Determination and classification of cutaneous innervation of the dorsum of the foot in foetal cadavers

Background: The aim of this study is to determine cutaneous innervation of the dorsum of the foot on foetal cadavers. Materials and methods: In this study. 200 limbs from 100 embalmed foetuses (54 males and 46 females) were studied in Anatomy Laboratory. Contributions of medial, lateral and intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerves (MDCN, LDCN and IDCN) of the foot were identified. Results: Cutaneous innervation of the dorsum of the foot was classified into five types. Type I (75%) where MDCN innervated medial border of the foot and second interdigital cleft; IDCN innervated third, fourth and fifth interdigital clefts; and LDCN innervated the lateral border of the foot. Type II (21%) where MDCN innervated medial border of the foot, second and third interdigital clefts; IDCN innervated fourth and fifth interdigital clefts; and LDCN innervated the lateral border of the foot. Type III (1.5%) where saphenous nerve innervated medial border of the foot; MDCN innervated second and third interdigital clefts; IDCN innervated fourth and fifth interdigital clefts; and LDCN innervated the lateral border of the foot. Type IV (1.5%) was similar to type I, with an extra connection between the MDCN and IDCN on the dorsum of the foot. Type V (1%) where superficial fibular nerve innervated medial border of the foot, and second, third and fourth interdigital clefts; and sural nerve innervated fifth interdigital cleft andlateral border of the foot. Conclusions: The present study provides a new classification for the cutaneous innervation of the dorsum of the foot

Theoretical research on structural, electronic, mechanical, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of layered ternary nitrides Ti(2)AN (A = Si, Ge and Sn)

WOS: 000449621500085First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations within generalized gradient approximation (GGA) are carried out to investigate the structural, electronic, mechanical, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of Ti(2)AN (A = Si, Ge and Sn) MAX phases. The optimized geometrical parameters such as lattice constants (a, c) and the internal coordinates have been calculated. Electronic band structure and corresponding density of states (DOS) have been obtained. The analysis of the band structures and density of states have shown that these compounds are electrical conductors. The elastic constants have been ascertained using the stress-strain method. The isotropic elastic moduli, known as bulk modulus (B), shear modulus (G), young's modulus (E), poisson's ratio (nu), vickers hardness (H-nu) and linear compressibility coefficients (alpha) have been studied within framework of the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximation for ideal polycrystalline Ti(2)AN (A = Si, Ge and Sn) MAX aggregates. Furthermore, the phonon dispersion curves as well as accompanying phonon density of states have been comprehensively computed. And also raman and infrared modes at the G point have been obtained. Within the thermodynamic properties, specific heat capacity, entropy, helmholtz free energy and internal energy changes were analyzed depending on the temperature of Ti(2)AN (A = Si, Ge and Sn) compounds. The obtained results are presented in comparison with present theoretical data for Ti2SiN. This is the first quantitative theoretical study of the electronic properties and other properties for Ti2GeN and Ti2SnN compounds and therefore theoretical results for these compounds need to be verified experimentally. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Histomorphology of the Male Reproductive System and Spermatogenesis of Phyllobius (Ectomogaster) fulvago Gyllenhal, 1834 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae): A Light and Scanning Electron Microscope Study

Abstract: The morphology and histology of the male reproductive system of Phyllobius fulvago were described and discussed in relation to other Coleoptera species. The results show that Ph. fulvago has two-lobed flower-shaped arranged testes, each lobe with fourteen follicles. There are two types of glands in the male reproductive system in Ph. fulvago: tubular accessory glands and lobed prostate glands. © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Resolving genetic relationships in manna group of lichens from genus Aspicilia

As in many lichen-forming fungi, species of Aspicilia genus are widely distributed all over the world, but no reports exist about their phylogenetic relations based on molecular biological methods. In thecurrent study the phylogenetic relations of some Aspicilia species mainly manna group of lichens were investigated. The ITS rDNA sequence information of 12 samples from six species were generated. The samples examined were collected from different provinces of Anatolia and all the sequences were aligned with the other allied groups; Pertusaria sp., Thamnolia sp., Dibaeis sp., Diploschistes sp.,Ochrolechia sp. and Lecanora sp. sequence data obtained from GenBank. The phylogenetic tree obtained by minimum evolution analysis displayed two major branches. One of the branches with itssix members (Aspicilia contorta subsp. contorta, A. contorta subsp. hoffmanniana, Aspicilia hispida, Aspicilia fruticulosa, Aspicilia desertorum Aspicilia calcarea) composed solely of Aspicilia samplesfrom Anatolia. Three of the manna groups of lichens were placed in this branch of the tree. The other related taxa from Ostropomycetidae and Lecanoromycetidae took place in the other branch of the treewith Aspicilia samples from Anatolia. Results displayed that manna group of lichens, although do not represent taxonomical unit tend to form a group especially apperent by the Neigbour Joining analysiswith Anatolian samples. Also the sequence information from Anatolian samples displayed that Aspicilia genus is phylogenetically closer to the orders and families from Ostropomycetidae subclass rather than Lecanoromycetidae which support the placement of Hymeneliaceae within Ostropomycetidae

Formation of the sural nerve in foetal cadavers

The purpose of this study was to provide a morphologic description and assessmenton the formation level of the sural nerve (SN) and its components. Alsowe aimed to reveal histological features of the SN components. An anatomicalstudy of the formation of the SN was carried out on 100 limbs from 50 embalmedfoetuses. The results showed that the SN was formed by the union ofthe medial sural cutaneous nerve (MSCN) and the peroneal communicatingbranch (PCB) in 71% of the cases (Type A); the MSCN and PCB are branches ofthe tibial and common peroneal nerve (CPN) or lateral sural cutaneous nerves(LSCN), respectively. Formation level of the SN was at the distal third of the legin 43% of the cases, at the middle third of the leg in 46% of the cases, and atthe upper third of the leg in 11% of the cases. The PCB originated in the CPN in68% and the PCB originated in the LSCN in 3% of the cases. The SN wasformed only by the MSCN in 20% of the cases (Type B). Type C was divided intofour subgroups: in the first group the PCB and fibres of the posterior femoralcutaneous nerve joined the MSCN in 4% of cases; in the second group theMSCN, PCB, and sciatic nerve did not unite and coursed separately in 1% ofcases; in the third group the SN arose directly from the sciatic nerve alone andthe MSCN made a little contribution in 2% of cases; and in the fourth groupthe PCB, fibres of the sciatic nerve, and the MSCN formed the SN in 1% of thecases. The SN was formed only by the PCB in 1% of the cases (Type D). Distancesof the formation level of the SN to the intercondylar line and the lateralmalleolus were measured and also noted. A detailed knowledge of the anatomyof the SN and its contributing nerves are important in many interventionalprocedures

Plasma-generated poly(allyl alcohol) antifouling coatings for cellular attachment

Conformal poly(allyl alcohol) (PAA) coatings were grown on a biomedical grade polyurethane scaffold using pulsed plasma polymerization of the allyl alcohol monomer. The creation of a continuous wave polymer primer layer increases the interfacial adhesion and stability of a subsequent pulsed plasma deposited PAA film. The resulting PAA coatings are strongly hydrophilic and stable following 7 days incubation in biological media. Films prepared through this energyefficient, two-step process promote human dermal fibroblast cell culture, while resisting E. coli biofilm formation

Use of immediate-early gene expression to map relationships between limbic structures supporting memory

This thesis explores the influence of brain regions within the "extended hippocampal memory system" on the activity of the retrosplenial cortex in the rat. One of the first goals was to use lesion studies to improve the understanding of the vulnerability of the retrosplenial cortex, especially in the context of diencephalic and temporal lobe amnesia. The second was to assess what are the brain areas within the temporal lobe involved in object recognition and how they interact. These two objectives were made possible by visualising immediate-early gene expression. By combining this technique with lesions, distal effects of different lesions (hippocampus, mammillothalamic tract and fornix) on the activity of the retrosplenial cortex were measured. For object recognition, the immediate-early gene imaging enabled the assessment of normal brain activity in rats associated with behavioural discrimination of novelty. The lesion studies provide information about the specific and common vulnerability of the retrosplenial cortex, as all three distal lesions resulted in a decrease of immediate-early gene activity in the retrosplenial cortex. In addition, these findings unify diencephalic amnesia with temporal amnesia, and emphasize the need to study networks or systems instead of individual structure. The immediate-early gene/object recognition experiment implicated the caudal part of the perirhinal cortex (and Te2) and of the hippocampus in object recognition, and highlighted the importance of mapping brain region relationships within a connected system. Taken together, these experiments provide clear support for the concept of an extended hippocampal memory system, but also show how this system may interact with other structures involved in different forms of memory. The findings underlie the potential afforded by use of immediate-early gene expression techniques in animal studies.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Diagnostic value of combined serum biomarkers for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C infection: A multicenter, noninterventional, observational study

Background/Aims: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is important cause of chronic hepatitis. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for assessment of fibrosis but this procedure is an invasive procedure. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of non-invasive serum biomarkers, separately and in combinations, on liver fibrosis in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixteen treatment-naive CHC patients were enrolled from 32 locations across Turkey in this open-labelled, non-interventional prospective observational study. FibroTest®, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI), aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4), Age-platelet(AP) index and Forns index were measured and compared with Metavir scores got from liver biopsies. Results: Data from 182 patients with baseline liver biopsy were suitable for analysis. One hundred and twenty patients (65.9%) had F0-F1 fibrosis and 62 patients (34.1%) had F2-F4 fibrosis. APRI 0.732 area under the curve(AUC) indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% sensitivity and 77% specificity. FIB-4 0.732 AUC and FibroTest 0.715 AUC indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% and 78.4% sensitivity, and 75% and 71.4% specificity, respectively. The combined use of tests also led to an increase in AUC and specificity. Combinations of FibroTest with APRI and/or FIB-4, and FIB-4 with APRI were optimal for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Conclusion: Fibrotest, FIB-4, APRI, AP index and Forns index exhibit good diagnostic performance for determining liver fibrosis in CHC patients, and the use of at least two tests together will increase their diagnostic value still further. © Copyright 2018 by The Turkish Society of Gastroenterology