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- Wienecke, J, et al.
(author)
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Global gene expression analysis of rodent motor neurons following spinal cord injury associates molecular mechanisms with development of postinjury spasticity
- 2010
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In: Journal of neurophysiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 1522-1598 .- 0022-3077. ; 103:2, s. 761-778
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spinal cord injury leads to severe problems involving impaired motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. After spinal injury there is an initial phase of hyporeflexia followed by hyperreflexia, often referred to as spasticity. Previous studies have suggested a relationship between the reappearance of endogenous plateau potentials in motor neurons and the development of spasticity after spinalization. To unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the increased excitability of motor neurons and the return of plateau potentials below a spinal cord injury we investigated changes in gene expression in this cell population. We adopted a rat tail-spasticity model with a caudal spinal transection that causes a progressive development of spasticity from its onset after 2 to 3 wk until 2 mo postinjury. Gene expression changes of fluorescently identified tail motor neurons were studied 21 and 60 days postinjury. The motor neurons undergo substantial transcriptional regulation in response to injury. The patterns of differential expression show similarities at both time points, although there are 20% more differentially expressed genes 60 days compared with 21 days postinjury. The study identifies targets of regulation relating to both ion channels and receptors implicated in the endogenous expression of plateaux. The regulation of excitatory and inhibitory signal transduction indicates a shift in the balance toward increased excitability, where the glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor complex together with cholinergic system is up-regulated and the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor system is down-regulated. The genes of the pore-forming proteins Cav1.3 and Nav1.6 were not up-regulated, whereas genes of proteins such as nonpore-forming subunits and intracellular pathways known to modulate receptor and channel trafficking, kinetics, and conductivity showed marked regulation. On the basis of the identified changes in global gene expression in motor neurons, the present investigation opens up for new potential targets for treatment of motor dysfunction following spinal cord injury.
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- Nordenström, E, et al.
(author)
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A prospective study of 100 roboticallyassisted laparoscopic adrenalectomies
- 2011
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In: Journal of Robotic Surgery. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1863-2483 .- 1863-2491. ; 5:2, s. 31-127
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We evaluated robotically assisted laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RLA) in a prospective study of 100 consecutive patients (60 women and 40 men) undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy at the University Hospital. The median age was 59 (24-82) years and BMI 27.6 (17.1-40.9) kg/m(2). Preoperative diagnoses were Conn's syndrome 30%, pheochromocytoma 23%, Cushing syndrome 27% and non-functional tumor 20%. The median tumor size was 53 (10-106) mm. The majority of the 7% of the patients who were converted to open surgery were in the early phase after the introduction of the technique. The BMI of the patients who were converted to open surgery was significantly higher, 31.5 (range 25.3-37.8) compared to, 27.5 (range 17.1-40.9) in patients without conversion (P = 0.047). The median weight of the tumor was 51 g for patients with conversion (range 18-97 g) and 30 g (range 8-128 g) for patients without conversion (P = 0.066). The median console operation time for the whole series was 88 min (range 39-397 min). The console operation time decreased significantly with the numbers of patients operated (r = 0.372; P = 0.0003). There was an association between the weight of the specimen and operation time (r = 0.42; P = 0.0001). RLA is a safe and a feasible surgical alternative for treating all kind of adrenal disorders, particularly large tumors and more complex circumstances. The present study clearly shows that a learning curve is present for the console surgeon and assistants.
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- Schut, Elske, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of MHC-I in the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) reveals low levels of genetic diversity and trans-population evolution across European populations
- 2011
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In: Immunogenetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1211 .- 0093-7711. ; 63:8, s. 531-542
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The major histcompatibility complex (MHC) is a vital component of the adaptive immune system in all vertebrates. This study is the first to characterize MHC class I (MHC-I) in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), and we use MHC-I exon 3 sequence data from individuals originating from three locations across Europe: Spain, the Netherlands to Sweden. Our phylogeny of the 17 blue tit MHC-I alleles contains one allele cluster with low nucleotide diversity compared to the remaining more diverse alleles. We found a significant evidence for balancing selection in the peptide-binding region in the diverse allele group only. No separation according to geographic location was found in the phylogeny of alleles. Although the number of MHC-I loci of the blue tit is comparable to that of other passerine species, the nucleotide diversity of MHC-I appears to be much lower than that of other passerine species, including the closely related great tit (Parus major) and the severely inbred Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis). We believe that this initial MHC-I characterization in blue tits provides an important step towards understanding the mechanisms shaping MHC-I diversity in natural populations.
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- Örman, J., et al.
(author)
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Chest physiotherapy with positive expiratory pressure breathing after abdominal and thoracic surgery : a systematic review
- 2010
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In: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-5172 .- 1399-6576. ; 54:3, s. 261-267
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A variety of chest physiotherapy techniques are used following abdominal and thoracic surgery to prevent or reduce post-operative complications. Breathing techniques with a positive expiratory pressure (PEP) are used to increase airway pressure and improve pulmonary function. No systematic review of the effects of PEP in surgery patients has been performed previously. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effect of PEP breathing after an open upper abdominal or thoracic surgery. A literature search of randomised-controlled trials (RCT) was performed in five databases. The trials included were systematically reviewed by two independent observers and critically assessed for methodological quality. We selected six RCT evaluating the PEP technique performed with a mechanical device in spontaneously breathing adult patients after abdominal or thoracic surgery via thoracotomy. The methodological quality score varied between 4 and 6 on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database score. The studies were published between 1979 and 1993. Only one of the included trials showed any positive effects of PEP compared to other breathing techniques. Today, there is scarce scientific evidence that PEP treatment is better than other physiotherapy breathing techniques in patients undergoing abdominal or thoracic surgery. There is a lack of studies investigating the effect of PEP over placebo or no physiotherapy treatment.
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