Effect on rooting by- and analysis of water based extracts of woody and herbaceous shoots of Salix smithiana Willd.

Cuttings of Lonicera xylosteum L. were treated with willow extract to study the response in rooting capacity. The extracts were prepared by mixing chopped pieces of Salix x smithiana Willd. with water in a warring blender. The investigation comprised 2 types of salix extracts based on differences and dynamics between twigs in winter dormancy and twigs with new shoots. To explore the rooting response, three tests were made. First, cuttings were treated with extract from salix in comparison with a control treated with water. Secondly, a rooting test was made with cuttings treated with extract from salix, IBA and the combination IBA + extract from salix. Finally a rooting test were made to assure that the extracts analyzed in the laboratory were complete and not missing any fraction important to rooting capacity that might have stayed in a column. Culturing tests showed that salix extract from winter twigs gave more roots than a control but the roots were not longer. The combination with IBA and salix extract (50/50, IBA 2500 ppm) gave white, thin, well divided roots while plain IBA solution (5000 ppm) gave short yellowish roots. The culturing test also showed that there is a difference between extract from winter twigs and extract from new shoots. Chemical analyses on the salix extract were made by HPLC – DAD combined with a fluorescence detector. Ester hydrolyses was performed on all samples. Detection was then possible and certain chemical substances were distinct. The following substances were found in salix extract: D-Salicin, Catechin, Ellagic acid and Saligenin. D-Salicin was found only in extract from winter twigs. One of the main substances in the salix extract revealed by the HPLC – DAD analysis could not be identified. Further experimentation would be interesting. Primarily, the combination IBA and salix extract should be tested on cuttings from plants normally difficult to root such as birch, beech walnut etc. Substances in salix extract which could be interesting are salicin, saligenin and their metabolites. Increased knowledge in this area could be very important and useful in future horticulture.Sticklingar av Lonicera xylosteum L. behandlades med extrakt av pil för att studera effekten på rotningsförmågan. Extraktet framställdes av klippta bitar av Salix x smithiana Willd. mixade med vatten. Undersökningen omfattade 2 typer av salixextrakt baserade på skillnad och dynamik mellan kvist i vinter vila och kvist med nya skott. För att utvärdera rotningsresponsen gjordes tre jämförande rotningsförsök med sticklingar behandlade med salixextrakt. Försöket utvärderades mot en kontroll med sticklingar behandlade med vatten. Kompletterande rotningsförsök gjordes med sticklingar behandlade med salixextrakt, IBA och med kombinationen IBA + salixextrakt. Ett slutgiltigt odlingsförsök gjordes för att säkerställa att kemiska analyser gjordes på ett extrakt med full verkan och att ingen viktig beståndsdel som påverkar rotningen fastnat i någon kolonn. Odlingsförsök visar att salixextrakt från vinterkvist ger fler rötter men att rötterna inte är längre. Kombinationen med IBA och salixvatten (50/50, IBA 2500 ppm) ger vita, tunna, välförgrenade rötter medan ren IBA-lösning (5000 ppm) ger korta gulaktiga rötter. Odlingsförsöken visar också att det finns en skillnad mellan extrakt från vinterkvist och extrakt från nya skott. Kemiska analyser av salixextraktet gjordes i HPLC – DAD kombinerad med fluorescence detektor. Esterhydrolys utfördes på alla prov. Detektion var därefter möjlig och vissa kemiska ämnen kunde säkerställas. Ämnen i salixextrakt som påträffades var D-Salicin, Catechin, Ellagsyra och Saligenin. D-Salicin hittades endast i extrakt från vinterkvist. Ett av ämnena i salixextrakten med tydligt utslag i HPLC – DAD analysen kunde inte identifieras. Att utveckla försöket skulle vara intressant. Främst skulle kombinationen IBA och salixextrakt prövas på sticklingar som vanligtvis är svåra att rota som björk, bok, valnöt etc. Ämnen i salixextraktet som kan visa sig intressanta i sammanhanget kan antas vara salicin, saligenin och metaboliter från dessa. Ökad kunskap kring dessa frågor kan visa sig vara viktiga och användbara i framtida hortikultur

Analysmodellen och oberoendet - Vilka förändringar har införandet av analysmodellen medfört?

Syftet med uppsatsen är att klargöra huruvida analysmodellen medfört några förändringar för revisorn och dess klienter. Empirin har insamlats genom semistrukturerade personliga intervjuer med fyra revisorer och två företagsrepresentanter. Analysen har medfört två betydelsefulla förändringar för revisorns arbete. Det första är dokumentationskravet och det andra är begränsning av konsultverksamhet i samband med revision. Dessa två konsekvenser har bidragit med både för- och nackdelar. Medvetenheten kring oberoendet har ökat hos såväl revisorer som företag, men är fortfarande ett omdiskuterat ämne

Increased Neointimal Thickening in Dystrophin-Deficient mdx Mice

BACKGROUND: The dystrophin gene, which is mutated in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), encodes a large cytoskeletal protein present in muscle fibers. While dystrophin in skeletal muscle has been extensively studied, the function of dystrophin in vascular smooth muscle is less clear. Here, we have analyzed the role of dystrophin in injury-induced arterial neointima formation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We detected a down-regulation of dystrophin, dystroglycan and β-sarcoglycan mRNA expression when vascular smooth muscle cells de-differentiate in vitro. To further mimic development of intimal lesions, we performed a collar-induced injury of the carotid artery in the mdx mouse, a model for DMD. As compared with control mice, mdx mice develop larger lesions with increased numbers of proliferating cells. In vitro experiments demonstrate increased migration of vascular smooth muscle cells from mdx mice whereas the rate of proliferation was similar in cells isolated from wild-type and mdx mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results show that dystrophin deficiency stimulates neointima formation and suggest that expression of dystrophin in vascular smooth muscle cells may protect the artery wall against injury-induced intimal thickening

Expression of fibromodulin in carotid atherosclerotic plaques is associated with diabetes and cerebrovascular events.

The small leucine-rich proteoglycans fibromodulin and lumican are functionally related extracellular matrix proteins involved in the regulation of collagen fiber formation. Fibromodulin-deficient apolipoprotein E-null mice have decreased vascular retention of lipids and reduced development of atherosclerosis suggesting that fibromodulin may influence the disease process. The aim of the present study was to investigate if fibromodulin and lumican are expressed in human carotid plaques and to determine if their expression is associated with the occurrence of preoperative symptoms and with risk for postoperative cardiovascular events

Revisión narrativa de las roturas de tendón de Aquiles en deportes de raqueta

This review aims to report the existing research about Achilles tendon ruptures (ATR) in racket sports. Further, this narrative review will also include the acute management, rehabilitation, treatment and prognosis of an ATR. ATR is a common injury among individuals playing racket sports, however, the literature is limited and not up to date. Previous research claims that up to 70 percent of all ATR is related to sports activities where racket sports dominate. A large number of patients sustaining an ATR return to sport within a year from injury.Esta revisión pretende cubrir la investigación existente sobre las roturas del tendón de Aquiles (RTA) en los deportes de raqueta. Adicionalmente, esta revisión narrativa también incluirá el manejo agudo, la rehabilitación, el tratamiento y el pronóstico de una RTA. La RTA es una lesión común entre individuos que practican deportes de raqueta, sin embargo, la literatura es limitada y no está actualizada. Investigaciones previas afirman que hasta el 70% de todas las RTA están relacionadas con actividades deportivas donde predominan los deportes de raqueta. Un gran número de pacientes que sufren RTA regresan al deporte en el plazo de un año desde la lesión

No difference in strength and clinical outcome between early and late repair after Achilles tendon rupture

PURPOSE: This retrospective study aimed to determine the patient-reported and functional outcome of patients with delayed presentation, who had received no treatment until 14 days following injury of Achilles tendon rupture repaired with minimally invasive surgery and were compared with a group of sex- and age-matched patients presenting acutely. Based on the outcomes following delayed presentation reported in the literature, it was hypothesized that outcomes would be inferior for self-reported outcome, tendon elongation, heel-rise performance, ability to return to play, and complication rates than for acutely managed patients. METHODS: Repair was performed through an incision large enough to permit mobilisation of the tendon ends, core suture repair consisting of a modified Bunnell suture proximally and a Kessler suture distally and circumferential running suture augmentation. RESULTS: Nine patients presented 21.8 (14.9) days (range 14-42 days) after rupture. The rate of delayed presentation was estimated to be 1 in 10. At 12 months following repair, patients with delayed treatment had median (range) ATRS score of 90 (69-99) compared with 94 (75-100) in patients treated acutely presenting 0.66 (1.7) (0-5) days. There were no significant differences between groups: ATRA [mean (SD) delayed: - 6.9° (5.5), acute: - 6° (4.7)], heel-rise height index [delayed: 79% (20), acute: 74% (14)], or heel-rise repetition index [delayed: 77% (20), acute: 71% (20)]. In the delayed presentation group, two patients had wound infection and one iatrogenic sural nerve injury. CONCLUSIONS: Patients presenting more than 2 weeks after Achilles tendon rupture may be successfully treated with minimally invasive repair. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III

Age and tightness of repair are predictors of heel-rise height after Achilles tendon rupture

Background: Achilles tendon rupture leads to weakness of ankle plantarflexion. Treatment of Achilles tendon rupture should aim to restore function while minimizing weakness and complications of management. Purpose: To determine the influence of factors (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], weight, time from injury to operative repair, and tightness of repair) in the initial surgical management of patients after an acute Achilles tendon rupture on 12-month functional outcome assessment after percutaneous and minimally invasive repair. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: From May 2012 to January 2018, patients sustaining an Achilles tendon rupture receiving operative repair were prospectively evaluated. Tightness of repair was quantified using the intraoperative Achilles tendon resting angle (ATRA). Heel-rise height index (HRHI) was used as the primary 12-month outcome variable. Secondary outcome measures included Achilles tendon total rupture score (ATRS) and Tegner score. Stepwise multiple regression was used to create a model to predict 12-month HRHI. Results: A total of 122 patients met the inclusion criteria for data analysis (mean ± SD age, 44.1 ± 10.8 years; 78% male; mean ± SD BMI, 28.1 ± 4.3 kg/m Conclusion: Age was found to be the strongest predictor of outcome after Achilles tendon rupture. The most important modifiable risk factor was the tightness of repair. It is recommended that repair be performed as tight as possible to optimize heel-rise height 1 year after Achilles tendon rupture and possibly to reduce tendon elongation

Comparison of DNA Methylation Profiles of Hemostatic Genes between Liver Tissue and Peripheral Blood within Individuals

DNA methylation has become increasingly recognized in the etiology of complex diseases, including thrombotic disorders. Blood is often collected in epidemiological studies for genotyping and has recently also been used to examine DNA methylation in epigenome-wide association studies. DNA methylation patterns are often tissue-specific, thus, peripheral blood may not accurately reflect the methylation pattern in the tissue of relevance. Here, we collected paired liver and blood samples concurrently from 27 individuals undergoing liver surgery. We performed targeted bisulfite sequencing for a set of 35 hemostatic genes primarily expressed in liver to analyze DNA methylation levels of >10,000 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) dinucleotides. We evaluated whether DNA methylation in blood could serve as a proxy for DNA methylation in liver at individual CpGs. Approximately 30% of CpGs were nonvariable and were predominantly hypo- (<25%) or hypermethylated (>70%) in both tissues. While blood can serve as a proxy for liver at these CpGs, the low variability renders these unlikely to explain phenotypic differences. We therefore focused on CpG sites with variable methylation levels in liver. The level of blood-liver tissue correlation varied widely across these variable CpGs; moderate correlations (0.5 <= r <0.75) were detected for 6% and strong correlations ( r 0.75) for a further 4%. Our findings indicate that it is essential to study the concordance of DNA methylation between blood and liver at individual CpGs. This paired blood-liver dataset is intended as a resource to aid interpretation of blood-based DNA methylation results

Soluble CD40 levels in plasma are associated with cardiovascular disease and in carotid plaques with a vulnerable phenotype

Background and Purpose CD40 and CD40 ligand (CD40L) are costimulatory molecules of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily and well known for their involvement in inflammatory diseases: atherosclerotic mouse models with disrupted CD40 signalling develop lesions of reduced size with a more stable plaque profile. This study investigated the potential of plasma and intraplaque levels of CD40 and CD40L as markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in humans and their association with plaque stability. Methods Soluble CD40 and CD40L (sCD40L) were measured in plasma in 1,437 subjects from The SUrrogate markers for Micro-and Macro-vascular hard endpoints for Innovative diabetes Tools (SUMMIT) cohort. Intra-plaque levels of sCD40 and sCD40L were measured in atherosclerotic plaque homogenates from 199 subjects of the Carotid Plaque Imaging Project (CPIP) cohort. Results Both plasma sCD40 and sCD40L levels were elevated in individuals with prevalent stroke, while sCD40 levels also were higher in individuals with a prior acute myocardial infarction. Plasma levels of sCD40 correlated with carotid intima-media thickness and total carotid plaque area and were associated with risk of cardiovascular events over a 3-year follow-up period. Intra-plaque levels of sCD40 and sCD40L were associated with plaque components characteristic for plaque vulnerability and extracellular matrix remodelling. Conclusions Higher plasma sCD40 and sCD40L levels are associated with prevalent CVD. Plasma sCD40 levels also correlate with the severity of carotid atherosclerosis and predict future cardiovascular events, while intra-plaque levels correlate with a vulnerable plaque phenotype. Our findings thus demonstrate that elevated levels of sCD40 and sCD40L are markers of CVD.</p

Fibromodulin Deficiency Reduces Low-Density Lipoprotein Accumulation in Atherosclerotic Plaques in Apolipoprotein E-Null Mice.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze how an altered collagen structure affects development of atherosclerotic plaques. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fibromodulin-null mice develop an abnormal collagen fibril structure. In apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-null and ApoE/fibromodulin-null mice, a shear stress-modifying carotid artery cast induced formation of atherosclerotic plaques of different phenotypes; inflammatory in low-shear stress regions and fibrous in oscillatory shear stress regions. Electron microscopy showed that collagen fibrils were thicker and more heterogeneous in oscillatory shear stress lesions from ApoE/fibromodulin-null mice. Low-shear stress lesions were smaller in ApoE/fibromodulin-null mice and contained less lipids. Total plaque burden in aortas stained en face with Oil Red O, as well as lipid accumulation in aortic root lesions, was also decreased in ApoE/fibromodulin-null mice. In addition, lipid accumulation in RAW264.7 macrophages cultured on fibromodulin-deficient extracellular matrix was decreased, whereas levels of interleukin-6 and -10 were increased. Our results show that an abnormal plaque collagen fibril structure can influence atherosclerotic plaque development. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest a more complex role for collagen in plaque stability than previously anticipated, in that it may promote lipid-accumulation and inflammation at the same time as it provides mechanical stability