Pre-incision infiltration with lidocaine reduces pain and opioid consumption after reduction mammoplasty

BACKGROUND: The main purpose of the reconstruction of the cranium is the protection of the brain. Besides we have to consider important functional and aesthetic necessities in order to achieve satisfactory results. METHODS: Thirty-six clinical cases, operated from November 1991 to June 1996, in which the reconstruction of the cranial vault is carried out by a polymethylmethacrylate acrylic resin are analysed. The causes and locations of the most common bone defects and the main indications for reconstruction are examined. While the repair of the osseous gaps caused by neoplasms is immediate, in the traumatic occurrences, in order to reduce the probability of infectious complications, an average time of 11 months elapsed from the first operation. The surgical technique, with slightest alterations, is the same in all the presented cases, preparing the acrylic resin straight on the operating table. The resin, moulded and adapted to the defect until its complete hardening, presents, thanks to its properties, manifold advantages (and few real disadvantages). RESULTS: The results, in terms of complications, are very satisfactory, with an infectious rate of 2.7%. Besides, in one third of the patients, a considerable clinical improvement after the repair has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: According to personal experience, it is possible to affirm that polymethylmethacrylate, with its remarkable plasticity and stability in time, can always guarantee a satisfactory functional and aesthetic result.     

Synthesis and analgesic properties of new 5-thioaryl pyrazole derivatives

A new series 5-thio aryl pyrazole derivatives were proposed aiming analgesic activity. In this work, 8 new compounds of this class were synthesized using usual synthetic methodology, having as key intermediate the 3-methyl-4-nitro-5-chloropyrazole-1-phenyl derivative and subsequent reaction with several nucleophiles sulfides. Pharmacological evaluation of this series showed analgesic activity in the some extent in especially for 5-(4-bromophenyl)-thio-3-methyl-4-nitro-1-phenylpyrazole which was the most potent in this series, presenting an analgesic action comparable to that show by dipyrone.     

Trends in mortality of childhood-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Leicestershire: 1940-1991

The relative risk of death by calendar date of diagnosis was investigated in a population-based incident cohort of 845 (463 males:382 females) IDDM diagnosed in Leicestershire before the age of 17 years between 1940 and 1989. The mortality status of 844 (99.9%) patients was determined as of the 31 December 1991, representing 14,346 person-years of risk. Trends in relative risk of death were investigated using Cox proportional hazards modelling for within cohort comparisons and age/sex and calendar time adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMR) using generalized linear modelling for external comparisons. Median age at diagnosis was 10 years (range 3 months to 16 years); median duration of diabetes 15 years (range 1-51 years). Forty-four patients had died (5.2%; median age at death 31 years, range 11-51 years). A further four patients died at presentation (within 24 h) from ketoacidosis and are excluded from all analyses. Calendar date of diagnosis was found to be an important predictor of mortality. Adjusting for attained age there was evidence of a decline in relative risk of death with calendar date of diagnosis of 3.4% (95% CI, 0.005-6.9%) per annum, equivalent to a 32% fall per decade (95% CI, 5-51%), or 84% (95% CI, 21-97) from 1940 to 1989. The data are consistent with a large fall in mortality between the 1940s and 1950s representing over 50% of the total reduction in mortality between 1940 and 1991. Neither sex nor age at diagnosis were significant predictors of mortality. Over the study period 1940-89 the SMR (male and female combined) fell from 981 (541-1556) to 238 (60-953) relative to the general population. This population-based study shows that the prognosis for Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus has improved markedly over the period 1940-1991.     

EAE TCR motifs and antigen recognition in myelin basic protein-induced anterior uveitis in Lewis rats

T cells infiltrating the iris/ciliary body of Lewis rats with anterior uveitis (AU) that had been induced by myelin basic protein (MBP) immunization were previously found to share surface markers common to the T cells that cause experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). To determine whether these AU-associated T cells are in fact the same as those that infiltrate the central nervous system to cause EAE, we examined TCR V gene expression in T cells infiltrating the anterior chamber in rats with AU. As with EAE, we found a biased expression of Vbeta8.2 and Valpha2 in the iris/ciliary body and, although one would expect an influx of nonspecific inflammatory T cells, these biases were still evident at the peak of AU. An analysis of the TCR Vbeta8.2 and Valpha2 sequences derived from the iris/ciliary body demonstrated the presence of the same complementarity determining region 3 motifs found in MBP-specific T cells that are pathogenic for EAE and found in T cells derived from the central nervous system of rats with EAE. Finally, T cells isolated from the iris/ciliary body of rats with AU were found to proliferate in a specific fashion to MBP Ags. Thus, it appears that MBP-specific T cells are pathogenic for AU as well as EAE in the Lewis rat. In addition, the long-term presence of this highly restricted MBP response in the iris/ciliary body indicates that distinct immunoregulatory mechanisms exist in the environment of the eye. This provides an interesting model with which to address questions pertaining to the nature of T cells infiltrating the eye and their regulation during EAE and other systemic diseases.     

High-output congestive heart failure following transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunting

A hyperdynamic circulatory state with elevated cardiac output, decreased peripheral vascular resistance, and sodium retention occurs in patients with portal cirrhosis. Surgical portal-systemic shunts and transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunts (TIPS) have been shown to worsen the high-output state in these patients. However, clinical evidence of high-output congestive heart failure has been reported only rarely to complicate cirrhosis. We describe a patient who developed high-output congestive heart failure with markedly elevated filling pressures after TIPS and had complete resolution of heart failure after liver transplantation.     

A genetic analysis of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases involvement in DOPA synthesis during Drosophila adult development

This study was designed to examine whether cyclosporine (CyA) acts on the endocrine system by modifying the pulsatile secretion pattern of prolactin and LH. Both pituitary-grafted and sham-operated rats were submitted to a subcutaneous vehicle or CyA (5 mg/kg) treatment daily for 10 days beginning on the day of surgery. Pituitary grafting and/or CyA administration changed the pulsatile pattern of prolactin observed in sham-operated animals. The mean values of serum prolactin were significantly increased by pituitary grafting and the treatment with CyA further increased them. The mean half-life of prolactin was significantly increased in pituitary-grafted rats and was not changed by CyA administration, although it was decreased in sham-operated rats. The frequency of prolactin pulses was significantly decreased in pituitary-grafted as compared to sham-operated controls and was not further modified by CyA administration. However, in sham-operated rats a significant decrease of this parameter was observed. Duration of the prolactin peaks was significantly increased by pituitary grafting, and was not modified by CyA administration in any of the groups studied. The absolute amplitude of the prolactin peaks was significantly increased in pituitary-grafted as compared to sham-operated animals, and the treatment with CyA further increased this parameter in both groups. Mean values of LH were significantly increased in pituitary-grafted as compared to control rats. CyA administration significantly increased LH levels in sham-operated rats and decreased them in pituitary-grafted animals. The mean half-life, the pulse frequency and the duration of LH peaks were not modified by either pituitary grafting or CyA administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Characterization of ramie yarn treated with sodium hydroxide and crosslinked by 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid

Ramie yarns were treated with various concentrations of NaOH at room temperature and subsequently crosslinked with 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). The microstructure and tensile properties of the treated yarns were characterized. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR were used to study the crystalline structure of the resultant ramie yarns. The results showed that the maximum change in the structure of the alkali‐modified ramie took place at 16% NaOH, which would completely transform cellulose I to cellulose II. At the same time, the crystallinity index and fiber orientation decreased to the minimum value while the absorption properties were enhanced. The average degree of polymerization (DP ) of the treated ramie yarns slightly decreased after NaOH treatment. Tensile properties including tenacity, breaking elongation, and modulus of the treated yarns were also investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the breakage of the treated yarns. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1857–1864, 2004     

The viscoplastic properties of crude oil-water interfaces

The breaking of water-in-crude oil emulsions is a major challenge in the conventional petroleum industry, while oil-in-water emulsions present similar issues in commercial oilsands extraction processes. The stability of these emulsions can be attributed to complex rheological properties of the crude oil-water interface. Novel micromechanical techniques are developed that allow direct measurements of interfacial behaviour of emulsion drops. In these techniques, individual emulsion drops are elongated using micropipettes, where one micropipette is shaped into a cantilever for force measurements. As such, the surface behaviour of a drop is recorded in stress-strain experiments. In an alternative technique, the extended drop is released from a micropipette, and its natural, tension-driven relaxation is observed.The surface behaviour of bitumen (a heavy crude oil) emulsion drops in aqueous environments, that include dissolved calcium ions and suspended montmorillonite clays, is studied. The plasticity and other surface properties of these bitumen drops are discussed. A simple, lumped-parameter model is developed to describe the recovery of a bitumen drops to their final non-spherical shapes.     

Preparation of freestanding and crack-free titania–silica aerogels and their performance for gas phase, photocatalytic oxidation of VOCs

Freestanding and crack-free titania–silica aerogels with high titanium content (i.e., Ti/Si = 1) were successfully prepared by adjusting the hydrolysis of the two alkoxide precursors to a comparable rate during the sol–gel processing. Two titania–silica aerogels were prepared by ethanol and CO₂ supercritical drying methods. Well-dispersed, nanometer-sized anatase crystal domains (ca. 10 nm) were crystallized by high temperature, ethanol supercritical drying. The crystalline domains were solidly anchored to the aerogel network by Ti–O–Si bonds. Titania–silica aerogels prepared by CO₂ supercritical drying method were devoid of TiO₂ crystals. A molecular-level mixing was achieved and anatase TiO₂ was only crystallized with difficulty by high temperature calcination (1073 K). Both aerogels were mesoporous and displayed similar open pore structure that is readily accessible to reactant molecules. However, only the titania–silica aerogel with anatase TiO₂ prepared by ethanol supercritical drying was active for the gas phase, photocatalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (i.e., isopropanol and trichloroethylene). Catalysts prepared from Degussa P25 TiO₂ displayed lower activity under similar reaction conditions.