Rare high branching pattern from the first part of the right axillary artery

A 77-year-old female cadaver was observed to have a rare branching pattern of the right axillary artery (AA)  The first part of the AA typically gives off only a superior thoracic artery (STA) but was observed to give off three branches in the case: a lateral thoracic artery (LTA), a thoracoacromial trunk (TAT), and a large common trunk (CT). The LTA traveled to provide a variant STA to the 1st and 2nd intercostal spaces. The CT provided an accessory lateral thoracic artery (aLTA) and accessory thoracodorsal artery (aTDA) before bifurcating into a subscapular artery (SA) and posterior humeral circumflex artery (PHCA). As expected, the SA further divided into the circumflex scapular artery (CSA) and thoracodorsal artery (TDA). A pectoral artery and the anterior humeral circumflex artery (AHCA) originated directly from the second and third parts of the AA, respectively. Knowledge of AA branching variations is of great clinical significance to anatomists, radiologists, and surgeons due to the high rate of injury to this artery

Analysis of the Popliteal Lymph Node as a Biomarker to Monitor Arthritic Flare in Male versus Female Tumor Necrosis Factor-Transgenic Mice with Inflammatory Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation in peripheral synovial joint tissue and is suggested to be more severe in women. The popliteal lymph node (PLN) has been found to be a biomarker of arthritic flare in the human TNF-α transgenic (TNF-Tg) mouse model of inflammatory arthritis. The goal of this study was to verify that anti-TNF therapy is equally effective in reducing the severity of arthritis in male and female TNF-Tg mice using PLN volume as a marker of arthritic flare. Male and female TNF-Tg mice were subdivided into two groups and treated with either placebo or anti-TNF therapy for six weeks. Power-Doppler (PD) ultrasound imaging was taken of right and left PLNs in each subgroup (n=6 per subgroup). 3D reconstructions were created to determine PLN total volume, PD volume, and normalized PD volume. Knee tissue was collected at the end of treatment for histologic analysis (n=6 per subgroup). There was a decrease in the PLN volumes in the anti-TNF treated groups compared to the placebo-treated groups for both sexes (p Overall, increased PLN size positively correlates to joint inflammation and serves as an appropriate biomarker for arthritic flare. Furthermore, anti-TNF therapy was equally effective in decreasing arthritic severity in males and female TNF-Tg mice compared to placebo-treated mice of both sexes

Analysis of the Popliteal Lymph Node as a Biomarker to Monitor Arthritic Flare in Male versus Female Tumor Necrosis Factor-Transgenic Mice with Inflammatory Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation in peripheral synovial joint tissue and is suggested to be more severe in women. The popliteal lymph node (PLN) has been found to be a biomarker of arthritic flare in the human TNF-α transgenic (TNF-Tg) mouse model of inflammatory arthritis. The goal of this study was to verify that anti-TNF therapy is equally effective in reducing the severity of arthritis in male and female TNF-Tg mice using PLN volume as a marker of arthritic flare. Male and female TNF-Tg mice were subdivided into two groups and treated with either placebo or anti-TNF therapy for six weeks. Power-Doppler (PD) ultrasound imaging was taken of right and left PLNs in each subgroup (n=6 per subgroup). 3D reconstructions were created to determine PLN total volume, PD volume, and normalized PD volume. Knee tissue was collected at the end of treatment for histologic analysis (n=6 per subgroup). There was a decrease in the PLN volumes in the anti-TNF treated groups compared to the placebo-treated groups for both sexes (p Overall, increased PLN size positively correlates to joint inflammation and serves as an appropriate biomarker for arthritic flare. Furthermore, anti-TNF therapy was equally effective in decreasing arthritic severity in males and female TNF-Tg mice compared to placebo-treated mice of both sexes

Addressing Citizen Concern: Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in East Chicago, Indiana

In East Chicago, Indiana, decades of industrial work led to heavy metals contamination to the surrounding environment. One residential area was built on an abandoned lead processing site, and lead soil levels measured well above the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits in the 1990s. In 2009, the East Chicago site was added to the Federal Facilities National Priorities List (NPL), and the EPA designated it as a priority Superfund Site. While remediation measures have been underway by the EPA, the agency is not able to measure all possible places for metal contamination for all the residents. Therefore, we have investigated additional samples obtained from residents: dry soil, water, chipped paint and dust samples. Total acid digests have been performed on samples from 2016 and 2017 to determine the total metal concentrations. The samples have been analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). While we screened for 17 metals, analysis was focused on arsenic and lead. In each of the two years, two of the three vacuum bag samples indicated high levels of lead (\u3e400 ppm), whereas all of the soil samples indicated high levels of arsenic (\u3e0.68 ppm). Future work will focus on gastric and lung Physiologically Based Extraction Tests (PBETs) along with analysis for other organic chemicals and toxins in the environment

Addressing Citizen Concerns: Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in East Chicago, Indiana

In East Chicago, Indiana, decades of industrial work led to heavy metals contamination to the surrounding environment. One residential area was built on an abandoned lead processing site, and lead soil levels measured well above the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits in the 1990s. In 2009, the East Chicago site was added to the Federal Facilities National Priorities List (NPL), and the EPA designated it as a priority Superfund Site. While remediation measures have been underway by the EPA, the agency is not able to measure all possible places for metal contamination for all the residents. Therefore, we have investigated additional samples obtained from residents: dry soil, water, chipped paint and dust samples. Total acid digests have been performed on samples from 2016 and 2017 to determine the total metal concentrations. The samples have been analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). While we screened for 17 metals, analysis was focused on arsenic and lead. In each of the two years, two of the three vacuum bag samples indicated high levels of lead (\u3e400 ppm), whereas all of the soil samples indicated high levels of arsenic (\u3e0.68 ppm). Future work will focus on gastric and lung Physiologically Based Extraction Tests (PBETs) along with analysis for other organic chemicals and toxins in the environment