidly learn a new spatial arrangement. Spatially concentrated, non-random movements revealed preliminary evidence for a route-based restriction in mouse lemur space; during a subsequent release experiment, however, we found high travel efficiency in directed movements. We therefore propose that mouse lemur spatial memory is based on some kind of mental representation that is more detailed than a route-based network map