A low-cost system to acquire 3D surface data from anatomical samples

The technology of optical 3D imaging sensors or 3D scanners (laser and structured light sensors) has become widely available over the last few years. A wider diffusion of this technique in anatomical laboratories could lead to a revolution in the field of anatomy: cadaver dissections could be easily documented in 3D, and specimens stored in museums could be easily scanned and the 3D models shared. In the present article, a simple, versatile, economical and widespread 3D scanner, the Kinect sensor, is validated to show its potential use for 3D scanning of anatomical specimens. The comparison of 3D models of anatomical specimens (a collection of skulls) with the respective 2D photographs showed that 3D models were superior to the photographs, the latter being affected by some distortions due to perspective. Moreover, the 3D models allowed for measuring angles, distances, circumferences between every part of the model, or measuring volumes and surfaces, which, of course, were not available using the 2D images. Due to the low cost of this system, its simplicity of use and its widespread availability, it is desirable that in the future, anatomical specimens from museums will become more available as 3D objects. These could greatly simplify the quantitative analysis of rare specimens, such as fetal monstrosities or anatomical variations

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Exposure to submicron particles (PM1.0) from diesel exhaust and pollen allergens of human lung epithelial cells induces morphological changes of mitochondria tonifilaments and rough endoplasmic reticulum.

In recent literature, little has been said regarding the morphological changes that occur in lung cells after treatment with particles and nanoparticles. Using an in vitro model of type-II lung epithelium (A549), we studied the effects of submicron particles (PM1.0), Parietaria officinalis (ALL), and PM1.0 + ALL together. To date several biochemical effects have been described, instead few data exist in literature regarding morphological events following these treatments, in particular we focused on the morphological changes and distribution of mitochondria, tonifilaments and rough endoplasmic reticulum, using a transmission electron microscopic (TEM) approach. After exposure to PM1.0 particles (PM1.0), Parietaria officinalis as allergen, and PM1.0 with P. officinalis, changes in the cytoplasmic area were observed, such as damage to mitochondria and morphological alterations of the tonifilaments and rough endoplasmic reticulum. The data obtained strongly support the hypothesis that cells in contact with submicron particles (PM1.0), or P. officinalis, undergo alteration of their metabolism.

Preamplification procedure for the analysis of ancient DNA samples.

In ancient DNA studies the low amount of endogenous DNA represents a limiting factor that often hampers the result achievement. In this study we extracted the DNA from nine human skeletal remains of different ages found in the Byzantine cemetery of Abdera Halkidiki and in the medieval cemetery of St. Spiridion in Rhodes (Greece). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to detect in the extracts the presence of PCR inhibitors and to estimate the DNA content. As mitochondrial DNA was detected in all samples, amplification of nuclear targets, as amelogenin and the polymorphism M470V of the transmembrane conductance regulator gene, yielded positive results in one case only. In an effort to improve amplification success, we applied, for the first time in ancient DNA, a preamplification strategy based on TaqMan PreAmp Master Mix. A comparison between results obtained from nonpreamplified and preamplified samples is reported. Our data, even if preliminary, show that the TaqMan PreAmp procedure may improve the sensitivity of qPCR analysis.