Easy method of capturing microscopical images by using a consumer-type digital camera

Digital photography using the intraoperative microscope in neurosurgery

BACKGROUND

The ability to obtain high-resolution intraoperative microscopic images has previously been reserved for those with expensive microscope-mounted cameras, standard optical or digital. The authors review the technique and utility of intraoperative digital photography through the microscope.

METHODS

We present a simple technique for obtaining high-quality digital micrographs without the need for special equipment that may be expensive, complex, and/or dedicated to a specific operative microscope.

RESULTS

Images and video may be obtained using a standard personal digital camera.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of the technique presented provides the surgeon with the ability to acquire high-quality intraoperative microphotographs and video.

Motor reinnervation of a denervated muscle by using a sensory nerve: an experimental study on gluteus maximus muscle of the rat

PURPOSE

This study aimed at developing a new muscle reinnervation technique using a sensory nerve.

METHODS

We attempted innervation of the rat gluteus maximus muscle using the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). We placed the gluteus maximus muscle into the fibroadipose tissue in the distribution of the LFCN in 24 rats. In one group, the original innervation remained intact. In the second and third groups, the muscles were denervated, and in the third group, the proximal end of the nerve to the gluteus maximus was sutured to the distal end of the divided LFCN. We compared muscle reinnervations of the groups by using electrophysiologic evaluation of the muscle contractions, light microscope evaluation of the axonal regenerations, and scanning electron microscope evaluation of the actin-myosin structures of the muscles at the end of an elapsed waiting period.

RESULTS

At the end of electrophysiologic evaluation, the mean area of compound muscle action potentials measured in group 1 was 3.8 ms/mV; in group 2, 0.0; and in group 3 (experimental group), 0.5. Axonal regeneration was observed distal to the coaptation, and actin-myosin structures were mostly spared in group 3.

CONCLUSIONS

This study explored the feasibility of a new flap prefabrication method that aims at developing reinnervation of a denervated muscle by means of a sensory nerve. In light of histologic and electrophysiologic findings, this type of reinnervation is possible.

Incubation at room temperature may be an independent factor that induces chlamydospore production in Candida dubliniensis

Production of chlamydospores is one of the phenotypic features used to differentiate Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis. C. albicans produces few chlamydospores on only cornmeal/rice-Tween agar at room temperature, whereas C. dubliniensis produces abundant chlamydospores at this temperature both on cornmeal agar and some other commonly used media. We tried to determine whether the room temperature is the main factor that induces chlamydospore production of C. dubliniensis, regardless of the medium used. For this purpose, 100 C. albicans and 24 C. dubliniensis isolates were tested for chlamydospore production at room temperature and at 37 degrees C on some routinely used media, including eosin-methylene blue agar (EMB), nutrient agar (NA), nutrient broth (NB), and also on an investigational medium, phenol red agar (PR). At 37 degrees C, none of the isolates produced chlamydospores on any of the tested media. At 26 degrees C, all C. dubliniensis isolates produced abundant chlamydospores and pseudohyphae after 24-48 h on all tested media. At this incubation temperature, all C. albicans isolates failed to produce chlamydospores and pseudohyphae on EMB, NA, and NB, whereas 2 of the C. albicans isolates produced a few chlamydospores on PR. We also observed that all C. dubliniensis isolates tested on EMB and PR produced rough colonies with a hyphal fringe around the colonies, whereas none of the C. albicans isolates showed this property. In conclusion, incubation at 26 degrees C may play the key role for production of abundant chlamydospores and pseudohyphae by C. dubliniensis. Comprehensive molecular studies are needed to clarify the genetic basis of this observation. Using EMB and PR may be an inexpensive, a time-saving, and a simple way of presumptive identification of C. dubliniensis based on chlamydospore formation and colony morphology.