Peripheral regional analgesia with femoral catheter versus intravenous patient controlled analgesia after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized study

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of femoral analgesia (FA) with 0.25% levobupivacain and intravenous patient controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine on postoperative pain assessed by a visual-analog scale (VAS) score and their complications during the first 24 postoperative hours after the a total knee arthroplasty in a prospective randomized study. Secondary outcomes included: morphine use, patient satisfaction, complication of analgesia and duration of hospital stay. We analyzed 71 patients with an ASA score of II or III. The patients were randomized into two groups: group PCA (n = 36) was given the PCA pump, which contained morphine; and group FA (n = 35) was given first a bolus dose, then a continuous infusion 0.25% levobupivacain via a femoral catheter. The assessment of VAS was performed every 2 hours. There were no differences between the PCA and FA groups regarding demographic characteristics, operation duration, ASA score distribution, duration of hospital stay and satisfaction with analgesia (although there were more satisfied patients in the FA group). Significant differences were noted in the quantity of morphine used (higher values were in the PCA group; p < 0.001). More complications were recorded in PCA group (p < 0.001). The VAS score was lower in the FA group (p < 0.001). The highest difference occurred 4 hours after the operation, with the PCA group having significantly higher VAS score values compared to the FA group. Femoral analgesia leads to a stronger pain relief with less side effects, less morphine use and more patient satisfaction than intravenous PCA with morphine.     

The Negative Effect of Soy Extract on Erythrocyte Membrane Fluidity: An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study

A decrease of erythrocyte membrane fluidity can contribute to the pathophysiology of hypertension. Soy products, which are used as alternative therapeutics in some cardiovascular conditions, contain various isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, and their glucosides, genistin and daidzin), which can incorporate cellular membrane and change its fluidity. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of soy extract (which generally corresponds to the soy products of isoflavone composition) on erythrocyte membrane fluidity at graded depths. We used electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and fatty acid spin probes (5-DS and 12-DS), the spectra of which are dependent on membrane fluidity. After being treated with soy extract, erythrocytes showed a significant (P = 0.016) decrease of membrane fluidity near the hydrophilic surface, while there were no significant changes of fluidity in deeper hydrophobic membrane regions. These results suggest that soy products containing high levels of genistein and isoflavone glucosides may not be suitable for use in hypertension because they decrease erythrocyte membrane fluidity.     

Nipah virus uses leukocytes for efficient dissemination within a host

Nipah virus (NiV) is a recently emerged zoonotic paramyxovirus whose natural reservoirs are several species of Pteropus fruit bats. NiV provokes a widespread vasculitis often associated with severe encephalitis, with up to 75% mortality in humans. We have analyzed the pathogenesis of NiV infection, using human leukocyte cultures and the hamster animal model, which closely reproduces human NiV infection. We report that human lymphocytes and monocytes are not permissive for NiV and a low level of virus replication is detected only in dendritic cells. Interestingly, despite the absence of infection, lymphocytes could efficiently bind NiV and transfer infection to endothelial and Vero cells. This lymphocyte-mediated transinfection was inhibited after proteolytic digestion and neutralization by NiV-specific antibodies, suggesting that cells could transfer infectious virus to other permissive cells without the requirement for NiV internalization. In NiV-infected hamsters, leukocytes captured and carried NiV after intraperitoneal infection without themselves being productively infected. Such NiV-loaded mononuclear leukocytes transfer lethal NiV infection into naïve animals, demonstrating efficient virus transinfection in vivo. Altogether, these results reveal a remarkable capacity of NiV to hijack leukocytes as vehicles to transinfect host cells and spread the virus throughout the organism. This mode of virus transmission represents a rapid and potent method of NiV dissemination, which may contribute to its high pathogenicity.     

Reduced clearance of respiratory syncytial virus infection in a preterm lamb model

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes significant respiratory disease in children worldwide. For the study of severe RSV disease seen in preterm infants, a suitable animal model is lacking. The novel hypothesis of this study was that preterm lambs are susceptible to bovine RSV (bRSV) infection, an analogous pneumovirus with ruminant host specificity, and that there would be age-dependent differences in select RSV disease parameters. During RSV infection, preterm lambs had elevated temperatures and respiration rates with mild anorexia and cough compared to controls. Gross lesions included multifocal consolidation and atelectasis with foci of hyperinflation. Microscopic lesions included multifocal alveolar septal thickening and bronchiolitis. Immunohistochemistry localized the RSV antigen to all layers of bronchiolar epithelium from a few basal cells to numerous sloughing epithelia. A few mononuclear cells were also immunoreactive. To assess for age-dependent differences in RSV infection, neonatal lambs were infected similarly to the preterm lambs or with a high-titer viral inoculum. Using morphometry at day 7 of infection, preterm lambs had significantly more cellular immunoreactivity for RSV antigen (P <0.05) and syncytial cell formation (P <0.05) than either group of neonatal lambs. This work suggests that perinatal RSV clearance is age-dependent, which may explain the severity of RSV infection in preterm infants. The preterm lamb model is useful for assessing age-dependent mechanisms of severe RSV infection.     

Desiccation tolerance of the resurrection plant Ramonda serbica is associated with dehydration-dependent changes in levels of proteolytic activities

The unique response of desiccation-tolerant, or resurrection plants, to extreme drought is accompanied by major changes in the protein pool, raising the possibility of the involvement of proteases. We detected and characterized proteases present in their active state in leaf extracts of desiccated Ramonda serbica Pan?., a resurrection plant from the Balkan Peninsula. Plants desiccated under laboratory conditions and maintained in anhydrobiosis for 4 and 14 months revived upon rehydration. Protease activities were determined spectrophotometrically in solution and by zymography on gels. Several endo- and aminopeptidases were detected and characterized by their pH profiles. Their enzyme class was determined using specific inhibitors. Those with higher activities were a serine endopeptidase active against Bz-Arg-pNA with a pH optimum around 9, and aminopeptidases optimally active at pHs from 7 to 9 against Leu-pNA, Met-pNA, Phe-pNA, Pro-pNA and Ala-pNA. The levels of their activities in leaf extracts from desiccated plants were significantly higher than those from rehydrated plants and from regularly watered plants, implying their involvement in the recovery of vegetative tissues from desiccation.     

Non‐concordant phylogeographical patterns of three widely codistributed endemic Western Balkans lacertid lizards (Reptilia,Lacertidae) shaped by specific habitat requirements and different responses to Pleistocene climatic oscillations

The Balkan Peninsula is a hot spot for European herpetofaunal biodiversity and endemism. The rock climbing lizards Dalmatolacerta oxycephala and Dinarolacerta mosorensis and the ground‐dwelling Dalmatian wall lizard Podarcis melisellensis are endemic to the Western Balkans, and their ranges largely overlap. Here, we present a comparative phylogeographical study of these three species in the area of their codistribution in order to determine the level of concordance in their evolutionary patterns. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and 16S rRNA), and a molecular clock approach was used to date the most important events in their evolutionary histories. We also tested for correlations regarding genetic differentiation among populations and their geographical distances. For all three species, a significant correlation between genetic and geographical distances was found. Within D. oxycephala, two deeply separated clades (‘island’ and ‘mainland clade’), with further subdivision of the ‘mainland clade’ into two subclades (‘south‐eastern’ and ‘north‐western’), were found. High sequence divergences were observed between these groups. From our data, the time of separation of the two main clades of D. oxycephala can be estimated at about 5 mya and at about 0.8 mya for the two subclades of the mainland clade. Within D. mosorensis, coalescence time may be dated at about 1 mya, while D. mosorensis and D. montenegrina separated around 5 mya. The results imply the existence of complex palaeo‐biogeographical and geological factors that probably influenced the observed phylogeographical patterns in these lacertid species, and point to the presence of numerous glacial/interglacial refugia. Furthermore, the observed cryptic genetic diversity within the presently monotypic species D. oxycephala prompts for a revision of its taxonomic and conservation status.     

Frequency of the ΔF508 deletion and G551D,R553X and G542X mutations in Yugoslav CF patients

Summary A study was undertaken to find the frequency of the F508 deletion and those of the G551D, R553X and G524X mutations among the mainly Slavic population of Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Montenegro and compare the frequencies determined with those in other European populations. The F508 mutation was found to account for about 70% of CF genes in central Jugoslavia, where its frequency is significantly higher than elsewhere in Southern European populations.     

Effect of inorganic nutrition on the formation of lateral roots in Dracaena fragrans Ker-Gawl cultured in vitro

The effect of inorganic nutrition on the formation of lateral roots has been studied in Dracaena fragrans Ker-Gawl cultured in vitro. MS macronutrient salts imposed inhibition of lateral root formation in 95% of primary adventitious roots which could be overcome by:     

Specificity of latent TGF-β binding protein (LTBP) incorporation into matrix: Role of fibrillins and fibronectin

Fibrillin microfibrils are extracellular matrix structures with essential functions in the development and the organization of tissues including blood vessels, bone, limbs and the eye. Fibrillin‐1 and fibrillin‐2 form the core of fibrillin microfibrils, to which multiple proteins associate to form a highly organized structure. Defining the components of this structure and their interactions is crucial to understand the pathobiology of microfibrillopathies associated with mutations in fibrillins and in microfibril‐associated molecules. In this study, we have analyzed both in vitro and in vivo the role of fibrillin microfibrils in the matrix deposition of latent TGF‐β binding protein 1 (LTBP‐1), ‐3 and ‐4; the three LTBPs that form a complex with TGF‐β. In Fbn1^?/? ascending aortas and lungs, LTBP‐3 and LTBP‐4 are not incorporated into a matrix lacking fibrillin‐1 microfibrils, whereas LTBP‐1 is still deposited. In addition, in cultures of Fbn1^?/? smooth muscle cells or lung fibroblasts, LTBP‐3 and LTBP‐4 are not incorporated into a matrix lacking fibrillin‐1 microfibrils, whereas LTBP‐1 is still deposited. Fibrillin‐2 is not involved in the deposition of LTBP‐1 in Fbn1^?/? extracellular matrix as cells deficient for both fibrillin‐1 and fibrillin‐2 still incorporate LTBP‐1 in their matrix. However, blocking the formation of the fibronectin network in Fbn1^?/? cells abrogates the deposition of LTBP‐1. Together, these data indicate that LTBP‐3 and LTBP‐4 association with the matrix depends on fibrillin‐1 microfibrils, whereas LTBP‐1 association depends on a fibronectin network. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 3828–3836, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.