Fibre-related nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Nitric oxide (NO) mediates fundamental physiological actions on skeletal muscle. The loss of NO synthase (NOS) from the sarcolemma was assumed to be associated with development of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We have, however, recently reported that, in contrast to the commonly accepted view, NOS expression in DMD myofibres is up-regulated. This poses the question of the fibre type-specific NOS expression in DMD muscles and how the NOS expression is related to the regeneration or degeneration status. To address this issue, we examined localization of NOS isoforms I, II and III in skeletal muscles of DMD patients employing immunohistochemical labelling with tyramide signal amplification complemented with enzyme histochemistry. We found that NOS immunolabelling as well as metabolic enzyme activity in DMD muscles were heterogeneously distributed along the fibre length of DMD muscle fibres revealing regenerating and degenerate (hypercontracted) fibres as well as normal segments. Like in normal muscles, positive NOS immunoreactivity was found to be associated with fast-oxidative glycolytic (FOG) phenotype. The regeneration status of NOS-positive segments was deduced from the presence of neonatal and developmental myosin heavy chains. High NOS expression in regenerating DMD muscle fibres can be well reconciled with reports about the protective role of endogenous NO in inflammatory diseases and in muscle repair.

[Experience with the treatment of keratocysts of the jaws]. / Opyt lecheniia keratokist cheliustei.

Thirteen patients aged 20-60 years (9 men and 4 women) with keratocysts of the jaws were observed. Clinical, x-ray, and microscopic picture of the disease is described. Keratocysts were removed and the resultant cavity scraped in 10 patients; in 3 the mandible was resected because of the process dissemination and vegetation of the periosteum and muscles. The diagnosis was confirmed morphologically. Enucleation with scraping is recommended in keratocysts; in extensive lesions with vegetation of tissues adjacent to the bone, the jaw is to be resected.

[The combined treatment of mandibular fractures]. / Kompleksnoe lechenie perelomov nizhnei cheliusti.

A total of 164 patients with mandibular fractures were followed up. Consolidation was assessed on the basis of clinical, X-ray, echo-osteometric, and electromyographic studies. In patients whose multimodality therapy involved ultrasound, fragment adhesions occurred on an average of 27.5 +/- 1.9 and 31.0 +/- 2.1 days later in uni- and bilateral fractures, respectively. The patients' working ability restored on days 32.0 +/- 1.3 and 34.0 +/- 1.1, while in a group of patients treated by routine methods, these periods became longer by 3.5-6.2 and 2.0-6.0 days, respectively. The duration of rehabilitation approximately doubled. Ultrasound is recommended for wide use in diagnosis and clinical practice to stimulate reparative processes in mandibular fractures.