Anatomy & Cell Biology最新文献

The profunda femoris artery (PFA) originates from the femoral artery, supplying crucial blood flow to thigh muscles, hip joint, and femur. We report a rare unilateral anatomical variation involving an accessory profunda femoris artery (APFA) originating 0.5 cm from the mid-inguinal point (MIP) and a main PFA arising 3.6 cm from the MIP. The APFA supplies the pectineus, adductor longus, and adductor magnus muscles, and gives off the superficial circumflex iliac artery. The main PFA gives rise to circumflex and perforating branches. This variation highlights the complexity of human anatomy and has significant clinical implications, particularly in vascular surgery, plastic surgery, and interventional radiology. Understanding anatomical variations, such as dual PFAs, is crucial for preventing complications during vascular procedures like catheterization and SCIP flap reconstruction. Preoperative assessment and intraoperative adaptability are essential to mitigate risks of arterial injury, dissection, or inadequate perfusion.

We present a rare anatomical variation of the deep femoral vein (DFV) originating from the popliteal vein (PV) with an associated aneurysm. The DFV arose from the PV at the adductor hiatus, exhibited an aneurysm, and coursed upward through the fourth osseo-aponeurotic opening of the adductor magnus muscle to enter the anterior thigh compartment before draining into the femoral vein. This unique variation likely resulted from developmental deviations during intrauterine life. The anomalous origin and aneurysm of the DFV may potentially cause venous hemodynamic disturbances, chronic venous insufficiency, increased risk of deep vein thrombosis, and potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Anatomical variations of the DFV in terms of origin, course, or termination are rare but clinically relevant, especially in the context of vascular surgeries, imaging, and interventional procedures involving the femoral region. This case highlights the importance of recognizing venous anatomical variations and their clinical implications.

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.

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.

Fascaplysin is a bioactive compound derived from marine sponges, which have anticancer properties and potential neuroprotective effects mediated by mitigation of oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity. This study investigated the concentration-dependent effects of fascaplysin in zebrafish models, focusing on embryonic survival, cardiac function, melanocyte formation, and peripheral nerve health. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to fascaplysin at concentrations ranging from 10 nM to 100 μM, and developmental parameters were assessed. At higher concentrations (≥1 μM), fascaplysin significantly decreased embryo survival rates, delayed hatching, impaired cardiac function, and caused morphological abnormalities, including disruption of melanocyte formation and structural deformities. By contrast, lower concentrations (10 nM and 100 nM) did not exhibit significant toxicity. In adult zebrafish, fascaplysin at 100 nM reduced the expression of superoxide-producing enzymes and preserved peripheral nerve integrity following injury, as demonstrated by maintenance of fluorescence in transgenic zebrafish with expression of green fluorescent protein in Schwann cells. These findings suggest that fascaplysin exhibits peripheral neuroprotective effects at low concentrations, potentially through the reduction of oxidative stress and preservation of Schwann cell function. However, the toxicity observed at higher concentrations highlights the importance of dose optimization. Fascaplysin is a promising candidate for the development of new therapeutic strategies for peripheral neuropathies, and further studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and validate its efficacy in mammalian models.

There is little information regarding whether the styloid process "inserts" deeply into the temporal bone petrosa. We examined the involvement of Reichert's cartilage (RC) in the petrosa using sagittal or horizontal histological sections of the heads from 17 near-term fetuses (25-40 weeks). The cranial part of RC usually carried two short branches or protrusions (T-shaped appearance). One of the branches ended in or adjacent to the future tympanic cavity, while another branch ended near the facial nerve canal. Near the latter end, a part of the RC was usually fused with the petrosa, but it was rarely separated from the latter. When a bar toward the tympanic cavity was short or absent, RC displayed a reversed J-shaped course near the facial nerve canal and ended at the attachment to the petrosa (3 of 17 specimens). Overall, considerable variations were evident in the shape, length and topographical relation of RC in the ear. Therefore, an intra-otic root of the styloid process, if identified in adults, seemed not to be a simple bar inserting between the tympanic cavity and the vertical portion of the facial nerve canal. Considerable variations in the RC head suggested that the shape was likely to be determined by mechanical loads from the developing petrosa and/or tympanic bone. Those observations were clearly contrast to the degenerating Meckel's cartilage that induces protrusions of the petrosa ant tympanic bone. After birth, endochondral ossification of the petrosa appeared to expand antero-inferiorly to involve all branches of RC.

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.

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.

An azygos lobe is a rare pulmonary variation that typically presents in the superior lobe of the right lung. Most literature on azygos lobe cases consists of radiologic X-ray or computed tomography findings, with only a few reports based on cadaveric dissections. Here, we report a cadaveric dissection of a right azygos lobe identified in a 77-year-old female anatomical body donor. The azygos lobe was medially located, superior to the hilum, and measured 8.5 cm in length and 4.0 cm in width. The lobe was solely supplied by a subsegmental bronchus from the apical segmental bronchus, which was further divided into two sub-subsegmental bronchial supplies. Prior reports indicate a potential relationship between the azygos lobe and cardiopulmonary pathology or genetic conditions, and further investigation of the bronchial supply may provide insight.

Variant muscles of the cervicobrachial region are relatively uncommon. One rare variant muscle of this region is the cervicohumeralis, which arises from the cervical vertebrae and inserts onto the humerus. During routing dissection of the left neck region, a variant of the cervicohumeralis was identified. Most of the muscle was located in the posterior triangle of the neck but had distal attachments onto the corocoid process of the scapula and the lesser tubercle of the humerus. Such variant muscles are important to consider during image interpretation or surgical procedures in the neck and proximal upper limb. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of an additional attachment of the cervicohumeralis onto the scapula. This variant might be called the cervicoscapulohumeralis muscle and should be distinguished from other muscle variants in this region on medical imaging.