Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase β (LPAATβ) Promotes the Tumor Growth of Human Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of bone with poorly characterized molecular pathways important in its pathogenesis. Increasing evidence indicates that elevated lipid biosynthesis is a characteristic feature of cancer. We sought to investigate the role of lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase β (LPAATβ, aka, AGPAT2) in regulating the proliferation and growth of human osteosarcoma cells. LPAATβ can generate phosphatidic acid, which plays a key role in lipid biosynthesis as well as in cell proliferation and survival. Although elevated expression of LPAATβ has been reported in several types of human tumors, the role of LPAATβ in osteosarcoma progression has yet to be elucidated.Endogenous expression of LPAATβ in osteosarcoma cell lines is analyzed by using semi-quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical staining. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of LPAATβ and silencing LPAATβ expression is employed to determine the effect of LPAATβ on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration in vitro and osteosarcoma tumor growth in vivo. We have found that expression of LPAATβ is readily detected in 8 of the 10 analyzed human osteosarcoma lines. Exogenous expression of LPAATβ promotes osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration, while silencing LPAATβ expression inhibits these cellular characteristics. We further demonstrate that exogenous expression of LPAATβ effectively promotes tumor growth, while knockdown of LPAATβ expression inhibits tumor growth in an orthotopic xenograft model of human osteosarcoma.Our results strongly suggest that LPAATβ expression may be associated with the aggressive phenotypes of human osteosarcoma and that LPAATβ may play an important role in regulating osteosarcoma cell proliferation and tumor growth. Thus, targeting LPAATβ may be exploited as a novel therapeutic strategy for the clinical management of osteosarcoma. This is especially attractive given the availability of selective pharmacological inhibitors

Second Shoulder and Elbow Reanimation Procedures in Late Obstetrical Paralysis Patients

Obstetrical brachial plexus palsy invariably involves the upper roots. The natural history of the injury shows that if the condition is left untreated, spontaneous reinnervation that occurs in a variable degree in these patients leaves characteristic deformities of the shoulder and elbow. Common sequelae are the internal rotation and adduction deformity of the shoulder, and elbow flexion contractures. Early microsurgical reconstruction of the affected plexus leads to more rewarding overall function of the shoulder and elbow, but residual deformities might appear again, similar to the ones noticed in untreated cases, that are even less serious. Thus, secondary procedures are mandatory to reanimating the shoulder and elbow, and especially to provide adequate abduction and external rotation of the shoulder and a more neutral appearance of the elbow regarding flexion–extension equilibrium

Secondary Reconstructive Procedures in Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Palsy: Forearm, Wrist, and Hand Deformities

Obstetrical brachial plexus paralysis (OBPP) is a complex, multifaceted disorder with potentially disabling sequalae. Although the shoulder is the most frequently affected joint, the forearm, wrist, and hand may also display diabling deformities. In sequalae involving the forearm, the most frequent deformity is supination contractures followed by pronation contractures. Treatment of OBPP has recently focused on early microsurgical repair; nonetheless, palliative surgery still plays a critical role in the overall reconstructive planning in order to diminish the sequalae of OBPP and improve function of the upper extremity. The preferred palliative surgical proceures for the forearm and hand include flexor or extensor tendon transfers, free muscle transfers, opponensplasty, and bone fusion. The most commonly restored functions are elbow flexion and extension, finger flexion and extension, and, in some cases, shoulder abduction and intrinsic substitution

The Management of Cleft Lip and Palate: Pathways for Treatment and Longitudinal Assessment

The care of children with cleft deformities is best managed by a dedicated team of specialists committed to their care from the time of diagnosis until adulthood. This craniofacial team works together to orchestrate the complicated treatment plan. Certain patterns of management and clinical intervention emerge as a child with a cleft grows up and develops. What follows is a brief overview of the time line of care and interventions that children with clefts experience in our craniofacial center