The anatomical record : advances in integrative anatomy and evolutionary biology
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Mummification leads to alteration of soft-tissue morphology. No research has focused specifically on differences in soft-tissue shrinkage depending on mummification type. This study evaluated whether soft-tissue alteration is dependent on type of mummification. ⋯ Variation between different anatomical structures (e.g., upper lip vs. mid-femur) is significant, unlike variation within one compartment (e.g., proximal vs. distal humerus). Mummification type strongly affects the degree of soft-tissue alteration, surprisingly mostly independent of overall historical age. These results highlight the unique morphological impact of taphonomy on soft-tissue preservation and are of particular interest in tissue research as well as in forensics.
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Computed tomography scanning of mummies has been conducted for almost 40 years, and has become an increasingly popular method of mummy study in the 21st century. However, most CT scan analyses published today still do little more than praise the technique's non-destructive, non-invasive properties. ⋯ Because of this, there is very limited information available for clear interpretation of mummy CT's. This article presents a critical assessment of the development of mummy CT scanning and presents the results of two Egyptian mummies CT'ed at the Penn Museum as an example of the potentials and pitfalls of high-resolution scanning.
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Terahertz imaging modalities of ancient Egyptian mummified objects and of a naturally mummified rat.
During the last few years, terahertz (THz) imaging has been used to investigate artwork and historic artifacts. The application of THz imaging to mummy investigations is very attractive since it provides spectroscopic information over a broad frequency range and its radiation has proven to be harmless to human cells. However, compared with the current standard imaging methods in mummy imaging-X-ray and computed tomography (CT)--it remains a novel, emerging technique whose potential still needs to be fully evaluated. ⋯ While the broadband THz time domain setup permits analyses of smaller samples, the electronic THz scanner allows the recording of data of thicker and larger samples at the expense of a limited spectral bandwidth. Terahertz imaging shows clear potential for mummy investigations, although currently CT imaging offers much higher spatial resolution. Furthermore, as commercial mobile THz scanners become available, THz imaging could be applied directly in museums or at excavation sites.
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The NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays an important role in a variety of diseases. However, the role of NLRP3 in the human intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration remains unknown. In the present study, we assessed the expression levels of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream targets caspase-1 and IL-1β in 45 degenerate and seven nondegenerate IVD samples. ⋯ There was a positive correlation between the degeneration scores and the expression levels of the NLRP3 inflammasome as well as its downstream targets caspase-1 and IL-1β. The findings suggest that excessive activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome results in overproduction of downstream IL-1β, which participates in the pathogenesis of human IVD degeneration. Therefore, the NLRP3 inflammasome might serve as a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of IVD degeneration.
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In medicine, the neuroanatomy of the oculomotor (III), trochlear (IV), and abducens nerves (VI) is learned essentially by cadaver dissection, histological specimens, and MRI. However, these methods have many limitations and it is necessary to compensate for the insufficiencies of previous methods. The aim of this research was to present sectioned images and surface models that allow the whole courses of III, IV, and VI and circumjacent structures to be observed in detail. ⋯ In addition, the surface models allowed the stereoscopic shapes and positions of III, IV, and VI to be comprehended. The sectioned images and surface models could be applied for medical education purposes or training tools. All data generated during this study is available free of charge at anatomy.dongguk.ac.kr/cn/.