Ultrasonographic assessment of the male koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) reproductive tract

Studies documenting the application of ultrasonography to depict normal and pathological changes in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), especially in the male, are scarce. Sixty-two wild koalas were used in this study to define ultrasonographic protocols and features for the assessment of the male koala reproductive tract. Testis, epididymis and spermatic cord were examined using a hockey stick transducer. The normal koala testis showed a homogeneous echogenicity and an obvious hyper-echoic band corresponding to the tunica albuginea. The cauda epididymis was characterised by hypo- and hyper-echoic regions and was most effectively imaged in sagittal section. The koala prostate was assessed using a micro-curved transducer positioned midline, caudal to the bladder. On transverse section, it showed distinct margins and a well-defined internal structure, although the prostatic urethra was not apparent on most scans. To image the bulbourethral glands (BGs), the hockey stick transducer was placed lateral to the cloaca. BGIII was located just below the skin, while BGII was located deeper than BGIII. BGI was too small and not sufficiently echogenic to be detected. The ultrasonographic appearance of the BGs was similar to that of the testes but with more obvious hypo-echoic stippling. This comprehensive review of the ultrasonographic appearance of normal male koala reproductive tract can be used by veterinarians and others, in zoos or those working with wild koalas, during assessment of the reproductive tract of male koalas in relation to seasonal changes in accessory gland function or for the pathological investigation of reproductive lesions and infertility problems

チーター（Acinonyx jubatus）における半規管の配置と直交性について

The purpose of this study was to clarify the spatial orientation of the semicircular canals in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) using computed tomography (CT). CT scan was performed on the skull of a cheetah. Scanning data were reconstructed into the cross-sectional images, and then the landmark coordinates were determined to define the planes of the semicircular canals and the cross-sections of the skull. In the cheetah, the lateral semicircular canal was parallel to the base of the skull. The angles between the anterior and posterior semicircular canals was lager than 90 degrees, and each canal showed the similar angle with the sagittal cross-section of the skull, although these planar directions were different. One limitation of this study is that here we provided only one specimen, and thus the present results need to be confirmed by examining a larger number of cases in future studies. However, the method outlined in this study provided quantitative descriptions of orientations and orthogonalities of the semicircular canals of the cheetah. This is potentially useful for indentifying the morphological features of the semicircular canals in felids

アメリカグマ（Ursus americanus），マレーグマ（Helarctos malayanus），ホッキョクグマ（Ursus maritimus）における手内筋の筋重量について

The hands of the American black bear (Ursus americanus), the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), and the lion (Panthera leo) were dissected and the mass of the intrinsic hand muscles were systematically recorded to explore possible interspecies variation. Muscle mass was divided by the third metacarpal bone size for normalization. The results indicated that the normalized muscle masses of the thenar muscles were larger in the three bears than the lion, and the abductor pollicis muscle was larger in the sun bear than other bears. For the abductor digiti minimi muscle, the normalized muscle mass was larger in the three bears than the lion, but smaller in the polar bear among three bears. One limitation of this study is that here we provided only one specimen for each species, and thus the present results need to be confirmed by examining a larger number of cases in future studies. However, these differences in the intrinsic hand muscles of the four species may reflect adaptation for their different habits

A Japanese Patient with Hereditary Myopathy with Early Respiratory Failure Due to the p.P31732L Mutation of Titin

International audienc

3D geometric morphometrics of thorax variation and allometry in Hominoidea

Ever since the seminal papers of Keith and Schultz, hominoid primate ribcages have been described as either “funnel-” or “barrel-shaped.” Following this dichotomic typology, it is currently held that Homo sapiens and hylobatids (gibbons and siamangs) share a barrel-shaped ribcage and that they are more similar to each other than to the funnel-shaped thoraces of great apes (Gorilla, Pan, and Pongo). Other researchers hypothesized that thoracic width and the invagination of the thoracic spine into the thorax are related to allometry. However, analyses that take into account the complex three-dimensional (3D) shape of the ribcage are lacking. Here, we address hypotheses about thorax shape and evolution using 3D morphometrics of thoraces in anatomical connection obtained by computed tomography scans of 23 hominoid cadavers and 10 humans and examining thorax compartments composed of seven ribs (1–7 thorax) and of 11 ribs (1–11 thorax). In the 1–7 thorax analyses, the human thorax is uniquely flat because of torsion of the upper and central ribs, differing from all non-human hominoids including hylobatids. In the 1–11 thorax analyses, humans are markedly different from African great apes, with hylobatids and orangutans intermediate. In full shape space analyses, affinities between orangutans and humans on the one hand and between hylobatids and African great apes on the other are evident. Therefore, we reject the hypothesis that humans and hylobatids bear any special affinities in overall 3D thorax shape to each other. We find that larger thoraces are wider and flatter, with a more invaginated spine, supporting the allometric hypothesis. Hominoid thorax variation shows complex interactions between allometry, rib curves, torsion, and declination, and the morphology of the costo-vertebral joint and the thoracic vertebral column. When considering functional specializations alongside phylogenetic relationships, an overly simplistic dichotomy between funnel-shaped and barrel-shaped thoraces is not supported.Research funding: Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity MINECO CGL2012-37279 and CGL2015-63648-P,Peer Reviewe