Incomplete Restoration Research Articles

WAS Promoter-Driven Lentiviral Vectors Mimic Closely the Lopsided WASP Expression during Megakaryocytic Differentiation

Transplant of gene-modified autologous hematopoietic progenitors cells has emerged as a new therapeutic approach for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), a primary immunodeficiency with microthrombocytopenia and abnormal lymphoid and myeloid functions. Despite the clinical benefits obtained in ongoing clinical trials, platelet restoration is suboptimal. The incomplete restoration of platelets in these patients can be explained either by a low number of corrected cells or by insufficient or inadequate WASP expression during megakaryocyte differentiation and/or in platelets. We therefore used in vitro models to study the endogenous WASP expression pattern during megakaryocytic differentiation and compared it with the expression profiles achieved by different therapeutic lentiviral vectors (LVs) driving WAS cDNA through different regions of the WAS promoter. Our data showed that all WAS promoter-driven LVs mimic very closely the endogenous WAS expression kinetic during megakaryocytic differentiation. However, LVs harboring the full-length (1.6-kb) WAS-proximal promoter (WW1.6) or a combination of the WAS alternative and proximal promoters (named AW) had the best behavior. Finally, all WAS-driven LVs restored the WAS knockout (WASKO) mice phenotype and functional defects of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from a WAS patient with similar efficiency. In summary, our data back up the use of WW1.6 and AW LVs as physiological gene transfer tools for WAS therapy.

Understanding the Role of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T-Cells in Non-human Primate Models of HIV Infection.

Chronic HIV infection causes systemic immune activation and dysregulation, resulting in the impairment of most T-cell subsets including MAIT cells. Multiple human cohort studies demonstrate MAIT cells are selectively depleted in the peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues during HIV infection, with incomplete restoration during suppressive antiretroviral therapy. Because MAIT cells play an important role in mucosal defense against a wide array of pathogens, fully reconstituting the MAIT cell compartment in ART-treated populations could improve immunity against co-infections. Non-human primates (NHPs) are a valuable, well-described animal model for HIV infection in humans. NHPs also maintain MAIT cell frequencies more comparable to humans, compared to other common animal models, and provide a unique opportunity to study MAIT cells in the circulation and mucosal tissues in a longitudinal manner. Only recently, however, have NHP MAIT cells been thoroughly characterized using macaque-specific MR1 tetramer reagents. Here we review the similarities and differences between MAIT cells in humans and NHPs as well as the impact of SIV/SHIV infection on MAIT cells and the potential implications for future research.

Study of Reliability for Main Components and Devices of Die-Cutting Presses for Packaging

A large variety of machine operating conditions leads to a difference in the wear rate even for their units being of the same type. Operational time terms of single-type units and machines are not the same, and therefore, numerical expressions of operational reliability will be probabilistic values. Incomplete restoration of original properties of a unit, a negligent repair, a poor maintenance usually lead to the fact that any of several parts independently one from another can determine reliability of a machine (a unit). This is especially important to consider when manufacturing packaging in order to avoid rejects. The operational reliability of modern machines consisting of hundreds, and sometimes thousands of parts, wear processes of which are in a complex relationship, depends on a number of factors. A study on reliability of main components and equipment devices is an urgent task. Successful operation of printing equipment is possible only if there is a clear organization of preventive work, ensuring preparation of printing machines for printing and post-printing processing. High-performance equipment, such as die-cutting presses, should be regularly inspected, adjusted and maintained in such a way as to obtain standard results at the output. The paper has studied reliability of main components and devices of die-cutting presses based on calculation of failure probability. Calculations have been carried out by analogy with the calculation of the probability of events in the fault tree. Failure diagrams of devices and units of die-cutting presses have been built in the paper. Based on the analysis of the failure probability for main components and devices, graphs of residual life for equipment operation on its life cycle have been constructed in the paper.

The dynamics of population size in regional capitals of modern Russia

The object of this research is the cities of Russia, while the subject is the dynamics of regional capitals by population size in post-Soviet period. The goal is to determine the types of dynamics and patterns of their territorial distribution. The typology considers the decline in population size in 1990s – 2010s and its subsequent restoration. In the course of research, the author processed statistical information based on population size of the cities and socioeconomic characteristics of regions of the Russian Federation. The areal approach was applied for determination of large territories with certain types of dynamics of the cities. The author is first to carry out classification of the dynamics of population size in post-Soviet Russia, highlighting the following four parts: extended restoration, incomplete restoration, stable growth, stable decline). The areas with most widespread types are defined. It is concluded that after a decline in 1990s – 2010s, in a relatively large part of regional capitals of Russia (about 42%), the population exceeded the size of 1991 by 2020. The dynamics of population size of regional capitals of national entities looks more favorable than the dynamics of regional capitals of the counties. A large monolith area of incomplete type of restoration covers the majority of Volga Region, Central Non-Black Earth area, part of Central Black Earth area and Northeastern European Russia. The type of extended restoration has two main monolith areas, one of which covers a part of Central Black Earth area and South-West, while another – the majority of Ural and Western Siberia, and a part of Eastern Siberia. Socioeconomic characteristics of the region, which reflect the level of its development and well-being, have correlational ties with dynamics of a regional capital, but do not fully explain the origin of areas of particular type of dynamics.

Extent of liver resection is associated with incomplete liver restoration and splenomegaly a long period after liver resection

BackgroundLittle is known about the clinical significance and risk factors for incomplete liver restoration after partial hepatectomy, which is defined by a liver volume restoration of less than 100% of the original volume. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent hepatic resection for liver tumors at the Kyoto University Hospital between January 2011 and October 2015 and survived without recurrence for more than 3 years. The preoperative and postoperative data, as well as liver and splenic volume after 3 postoperative years, were assessed. ResultsThe percentage of resected liver was higher in the incomplete liver restoration group (n = 52, 41.6%) than in the complete liver restoration group (n = 73, 58.4%) (28 [3–78]% vs 14.5 [2–63]%, P = .0226). The percentage of resected liver was also higher in the splenomegaly group (defined by spleen volume increases of more than 35% of the original volume) than in the nonsplenomegaly group (40 [4–63]% vs 16.5 [2–78]%, P = .0002). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the percentage of resected liver was a significant predictor of incomplete liver restoration (odds ratio = 9.75, P = .0043) and splenomegaly (odds ratio = 74.4, P = .0006). Incomplete liver restoration 3 years after hepatectomy was associated with lower serum albumin levels (4.0 [2.4–4.7] g/dL compared with 4.2 [2.6–4.8] g/dL in the complete liver restoration group, P = .0032). Splenomegaly was associated with a lower platelet count (109.9 ± 49.8 x103/μL vs 163 ± 58.1 × 103/μL,P = .0007) and lower serum albumin level (3.6 [2.6–4.4] g/dL vs 4.1 [2.4–4.8] g/dL, P = .0002). ConclusionAn extensive resection of the liver parenchyma results in an increased risk for incomplete liver restoration and splenomegaly long after hepatectomy, which is associated with the clinical consequences of hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia.

A "Meaningful" Seat at the Table: Contemplating Our Ongoing Struggle to Access Democracy

In recent years, felon-voter disenfranchisement has received considerable attention from academics, policymakers, and the media. In turn, a number of jurisdictions have eased record-based voter restriction statutes. And while those efforts represent a significant step toward full civic reintegration for those with a felony criminal history, they are far from comprehensive, as they regularly omit citizens with certain types of felony convictions and typically address only one form of civic marginalization. Focusing on recent reform in the area of civic restrictions, this Article suggests that incomplete civic restoration comes with significant consequences that ought to be considered during legislative negotiations. This Article further suggests that by capitulating to emotive, non-empirical opposition to full civic reinstatement, lawmakers run the risk of validating arguments that have no scientific or logical foundation.

An Experimental Series Investigating the Effects of Hyperinsulinemic Euglycemia on Myocardial Blood Flow Reserve in Healthy Individuals and on Myocardial Perfusion Defect Size following ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Incomplete restoration of myocardial blood flow (MBF) is reported in up to 30% of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) despite prompt mechanical revascularization. Experimental hyperinsulinemic euglycemia (HE) increases MBF reserve (MBFR). If fully exploited, this effect may also improve MBF to ischemic myocardium. Using insulin-dextrose infusions to induce HE, we conducted four experiments to determine (1) how insulin infusion duration, dose, and presence of insulin resistance affect MBFR response; and (2) the effect of an insulin-dextrose infusion given immediately following revascularization of STEMI on myocardial perfusion. The MBFR was determined using myocardial contrast echocardiography. Experiment 1 (insulin duration): 12 participants received an insulin-dextrose or saline infusion for 120minutes. MBFR was measured at four time intervals during infusion. Experiment 2 (insulin dose): 22 participants received one of three insulin doses (0.5, 1.5, 3.0 mU/kg/minute) for 60minutes. Baseline and 60-minute MBFRs were determined. Experiment 3 (insulin resistance): five metabolic syndrome and six type 2 diabetes (T2DM) participants received 1.5 mU/kg/minute of insulin-dextrose for 60minutes. Baseline and 60-minute MBFRs were determined. Experiment 4 (STEMI): following revascularization for STEMI, 20 patients were randomized to receive either 1.5 mU/kg/minute insulin-dextrose infusion for 120minutes or standard care. Myocardial contrast echocardiography was performed at four time intervals to quantify percentage contrast defect length. Experiment 1: MBFR increased with time through to 120minutes in the insulin-dextrose group and did not change in controls. Experiment 2: compared with baseline, MBFR increased in the 1.5 (2.42±0.39 to 3.25±0.77, P=.002), did not change in the 0.5, and decreased in the 3.0 (2.64±0.25 to 2.16±0.33, P=.02) mU/kg/minute groups. Experiment 3: compared with baseline, MBFR increase was only borderline significant in metabolic syndrome and T2DM participants (1.98±0.33 to 2.59±0.45, P=.04, and 1.67±0.35 to 2.14±0.21, P=.05). Experiment 4: baseline percentage contrast defect length was similar in both groups but with insulin decreased with time and was significantly lower than in controls at 60minutes (2.8±5.7 vs 13.7±10.6, P=.02). Presence of T2DM, insulin infusion duration, and dose are important determinants of the MBFR response to HE. When given immediately following revascularization for STEMI, insulin-dextrose reduces perfusion defect size at one hour. Hyperinsulinemic euglycemia may improve MBF following ischemia, but further studies are needed to clarify this.

Modified Rolling-Ball Method for Pulmonary Parenchyma Segmentation

Background: Computer-aided detection/diagnosis (CAD) of lung nodules is a practical approach to improve the relative survival of lung cancer patients. Pulmonary parenchyma segmentation is an essential part of the CAD systems for detecting lung cancer. Methods: To solve the problems of improper segmentation and incomplete repair with the traditional rolling-ball method (RBM), we proposed a novel method with a multi-scale rolling-ball for pulmonary parenchyma segmentation. The traditional RBM suffers from the problem that there is often a mismatch between the rolling-ball radius and the size of the boundary defect. Additionally, the shapes of the rolling-ball and lung parenchyma are mismatched, which results in incomplete restoration of the boundary of lung parenchyma. Therefore, to address these issues, a novel multi-scale elliptic RBM (ME-RBM) is proposed for pulmonary parenchyma segmentation in this work. Results: The proposed approach was used to segment the lung parenchyma in 60 computed tomography (CT) images. The results revealed an area overlap measure (AOM) of 96.34%, dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 97.83% and sensitivity (Sens) of 98.93%. Conclusion: A novel modified rolling-ball method was proposed and developed in this work for pulmonary parenchyma segmentation on chest CT images. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach was accurate and reliable.

DMD carrier model with mosaic dystrophin expression in the heart reveals complex vulnerability to myocardial injury.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle wasting and cardiomyopathy. This X-linked disease results from mutations of the DMD allele on the X-chromosome resulting in the loss of expression of the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin loss causes cellular dysfunction that drives the loss of healthy skeletal muscle and cardiomyocytes. As gene therapy strategies strive toward dystrophin restoration through micro-dystrophin delivery or exon skipping, preclinical models have shown that incomplete restoration in the heart results in heterogeneous dystrophin expression throughout the myocardium. This outcome prompts the question of how much dystrophin restoration is sufficient to rescue the heart from DMD-related pathology. Female DMD carrier hearts can shed light on this question, due to their mosaic cardiac dystrophin expression resulting from random X-inactivation. In this work, a dystrophinopathy carrier mouse model was derived by breeding male or female dystrophin-null mdx mice with a wild type mate. We report that these carrier hearts are significantly susceptible to injury induced by one or multiple high doses of isoproterenol, despite expressing ~57% dystrophin. Importantly, only carrier mice with dystrophic mothers showed mortality after isoproterenol. These findings indicate that dystrophin restoration in approximately half of the heart still allows for marked vulnerability to injury. Additionally, the discovery of divergent stress-induced mortality based on parental origin in mice with equivalent dystrophin expression underscores the need for better understanding of the epigenetic, developmental, and even environmental factors that may modulate vulnerability in the dystrophic heart.

Effects of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) on Restoration of Lung Immunity and Tuberculosis Reactivation

While the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART, ART) has significantly improved survival, tuberculosis (TB) still accounts for one-third of deaths in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected populations, suggesting incomplete restoration of immune function by ART. Mtb/Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) co-infected macaques have been used to model Mtb/HIV co-infection in humans. To identify the components of TB immunity that remain impaired following HIV-infection and ART treatment, macaques with asymptomatic M. tuberculosis (Mtb) infection were subsequently co-infected with SIV. Animals were then randomly assigned to ART or control groups and studied longitudinally. While ART significantly reduced viral loads and increased CD4+T cell counts in whole blood and BAL samples, it did not reduce the relative risk of SIV- induced TB reactivation (RR 1·23, 95% CI 0·97-1·5) in ART treated macaques. CD4+T cells were poorly restored specifically in the lung interstitial region, despite their significant restoration in the alveolar compartment of the lung as well as in the periphery. IDO1 induction on myeloid cells in the iBALT likely contributes to dysregulated T cell homing and impaired lung immunity. Thus, while ART is indispensable for controlling viral replication, CD4+T cells restoration and in preventing opportunistic infection, it is however inadequate in reversing Mtb-specific T cell impairment. This warrants modeling concurrent treatment of TB and HIV to potentially reduce the risk of reactivation of TB due to HIV. The current and future studies like this have the potential to inform treatment strategies in patients with Mtb/HIV co-infection. The study was funded through grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH). Funding Statement: This work was primarily supported by NIH awards to D.K. and J.R. (R01AI111943, R01AI123047) with additional support from NIH awards R01AI111914, R01AI134240, R01AI135726, U19AI111211 and institutional awards P51OD111033 and P51OD111004. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that no conflict of interest exists. Ethics Approval Statement: All the animals were housed in the Animal Biosafety level III (ABSL3) at Tulane National Primate Research Center where they were treated as per the standards recommended by Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International and the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The study was approved by the IACUC of the Tulane National Primate Research Center (protocols P0247R, P0324, P0295R).

Returning to Yahweh and Yahweh's Return: Aspects of שׁוּב in the Book of Malachi

This article examines aspects of שׁוב in the book of Malachi against the background of an obvious complementary and inadequate pattern of Israel/Judah’s repentance and incomplete restoration. As people whose history is characterised by covenant failure and refusal to repent, the book of Malachi present a robust conglomeration of persistent noncompliance and rebellion of the postexilic Yehudite community, thus making her guilty of unfaithfulness and unworthy of Yahweh’s restoration. The article surveys aspects of שׁוב in three relative books of the Book of the Twelve and then examines three seemingly connected aspects; namely, Torah compliance, return to the right cult and Yahweh’s return in the book of Malachi. What emerges at the end of this article is that Israel/Judah’s hope of spiritual revitalisation, and complete restoration, is her faithful and wholehearted return to the right cult and to Yahweh’s Torah. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2020/v33n1a9

The impact of high-energy tailing in high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometry on the activity determination of 224Ra using the 241.0 keV emission

High-energy tailing is an often-overlooked component in high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometry when performing the non-linear least squares fit of a full-energy peak. This component comes from the incomplete restoration of the baseline prior to the next pulse being processed and therefore is an issue of increased count rates. In the current work, the impact of this oversight is shown through the dynamics and decay characteristics of 224Ra and its radioactive decay progeny. Multiple measurements of two samples, separated from the decay progeny and at differing activities, have been made. The results of full-energy peak fitting of the convoluted 238.6 keV and 241.0 keV full-energy peaks with and without the high energy tailing component are presented. Trends in the observed activity that approximate the ingrowth of 212Pb have been observed where no high-energy tailing component is used, with maximum relative differences of 2% and 5% determined.

Long-term impact and clinical significance of living donor liver transplantation with respect to donor liver restoration and spleen size: A prospective study.

This study aimed to evaluate postoperative long-term liver restoration and splenic enlargement and their clinical significance in living donor liver transplantation. One hundred and sixteen donors who had donated livers more than 5years previously accepted the invitation to participate in this study. The liver restoration rate and the splenic enlargement rate were calculated as the rate with respect to the original volume. The mean liver restoration rate was 0.99±0.12 and older age was associated with a higher incidence for liver restoration rate <0.95 (P=.005), whereas type of donor operation was not. The donors with liver restoration rate <0.95 showed lower serum albumin levels than those with liver restoration rate ≥0.95. The mean splenic enlargement rate was 1.10±0.16. Right lobe donors demonstrated higher splenic enlargement rate (1.14±0.18) than left lobe/lateral segment donors (1.06±0.13). In the donors with splenic enlargement rate ≥1.10, platelet count was not fully restored to the preoperative level. In conclusion, older age increases the risk for incomplete postoperative liver restoration, which may be associated with a decrease in albumin more than 5years after donation. Right lobe donation poses a risk of splenic enlargement, which is associated with incomplete restoration of platelet count.

A research of the characteristics of the Kijima-Sumita processes under an increasing rate function

Aim. The paper is dedicated to the research of the models of Kijima-Sumita incomplete restoration processes [1-7]. These models are relatively new and poorly studied. As the case of incomplete restoration is more typical for the operation of today’s technical systems, the study of the Kijima-Sumita models appears to be most relevant. In those models, the degree of incompleteness of restoration is defined by the value of coefficient q. The paper cites findings that elaborate upon [5] and [6]. In [5], the restoration function was evaluated in the form of a finite sum with the use of statistical tests. In [6], an integral equation was derived for the restoration function and failure flow parameter. The effect of the restoration factor on those indicators was analyzed as well.This paper aims to derive a density equation of time between failures for the Kijima-Sumita model and such dependability indicators as the average values of the overshoot, undershoot and cycle duration, as well as to analyze the effect of restoration factor q on those indicators. The findings are presented in graph form, with the assumption that the time to first failure adheres to the Weibull distribution law that is at the core of the dependability theory. This paper considers the case of the increasing rate function. Methods. The required calculations were conducted in the R free programming environment that is specially designed for statistical computing and graphics. The mathematical tools used in this work were the numerical integration methods, such as the method of trapezoids and method of rectangles modified for taking double integrals. Conclusions. For the Kijima-Sumita process, the paper derives equations and constructs graphs for the densities of time between failures, as well as average values of the overshoot, undershoot and cycle duration. The restoration equation for the Kijima incomplete restoration processes was deduced. The effect of the restoration factor on the above dependability indicators was analyzed for the case of increasing rate function showing that if parameter q increases, the average values of overshoot, undershoot and cycle duration decrease.

Kite Measurement Technique for Enhanced Accuracy and Technical Proficiency of Graft Preparation in Segmental Labral Reconstruction of the Hip

Preserving labral integrity has become a guiding principle in hip preservation surgery given the recent understanding of the importance of the acetabular labral suction seal. When labral tissue is deficient, a labral reconstruction may be indicated to re-create the suction seal and improve hip biomechanics. One of the main challenges of segmental labral reconstruction techniques is obtaining an accurate measurement of the defect because incorrect sizing of the graft could result in incomplete restoration of the labral seal or an oversized graft that requires amputation. In this report, we present a kite measurement technique that allows for easy, accurate measurement of the segmental defect during segmental labral reconstruction.

Dynamic changes of the extracellular matrix during corneal wound healing

The extracellular matrix (ECM) confers transparency to the cornea because of the precise organization of collagen fibrils and a wide variety of proteoglycans. We monitored the corneal wound healing process after alkali burns in rabbits. We analyzed the location and expression of collagens and proteoglycans, the clinical impact, and the recovery of optical transparency.After the animals received both general and ocular topical anesthesia, the central cornea of the left eye was burned by placing an 8-mm diameter filter paper soaked in 0.5 N NaOH for 60 s. The eyes were evaluated under a surgical microscope at 1, 3, and 6 months after burning. At each time point, the clinical conditions of the burned and control corneas were observed. The arrangement of collagen fibers in the corneal stroma was visualized by Picrosirius-red staining, Gomori's silver impregnation and transmission electronic microscopy. Corneal light transmittance was also measured. Myofibroblasts presence was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. mRNA expression levels of collagen types I and III, lumican, decorin, keratocan and alpha-smooth muscle actin were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.One month after alkali burn, the ECM was disorganized and filled with lacunae containing different types of cells and collagen type III fibers in the wound area. Corneal opacities were present with attendant loss of light transmittance. Collagen and proteoglycan mRNA expression levels were up-regulated. After three months, wound healing progress was indicated by reduced corneal opacity, increased light transmittance, reorganization of collagen fibers and only collagen type I expression levels were at control levels. After six months, the wound area ECM morphology was similar to controls, but transmittance values remained low, denoting incomplete restoration of the stromal architecture.This multidisciplinary study of the stromal wound healing process revealed changes in corneal transmittance, collagen organization, myofibroblasts presence and ECM composition at 1, 3, and 6 months after alkali burning. Documenting wound resolution during the six-month period provided reliable information that can be used to test new therapies.

957 – The Long-Term Consequences of the Donors After Living Donor Liver Transplantation; Predictors and Clinical Impact of Splenic Enlargement and Incomplete Liver Restoration

957 – The Long-Term Consequences of the Donors After Living Donor Liver Transplantation; Predictors and Clinical Impact of Splenic Enlargement and Incomplete Liver Restoration

968 Enhancing the efficiency of engineered hair follicles with master regulators and extrinsic factors

Each year, more than one million patients are hospitalized in the U.S. for significant skin loss due to thermal and pressure injuries, chronic diabetic ulcers or genetic skin diseases. The ability to generate engineered human skin constructs (HSCs) has provided a promising therapy for these patients. However, it remained an unsolved challenge to incorporate hair follicles (HFs) into HSCs in order to improve wound healing and skin function. We initially employed a 3D-printing strategy to induce human HF formation within HSCs through guiding physiological 3D organization of cells in the HF microenvironment. Grafting our HF-bearing HSCs onto immunodeficient mice after their vascularization in vitro resulted in efficient growth of human HFs. However, when HSCs were maintained in vitro instead of grafting, the efficiency of HF induction was as low as 19%, due in part to incomplete restoration of DPC hair inductive gene signature achieved solely through 3D spheroid formation. To further enhance hair inductivity, we leveraged two master regulator (MR) genes, Lef1 and Fli1, which we previously identified as the key regulators of the intact DPC gene signature, as well as extrinsic factors targeting Wnt-signaling. Using RNA-sequencing, we confirmed that Lef1 overexpression and 3D-spheroid culture synergistically restored the intact DPC gene signature. Lef1 overexpression in DPCs markedly increased the efficiency of HF induction from 19% to 70%. Treatment of HSCs with recombinant Wnt10b and Wnt-activator small molecule, CHIR99021, also increased the efficiency to 50%, albeit lower than that was achieved with Lef1 overexpression. Overall, this data suggested that overexpressing Lef1 in DPCs or extrinsically targeting Wnt-signaling in HSCs can be an effective strategy to promote the generation of engineered human HFs from cultured cells.

Brief Electrical Stimulation Improves Functional Recovery After Femoral But Not After Facial Nerve Injury in Rats

Brief low-frequency electrical stimulation (ES, 1 h, 20 Hz) of the proximal nerve stump has emerged as a potential adjunct treatment for nerve injury. Despite available experimental and clinical data, the potentials and limitations of the ES therapy still have to be defined using different animal models, types of nerves, and clinical settings. Here, we show that brief ES of the proximal stump of the transected rat femoral nerve causes, as estimated by motion analysis, enhanced functional recovery reaching preoperative levels within 5 months of injury, in contrast to the incomplete restoration in sham-stimulated (SS) animals. The functional advantage seen in ES rats was associated with higher numbers, as compared with SS, of correctly targeted quadriceps motoneurons. In contrast, ES prior to facial nerve suture did not lead to improvement of whisking compared with SS. Lack of functional effects of the treatment was correlated with lack of changes, as compared with SS, in the precision of muscle reinnervation and frequency of abnormally innervated muscle fibers. These results show that ES is an effective therapy in a spinal nerve injury model leading to complete restoration of function. Although this finding and the safety of the procedure are encouraging, the results for the facial nerve model suggest that brief ES may not be a universal treatment for nerve injuries. Anat Rec, 302:1304-1313, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparative analysis of some methods of surgical treatment of vasomotor rhinitis

Among chronic forms of rhinitis of great importance is vasomotor rhinitis, which is the most common form of chronic non-allergic rhinitis and the clinician has to deal with it constantly. Treatment of vasomotor rhinitis is a complex and largely unresolved problem, which puts this disease among the important problems of modern rhinology. The variety of methods used in the treatment of patients with vasomotor rhinitis confirms the complexity of the task of choosing the optimal method for clinicians and the difficulty of obtaining a sustainable result from the chosen method. Surgical treatment of patients with of patients with various forms of chronic rhinitis is sometimes the only effective. Currently, the arsenal of methods and means of surgical treatment of the nasal concha is quite wide and varied. The purpose of this study – to study in a comparative aspect the functional state of the nasal cavity after carrying out some methods of surgical treatment ofvasomotor rhinitis. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the clinic of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Tashkent institute of postgraduate medical education on 43 patients with vasomotor rhinitis in age from 20 to 46 years, average age 28,0±1,3 years. All patients with BP included in our study, after collecting complaints and anamnesis, underwent an endoscopic examination of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, a computerized tomogram of the nose and paranasal sinuses, standard laboratory tests and microscopy of a smear from the nasal cavity on eosinophils.Investigated the respiratory (computer rhinopneumocotachometry), transport (saccharin test) functions of the nasal mucosa, performed an adrenaline test and the Flour test (determination of the consistency of inferior nasal concha and the response to pushing with a push-button probe). Results: Studies have shown the highest efficiency of laser coagulation with vasomotor rhinitis. After laser surgery, a long-lasting and sustained improvement in the functions of the nasal cavity was noted, while there was no adverse effect on the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, which was reflected in the recovery rates of both nasal breathing and mucociliary clearance. Given the well-tolerated laser coagulation, the lack of the need for observation and care of the nasal cavity in the postoperative period, the possibility of outpatient treatment, allows us to recommend this type of exposure as the method of choice in the surgical treatment of patients with vasomotor rhinitis. The simplicity of submucosal vasotomy, the availability of instruments for carrying out, the restoration of free nasal breathing and the positive effect on the functional state of the nasal cavity, although slower than laser coagulation, minimal side effects put it on a par with the laser effect. The need to use tampons after surgery reduces the quality of life of patients, hospital stays and the need to monitor patients in the early postoperative period makes this operation strictly inpatient. Electrocautery of inferior nasal concha demonstrated in our study a negative effect on the function of the nasal cavity, although, of course, there was a definite improvement in nasal breathing, but the severity and speed of improvement was significantly less than during laser exposure and submucosal vasotomy. The slowest and most incomplete restoration of the mucociliary clearance of the nasal cavity once again underlines the disadvantage of this method. Conclusion: Evaluation of the long-term results of surgical treatment based on the combination of effects on the respiratory and transport functions of the nasal cavity, as well as on the clinical manifestations of BP, makes it possible to recommend laser coagulation as the most optimal method providing a long-lasting effect in treating patients with vasomotor rhinitis. Alternatively, you can take a submucosal vasotomy of the inferior nasal concha.