Columella Tissue Research Articles

Surgical design and application of alar cartilage positioning and repositioning in correcting cleft lip nose deformity.

Correction of nasal deformity is integral to modern cleft lip repair, and high risk of postoperative relapse remains a technical hurdle to overcome. The authors previously presented internal fixation of alar cartilage based on Chinese nasal morphology and lateral columella tissue increment for the correction of unilateral cleft nose deformity. Through the application and review of these techniques, the authors developed a new technique named alar cartilage positioning for primary cleft nose correction, or alar cartilage repositioning for secondary cases. Here, we introduce the theoretical foundation and preliminary experience in using this new technique.

Reconstruction of the large columella defect with Сchmid-Мeyer flap

Introduction. The reconstruction of columella defects is still regarded as a challenging procedure due to the very specific anatomy of the columella and limited local and regional flap options. Furthermore, the texture and color of columella tissue pose difficulties in choosing the right method of reconstruction. Case report. The report presents a patient who underwent reconstruction of a complex columella defect using a Schmid-Meyer flap. Schmid-Meyer flap represents a tubular flap with an internal supraciliary pedicle which allows the transposition of the temporal skin with the addition of ear cartilage on the tip of the nose or the ala nasi. The integration of the flap was complete. During the five-year follow-up period, the cosmetic and functional results were satisfying. Conclusion. Schmid-Meyer flap may be one of the best options for the reconstruction of complex defects of the columella.

Validation and demonstration of a pericarp disc system for studying blossom-end rot of tomatoes

BackgroundBlossom-end rot in tomatoes is often used as a model system to study fruit calcium deficiency. The study of blossom-end rot development in tomatoes has been greatly impeded by the difficulty of directly studying and applying treatments to the affected cells. This manuscript presents a novel method for studying blossom-end rot development after harvest in immature whole fruit and in pericarp discs.ResultsPericarp discs removed from the bottom pericarp of immature healthy fruit developed blossom-end rot like symptoms, corresponding to a decrease in L* value and an increase in a* value. Symptoms also developed in columella tissue, but not in stem-end pericarp tissue, similar to patterns observed during blossom-end rot development on the plant. Ascorbate oxidase and peroxidase activity, which are elevated in blossom-end rot affected fruit compared to healthy fruit, were both correlated with colorimetric measures of tissue darkening in discs. Respiration rate was higher in discs that later developed blossom-end rot symptoms, with increased respiration in asymptomatic discs on day 1 of storage being associated with symptom development on day 2. Calcium chloride and ascorbic acid treatments inhibited symptom development, demonstrating the potential of this method to provide causal evidence.ConclusionsResults indicate that symptom development in this system is consistent with blossom-end rot development with regards to location, color change, and the activity of key enzymes. This system has the potential to be used to elucidate the cause of fruit calcium deficiency and improve knowledge of the biological basis for calcium’s diverse effects on fruit.

NasoAlveolar molding treatment protocol in patients with cleft lip and palate

Presurgical infant orthopedics has been employed since 1950 as an adjunctive neonatal therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. Most of these therapies did not address deformity of the nasal cartilage in unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate as well as the deficiency of the columella tissue in infants with bilateral cleft. The NasolAveolar molding (NAM) technique, a new approach to presurgical infant orthopedics, developed by Grayson reduces the severity of the initial cleft alveolar and nasal deformity. This enables the surgeon and the patient to enjoy the benefits associated with repair of a cleft deformity that is minimal in severity. This paper will discuss the appliance design, clinical management, and biomechanical principles of nasolaveolar molding therapy. Long-term studies on NAM therapy indicate better lip and nasal form, reduced oronasal fistula and labial deformities, and 60% reduction in the need for secondary alveolar bone grafting. No effect on growth of midface in sagittal and vertical plane has been recorded up to the age of 18 years. With proper training and clinical skills NAM has demonstrated tremendous benefit to the cleft patients as well as to the surgeon performing the repair.

Magnetic resonance imaging provides spatial resolution of Chilling Injury in Micro-Tom tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to monitor internal changes in harvested tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Micro-Tom) fruit. Measurements of ethylene evolution, respiration, and ion leakage indicated that the fruit developed chilling injury (CI) after storage at 0°C. Unlike these measurements, MRI provided spatially resolved data. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which is an indication of water mobility in tissues, was calculated from MRIs of the different parts of the fruit. Storage for 1 or 2 weeks at 0°C caused no difference in the ADCs (D-values) in the pericarp, but it did lead to higher values in the inner tissues i.e., the columella and locular region compared to non-chilled fruit (P<0.05). Changes in inner fruit D-values after 1 and 2 weeks of chilling at 0°C were similar to changes in respiration, ethylene production and ion leakage which increased (P<0.05) compared to the non-chilled controls. Most CI studies of tomato fruit used pericarp tissue. Our data indicate that columella tissue changes occur in response to chilling injury in tomato fruit and suggest that more caution is needed when interpreting data from experiments commonly used to study this phenomenon.

Simplifying cleft surgery by presurgical nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) for infant born with unilateral cleft lip, alveolus, and palate: A clinical report

PatientA 2-day-old female infant with complete unilateral cleft lip, alveolus, and palate (left side) was presented to the Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur for evaluation and treatment with presurgical nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) prior to surgical intervention. DiscussionThe alignment of the alveolar segments creates the foundation upon which excellent results of primary lip and nasal surgery are dependent in the repair of the cleft lip, alveolus, and palate patient. Presurgical infant orthopedics has been employed since the 1950s as an adjunctive neonatal therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. One of the problems that the traditional approach failed to address was the deformity of the nasal cartilages and the deficiency of columella tissue in infants with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the step-by-step fabrication process of the PNAM prosthesis used to direct growth of the alveolar segments, lips, and nose in the presurgical treatment of cleft lip and palate. ConclusionAs a result, the primary surgical repair of the lip and nose heals under minimal tension, thereby reducing scar formation and improving the esthetic result. Frequent surgical intervention to achieve the desired esthetic results can be avoided by PNAM.

Presurgical nasoalveolar moulding treatment in cleft lip and palate patients

ABSTRACTPresurgical infant orthopedics has been employed since 1950 as an adjunctive neonatal therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. Most of these therapies did not address deformity of the nasal cartilage in unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate as well as the deficiency of the columella tissue in infants with bilateral cleft. The nasolaveolar molding (NAM) technique a new approach to presurgical infant orthopedics developed by Grayson reduces the severity of the initial cleft alveolar and nasal deformity. This enables the surgeon and the patient to enjoy the benefits associated with repair of a cleft deformity that is minimal in severity. This paper will discuss the appliance design, clinical management and biomechanical principles of nasolaveolar molding therapy. Long term studies on NAM therapy indicate better lip and nasal form, reduced oronasal fistula and labial deformities, 60 % reduction in the need for secondary alveolar bone grafting. No effect on growth of midface in sagittal and vertical plane has been recorded up to the age of 18 yrs. With proper training and clinical skills NAM has demonstrated tremendous benefit to the cleft patients as well as to the surgeon performing the repair.

Presurgical nasoalveolar moulding treatment in cleft lip and palate patients

Presurgical infant orthopedics has been employed since 1950 as an adjunctive neonatal therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. Most of these therapies did not address deformity of the nasal cartilage in unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate as well as the deficiency of the columella tissue in infants with bilateral cleft. The nasolaveolar molding (NAM) technique a new approach to presurgical infant orthopedics developed by Grayson reduces the severity of the initial cleft alveolar and nasal deformity. This enables the surgeon and the patient to enjoy the benefits associated with repair of a cleft deformity that is minimal in severity. This paper will discuss the appliance design, clinical management and biomechanical principles of nasolaveolar molding therapy. Long term studies on NAM therapy indicate better lip and nasal form, reduced oronasal fistula and labial deformities, 60 % reduction in the need for secondary alveolar bone grafting. No effect on growth of midface in sagittal and vertical plane has been recorded up to the age of 18 yrs. With proper training and clinical skills NAM has demonstrated tremendous benefit to the cleft patients as well as to the surgeon performing the repair.

Fruit Carbohydrate Metabolism in an Introgression Line of Tomato with Increased Fruit Soluble Solids

A tomato line (IL9-2-5) of the cultivated species, Lycopersicon esculentum, carrying a 9 cM introgression from the wild species, Lycopersicon pennelli, produces fruit with high soluble solids content (Brix), an important determinant of fruit quality for processing. Two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) relating to fruit soluble solids content have been identified within the introgressed segment. One of these QTLs (PW-9-2-5) is silent under the growth conditions used in this study, while a second (Brix-9-2-5) has been shown to encode a fruit apoplastic invertase (Lin5) with altered kinetic properties. In this study, we have undertaken a detailed biochemical analysis of the introgression line to attempt to gain an understanding of the metabolic changes associated with increased fruit soluble solids. Increased Brix in ripe fruit was shown to be the result of increased sucrose and glucose, with a more minor contribution from aspartate and alanine. The introgression leads to a pronounced increase in apoplastic invertase activity in the columella tissue that extends throughout fruit development. Furthermore, columella tissue from IL9-2-5 fruit has a greater capacity to take up exogenously supplied sucrose, an observation that is consistent with the kinetic properties of the introgressed Lin5 allele. Apart from the increase in mature fruit sugar and increases in some amino acids, metabolite profiling revealed few other metabolic perturbations in fruit from IL9-2-5. The only other major change was a dramatic increase in starch accumulation at earlier stages of fruit metabolism. This occurred without any increase in the activity of the enzymes of sucrose metabolism or starch synthesis and may therefore be driven by increased availability of sucrose. We conclude that the major factor that leads to increased fruit sugar in IL9-2-5 is an increase in the capacity to take up sucrose unloaded from the phloem.

Nasoalveolar Molding for Infants Born with Clefts of the Lip, Alveolus, and Palate

Presurgical infant orthopedics has been employed since the 1950s as an adjunctive neonatal therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. Nasoalveolar molding represents a paradigm shift from the traditional methods of presurgical infant orthopedics. One of the problems that the traditional approach failed to address was the deformity of the nasal cartilages in unilateral, as well as bilateral, clefts of the lip and palate and the deficiency of columella tissue in infants with bilateral clefts. The Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM) technique utilizes wire and acrylic nasal stents attached to an intraoral denture. This appliance is used to mold the nasal cartilages, premaxilla, and alveolar ridges into normal form and position during the neonatal period. In effect, this presurgical management of the cleft infant is intended to reduce severity of the oronasal deformity prior to surgery. This technique takes advantage of the malleability of immature nasal cartilage and its ability to maintain a permanent correction of its form. In addition, we demonstrate the ability to nonsurgically elongate the columella in bilateral cleft lip and palate through the application of tissue expansion principles. This is performed by gradual elongation of the nasal stents and the application of forces that are applied to the lip and nose. Utilization of the NAM technique has eliminated surgical scars associated with traditional columella reconstruction, has reduced the number and cost of revision surgical procedures, and has become the standard of care in this Cleft Palate Center.

Presurgical nasoalveolar molding in infants with cleft lip and palate.

Presurgical infant orthopedics has been employed since the 1950s as an adjunctive neonatal therapy for the correction of cleft lip and palate. In this paper, we present a paradigm shift from the traditional methods of presurgical infant orthopedics. Some of the problems that the traditional approach failed to address include the deformity of the nasal cartilages in unilateral as well as bilateral clefts of the lip and palate and the deficiency of columella tissue in infants with bilateral clefts. The nasoalveolar molding (NAM) technique we describe uses acrylic nasal stents attached to the vestibular shield of an oral molding plate to mold the nasal alar cartilages into normal form and position during the neonatal period. This technique takes advantage of the malleability of immature cartilage and its ability to maintain a permanent correction of its form. In addition, we demonstrate the ability to nonsurgically construct the columella through the application of tissue expansion principles. This construction is performed by gradual elongation of the nasal stents and the application of tissue-expanding elastic forces that are applied to the prolabium. Use of the NAM technique has eliminated surgical columella reconstruction and the resultant scar tissue from the standard of care in this cleft palate center.

359 Firmness and Force Relaxation Characteristics of Tomatoes Stored Intact or as Slices

We compared the firmness and force relaxation characteristics of tomato flesh harvested at six maturity stages and stored intact or as 7-mm slices for 0 to 20 days. Three measurements were made on outer pericarp and columella tissue. A 4-mm cylindrical probe provided more consistent firmness measurements (lower percent CV) than a 6.4-mm spherical probe at harvest, and distances of 3 mm were more consistent than 1 mm. Following loading, stress relaxation was recorded for 10 s. Stored tomato samples were tested only with the 4-mm cylindrical probe and distance of 3 mm. Firmness was taken as the maximum force (Fmax) in the loading portion, usually occurring at 3 mm. Fmax of freshly harvested tomatoes ranged from 15 to 2 N for mature green and red tomatoes, respectively. Fmax was closely correlated to area, slope, and force at first peak, i.e., all four parameters measured the same physical property, and was moderately correlated (R &gt; 0.9) to forces at specific relaxation times. Tomatoes stored intact generally had lower CVs than that of those sliced before storage, although there was little difference in average firmness (Fmax) between the two at a given storage time. A three-parameter model was developed to fit the relaxation curves. There was little correlation between Fmax and the three relaxation characteristics (R = 0.6 to 0.0), i.e., the relaxation characteristcs measured different physical properties than did Fmax. The responses of the relaxation characteristcs over storage time were dependent on the initial maturity of the tomatoes, but their values usually differed significantly between tomatoes stored intact or sliced, with tomatoes sliced before storage generally having higher values.

A study of geotropism in roots of pisum sativum through the use of transmission and light microscopy

A current theory of graviperception in roots is the settling of starch grains in the columella tissue of the root cap. This settling against the endoplasmic reticulum or other cell components may induce calcium release along the lower cell membrane, which sets up an auxin sink; thereby allowing differential growth on that wall. In order to more thoroughly elucidate the role of starch grains (staloliths) in the graviperception mechanism knowledge of the structures and subcellular organelles found in the pea root tip in and adjacent to the region of graviperception in newly differentiated cells under conditions of gravitational change is needed. This presentation addresses some of these areas.Seeds of Pisum sativum - Dwarf Gray Sugar were surface sterilized in one percent sodium hypochlorite for twenty minutes followed by a twenty minute rinse in running tap water. The seeds were placed on two sheets of filter paper in one hundred mm plastic petri dishes containing five ml of free water. They were dark germinated for three days. One to one and one-half mm tips were harvested and dropped into solution A which contained twenty-five mis each of 8% Paraformaldehyde, 0.2 M cacodylate buffer adjusted to pH 7.6, and distilled water 1-1/2 hours at 4° C.

Locular Gel Formation in Developing Tomato Fruit and the Initiation of Ethylene Production

Abstract Ethylene production by developing tomato fruit (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Sunny) increased 3- to 5-fold at the time of gel formation in the locules, followed by a larger (20-fold) increase at the breaker stage. When the levels of ACC and the activities of ACC synthase and ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE) were measured in different portions of the fruit during maturation, the first increases were observed in the locular tissue coincident with gel formation, followed by changes in the placental and columella tissue. Later changes in ACC, ACC synthase, and EFE in the radial and outer pericarp corresponded to the marked increased in ethylene production that occurred at the breaker stage. Treatment of immature fruit with 50 μl·liter−1 ethylene enhanced the rate of gel formation markedly with no apparent lag time, but the stimulation was dependent on continuous presence of ethylene. These results indicate that the onset of ethylene production occurs in the locule tissue of green tomato fruit prior to its initiation in the pericarp and that the locule cells may develop greater sensitivity to ethylene at an earlier stage than pericarp cells. Chemical name used: 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC).

The locations and amounts of endogenous ions and elements in the cap and elongating zone of horizontally oriented roots of Zea mays L.: an electron-probe EDS study.

We used quantitative electron-probe energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis to localize endogenous Na, Cl, K, P, S, Mg and Ca in cryofixed and freeze-dried cryosections of the cap (i.e. the putative site of graviperception) and elongating zone (i.e. site of gravicurvature) of horizontally oriented roots of Zea mays. Ca, Na, Cl, K and Mg accumulate along the lower side of caps of horizontally oriented roots. The most dramatic asymmetries of these ions occur in the apoplast, especially the mucilage. We could not detect any significant differences in the concentrations of these ions in the central cytoplasm of columella cells along the upper and lower sides of caps of horizontally-oriented roots. However, the increased amounts of Na, Cl, K and Mg in the longitudinal walls of columella cells along the lower side of the cap suggest that these ions may move down through the columella tissue of horizontally-oriented roots. Ca also accumulates (largely in the mucilage) along the lower side of the elongating zone of horizontally-oriented roots, while Na, P, Cl and K tend to accumulate along the upper side of the elongating zone. Of these ions, only K increases in concentration in the cytoplasm and longitudinal walls of cortical cells in the upper vs lower sides of the elongating zone. These results indicate that (1) gravity-induced asymmetries of ions differ significantly in the cap and elongating zone of graviresponding roots, (2) Ca accumulates along the lower side of the cap and elongating zone of graviresponding roots, (3) increased growth of the upper side of the elongating zone of horizontally-oriented roots correlates positively with increased amounts of K in the cytoplasm and longitudinal walls of cortical cells, and (4) the apoplast (especially the mucilage) may be an important component of the pathway via which ions move in graviresponding rots of Zea mays. These results are discussed relative to mechanisms for graviperception and gravicurvature of roots.

Cytochemical localization of calcium in cap cells of primary roots of Zea mays L.

The distribution of calcium (Ca) in caps of vertically- and horizontally-oriented roots of Zea mays was monitored to determine its possible role in root graviresponsiveness. A modification of the antimonate precipitation procedure was used to localize Ca in situ. In vertically-oriented roots, the presumed graviperceptive (i.e., columella) cells were characterized by minimal and symmetric staining of the plasmalemma and mitochondria. No precipitate was present in plasmodesmata or cell walls. Within 5 min after horizontal reorientation, staining was associated with the portion of the cell wall adjacent to the distal end of the cell. This asymmetric staining persisted throughout the onset of gravicurvature. No staining of lateral cell walls of columella cells was observed at any stage of gravicurvature, suggesting that a lateral flow of Ca through the columella tissue of horizontally-oriented roots does not occur. The outermost peripheral cells of roots oriented horizontally and vertically secrete Ca through plasmodesmata-like structures in their cell walls. These results are discussed relative to proposed roles of root-cap Ca in root gravicurvature.

INHIBITION OF GRAVITROPISM IN PRIMARY ROOTS OF ZEA MAYS BY CHLORAMPHENICOL

Primary roots of Zea mays seedlings germinated and grown in 0.1 mM chloramphenicol (CMP) were significantly less graviresponsive than primary roots of seedlings germinated and grown in distilled water. Elongation rates of roots treated with CMP were significantly greater than those grown in distilled water. Caps of control and CMP-treated roots possessed extensive columella tissues comprised of cells containing numerous sedimented amyloplasts. These results indicate that the reduced graviresponsiveness of CMP-treated roots is not due to reduced rates of elongation, the absence of the presumed gravireceptors (i.e., amyloplasts in columella cells), or reduced amounts of columella tissue. These results are consistent with CMP altering the production and/or transport of effectors that mediate gravitropism.

Biosynthesis of Wound Ethylene

Untreated mung bean hypocotyls produced very little C(2)H(4) but, upon treatment with 10 millimolar Cu(2+) or 10 millimolar Cu(2+) + 10 millimolar Ca(2+), C(2)H(4) production increased 20- and 40-fold, respectively, within 6 hours. This increase in C(2)H(4) production was preceded and paralleled by an increase in 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid (ACC) content, but the level of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) was unaffected, suggesting that the conversion of SAM to ACC is a key reaction in the production of wound-induced C(2)H(4). This view was further supported by the observation that application of aminoethoxyvinylglycine, a known inhibitor of the conversion of SAM to ACC, eliminated the increases in ACC formation and in C(2)H(4) production. A significant increase in C(2)H(4) production was observed in the albedo tissue of orange in response to excision, and it was paralleled by an increase in ACC content. In columella tissue of unripe green tomato fruit, massive increases in the C(2)H(4) production rate (from 0 to 12 nanoliters per gram per hour), in ACC content (from 0.05 to 12 nmoles per gram), and in ACC synthase activity (from 0 to 6.4 units per milligram protein) occurred during the 9-hour incubation period following excision. Infiltration with 0.1 millimolar cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, completely blocked wound-induced C(2)H(4) production, ACC formation, and development of ACC synthase activity. These data indicate that wounding induces the synthesis of ACC synthase, which is the rate-controlling enzyme in the pathway of C(2)H(4) biosynthesis and, thereby, causes accumulation of ACC and increase in C(2)H(4) production.