Glenohumeral joint motion after subscapularis tendon repair: an analysis of cadaver shoulder models

BACKGROUND: As for the surgical treatment of the rotator cuff tears, the subscapularis tendon tears have recently received much attention for the mini-open or arthroscopic repair. The results of surgical repair for the subscapularis tendon tear are satisfactory, but the range of external rotation is reported to be restricted after the repair. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the range of glenohumeral joint motion after repairs of various sizes of subscapularis tendon tears. METHODS: Using eight fresh frozen human cadaveric shoulders (mean age at death, 81.5 years), three sizes of subscapularis tendon tear (small, medium, and large) were made and then repaired. With the scapula fixed to the wooden jig, the end-range of glenohumeral motion was measured with passive movement applied through 1.0-Nm torque in the directions of scapular elevation, flexion, abduction, extension, horizontal abduction, and horizontal adduction. The passive end-ranges of external and internal rotation in various positions with rotational torque of 1.0 Nm were also measured. Differences in the ranges among the three type tears were analyzed. RESULTS: As tear size increased, range of glenohumeral motion in horizontal abduction after repair decreased gradually and was significantly decreased with the large size tear (P < 0.01). The end-range of external rotation decreased progressively with increasing tear size in every glenohumeral position. The prominent decrease in external rotation (around 40° reduction from intact shoulders) was observed in shoulders after repair of large size tear at 30° to 60° of scapular elevation and abduction. CONCLUSIONS: As the size of the subscapularis tendon tear increased, the passive ranges of horizontal abduction and external rotation of the glenohumeral joint after repair decreased significantly. In shoulders with a subscapularis tendon tear, it is necessary to consider the reduction of external rotation depending on tear size

Task-Related c-Fos Expression in the Posterior Parietal Cortex During the “Rubber Tail Task” Is Diminished in Ca2+-Dependent Activator Protein for Secretion 2 (Caps2)-Knockout Mice

Rubber hand illusion (RHI), a kind of body ownership illusion, is sometimes atypical in individuals with autism spectrum disorder; however, the brain regions associated with the illusion are still unclear. We previously reported that mice responded as if their own tails were being touched when rubber tails were grasped following synchronous stroking to rubber tails and their tails (a “rubber tail illusion”, RTI), which is a task based on the human RHI; furthermore, we reported that the RTI response was diminished in Ca2+-dependent activator protein for secretion 2-knockout (Caps2-KO) mice that exhibit autistic-like phenotypes. Importance of the posterior parietal cortex in the formation of illusory perception has previously been reported in human imaging studies. However, the local neural circuits and cell properties associated with this process are not clear. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the neural basis of the RTI response and its impairment by investigating the c-Fos expression in both wild-type (WT) and Caps2-KO mice during the task since the c-Fos expression occurred soon after the neural activation. Immediately following the delivery of the synchronous stroking to both rubber tails and actual tails, the mice were perfused. Subsequently, whole brains were cryo-sectioned, and each section was immunostained with anti-c-Fos antibody; finally, c-Fos positive cell densities among the groups were compared. The c-Fos expression in the posterior parietal cortex was significantly lower in the Caps2-KO mice than in the WT mice. Additionally, we compared the c-Fos expression in the WT mice between synchronous and asynchronous conditions and found that the c-Fos-positive cell densities were significantly higher in the claustrum and primary somatosensory cortex of the WT mice exposed to the synchronous condition than those exposed to the asynchronous condition. Hence, the results suggest that decreased c-Fos expression in the posterior parietal cortex may be related to impaired multisensory integrations in Caps2-KO mice

Combined resection of the transpancreatic common hepatic artery preserving the gastric arterial arcade without arterial reconstruction in hepatopancreatoduodenectomy: a case report

Abstract Background Surgeons sometimes must plan pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) for patients with a variant common hepatic artery (CHA) branching from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) penetrating the pancreatic parenchyma, known as a transpancreatic CHA (tp-CHA). Case presentation A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of liver dysfunction. A duodenal tumor was identified by gastrointestinal endoscopy, and a biopsy revealed a neuroendocrine tumor. Computed tomography showed multiple metastases in the left three sections of the liver. As an anatomical variant, the CHA branched from the SMA and passed through the parenchyma of the pancreatic head, and all hepatic arteries branched from the CHA. Furthermore, the arcade between the left and right gastric artery (RGA) was detected, and the RGA branched from the root of the left hepatic artery. PD and left trisectionectomy of the liver were performed. The tp-CHA was resected with the pancreatic head, and the gastric arterial arcade was preserved to maintain the right posterior hepatic arterial flow. Postoperatively, there were no signs of hepatic ischemia. Conclusions When planning PD, including hepatopancreatoduodenectomy, for patients with a tp-CHA, surgeons should simulate various situations for maintaining the hepatic arterial flow. The preservation of the gastric arterial arcade is an option for maintaining the hepatic arterial flow to avoid arterial reconstruction

Mammalian-Specific Central Myelin Protein Opalin Is Redundant for Normal Myelination: Structural and Behavioral Assessments.

Opalin, a central nervous system-specific myelin protein phylogenetically unique to mammals, has been suggested to play a role in mammalian-specific myelin. To elucidate the role of Opalin in mammalian myelin, we disrupted the Opalin gene in mice and analyzed the impacts on myelination and behavior. Opalin-knockout (Opalin-/-) mice were born at a Mendelian ratio and had a normal body shape and weight. Interestingly, Opalin-/- mice had no obvious abnormalities in major myelin protein compositions, expression of oligodendrocyte lineage markers, or domain organization of myelinated axons compared with WT mice (Opalin+/+) mice. Electron microscopic observation of the optic nerves did not reveal obvious differences between Opalin+/+ and Opalin-/- mice in terms of fine structures of paranodal loops, transverse bands, and multi-lamellae of myelinated axons. Moreover, sensory reflex, circadian rhythm, and locomotor activity in the home cage, as well as depression-like behavior, in the Opalin-/- mice were indistinguishable from the Opalin+/+ mice. Nevertheless, a subtle but significant impact on exploratory activity became apparent in Opalin-/- mice exposed to a novel environment. These results suggest that Opalin is not critical for central nervous system myelination or basic sensory and motor activities under conventional breeding conditions, although it might be required for fine-tuning of exploratory behavior

The brain-specific RasGEF very-KIND is required for normal dendritic growth in cerebellar granule cells and proper motor coordination

<div><p>Very-KIND/Kndc1/KIAA1768 (v-KIND) is a brain-specific Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor carrying two sets of the kinase non-catalytic C-lobe domain (KIND), and is predominantly expressed in cerebellar granule cells. Here, we report the impact of v-KIND deficiency on dendritic and synaptic growth in cerebellar granule cells in v-KIND knockout (KO) mice. Furthermore, we evaluate motor function in these animals. The gross anatomy of the cerebellum, including the cerebellar lobules, layered cerebellar cortex and densely-packed granule cell layer, in KO mice appeared normal, and was similar to wild-type (WT) mice. However, KO mice displayed an overgrowth of cerebellar granule cell dendrites, compared with WT mice, resulting in an increased number of dendrites, dendritic branches and terminals. Immunoreactivity for vGluT2 (a marker for excitatory presynapses of mossy fiber terminals) was increased in the cerebellar glomeruli of KO mice, compared with WT mice. The postsynaptic density around the terminals of mossy fibers was also increased in KO mice. Although there were no significant differences in locomotor ability between KO and WT animals in their home cages or in the open field, young adult KO mice had an increased grip strength and a tendency to exhibit better motor performance in balance-related tests compared with WT animals. Taken together, our results suggest that v-KIND is required for compact dendritic growth and proper excitatory synaptic connections in cerebellar granule cells, which are necessary for normal motor coordination and balance.</p></div

No apparent gross abnormality in the cerebellar lobules or layers, or in the densely-packed granule cell layer in Nissl-stained sections of v-KIND KO cerebella.

<p>Sagittal sections of KO and WT mice cerebella (8-week-old) were analyzed by Nissl staining. (A) The lobular structure of the whole cerebellum. Scale bar, 1 mm. (B) The layer structure of the cerebellar cortex. Scale bar, 100 μm. (C) Magnified view of the granular layer indicated by the red square in (B). Cerebellar lobules II–X. ML, molecular layer; PCL, Purkinje cell layer; GL, granular layer; WM, white matter. (D) Number of Nissl-stained puncta/1,000 μm² in the granule cell layer of WT and KO mice. 5~10 random areas per section, 2 sections per animal, and three mice for each genotype (<i>N</i> = 3) was statistically analyzed. Data are shown as mean ± SEM. Two sample Student’s <i>t</i>-test assuming equal variances showed no statistical significance (<i>p</i> > 0.5).</p