Two stage penile reconstruction with free prefabricated sensate radial forearm osteocutaneous flap

Penile reconstructive surgeries are performed mainly as radical treatment for conditions associated with congenital abnormalities of the urethra or penis, after penile trauma, penile cancer, short penis, corporal fibrosis and in cases of gender reassignment. We present here a method of penile reconstruction with a pre fabricated radial forearm free flap incorporating the segment of the radius for structural support.

High social class and suicide in persons at risk for schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between suicide and social class has been equivocal. While some authors have reported that higher social class is related to higher rates of suicide, most other studies report that lower social class is associated with higher rates of suicide. Our study attempted to resolve these inconsistencies by using a High Risk for schizophrenia method.

METHOD

Children of women with severe schizophrenia were assessed in 1962. In 2005, when subjects were a mean age of 58 years, we identified those who had committed suicide.

RESULTS

A higher rate of suicide was associated with risk for schizophrenia in the High-Risk sample. Higher social class origin was associated with suicide in persons at risk for mental illness.

CONCLUSION

Higher social class origin was associated with suicide in subjects at genetic risk for schizophrenia (but not those without risk).

Enhanced allograft survival and modulation of T-cell alloreactivity induced by inhibition of MMP/ADAM enzymatic activity

Recent studies have shown significantly increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and disintegrin-type metalloproteinases (ADAM) during allograft rejection. In this regard, our previous studies have demonstrated contrasting roles for MMP-2 and MMP-9 during allograft rejection: MMP-2-deficiency enhanced allograft survival while MMP-9-deficiency decreased allograft survival. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of broad-spectrum MMP/ADAM inhibition on the pathogenesis of allograft rejection. Toward this, heterotopic BALB/c cardiac allografts were transplanted into C57BL/6 recipients treated with MMP/ADAM inhibitors, GM6001 or doxycycline. Systemic MMP/ADAM inhibition significantly enhanced allograft survival. Functioning allografts recovered from MMP/ADAM inhibitor-treated recipients showed lower cellular infiltration and tissue remodeling than rejected allografts recovered from control recipients. In addition, decreased chemotaxis of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, B cells and macrophages was observed in vitro in the presence of MMP/ADAM inhibitors. Enhanced T-cell alloreactivity was also observed ex vivo in MMP/ADAM inhibitor-treated recipients and in vitro in the presence of MMP/ADAM inhibitors. These observations were associated with enhanced cytokine, chemokine and growth factor production. These results indicate that MMPs and ADAMs play a critical role in the pathogenesis of allograft rejection and may represent novel therapeutic targets for the treatment and/or prevention of this disease.

Single-shot compressive spectral imaging with a dual-disperser architecture

This paper describes a single-shot spectral imaging approach based on the concept of compressive sensing. The primary features of the system design are two dispersive elements, arranged in opposition and surrounding a binary-valued aperture code. In contrast to thin-film approaches to spectral filtering, this structure results in easily-controllable, spatially-varying, spectral filter functions with narrow features. Measurement of the input scene through these filters is equivalent to projective measurement in the spectral domain, and hence can be treated with the compressive sensing frameworks recently developed by a number of groups. We present a reconstruction framework and demonstrate its application to experimental data.

Expression of TFF3 during multistep colon carcinogenesis

The pathogenesis of colon cancer is not well understood. This common type of cancer is generally believed to occur in a multistep process which involves alterations of various tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes during the progression through benign lesions towards carcinoma. TFF3 is a product of the colonic epithelium and has been implicated in colonic mucosal protection and also in the aggressiveness of colon cancer cells. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of TFF3 during propagation towards cancer development in the human colon. Colonic tissues representing colitis, adenomatous polyposis, tubulovillous adenoma, and mucoid/adeno-carcinomas were processed for immunohistochemistry using an antibody specific for human TFF3. The results were correlated with those of PCNA-labeling, quantified, and compared with those of control tissues obtained from the safe margin of macroscopically normal colonic mucosa of patients with colon cancer. The data showed marked down-regulation of TFF3 expression in adenomatous polyposis, then TFF3 expression returns to about control level during adenoma and remains high during mucoid- and adeno-carcinomas. Colonic tissues with highly invasive cancer cells were characterized by statistically significant down-regulation of TFF3 expression. The changes observed in expression of TFF3 showed an inverse correlation with cell proliferation and suggest that it might play a protective role against colon carcinogenesis.

The prevalence of emotional abuse in gynaecology patients and its association with gynaecological symptoms

AIM

To determine the lifetime prevalence of emotional abuse in a population of women attending a gynaecology outpatient clinic and also to investigate whether women who reported emotional abuse were more likely to complain of certain gynaecological symptoms.

SETTING

A gynaecology outpatient clinic in a North of England Hospital.

METHODS

Anonymous confidential questionnaire given to women.

RESULTS

Nine hundred and twenty consecutive women were included, 825 questionnaires were returned (90% response rate). The prevalence of emotional abuse was 24% (198/825). Emotional abuse is four times less common in women over 50 years old. Of the fifteen presenting symptoms reported by the women, referral for termination of pregnancy, cervical smear abnormality, worry about cancer and urinary incontinence were significantly more common in the group who reported emotional abuse. The women with emotional abuse also had significantly more consultations; however, the duration of their symptoms was not significantly different.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of emotional abuse in a group of women attending the gynaecology outpatient clinic in a North of England Hospital was 24%. Women who are subjected to emotional abuse tend to have more consultations and are more likely to complain of certain symptoms.