Morphology and Position of the Right Atrioventricular Valve in Relation to Right Atrial Structures.

The right atrioventricular valve (RAV) is an important anatomical structure that prevents blood backflow from the right ventricle to the right atrium. The complex anatomy of the RAV has lowered the success rate of surgical and transcatheter procedures performed within the area. The aim of this study was to describe the morphology of the RAV and determine its spatial position in relation to selected structures of the right atrium. We examined 200 randomly selected human adult hearts. All leaflets and commissures were identified and measured. The position of the RAV was defined. Notably, 3-leaflet configurations were present in 67.0% of cases, whereas 4-leaflet configurations were present in 33.0%. Septal and mural leaflets were both significantly shorter and higher in 4-leaflet than in 3-leaflet RAVs. Significant domination of the muro-septal commissure in 3-leflet valves was noted. The supero-septal commissure was the most stable point within RAV circumference. In 3-leaflet valves, the muro-septal commissure was placed within the cavo-tricuspid isthmus area in 52.2% of cases, followed by the right atrial appendage vestibule region (20.9%). In 4-leaflet RAVs, the infero-septal commissure was located predominantly in the cavo-tricuspid isthmus area and infero-mural commissure was always located within the right atrial appendage vestibule region. The RAV is a highly variable structure. The supero-septal part of the RAV is the least variable component, whereas the infero-mural is the most variable. The number of detected RAV leaflets significantly influences the relative position of individual valve components in relation to right atrial structures.

Pretreatment with obestatin inhibits the development of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats.

INTRODUCTION: Obestatin is a 23-amino acid peptide derived from proghrelin, a common prohormone for ghrelin and obestatin. Previous studies have shown that obestatin exhibits some protective and therapeutic effects in the pancreas and stomach. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of pretreatment with obestatin on the development of acetic acid-induced colitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Studies were performed on Wistar rats. Before induction of colitis, rats were treated intraperitoneally with saline or obestatin, administered twice at a dose of 4, 8 or 16 nmol/kg/dose. The first dose of saline or obestatin was administered 8 h before the induction of colitis, the second one 7 h after the first dose. Colitis was induced by enema with 1 ml of 4% acetic acid solution. The severity of colitis was assessed 1 or 24 h after administration of enema. RESULTS: Pretreatment with obestatin administered at a dose of 8 or 16 nmol/kg/dose significantly reduced the area of mucosal damage evoked by enema with acetic acid (p < 0.05). This effect was accompanied by an improvement of mucosal blood flow and DNA synthesis in the colon. Moreover, obestatin administered at a dose of 8 or 16 nmol/kg/dose significantly reduced mucosal concentration of IL-1ß and activity of myeloperoxidase (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with obestatin exhibited a protective effect in the colon, leading to a reduction of colonic damage in acetic acid-induced colitis. This effect was associated with an improvement of mucosal blood flow, an increase in mucosal cell proliferation, and a decrease in local inflammation.

Serum Uromodulin Levels in Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury in the Early Phase of Acute Pancreatitis.

In health, uromodulin is the main protein of urine. Serum uromodulin concentrations (sUMOD) have been shown to correlate with kidney function. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is among the main complications of severe acute pancreatitis (AP). No reports exist on sUMOD in patients with AP, including the diagnostic usefulness for early prediction of AP severity. We measured sUMOD during first 72 h of AP. Sixty-six adult patients with AP were recruited at the surgical ward of the District Hospital in Sucha Beskidzka, Poland. AP was diagnosed according to the Revised Atlanta Classification. Blood samples were collected at 24, 48 and 72 h of AP, and sUMOD concentrations were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent test. sUMOD decreased non-significantly during the study. Patients with severe AP had non-significantly lower sUMOD concentrations than those with mild disease. Significant positive correlation was observed between sUMOD and estimated glomerular filtration rate on each day of the study and negative correlations were shown between sUMOD and age, serum creatinine, cystatin C and urea. Patients with AKI tended to have lower sUMOD. Although sUMOD correlated significantly with kidney function in the early phase of AP, measuring sUMOD did not allow to reliably predict AP severity or development of AKI.

The Diagnostic Usefulness of Serum Total Bile Acid Concentrations in the Early Phase of Acute Pancreatitis of Varied Etiologies.

The most common causes of acute pancreatitis (AP) are biliary tract diseases with cholestasis and alcohol consumption. In 10%-15% of patients, etiology determination is difficult. Identification of the etiology allows for the implementation of adequate treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the serum concentrations of total bile acids (TBA) to diagnose AP etiology in the early phase of the disease. We included 66 patients with AP, admitted within the first 24 h from the onset of symptoms. TBA were measured in serum at 24, 48, and 72 h from the onset of AP, using an automated fifth generation assay. The bilirubin-to-TBA ratio (B/TBA) was calculated. TBA was highest on the first day of AP and decreased subsequently. In patients with biliary etiology, serum TBA was significantly higher compared to those with alcoholic and other etiologies. B/TBA was significantly higher in patients with alcoholic etiology. At admission, the cut-off values of 4.7 µmol/L for TBA and 4.22 for the B/TBA ratio allowed for a differentiation between biliary and other etiologies of AP with a diagnostic accuracy of 85 and 83%. Both TBA and B/TBA may help in the diagnosis of AP etiology in the early phase of AP.

Exogenous Ghrelin Accelerates the Healing of Acetic Acid-Induced Colitis in Rats.

Previous studies have shown that ghrelin reduces colonic inflammation induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid and dextran sodium sulfate. In the present study we determined the effect of treatment with ghrelin on the course of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Rectal administration of 3% acetic acid solution led to induction of colitis in all animals. Damage of the colonic wall was accompanied by an increase in mucosal concentration of pro-inflammatory interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well mucosal activity of myeloperoxidase. Moreover, induction of colitis led to a reduction in colonic blood flow and DNA synthesis. Administration of ghrelin after induction of colitis led to faster regeneration of the colonic wall and reduction in colonic levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α, and myeloperoxidase. In addition, treatment with ghrelin improved mucosal DNA synthesis and blood flow. Our study disclosed that ghrelin exhibits a strong anti-inflammatory and healing effect in acetic acid-induced colitis. Our current observation in association with previous findings that ghrelin exhibits curative effect in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid- and dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis suggest that therapeutic effect of ghrelin in the colon is universal and independent of the primary cause of colitis.

Obestatin Accelerates the Healing of Acetic Acid-Induced Colitis in Rats.

Obestatin, a 23-amino acid peptide derived from the proghrelin, has been shown to exhibit some protective and therapeutic effects in the gut. The aim of present study was to determine the effect of obestatin administration on the course of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Materials and Methods. Studies have been performed on male Wistar rats. Colitis was induced by a rectal enema with 3.5% acetic acid solution. Obestatin was administered intraperitoneally twice a day at a dose of 8 nmol/kg, starting 24 h after the induction of colitis. Seven or 14 days after the induction of colitis, the healing rate of the colon was evaluated. Results. Treatment with obestatin after induction of colitis accelerated the healing of colonic wall damage and this effect was associated with a decrease in the colitis-evoked increase in mucosal activity of myeloperoxidase and content of interleukin-1ß. Moreover, obestatin administration significantly reversed the colitis-evoked decrease in mucosal blood flow and DNA synthesis. Conclusion. Administration of exogenous obestatin exhibits therapeutic effects in the course of acetic acid-induced colitis and this effect is related, at least in part, to the obestatin-evoked anti-inflammatory effect, an improvement of local blood flow, and an increase in cell proliferation in colonic mucosa.

The Influence of Ghrelin on the Development of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Rats.

Ghrelin has protective and therapeutic effects in the gut. The aim of present studies was to investigate the effect of treatment with ghrelin on the development of colitis evoked by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Methods. Studies have been performed on rats. Colitis was induced by adding 5% DSS to the drinking water for 5 days. During this period animals were treated intraperitoneally twice a day with saline or ghrelin given at the dose of 8 nmol/kg/dose. On the sixth day, animals were anesthetized and the severity of colitis was assessed. Results. Treatment with ghrelin during administration of DSS reduced the development of colitis. Morphological features of colonic mucosa exhibited a reduction in the area and deep of mucosal damage. Ghrelin reversed the colitis-induced decrease in blood flow, DNA synthesis, and superoxide dismutase activity in colonic mucosa. These effects were accompanied by a decrease in the colitis-evoked increase in mucosal concentration of interleukin-1ß and malondialdehyde. Treatment with ghrelin reversed the DSS-induced reduction in body weight gain. Conclusions. Administration of ghrelin exhibits the preventive effect against the development of DSS-induced colitis. This effect seems to be related to ghrelin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties.

Morphology of tributaries of coronary sinus in humans - corrosion casting study.

The study was carried out on 80 human hearts obtained during autopsies. The vascular beds were filled with synthetic resin and next corroded. In all 80 hearts we have been found both: great, middle and small cardiac veins. In two out of 80 hearts we did not find oblique vein of the left atrium. Posterior vein of the left ventricle was double in four hearts. Right marginal vein was found in 5 hearts, left marginal vein was seen in 9 hearts. We also compared the dimensions of all of the above mentioned tributaries of the coronary sinus.

Topography of ulnar nerve and its variations with special respect to carpal region.

Ulnar nerve supplies small muscles of the hand and apart from the median nerve is the main coordinator of precise movements performed both in the medical and dental practice. Based on their anatomical and clinical experience, authors revised a knowledge on this nerve with special respect to its topography, variation in the wrist.

Blood supply of human uterine cervix - a SEM study.

AIM: The main goal of this study was assessment of vascular structure of human uterine cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on 25 human uteri of females aged 25-45, collected upon autopsy. Vessels were injected with synthetic resin, next corroded and coated with gold, finally observed using scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: On a sagittal section we have distinguished several zones in the vascular picture of the uterine cervix consisted of differently arranged veins, arteries, arterioles and capillaries. Due to technical reasons we were unable to receive a picture of vascular composition of cervical uterine canal on transverse section. CONCLUSIONS: Scanning elector microscopy is a method which might be applied to study the structure of human uterine cervix.

Carpal tunnel syndrome - anatomical and clinical correlations.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed. Common symptoms of CTS involve the hand and result from compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. In general, CTS develops when the tissues around the median nerve irritate or compress on the nerve along its course through the carpal tunnel, however often it is very difficult to determine cause of CTS. Proper treatment (conservative or surgical) usually can relieve the symptoms and restore normal use of the wrist and hand.

Morphology of a 19th century adult male skull with non-treated hydrocephalus - a case report.

This report presents the craniofacial morphology of a skull afflicted with hydrocephalus, belonging to an adult male who lived in the 19th century in Vienna. The volume of the skull (2022 cm3) exceeds normal capacity of a male skull which is estimated to be 1500 cm3. Diameters of the neurocranium and head circumference of the specimen differ significantly from normative values, while the facial diameters remain in normal range of variation. Characteristic features of the investigated skull are numerous accessory bones and sutures of the neurocranium. Overall the morphology of the cranial bones suggests that the male suffered from congenital hydrocephalus.

Do anthropometric measurements of the hand impact the histological structure of the human median nerve at the level of the carpal tunnel?

INTRODUCTION: The literature lacks data on the histological structure of the median nerve on the level of the carpal tunnel, and its possible correlations with the anthropometric measurements of the hand. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the anthropometric measurements of human cadaver hands and their median nerves histological structure and whether a correlation existed between these two. MATERIAL & METHODS: This study has been conducted using cadavers stored in a 10% solution of formaldehyde at the Department of Anatomy of the Jagiellonian University Medical College (JUMC) and cadavers from the Department of Forensic Medicine JUMC. Before dissection anthropometric measurements were carried out. After dissection the median nerves were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and histological slides were prepared. These were later photographed (16 x magnification) and analysed using ImageJ software. RESULTS: The studied group comprised 8 women and 22 men (age between 23-92 years). Anthropometric measurements comparison by gender revealed statistically significantly larger CR-CU, MR-MU and TS-ID distances in men then in women. When comparing sides, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the right median nerve (0.216 +/- 0.06 cm2) was statistically significantly larger (p = 0.017) then the CSA of the left median nerve (0.173 +/- 0.05 cm2). No correlation was noted between the anthropometric and histological measurements obtained in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Anthropometric measurements of the hand do not impact the histological structure of the human median nerve at the level of the carpal tunnel. Nerve bundles of the median nerve, at the level of the carpal tunnel, display no particular type of arrangement.