Computer-assisted medical imaging has shown tremendous improvements in definition of in vivo anatomy of patients with craniofacial anomalies. In accordance with developments of simulation surgery, preoperative surgical simulation can now be performed more accurately and interactively within the environment of computer graphic workstation and can also provide the best solution for surgery by displaying the 3 dimensional simulation images. The interactive surgical simulation approach is based on digitally osteotomized objects which have been translocated manually by an operator who visually determines the amount of movement required until the desired end result is achieved. However, this approach depends upon subjective assessment and may not consistently provide optimal simulation in all directions due to manual movement of the osteotomized object by mouse or trackball. In addition, this procedure is time and labor intensive due to repetitive processing to obtain a satisfactory end result. This study demonstrates a method of surface matching of digitally osteotomized objects, by simulating the deformed orbit to the assumed ideal position of mirror image without manual manipulation of simulation objects. This process can move the osteotomized object to the preset end results-mirror image- automatically by computer module. The single processing of the osteotomized segment changes the position of simulated segments with certainty. This procedure allows more accurate and reliable result of simulation surgery. However, it will be valuable only when one can determine the ideal end results such as mirror image of this article as a normal template.
Animals ; Automation ; Computer Graphics ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Goldenhar Syndrome ; Humans ; Mice ; Orbit*

BACKGROUND: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) belongs to C-C subfamily of chemokines, which stimulates the migration of monocytes. MCP-1 exerts various effects on the monocytes, including the induction of integrin and tissue factor, and synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines and arachidonic acid. In this study, we measured the MCP-1 levels in patients with Behcet's disease and evaluated the associations between the levels of MCP-1 and the level of other chemokines and various clinical features of Behcet's disease. METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 67 patients with Behcet's disease and 30 healthy controls. Simultaneously, whole blood was isolated from patients (n=25) with Behcet's disease and healthy controls (n=11) and cultured in 24 well plates for 48 hours in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 5 microgram/mL, phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) 5 microgram/mL, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) 50 ng/mL + ionomycin 5 microgram/mL. The MCP-1 concentrations were measured in the sera and culture supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The levels of serum MCP-1 were 2.5 times higher in patients with Behcet's disease than healthy controls. The patients with Behcet's disease had also higher levels of MCP-1 in the culture supernatants of whole blood cells, stimulated with LPS, but not with either PHA or PMA plus ionomycin, compared to healthy controls. Serum MCP-1 levels (n=67) were strongly correlated with serum RANTES, MIP-1alpha, IL-8 levels in Behcet's disease. In addition, the production of MCP-1 by whole blood culture from Behcet's disease patients (n=25) were also correlated well with those of RANTES, MIP-1alpha, and IL-8, when stimulated with LPS. However, MCP-1 levels in the sera and culture supernatants did not show any association with various clinical features of Behcet's disease including oral ulcer, genital ulcer, erythema nodosum, arthritis, uveitis, intestinal involvement, central nervous system involvement, and vascular thrombosis. CONCLUSION: In the sera and culture supernatants of whole blood stimulated with LPS, MCP-1 levels were higher in patients with Behcet's disease than controls and correlated well with RANTES, MIP-1alpha, IL-8 levels. These results suggest that the activation and migration of monocytes triggered by the increased production of MCP-1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease.
Arachidonic Acid ; Arthritis ; Blood Cells ; Central Nervous System ; Chemokine CCL2* ; Chemokine CCL3 ; Chemokine CCL5 ; Chemokines ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Erythema Nodosum ; Humans ; Interleukin-8 ; Ionomycin ; Monocytes* ; Oral Ulcer ; Thromboplastin ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer ; Uveitis

Alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) is a presynaptic protein that is richly expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems of mammals, and it is related to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we compared the distribution of the immunoreactivity of alpha-syn and its related gliosis in the spinal cord of young adult (2-3 years) and aged (10-12 years) beagle dogs. We discovered that alpha-syn immunoreactivity was present in many neurons in the thoracic level of the aged spinal cord, however, its protein level was not distinct inform that of the adult spinal cord. In addition, ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 (a marker for microglia) immunoreactivity, and not glial fibrillary acidic protein (a marker for astrocytes) immunoreactivity, was somewhat increased in the aged group compared to the adult group. These results indicate that alpha-syn immunoreactivity was not dramatically changed in the dog spinal cord during aging.
Adult ; Aged ; Aging ; alpha-Synuclein ; Animals ; Dogs ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; Gliosis ; Humans ; Mammals ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurons ; Parkinson Disease ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Spinal Cord ; Young Adult