Variations of the abductor pollicis longus tendon: an anatomic study

This study was performed to investigate the variations, dimensions and attachment of the abductor pollicis longus (APL) tendon. Fifty upper limbs of adult cadavers were dissected in the Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Variations of APL tendon and its way of insertion were observed;its length, width and thickness were also measured and statistically analysed. Nosingle-tendon-APL was found in all the examined upper limbs. The APL exhibited 2–6 tendons in all the cases. Tendons of APL were classified into medial and lateral. The lateral was considered as the main APL tendon, which was inserted into thebase of the first metacarpal bone. The medial tendons were regarded as accessory slips and were inserted most commonly into the base of the first metacarpalbone; 80% on its anterolateral surface vs. 20% on the lateral one. The rest of themedial slips extended to trapezium, abductor pollicis brevis, thenar fascia, capsuleof first carpometacarpal joint and opponens pollicis, with a frequency of 80%,60%, 40%, 30% and 20%, respectively. Transverse tendinous fibres were noted connecting the various slips of the APL tendons. No significant difference was recorded between the length of the main APL tendon and its accessory tendons, however, a highly significant difference was found between their thicknesses aswell as their widths. Thus it is verified that the lateral tendon of APL is the main,whereas the medial tendons are accessory. The observations regarding dimensions and variations of the APL and their accessory tendons may prove useful tosurgeons as a source of grafting material

Anatomical variations of the hand extensors

This study was performed to investigate the anatomy and variations of the humanextensor tendons of the fingers and their intertendinous connections. Ninetyfive upper limbs of adult cadavers were dissected. The variations in the extensortendons of the fingers, both proximal and distal to the extensor retinaculum, andtheir mode of insertion were observed. Also, the intertendinous connections wereexplored and the obtained data were analysed. The extensor pollicis longus andbrevis tendons were found to be single, doubled or, rarely, absent. Their insertioncould be traced to either the proximal phalanx, or through the extensor expansionto both phalanges, or rarely to the distal phalanx of thumb. The extensor indicishad a single tendon in all specimens. In the majority of specimens, extensor digitorumhad no independent slip to the little finger; it gave off a single tendonto the index, double tendons to the middle finger and triple tendons to the ringfinger. Extensor digiti minimi muscle often had double or triple tendons distal tothe extensor retinaculum. Three types of juncturae tendinum (JT) were identifiedbetween the tendons of extensor digitorum in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th intermetacarpalspaces (IMS) of hands. Types 1 and 2 JT were seen in the three IMS. Type 3 JTwas the most frequently identified of all juncturae and was always absent in the2nd IMS. The percentages of the present data were compared with other researchers’data

Immunological and parasitological parameters after treatment with dexamethasone in murine Schistosoma mansoni

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of diphenyl dimethyl bicarboxylate (DDB) and dexamethasone alone and in combination with praziquantel on various parasitological, immunological and pathological parameters reflecting disease severity and morbidity in murine schistosomiasis. DDB and dexamethasone had no effect on worm burden but altered tissue egg distribution. This indicates that, under the schedule used, neither drug interfered with the development of adult worms or oviposition, but both can modulate liver pathology. Dexamethasone resulted in a greater reduction in granuloma size than did DDB. Dexamethasone-treated mice also showed lower levels of serum gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-4, together with higher IL-10 levels, than infected untreated control animals. These data suggest that dexamethasone is a convenient and promising coadjuvant agent that results in decreased morbidity in murine schistosomiasis

Effect of methanol extract of Dicranopteris linearis against carbon tetrachloride- induced acute liver injury in rats

Background: Dicranopteris linearis (family Gleicheniaceae) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities but no attempt has been made to study its hepatoprotective potential. The aim of the present study was to determine the hepatoprotective effect of methanol extracts of D. linearis (MEDL) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury in rats. Methods: 6 groups (n = 6) of rats received oral test solutions: 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 200 mg/kg silymarin, or MEDL (50, 250, and 500 mg/kg), once daily for 7 consecutive days, followed by hepatotoxicity induction with CCl4. Blood and liver were collected for biochemical and microscopic analysis. The extract was also subjected to antioxidant studies (e.g. 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)- and superoxide anion-radical scavenging assays, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) test and total phenolic content (TPC) determination), phytochemical screening and HPLC analysis. Results: Pretreatment with MEDL and silymarin significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the serum levels of AST, ALT and ALP, which were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in DMSO-pretreated group following treatment with CCl4. Histological analysis of liver tissues in groups pretreated with MEDL and silymarin showed mild necrosis and inflammation of the hepatocytes compared to the DMSO-pretreated group (negative control group). The MEDL showed higher DPPH- and superoxide anion-radical scavenging activity as well as high TPC and ORAC values indicating high antioxidant activity. Conclusions: MEDL exerts hepatoprotective activity that could be partly contributed by its antioxidant activity and high phenolic content, and hence demands further investigation