Anatomy & Cell Biology最新文献

Various information technologies have been introduced for anatomy education in the current digital era, including three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality, mobile augmented reality, and 3D printing. While these technologies enhance educational effectiveness, their high cost often restricts their accessibility. Conversely, low-cost methods using everyday items have proven effective in anatomy education. The anatomical sign language (ASL) method has been introduced, and uses the fingers, hands, and arms to represent anatomical structures to leverage muscle memory to aid the retention and understanding of complex anatomical structures and provide a comprehensive and interactive approach to anatomy education. This study was performed to expand ASL to include the expressive capabilities of the upper and lower extremities, and the face and brain. The results indicate that ASL effectively illustrates the anatomy of various structures. The educational benefits of ASL for anatomy and radiologic anatomy education are discussed.

The umbilical cord lacks vasavasorum and is prone for hypoxic injuries. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) causes structural changes with in umbilical cord blood vessels. Knowledge of which would be helpful for the gynecologist and obstetricians to assess the prognosis and prevent the complications. The present study was concentrated from December 2016 to December 2019 on 50 normal and 56 GDM umbilical cords. GDM group included 23 GDM mothers managed by diet (GDM-Diet) and 33 GDM mothers managed by drugs (GDM-Drug). Placentas along with the attached umbilical cords were collected and stored in 10% formaline. Tissue processing, slide preparation and stainings were done using standard protocols. A significant reduction was observed in the number of Hoboken nodules of umbilical arteries of GDM-Diet. Reduction of myofibroblasts with an increase in the empty spaces was observed in the Wharton's jelly of both GDM cases. Similarly, smooth muscle disintegration and migration of smooth muscles to intima was significantly higher in GDM umbilical arteries and veins than normal umbilical vessels. The total wall thickness and tunica media was significantly thicker in the umbilical arteries of GDM-Drug group only. The umbilical venous lumen was found significantly wider in GDM groups compared to normal. The elastin fibers were significantly found reduced in the tunics of umbilical arteries and veins in GDM. However, a significant difference in these parameters was not observed between the GDM-Diet and GDM-Drug groups except for total wall and tunica media thickness of umbilical arteries.

The sphenoidal sinus septum is one of the most important landmarks during endonasal endoscopic transsphe-noidal operations. During routine coronal sectioning of the face, we found a variant Y-shaped septum in the sphenoidal sinus of a female cadaver. This unusual septum was found between two sections (anterior and posterior sections) and located inferior to the pituitary gland. The sphenoid sinus was divided into three chambers by the septum, i.e., right, middle, and left. During endoscopic surgery, surgeons should be aware of these variations. To our knowledge, this report documents the first Y-shaped septum of the sphenoidal sinus. Such information can be helpful for surgeons.

During dissection of a 70-year-old male donor, several anatomical variations were observed, highlighted by a bilateral variant middle scalene muscle in the superolateral thoracic wall. The variant scalene muscle was traced from the transverse processes of cervical vertebrae to the fourth rib with a pronounced fascial slip. The elongated middle scalene muscle was thick in girth and abnormally wide at its insertion (56.0 mm), which is hypothesized to reflect compensatory hypertrophy secondary to lung carcinoma. A bilateral wrist extensor variant also was observed as well as an anomalous left vertebral artery from the aortic arch with an abnormal entrance into the vertebral canal. Collectively, these findings represent a constellation of anatomical variations that may be interrelated through altered cervical somite development, providing a fascinating example of how anatomical variations may cluster based on common embryological origin. Clinically, these observations have implications in thoracic outlet syndrome, tendon transfer, and vascular surgery.

Liver regeneration is intricate, involves many cells, and necessitates extended research. This study aimed to investigate the response of liver oval cells (bipotent liver progenitors) to the epigenetic modifier trichostatin A (TSA), an HDAC1 inhibitor, and to develop a scoring system for assessing the response of these cells. Three groups of equally divided rats (n=24) were selected: control (A, dimethyl sulfoxide treated); oval cell induction (B, acetylaminofluorene [2-AAF] to block hepatocyes/carbon tetrachloride [CCL4] to induce oval cell response); and epigenetic modulation (C, TSA post 2-AAF/CCL4 injury). The oval cell response was quantified using immunoreactivity to the OV-6 antibody, and the ductular response was measured by calculating the bile duct (BD) to portal vein (PV) ratio and the percentage of individual oval cells in liver sections. The expression level of HDAC1 was also analyzed. The administration of TSA significantly enhanced oval cell proliferation and the ductular response (6.13±0.28). The control group exhibited limited immunoreactivity to OV-6, while group B showed significant induction of ductular response with distinct morphology (4.13±0.28). The expression levels of HDAC1 were elevated in both the oval cell induction group and the epigenetic modulation group compared to the control group. This study developed a precise method for quantifying liver oval cells and analyzing their response to TSA. TSA administration enhanced oval cell proliferation, suggesting its significance in regulating hepatic progenitor cell dynamics. The findings support the use of epigenetic modifiers in liver regeneration and propose a scoring system for assessing the response of liver oval cells.

This review explores the novel perspective that the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle may function as an anatomical trochlear pulley system within the human body, challenging the traditional understanding of trochlear systems. While widely recognized trochlear units include structures like the medial part of the humerus and the superior oblique muscle of the orbit, the review focuses on the unique anatomical arrangement of the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle in connection with the anterior and posterior bellies of the digastric muscles. Despite current debates within the anatomical community about labeling the digastric muscles as having a trochlea, this paper delves into the scientific definition of a trochlear pulley system, presenting the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle as a potential trochlea.

Knowledge of variations of the testicular vessels is essential for urologists, radiologists, and surgeons in general, as iatrogenic injuries of these vessels may affect the spermatogenesis severely. Though variations of testicular vessels are common, combined variations of these vessels are rare. We observed concurrent variations of left testicular vessels in an adult cadaver aged 70 years. There were two gonadal arteries on the left side, both of which arose from the abdominal aorta. The superior one among them hooked around the left renal vein and the left suprarenal veins. There were three testicular veins at the deep inguinal ring, but they formed a plexus of veins at the posterior abdominal wall, which reduced into two veins. These two testicular veins terminated into the left renal vein independently. The deep inguinal ring was congested with the presence of five vessels. This variation could increase the possibility of varicocele.

This study aims to determine the level of origin, branching pattern and exits of the iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves in relation to the psoas major muscle. Additionally, this study confirms the presence and retroperitoneal courses of the double nerves. We dissected a total of 24 iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves (6 male and 6 female cadavers). The origin, branching, and exits in relation to the psoas major muscle, the absence of these nerves or the presence of double nerves, and their retroperitoneal course were carefully examined. All the images were recorded by photographing. In this study, we mainly observed variations in exits, branching patterns, and their retroperitoneal course. The iliohypogastric nerve was absent in 2 cases (8.3%). In the type I pattern, in 1 case (4.2%), the common trunk descends anteriorly to the iliac vessels from the iliolumbar vessels. In 4 cases (16.7%), the double ilioinguinal nerve with different branch patterns and retroperitoneal courses was observed. In 1 single nerve case (4.2%), the ilioinguinal nerve descends anterior to the iliac vessels from the iliolumbar vessels. To our knowledge, the branching pattern of the double ilioinguinal nerves and their retroperitoneal course have not been reported in any available data. Sound knowledge of the variations in the origin, branches, and retroperitoneal course of the iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves is very helpful for the improvement of peripheral nerve blocks and other various surgical procedures to avoid complications and nerve injuries.

The complex of neurovascular structures surrounding the coracoid process, particularly the axillary artery, the thoracoacromial artery and theirs branches, plays a critical role in shoulder function. Detailed dissection was performed in 36 shoulders from 18 embalmed cadavers. The focus was on axillary artery branches in relation to the coracoid process and the documentation of anatomical variations in this area. Significant findings include the categorization of thoracoacromial artery variations and the identification of acromial and clavicular branches as variable. A key measurement was mean distance between the thoracoacromial artery and tip of the coracoid process (31.89 mm). These findings offer valuable insight into the spatial relationships of these structures. The study provides important information on the vascular anatomy surrounding the coracoid process. Recognizing these anatomical variations is essential for planning safer and more effective shoulder surgeries, such as coracoclavicular stabilization and subcoracoid decompression. Detailed anatomical data are key for surgeons to prevent unintended injuries and enhance surgical success.

In Walker's nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in three-dimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method. We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.