Biomedical subjects

Konstantinos Natsis

Publications and source records attributed to Konstantinos Natsis.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Meniscal tear characteristics in young athletes with a stable knee: arthroscopic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: There has been great interest in the literature regarding meniscal tears in unstable knees, but there is not as much information available on stable knees. PURPOSE: To report the characteristics of isolated meniscal tears (type and location) in athletes with intact cruciate ligaments. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Arthroscopic surgery was performed on 314 (83.1%) knees in the acute phase ( < 6 weeks) of injury and on 64 (16.9%) knees more than 6 weeks after injury for a total of 364 athletes (378 knees). Cooper's classification was used to classify the meniscal tears according to the type and location. RESULTS: Overall, 262 of 378 tears (69.3%) were located in the medial meniscus and 116 (30.7%) in the lateral meniscus. Vertical tears (77.5%) were significantly more frequent than were horizontal tears (22.5%; chi(2) test, P < .001). A total of 23.2% of tears involved the peripheral zones (zone 0 or 1), and tears that extended into the posterior horn accounted for 75.7%. Regarding the tear shape between male and female athletes, on both sides there were no statistically significant differences in the percentage of horizontal, bucket-handle, longitudinal, or radial tears. CONCLUSION: The characteristics of isolated meniscal tears differ with regard to the sport, sex, and tear location and type from those seen in unstable knees. This knowledge is useful in knee injury management.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Bilateral accessory thoracodorsal artery.

The subscapular artery arises from the third part of the axillary artery and gives off the circumflex scapular and the thoracodorsal arteries. Although anatomical variations of the axillary artery are very common, the existence of a unilateral accessory thoracodorsal artery has been described in the literature only once. There are no reports of bilateral accessory thoracodorsal artery, in the literature. In the present study, a bilateral accessory thoracodorsal artery, originating on either side of the third part of the axillary artery, is described in a 68-year-old female cadaver. All the other branches of the axillary artery had a typical origin, course, distribution and termination. This extremely rare anatomical variation apart from the anatomical importance also has clinical significance for surgeons in this area. Especially, during the dissection or mobilization of the latissimus dorsi that is partly used for coverage problems in many regions of the body and also in dynamic cardiomyoplasty, any iatrogenic injury of this accessory artery may result in ischemia and functional loss of the graft.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Variations of the course of the upper trunk of the brachial plexus and their clinical significance for the thoracic outlet syndrome: a study on 93 cadavers.

The aim of this study is the recording of the variations of the course of the upper trunk (UT) of the brachial plexus (BP) and their clinical significance for the thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) and the anesthetic blockade of the BP. Five different anatomical variations of the course of the UT of the BP, in relation to the anterior scalene muscle (ASM), were observed in 24 out of the 186 sides of the 93 cadavers we studied (12.9%). The C5 root was passing anteriorly to the ASM in six cases. The UT was located anteriorly to the ASM in four cases and was perforating the ASM's belly in 12 cases. In one cadaver, the ASM was double and the UT was passing between the two bellies of the double ASM. Finally, in another cadaver, the C5 root was found to be anterior to the anterior scalene muscle, while the C6 root was perforating the ASM's belly. These variations are predisposing factors for the TOS; they cause specific symptomatology and require a different surgical approach in comparison with other causes of the syndrome. Moreover, knowledge of these is important during the performance of the anesthetic blockade of the BP.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Significant experimental decrease of the hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in C3H/Sy mice after long-term administration of EB1089, a vitamin D analogue.

EB1089, a vitamin D analogue without the acute side effects of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3, the physiologically active form of vitamin D, exerts strong antiproliferative activities in malignant cells, including hepatoma cells in vitro, and in experimental hepatomas in animals as well. It also induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in premalignant conditions, suggesting its application in chemopreventive trials. We examined the possible chemopreventive effect of EB1089 on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence in C3H/Sy virgin female mice, a strain developing an incidence of 58% spontaneous HCCs. A total of 95 mice, 16 weeks old, were used. EB1089 injections of 0.5 microg/kg of body weight were given IP every other day for 2, 4, and 6 months to 51 mice (18, 19, and 14 mice, respectively). The remaining 44 mice were divided into three control groups, accordingly, and injected with the vehicle solution only. The mice were sacrificed when they appeared moribund because of their disease. The rest were sacrificed at the age of at least 80 weeks. A full autopsy was performed and liver tissue was processed for histological examination. The results obtained show that 3.9% of treated mice developed HCC, exclusively in the 2-month group, compared with 36.4% of HCCs in the control group. Our results suggest that the chemopreventive administration of EB1089 causes a very statistically significant (P < 0.0001) inhibitory effect on HCC incidence of C3H/Sy mice. This effect could be useful in a potential application on the chemopreventive control of HCCs.

Animals↗