Fingernail deformities secondary to ganglions of the distal interphalangeal joint (mucous cysts)

Twenty-six nail deformities secondary to ganglions of the distal interphalangeal joint were retrospectively reviewed to assess the important aspects of their management. The patients' ages ranged from 41 to 79 years. The long and index fingers were most commonly involved. A depression or groove was present in 23 of 26 digits reviewed. Two had gross disruption of the nail. Fifty-eight percent of the cysts had spontaneously drained or had been drained by the patient or a physician preoperatively. Degenerative arthritic changes were seen in 87 percent of those with x-rays or a radiology report available. Most underwent surgical removal of the cyst and debridement of associated osteophytes of the distal interphalangeal joint. The cyst was located above the germinal matrix in all but two digits. Osteophytes were found in all 20 digits in which the joint was explored. No recurrences were seen in those available for postoperative follow-up (22 of 25). Normal nail growth was found in 14 of 22, although follow-up was short in one. All eight postoperative nail deformities were quite mild and of little concern to the patient. There was no correlation between preoperative cyst drainage and aesthetic postoperative nail growth. Nail removal at the time of surgery appeared to be unnecessary unless the nail was grossly disrupted.     

Sixty-four cases of thumb and finger reconstruction using transplantation of the big toe skin-nail flap combined with the second toe or the second and third toes

The purpose of this article is to introduce the results of thumb and finger reconstruction using transplantation of the big toe wraparound flap combined with the second toe or the second and third toes. Between August of 1981 and December of 1998, in a series of 64 cases involving 58 patients with digitless hands, either (1) the thumb and index fingers were reconstructed by transplantation of a big toe wraparound flap combined with the adjacent second toe harvested from the ipsilateral foot; or (2) the thumb, index, and long fingers were reconstructed by transplantation of an ipsilateral big toe wraparound flap combined with the adjacent second and third toes. The phalanx of the new thumb was usually an iliac block. The success rate of this series was 92.2 percent. At long-term follow-up, the average static 2-point discrimination was less than 10 mm. The distance between the tip of the new thumb and the new index finger ranged from 6 to 10 cm (average, 8 cm). Opposition action was nimble and forceful. The patients could lift a 6- to 12-kg weight with their reconstructed digits. All patients were satisfied with their new hands and were able to use them in their daily activities. The transplants for reconstructing the thumb and fingers are harvested from the same foot in a procedure known as one-foot donation. Function of the bilateral digitless hand can be recovered with this procedure.     

Closure of skin defects near the proximal interphalangeal joint--with special reference to the patterns of finger circulation.

In dealing with skin losses of the proximal segments of the finger, one must be mindful of the vessel arrangements. Preservation of the axial vessels removes the usual restrictions of length to breadth ratios which apply to flaps planned on a random pattern arrangement.     

Minimizing losses in bio-electrochemical systems: the road to applications

Bio-electrochemical systems (BESs) enable microbial catalysis of electrochemical reactions. Plain electrical power production combined with wastewater treatment by microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been the primary application purpose for BESs. However, large-scale power production and a high chemical oxygen demand conversion rates must be achieved at a benchmark cost to make MFCs economical competitive in this context. Recently, a number of valuable oxidation or reduction reactions demonstrating the versatility of BESs have been described. Indeed, BESs can produce hydrogen, bring about denitrification, or reductive dehalogenation. Moreover, BESs also appear to be promising in the field of online biosensors. To effectively apply BESs in practice, both biological and electrochemical losses need to be further minimized. At present, the costs of reactor materials have to be decreased, and the volumetric biocatalyst activity in the systems has to be increased substantially. Furthermore, both the ohmic cell resistance and the pH gradients need to be minimized. In this review, these losses and constraints are discussed from an electrochemical viewpoint. Finally, an overview of potential applications and innovative research lines is given for BESs.     

Minimizing the time required for DNA amplification by efficient heat transfer to small samples

Hot-air temperature cycling of 1- to 10-microliters samples in glass capillary tubes can amplify DNA by the polymerase chain reaction in 15 min or less. A rapid temperature cycler of low thermal mass was constructed to change sample temperatures among denaturation, annealing, and elongation segments in a few seconds. After 30 cycles of 30 s each, a 536-bp beta-globin fragment of human genomic DNA was easily visualized with ethidium bromide on agarose gels. With rapid cycling, amplification yield depended on polymerase concentration. The time required for DNA amplification can be markedly reduced from prevailing protocols if appropriate equipment and sample containers are used for rapid heat transfer to the sample.     

Differences in the time course of proximal and distal airway response to inhaled histamine studied by synchrotron radiation CT.

We studied the kinetics of proximal and distal bronchial response to histamine aerosol in healthy anesthetized and mechanically ventilated rabbits up to 60 min after histamine administration using a novel xenon-enhanced synchrotron radiation computed tomography imaging technique. Individual proximal airway constriction was assessed by measuring the luminal cross-sectional area. Distal airway obstruction was estimated by measuring the ventilated alveolar area after inhaled xenon administration. Respiratory system conductance was assessed continuously. Proximal airway cross-sectional area decreased by 57% of the baseline value by 20 min and recovered gradually but incompletely within 60 min. The ventilated alveolar area decreased immediately after histamine inhalation by 55% of baseline value and recovered rapidly thereafter. The results indicate that the airway reaction to inhaled histamine and the subsequent recovery are significantly slower in proximal than in distal bronchi in healthy rabbit. The findings suggest that physiological reaction mechanisms to inhaled histamine in the airway walls of large and small bronchi are not similar.     

Comparison of proximal and distal placements of electrodes to assess body composition by bioelectrical impedance in obese adults

The purpose of this study was to compare the variability and accuracy of proximal and traditional distal electrode placement to estimate body composition in obese adults. Fifty-two obese men and women had a mean age of 37 years and an average body mass index (BMI) of 30.6 kg.m(-2). Body composition was measured using DEXA and an RJL bioelectric impedance analysis 101A bioelectric impedance analyzer. Impedance was measured using the traditional distal electrode placement (hand and foot) and a proximal electrode placement where the current detecting electrodes were placed in the antecubital and popliteal fossae. The distal resistance was 482.4 +/- 79 Omega, which was more than double the mean proximal values of 193.2 +/- 27 Omega. Multiple regression analysis derived the best-fitting equation to predict DEXA-derived fat-free mass. The combination of Ht(2)/R (height(2)/resistance) and mass were the only significant predictors for both the proximal and distal electrode placements. The resulting R(2) values were 0.86 and 0.88, whereas standard errors of the estimate (SEEs) were 4.0 and 3.6 kg for the distal and proximal placements, respectively. An independent sample of 40 obese women was used to cross-validate this new equation. Mean impedance predictions using the distal and proximal electrode placements (45.78 +/- 1.07 and 45.29 +/- 0.97 Omega, respectively) were similar to the reference values (45.29 +/- 0.64 Omega) determined by DEXA. Fat-free mass predicted with the distal and proximal electrode placements correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with the reference fat-free mass value (r = 0.72 and 0.75, respectively). These data suggest that using a proximal electrode placement and a fatness-specific equation helps to reduce the variability of the bioelectric impedance analysis technique in obese adults.     

Embryonic and calving losses in bovine mixed-breed twins induced by transfer of in vitro-produced embryos to bred recipients

One or two in vitro-produced (IVP) Japanese Black (JB) cattle embryos at 8 days after in vitro fertilization were transferred to the contralateral uterine horn of previously bred Japanese Shorthorn (JSH) or JSH-JB cross recipients, and then the occurrence of early embryonic death, abortion during mid- and late gestation, and calving loss were recorded. The survival rate of embryos, including indigenous ones, was not affected by the number of embryos transferred, and a significantly higher twinning rate (68% of pregnant recipients at 80 days after transfer) was achieved when two IVP embryos were transferred, as compared with the rate when one IVP embryo was transferred (24%). In late ET (recipients at 8.5-9.0 days after the onset of oestrus), the embryo survival rate (22%) and the pregnancy rate (42%) at 80 days after ET were significantly lower than those rates in the synchronous ET (recipients at 8.0 days after the onset of oestrus; 47 and 79%, respectively). In the early ET (recipients at 6.0-7.5 days after the onset of oestrus), no significant differences from the synchronous ET were detected in these rates. Twenty-six percent of twin pregnant recipients were aborted during mid- or late-pregnancy, and 39% of twin calves were stillborn. The mean gestation length of the twin-bearing JSH dams (276 days) was 1 week shorter than that of the single-bearing JSH dams, and it was 2 weeks shorter than that of the JB dams bearing a single JB calf derived from the IVP embryos. The longer gestation length of single JB calves derived from IVP embryos resulted in a significantly higher mean birth weight than that of in vivo control calves with the standard length of gestation. In conclusion, the number of embryos to be transferred did not affect the embryo survival rate, and the transfer of two IVP embryos to previously inseminated recipients induced a significantly higher twinning rate during early pregnancy than that of one IVP embryo transfer. The incidence of embryonic losses during early pregnancy increased when Day 8 embryos were transferred to the recipients later in the oestrous cycle (>8.0 days). The results suggested that one cause of the high rate of abortions and stillbirths in twin-bearing dams is the difference in the mean gestation length between the native JSH and JB foetuses derived from transferred IVP embryos.     

The cleavage step of ribonuclease P catalysis is determined by ribozyme-substrate interactions both distal and proximal to the cleavage site.

The cleavage step of bacterial RNase P catalysis involves concentration-independent processes after the formation of the ribozyme-substrate complex that result in the breaking of a phosphodiester bond. The 2'OH group at the cleavage site of a pre-tRNA substrate is an important determinant in the cleavage step. We determined here that in contrast to a tRNA substrate, the 2'OH at the cleavage site of two in vitro selected substrates has no effect, whereas a 2'OH located adjacent to the cleavage site has a similarly large effect on the cleavage step. This result indicates that a unique 2'OH in the vicinity of the cleavage site interacts with the ribozyme to achieve the maximal efficiency of the cleavage step. Individual modifications in a pre-tRNA substrate that disrupt ES interactions proximal to the cleavage site generally have little effect on the usage of this unique 2'OH. Ribozyme modifications that delete the interactions involving the T stem-loop of the tRNA have a large effect on the usage of this unique 2'OH and also alter the location of this 2'OH. We propose a new ES complex prior to the bond-breaking step in the reaction scheme to explain these results. This second ES complex is in fast equilibrium with the initial ES complex formed by bimolecular collision. The ribozyme interaction with this unique 2'OH shifts the equilibrium in favor of the second ES complex. The formation of the second ES complex may require optimal geometry of the two independently folding domains of this ribozyme to precisely position crucial functional groups and Mg2+ ions in the active site. Such a domain geometry is significantly favored by the RNase P protein. In the absence of the protein, spatial rearrangement of these domains in the ES complex may be necessary.