Eagle syndrome.

Eagle syndrome, also known as elongated styloid process, is a condition first described by Watt Eagle in 1937. It occurs when an elongated styloid process or calcified stylohyoid ligament causes recurrent throat pain or foreign body sensation, dysphagia, or facial pain. Additional symptoms may include neck or throat pain with radiation to the ipsilateral ear. It is usually hard to diagnose because the symptoms related to this condition can be confused with those attributed to a wide variety of facial neuralgias. In this article, a case of Eagle syndrome exhibiting unilateral symptoms with bilateral elongation of styloid process is reported.

Effects of fibrin, thrombin, and blood on breast capsule formation in a preclinical model.

BACKGROUND: The root cause of capsular contracture (CC) associated with breast implants is unknown. Recent evidence points to the possible role of fibrin and bacteria in CC formation. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to determine whether fibrin, thrombin, and blood modulated the histological and microbiological outcomes of breast implant capsule formation in a rabbit model. METHODS: The authors carried out a case-control study to assess the influence of fibrin, thrombin, and blood on capsule wound healing in a rabbit model. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits received four tissue expanders. One expander acted as a control, whereas the other expander pockets received one of the following: fibrin glue, rabbit blood, or thrombin sealant. Intracapsular pressure/volume curves were compared among the groups, and histological and microbiological evaluations were performed (capsules, tissue expanders, rabbit skin, and air). The rabbits were euthanized at two or four weeks. RESULTS: At four weeks, the fibrin and thrombin expanders demonstrated significantly decreased intracapsular pressure compared to the control group. In the control and fibrin groups, mixed inflammation correlated with decreased intracapsular pressure, whereas mononuclear inflammation correlated with increased intracapsular pressure. The predominant isolate in the capsules, tissue expanders, and rabbit skin was coagulase-negative staphylococci. For fibrin and thrombin, both cultures that showed an organism other than staphylococci and cultures that were negative were associated with decreased intracapsular pressure, whereas cultures positive for staphylococci were associated with increased intracapsular pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Fibrin application during breast implantation may reduce rates of CC, but the presence of staphylococci is associated with increased capsule pressure even in the presence of fibrin, so care should be taken to avoid bacterial contamination.

Angiogenesis and inflammation signaling are targets of beer polyphenols on vascular cells.

Emerging evidence indicates that chronic inflammation and oxidative stress cluster together with angiogenic imbalance in a wide range of pathologies. In general, natural polyphenols present health-protective properties, which are likely attributed to their effect on oxidative stress and inflammation. Hops used in beer production are a source of polyphenols such as xanthohumol (XN), and its metabolites isoxanthohumol (IXN) and phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin (8PN). Our study aimed to evaluate XN, IXN, and 8PN effects on angiogenesis and inflammation processes. Opposite in vitro effects were observed between 8PN, stimulating endothelial and smooth muscle cell (SMC) growth, motility, invasion and capillary-like structures formation, and XN and IXN, which inhibited them. Mouse matrigel plug and rat skin wound-healing assays confirmed that XN and IXN treatments reduced vessel number as well as serum macrophage enzymatic activity, whereas 8PN increased blood vessels formation in both assays and enzyme activity in the wound-healing assay. A similar profile was found for serum inflammatory interleukin-1ß quantification, in the wound-healing assay. Our data indicate that whereas 8PN stimulates angiogenesis, XN and IXN manifested anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects in identical conditions. These findings suggest that the effects observed for individual compounds on vascular wall cells must be carefully taken into account, as these polyphenols are metabolized after in vivo administration. The modulation of SMC proliferation and migration is also of special relevance, given the role of these cells in many pathological conditions. Furthermore, these results may provide clues for developing useful therapeutic agents against inflammation- and angiogenesis-associated pathologies.