Establishment of a Mouse Degenerative Model of Patellar Tendinopathy with Upregulation of Inflammation.

There is no mouse model of patellar tendinopathy. This study aimed to establish a mouse inflammatory and degenerative patellar tendon injury model, which will facilitate research on patellar tendinopathy using advanced molecular tools including transgenic models. Collagenase at different doses (low dose (LD), medium dose (MD), high dose (HD)) or saline was injected over the mouse patellar tendon. At weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8 post-injection, the tendons were harvested for histology and further examined by micro-computed tomography (microCT) imaging at week 8. The optimal dose group and the saline group were further evaluated by immunohistochemical staining, gait pattern, and biomechanical properties. The histopathological score increased dose-dependently post-collagenase injection. Ectopic mineralization was observed and increased with collagenase dose. The LD group was selected for further analysis. The expression of IL-10, TNF-α, and MMP-1 significantly increased post-injection. The changes of limb idleness index (ΔLII) compared to preinjury state were significantly higher, while the ultimate load, stiffness, ultimate stress, and maximum Young's modulus were significantly lower in the LD group compared to the saline group. A mouse inflammatory degenerative model of patellar tendon injury resembling tendinopathy was established as indicated by the dose-dependent increase in tendon histopathology, ectopic calcification, decrease in biomechanical properties, and pain-associated gait changes.

Pott's Puffy Tumor in an Adult: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Pott's puffy tumor is a subperiosteal abscess of the frontal bone with osteomyelitis which has become rare because of the widespread use of antibiotics. Here, we report a case of Pott's puffy tumor in a 46-year-old man who visited the department of dermatology with painful swelling of the forehead. Despite open drainage and oral antibiotic therapy, the symptoms recurred twice in the following month. Computed tomography revealed a fistula of frontal bone. The eventual diagnosis was Pott's puffy tumor. The patient underwent endoscopic surgery at the department of otorhinolaryngology and achieved a complete recovery.

Geo-spatial hotspots of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and genetic characterization of Seoul variants in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is highly endemic in mainland China, and has extended from rural areas to cities recently. Beijing metropolis is a novel affected region, where the HFRS incidence seems to be diverse from place to place. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The spatial scan analysis based on geographical information system (GIS) identified three geo-spatial "hotspots" of HFRS in Beijing when the passive surveillance data from 2004 to 2006 were used. The Relative Risk (RR) of the three "hotspots" was 5.45, 3.57 and 3.30, respectively. The Phylogenetic analysis based on entire coding region sequence of S segment and partial L segment sequence of Seoul virus (SEOV) revealed that the SEOV strains circulating in Beijing could be classified into at least three lineages regardless of their host origins. Two potential recombination events that happened in lineage #1 were detected and supported by comparative phylogenetic analysis. The SEOV strains in different lineages and strains with distinct special amino acid substitutions for N protein were partially associated with different spatial clustered areas of HFRS. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Hotspots of HFRS were found in Beijing, a novel endemic region, where intervention should be enhanced. Our data suggested that the genetic variation and recombination of SEOV strains was related to the high risk areas of HFRS, which merited further investigation.

Seoul virus in patients and rodents from Beijing, China.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a significant public health problem with an increasing incidence in Beijing, China (report of disease surveillance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Beijing, China). Hantaviruses were detected using RT-PCR method in blood samples of HFRS patients and lung tissues of rodents captured in Beijing. Phylogenetic analyses of 724bp partial S segment of the hantavirus gene showed that the detected Seoul virus (SEOV) fell into three different lineages, two of which circulated in Beijing. A nucleotide sequence identity of 99.7% for one of the cases of HFRS--the human- and Rattus norvegicus-originated SEOV sequences--had only two silent substitutions, suggesting genetic analysis is an essential tool for "case-investigation."