Laparoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Repair of Uterine Scar Isthmocele Connected With the Extra-Amniotic Space in Early Pregnancy.

We present a video of an ultrasound-guided laparoscopic surgical management of a large uterine scar isthmocele connected with the extra-amniotic space in early pregnancy. A case of a pregnant patient who was diagnosed with a large isthmocele connected with the extra-amniotic space on routine ultrasound at 8 weeks of gestational age is presented. The uterine defect was successfully sutured laparoscopically under ultrasound guidance. The pregnancy continued uneventfully, and a healthy baby was delivered via cesarean section at 38 weeks gestational age.

The Role of EphA4 in Glial Scar Formation Following Injury

Although many areas of the brain lose their regenerative capacity with age, stem cell niches have been identified in both the subventricular zone (SVZ) along the lateral walls of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus (Gage, 2000; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 2001; Alvarez-Buylla and Lim, 2004). The SVZ niche utilizes many mechanisms to determine the migration patterns of neuroblasts along the RMS into the olfactory bulb, one being Eph/ephrin signaling (Conover et al., 2000; Holmberg et al., 2005). EphA4-mediated signaling is necessary for axon guidance during development, and its continued expression in the SVZ niche suggests a regulatory role throughout adulthood. Previous studies have suggested that EphA4 plays a role in the regulation of astrocytic gliosis and glial scar formation, which inhibits axonal regeneration in these areas following spinal cord injury (Goldshmit et al., 2004). Blood vessels may also play an important role in SVZ cell proliferation and neuroblast migration following injury (Tavazoie et al., 2008; Yamashita et al., 2006). The goal of this project is to examine glial scar formation as well as the relationship between SVZ vasculature, neuroblasts, and neural stem cells in EphA4 +/+, EphA4 +/-, and EphA4 -/- mice following a needle stick injury in the cortex or striatum. The outcome of these experiments will determine whether invasive procedures such as injections will affect neuroblast migration and/or the organization of the SVZ.

Computationally efficient method to construct scar functions

Phys. Rev. E 85, 026214-026219 (2012) Desarrollo de un nuevo y eficiente método para la construcción de funciones de scar a lo largo de las órtbitas periódicas inestables de sistemas clásicamente caóticos

Estudio de la estructura de autofunciones de sistemas caóticos en una base de funciones de scar

El problema central que aborda esta tesis doctoral es el estudio de la correspondencia entre la mecanica clasica y la mecanica cuantica en sistemas hamiltonianos clasicamente caoticos, tema que se enmarca dentro del llamado caos cuantico. En concreto, en este trabajo proponemos un nuevo y efectivo metodo para calcular las autofunciones de sistemas caoticos usando una base de funciones de scar. Dichas funciones de scar juegan un papel fundamental en el estudio de las manifestaciones cuanticas del caos, ya que se trata de funciones de onda semiclasicas con una dispersion muy peque~na y localizadas a lo largo de las variedades invariantes de las orbitas periodicas inestables del sistema que conforman la estructura organizativa del caos clasico. El metodo de calculo desarrollado se ha denominado Metodo de Gram- Schmidt Selectivo (MGSS), dado que construye la base haciendo uso del metodo de Gram{Schmidt convencional pero teniendo en cuenta, ademas, la dispersi on de las funciones de scar y la longitud de la orbita periodica a lo largo de la cual se localizan. El MGSS nos ha permitido calcular con gran precision las 2400 autofunciones con menor energa de un oscilador cuartico altamente caotico con dos grados de libertad acoplados, as como autofunciones muy excitadas en una ventana de energa, utilizando en ambos casos una base mucho mas eciente que las descritas en la literatura. Ademas, hemos empleado el MGSS para calcular las autofunciones del sistema molecular LiNC/LiCN, que presenta un espacio de fases con zonas de regularidad y con regiones en las que el movimiento es altamente caotico; en este ultimo sistema, hemos calculado de forma muy eciente las autofunciones asociadas a las primeras 66 energas. Finalmente, hemos propuesto un metodo perturbativo para calcular velocidades de reaccion en sistemas abiertos descritos por potenciales anarmonicos. Con este metodo, hemos calculado la velocidad de reaccion de distintos potenciales de uno y dos grados de libertad, as como la velocidad de isomerizacion del sistema molecular LiNC/LiCN, tanto sometido a un ruido blanco (sin correlaciones) como en presencia de un ba~no de atomos de argon, lo que constituye un entorno con correlaciones. El metodo desarrollado es independiente de la supercie divisoria y nos ha permitido obtener correcciones analticas a la famosa formula de Kramers, lo que posibilita el calculo exacto de velocidades de reaccion en potenciales anarmonicos que interaccionan con el entorno.

Do the spatial characteristics of myocardial scar tissue determine the risk of ventricular arrhythmias?

Sudden cardiac death is one of the main causes of mortality in patients with structural heart disease. Although an implantable cardioverter de?brillator signi?cantly reduces the mortality rate, many patients never receive a shock. Identi?cation of high-risk patients would reduce the costs associated with this therapy and prevent the deleterious effect of inappropriate discharges. As scar tissue is the substrate of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structural heart disease, scar characterization could allow strati?cation of the risk. The objective of this article is to review the role of scar characteristics in the pathogenesis of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structural heart disease.

¡Bravo, Óscar, bravo!

Artículo publicado en el periódico El Mundo el 7 de diciembre de 2012.

Scar, a WASp-related protein, activates nucleation of actin filaments by the Arp2/3 complex

The Arp2/3 complex, a stable assembly of two actin-related proteins (Arp2 and Arp3) with five other subunits, caps the pointed end of actin filaments and nucleates actin polymerization with low efficiency. WASp and Scar are two similar proteins that bind the p21 subunit of the Arp2/3 complex, but their effect on the nucleation activity of the complex was not known. We report that full-length, recombinant human Scar protein, as well as N-terminally truncated Scar proteins, enhance nucleation by the Arp2/3 complex. By themselves, these proteins either have no effect or inhibit actin polymerization. The actin monomer-binding W domain and the p21-binding A domain from the C terminus of Scar are both required to activate Arp2/3 complex. A proline-rich domain in the middle of Scar enhances the activity of the W and A domains. Preincubating Scar and Arp2/3 complex with actin filaments overcomes the initial lag in polymerization, suggesting that efficient nucleation by the Arp2/3 complex requires assembly on the side of a preexisting filament—a dendritic nucleation mechanism. The Arp2/3 complex with full-length Scar, Scar containing P, W, and A domains, or Scar containing W and A domains overcomes inhibition of nucleation by the actin monomer-binding protein profilin, giving active nucleation over a low background of spontaneous nucleation. These results show that Scar and, likely, related proteins, such as the Cdc42 targets WASp and N-WASp, are endogenous activators of actin polymerization by the Arp2/3 complex.

Proceedings of the SCAR Conference, held at Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, November, 9-12, 1976. --

Includes bibliographical references.

The scar that tripled; a true story of the great war,

This story relates the same incident told by Richard Harding Davis in The deserter, with a continuation of the narrative.

The Horse Protection Act : understanding the scar rule.

"February 2001"--P. [2].

The Horse Protection Act : understanding the scar rule.

"August 2002"--P. [2].

Impact of scar thickness on the assessment of viability using dobutamine echocardiography and thallium single-photon emission computed tomography - A comparison with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVES We sought to determine whether the transmural extent of scar (TES) explains discordances between dobutamine echocardiography (DbE) and thallium single-photon emission computed tomography (Tl-SPECT) in the detection of viable myocardium (VM). BACKGROUND Discrepancies between DbE and Tl-SPECT are often attributed to differences between contractile reserve and membrane integrity, but may also reflect a disproportionate influence of nontransmural scar on thickening at DbE. METHODS Sixty patients (age 62 +/- 12 years; 10 women and 50 men) with postinfarction left ventricular dysfunction underwent standard rest-late redistribution Tl-SPECT and DbE. Viable myocardium was identified when dysfunctional segments showed Tl activity >60% on the late-redistribution image or by low-dose augmentation at DbE. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (ceMRI) was used to divide TES into five groups: 0%, 75% of the wall thickness replaced by scar. RESULTS As TES increased, both the mean Tl uptake and change in wall motion score decreased significantly (both p < 0.001). However, the presence of subendocardial scar was insufficient to prevent thickening; >50% of segments still showed contractile function with TES of 25% to 75%, although residual function was uncommon with TES >75%. The relationship of both tests to increasing TES was similar, but Tl-SPECT identified VM more frequently than DbE in all groups. Among segments without scar or with small amounts of scar (50% were viable by SPECT. CONCLUSIONS Both contractile reserve and perfusion are sensitive to the extent of scar. However, contractile reserve may be impaired in the face of no or minor scar, and thickening may still occur with extensive scar. (C) 2004 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.