Nitric oxide (NO) is an important molecule in cell communication that also plays an important role in many biological processes. Given the dual role of NO in nerve degeneration and regeneration after facial nerve injury, we sought to delve deeper into its role through a systematic literature review. A comprehensive review of the literature employing SCOPUS, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases was conducted to evaluate the induction and role of NO in neurodegeneration and regeneration after facial nerve injury. From the 20 papers ultimately reviewed, the central findings were that neuronal nitric oxide synthase(nNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) increased or decreased depending on the method of facial nerve damage, damaged area, harvested area, and animal age, and were correlated with degeneration and regeneration of the facial nerve. Research conducted on rats and mice demonstrated that NO, nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS play significant roles in nerve regeneration and degeneration. However, the relationship between nerve damage and NO could not be defined by a simple causal relationship. Instead, the involvement of NOS depends on the type of nerve cell, source of NO, timing, and location of expression, age of the target animal, and proximity of the damage location to the brainstem. Consequently, nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS expression levels and functions may vary significantly.

The retina, a tissue of the central nervous system, is vital for vision as its photoreceptors capture light and transform it into electrical signals, which are further processed before they are sent to the brain to be interpreted as images. The retina is unique in that it is continuously exposed to light and has the highest metabolic rate and demand for energy amongst all the tissues in the body. Consequently, the retina is very susceptible to oxidative stress. VDAC, a pore in the outer membrane of mitochondria, shuttles metabolites between mitochondria and the cytosol and normally protects cells from oxidative damage, but when a cell\'s integrity is greatly compromised it initiates cell death. There are three isoforms of VDAC, and existing evidence indicates that all three are expressed in the retina. However, their precise localization and function in each cell type is unknown. It appears that most retinal cells express substantial amounts of VDAC2 and VDAC3, presumably to protect them from oxidative stress. Photoreceptors express VDAC2, HK2, and PKM2-key proteins in the Warburg pathway that also protect these cells. Consistent with its role in initiating cell death, VDAC is overexpressed in the retinal degenerative diseases retinitis pigmentosa, age related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma. Treatment with antioxidants or inhibiting VDAC oligomerization reduced its expression and improved cell survival. Thus, VDAC may be a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of these diseases.

Management of breeding stallions is crucial to equine reproduction. The longevity of the breeding career is the ultimate objective, whether the stallion is used for natural cover or for semen collection and artificial insemination. Stud farm veterinarians should be aware of the techniques used to evaluate testicular function and the diagnostic approach to testicular disorders in cases of emergency. This paper presents the clinical methods used to evaluate testicular health, including palpation, ultrasonography, biopsy, and fine-needle aspiration. The discussion of testicular disorders is broken down into four categories: congenital disorders (cryptorchidism, monorchidism, and testicular hypoplasia), differential diagnosis of scrotal enlargement, differential diagnosis of causes of progressive testicular enlargement, and differential diagnosis of testicular asymmetry or reduction in size with an emphasis on testicular degeneration. The sudden increase in testicular size is often accompanied by severe clinical signs and is a major cause for referral of stallion for surgery. Testicular disorders are illustrated with clinical cases seen by the authors.

Paraneoplastic neurologic degeneration (PND) manifests as a sudden or subacute neurological syndrome often linked to underlying cancer, either overt or subclinical. Within the spectrum of PND, subacute paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) represents a distinctive subset. While rare, prompt diagnosis holds the potential to ameliorate both neurological and oncological outcomes. Herein, we present the case of a 61-year-old patient diagnosed with subacute cerebellar degeneration, ultimately unveiling non-small cell lung carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Uterine fibroids increase the risk of preterm birth. The current study highlights uterine fibroid necrosis as a possible cause of (extreme) preterm birth.
METHODS: Retrospective cohort study in one Dutch academic hospital. Cases were selected from the 526 participants of the MyoFert study (Netherlands Trial Register, NL7990), which included patients who presented between 2004 and 2018 and were between the age of 18 and 45 years at the time of diagnosis of uterine fibroids. Of these participants, 414 women became pregnant. A retrospective chart review of the first pregnancies was performed. The main outcomes were (imminent) preterm birth and signs of fibroid necrosis on ultrasound. In women with signs of fibroid necrosis, the following data were collected systematically: fibroid characteristics, clinical presentation, pregnancy outcome, and postpartum period.
RESULTS: In total, 66 women had a preterm birth (16 %, 66/414), of which 25 pregnancies ended between 16 and <24 weeks (38 %, 25/66) and 41 pregnancies ended between 24 and <37 weeks of gestation (62 %, 41/66). Of all women with preterm birth and available ultrasound images, 15 % (7/48) had fibroid necrosis at the time of labour. These seven patients, supplemented with three patients with fibroid necrosis during their first pregnancy and at least one episode of imminent preterm birth, are described in more detail. In these ten patients, the fibroids increased substantially in size during the first and second trimester, leading to severe abdominal pain in all patients and hospital admission in seven patients. Ultrasound examination of the fibroids showed heterogenic changes and focal transonic areas in the fibroid, which are characteristics that indicate fibroid necrosis. In four patients, myomectomy was performed and necrosis was confirmed histologically.
CONCLUSIONS: Fibroid necrosis during pregnancy is likely associated with (imminent) preterm birth. Clinicians are advised to structurally evaluate the myometrium in pregnancy, specifically in women presenting with abdominal pain in the second trimester.

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Muscular dystrophies are a devastating class of diseases that result in a progressive loss of muscle integrity. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the most prevalent form of Muscular Dystrophy, is due to the loss of functional Dystrophin. While much is known regarding destruction of muscle tissue in these diseases, much less is known regarding the synaptic defects that also occur in these diseases. Synaptic defects are also among the earliest hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases, including the neuromuscular disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Our current study investigates synaptic defects within adult muscle tissues as well as presynaptic motor neurons in Drosophila dystrophin mutants. Here we demonstrate that the progressive, age-dependent loss of flight ability in dystrophin mutants is accompanied by disorganization of Neuromuscular Junctions (NMJs), including impaired localization of both presynaptic and postsynaptic markers. We show that these synaptic defects, including presynaptic defects within motor neurons, are due to the loss of Dystrophin specifically within muscles. These results should help to better understand the early synaptic defects preceding cell loss in neuromuscular disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in patients with X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) has been poorly documented. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of CNV in patients with XLRS, as well as analyse the preliminary genotype-phenotype correlation.
METHODS: A retrospective case series of patients with genetically confirmed XLRS was included. Demographic, clinical and genetic features were analysed, with a comparison between CNV and non-CNV eyes.
RESULTS: Among 185 eyes of 129 patients with XLRS, the prevalence of CNV was 8.1% (15/185). The mean diagnostic age of all patients with CNV is 5.1±2.56 years. CNV eyes exhibited a mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution) of 1.37±0.74. All CNVs were classified as subretinal and active. Peripapillary CNVs accounted for 80.0% (12/15), while subfoveal CNVs accounted for 20.0% (3/15). In CNV eyes, the prevalence of macular atrophy (5/15, 33.3%, p=0.013) and bullous peripheral schisis (14/15, 93.3%, p=0.000) was higher compared with non-CNV eyes. Additionally, CNV eyes exhibited poorer integrity of the outer retina and BCVA (p=0.007) compared with non-CNV eyes. All 15 eyes with CNV underwent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy. Genotype analysis revealed that 7 of 10 patients (70.0%, 10 eyes) were predicted to have missense variants, while 3 of 10 patients (30.0%, 5 eyes) exhibited severe variants.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CNV in XLRS eyes was found to be 8.1%. All CNVs secondary to XLRS were active and classified as type 2. CNV eyes demonstrated poorer visual function and compromised retinal structures. Anti-VEGF therapy demonstrated effectiveness in treating XLRS-CNVs. No significant genotype-phenotype correlation was established.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed and explored the relationship between isthmic spondylolisthesis and disc degeneration by comparing the degree of disc degeneration in patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis, lumbar disc herniation, and asymptomatic healthy individuals.
METHODS: This study included a total of 138 cases, consisting of L5-S1 single segment lesion patients and a normal lumbar spine population. The cases were divided into 3 groups based on the type of disease: fifty eight cases in the isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS) group, 50 cases in the lumbar disc herniation (LDH) group, and 30 cases in the normal lumbar vertebrae (NLV) group.
RESULTS: The research findings indicate that the proportion of intervertebral disc degeneration in the LDH group is significantly higher than that in the IS group and NLV group (65.3% vs. 33.3% vs. 25.8%, P < 0.05). The Pfirrmann grades of lumbar intervertebral discs (L1-L4) in the LDH group are significantly higher than those in the IS group and NLV group (P < 0.05), and the intervertebral height index (IHI) (L1-L4) of lumbar vertebrae in the LDH group is significantly lower than that in the IS group and NLV group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration in patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis was lighter than that in patients with LDH, and even similar to that in healthy individuals. The occurrence of IS may have slowed down the degeneration of nonaffected segment intervertebral discs through certain factors.

The detailed changes in disc properties after intradiscal injection of condoliase remain controversial. At 3 and 9 months after administration, radiographic changes in discs were investigated. A total of 41 patients (men, 25; median age, 46 years) who underwent regular follow-up magnetic resonance imaging at 3 and 9 months after administration without additional invasive therapy were retrospectively investigated. The intensity changes of the nucleus pulposus based on the Pfirrmann disc grading system, midsagittal disc height, and maximum protrusion length of herniation were assessed. In addition, disc height changes were compared between 24 patients aged <50 years (young group) and 17 patients aged ≥50 years (over 50s group). The overall mean disc heights were 9.1, 7.5, and 7.6 mm preoperatively, at 3 months, and at 9 months, respectively, with a significant reduction at 3 months (P < 0.001) and no significant changes thereafter. The mean maximum protrusion length of herniation significantly and gradually decreased. The overall proportions of Pfirrmann disc grades after administration were equivalent between 3 and 9 months. However, the recovery from Pfirrmann disc grades IV to III was confirmed in 8 of 17 cases (47.1%) between 3 and 9 months, whereas 6 of 20 cases (30.0%) showed a decline from III to IV. Patients in the young group with pretreatment disc height >11 mm had the greatest reduction in disc height than the over 50s group. In conclusion, the clinical outcomes in the over 50s group were comparable to those in the young group after injection of condoliase, whereas young patients with higher disc were more susceptible to disc height reduction.