Bilateral absence of the arcuate artery on the dorsum of the foot. With anomalous origin of dorsal metatarsal arteries

Bilateral absence of the arcuate artery was observed during routine dissection of the lower limbs of a 60-year-old male cadaver. Running distally on the dorsal aspect of both feet and opposite the tarso-metatarsal joint, the dorsalis pedis artery diverged 2cm lateral to the tendon of the extensor hallucis longus. The 2nd dorsal metatarsal artery was found originating from the dorsalis pedis artery opposite the intermediate cuneiform bone. The 3rd and 4th dorsal metatarsal arteries originated from the lateral tarsal artery. Although absence of the arcuate artery has been previously described, the arterial variant described here is thought to be distinct from those previously reported. The variant 2[nd] dorsal metatarsal artery was found to originate from the dorsalis pedis artery. Knowledge of anatomical variations of arteries supplying the feet and toes has important clinical significance in reconstructive surgery and in determining associated pathology

In-vitro antimicrobial activity of Lawsonia inermis Linn. A pilot study on the Omani henna

To investigate the antimicrobial activity of henna's fresh and dry leaves and seeds obtained from Oman. This study was carried out at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman during the period January-June, 2004. Crude extracts of fresh and dry leaves and seeds were investigated for their antimicrobial activity against 3 standard bacterial strains namely: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Eleven different bacterial strains were obtained from patients attending the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. In addition, one Candida albicans [C. albicans] species was used for testing the antifungal activity of the Omani henna sample. All fresh and dry leaves and seeds of the Omani henna demonstrated antibacterial activity against all 3 standard strains and the 11 patients' isolated strains. Henna dry leaves demonstrated the best in-vitro antimicrobial activity and in particular against Shigella sonnei. However, henna fresh and dry seeds failed to show any activity against C. albicans. Omani henna does possess, in-vitro antibacterial activity against a wide spectrum of bacterial strains and C. albicans