Hearing preservation mastoidectomy in otogenic meningitis secondary to an enlarged vestibular aqueduct. Case report

In pyogenic meningitis resulting from a life-threatening ear infection, mastoidectomy is performed as part of the management of the disorder. A dilemma arises when the active ear is the only hearing ear. An active unsafe ear can lead to sensorineural hearing loss whereas ear surgery carries the risk of inner ear damage. We present the case of a 40-year-old woman admitted for severe purulent meningitis and sub-coma secondary to a left mastoiditis with mixed hearing loss on the left side and complete deafness on the right side. The study of this case shows that the intracranial complication was secondary to an abnormally enlarged left vestibular aqueduct. Because of the failure to control meningitis with medical treatment using highly specific antibiotherapy for two weeks, we proceeded with a left side mastoidectomy and closure of the external aperture of the vestibular aqueduct with a muscle graft. This surgery saved the patient's life, cured the meningitis and brought a recovery of a near normal hearing to the only hearing ear. Although demonstrating a rare etiology of intracranial complication, this case confirms that mastoidectomy, even on the only hearing ear, has to be done as early as possible to remove the source of infection, to prevent further intracranial complication, to arrest the progress of the ear disease and preserve or even recover almost normal hearing.

Middle turbinate medialization technique in functional endoscopic sinus surgery

The middle turbinate is an important surgical landmark in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Postoperatively, lateralization may obstruct the middle meatus, thereby increasing the risk of complications and recurrences. A new medialization technique using metallic clips between the head of the middle turbinate and the septum is described. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clip medialization technique applied in 56 cases of bilateral FESS. We think that this simple technique, with its low rate of complications, is an adequate and simple procedure for middle turbinate medialization. A good and accessible middle meatus was observed in 54 patients.

Cryosurgery for chronic injuries of the cutaneous nerve in the upper limb. Analysis of a new open technique

We have treated six patients with chronic pain following nerve injury using a cryosurgical probe. All had a significant return of hand function and improvement of pain during a mean follow-up of 13.5 months. Open visualisation of the injured nervous tissue is essential for patients undergoing this technique. Four patients regained normal sensation in the dermatome of the previously injured nerve.

Dominant mutations in ROR2, encoding an orphan receptor tyrosine kinase, cause brachydactyly type B

Inherited limb malformations provide a valuable resource for the identification of genes involved in limb development. Brachydactyly type B (BDB), an autosomal dominant disorder, is the most severe of the brachydactylies and characterized by terminal deficiency of the fingers and toes. In the typical form of BDB, the thumbs and big toes are spared, sometimes with broadening or partial duplication. The BDB1 locus was previously mapped to chromosome 9q22 within an interval of 7.5 cM (refs 9,10). Here we describe mutations in ROR2, which encodes the orphan receptor tyrosine kinase ROR2 (ref. 11), in three unrelated families with BDB1. We identified distinct heterozygous mutations (2 nonsense, 1 frameshift) within a 7-amino-acid segment of the 943-amino-acid protein, all of which predict truncation of the intracellular portion of the protein immediately after the tyrosine kinase domain. The localized nature of these mutations suggests that they confer a specific gain of function. We obtained further evidence for this by demonstrating that two patients heterozygous for 9q22 deletions including ROR2 do not exhibit BDB. Expression of the mouse mouse orthologue, Ror2, early in limb development indicates that BDB arises as a primary defect of skeletal patterning.

Effects of buffer composition and processing conditions on aggregation of bovine IgG during freeze-drying

The objective of this study was to identify critical formulation and processing variables affecting aggregation of bovine IgG during freeze-drying when no lyoprotective solute is used. Parameters examined were phosphate buffer concentration and counterion (Na versus K phosphate), added salts, cooling rate, IgG concentration, residual moisture level, and presence of a surfactant. No soluble aggregates were detected in any formulation after either freezing/thawing or freeze-drying. No insoluble aggregates were detected in any formulation after freezing, but insoluble aggregate levels were always detectable after freeze-drying. The data are consistent with a mechanism of aggregate formation involving denaturation of IgG at the ice/freeze-concentrate interface which is reversible upon freeze-thawing, but becomes irreversible after freeze-drying and reconstitution. Rapid cooling (by quenching in liquid nitrogen) results in more and larger aggregates than slow cooling on the shelf of the freeze-dryer. This observation is consistent with surface area measurements and environmental electron microscopic data showing a higher surface area of freeze-dried solids after fast cooling. Annealing of rapidly cooled solutions results in significantly less aggregation in reconstituted freeze-dried solids than in nonannealed controls, with a corresponding decrease in specific surface area of the freeze-dried, annealed system. Increasing the concentration of IgG significantly improves the stability of IgG against freeze-drying-induced aggregation, which may be explained by a smaller percentage of the protein residing at the ice/freeze-concentrate interface as IgG concentration is increased. A sodium phosphate buffer system consistently results in more turbid reconstituted solids than a potassium phosphate buffer system at the same concentration, but this effect is not attributable to a pH shift during freezing. Added salts such as NaCl or KCl contribute markedly to insoluble aggregate formation. Both sodium and potassium chloride contribute more to turbidity of the reconstituted solid than either sodium or potassium phosphate buffers at similar ionic strength, with sodium chloride resulting in a substantially higher level of aggregates than potassium chloride. At a given cooling rate, the specific surface area of dried solids is approximately a factor of 2 higher for the formulation containing sodium chloride than the formulation containing potassium chloride. Turbidity is also influenced by the extent of secondary drying, which underscores the importance of minimizing secondary drying of this system. Including a surfactant such as polysorbate 80, either in the formulation or in the water used for reconstitution, decreased, but did not eliminate, insoluble aggregates. There was no correlation between pharmaceutically acceptability of the freeze-dried cake and insoluble aggregate levels in the reconstituted product.

Experimental and clinical validation of arterial diameter waveform and intimal media thickness obtained from B-mode ultrasound image processing

A new automated computerized system (IôTEC) that assesses concomitantly the instantaneous temporal arterial diameter and intimal media thickness (IMT) obtained from B-mode ultrasound (US) images was validated by sonomicrometry in sheep, by an echo-tracking system in humans, and by a Lucite phantom in vitro. Differences between methods for diameter measurements did not vary in any systematic way, with no significant differences in the lower frequency range. Ultrasonic measurements of the true phantom gap sizes showed high correlation (r2 = 0.98,p < 0.001) with no systematic errors. Carotid and femoral arteries in humans were strongly related between IôTEC and echo-tracking device (r2 = 0.94 carotid; R2 = 0.88 femoral, p < 0.001), with a Gaussian distribution of the errors. This new method showed high intra- and interobserver repeatability of arterial diameter and IMT, allowing consistent characterization of arterial dynamics in humans.

Functional and structural studies of wild type SOX9 and mutations causing campomelic dysplasia

In humans, mutations in SOX9 result in a skeletal malformation syndrome, campomelic dysplasia (CD). The present study investigated two major classes of CD mutations: 1) point mutations in the high mobility group (HMG) domain and 2) truncations and frameshifts that alter the C terminus of the protein. We analyzed the effect of one novel mutation and three other point mutations in the HMG domain of SOX9 on the DNA binding and DNA bending properties of the protein. The F12L mutant HMG domain shows negligible DNA binding, the H65Y mutant shows minimal DNA binding, whereas the A19V mutant shows near wild type DNA binding and bends DNA normally. Interestingly, the P70R mutant has altered DNA binding specificity, but also bends DNA normally. The effects of the point mutations were interpreted using a molecular model of the SOX9 HMG domain. We analyzed the effects upon transcription of mutations resembling the truncation and frameshift mutations in CD patients, and found that progressive deletion of the C terminus causes progressive loss of transactivation. Maximal transactivation by SOX9 requires both the C-terminal domain rich in proline, glutamine, and serine and the adjacent domain composed entirely of proline, glutamine, and alanine. Thus, CD arises by mutations that interfere with DNA binding by SOX9 or truncate the C-terminal transactivation domain and thereby impede the ability of SOX9 to activate target genes during organ development.

[Semi-automatic measurement of the left ventricular mass from tomodensitometric traces of the left ventricle]

To improve the standardisation and reproductibility of echocardiographic left ventricular mass (LVM) measurements we developed a specific software for automated measurements of LV diameter (EDD) and wall thickness (ST&PWT) from M mode recordings on SVHS videotapes using a dedicated computer system lô 3.3 (lôDP, Paris, France). Images are digitalised into 640 x 580 pixels with 256 grey levels. The algorithm computes the averages grey-level over an area of 10 pixels width based on the QRS on ECG and the profile obtained is analysed in order to estimate the position of wall interfaces with 2 choices: PENN or ASE conventions. We compared lô results performed twice at 1 week interval (lô 1&2) to conventional (Man) measurement (PENN convention) by a trained echocardiographist in 50 echos performed in hypertensives. Results are mean +/- SD, no significant difference was found between lô 3.3 and Man measurements with closed correlations. The reproductibility of the measurements is significatively improved by the automated procedure as well as the time to recover the results.

A gene for lymphedema-distichiasis maps to 16q24.3

Lymphedema-distichiasis (LD) is a dominantly inherited syndrome with onset of lymphedema at or just after puberty. Most affected individuals have distichiasis-fine hairs arising inappropriately from the eyelid meibomian glands-which is evident from birth. A study of three families with LD has shown linkage to chromosome 16q24.3, and subsequent analysis of the region for recombinant genes places the locus between D16S422 and D16S3074, a distance of approximately 16 cM. Possible candidate genes in this interval include the N-proteinase for type 3 collagen, PCOLN3; the metalloprotease PRSM1; and the cell matrix-adhesion regulator, CMAR.

Simple assay for detection of circulating antigens in children infected with schistosomiasis

The ability of monoclonal based dot-ELISA and a previously described solid-phase ELISA were directly compared to detect circulating schistosomal antigens in sera from 50 Egyptian individuals with parasitologically proven schistosomiasis. The mAb employed, 128C3/3/21, recognized a repeating carbohydrate epitope expressed at all stages of the parasite development. The same mAb and patient serum samples were used i both tests, 17 samples from age-matched individuals infected with other parasites but not with Schistosoma were also tested. In the dot-ELISA, 44 serum samples (88%) were found to contain parasite antigens when screen at a dilution of 1;24, 43 serum samples (86%) were positive in the solid-phase ELISA at 1:8 dilution and only 37 (74%) samples were positive at 1:24 dilution. The specificity of the dot-ELISA was 93% as compared to > 99% for the solid-phase ELISA. The detection limit of dot-ELISA was 0.01 ng/ml, whereas only > 1 ng/ml could be detected by the solid-phase ELISA. As dot-ELISA does not require radioactivity or sophisticated equipment, so it is practically well suited for use in endemic areas in developing countries.

Mos/mitogen-activated protein kinase can induce early meiotic phenotypes in the absence of maturation-promoting factor: a novel system for analyzing spindle formation during meiosis I

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is selectively activated by injecting either mos or MAPK kinase (mek) RNA into immature mouse oocytes maintained in the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX). IBMX arrests oocyte maturation, but Mos (or MEK) overexpression overrides this block. Under these conditions, meiosis I is significantly prolonged, and MAPK becomes fully activated in the absence of p34cdc2 kinase or maturation-promoting factor. In these oocytes, large openings form in the germinal vesicle adjacent to condensing chromatin, and microtubule arrays, which stain for both MAPK and centrosomal proteins, nucleate from these regions. Maturation-promoting factor activation occurs later, concomitant with germinal vesicle breakdown, the contraction of the microtubule arrays into a precursor of the spindle, and the redistribution of the centrosomal proteins into the newly forming spindle poles. These studies define important new functions for the Mos/MAPK cascade in mouse oocyte maturation and, under these conditions, reveal novel detail of the early stages of oocyte meiosis I.

Uterine EMG spectral analysis and relationship to mechanical activity in pregnant monkeys

The objective is to analyse internal and external recordings of uterine EMG in order to reveal common features and to assess the relationship between electrical activity and intra-uterine pressure modification. Three monkeys participated in the study, one as a reference and the others for data. EMGs are recorded simultaneously, internally by unipolar wire electrodes and externally by bipolar Ag/AgCl electrodes. Intra-uterine pressure is recorded as a mechanical index. Except for delay measurements, parameters are derived from spectral analysis and relationships between recordings are assessed by studying the coherence. Spectral analysis exhibits two basic activities in the analysed frequency band, and frequency limits are defined as relevant parameters for electrical activity description. Parameter values do not depend on the internal electrode location. Internal and external EMGs present a similar spectral shape, despite differences in electrode configuration and tissue filtering. It is deduced that external uterine EMG is a good image of the genuine uterine electrical activity. To some extent, it can be related to an average cellular electrical activity.

The role of SOX9 in autosomal sex reversal and campomelic dysplasia

In eutherian mammals, the Y-chromosome gene SRY is required for induction of testis development. Although the Y chromosome is sex determining, loci located elsewhere in the genome participate in the complex cascade of genetic interactions required to form a testis. Male to female sex reversal (46,XY females) occurs at a high frequency in individuals afflicted with the skeletal malformation syndrome campomelic dysplasia. Chromosomal translocations in individuals with both syndromes had localized an autosomal sex reversal locus (SRA1) and a campomelic dysplasia locus (CMPD1) to the long arm of human chromosome 17. The molecular cloning of a translocation breakpoint in a sex reversed campomelic dysplasia patient revealed its proximity to SOX9, a gene which is related to SRY. Analysis of SO X9 in patients without chromosomal rearrangements demonstrated single allele mutations in sex reversed campomelic individuals, linking this gene with both bone formation and control of testis development. Identification of SO X9 as SRA1/CMPD1 and the role of SO X9 mutations in sex reversal and campomelic dysplasia are discussed.

Mutations in SOX9, the gene responsible for Campomelic dysplasia and autosomal sex reversal

Campomelic dysplasia (CD) is a skeletal malformation syndrome frequently accompanied by 46,XY sex reversal. A mutation-screening strategy using SSCP was employed to identify mutations in SOX9, the chromosome 17q24 gene responsible for CD and autosomal sex reversal in man. We have screened seven CD patients with no cytologically detectable chromosomal aberrations and two CD patients with chromosome 17 rearrangements for mutations in the entire open reading frame of SOX9. Five different mutations have been identified in six CD patients: two missense mutations in the SOX9 putative DNA binding domain (high mobility group, or HMG, box); three frameshift mutations and a splice-acceptor mutation. An identical frameshift mutation is found in two unrelated 46,XY patients, one exhibiting a male phenotype and the other displaying a female phenotype (XY sex reversal). All mutations found affect a single allele, which is consistent with a dominant mode of inheritance. No mutations were found in the SOX9 open reading frame of two patients with chromosome 17q rearrangements, suggesting that the translocations affect SOX9 expression. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that CD results from haploinsufficiency of SOX9.

A clinical and genetic study of campomelic dysplasia

Campomelic dysplasia (CMD) is a rare skeletal disorder that is usually lethal. It is characterised by bowing of the lower limbs, severe respiratory distress, and many of the chromosomal (XY) males show sex reversal. Because of a number of reports of familial campomelic dysplasia it is considered to be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. In this study, details of 36 patients with campomelic dysplasia were collected from genetic centres, radiologists, and pathologists in the United Kingdom. The chromosomal sex ratio was approximately 1:1. There was a preponderance of phenotypic females owing to sex reversal. Three quarters of the chromosomal males were sex reversed or had ambiguous genitalia. Three cases are still alive, two with chromosomal rearrangements involving chromosome 17q. The majority of the others died in the neonatal period. The 36 index cases had 41 sibs of whom only two were affected. Formal segregation analysis gave a segregation ratio of 0.05 (95% CI approximately 0.00 to 0.11). This excludes an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. The data suggest a sporadic, autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Patients with a chromosomal rearrangement involving 17q (q23.3-q25.1) show a milder phenotype. The molecular mechanism for the difference is still unknown.

Traumatic avulsion of the ulnar collateral ligament of the IP joint of the thumb

We present a previously undescribed injury of avulsion of the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb IP joint. Stress radiographs may be used to confirm the diagnosis in cases of clinical suspicion.

Campomelic dysplasia and autosomal sex reversal caused by mutations in an SRY-related gene

Induction of testis development in mammals requires the presence of the Y-chromosome gene SRY. This gene must exert its effect by interacting with other genes in the sex-determination pathway. Cloning of a translocation chromosome breakpoint from a sex-reversed patient with campomelic dysplasia, followed by mutation analysis of an adjacent gene, indicates that SOX9, an SRY-related gene, is involved in both bone formation and control of testis development.

Studies on Emory mouse cataracts: oxidative factors

Emory mouse cataracts were analyzed for amino acids, protein carbonyls and fatty acids. The tissue membrane integrity was assessed by studying chromium-51 efflux. An effect of vitamin E-free diet on cataract progression was also studied. Chromium leakage was faster from the cataractous lenses, indicating a generalized membrane damage. This was also apparent from the loss of amino acids. The damage involves oxidation of proteins, as well as of lipids. Protein oxidation was apparent by a hydrazone formation with 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine. The lipid oxidation was apparent from a decrease in oleic acid and appearance of the corresponding ketoacids. Lipid oxidation was also apparent by an attenuating effect of vitamin E.

Uterine electromyography: a critical review

On the basis of a literature review, this work summarizes uterine animal and human electromyographic information obtained at cellular, myometrial, and abdominal levels during gestation and parturition. We show that both internal and external electromyograms occur in phase with intrauterine pressure increase and exhibit similar spectra, including a slow wave (0.01 < frequency < 0.03 Hz) probably because of mechanical artifacts and a fast wave whose frequency content can be subdivided into a low-frequency band always present in every contraction and a high-frequency band related to efficient parturition contractions. Application of classic spectral techniques to electromyogram envelopes has identified group propagation but not pacemaker areas. However, no time delay or classic propagation has been demonstrated by applying the same spectral techniques to the electromyogram itself, probably because of the nonlinearity and three-dimensional nature of the propagating process.

Use of mouse hepatocytes for the flow cytometric determination of DNA levels of nuclei extracted from fresh tissue of hybrid larch (Larix x eurolepis Henry)

A rapid and reliable method is presented to release intact nuclei from small amounts (100 mg) of fresh plant tissue. Further, an accurate and readily accessible new standard is proposed. Both techniques have potential application for many plant systems. The system chosen as a standard (inbred mouse strain Balb/C or B6/AF1 hepatocyte nuclei) contains both diploid and polyploid cells. This system was applied in the flow cytometric determination of absolute nuclear DNA values of female gametophytes and in vitro propagated shoots of hybrid larch (Larix x eurolepis Henry). The amount of DNA in 2C nuclei of in vitro grown larch is 32.48 +/- 4.04 or 31.97 +/- 6.14 pg/nucleus, respectively, when calculated using the mouse hepatocyte 4C or 8C nuclear peak as a reference standard. The amount of DNA in female gametophyte nuclei is 17.47 +/- 1.33 pg DNA/nucleus when these haploid larch nuclei were analyzed with trout red blood cell nuclei as the standard. When hepatocyte 4C nuclei were used as a standard, the absolute value of DNA per haploid larch nucleus was estimated as 16.8 +/- 0.53 pg. Plant tissue with as little as 4-6 pg DNA/nucleus up to as much as 35 pg DNA/nucleus can be tested using mouse hepatocytes as a standard while retaining an optimal sample/standard ratio.

Immunotoxicity of subchronic versus chronic exposure to aldicarb in mice

In this study we compared the immunotoxicity of subchronic vs chronic exposure to the aldicarb insecticide at a relatively low, 0.1-10 ppb, level in drinking water. The immunotoxicity of aldicarb was evaluated in 28- and 90-day studies by determination of the humoral, cellular and nonspecific immunity in inbred C57BL/6 mice. Quantification of splenic plaque-forming cells (PFC) to sheep erythrocytes (SRBC), mitogen activation of spleen lymphocytes, mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and the cytofluorometric assay of the phagocytic uptake of fluorescent beads were among the parameters studied. Neither the cell viability nor the splenic cell count was affected by the insecticide exposure. Immunophenotyping and cytometric determination of L3T4+, Lyt2+ and Ig+ cells revealed no effect of the insecticide exposure on the total count of cell subsets in the ungated splenocyte population. However, a marked shift in the percentages of L3T4+ and Lyt2+ cells was noted after subchronic exposure to 1 and 10 ppb aldicarb, possibly indicating activation of these splenic T-cell subsets. Subchronic aldicarb exposure significantly suppressed the splenic PFC response to SRBC at 1 ppb dose, however, no dose-effect correlation could be concluded. Similarly, no dose-effect correlation was observed for subchronic aldicarb-related changes in mitogen responses. Subchronic exposure to aldicarb had no statistically significant effect on the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) or on the macrophage phagocytosis. Chronic exposure to 0.1-10 ppb aldicarb did not affect any of the parameters measured, including the cell subsets. Thus, aldicarb-related changes in immune parameters, noted after a 28-day exposure, were compensated over chronic exposure to the insecticide.

Limited immunotoxic potential of technical formulation of the herbicide atrazine (AAtrex) in mice

Immunotoxicity of the technical atrazine formulation, AAtrex, was examined in C57Bl/6 female mice following a sublethal exposure to equivalent 1/2-1.64 LD50 doses of the herbicide. Animal weight was not affected by the herbicide exposure. No dose-related changes could be concluded for fluctuations in organ weight, changes in the spleen cell number and cell viability. Furthermore, cytofluorometric studies showed no significant changes in the frequency of L3T4-positive and Lyt-2-positive T-cells. Functional in vitro assays of mitogen activation showed no marked effects of AAtrex exposure on lymphocyte stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con-A). In addition, sublethal exposure to AAtrex did not affect interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by splenic cells. Furthermore, no dose-related effect could be concluded from a transient suppression of a primary humoral IgM response to sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) as well as from a transient inhibition of a specific T-cell response to alloantigens in mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Exposure to equiv. 1/2-1/16 LD50 doses augmented phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages, without any visible AAtrex dose-related effect. Normal humoral and cellular responses were restored at 14-40 days after the herbicide exposure. Overall, transient and reversible immunosuppression of humoral-mediated and cell-mediated responses and activated macrophage phagocytic activity could not be attributed to the direct chemical-related effect of sublethal exposure to AAtrex.