BACKGROUND: Transepidermal water loss(TEWL) measurement is widely used in monitoring the degree of skin irritation. There have been many reports of site variation of TEWL between different body sites. However, there have been no reports concerning site variation on the different parts of the hand, which is important for the evaluation of hand eczema. OBJECTIVE: This study was done to better understand site variation of TEWL on the hands. METHODS: TEWL measurement has been performed on the mid-forearm and seven different sites of the hands in 20 normal human volunteers using an evaporimeter. RESULTS: A marked site variation has been observed and high values observed on most parts of the hands compared to forearms. CONCLUSION: Site selection should be seriously considered in any kind of study concerning TEWL measurement of hands.
Eczema ; Forearm ; Hand* ; Healthy Volunteers* ; Humans* ; Skin* ; Water*

Dementia is defined as a syndrome which is characterized by various impairments in cognitive functions, especially memory function, Most of the diagnostic criteria for dementia include memory impairment as no essential feature. Memory decline can be present as a consequence of the aging process, But it does not cause significant distress or impairment in social and occupational functionings while dementiadoes. Depression may also be associated with memory impairment. funcitionings while dementiadoes. Depression may also be associated with memory impairment. However, unlike dementia, depression dose not cause decrease in delayed verbal learning and recognition memory. In dementia, different features of memory impairment may be present depending on the involved area. Memory impairment in cortical dementia is affected by the disturbance of encoding of information and memory consolidation, while memory imparnene in subcrotical denentiy is affected y the disturbance of retrieval in subcortial dementia.
Aging ; Dementia ; Depression ; Humans ; Memory* ; Verbal Learning

No abstract available.
Kidney Transplantation*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term surgical results of 120 endoscopic conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) procedures using a porous polyethylene (MEDPOR(R)) coated tear drain (MCTD(R)). METHODS: From 2002 to 2007, 120 patients who had been treated with endoscopic CDCR using MCTD(R) were investigated for its success rates and complications. After an osteotomy was made under nasal endoscopy, a tunnel was created from the caruncle in the conjunctival sac to the nasal cavity through the newly created ostium, and then the tunnel was enlarged to allow the insertion of the MCTD(R) The length of the tube to be inserted was determined under endoscopic examination. An anchoring suture was placed at the medial canthus to both the conjunctiva and the skin using a 5-0 Vicryl suture in the fashion of a purse string suture. RESULTS: Causes of obstruction included failed dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) (74 cases) and idiopathic obstruction (22 cases). Postoperative complications were encountered in four cases with tube loss, 21 cases with a buried tube, 8 cases of extrusion to the conjunctival side, and 11 cases with obstruction caused by conjunctival incarceration or granuloma. The postoperative success rate was 89.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that endoscopic CDCR using MCTD(R) is an alternative to the standard conventional method for preventing dislodgement of the tube postoperatively. However, surgeons should consider that it may be challenging to insert the MCTD(R) and that in cases requiring removal, the tube can be difficult to remove due to adhesions.
Conjunctiva ; Dacryocystorhinostomy ; Endoscopy ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Mixed Connective Tissue Disease ; Nasal Cavity ; Osteotomy ; Polyethylene ; Polyglactin 910 ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Sutures

This case report and video demonstrate the technique of full-endoscopic J-shaped transforaminal L5 exiting nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. Bertolotti syndrome, characterized by a congenital lumbosacral transitional vertebra, often results in mechanical lower back pain and nerve root compression. A 69-year-old male presented with progressive radiating pain in the right leg and tingling in the L5 dermatome. Lumbar spine MRI revealed a right foraminal disc herniation at the L5–S1 level, with calcification and foraminal stenosis. The patient was also diagnosed with Castellvi type I Bertolotti syndrome, featuring a large L5 transverse process and a high iliac crest. These anatomical variations complicated the transforaminal approach, creating a narrow safety zone for conventional methods. The approach began with docking on the L5 transverse process. Endoscopic drilling was performed in a J-shaped configuration to partially resect the transverse process and alar wing, facilitating endoscope insertion into Kambin’s triangle. Foraminal decompression was achieved by removing the tip of the superior articular process (SAP), thereby decompressing the L5 exiting nerve root. Full-endoscopic spine surgery offers a safe and effective alternative to traditional open techniques for L5 nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. This video presentation illustrates the intraoperative endoscopic approach, detailing the decompression techniques and highlighting the minimally invasive advantages of this method.

This case report and video demonstrate the technique of full-endoscopic J-shaped transforaminal L5 exiting nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. Bertolotti syndrome, characterized by a congenital lumbosacral transitional vertebra, often results in mechanical lower back pain and nerve root compression. A 69-year-old male presented with progressive radiating pain in the right leg and tingling in the L5 dermatome. Lumbar spine MRI revealed a right foraminal disc herniation at the L5–S1 level, with calcification and foraminal stenosis. The patient was also diagnosed with Castellvi type I Bertolotti syndrome, featuring a large L5 transverse process and a high iliac crest. These anatomical variations complicated the transforaminal approach, creating a narrow safety zone for conventional methods. The approach began with docking on the L5 transverse process. Endoscopic drilling was performed in a J-shaped configuration to partially resect the transverse process and alar wing, facilitating endoscope insertion into Kambin’s triangle. Foraminal decompression was achieved by removing the tip of the superior articular process (SAP), thereby decompressing the L5 exiting nerve root. Full-endoscopic spine surgery offers a safe and effective alternative to traditional open techniques for L5 nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. This video presentation illustrates the intraoperative endoscopic approach, detailing the decompression techniques and highlighting the minimally invasive advantages of this method.

This case report and video demonstrate the technique of full-endoscopic J-shaped transforaminal L5 exiting nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. Bertolotti syndrome, characterized by a congenital lumbosacral transitional vertebra, often results in mechanical lower back pain and nerve root compression. A 69-year-old male presented with progressive radiating pain in the right leg and tingling in the L5 dermatome. Lumbar spine MRI revealed a right foraminal disc herniation at the L5–S1 level, with calcification and foraminal stenosis. The patient was also diagnosed with Castellvi type I Bertolotti syndrome, featuring a large L5 transverse process and a high iliac crest. These anatomical variations complicated the transforaminal approach, creating a narrow safety zone for conventional methods. The approach began with docking on the L5 transverse process. Endoscopic drilling was performed in a J-shaped configuration to partially resect the transverse process and alar wing, facilitating endoscope insertion into Kambin’s triangle. Foraminal decompression was achieved by removing the tip of the superior articular process (SAP), thereby decompressing the L5 exiting nerve root. Full-endoscopic spine surgery offers a safe and effective alternative to traditional open techniques for L5 nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. This video presentation illustrates the intraoperative endoscopic approach, detailing the decompression techniques and highlighting the minimally invasive advantages of this method.

This case report and video demonstrate the technique of full-endoscopic J-shaped transforaminal L5 exiting nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. Bertolotti syndrome, characterized by a congenital lumbosacral transitional vertebra, often results in mechanical lower back pain and nerve root compression. A 69-year-old male presented with progressive radiating pain in the right leg and tingling in the L5 dermatome. Lumbar spine MRI revealed a right foraminal disc herniation at the L5–S1 level, with calcification and foraminal stenosis. The patient was also diagnosed with Castellvi type I Bertolotti syndrome, featuring a large L5 transverse process and a high iliac crest. These anatomical variations complicated the transforaminal approach, creating a narrow safety zone for conventional methods. The approach began with docking on the L5 transverse process. Endoscopic drilling was performed in a J-shaped configuration to partially resect the transverse process and alar wing, facilitating endoscope insertion into Kambin’s triangle. Foraminal decompression was achieved by removing the tip of the superior articular process (SAP), thereby decompressing the L5 exiting nerve root. Full-endoscopic spine surgery offers a safe and effective alternative to traditional open techniques for L5 nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. This video presentation illustrates the intraoperative endoscopic approach, detailing the decompression techniques and highlighting the minimally invasive advantages of this method.

This case report and video demonstrate the technique of full-endoscopic J-shaped transforaminal L5 exiting nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. Bertolotti syndrome, characterized by a congenital lumbosacral transitional vertebra, often results in mechanical lower back pain and nerve root compression. A 69-year-old male presented with progressive radiating pain in the right leg and tingling in the L5 dermatome. Lumbar spine MRI revealed a right foraminal disc herniation at the L5–S1 level, with calcification and foraminal stenosis. The patient was also diagnosed with Castellvi type I Bertolotti syndrome, featuring a large L5 transverse process and a high iliac crest. These anatomical variations complicated the transforaminal approach, creating a narrow safety zone for conventional methods. The approach began with docking on the L5 transverse process. Endoscopic drilling was performed in a J-shaped configuration to partially resect the transverse process and alar wing, facilitating endoscope insertion into Kambin’s triangle. Foraminal decompression was achieved by removing the tip of the superior articular process (SAP), thereby decompressing the L5 exiting nerve root. Full-endoscopic spine surgery offers a safe and effective alternative to traditional open techniques for L5 nerve decompression in Bertolotti syndrome. This video presentation illustrates the intraoperative endoscopic approach, detailing the decompression techniques and highlighting the minimally invasive advantages of this method.

Fibronectin(Fn) is a large, multidomain glycoprotein, which exists in a soluble form in plasma and an insoluble fibrillar form in extracellular matrices. Fn affects many aspects of cellular responses. However, it is not known whether Fn could activate macrophages for the tumor cell killing. We report that Fn induces the tumoricidal activity of macrophages for murine bladder tumor(MBT-2) cell. Tumoricidal activity was determined by 3[H]-thymidine uptake of MBT-2 cell. Fn alone had no effect, whereas recombinant interferon- r(IFN- r) weakly induced the tumoricidal activity of macrophages for MBT-2 cells. However combination of Fn with recombinant IFN-r synergized to activate macrophages to kill MBT-2 cells in a dose dependent manner. At this point nitric oxide(NO) was secreted by activated macrophages, and the secretion of NO and tumoricidal activity of macrophage were inhibited in the presence of NG-monomethyl- L-arginine(NGMMA), a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase(NOS). Fn has various cell binding sites. The Arg-Gly-Asp(RGD) sequence present in the central cell binding domain of Fn is the prototype of these sites. Engineered fibronectin(eFn) is formed by RGD-rich sequence. Combination of eFn, instead of Fn, with recombinant IFN- T resulted in more powerful activation of macrophage in tumor cell killing than Fn. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that Fn acts as a modulator of macrophage activation for tumor cell killing induced by IFN-r via a process involving L-arginine dependent NO production. Especially, RGD sequence of Fn has important role for tumoricidal activity of macrophage. Although the precise mechanism of Fn to promote NO synthesis induced by IFN-r remains to be further elucidated, Fn-mediated macrophage adhesion by specialized cell surface receptors and activation of intracellular signals might be important in the development of macrophage activation.
Arginine ; Binding Sites ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibronectins* ; Glycoproteins ; Homicide ; Macrophage Activation ; Macrophages* ; Nitric Oxide ; Plasma ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; Urinary Bladder