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Isolation of a new class of cysteine-glycine-proline-rich beta-proteins (beta-keratins) and their expression in snake epidermis.

Authors: Dalla Valle L, Nardi A, Alibardi L Abstract Scales of snakes contain hard proteins (beta-keratins), now referred to as keratin-associated beta-proteins. In the present study we report the isolation, sequencing, and expression of a new group of these proteins from snake epidermis, designated cysteine-glycine-proline-rich proteins. One deduced protein from expressed mRNAs contains 128 amino acids (12.5 kDa) with a theoretical pI at 7.95, containing 10.2% cysteine and 15.6% glycine. The sequences of two more snake cysteine-proline-rich proteins have been identified from genomic DNA. In situ hybridization shows that the messengers for these proteins are present in the suprabasal and early differentiating beta-cells of the renewing scale epidermis. The present study shows that snak...
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Magnetic resonance imaging performed on a hydrated mummy of medieval Korea.

Authors: Shin DH, Lee IS, Kim MJ, Oh CS, Park JB, Bok GD, Yoo DS Abstract Previous investigations have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be employed as an efficient non-invasive diagnostic tool in studies on Egyptian mummies. MRI, moreover, because it produces especially clear images of well-hydrated tissue, could be a particularly effective diagnostic option for mummies that still retain humidity within tissues or organs. Therefore, in the present study, we tested MRI on a 17th century mummy, one of the most perfectly preserved 'hydrated mummies' ever found in Korea, in order to determine the quality of images that could be obtained. We found that the diagnostic value of an MRI scan of the hydrated mummy was not inferior to that of a computed tomography scan. The T1- and...
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Functional anatomy of the lymphatics draining the skin: a detailed statistical analysis.

In this study we sought to extend our model by performing a detailed statistical analysis of the mapped LS data to characterize the functional anatomy of the superficial lymphatics without any a-priori spatial bias. We investigated the commonly held assumption that lymphatic drainage is symmetric between the two sides of the body. Results indicated that, with the exception of the lower anterior torso, posterior leg and a small section of the posterior torso, most skin regions with sufficient data showed symmetric drainage. LS data from each symmetric skin region were then reflected to the opposite side of the body to provide an increased LS dataset for subsequent analysis. Cluster analysis was then applied to this reflected LS dataset to group regions of skin that drained in a similar mann...
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Maternal and fetal microvasculature in sheep placenta at several stages of gestation.

Authors: Hafez SA, Borowicz P, Reynolds LP, Redmer DA Abstract Maternal and fetal microvasculature was studied in ewes at days 50, 90 and 130 of gestation using microvascular corrosion casting and scanning electron microscopy. Microvascular corrosion casts of caruncles at day 50 were cup-shaped with a centrally located cavity. Branches of radial arteries entered the caruncle from its base and ramified on the maternal surface of the caruncle. Stem arteries broke into an extensive mesh of capillaries forming crypts on the fetal surface. The architecture of the caruncle at day 90 was similar to what was found at day 50 but the vascularity and the depth of the crypts increased in correspondence to increased branching of fetal villi. The substance of the caruncle was thicker at day 130 comp... MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.
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The anatomical basis for a novel classification of osteoarthritis and allied disorders.

Authors: McGonagle D, Tan AL, Carey J, Benjamin M Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) has historically been classified as 'primary' where no discernible cause was evident and 'secondary' where a triggering factor was apparent. Irrespective of the triggering events, late-stage OA is usually characterized by articular cartilage attrition and consequently the anatomical basis for disease has been viewed in terms of cartilage. However, the widespread application of magnetic resonance imaging in early OA has confirmed several different anatomical abnormalities within diseased joints. A key observation has been that several types of primary or idiopathic OA show ligament-related pathology at the time of clinical presentation, so these categories of disease are no longer idiopathic - at least from t...
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Distribution and expression of CD200 in the rat respiratory system under normal and endotoxin-induced pathological conditions.

Authors: Jiang-Shieh YF, Chien HF, Chang CY, Wei TS, Chiu MM, Chen HM, Wu CH Abstract In vivo and in vitro studies have clearly demonstrated that signaling mediated by the interaction of CD200 and its cognate receptor, CD200R, results in an attenuation of inflammatory or autoimmune responses through multiple mechanisms. The present results have shown a differential expression of CD200 in the respiratory tract of intact rats. Along the respiratory passage, CD200 was specifically distributed at the bronchiolar epithelia with intense CD200 immunoreactivity localized at the apical surface of some ciliated epithelial cells; only a limited expression was detected on the Clara cells extending into the alveolar duct. In the alveolar septum, double immunofluorescence showed intense CD200 immuno...
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Fetal development of the human gubernaculum with special reference to the fasciae and muscles around it

Previous descriptions of human gubernacular embryology failed to follow some basic developmental processes, and surgically relevant structures, such as the iliopubic tract, had not been discussed relative to gubernacular development. We addressed these shortcomings in this study that examined two stage-groups of human fetuses. At 8-12 weeks of gestation, the gubernaculum arose from the mesonephric fold at or near the gonad. Gubernacular mesenchyme communicated with the subcutaneous tissue via a narrow slit in the rectus aponeurosis. The inguinal fold, containing the inferior epigastric vessels, was separated from the gubernaculum. At 20-25 weeks of gestation, the gubernaculum connected to the testis or uterus. When the testis successfully descended to a peritoneal recess on the lateral side of the umbilical artery, the gubernaculum connected to the testis free of interference by the thick artery and its associated peritoneal fold. This may explain the known asymmetry in testicular descent. The inguinal canal was enclosed by a sheet-like aponeurosis: its ventromedial part was composed of the rectus sheath and the external oblique aponeurosis, whereas the dorsolateral part consisted of a thick aponeurosis covering or facing the iliopsoas. The former (latter) aponeurosis seemed to develop into the inguinal ligament (the iliopubic tract) in adults. According to the topohistology of the muscles associated with the interfoveolar ligament, we identified muscle fragments around the gubernaculum as derivatives of the transversus and/or internal oblique. Consequently, the inguinal canal contained the cremaster proper developing within the gubernaculum and parts of the abdominal wall muscles mechanically incorporated into the canal. Clin. Anat., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Clinical Anatomy)
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The interpectoral fascia flap

Despite the great number of pedicled and free flaps that are available for defect and contour repair, the number of fascia flaps with an axial blood supply are sparse. Such flaps with their gliding function are mandatory, whenever coverage with very thin, well-vascularized tissue is necessary. To the currently established fascia flaps, (the temporoparietal fascia flap, the radial forearm fascia flap, the lateral arm fascia flap, and the serratus anterior fascia flap), we want to add a new fascia flap, the interpectoral fascia flap. We dissected the interpectoral fascia flap from 20 cadavers. In each of the 40 hemichests, the trunk of the thoracoacromial vessels was selectively injected with red polyurethane and the tissue containing the pectoral branches was separated from the overlying pectoralis major muscle and converted into an independent fascia flap. The maximum flap length was 13.5 cm and the maximum breadth was 10.3 cm. The length of the vascular pedicle before entering the flap was 3.9 cm ± 1.4 cm with a range of 1.5-6.8 cm. Concerning the arc of rotation, all 40 flaps reached the posterior axillary fold, and 29 flaps (73%) reached the mandibular border. This new fascia flap has applications as pedicled and as free flap. The pedicled flap is used in the neck region, in the axillary region and as gliding tissue between the nipple-areola complex and the pectoralis major muscle. The usage of the fascia flap as a free flap has similar characteristics as the other fascia flaps. Clin. Anat., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Clinical Anatomy)
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Omental morgagni-larrey hernia: an anatomical pictorial essay

This paper reports on a case of an omental diaphragmatic hernia revealed during routine anatomical dissection of an obese 85-year-old male with plethoric appearance of the upper body. The hernial mass, with a size of 12 cm × 9 cm, was detected in the anterior mediastinum. It had a long peduncle originating from the transverse colon and passing through the right sternocostal diaphragmatic opening of Morgagni-Larrey. The whole greater omentum was tightly packed and tumid within the serous hernial sac, but without signs of torquation. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic analysis of the omental hernial anatomy by a step-by-step iconography. Clin. Anat., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Clinical Anatomy)
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The anatomy of cardiac looping: a step towards the understanding of the morphogenesis of several forms of congenital cardiac malformations

The early embryonic heart of vertebrates is a simple tubular pump. During the early phases of its development, the initially straight embryonic heart tube becomes transformed into a helically wound loop that is normally seen with a counterclockwise winding. This process is named cardiac looping. Such looping not only establishes the basic type of topological left-right asymmetry of the ventricular chambers but, additionally, is also said to bring the segments of the heart tube and the developing great vessels into an approximation of their definitive topographical relationships. Cardiac looping is, therefore, regarded as the key process in cardiac morphogenesis and pathologists have speculated since the beginning of the 20th century that several forms of congenital cardiac malformations (e.g., with mirror-imaged arrangement of the ventricular chambers) might result from disturbances in looping morphogenesis. In this article a review is given on (1) differences in the usage of the term cardiac looping; (2) our current knowledge of the dynamically changing anatomy of the looping embryonic heart; and (3) our current knowledge of the role of looping anomalies in the morphogenesis of congenital cardiac malformations. Clin. Anat., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Clinical Anatomy)
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Lumbar hernia, anatomical basis and clinical aspects

Lumbar hernia, anatomical basis and clinical aspects Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Letter to the EditorDOI 10.1007/s00276-008-0396-4Authors Marios Loukas, School of Medicine, St. George’s University Department of Anatomical Sciences St. George’s Grenada, West IndiesR. Shane Tubbs, University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Cell Biology Birmingham AL USAMohammadali Shoja, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Center Tabriz Iran Journal Surgical and Radiologic AnatomyOnline ISSN 1279-8517Print ISSN 0930-1038 (Source: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy)
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