Microsurgical anatomy of the vein of Labbé

Objective  

Venous drainage of the temporal lobe is of great importance in various neurosurgical and combined skull base approaches. The most significant draining vein of the temporal lobe is the inferior anastomotic vein (vein of Labbé). The purpose of this study was to examine the detailed anatomy and variations of the vein of Labbé (VL) from microsurgical perspective.     

True grit? Comparative anatomy and evolution of gizzards in fishes

Gut morphology frequently reflects the food organisms digest. Gizzards are organs of the gut found in archosaurs and fishes that mechanically reduce food to aid digestion. Gizzards are thought to compensate for edentulism and/or provide an advantage when consuming small, tough food items (e.g., phytoplankton and algae). It is unknown how widespread gizzards are in fishes and how similar these structures are among different lineages. Here, we investigate the distribution of gizzards across bony fishes to (1) survey different fishes for gizzard presence, (2) compare the histological structure of gizzards in three species, (3) estimate how often gizzards have evolved in fishes, and (4) explore whether anatomical and ecological traits like edentulism and microphagy predict gizzard presence. According to our analyses, gizzards are rare across bony fishes, evolving only six times in a broad taxonomic sampling of 51 species, and gizzard presence is not clearly correlated with factors like gut length or dentition. We find that gizzard morphology varies among the lineages where one is present, both macroscopically (presence of a crop) and microscopically (varying tissue types). We conclude that gizzards likely aid in the mechanical reduction of food in fishes that have lost an oral dentition in their evolutionary past; however, the relative scarcity of gizzards suggests they are just one of many possible solutions for processing tough, nutrient-poor food items. Gizzards have long been present in the evolutionary history of fishes, can be found in a wide variety of marine and freshwater clades, and likely have been overlooked in many taxa.     

Expression of RORα in gastric cancer and clinical pathological significance

目的 观察维甲酸相关孤核受体α(Retinoid acid receptor related Orphan Receptor α,RORα)蛋白在胃癌中的表达,探讨其与胃癌发生、发展的关系,为寻找胃癌肿瘤标记物提供一定的实验依据.方法 应用组织芯片技术及免疫组化SP法检测90例胃癌组织、48例癌旁胃黏膜组织与22例正常胃黏膜组织中RORα的表达,研究RORα与胃癌发生、发展的关系.结果 RORα蛋白在胃癌组织中表达下调,正常胃黏膜、癌旁胃黏膜和胃癌组织中RORα蛋白阳性率分别为83.36%(19/22),56.25%(27/48)和24.44%(22/90),3者相比差异有显著性(P＜0.05).高分化腺癌、中分化腺癌、低分化腺癌、黏液腺癌和印戒细胞癌中,RORα阳性率分别为45.00%(9/20)、27.59%(8/29)、14.29%(3/21)、11.11%(1/9)和9.05%(1/11).高分化腺癌RORα阳性率高于低分化腺癌(P＜0.05).结论 RORα蛋白下调与胃癌的发生、发展相关,且可能与胃癌的分化程度有关.     

What future for dissection in courses of human topographical anatomy in universities in the UK?

In the United Kingdom most medical schools have traditionally included dissection as a major component of their anatomy courses. There is a dearth of substantive literature which can be used to demonstrate the educational values of dissection, although many authors have expressed opinions. Current scrutiny of the role of dissection has been prompted by many influences acting on medical schools in the UK, including changes in the medical curriculum promoted by the General Medical Council, changes in the mechanisms of funding for universities and their courses, and the introduction of research assessments and appraisal of teaching. It is probable that in the UK dissection will continue to decline but that its reduced role will be prompted by the interactions of many complicated processes, only some of which will be educationally driven. © 1995 WiIey-Liss, Inc.     

Differential expression of α-enolase in the normal and pathological cardiac growth

Objectives

It was found that α-enolase was dramatically up-regulated in the hypertrophic hearts of SHR in our previous study. The purposes of this study were to examine the expression pattern of α-enolase in pre- and postnatal myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, and to explore the relationship between the overexpression of α-enolase and left ventricular hypertrophy.

Methods

HE staining was used for the measurement of cardiac hypertrophy. Immunohistochemical technique was used to evaluate the location of α-enolase. The expressions of α-enolase in the left cardiac ventricles at different development times were examined by Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot.

Results

Cardiac hypertrophy was found in SHR rats at 4 weeks of age and remained up to 24 weeks of age. The signals of α-enolase protein were strong and existed extensively in hypertrophic myocardium in SHR, while in the normal myocardium of WKY, the signals were scarcely found and weak. The levels of α-enolase mRNA and protein in SHR and WKY hearts during fetal stage and newborn stage were similar, while from 4 weeks of age to 24 weeks of age, accompanied by the cardiac hypertrophy, the levels of α-enolase mRNA and protein in left ventricle of SHR were significantly higher than that in WKY.

Conclusions

The expressions of α-enolase in the left ventricle of the rats during normal and pathological cardiac development were different. This phenomenon provides the potential clues to understanding pathophysiological mechanisms in cardiac hypertrophy of SHR.     

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Yucatán,Mexico: Mérida and rural Yucatán

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 324 Mexicans from the state of Yucatán living in the city of Mérida (N = 192) and rural communities (N = 132), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We found that the most frequent haplotypes in the state of Yucatán include 16 Native American and one European haplotype. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in Yucatán are Native American (81.54 ± 4.99% by ML; 62.92% of Native American haplotypes) and European (11.50 ± 15.43% by ML; 23.26% of European haplotypes), and a less prominent African genetic component (6.96 ± 10.47% by ML; 5.93% of African haplotypes).     

Chemerin activity in selected pathological states of human body – A systematic review

Recent studies have revealed that fatty tissue, so far considered an energy storage organ, is also the source of many substances called adipokines, including chemerin which plays many important functions in the body. Chemerin stimulates adipocytes maturation and differentiation, as well as acts as a chemoattractant, which stimulates innate and acquired immunity. This adipokine participates in the early stages of acute inflammation as well as its suppression by reacting with the CMKLR1 receptor. In various diseases associated with inflammatory processes, the level of chemerin in the serum increases. It is also considered a marker for benign and malignant tumors. Explanation of the pathomechanisms involving this adipokine is of a high importance and may contribute to the development of new possibilities in the treatment of many diseases. The article presents the latest information on the role of chemerin in various pathological states, particularly in psoriasis.     

Frontal sinus anatomy of the noble Swéerts-Sporck family and verification of their biological relationships using similarity analysis

The evaluation of frontal sinus similarity is one way to detect biological relationships, especially in small groups, including families of historically known personalities. However, possibilities for studying this issue are currently limited. This contribution deals with the frontal sinuses of a rare osteological sample with known genealogical data, members of the noble Swéerts-Sporck family from the 17th to 20th centuries. The aim is to verify whether the frontal sinuses reflect documented family relationships. Basic dimensions of the frontal sinus such as total surface area and volume, and maximum height and width, and also morphology and anatomical features were evaluated using computed tomography scans. The portions of the frontal sinus above the “external supraorbital line” were analyzed. The degree of similarity between biologically related individuals was determined for each variable and compared with their known biological distance. The degree of similarity based on dimensions was evaluated using both the unadjusted measured data and standardized data adjusted to size. For the unadjusted dimensions, a positive correlation between morphological similarity and biological relatedness was apparent. On the other hand, no positive correlation was apparent for most of the standardized data. Only total volume showed a very weak indication of a positive trend in the standardized data, but this was weaker than in the original values. A positive quantifiable relationship between morphological patterns and biological distance is not clearly indicated. However, nonmetric features do support the documented relationships of the individuals.     

Investigation of changes in skeletal muscle α-actin expression in normal and pathological human and mouse hearts

We have developed a quantitative antibody-based assay to measure the content of skeletal muscle α-actin relative to cardiac α-actin. We found 21 ± 2% skeletal muscle α-actin content in normal heart muscle of adult man and mouse. In end stage failing heart 53 ± 5% of striated actin was skeletal muscle α-actin and in samples of inter-ventricular septum from patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) skeletal muscle α-actin was 72 ± 2% of sarcomeric actin. Thin filaments containing actin isolated from normal and HOCM heart muscle were functionally indistinguishable when studied by quantitative in vitro motility assay. We also found elevated skeletal muscle α-actin (60 ± 7%) in a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy.     

Laboratory colonization of Anopheles aquasalis (Diptera: Culicidae) in Belém, Pará, Brazil

Anopheles aquasalis Curry, a coastal malaria vector with a Neotropical distribution, was collected from Belém, Pará state, Brazil, and 500 adults per cage were maintained at the Instituto Evandro Chagas insectary at 26 -30 degrees C and 80 -90% RH, where they fed on a 10% domestic sugar solution and blood from white mice. Oviposition of the parental generation (P) occurred in fresh water in dark cups introduced into mosquito cages. After eclosion, 100 larvae per pan were reared in artesian well water (salinity 0.04 g liter(-10) and fed ground fish food until pupation. After force mating in the F1 generation, the eight subsequent generations were free mating. Mean larval mortality was < 1%, and the mean developmental time from eclosion to emergence was 7.7 d (F1), 7.6 d (F2), 8 d (F3), and 7.5 d (F4). The maximum daily production of pupae (from the fourth generation on) occurred on day 6 postoviposition.     

Expression of Krűppel-like factor 5 in gastric cancer and its clinical correlation in Taiwan

Krűppel-like factors (KLFs), highly conserved zinc-finger proteins, play either anti- or pro-proliferation roles in different human cancers through regulating a wide range of genes’ expression. Here, we investigated the expression of KLF5 in gastric cancers and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and overall survival rates. In this study, KLF5 expression was measured by an immunohistochemical microarray assay of tissue taken from 76 surgical specimens. Higher KLF5 expression was significantly associated with lower tumor grade (P < 0.001). Nuclear staining of the KLF5 expression was significantly associated with a higher tumor grade (P = 0.000), higher clinical stage (P = 0.019), lymph node status (P = 0.016), and 2-year survival (P = 0.017). Patients with nuclear staining of KLF5 had a significantly lower disease-free survival rate compared to patients with negative nuclear staining, as defined by a log-rank test (P = 0.041). Our results revealed that KLF5 may play an oncogenetic role in gastric carcinogenesis.