Hamatolunate impingement syndrome in golfers: results of arthroscopic burring of the apex of the hamate

Hamatolunate impingement syndrome is an uncommon cause of ulnar-sided wrist pain in the general population. Often misdiagnosed and untreated by non-specialized physicians, it is an important source of chronic ulnar wrist pain in golfers. The purpose of this retrospective study was to report results of arthroscopic burring of the apex of the hamate for hamatolunate impingement, whether isolated or not, in golf players, with a minimum of six months follow-up. Fifteen golf players (10 amateur, 2 semi-professional and 3 professional players), aged 40-61 years, with ulnar carpal pain implicating hamatolunate impingement with Viegas type-II carpal configuration, were included. Treatment consisted in arthroscopic burring of the apex of the hamate. At an average follow-up of 11 months (range, 6-24 months), all patients were satisfied with functional results, except 1 with persistent pain and stiffness; 93% returned to sport to their prior level. Mean range of motion was improved by 17 ° for wrist flexion (range, 15 ° to 30 °) and 15 ° for wrist extension (range, 10 ° to 25 °). All patients except 1 recovered grip strength, improving from 27 kg (range, 12-53) preoperatively to 35 kg (range, 17-61) at last-follow-up, and ulnar-sided pain was alleviated during golf practice. Return to prior sport level was possible by 5.5 months for professional players and by 9 months for amateurs. Arthroscopic burring of the apex of the hamate provided good clinical results for function and pain, with fairly rapid return to sport. Hamatolunate chondritis does not always mean pathology but represents the natural progression of Viegas type II wrists.

Pregnancy history and long-term progression of cardiomyopathy in LMNA genotype-positive women

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Precision Health Center for optimized cardiac care (ProCArdio), Oslo, Norway Fripro gene positive, Norwegian Research Council, Oslo, Norway

Background

Competitive and non-competitive exercises have been reported to be deleterious on prognosis of LMNA genotype-positive patients. Comparable to exercise, pregnancy is a prolonged hemodynamic stress situation.

Aims

We aimed to assess the association between pregnancy history and long-term progression of cardiomyopathy in women with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants of LMNA (LMNA+).

Methods

We retrospectively included consecutive LMNA+ females and recorded pregnancy data. We analyzed repeated echocardiographic examinations, including data on left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter (EDD), LV ejection fraction (EF) and LV global longitudinal strain (GLS). We recorded the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF), atrioventricular block, sustained ventricular arrhythmias (VA), and implantation of cardiac electronic devices (ICD/CRT-D). We analysed retrospectively complications during pregnancy and peripartum period.

Results

We included 89 LMNA+ women (28% probands, age 41 ± 16 years), of which 60 had history of pregnancy. Follow-up duration was 5 [IQR: 3-9] years. We analysed 452 repeated echocardiographic examinations. Women with previous pregnancy and nulliparous had a similar annual deterioration of LV EF (-0.5/year vs -0.3/year, p = 0.37, figure left panel), LV GLS (0.1/year vs 0.0/year, p = 0.35, figure right panel) and LV EDD (0.1/year vs 0.2/year, p = 0.09). Number of pregnancies was not associated with increased long-term risk of AF, atrioventricular block, sustained VA or ICD/CRT-D implantation. Pregnancy history was not associated with worse survival free from death, left ventricular assist device or need for cardiac transplantation. Arrhythmias occurred in 9% of pregnancies. No increase of maternal and fetal complications was observed.

Conclusions

In our cohort of LMNA+ women, pregnancy was not associated with long-term adverse progression of cardiac dysfunction, worsening in arrhythmic progression or reduced event-free survival. Likewise, LMNA+ women generally tolerated pregnancy well, with a small proportion of patients experiencing arrhythmias. Abstract Figure.

La résistance induite : une nouvelle stratégie de défense des plantes contre les agents pathogènes

Tout au long de leur co-évolution, les plantes et les microorganismes pathogènes ont développé des relations complexes résultant d'un échange constant d'informations moléculaires. Les agents pathogènes ont élaboré toute une gamme de stratégies offensives pour parasiter les plantes et en contrepartie, les plantes ont déployé un arsenal défensif similaire à bien des égards aux défenses immunitaires animales. Les percées récentes en biologie moléculaire et en transformation des végétaux ont démontré que sensibiliser une plante à répondre plus rapidement à l'infection pouvait lui conférer une protection accrue contre des microorganismes virulents. Un aspect important dans la mise en évidence du rôle joué par les molécules de défense au niveau de l'expression de la résistance est une connaissance exacte de leur localisation spatio-temporelle dans les tissus en état de stress. Afin de cerner le processus associé à l'induction de résistance chez les plantes, l'effet d'éliciteurs biologiques, microbiens et chimiques sur la réponse cellulaire des plantes envers une attaque pathogène a fait l'objet d'investigations et les mécanismes impliqués dans le phénomène ont été étudiés. Dans tous les cas, il a été montré qu'une corrélation existait entre la réponse globale de la plante et des changements dans la biochimie et la physiologie des cellules, lesquels étaient accompagnés de modifications structurales incluant la formation d'appositions pariétales riches en callose et l'infiltration de composés phénoliques aux sites de pénétration potentielle par l'agent pathogène. L'activation du sentier des phénylpropanoïdes est un phénomème crucial dans la restriction de la croissance de l'agent pathogène et dans la survie des cellules-hôtes en conditions de stress. Bien qu'il n'existe que peu d'exemples d'application pratique de la résistance induite en tant que méthode de lutte contre les maladies des plantes, les résultats obtenus à partir de quelques expériences menées en plein champ et en serre sont encourageants et indiquent que cette approche a le potentiel de devenir une stratégie de lutte efficace et durable contre toute une gamme d'agents pathogènes.

Steroid activities comparison of natural and food wrap compounds in human breast cancer cell lines

In this study, we tested and compared the endocrine disruption activities of compounds in materials used to package foods (bisphenol A, bisphenol F, and bisphenol A diglycidylether BADGE) with natural molecules (genistein, apigenin, kaempferol, and tangeretin) in the human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (ER(+)) and MDA-MB453 (AR(+); GR(+)). Octylphenol was also chosen as a xenoestrogen reference. Two compounds had no estrogenic activity: BADGE and tangeretin. Genistein was the most active compound in the E-Screen assay with MCF-7, followed by octylphenol, bisphenol F, bisphenol A and apigenin, with kaempferol the least potent. All estrogenic compounds competed with 17beta-estradiol for binding to the MCF-7 ER and their estrogenic effects were abolished in the presence of tamoxifen, an ER antagonist. In MDA-MB453 cells transfected with pMMTVneo-Luc, all compounds had anti-androgenic activities, with octylphenol the most potent. Kaempferol, genistein, and apigenin were more potent anti-androgens than bisphenols A or F. The natural compounds had a biphasic effect on luciferase activity. At high concentrations, genistein (10(-5)M) and apigenin (10(-6)M) acted as GR agonists in transfected MDA-MB453 cells. Furthermore, apigenin, at a concentration of 10(-5)M, may act as a partial androgen receptor (AR) agonist, as nilutamide, an AR antagonist, inhibited its activity by 26%.

Estrogenic activity and metabolism of n-butyl benzyl phthalate in vitro: identification of the active molecule(s)

Some phthalates are suspected to disrupt the endocrine system, especially by mimicking estrogens. N-butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) has estrogenic effects in vitro but not in vivo. The aim of this study was to identify the active molecule(s) (parent compound and/or metabolite(s)) involved in the estrogenic activities of BBP. The estrogenic effects of BBP and its in vivo metabolites were assessed using the following tests: E-Screen, ER binding, and PR induction tests on the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 (ER(+)). BBP, the parent compound, was a partial agonist. It stimulated MCF-7 proliferation in the E-Screen assay and increased cytosolic progesterone receptors (PR) levels in a concentration-dependent manner. No BBP metabolites were active except hippuric acid (HA), which had a weak effect at very high concentrations. BBP and HA stimulatory effects on MCF-7 proliferation were antagonized by tamoxifen. However, no competition was observed between BBP or HA and 17beta-estradiol for binding to the estrogen receptor (ER). BBP metabolism by MCF-7 cells was also investigated. After a 48-h incubation, only 10% of the initial BBP remained in the culture medium, demonstrating that BBP was extensively metabolized by the MCF-7 cells. The radioactivity recovered in the medium was represented by: mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBuP, 25%) and mono-n-benzyl phthalate (MBeP, 48%), phthalic acid (6%), and benzoic acid (3%). Since none of these metabolites had estrogenic activities, this study demonstrates that the parent compound was the active molecule involved in the in vitro estrogenic effects of BBP.

Cytological effects of cellulases in the parasitism of Phytophthora parasitica by Pythium oligandrum

The ubiquitous oomycete Pythium oligandrum is a potential biocontrol agent for use against a wide range of pathogenic fungi and an inducer of plant disease resistance. The ability of P. oligandrum to compete with root pathogens for saprophytic colonization of substrates may be critical for pathogen increase in soil, but other mechanisms, including antibiosis and enzyme production, also may play a role in the antagonistic process. We used transmission electron microscopy and gold cytochemistry to analyze the intercellular interaction between P. oligandrum and Phytophthora parasitica. Growth of P. oligandrum towards Phytophthora cells correlated with changes in the host, including retraction of the plasma membrane and cytoplasmic disorganization. These changes were associated with the deposition onto the inner host cell surface of a cellulose-enriched material. P. oligandrum hyphae could penetrate the thickened host cell wall and the cellulose-enriched material, suggesting that large amounts of cellulolytic enzymes were produced. Labeling of cellulose with gold-complexed exoglucanase showed that the integrity of the cellulose was greatly affected both along the channel of fungal penetration and also at a distance from it. We measured cellulolytic activity of P. oligandrum in substrate-free liquid medium. The enzymes present were almost as effective as those from Trichoderma viride in degrading both carboxymethyl cellulose and Phytophthora wall-bound cellulose. P. oligandrum and its cellulolytic enzymes may be useful for biological control of oomycete pathogens, including Phytophthora and Pythium spp., which are frequently encountered in field and greenhouse production.

Oligandrin. A proteinaceous molecule produced by the mycoparasite Pythium oligandrum induces resistance to Phytophthora parasitica infection in tomato plants

A low-molecular weight protein, termed oligandrin, was purified to homogeneity from the culture filtrate of the mycoparasitic fungus Pythium oligandrum. When applied to decapitated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. Prisca) plants, this protein displayed the ability to induce plant defense reactions that contributed to restrict stem cell invasion by the pathogenic fungus Phytophthora parasitica. According to its N-terminal sequence, low-molecular weight, acidic isoelectric point, ultraviolet spectrum, and migration profile, the P. oligandrum-produced oligandrin was found to share some similarities with several elicitins from other Phytophthora spp. and Pythium spp. However, oligandrin did not induce hypersensitive reactions. A significant decrease in disease incidence was monitored in oligandrin-treated plants as compared with water-treated plants. Ultrastructural investigations of the infected tomato stem tissues from non-treated plants showed a rapid colonization of all tissues associated with a marked host cell disorganization. In stems from oligandrin-treated plants, restriction of fungal growth to the outermost tissues and decrease in pathogen viability were the main features of the host-pathogen interaction. Invading fungal cells were markedly damaged at a time when the cellulose component of their cell walls was quite well preserved. Host reactions included the plugging of intercellular spaces as well as the occasional formation of wall appositions at sites of potential pathogen entry. In addition, pathogen ingress in the epidermis was associated with the deposition of an electron-opaque material in most invaded intercellular spaces. This material, lining the primary walls, usually extended toward the inside to form deposits that frequently interacted with the wall of invading hyphae. In the absence of fungal challenge, host reactions were not detected.

Metabolism of n-butyl benzyl phthalate in the female Wistar rat. Identification of new metabolites

n-Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), a plasticizer used in polyvinylchloride (PVC) and other polymers, has been orally administered to female Wistar rats with four doses (150, 475, 780 and 1500 mg/kg body weight/day) for 3 consecutive days. Metabolites recovered in urines were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after 24, 48 and 72 hours. Six metabolites were identified. Mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBuP) and mono-n-benzyl phthalate (MBeP) represented respectively 29-34% and 7-12% of the total recovered metabolites. Hippuric acid, the main metabolite of benzoic acid, represented the second major metabolite (51-56%). Phthalic acid, benzoic acid and an omega-oxidized metabolite of MBuP were also recovered in urine but in small quantities. BBP was never identified in urines. Total urinary metabolites recovery represented 56% of the dose administered in the first 24 hours. However, total recovery decreased when the dose increases (43% at 780 mg/kg body weight/day, only 30% at 1500 mg/kg body weight/day). Whatever the time was, BBP metabolites recovered in urines were all present and in the same proportions for the two lowest doses. Discrepancy in metabolites quantities expressed as percentages of the dose observed in urine of rat treated with the highest BBP dose disappeared with time as MBuP, MBeP and hippuric acid recovery has significantly increased at day 3. Metabolic profile of BBP in female rats has been established. The aim of the present study is to identify further the active(s) agent(s) involved in the BBP malformations and teratogenic effects.

Ultrastructural and Cytochemical Aspects of the Interaction Between the Mycoparasite Pythium oligandrum and Soilborne Plant Pathogens

ABSTRACT The interaction between the oomycete Pythium oligandrum and various soilborne oomycete and fungal plant pathogens (P. ultimum, P. aphanidermatum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, Verticillium albo-atrum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Phytophthora megasperma) was studied by light and electron microscopy in order to assess the relative contribution of mycoparasitism and antibiosis in the antagonistic process. Scanning electron microscope investigations of the interaction regions showed that structural alterations of all pathogenic fungi and oomycetes (except for Phytophthora megasperma) occurred soon after contact with the antagonist. Light and transmission electron microscope studies of the interaction region between the antagonist and P. ultimum revealed that intimate contact between both partners preceded a sequence of degradation events including aggregation of host cytoplasm and penetration of altered host hyphae. Localization of the host wall cellulose component showed that cellulose was altered at potential penetration sites. A similar scheme of events was observed during the interaction between P. oligandrum and F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, with the exception that complete loss of host protoplasm was associated with antagonist invasion. The interaction between P. oligandrum and R. solani resulted in an abnormal deposition of a wall-like material at potential penetration sites for the antagonist. However, the antagonist displayed the ability to circumvent this barrier and penetrate host hyphae by locally altering the chitin component of the host hyphal wall. Interestingly, antagonist cells also showed extensive alteration as evidenced by the frequent occurrence of empty hyphal shells. In the case of Phytophthora megasperma, hyphal interactions did not occur, but hyphae of the plant pathogen were damaged severely. At least two distinct mechanisms appear to be involved in the process of oomycete and fungal attack by P. oligandrum: (i) mycoparasitism, mediated by intimate hyphal interactions, and (ii) antibiosis, with alteration of the host hyphae prior to contact with the antagonist. However, the possibility that the antagonistic process may rely on the dual action of antibiotics and hydrolytic enzymes is discussed.

Monoterpenes inhibit cell growth, cell cycle progression, and cyclin D1 gene expression in human breast cancer cell lines

Monoterpenes are found in the essential oils of many commonly consumed fruits and vegetables. These compounds have been shown to exert chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities in mammary tumor models and represent a new class of breast cancer therapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated the effects of limonene and limonene-related monoterpenes, perillyl alcohol and perillic acid, on cell growth, cell cycle progression, and expression of cyclin D1 cell cycle-regulatory gene in T-47D, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Our results revealed that limonene-related monoterpenes caused a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Of the three monoterpenes tested, perillyl alcohol was the most potent and limonene was the least potent inhibitor of cell growth. The enantiomeric composition of limonene and perillyl alcohol did not interfere with their effect on cell growth. Sensitivity of breast cancer cell lines to monoterpenes was in the following order: T-47D > MCF-7 > MDA-MB-231. Growth inhibition induced by perillyl alcohol and perillic acid was associated with a fall in the proportion of cells in the S phase and an accumulation of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Finally, we showed that the effects of limonene-related monoterpenes on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression were preceded by a decrease in cyclin D1 mRNA levels.

Induction of the major inducible 68-kDa heat-shock protein after rapid changes of extracellular pH in cultured rat astrocytes

Cultured rat astrocytes were exposed for 1 or 3 h to acidic medium (pH adjusted to 5.0, 5.5, or 6.0). Radioactive labeling for 3 h after exposure to acidic medium revealed increased synthesis of many proteins, including an inducible 68-kDa protein. Optimal extracellular (medium) pH for the induction of this 68-kDa protein was 5.5. Immunoblotting demonstrated that this 68-kDa protein induced by acidosis was the 68-kDa heat-shock protein previously described in cultured astrocytes.