An ancient anatomic variation: bilateral elongated styloid process of cranium

The elongated stylohyoid process presents with considerable anatomic variability. We report here on an ancient cranium with bilateral elongated styloid process, 3.3 cm on the right side and 5.1 cm on the left side, found during the examination of excavated bones of 2000 years ago (first half of 1st century AD) from the old Greek-Roman city-of Leodikya in Turkey. We determined the gender as female, from the examination of the skeleton (especially skull and pelvic bones). No other variation was observed. On the basis of embryology, the reason for this variation may be partial ossification of the second pharyngeal arch cartilage in the region which commonly becomes the stylohyoid ligament. Although elongation of the styloid process is common, it is important to report this ancient variation, in order to help to compare the bone variations between ancient and modern humans and the contribution of genetic and environmental determinants

Editorial:Protecting Olympic Participants from COVID-19 — The Trialled and Tested Process

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges to ensure a safe environment for competitive sport. While modern medicine has already developed effective protocols for the treatment and prevention of the disease, there are serious concerns about hosting a sporting event of the scale of the Olympic Games, where more than 11¿000 athletes from over 200 nations are expected to participate. Accordingly, there have been many calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympic Games, also known as Tokyo 2020, in both the international press and the scientific literature. A recent perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) highlights the complexity and risks of convening the Tokyo Olympic Games during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the many uncertainties, much has been learnt over the past 18 months and many policies trialled and tested to protect athletes during sports participation..

An ancient anatomic variation: Bilateral elongated styloid process of cranium

The elongated stylohyoid process presents with considerable anatomic variability. We report here on an ancient cranium with bilateral elongated styloid process, 3.3 cm on the right side and 5.1 cm on the left side, found during the examination of excavated bones of 2000 years ago (first half of 1st century AD) from the old Greek-Roman city-of Leodikya in Turkey. We determined the gender as female, from the examination of the skeleton (especially skull and pelvic bones). No other variation was observed. On the basis of embryology, the reason for this variation may be partial ossification of the second pharyngeal arch cartilage in the region which commonly becomes the stylohyoid ligament. Although elongation of the styloid process is common, it is important to report this ancient variation, in order to help to compare the bone variations between ancient and modern humans and the contribution of genetic and environmental determinants. © 2013 Firenze University Press

Prospective randomized trial of transthoracic versus low-energy transvenous internal cardioversion in persistent atrial fibrillation

Objective - Electrical cardioversion (CV) is used to restore sinus rhythm (SR) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). In this prospective randomized study, we compared two different methods of electrical CV, namely transthoracic (TT) and low-energy transvenous internal CV (ICV), in patients with persistent AF with respect to efficacy, safety and the magnitude of myocardial damage provoked by either method

Anatomy Of The Azygos Vein Examined By Computerized Tomography Imaging

Objective: To examine the anatomy of the azygos vein (AV) using different parameters. Therefore, the diameter of the AV at its opening into the superior vena cava, the opening level of the AV into the superior vena cava, and the position of the AV, with respect to the vertebral column and carina, were examined by CT. Methods: Chest CTs of 103 cases (42 female and 61 male) were reviewed at the Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey between July 2004 and February 2005. The CT examinations were performed with a Philips AU El spiral CT (Rotterdam, Netherlands) with the following parameters: 120 Hv; 200 mAs; slice thickness: 7 mm; pitch: 1; reconstruction index: 7 mm. The results were statistically analyzed. Results: The diameter of the AV at the opening into the Superior vena cava ranged between 4.3 mm and 16 mm. The AV was in the midline in 41 cases. The arching and opening level of the AV was at the fifth thoracic vertebra in most cases. The opening level was most often at the same level as the carina. Hemiazygos veins were detected in 90 patients. Conclusion: The parameters measured in this study may be useful in surgical procedures of the mediastinum and during the interpretation of chest radiographs.Wo