PubMed · 8797393
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D S Macpherson. 1996. Pulmonary function tests before surgery.. https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.110.3.587
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Tactile stimulation of an insect's abdomen evokes various behaviors including grooming and vigorous escape responses. We tested a sample of 37 tactile-sensitive abdominal interneurons for various morphological and physiological characteristics, including their ability to excite thoracic interneurons that are known to integrate wind information conducted by giant interneurons in the classical escape response. The results suggest that abdominal tactile-sensitive interneurons are heterogeneous both in anatomical and physiological properties. In general, these cells are very small interganglionic interneurons that respond to tactile stimulation at more than one abdominal segment. However, the larger population contained virtually all types of cells. Some projected anteriorly, others posteriorly, and still others projected in both directions. For most cells, the soma was on the side opposite to their axons, but in 24% of the cells it was on the same side. Patterns of dendritic arbors also varied among cells. However, tactile sensitivity was in general consistent with the morphological bias noted in dendritic branch patterns. We were able to document the existence of tactile abdominal interneurons that connect directly to thoracic interneurons involved in escape (TI[A]s). However, instances of demonstrated connectivity were rare. One cell that did show connectivity (AI652) was characterized in detail, and its properties were appropriate for conducting tactile signals in a directional escape system. The dendritic arbors were biased to the side that was ipsilateral to the cell's soma and axon. As a result, this cell's abdominal inputs and thoracic outputs are on the same side. This pattern is appropriate for generating the sensory fields recorded previously in TI(A)s. Its axon was located in the ventral median tract, which should bring it close to the integrating region of the TI(A)s.
A 17-year-old Quarter Horse mare was examined to determine the cause of a vulvar mass. Differential diagnoses for the swollen, ulcerated tissue included hypersensitivity reaction to insect stings or bites and cutaneous neoplasia. During the next 4 months, the mass enlarged involving the skin of the perineum and ventral aspect of the abdomen with secondary dependent edema of both hind limbs. Histologic examination of biopsy and necropsy specimens revealed changes consistent with a diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma). Diagnostic features included invasion of neoplastic lymphocytes into the epidermis and detection of T-cell lineage of neoplastic cells. Location of lesions at a mucocutaneous junction, association with epidermal ulcers, and progressive skin involvement mimic the condition in human beings and other species. Prognosis is poor when the condition is at the tumor stage (invasion of deep tissues).
The last decade has brought marked changes in the surgical treatment of rectal cancer: as the indication of the sphincter-saving procedures was extended, the rate of the abdomino-perineal excision has decreased even in the case of tumours of the distal third of the rectum. However, even with the use of the modern stapling devices, the anterior resection and colo-anal anastomosis may not always be feasible by the traditional abdominal approach. In these cases the sphincter-saving resection can be performed by a particular approach, the abdomino-transsphincteric technique. The authors present this seldom used operation. From the 1-st of January 1994 to the 31-st of August 1996 14 abdomino-transsphincteric resections have been performed. The mean age of the patients was 62.2 (38-81) years. The lower edge of the tumours was situated at 6.3 (5-8) cm from the anal verge. The anastomosis was performed by the double stapling technique in 8 and by hand suture in 6 cases, its distance from the anal verge was 3.2 (3-4) cm. A colon J-pouch was used in 3 cases and a diverting colostomy was performed routinely. One patient died in the postoperative period and a reoperation (abdomino-perineal excission) was performed because of left colon necrosis: Anastomotic leakage was observed in one case. By the time of the present study, 11 patients have had their colostomies closed. The continence is acceptable in every case and all the patients experience a better subjective quality of life, than it was while wearing the colostomy. The use of this technique has helped to avoid a permanent colostomy in 21 out of 33 cases operated on for cancer of the distal rectal third in the reviewed period.