The fabella is the seasmoid bone occurring in about 10–30% of individuals and is located in the head of the lateral tendon of the Gastrocnemius muscle. Fracture of the fabella is a very rare condition. Since first reported by Jacob Sagel in 1932, only 5 cases of fabella fracture had been reported. However, there has been no bilateral case. We report a first case of bilateral fracture of the fabella with review of literature. This case was combined with rupture of anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament on the right knee.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Head ; Knee ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Rupture ; Tendons

Angular deformities of the distal femur occur in congenital diseases or due to acquired causes, such as malunion after a fracture of the distal femur. Angular deformities of the lower extremities affect the mechanical axis, causing changes in the weight pressure on the articular surface. As a result, angular deformities quicken the progression of osteoarthritis. Therefore, correction of deformities should be performed to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis. Distal femoral osteotomy is one of the methods to correct angular deformities in unicompartmental osteoarthritis. However, femoral supracondylar dome osteotomy with retrograde intramedullary nailing in the distal femur with a varus deformity has been rarely reported. Herein, we describe a technique for femoral supracondylar dome osteotomy with retrograde intramedullary nailing in a varus deformity after a pathologic fracture of giant cell tumor in the distal femur with a review of the relevant literature.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Femur ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Giant Cells ; Lower Extremity ; Methods ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy

This study evaluated the antibacterial effects of a mixture of Sophorae radix and Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer (1 : 1) ethanol extracts (SGE) on mice infected with Streptococcus (S.) pyogenes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration of SGE necessary for antibacterial effects against S. pyogenes were 20 microg/mL. Based on the time-kill curves for S. pyogenes, SGE was effective at 4x MIC after 16 h. On Day 12 after challenge, the survival rate of mice treated with 2.0 mg/kg SGE was 60%. In conclusion, SGE had potent in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities against S. pyogenes.
Animals ; Complex Mixtures ; Ethanol* ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis* ; Mice* ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Plants, Medicinal ; Sophora* ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus pyogenes* ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

This study evaluated the antibacterial effects of a mixture of Sophorae radix and Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer (1 : 1) ethanol extracts (SGE) on mice infected with Streptococcus (S.) pyogenes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration of SGE necessary for antibacterial effects against S. pyogenes were 20 microg/mL. Based on the time-kill curves for S. pyogenes, SGE was effective at 4x MIC after 16 h. On Day 12 after challenge, the survival rate of mice treated with 2.0 mg/kg SGE was 60%. In conclusion, SGE had potent in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities against S. pyogenes.
Animals ; Complex Mixtures ; Ethanol* ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis* ; Mice* ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Plants, Medicinal ; Sophora* ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus pyogenes* ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: inhaled nitric oxide(iNO) is an excellent method for the postoperative pulmonary hypertension in congenital heart disease. But more detailed care is needed because of the development of rebound pulmonary hypertension after NO Withdrawal. We performed this study in order to discontinue the iNO successfully by way of presenting the adequate weaning and supplying methods. METHODS: Between January, 1998 and August, 1999 we sudied 10 patients who had rebound pulmonary hypertension(RPH) after iNO withdrawal. We completed the iNO in these patween the first the second trial of the weaning process. We tried to discover the differences between the first and second weaning process. We measured NO concentration at the start and just before NO withdrawal and during the period of weaning process. Moreover, to identify the iNO effects during the weaning of the iNO, we counted the degree of the change of PaO2/FiO2and mean PAP/SAP beween initial and at half of the initial NO concentration. RESULTS: Second weaning had a longer duration weaning process(11+/-0 cersus 5+/- hours, P<0.05), lower NO concentration just before NO withdrawal(2+/-.6 versus 4+/-ppm, P<0.05). In the change of the mean PAP/SAP and PaO2/FiO2as iNO was weaning from the initial iNO concentration to a half of the initial iNO concentration, the degree of increase in mean PAP/SAP(0.026+/-.07 versus 0.054+/-.07, P<0.05) and the degree of decrease in PaO2/FiO2(49+/-4 versus 65+/-2, P<0.05) were smaller in the second in the second weaning process than the first weaning process. CONCLUSION: A successful weaning of iNO can be performed with a low iNO concentration at the start and just before withdrawal and with the long duration iNO weaning process. Moreover, We speculate that the degree of change in the mean PAP/SAP and PaO2/FiO2at the half of the iNO weaning process are an indicator for the development of RPH.
Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Nitric Oxide* ; Weaning*

This study was conducted to analyze penicillin G (PEG), streptomycin (STR) and neomycin (NEO) residues in milk of healthy lactating cows. Milk samples were collected from all four quarters of 12 dairy cows 2–7 days after intramammary infusions of an ointment containing PEG, STR and NEO once (n = 4; group I) or twice (n = 4, group II) daily. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine the antibiotic residues in the samples. The correlation coefficient (r 2) of the calibration curves for all antibiotics was > 0.999 and the limits of detection and quantification were 0.002–0.005 µg/mL and 0.007–0.02 µg/mL, respectively. Recovery rates were ranged from 75.5 to 92.3%. In group I, PEG, STR and NEO residues were detected in milk at 2, 3 and 2 days post-treatment, respectively, which were below the maximum residue limit (MRL). In group II, PEG, STR and NEO residues were detected in milk at 2, 3 and 3 days post-treatment, respectively, which were bellow the MRL. These results suggest that a 3-day for milk withdrawal period after the ointment treatment might be sufficient for reduction of the antibiotic residues below the MRL.

This study investigated the effects of LactoPlanta(R) (Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum), 2.0 x 10(9) colony forming units (CFU)/kg) on reduction of noxious gas emission in pig houses as well as improvement of carcass weight and quality in finishing pigs. A total of 850 finishing pigs were assigned to four treatment groups: control (CON, basal diet) (n=190), LP-0.1, 0.1% LactoPlanta(R) (n=210), LP-0.2, 0.2% LactoPlanta(R) (n=230), and LP-0.4, 0.4% LactoPlanta(R) (n=220). Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations were significantly reduced in all treatment groups compared to CON. Mercaptan contents and carcass weights of LP-0.2 and LP-0.4 were significantly decreased compared to CON, whereas there were no significant differences between LP-0.1 and CON. Carcass weight of LP-0.1 was slightly higher than that of CON, but there was no significant difference. However, carcass weights of LP-0.2 and LP-0.4 were significantly higher than that of CON (P<0.05). The prevalence of grade A carcasses in groups administered with L. plantarum (46.7~63.3%) was higher than that in CON (43.3%) and increased in a dose-dependent manner. Based on the results of this study, L. plantarum could be an effective candidate to reduce noxious gas emissions in finishing pig houses as well as improve carcass weight and quality in finishing pigs.
Ammonia ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; Lactobacillus plantarum* ; Prevalence ; Stem Cells ; Swine* ; Weights and Measures

This study investigated changes in certain blood parameters in calves and pigs after foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination. In this study, five calves and five pigs were selected from groups of 10 calves and pigs, respectively, and were vaccinated with an FMD vaccine. The remaining animals formed two non-treatment control groups. Blood samples were collected from all animals on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th days post-vaccination. In the FMD-vaccinated calves and pigs on day 7 post-vaccination, white blood cell counts, blood urea nitrogen levels, and alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities were higher than those in the respective controls. The present data suggested that the certain hemato-biochemical parameters on cattle and pigs were meaningfully changed between before and after FMD vaccination.
Alanine Transaminase ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Cattle ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease* ; Hematologic Tests ; Leukocyte Count ; Swine* ; Vaccination*

Partial or complete absence of the posterior arch of the atlas is a well-documented anomaly but a relatively rare condition. This condition is usually asymptomatic so most are diagnosed incidentally. There have been a few documented cases of congenital defects of the posterior arch of the atlas combined with atlantoaxial subluxation. We report a very rare case of congenital anomaly of the atlas combined with atlantoaxial subluxation, that can be misdiagnosed as posterior arch fracture.
Adult ; Cervical Atlas/*abnormalities ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Spinal Diseases/*diagnosis

A depressed level of natural killer (NK) activity is one of the various immunologic abnormalities in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Interleukin-15 (IL-15), an immunotherapeutic candidate in HIV infection, increases NK activity and induces the excretion of CC-chemokines from divergent immune cells, but the mechanisms of NK activity enhancement by IL-15 stimulation is not clearly established in HIV infection. This study examined whether CC-chemokines, which are known to increase NK activity, are secreted adequately in HIV-infected individuals, and also investigated whether P-glycoprotein is involved in NK activity enhancement after IL-15 administration. NK activity increased with IL-15 stimulation in NK cells of HIV-infected individuals, as it does in normal NK cells. IL-15 stimulates NK cells to secrete CC-chemokines, such as, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), macrophage chemotactic protein-1alpha (MCP-1alpha) and regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) in both HIV-infected individuals and controls with no significant difference. P-glycoprotein expression and function is decreased in HIV-infected individuals and restored only in NK cells of HIV-infected individuals after IL-15 stimulation. P-glycoprotein may play a role in the mechanism of increased NK cell activity in HIV-infected individuals after IL-15 stimulation.
HIV Infections/physiopathology* ; HIV Infections/pathology ; Human ; Interleukin-15/pharmacology* ; Killer Cells, Natural/physiology* ; Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects* ; P-Glycoprotein/physiology* ; Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology