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Biomedical subjects

R Grill

Publications and source records attributed to R Grill.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Birth injury of the puborectalis muscle--3D ultrasound evaluation].

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the influence of vaginal childbirth on the integrity of the puborectalis muscle with the help of real-time 3D ultrasound. DESIGN: Prospective pilot study. SETTING: Institute for Care for Mother and Child, Prague, Czech Republic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 20 primigravid women in the third trimester and on the third day after vaginal delivery. The transperineal 3D ultrasound examination was performed and the data were evaluated afterwards in the 4D view software. The VCI (Volume Contrast Imaging) mode with slice thickness 3 millimeters was used for analysis. We evaluated the integrity of the puborectalis muscle on both sides, the quality of the images and the presence of hematomas. RESULTS: The examination before delivery did not show any abnormal anatomy of the examined region. We found four (20%) unilateral defects and one (5%) bilateral puborectalis avulsion after the delivery. The bilateral defect was after the forceps delivery, the other defects occurred after normal uncomplicated vaginal deliveries, where only left mediolateral episiotomy was performed and the birth weight did not exceed 3700 g. In our series, 25% of women suffered an injury of a major muscle of pelvic floor. No defect was diagnosed during the delivery and did not show any connection with the episiotomy. CONCLUSIONS: 3D ultrasound can detect major birth trauma to the puborectalis muscle. The puborectalis muscle avulsion is usually not recognized during the delivery and does not cause immediate problem to the patient.

Female↗
PubMed1999

Pediatric third, fourth, and sixth nerve palsies: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: To determine the population-based incidence and cause of cranial nerve palsies affecting ocular motility in children in the circumscribed population of Olmsted County, Minnesota. METHODS: The Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records linkage system captures virtually all medical care provided to Olmsted County residents. By means of this database, all cases of third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerve palsy were identified among county residents less than 18 years of age from 1978 through 1992. Medical records were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis, determine the cause, and document county residency. Incidence rates were adjusted to the age and sex distribution of the 1990 white population in the United States. RESULTS: Over this 15-year period, 36 incidence cases of cranial nerve palsy were identified in 35 children in this defined population. The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted annual incidence of third, fourth, and sixth nerve palsies combined was 7.6 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval, 5.1 to 10.1). The most commonly affected nerve was the fourth (36%), followed by the sixth (33%), the third (22%), and multiple nerve palsies (9%). The most common cause was congenital for third and fourth nerve palsy, undetermined for sixth, and trauma for multiple nerve palsies. Although three cases were associated with neoplasia, a cranial nerve palsy was not present at the time of diagnosis in any case. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike many institutionally based referral series, our population-based study provides data on the incidence and cause of third, fourth, and sixth nerve palsies in a geographically defined population. In contrast to previous institutionally based series, nearly half the cases were congenital in origin, and in no case did intracranial neoplasia present as an isolated nerve palsy.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed1997

Cellular delivery of neurotrophin-3 promotes corticospinal axonal growth and partial functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

The injured adult mammalian spinal cord shows little spontaneous recovery after injury. In the present study, the contribution of projections in the dorsal half of the spinal cord to functional loss after adult spinal cord injury was examined, together with the effects of transgenic cellular delivery of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on morphological and functional disturbances. Adult rats underwent bilateral dorsal column spinal cord lesions that remove the dorsal corticospinal projections or underwent more extensive resections of the entire dorsal spinal cord bilaterally that remove corticospinal, rubrospinal, and cerulospinal projections. Long-lasting functional deficits were observed on a motor grid task requiring detailed integration of sensorimotor skills, but only in animals with dorsal hemisection lesions as opposed to dorsal column lesions. Syngenic primary rat fibroblasts genetically modified to produce NT-3 were then grafted to acute spinal cord dorsal hemisection lesion cavities. Up to 3 months later, significant partial functional recovery occurred in NT-3-grafted animals together with a significant increase in corticospinal axon growth at and distal to the injury site. These findings indicate that (1) several spinal pathways contribute to loss of motor function after spinal cord injury, (2) NT-3 is a neurotrophic factor for the injured corticospinal projection, and (3) functional deficits are partially ameliorated by local cellular delivery of NT-3. Lesions of the corticospinal projection may be necessary, but insufficient in isolation, to cause sensorimotor dysfunction after spinal cord injury in the rat.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Incidence of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE: Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common acute optic nerve disease of adults over age 50 years. This study determined the incidence of acute nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in the circumscribed population of Olmsted County, Minnesota. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of the incidence of acute nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy between 1981 and 1990. The Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records linkage system facilitates identification of the medical records of virtually all Olmsted County residents with a given diagnosis. All cases of acute nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy that fulfilled certain inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. RESULTS: Twenty-two cases in 21 patients (11 men and 10 women) were recorded. The crude annual incidence rate was 10.3 per 100,000 individuals (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.1 to 18.4). When adjusted to the age and sex distribution of the 1990 United States white population, the incidence rate was 10.2 per 100,000 (95% CI = 6.5 to 15.6). At diagnosis, the median age was 72 years, mean visual acuity was 20/200 in the affected eye, and the most common visual field defect was an altitudinal deficit (10 cases). CONCLUSIONS: Although results of this small study should be interpreted cautiously, extrapolation of our findings to the United States white population indicates that nearly 5,700 new cases of acute nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy may be expected to occur each year in this group.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

FMS hemizygosity in myeloid dysplasia and acute myeloid leukemia with chromosomal aberration del(5)(q) demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction.

Interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 5 del(5)(q), are recurring aberrations in the myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. Several genes located in region (5)(q23-34) have been implicated as being of pathogenic importance. In this study seven samples of six patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia who have the del(5)(q) aberration were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot technique. FMS hemizygosity was demonstrated in all patients. PCR analysis from peripheral blood samples confirmed the observations of this aberration found by semiquantitative Southern blot. PCR-based analysis can be used for primary diagnosis in addition to cytogenetic evaluation and for follow-up in patients with del(5)(q) aberration.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

B lymphocytes with latent EBV infection appearing in long-term bone marrow cultures (HLTBMCs) from haematological patients induce lysis of stromal microenvironment.

Human long-term bone marrow cultures (HLTBMCs) are a valuable in vitro model for studying the role of the haemopoietic microenvironment. Here we report the spontaneous appearance of EBV-positive B cells in 6/40 HLTBMCs from patients with various haematological diseases after 3-5 months of culture. After subcultivation of these cells, a novel type of cell line could be characterized, which displayed surface markers and morphological features typical for EBV transformed B-cell lines. As the deproteinized and ultrafiltrated culture supernatants of these cell lines were found to contain an agent with stroma toxic properties, they were termed SSB lines (stroma-toxic-agent-secreting B-cell lines). This agent also exhibited a colony-inhibitory activity on in vitro myelopoiesis and erythropoiesis. These properties are typical for the two polyamines spermine and spermidine which were detected at elevated levels in the culture supernatants of SSB lines. The hypothesis that latent presence of EBV in bone marrow may induce an increased synthesis of spermine and spermidine, which are known to be associated with malignant haematological diseases and bone marrow aplasia, is discussed.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1992

Minor BCR (m-bcr) rearrangements may appear in major BCR (M-bcr)-positive CML cases.

The chromosome 22 derivative, the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, results from the reciprocal translocation t(9;22) (q34;q11). On DNA level a BCR/ABL rearrangement involving the so-called major BCR (Mbcr) from chromosome 22 has been associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). For Ph+ ALL a site of rearrangements in the 5' part of the BCR (breakpoint cluster region) gene on chromosome 22, the so-called minor bcr region (mbcr) has been described within the first intron in a 10.8 kb region (=bcr2 or m-BCR1). The BB1 probe detects two Eco fragments of 8.5 and/or 11 kb, which may appear as monomorphic or heteromorphic alleles, both covering bcr2. We have analyzed EcoRI restriction polymorphisms within bcr2 in 42 patients with a rearrangement in M-bcr (including 39 Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) CML patients and 3 ALLs) and in 18 healthy unrelated volunteers. Of the 42 patients tested, 52.4% (22) had the 8.5 kb bcr2 allele, 21.4% (9) had the 11 kb bcr2 allele, and 26.2% (11) had both the 8.5 and the 11 kb allele. In addition to normal allelic polymorphisms in bcr2, rRFs (rearranged bcr2 restriction fragments) were found in bcr2 as shown in 33% (14 of 42) of our patients. By contrast, no rRFs were found in 18 healthy volunteers. Our results indicate, that heterogeneous rearrangements in bcr2 may appear in addition to BCR/ABL rearrangements involving M-bcr in Ph+CML.

Alleles↗
PubMed1986

Lid protractor force generation in Graves' eye disease.

The posterior vector of the lid protractor force was measured in 29 patients with Graves' eye disease (GED) and 70 normal subjects. Patients with GED had significantly lower mean lid protractor force generation than normal subjects, although GED patients with compressive optic neuropathy did not show this difference. There was a negative correlation between the posterior force vectors and the exophthalmometer reading in GED patients only. It is conjectured that these two factors are linked by orbital and lid inflammation. The inflammation that increases orbital bulk, and thus increases the exophthalmometer reading, may well cause atrophy in the orbicularis oculi muscles, decreasing its force generation.

Exophthalmos↗
PubMed1985

Positional effects on exophthalmometer readings in Graves' eye disease.

Forty-eight patients with Graves' eye disease, half of whom had extraocular muscle restriction, and 45 normal adult subjects underwent exophthalmometry while in the upright and the supine positions to determine whether the difference in measurement due to position would serve to differentiate the groups. A previous report claimed that the upright reading would be greater than the supine reading for normal subjects and patients with Graves' eye disease without clinical extraocular muscle involvement, whereas those with extraocular muscle restriction would show little change in their exophthalmometer readings. Our study showed an increase in exophthalmometer readings in going from the upright to the supine position for normal subjects and both groups of patients with Graves' eye disease. Furthermore, this test did not serve to differentiate these three groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Orbital compliance in Graves' eye disease.

Thirty-three patients with Graves' eye disease (GED) and 68 normal subjects had their orbital compliance measured by determining the force generated on retropulsing the eye and also estimated on digital retropulsion, and their eye position determined with an exophthalmometer. Patients with compressive optic neuropathy showed significantly higher mean forward force on retropulsion than other Graves' eye disease patients or normal subjects, supporting the theory that the tissue is compressed in these orbits. There is a suggestion that orbital compliance testing of a GED patient without compressive optic neuropathy may be of value in predicting the risk of the patient developing compressive optic neuropathy. There is no association between the force on ocular retropulsion and the exophthalmometer reading. The digital estimation of the resistance to retropulsion did not reliably suggest the measured forces.

Compliance↗
PubMed1981

In vivo phytochrome difference spectrum from dark grown gametophytes of anemia phyllitidis L. Sw. Treated with norflurazon.

An in vivo phytochrome difference spectrum of dark grown Anemia phyllitidis L. Sw. gametophytes has been measured. The spectral characteristics estimated from the difference spectrum were as follows: red maximum at 662 nanometers, far red maximum at 737 nanometers, isosbestic point at 695 nanometers, and a shoulder from 620 to 630 nanometers. To diminish the influence of chlorophyll on phytochrome measurements in dark grown gametophytes, total chlorophyll content could be reduced by about 65% by treatment with 1 micromolar Norflurazon. In gametophytes grown in red light, the inhibition caused by 1 micromolar Norflurazon was 97.5%, based on g spores. Total carotenoid content of dark grown gametophytes was not appreciably different from that already present in dry spores. Herbicide treatment reduced this level to about 60%. Gametophytes grown in red light showed a nearly 7-fold increase in total carotenoids compared with that of the dark control. In treated light grown protonemata, no carotenoid accumulation took place, and the level remaining corresponded with that found in treated dark grown protonemata.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Functional characterization of NGF-secreting cell grafts to the acutely injured spinal cord.

Previously we reported that grafts of cells genetically modified to produce human nerve growth factor (hNGF) promoted specific and robust sprouting of spinal sensory, motor, and noradrenergic axons. In the present study we extend these investigations to assess NGF effects on corticospinal motor axons and on functional outcomes after spinal cord injury. Fibroblasts from adult rats were transduced to express human NGF; control cells were not genetically modified. Fibroblasts were then grafted to sites of midthoracic spinal cord dorsal hemisection lesions. Three months later, recipients of NGF-secreting grafts showed deficits on conditioned locomotion over a wire mesh that did not differ in extent from control-lesioned animals. On histological examination, NGF-secreting grafts elicited specific sprouting from spinal primary sensory afferent axons, local motor axons, and putative cerulospinal axons as previously reported, but no specific responses from corticospinal axons. Axons responding to NGF robustly penetrated the grafts but did not exit the grafts to extend to normal innervation territories distal to grafts. Grafted cells continued to express NGF protein through the experimental period of the study. These findings indicate that 1) spinal cord axons show directionally sensitive growth responses to neurotrophic factors, 2) growth of axons responding to a neurotrophic factor beyond an injury site and back to their natural target regions will likely require delivery of concentration gradients of neurotrophic factors toward the target, 3) corticospinal axons do not grow toward a cellular source of NGF, and 4) functional impairments are not improved by strictly local sprouting response of nonmotor systems.

Acute Disease↗