A rare case of bilateral high origin of the testicular artery with variations in the course and branches.

In general, testicular artery (TA) usually arises from the antero-lateral part of the abdominal aorta below the origin of the renal arteries at second lumbar vertebrae level. Very rarely variations in the origin of the testicular arteries are observed. We here report a rare case of bilateral unusual origin and course of the testicular artery. On the right side, testicular artery aroused from the aorta about 0.5cm above the origin of the renal artery and gave off inferior suprarenal artery. In contrast, left testicular artery springs from the pre-hilar branch of the left renal artery, 2cm before reaching the hilum of kidney. On both sides, testicular arteries descended in front of the hilar structures of the kidney. Since, the origin and course of the testicular artery is important to consider during surgical and diagnostic interventions, knowledge of such variation may be helpful in avoiding diagnostic and surgical errors and adverse consequences especially during laparoscopic approaches

Direct observation shows superposition and large scale flexibility within cytoplasmic dynein motors moving along microtubules

Cytoplasmic dynein is a dimeric AAA+ motor protein that performs critical roles in eukaryotic cells by moving along microtubules using ATP. Here using cryo-electron microscopy we directly observe the structure of Dictyostelium discoideum dynein dimers on microtubules at near-physiological ATP concentrations. They display remarkable flexibility at a hinge close to the microtubule binding domain (the stalkhead) producing a wide range of head positions. About half the molecules have the two heads separated from one another, with both leading and trailing motors attached to the microtubule. The other half have the two heads and stalks closely superposed in a front-to-back arrangement of the AAA+ rings, suggesting specific contact between the heads. All stalks point towards the microtubule minus end. Mean stalk angles depend on the separation between their stalkheads, which allows estimation of inter-head tension. These findings provide a structural framework for understanding dynein’s directionality and unusual stepping behaviour

Higher and bulkier origin of the lumbricals and their clinical relevance.

Lumbricals are important small intrinsic muscles of the hand, which arise from the tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus in the palm distal to the flexor retinaculum and are inserted on to the dorsal digital expansion. Variations in the unipinnate/bipinnate pattern of lumbricals, absence of one or more muscles, origin from the superficial flexor tendons and flexor retinaculum have been reported earlier. In the present case, all four lumbricals were arising from the tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus, proximal to the flexor retinaculum in the anterior part of the forearm and extending into the palm through the carpal tunnel. However, there was no variation found with regard to their normal unipinnate (first two) and bipinnate (last two) pattern of origin. In the palm all the four lumbricals were found to be bulkier than their normal size, first one being the bulkiest. The bulky and high origin of lumbricals within the carpal tunnel makes the tunnel a compact space. Therefore, such variation is one of the predisposing factors for the carpal tunnel syndrome. Thus, the knowledge of such variant origin of lumbricals is helpful not only during carpal tunnel release but also during the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound based diagnosis of carpal tunnel and during the flexor tendon repair and reconstruction

Auriculotemporal Nerve – A Study on its Roots

Auriculotemporal nerve (ATN) is a branch of the posterior division of mandibular nerve. It presents two roots at its origin, which encircle the middle meningeal artery. In the present study of thirty hemi-sections of head and neck the roots of the ATN and its relation with middle meningeal artery (MMA) were observed and photographed. The number of roots in these thirty specimens were as follows: Single root – was observed in four specimens, two roots – were observed in twenty two specimens, three roots – were observed in three specimens and five roots – were observed in a single specimen. Since the infratemporal region is filled with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the muscles of mastication, important blood vessels and nerves, the variations described in the present study, may enlighten the surgeon towards the possible entrapment of the nerve roots due to the pressure exerted due to dislocation of TMJ or due to hypertrophic masticatory muscles

Variation in the Branching Pattern of the Superficial Palmar Arch

In this article we describe a rare variation in the superficial palmar arch (SPA) encountered during routine cadaveric dissection. SPA was formed by the superficial branches of ulnar and radial arteries which provided a proper digital branch to the ulnar side of the little finger and three common palmar digital branches to the medial four digits. Additionally a first common digital artery was seen to emerge from the radial side of SPA which further divided into the arteria princeps pollicis and arteria radialis indicis. We also found a small communicating branch between the arteria princeps pollicis and the radial artery in the anatomical snuff box. Such arterial variations in the palm due to alteration in the developmental sequence remains a crucial issue in the reconstructive hand surgeries, especially while dealing with the innovative microsurgical procedures, where these varied patterns act as pivotal points around which successful results of various advanced surgical procedures revolve