PURPOSE This study was designed to assess the efficacy of gracilis muscle transposition in repairing rectovaginal and rectourethral fistulas. METHODS Data were retrieved from a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent gracilis muscle transposition for fistulas between the rectum and urethra/vagina. All patients had fecal diversion as a preliminary or concurrent step to fistula rep...

In marine systems, nitrate is the major reservoir of inorganic fixed nitrogen. The only known biological nitrate-forming reaction is nitrite oxidation, but despite its importance, our knowledge of the organisms catalyzing this key process in the marine N-cycle is very limited. The most frequently encountered marine NOB are related to Nitrospina gracilis, an aerobic chemolithoautotrophic bacteri...

In this work, we investigated the ability of impedance flow cytometry to measure shape single cells/particles. We found that pulses triggered by micro-objects are asymmetric in morphology show a tilting trend, and there is no such trend for symmetric ones. Therefore, proposed new metric, tilt index, quantify level pulses. Through simulation, value index tends be zero perfectly symmetrical objec...

Species of Picramnia genus are used in folk medicine to treat or prevent skin disorders, but only few species have been studied for biological activity and chemical composition. P. gracilis Tul. is a native species from Central and South America and although its fruits are edible, phytochemical analysis or medicinal uses of this species are not known. In the search of candidates to antileishman...

Zeuxine gracilis, Zeuxine strateumatica, and Eulophia sinensis are wild orchids with different breeding systems and colonizing abilities. Zeuxine gracilis is an outcrosser with restricted distribution, whereas S. strateumatica is an apomictic colonizer found only in newly available open habitats. Eulophia sinensis is an outcrossing colonizer. This study investigates the levels of genetic variat...

In patients with devastated bulbous urethra, that is, bulbar necrosis, failed fasciocutaneous repairs and "watering can perineum" repair options are limited by paucity of reliable local tissue suitable for reconstruction. In this case report we demonstrate a novel variation of a two-stage technique for reconstruction of a devastated bulbous urethra in a 57-year-old male who suffered penetrating...

Nudaciraxine imperium sp. n. (Monogenea: Axinidae) is described from the gills of the needlefish Tylosurus acus imperialis (Rafinesque) caught in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. This new species mainly differs from both previously described species, Nudaciraxine gracilis (Linton, 1940) Price, 1962 from Strongylura marina (Walbaum) and Nudaciraxine cabosanlucensis Payne, 1990 from Ablennes sp., by h...

The effects of acetylstrophanthidin on the vascular resistance of the isolated canine gracilis muscle were examined in 38 anesthetized mongrel dogs. The neurally mediated effect of intravenous acetylstrophanthidin (0.5 mg) on the vascular resistance of the innervated, separately perfused (constant flow) right gracilis muscle was a transient mean fall of 4.0 ± 0.9 resistance units (RU) ( P < 0.0...

OBJECTIVE Ca2+-influx through transient receptor potential (TRP) channels was proposed to be important in endothelial function, although the precise role of specific TRP channels is unknown. Here, we investigated the role of the putatively mechanosensitive TRPV4 channel in the mechanisms of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. METHODS AND RESULTS Expression and function of TRPV4 was investig...