Medicina
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(1) Background: The anterior cerebral artery (ACA) has a precommunicating A1 segment, followed by a postcommunicating A2 segment. Anatomically, after it sends off from the callosomarginal artery (CMA), it continues as the pericallosal artery (PCalA). A detailed pattern of the anatomical variations of the PCalA are needed for practical reasons. (2) Methods: There were 45 retrospectively documented Computed Tomography Angiograms of 32 males and 13 females. (3) Results: In 90 sides, eleven different types of PCalA were documented: type 1: normal origin, above the genu of the corpus callosum (CC) (51.11%); type 2: low origin, below the rostrum of the CC (8.88%); type 3: late origin, above the body of the CC (3.33%); type 4, initial transcallosal course (3.33%); type 5, duplicated PCalA (1.11%); type 6, azygos PCalA (2.22%); type 7, absent PCalA (CMA type of ACA) (7.78%); type 8: CMA continued as PCalA (5.56%); type 9: PCalA continued as the cingular branch (1.11%); type 10: PCalA type of ACA, absent CMA (14.44%); type 11: triple PCalA, with an added median artery of the CC (1.11%). ⋯ In 33/45 cases (73.3%), the bilateral asymmetry of the combined anatomical patterns of PCalA and CMA was documented. Additional rare variations were found: (a) huge fenestration of A2; (b) bihemispheric ACAs (6/45 cases); (c) twisted arteries within the interhemispheric fissure. (4) Conclusions: The PCalA and CMA are anatomically diverse and unpredictable. Therefore, they should be documented on a case-by-case basis before surgical or endovascular approaches.
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Which Histometric Analysis Approach Is More Reliable for Assessing Histological Bone Tissue Samples?
This study aims to evaluate the grid of Merz and ImageJ methods for histometric quantification, verifying which is more reliable and defining which is most suitable based on the time required to perform. Thirty histological samples of maxillary sinuses grafted with xenografts were evaluated using an optical light microscope attached to an image capture camera and connected to a microcomputer. The images were digitalized and recorded as a TIFF image, and the new bone formation was evaluated using the grid of Merz and ImageJ. ⋯ The mean value for the quantification analysis timing for the grid of Merz was 194.9 ± 72.0 s and for ImageJ was 871.7 ± 264.4, with statistical significance between the groups (p = 0.0001). The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated a concordance between the methods, due to the bias being next to the maximum concordance (-1.25) in addition to the graphic showing the scattering points next to the mean of differences and inside of limits of agreement. Thus, it was demonstrated that the grid of Merz presents reliable outcomes and advantages over the ImageJ methodology regarding the time spent to contour the areas of interest.
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We aimed to describe the use of topical ascorbic acid (AA) in a patient with reduced endothelial cells density (ECD) who was scheduled for phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) implantation. A 28-year-old woman presenting with dry eye and reduced ECD would like to have her high myopia (spherical equivalence >−15.0 D) corrected. The procedure of laser refractive surgery or even pIOL was not indicated for the reduced ECD of 1865/mm2 in the right eye and 2188/mm2 in the left eye, as well as level 3 dry eye. ⋯ Finally, bilateral pIOL implantation was performed smoothly and no sign of corneal decompensation was found postoperatively. Three months postoperatively, the ECD showed a satisfactory level of 2983/mm2 in the right eye and 3003/mm2 in the left eye. In conclusion, topical AA instillation might increase and maintain the density of central human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) even after pIOL implantation.
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Obesity is becoming more widespread, and epidemics of this condition are now considered present in all developed countries, leading to public health concerns. The dramatic increases in obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and related vascular difficulties are causing a public health crisis. Thus, it is imperative that these trends are curbed. ⋯ The epigenome indicates that there is a systematic link between genetic variants and environmental factors that put people at risk of obesity. The present review focuses on the epigenetic mechanism linked with obesity-associated T2DM. Although the utilization of epigenetic treatments has been discussed with reference to certain cancers, several challenges remain to be addressed for T2DM.
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Background and Objectives: The study aimed to establish the threshold values and prevalence of sarcopenia and to investigate the association of sarcopenia with metabolic syndrome in an urban Korean population. Materials and Methods: The study included 300,090 adults who underwent anthropometric analyses by bioelectrical impedance analyzer. Sarcopenia was defined as: (1) class I, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) within −1 to −2 standard deviations (SDs); (2) or class II, <−2 SD of SMI in a young population. ⋯ Sarcopenia was more strongly associated with metabolic syndrome in women than men (p for interaction < 0.01). The threshold values and prevalence of sarcopenia were demonstrated in a large Korean urban population. Conclusions: This study identified that sarcopenia was associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome, showing itself to be significantly higher in women than men.