The demonstration of the Sense Organs in the waxes of the Bologna school between XVIII and XIX century

In the field of the morphological disciplines the name of Filippo Pacini (1812-1883) is mostly related to the discovery of the sensitive Pacinian Corpuscles of the skin, but also to studies about the eye, particularly in the microscopical structure of the retina. Because this important respect of his scientific work, it seems appropriate to investigate the contribution of anatomical wax modelling to the representation of the sense organs between XVIII end XIX century. Considering the school of Ercole Lelli (1702-1766) in Bologna, of particular interest are the models made by Anna Morandi Manzolini (1716-1775). The approach in demonstrating the sense of tact is exquisitely functional, not only anatomical, by a wax reproducing two hands, one of them in the action of touching, the other withdrawing from a wounding object, thus giving a lively scene of a function, the tact, that at time science could not yet explain in their inner mechanisms. In the set of waxes about the vision, besides the general conformation of the eye and of the extrinsic muscles, is well presented the structure of the eyeball with the three tunics and vessels. Quite different in the artistic feature are the models of the eye and lachrymal apparatus performed by Cesare Bettini (1814-1885) about a century later. These waxes are of great dimensions, to be more useful for their educational purposes. The waxes of the school of Bologna not show the microscopic appearance of the organs: it was still too early for this kind of knowledge at the time of Anna Morandi Manzolini, but also the preparations of the wax modelers of the XIX century, at the epoch of the anatomists Francesco Mondini (1786-1844) and Luigi Calori (1807-1896), are not devoted to these fine aspects, that instead we can find in other collections, as those of the Anatomy Museum of the University of Florence

Gabriele Zerbi. Ricerca, clinica e deontologia nell’opera di un medico veronese del Rinascimento

Gabriele Zerbi. Ricerca, clinica e deontologia nell’opera di un medico veronese del Rinasciment

Efficacy of eccentric exercise in lower limb tendinopathies in athletes

Tendinopathies are among the most frequent sport injuries, therefore their correct treatment is a crucial issue in sports medicine practice. In most of the cases, these multifactorial conditions are related to overuse and characterized by activity-induced pain, local tenderness and swelling. Although tendinopathies are common, their treatment is not easy. Currently, it is generally accepted that their management should include early functional exercises. Eccentric exercise (EE) is considered a fundamental therapeutic resource, especially for the treatment of Achilles and patellar tendinopathies. This article focuses on the use of EE for the treatment and prevention of the lower limb tendinopathies, evaluates the existing programs and their efficacy, and reviews the possible mechanisms of the healing process and the action of EE on tendon structure. EE-based treatments are useful to improve symptoms and function in lower limb tendinopathies, but more evidence is still required to devise an adequate dose-response model and to determine their long-term effects

Functionalization of Ceramic Coatings for Enhancing Integration in Osteoporotic Bone: A Systematic Review

Background: The success of reconstructive orthopaedic surgery strongly depends on the mechanical and biological integration between the prosthesis and the host bone tissue. Progressive population ageing with increased frequency of altered bone metabolism conditions requires new strategies for ensuring an early implant fixation and long-term stability. Ceramic materials and ceramic-based coatings, owing to the release of calcium phosphate and to the precipitation of a biological apatite at the bone-implant interface, are able to promote a strong bonding between the host bone and the implant. Methods: The aim of the present systematic review is the analysis of the existing literature on the functionalization strategies for improving the implant osteointegration in osteoporotic bone and their relative translation into the clinical practice. The review process, conducted on two electronic databases, identified 47 eligible preclinical studies and 5 clinical trials. Results: Preclinical data analysis showed that functionalization with both organic and inorganic molecules usually improves osseointegration in the osteoporotic condition, assessed mainly in rodent models. Clinical studies, mainly retrospective, have tested no functionalization strategies. Registered trademarks materials have been investigated and there is lack of information about the micro- or nano- topography of ceramics. Conclusions: Ceramic materials/coatings functionalization obtained promising results in improving implant osseointegration even in osteoporotic conditions but preclinical evidence has not been fully translated to clinical applications

Raman spectroscopic investigation on the molecular structure of apatite and collagen in osteoporotic cortical bone

This study employed highly spectrally resolved Raman spectroscopy to examine the molecular composition of cortical bone tissue obtained from murine females in their healthy and ovariectomy- (OVX-) induced osteoporotic states. The aim of the study was to identify structural differences at the molecular scale both in apatite mineral and collagen fibrils between the two groups of samples. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical composition of cortical bone in regions including characteristic bands of both bone mineral and bone matrix. The results demonstrated that the mineral apatite of bone did not undergo significant amorphization in its diseased state, with the Raman microprobe also failing in recognizing a direct role of carbonate content in the embrittlement of OVX-diseased bone. On the other hand, complex off-stoichiometry variations could be detected in the columnar Ca-structure of the bony hydroxyapatite according to morphological variations of the Raman band belonging to the symmetric phosphate stretching (A1) band at ~959  cmâ1. A fundamental role was also recognized for collagen quality on the process of bone embrittlement. The so-called matrix maturity ratio, as systematically measured on Raman spectra in the Amide I region, increased with statistical significance in OVX-treated samples as compared to control samples. An 8% increase could be associated to a 115% increase in elastic stress intensification in the mineral phase of OVX-diseased tissue as compared to the control one, thus proving a degradation in the (elastic) energy-dissipative capacity of a diseased bone matrix