Facial measurements of Assiut children aged 6-11 years

The aim of the present study is to investigate changes in the facial measurements of Assiut children at the selected ages. A total of 300 healthy child aged 6-11 years old participated in the study; they were taken from primary schools in Assiut City. Children were divided into 6 age groups; each age group included 50 children [25 boys and 25 girls]. Each child was subjected to the following measurements: facial height, upper facial height, lower facial height, upper facial width, lower facial width, maxillary facial depth and mandibular facial depth.. Results reveal that all facial parameters of boys are significantly higher than that of girls at all ages, but girls tend to grow faster than boys. It is also evident that most of facial parameters are correlated with each other. The pattern of facial growth of children in Assiut City indicates leptoprosopic [narrow] face type

Anthropometric study of head measurements of children in Assiut city

The aim of the present study is to detect any existence of a relationship between the different cranial parameters during growth of children at the selected ages. A total of 300 healthy children aged 6-11 years participated in the study; they were taken from primary schools in Assiut City. Children were divided into 6 age groups; each age group included 50 children [25 boys and 25 girls]. Each child was subjected to the following measurements: head circumference, head length, head width, forehead width, head height and auricular height. Results revealed that all cranial parameters of boys were obviously higher than that of girls at all ages, but girls tend to grow faster than boys. It is also evident that head circumference correlated with head length at ages of 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 years. It is also correlated with head width at 6, 7, 9 and 10 years of age. In addition to that, the head length and head width were correlated with each other at 7, 9 and 10 years of age. This indicates that the increase in head circumference could be attributed mainly to the increase in both head length and head width. The pattern of head growth of children in Assiut City indicates mesocephalic [intermediate] head type

Teratogenic effects of adriamycin on the prenatal development of the vertebral column of the albino rat

Adriamycin [cytotoxic, antineoplastic antibiotic] and its metabolites had been implicated as human teratogens. Teratogenic studies had shown multiple congenital defects in rats exposed prenatally to adriamycin including esophageal atresia, multiple intestinal atresias, hydronephrosis and retarded bone ossification and formation of accessory ribs. Forty litters were used in this study for both control and experimental groups [20 for each] in the present study. Their mothers received 3 intra peritoneal injections [each of 1.75 mg/kg] in the 6[th], 7[th] and 8[th] days of gestation. On the 21[st] day of gestation all pregnant animals were sacrificed and their fetuses were obtained through laparotomy and uterine incisions. One half of the litters of both control and experimental groups were used for gross skeletal study using alizarin red stain and the other half was subjected for light microscopic study using ordinary paraffin section preparation technique. Morphometric measurements were applied to study variations of the total body weight, the CRL of the litters, the vertical and antro-posterior diameters of the vertebral bodies and the disc space and vertical diameter of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral discs. Multiple vertebral defects in the form of delayed or absent ossification features in the vertebral bodies, delayed or fusion between the bodies and neural arches, abnormal fusion between vertebral bodies, non visualization of most caudal vertebrae and significant decreased morphometric measurements of the experimental animals were observed in the present work. These abnormalities as well as features of intrauterine growth retardation caused by adriamycin that is considered as an antimitotic agent causing delayed differentiation and growth by interfering with cell division

Teratogenic effects of the organophosphate insecticide, malathion, on the skeleton of developing chick embryo gross morphological study

The objective of this study was to document teratogenicity observed in chick embryos following administration of insecticide malathion in a dose of 2mg in 0.1 ml corn oil, and to suggest reasonable explanations for these anomalies. A total number of 300 eggs of Gallus domesticus species were used. After 48 hours of incubation eggs were divided into 5 groups, of 60 eggs each. The individual groups were subdivided into control [20], and treated [40] eggs. The control eggs were injected with 0.1 ml of corn oil, while the treated eggs were injected with 0.1 ml of corn oil in which 2 mg of malathion were dissolved. Eggs of both control and treated groups were examined at the 5[th], 7[th], 10[th], 14[th] and 18[th] days of incubation, for weight, mortality and morbidity, external malformations and body measurements. Embryos were prepared for skeletal examination with Alizarin red stain and Victoria blue stain. It's observed from the present study that lethality; external malformations and growth retardation, are characteristic features for malathion toxicity in chick embryo. It is observed that, malathion mortality is more frequent in higher age groups [14[th] and 18[th] days of incubation] while teratogenicity is more frequent in younger age groups [5[th] and 7[th] day of incubation]. Significant loss of weight in the treated groups is also observed. The characteristic external malformations were in the form of short lower peak, parrot beak, short neck, wry neck, micromelia of both fore limbs and hind limbs. In addition, tibiotarsal angulations and claw toes were also observed. Abnormal feather distribution, persistence of mesencephalic bulge, eye anomalies and visceral herniation could also be detected. It is concluded from this study that malathion injection is teratogenc in chick embryo when given in the 2[nd] day of incubation. The lethality detected in older age groups could be explained to be secondary to marked teratogenicity in vital organs such as heart [congestive heart failure] or neural tube defects. The toxicity of malathion on developing chick embryo could be explained by its anticholinesterase action or its suppressive effect on nicotinamid dinucleotide [NAD] levels. Also, its genotoxicity or mutagenicity could not be excluded

postnatal development of the nerve endings of the muscle spindles in temporal muscle of albino mice

A total number of thirty albino mice were used in this study. The animals were taken at birth, seven, fourteen, twenty-one, thirty and sixty days after birth. Each age group comprised five animals. The temporal muscle was chosen as an example of mandibular elevator. The specimens were fixed in 4% neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin. The specimens were sectioned longitudinally at a thickness of 12 microns and stained by Holme's silver method and examined under a light microscope. The results were given

Post-natal studies on the cell density and thickness of the articular cartilage of rabbit

A total number of 24 rabbits divided into 6 groups [at birth, 20, 40 60, 80 days and 6 months] was used in this work. The total and zonal cell density and cartilage thickness were measured at the femoral condyles. The total cell density was decreased rapidly during maturation and slowly at mature age. This reduction may attributed to interposition of matrix during maturation and cell degeneration and necrosis in adult age. The zonal cell density was decreased with increased distance from the joint surface. The total thickness of the articular cartilage was gradually decreased during maturation up to adult age. This reduction may be due to remodeling of the bone ends that accelerated with age. The zonal thickness was observed to decrease with the advancement of age, while within the same age, it was increased as the distance from the cartilage surface was increased. These variations were in direct proportional to the load and weight bearing as well as to the mechanical stress

Histological and histochemical studies on the post-natal development of the articular cartilage of rabbit

A total number of 24 rabbits divided into six age groups [at birth, 20,70,60,80 days and 6 months] was used in this work. For each age group general histological and histochemical studies of the articular cartilage starts to differentiate at the age of 20 days and becomes well defined and differentiated into four layers at the age of 80 days. In adult articular cartilage, the junction between the third and fourth layers termed the tide-mark. The amount and density of the collagen fibers increased with age. They were parallel to the articular surface at the first layer and prependicular to it otherwise. The reaction for polysaccharides is negative in immature cartilage and becomes highly positive in the advancing ages. In immature stage a high metachromosia allover the cartilage was fund. Less intense metachromasia was seen as the age increase. In mature stage metachromasia was negative in the first and fourth layer and positive in the second and third layers