Vascular anatomical features of the medial thigh flap in human cadavers of Caucasian origin

Background: Medial fasciocutaneous flaps, which are based on the femoral artery from the thigh region, are used for wide inguinal, scrotal, vaginal, perineal, leg, head and neck defect reconstructions in injured human patients. Within this regard, anatomical knowledge about perforating and cutaneous branches of the femoral artery is important for the surgeons. Materials and methods: In the present study, vascular pedicles of the medial thigh perforator flap based on the femoral artery were investigated according to anatomical and surgical landmarks. Human Caucasian preserved cadavers of 15 adults (13 males, 2 females; age range 55–82 years: 30 sides, bilaterally) that were previously formalin fixed were subjected to our analytical examinations. Micro dissections were performed under 4× loop magnification while representing the perforating branches of the femoral artery after filling by coloured latex injection via the external iliac artery. Results: The size and length parameters of these branches which appeared around the apex of the femoral triangle were evaluated. The mean size of the perforating branch at the point of origin was 0.14 cm and the mean size of the cutaneous branch at the point of origin was 0.09 cm, the mean length of the pedicle was 4.74 cm and the mean length of the cutaneous branch was 3.30 cm, respectively. Location of the perforating and the cutaneous branches were also determined according to the surgical landmarks such as the anterior superior iliac spine, inguinal ligament, pubic tubercle and interepicondylar line. Conclusions: The pedicle of the medial flap should locate up to 25 cm from the anterior superior iliac spine so as to preserve the vascular structures. Exact location of this artery helps the surgeons to perform anastomosis in an easier and safer manner during surgical operations

Effects of streptozotocin induced diabetes on hippocampal neuron number and spatial learning in rats

DM'un demans için bir risk faktörü olduğu, öğrenme ve bellekte yetersizliklere yol açtığı bilinmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı deneysel olarak diyabet oluşturulmuş sıçanlarda su tankı testi ile uzaysal öğrenme-belleği değerlendirmek ve hippocampus pyramidal nöron sayısındaki değişiklikleri ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçla 4 aylık erişkin, 30 wistar cinsi sıçan Kontrol (K), Sham (S) ve Diyabet (D) olmak üzere üç eşit gruba ayrıldı. D grubunda 60 mg/kg stz'in salin içinde çözdürülerek i.p. olarak enjeksiyonuyla diyabet oluşturuldu. D grubundaki sıçanların streptozotosin enjeksiyonundan sonraki 3. ve 10. günlerde yapılan ölçümlerde kan glukoz düzeyleri 300mg/dl'nin üzerindeydi. Diyabet oluşturulmasından 6 hafta sonra uygulanan su tankı testinde sıçanların performanslarına bakılarak uzaysal öğrenme ve bellek fonksiyonları değerlendirildi. Su tankı tetinden sonra her gruptan rasgele seçilen 6'şar adet sıçan seçilerek dekapite edildi ve beyinleri çıkarıldı. Hippocampus nöron sayıları optik parçalama yöntemiyle tespit edildi. Sıçanların su tankı testinin beş günlük deneme bloklarında platformu bulmayı öğrendikleri fakat diyabetik sıçanların performanslarının azaldığı gözlendi. D grubundaki sıçanlarda motor fonksiyon bozukluğu gözlenmedi. Probe Trial uygulamasında K, S ve D grubundaki sıçanlar arasında fark bulunmadı. D grubundaki sıçanların hippocampus CA1, C2-CA3 ve CA1-CA2-CA3 alanlarında K ve S gruplarına göre nöron kaybı olduğu tespit edildi. Sonuç olarak diyabetik sıçanların hippocampus nöron kaybına paralel olarak su tankı testinde performansları azalmıştır. Fakat uzaysal öğrenme ve bellek yetenekleri tamamen kaybolmamıştır.It is known that DM is a risk factor of demantia and it causes learning and memory deficiencies. The aim of this study is to evaluate spatial learning and memory and hippocampal pyramidal neuron number in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. To achieve this aim 4 months old, 30 adult Wistar rats were divided in to three groups: Control (K), Sham (S) and Diabetes (D). In group D diabetes was induced by intraperitoneally injection of 60 mg/kg stz dissolved in saline. In group D, at the 3rd and 10th days after stz injection, blood glucose levels of rats were above 300 mg/dl. Rats? spatial larning and memory functions were appraised with their performances in Water maze test six weeks after the induction of diabetes. After water maze test six rats were selected randomly from each group and decapitated. Hippocampal neuron numbers were counted by Optic Fractionator Method. All rats in each group learned how to find platform at training trail blocks in the following 5 days but rats in group D showed lower performance. Motor performances of rats in group D were uneffected. At probe trial of Water maze test there were no differences between rats in K,S and D groups. In rats of group D neuronal loss were established in their hippocampal CA1, CA2-CA3 and CA1-CA2-CA3 regions according to the groups K and S. It is the resultant that diabetic rats performances decreased in water maze test as parallelly to their hippocampal neuronal loss.But their spatial learning and memory abilities were not lost completely