A provisional prevalence rate of about 1 per 100,000 population for NMO in Mexican Mestizos might be offered. The disease seems more severe in our population than in other recent series.

No abstract

Background: In multiple sclerosis during periods of remission a limited degree of myelin repair can be observed mediated by oligodendroglial precursor cells. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors act as anti-inflammatory agents and might hold promise for future multiple sclerosis treatment. Aims: To investigate whether phosphodiesterase inhibitors could also influence myelin repair. Methods: We stimulated primary oligodendroglial precursor cells with cilostazol, rolipram and vinpocetine and assessed their effects on repair related cellular processes. Results: We found that vinpocetine exerted a strong negative effect on myelin expression while cilostazol and rolipram did not show such effects. In addition, vinpocetine decreased morphological complexities suggesting an overall negative impact on oligodendroglial cell maturation. We provide evidence that this is not mediated via a blockade of phosphodiesterase-1 but rather by inhibition of IĸB kinase. Conclusion: These findings suggest that vinpocetine via IĸB inhibition exerts a strong negative impact on oligodendroglial cell maturation and may therefore provide the rationale to restrict its application during periods of remission in multiple sclerosis patients. This is of particular interest since vinpocetine is widely used as a health supplement thought to act as a cognitive and memory enhancer for healthy people and patients with neurological or muscle diseases.

Extracellular measurement of uptake/release kinetics and associated concentration dependencies provides mechanistic insight into the underlying biochemical processes. Due to the recognized importance of preserving the natural diffusion processes within the local microenvironment, measurement approaches which provide uptake rate and local surface concentration of adherent cells in static media are needed. This paper reports a microelectrode array device and a methodology to measure uptake kinetics as a function of cell surface concentration in adherent 2D cell cultures in static fluids. The microelectrode array simultaneously measures local concentrations at five positions near the cell surface in order to map the time-dependent concentration profile which in turn enables determination of surface concentrations and uptake rates, via extrapolation to the cell plane. Hydrogen peroxide uptake by human astrocytes (normal) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM43, cancer) was quantified for initial concentrations of 20 to 500 μM over time intervals of 4000 s. For both cell types, the overall uptake rate versus surface concentration relationships exhibited non-linear kinetics, well-described by a combination of linear and Michaelis-Menten mechanisms and in agreement with the literature. The GBM43 cells showed a higher uptake rate over the full range of concentrations, primarily due to a larger linear component. Diffusion-reaction models using the non-linear parameters and standard first-order relationships are compared. In comparison to results from typical volumetric measurements, the ability to extract both uptake rate and surface concentration in static media provides kinetic parameters that are better suited for developing reaction-diffusion models to adequately describe behavior in more complex culture/tissue geometries. The results also highlight the need for characterization of the uptake rate over a wider range of cell surface concentrations in order to evaluate the potential therapeutic role of hydrogen peroxide in cancerous cells.

When a rhinoplasty is performed, one must keep in mind that the nose is a part of a whole structure, the face. In the ideal nose operation all the components of the nose are well balanced among themselves and the nose itself is a harmonic part of the face. The present article briefly reports on how the different excisions of a rhinoplasty should be done to get a well-balanced nose. The objective of the presentation is to emphasize how only a very small amount of osteocartilaginous framework can be removed to obtain a very satisfactory result. The most caudal portion of the septum is almost never removed and the tip elevation is achieved with a logical excision of both lower and upper lateral cartilages. Wedges from the alae are seldom excised, producing a more natural looking nose. In summary, we try to achieve better appearing noses that do not look operated on.