Anatomy & Cell Biology最新文献

The suprascapular nerve corresponds to one of the supraclavicular branches of the brachial plexus, and its route exposes it to being injured during some surgical procedures. Morphometric analysis of the scapula has been proposed as a tool for preventing injuries to the suprascapular nerve. The present investigation aimed to determine the safe distances for approaching the suprascapular nerve at the level of the scapular notch (SPN) and spinoglenoid notch, in addition to establishing its relationship with the type of SPN and with two scapular dimensions: major longitudinal axis (MLA) and major transverse axis (MTA). For this purpose, a descriptive-correlative, quantitative, non-experimental and transversal study was carried out, in which 82 dry scapulae from adult individuals of Chilean origin were investigated. The main results of this study found that prevalences were highest for SPNs types II (36.2%), I (29.3%), and III (26.0%), with average distances that were considered safe in all types of SPNs. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation, with P<0.05, between the MTA (r=0.526; r=0.634), MLA (r=0.284) and the safe distances for the suprascapular nerve at the level of the SPN and incisura spinoglenoid of the scapulae studied. Scapular dimensions such as the MTA and the MLA could, therefore, be used to predict a safe zone for the suprascapular nerve, potentially contributing to a reduction in the current rate of injury of the suprascapular nerve in surgical procedures involving the deltoid and scapular regions.

Anterior external arcuate fibers (AEAF) are efferents of the arcuate nuclei, which are located on the ventral surface of pyramids. Several types of fibre bundles superficial to the pyramids have been described in early and mid 20th century. Recently, few of these have been studied in detail. Objective of present study was to observe the morphology of AEAF in the Indian population. Distinct AEAF were noted in 13 out of 50 brain specimens. Based on their relation to olive, AEAF were further classified as supraolivary, preolivary and supraolivary fibers and their prevalence noted as 25%, 15%, and 9% respectively. Supraolivary and preolivary fibers were present together in 9 brainstem sides, while co-presence of preolivary and circumolivary fibers was noted in only 1 side. All three types of fibres were observed together in 5 brainstem sides. When present bilaterally, supraolivary and preolivary fibers were seen in 92.30% and 66.66% of brainstem respectively, while circumolivary fibers were seen bilaterally in 28.57% of brainstem. Supraolivary and circumolivary fibers exhibited variable morphology as single, double and multiple fiber bundles. Morphometric analysis revealed presence of thicker supraolivary fiber bundle on right side, while thicker circumolivary fiber bundles were noted on left side. Present study will add to knowledge of this variable fiber bundle pattern, which has been reported to play an important role in regulation of crucial physiological functions such as breathing and cardiorespiratory mechanisms. These observations open avenues for further research into developmental factors involved in migration of neurons from the rhombic lip.

The complex architecture of the papillary muscles (PMs) of the ventricles plays a crucial role in cardiac function and pathology. This comparative study aimed to examine the differences in PMs morphology between the right and left ventricles, focusing on their number, location, and shape. A total of 38 grossly normal hearts from donated bodies were dissected, and the number, location, and shape of PMs in both ventricles were observed. In this study, the left ventricle predominantly exhibited a single PM with 71.05% on the sternocostal surface and 57.89% on the diaphragmatic surface. The right ventricle showed a higher prevalence of single PM, at 89.47% on the sternocostal surface and 63.16% on the diaphragmatic surface. Broad-based shape of the PM emerged as the predominant variant, constituting 55.26% and 44.73% on the sternocostal and diaphragmatic surfaces of the left ventricle, respectively. In contrast, conical-shaped PM predominated in the right ventricle. Unique findings included "H" and "b" shaped muscles, conjoint PMs were observed exclusively in the left ventricle, and small papillary projections with direct tendinous cord attachment in the right ventricle. A distinct webbed shaped configuration of PM was exclusively observed in the right ventricle in only one specimen. No significant difference (P=0.84) was noted in muscle bellies between ventricular surfaces. This study emphasizes the complexity and variability in PM morphology, highlighting the importance of a thorough understanding of these structures for cardiothoracic surgeons, radiologists, and cardiologists to enhance interventional techniques.

The linguofacial trunk (LFT) is the conjoined origin of the lingual (LA) and facial (FA) arteries. We present an uncommon case of LFT due to its origin, length, and diameter. The computed tomography angiogram of an adult male case was evaluated. On the right side, the external carotid artery (ECA) gave off a large LFT before reaching the greater hyoid horn, with an outer diameter of 3.7 mm. The outer diameter of the ECA of 3.4 mm. The ECA and the LFT were on the outer side of the greater hyoid horn. After an ascending course of 20.9 mm anteriorly to the ECA, the LFT branched into the LA and FA. Bilateral elongated styloid processes reaching laterally to the oropharyngeal isthmus were also assessed. In conclusion, care should be taken not to confuse a large LFT with the ECA on the outer side of the greater hyoid horn.

The aim of the present study was to utilize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a noninvasive tool for evaluation of the Kambin's triangle safe zone. Lumbar MRIs of 67 healthy subjects were analyzed. On the coronal plane, the distance from the superior endplate to the nerve root exiting from the dura (distance a), the distance from the lateral aspect of the dura to the medial aspect of the nerve root (distance b), and the angle between the nerve root and plane of the corresponding disc (angle α) was measured. On the axial plane, the vertical distance from the upper facet surface to the exiting nerve root and root-disc distance was also measured. On the sagittal plane, foraminal height, diameter, nerve root-disc distance, and nerve root-pedicle distance were measured. On the coronal plane, right and left α angle was 50.78±4.43 (range, 48.52-51.84 degrees) and 51.07±4.08 (range, 49.25-51.91) degrees, respectively. Distance of right 'a' was 17.86±3.86 mm (range, 10.56-24.84 mm) and left 'a' was 18.03±3.73 mm (range, 10.98-24.82 mm), distance of right 'b' was 15.57±2.61 mm (range, 10.54-20.70 mm) and left 'b' was 15.46±2.68 mm (range, 10.93-19.23 mm). All these measurements increased as the spine level went down. Foraminal height and diameter decreased caudally. Nerve root-facet distance did not show change as the level went down. The study indicated that radiologic measurement is feasible to evaluate the anatomy of the Kambin's triangle. At lower lumbar levels, the exiting nerve root is at risk of injury.

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis has developed rapidly since it first emerged in the 1980s, becoming an almost indispensable tool in anthropological and archaeological sciences. Earlier aDNA study was based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, with which, unfortunately, modern DNA contamination and other authenticity issues were often incurred. These technical hurdles were soon overcome by application of advancements in the forms of the next generation sequencing (NGS) technique and others. However, since NGS requires money, time, and, in the case of large projects, manpower as well, genetic analysis of some ancient samples considered to be insignificant is commonly delayed or, in the worst cases, neglected entirely. We acknowledge that as a diagnostic tool in aDNA analysis, PCR is less accurate than NGS and more easily affected by modern DNA contamination; but it also has advantages, such as simplicity, time-saving, and greater ease of interpretation, among others. The role of PCR in aDNA analysis, then, should be reconsidered.

Aromatase inhibitors are increasingly being used as adjuvant therapy for hormone-responsive cancers. These drugs may reduce the endogenous estrogen production in the cerebellum. Prolonged use has been associated with symptoms such as ataxia, poorer balance performance and diminished verbal memory, suggesting impaired cerebellar function. Thus, this study sought to outline the structural basis for the cerebellar deficits observed. Twenty-seven male rats (3 baseline, 15 experimental, 9 control) aged three months were recruited with the intervention group receiving 0.5 mg/kg of letrozole daily for 50 days by oral gavage while the control group received normal saline. Their cerebella were harvested for histological processing on days 20, 35, and 50. Photomicrographs were taken and analysed using Fiji ImageJ software. The dendritic spine densities and Purkinje linear densities were coded and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0. A P-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant. A temporal decline in the Purkinje linear density as well as pyknosis and cytoplasmic eosinophilia was noted in the intervention group (P=0.1). Further, the dendritic spine density of the Purkinje neurons in the intervention group was markedly reduced (P=0.01). The reduction in the linear cell density and the dendritic spine density of the Purkinje cells following letrozole administration may provide an anatomical basis for the functional cerebellar deficits seen in chronic aromatase inhibitor use.

When the literature is examined, studies evaluating the profunda brachii artery (PBA) are limited as most studies only investigate the artery's origin. In 44 upper extremities belonging to 24 human anatomical specimens, single and double PBAs were observed in 39 and five cases, respectively. In cases with a single PBA, the origin was the brachial artery (BA) in 35 cases and the posterior circumflex humeral artery in four cases. In cases with double PBAs, the artery's origin was the BA. Morphometric measurements of single and double arteries originating from the first branch BA were evaluated separately and compared according to sex and side. Our study, in which the PBA was examined morphologically and morphometrically, contributes to the literature anatomically and radiologically in treating humerus fractures and lateral arm-flap applications by surgeons.

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.

Cadaveric dissection has remained an integral part of anatomical education globally; hence, the profiles of cadavers, their gross tissue and microbial integrity has great implication in anatomical education. This study determined the profiles, gross tissue and microbial integrity of cadavers used in South-western Uganda (SWU) medical schools. A cross-sectional study was carried out for three months in anatomy and microbiology laboratories of SWU medical teaching institutions. Ethical approval was obtained, cadavers were proportionately selected and examined grossly, and surface swabs taken for microbial analysis. Data collected was entered into Microsoft Excel, cleaned, and exported to Stata version 17 for analysis. Majority of cadavers were male (68%), adult (96%), blacks (100%), unknown cause of death (96%), obtained as unclaimed bodies (100%) and with no cadaver record tag (96%). Nearly a half (48%) cadavers had disrupted dentition, 68% had poor muscle integrity and 80% with abnormal fat. About 27% cadavers had poor surface microbial integrity among which 62.5% had a mixture of both bacteria and fungi, 25.0% had only fungi while 12.5% had only bacteria. A high number of cadavers had micro-organisms on their surfaces with majority having a mixture of bacteria and fungi. Majority of cadavers had poor gross tissue integrity. Better cadaver preservation methods should be adopted. To advocate for the establishment of cadaver donation policy and programs through which good quality cadavers can be obtained.