Anatomical Shape Research Articles

Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Central Nervous System Disorders.

The central nervous system (CNS) constitutes a tightly regulated milieu, where immune responses are strictly controlled to prevent neurological damage. This poses considerable challenges to the therapeutic management of CNS pathologies, such as autoimmune disorders and cancer. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are ectopic, lymph node-like structures containing B- and T-cells, often associated with chronic inflammation or cancer, which have been shown to be detrimental in autoimmunity but beneficial in cancer. In-depth studies of TLS induction in CNS disorders, as well as their precise role in regulating adaptive immune responses in this context, will be paramount to the development of novel TLS-targeting therapies. In the present chapter, we review the anatomical and physiological peculiarities shaping TLS formation in the CNS, their relevance in autoimmunity and cancer, as well as their implications for the development of novel therapeutic modalities for these patients.

Suturing techniques

The act of suturing wounds on the skin has been done for thousands of years. Closing dead space, supporting and strengthening wounds until healing increases their tensile strength, approximating skin edges for an esthetically pleasing and functional result, and minimizing the risks of bleeding and infection remain the primary goals of suture techniques, even though suture materials and techniques have changed. A well-planned closure or flap may have its post-operative appearance jeopardized if the wrong suture technique is used or if the procedure is not performed well. On the other hand, poor surgical skills cannot entirely be made up for by careful suturing. Poor incision placement with respect to relaxed skin tension lines, excessive removal of tissue, or inadequate undermining may limit the surgeon’s options in wound closure and suture placement. Gentle handling of the tissue is also important to optimize wound healing. The choice of suture technique depends on the type and anatomic location of the wound, thickness of the skin, degree of tension, and desired cosmetic result. Proper placement of sutures enhances the precise approximation of the wound edges, which helps minimize and redistribute skin tension. Wound eversion is essential to maximize the likelihood of good epidermal approximation. Eversion is desirable to minimize the risk of scar depression secondary to tissue contraction during healing. Usually, inversion is not desirable, and it probably does not decrease the risk of hypertrophic scarring in an individual with a propensity for hypertrophic scars. To maximize the esthetic and functional outcomes, dead space must be removed, natural anatomic shapes must be restored, and stitch marks must be minimized. This page describes the methods for placing sutures for different kinds of stitches, goes over why certain suture techniques are better than others and goes over the benefits and drawbacks of each suture technique. For the best possible closure of a wound, multiple suture techniques are frequently required. After reading this article, the reader ought to comprehend the basic techniques for inserting each type of suture as well as how and why specific sutures are selected.

Impact of cochlear detailed morphology on insertion results and intracochlear trauma of a slim pre-curved electrode array: a micro-CT study.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of detailed cochlear dimensions, assessed using micro-CT (µCT) imaging, on insertion outcomes and associated trauma with a new slim, precurved electrode array. Eleven temporal bone specimens underwent implantation of a 22-electrode slim precurved array via the round window. High-resolution µCT scans post-implantation enabled visualization of cochlear structures and electrode positioning. Combination with subsequent scans taken after electrodes removal, we analyzed angular insertion depth (AID), insertion length, number of electrodes inserted, cochlear dimensions (specifically cochlear duct length (CDL), basal turn diameter, scala tympani dimension), and intracochlear trauma of fine structures. Statistical analyses were performed to correlate cochlear detailed dimensions and morphology with insertion outcomes and trauma. The mean AID was 351.82°, and the mean insertion length was 21.07mm. CDL showed positive correlations with AID and insertion length. Basal turn diameter (value B) positively correlated with AID and insertion length, unlike value A. Middle-basal turn (M/B) relationships (angle and height) significantly influenced insertion depth. The cochleae with smaller M/B heights and specific angles were more susceptible to insertion trauma. Larger basal turn diameters correlated with increased trauma and electrode translocation into the scala vestibuli. This study highlights the importance of precise cochlear measurements in predicting and optimizing cochlear implant outcomes. Specific cochlear dimensions and anatomical shapes were identified as critical factors affecting insertion depth, trauma risk, and electrode positioning. Utilizing micro-CT provided detailed insights into cochlear anatomy and insertion outcomes, offering valuable data for advancing cochlear implant technology and surgical practices.

Population-based in silico modeling of anatomical shape variation of the knee and its impact on joint loading in knee osteoarthritis.

Anatomical knee joint features and osteoarthritis (OA) severity are associated, however confirming causals link to altered knee loading is challenging. This study leverages statistical shape models (SSM) to investigate the relationship between joint shape/alignment and knee loading during gait in knee OA(KOA) patients to understand their contribution to elevated medial knee loading in OA. Musculoskeletal (MSK) models were created for the mean as well as the first eightSSM principal modes of variation (-3,-2,-1, +1, +2, +3 standard deviations for each mode) and used as input to a MSK modeling framework. Using an identical KOA gait pattern (i.e., joint kinematics and ground reaction forces), we ran simulations for each MSK model and evaluated medial compartment loading magnitude and contact distribution at the instant of first and second peak of knee joint loading. An increase in external rotation, posterior tibia translation and a decrease in medial joint space and medial femoral condylar size predisposed the medial compartment knee joint to overloading during gait. This was coupled with an anterior and medial shift in contact location with increasing external rotated tibial position and increasing posterior tibial translation with respect to the femur. Next, results also highlighted a posterior shift of the medial compartment loading location with decreasing medial joint space. This study provides important population-based insights on how knee shape and alignment predispose individuals with KOA to elevated medial compartmental knee loading. This information can be crucial in assessing the risk for medial KOA development and progression.

Plug-and-play segment anything model improves nnUNet performance.

The automatic segmentation of medical images has widespread applications in modern clinical workflows. The Segment Anything Model (SAM), a recent development of foundational models in computer vision, has become a universal tool for image segmentation without the need for specific domain training. However, SAM's reliance on prompts necessitates human-computer interaction during the inference process. Its performance on specific domains can also be limited without additional adaptation. In contrast, traditional models like nnUNet are designed to perform segmentation tasks automatically during inference and can work well for each specific domain, but they require extensive training on domain-specificdatasets. To leverage the advantages of both foundational and domain-specific models and achieve fully automated segmentation with limited training samples, we propose nnSAM, which combines the robust feature extraction capabilities of SAM with the automatic configuration abilities of nnUNet to enhance the accuracy and robustness of medical image segmentation on smalldatasets. We propose the nnSAM model for small sample medical image segmentation. We made optimizations for this goal via two main approaches: first, we integrated the feature extraction capabilities of SAM with the automatic configuration advantages of nnUNet, which enables robust feature extraction and domain-specific adaptation on small datasets. Second, during the training process, we designed a boundary shape supervision loss based on level set functions and curvature calculations, enabling the model to learn anatomical shape priors from limited annotationdata. We conducted quantitative and qualitative assessments on the performance of our proposed method on four segmentation tasks: brain white matter, liver, lung, and heart segmentation. Our method achieved the best performance across all tasks. Specifically, in brain white matter segmentation using 20 training samples, nnSAM achieved the highest DICE score of 82.77 ( 10.12) % and the lowest average surface distance (ASD) of 1.14 ( 1.03) mm, compared to nnUNet, which had a DICE score of 79.25 ( 17.24) % and an ASD of 1.36 ( 1.63) mm. A sample size study shows that the advantage of nnSAM becomes more prominent under fewer trainingsamples. A comprehensive evaluation of multiple small-sample segmentation tasks demonstrates significant improvements in segmentation performance by nnSAM, highlighting the vast potential of small-samplelearning.

Parametry akustyczne ochronników słuchu i metody ich pomiaru

Acoustic parameters of hearing protectors and methods of their measurement The article presents how the basic parameter of hearing protectors, i.e. sound attenuation, is determined using a method based on the active participation of people (subjective method). In addition, objective methods for measuring acoustic parameters of hearing protectors, such as insertion loss, based on the use of miniature microphones and acoustic test fixture are described. The results of measurements of sound pressure level under hearing protectors carried out using an acoustic test fixture reproducing anatomical shape of a human head (including concha and ear canal), used as a standard for measuring acoustic parameters of hearing protectors in impulse noise situations are also presented. These measurements were carried out to verify the possibility of using this acoustic test fixture, to measure the sound pressure level reaching under the hearing protectors in the case of continuous noise. The tests showed that in the case of measurements with microphones that are standard equipment of the acoustic test fixture, dedicated to impulse noise, the use of these microphones is limited to high-level continuous signals. Microphones that are optional equipment on the acoustic test fixture were a more suitable solution for the intended purpose.

Of the article: evaluation of the masticatory efficiency of children with stainless steel crowns: a pilot cross-sectional split-mouth study

BackgroundStainless steel crowns (SSCs) are commonly employed to restore the posterior teeth of children and over the years, they are available with improved anatomical shapes. This study was conducted to evaluate and assess the effect of the placement of SSCs on the masticatory efficiency of children.MethodsThis pilot cross-sectional split-mouth study assessed masticatory efficiency in children aged 6–11 years. Fifteen participants, each with stainless-steel crowns placed unilaterally at least one month prior, were included. This study utilized two flavours of trident chewing gum (red and green) to measure masticatory efficiency. The child was asked to chew half a strip of red and green chewing gum placed one on top of the other using either the noncrown or crown side 15 times. Another set of chewing gum was given to the child to chew 20 times on the same side. The chewing exercise was repeated using teeth on the other side. Chewed gum samples were collected, photographed, and analysed via ImageJ software to determine the red and green areas. Masticatory efficiency was subsequently calculated with the help of a formula in which the red areas and green areas were calculated via ImageJ software. The data were analysed with paired t tests via SPSS (version 20.0).ResultsWhen the mean values of the crown side were compared with those of the noncrown side following 15 chewing cycles, the chewing efficiency on the noncrown side was greater, with a difference of 0.303, whereas the chewing efficiency following 20 chewing cycles was greater on the crown side, with a difference of 0.814. However, both differences were statistically nonsignificant, with t values of -0.07 and 0.26, respectively, and p values of 0.94 and 0.8, respectively.ConclusionThe presence of SSCs on the molars of children did not affect masticatory efficiency.

3D Printing for Traumatic Orthopedics: A Review of Current Trends and Opportunities

Three-dimensional (3D) printing enables the fabrication of functional scaffolding structures, prototypes, and implants with complex geometries suitable for various biomedical applications. As 3D printing continues to grow, there has been an increasing trend in reshaping the future of biomedical implants and prototypes in orthopedics, particularly in traumatic orthopedics. For example, 3D printing can be employed to create customized implant guides and prostheses to match the anatomical shape and structure of the defective part of the patient and resolve issues associated with clinical treatment. In addition, 3D printing can be used to print patient-specific prototypes, which is helpful for physicians to have a better 3D Printing for Traumatic Orthopedics: understanding of the anatomy and pAreRoepveierawtivoef Cduiarrgennot sTirsenodfsthaneddOepfepcotrttuonibtieesfixed. Keeping these points in viHewan, tehtisal. article reviews current trends and opportunities for 3D printing in traumatic orthopedics.

The Hox-based positional memory in muscle stem cells.

The skeletal muscle is a contractile tissue distributed throughout the body with various anatomical sizes, shapes and functions. In pathological conditions, such as muscular dystrophy, age-related sarcopenia and cancer cachexia, skeletal muscles are not uniformly affected throughout the body. This region-specific vulnerability cannot be fully explained by known physiological classifications, including muscle fiber types. Accumulating evidence indicates that the expression patterns of topographic homeobox (Hox) genes provide a molecular signature of positional memory, reflecting the anatomical locations and embryonic history of muscles and their associated muscle stem cells in adult mice and humans. Hox-based positional memory is not merely a remnant of embryonic development but is expected to be an intrinsic determinant controlling muscle function because recent studies have shown that aberrant Hox genes affect muscle stem cells. In this review, we discuss the concept of Hox-based positional memory, which may offer a new perspective on the region-specific pathophysiology of muscle disorders.

Visualization of the infratemporal fossa: enhancing anatomical learning through three-dimensional modeling.

The infratemporal fossa and pterygopalatine fossa are critical pathways for blood vessels and nerves leading to the orbit, nasal cavity, and oral cavity. Anatomical observation of these areas is challenging for learners due to their complex connections with surrounding structures and their deep location within the body. Since it is not easy to understand this area in three dimensions with only textbook images, there is a need to produce three-dimensional (3D) content. Most existing 3D data have reconstructed the digital imaging and communication in medicine files from computed tomography images with high accuracy; however, the surrounding structures often obstruct the view. For this reason, this project utilized Cinema4D (R18; Maxon) software to refine the modeled bones and to create 3D models of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves that accurately represent their anatomical shapes and pathways. To facilitate easier access for learners via PC, the content was converted into PDF format. This enables the educational materials to be more easily viewed and the main structures more clearly observed using a computer-based viewer.

Fabricating vascularized, anatomically accurate bone grafts using 3D bioprinted sectional bone modules, in-situ angiogenesis, BMP-2 controlled release, and bioassembly

Bone grafting is the most common treatment for repairing bone defects. However, current bone grafting methods have several drawbacks. Bone tissue engineering emerges as a promising solution to these problems. An ideal engineered bone graft should exhibit high mechanical strength, osteogenic properties, and pre-vascularization. Both top-down (using bulk scaffold) and bottom-up (using granular modules) approaches face challenges in fulfilling these requirements. In this paper, we propose a novel sectional modular bone approach to construct osteogenic, pre-vascularized bone grafts in anatomical shapes. We 3D-printed a series of rigid, thin, sectional, porous scaffolds from a biodegradable polymer, tailored to the dimensions of a femur bone shaft. These thin sectional modules promote efficient nutrition and waste removal due to a shorter diffusion distance. The modules were pre-vascularized viain-situangiogenesis, achieved through endothelial cell sprouting from the scaffold struts. Angiogenesis was further enhanced through co-culture with bioprinted fibroblast microtissues, which secreted pre-angiogenic growth factors. Sectional modules were assembled around a porous rod incorporated with Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2), which released over 3 weeks, demonstrating sustained osteogenic activity. The assembled scaffold, in the anatomical shape of a human femur shaft, was pre-vascularized, osteogenic, and possessed high mechanical strength, supporting 12 times the average body weight. The feasibility of implanting the assembled bone graft was demonstrated using a 3D-printed femur bone defect model. Our method provides a novel modular engineering approach for regenerating tissues that require high mechanical strength and vascularization.

Domain adaptation using AdaBN and AdaIN for high-resolution IVD mesh reconstruction from clinical MRI.

Deep learning has firmly established its dominance in medical imaging applications. However, careful consideration must be exercised when transitioning a trained source model to adapt to an entirely distinct environment that deviates significantly from the training set. The majority of the efforts to mitigate this issue have predominantly focused on classification and segmentation tasks. In this work, we perform a domain adaptation of a trained source model to reconstruct high-resolution intervertebral disc meshes from low-resolution MRI. To address the outlined challenges, we use MRI2Mesh as the shape reconstruction network. It incorporates three major modules: image encoder, mesh deformation, and cross-level feature fusion. This feature fusion module is used to encapsulate local and global disc features. We evaluate two major domain adaptation techniques: adaptive batch normalization (AdaBN) and adaptive instance normalization (AdaIN) for the task of shape reconstruction. Experiments conducted on distinct datasets, including data from different populations, machines, and test sites demonstrate the effectiveness of MRI2Mesh for domain adaptation. MRI2Mesh achieved up to a 14% decrease in Hausdorff distance (HD) and a 19% decrease in the point-to-surface (P2S) metric for both AdaBN and AdaIN experiments, indicating improved performance. MRI2Mesh has demonstrated consistent superiority to the state-of-the-art Voxel2Mesh network across a diverse range of datasets, populations, and scanning protocols, highlighting its versatility. Additionally, AdaBN has emerged as a robust method compared to the AdaIN technique. Further experiments show that MRI2Mesh, when combined with AdaBN, holds immense promise for enhancing the precision of anatomical shape reconstruction in domain adaptation.

Measurement and observation of the first web space based on morphology and clinical applications

PurposeTo describe and evaluate the anatomical skin shape of the first web space in cadavers, and to guide flap design for this area. Methods12 cadavers (24 hands on both sides) were selected. Marker points were chosen based on the characteristics of the first web for morphological measurement and observation. The morphological characteristics of the first web under the radial or palmar abduction position of the thumb were measured and compared. The best morphologic feature and parameters of the first web repairing flap were obtained. ResultsWhen the thumb is in the palmar abduction position, the maximum distance a(p) is 6.78±0.72cm, and the skin area s(p) is 20.09±2.63cm2, both of which are significantly greater than the distance a(r) of 5.86±0.74cm and the skin area s(r) of 17.39±2.15cm2 when the thumb is in the radial abduction position (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the length b(r) and b(p) of the long axis of the flap between two different abduction positions (P>0.05). It is found that the shape of the first web area is not a symmetrical spindle, but an irregular quadrilateral inclined to the index finger side. ConclusionThe flap design and measurement for the first web space covering should take the maximum palmar abduction position of the thumb as a reference. The asymmetric quadrilateral flap design is more in line with the anatomical and morphological characteristics of the region.

Assessing the impact of distal femoral morphology using Citak's ratio: an independent risk factor for aseptic loosening in rotating hinge knee prosthesis.

Aseptic loosening (AL) is a frequent complication after rotating hinge knee (RHK) prosthesis. Citak's ratio has recently been developed to describe and classify distal femoral morphology into 3 groups (A, B, C). It consists in a ratio between the diameters of the femoral canal at 20cm from the knee joint line and at 2cm from the adductor tubercle. The objective of the study was to identify whether the femoral distal anatomical shape described with this ratio represents a risk factor for AL in RHK prosthesis. Retrospective study of patients who had undergone primary or revision RHK prosthesis, with a follow-up of minimum 4 years. Citak's ratio was calculated, and patients were classified depending on its value. Univariate and bivariate statistical analysis was performed to identify AL risk factors. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analyses were conducted to examine diagnostic quality of the parameters of interest. Thirty-three patients were included. Most of them females (ratio 26:7), with a mean age of 78.2 (SD 6.9). Three patients presented AL (rate of 9%), all of them classified into group C (100%). Citak's ratio was significantly related to the AL rate (p < 0.001), and so was the femoral canal diameter at 20cm from the knee joint (p 0.010). The ROC curve analysis yielded an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.922 (CI 95% 0.819-1.000) for the Citak´s ratio. The inner femoral diameter at 20cm proximal to the knee joint line and Citak's ratio help indentify patients at risk of AL after RHK prosthesis, and thus a better planning of the surgery.

Probabilistic Finite Element Analysis of Human Rib Biomechanics: A Framework for Improved Generalizability.

In dynamic impact events, thoracic injuries often involve rib fractures, which are closely related to injury severity. Previous studies have investigated the behavior of isolated ribs under impact loading conditions, but often neglected the variability in anatomical shape and tissue material properties. In this study, we used probabilistic finite element analysis and statistical shape modeling to investigate the effect of population-wide variability in rib cortical bone tissue mechanical properties and rib shape on the biomechanical response of the rib to impact loading. Using the probabilistic finite element analysis results, a response surface model was generated to rapidly investigate the biomechanical response of an isolated rib under dynamic anterior-posterior load given the variability in rib morphometry and tissue material properties. The response surface was used to generate pre-fracture force-displacement computational corridors for the overall population and a population sub-group of older mid-sized males. When compared to the experimental data, the computational mean response had a RMSE of 4.28N (peak force 94N) and 6.11N (peak force 116N) for the overall population and sub-group respectively, whereas the normalized area metric when comparing the experimental and computational corridors ranged from 3.32% to 22.65% for the population and 10.90% to 32.81% for the sub-group. Furthermore, probabilistic sensitivities were computed in which the contribution of uncertainty and variability of the parameters of interest was quantified. The study found that rib cortical bone elastic modulus, rib morphometry and cortical thickness are the random variables that produce the largest variability in the predicted force-displacement response. The proposed framework offers a novel approach for accounting biological variability in a representative population and has the potential to improve the generalizability of findings in biomechanical studies.

Clinical study of cervical caries treatment the effectiveness by assessing composite restorations condition

Background. Cervical caries is a fairly common teeth pathology and its treatment is carried out in complicated clinical conditions. Therefore, increasing the term of functioning of composite restorations is an urgent task. Aim. Identification of the effectiveness of a differential approach to dissection of hard dental tissues depending on the depth of enamel microcracks and implementation of professional hygiene in the treatment of cervical caries in the short- and long-term periods. Materials &amp; Methods. The study involved 50 people (average age [23.28±5.52] years) in whom cervical caries was treated in 72 teeth. All patients were divided into three equal groups based on the number of restorations according to the selected dissection technique and the chara­cteristics of professional hygiene. The dissection technique depended on the depth of the enamel microcracks in Main Group I (MG I), the dissection was carried out within the limits of clinically intact hard dental tissues in Control Group (CG) and Main Group II (MG II). The dental biofilm was removed from the vestibular surface of the teeth by the method of air-abrasive cleaning using the erythritol-based powder in MG I and MG II, the vestibular surface of the tooth was cleaned of dental deposits with a polishing paste without fluoride in CG. The quality of restorations was assessed based on the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria on the day of restoration, 6 and 12 months later. The effectiveness of the prescribed treatment was identified by the dynamic indicators of the dental pulp electroexcitability and the electrical conductivity of the enamel. Results. There were no partial or completely destroyed restorations in all terms of the observation period. Composite restorations were preserved according to the criteria of "anatomical shape" and "color matching". One year later restoration defects were absent in 61 teeth (84.72%): in MG I – in 22 (91.67%), in CG – in 19 (79.17%), in MG II – in 20 (83.33%). Recurrent caries and symptoms of hypersensitivity were not identified in MG I. A slightly greater effectiveness of the treatment was noted in MG II group in comparison with CG (by 4.16%) that confirms the importance of removing the dental biofilm before restoration by the method of air-abrasive clea­ning using erythritol. Conclusions. The analysis of the state of restorations in the long-term period showed that the dissection technique and the features of professional hygiene affected their quality before restoration. The number of high-quality composite restorations was by 10.42% more on average in MG I than in the other groups. The obtained results make it possible to recommend the proposed method for using in practical dentistry. Keywords: electroodontology, electroodontometry, microcracks.

A geometric approach to robust medical image segmentation

Robustness of deep learning segmentation models is crucial for their safe incorporation into clinical practice. However, these models can falter when faced with distributional changes. This challenge is evident in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans due to the diverse acquisition protocols across various domains, leading to differences in image characteristics such as textural appearances. We posit that the restricted anatomical differences between subjects could be harnessed to refine the latent space into a set of shape components. The learned set then aims to encompass the relevant anatomical shape variation found within the patient population.We explore this by utilising multiple MRI sequences to learn texture invariant and shape equivariant features which are used to construct a shape dictionary using vector quantisation. We investigate shape equivariance to a number of different types of groups. We hypothesise and prove that the greater the group order, i.e., the denser the constraint, the better becomes the model robustness. We achieve shape equivariance either with a contrastive based approach or by imposing equivariant constraints on the convolutional kernels. The resulting shape equivariant dictionary is then sampled to compose the segmentation output. Our method achieves state-of-the-art performance for the task of single domain generalisation for prostate and cardiac MRI segmentation. Code is available at https://github.com/AinkaranSanthi/A_Geometric_Perspective_For_Robust_Segmentation.

Alzheimer's disease diagnosis by applying Shannon entropy to Ricci flow-based surface indexing and extreme gradient boosting

Geometric surface models are extensively utilized in brain imaging to analyze and compare three-dimensional anatomical shapes. Due to the intricate nature of the brain surface, rather than examining the entire cortical surface, we are introducing a new set of signatures focused on characteristics of the hippocampal region, which is linked to aspects of Alzheimer's disease. Our approach focuses on Ricci flow as a conformal parameterization method, permitting us to calculate the conformal factor and mean curvature as conformal surface representations to identify distinct regions within a three-dimensional mesh. For the first time for such settings, we propose a simple while elegant formulation by employing the well-established concept of Shannon entropy on these well-known features. This compact while rich feature formulation turns out to lead to an efficient local surface encoding. We are validating its effectiveness through a series of preliminary experiments on 3D MRI data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), with the aim of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The feature vectors generated and inputted into the XGBoost classifier demonstrate a remarkable level of accuracy, further emphasizing their potential as a valuable additional measure for surface-based cortical morphometry in Alzheimer's disease research.

Evaluation of Sella Turcica Variations in Lateral Cephalometric Radiographs and its Association with Malocclusion.

Understanding the shape and size of the sella turcica may help predict future orthodontic treatment needs related to skeletal malocclusion. This study aims to assess different morphological types of the sella turcica in lateral cephalometric radiographs and its correlation with malocclusion, as well as the relationship between gender and linear measurements of sella turcica. The lateral cephalometric radiographs of 410 volunteers (111 men and 299 women) aged 8 to 30 years were evaluated. The patients were divided into three groups based on their skeletal growth patterns (cl I, II, and III). Then the anatomical shape and linear dimensions of sella turcica were assessed. Measurements were made using Adobe Photoshop Version: 20.0.0 software, and data analysis was performed by IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. The following morphologies were observed: normal (37.8%), oblique anterior wall (9.3%), double contour of the floor (21.5%), sella turcica bridge (8.8%), irregularity (notching) in the posterior part of sella turcica (16.6%), and pyramidal shape of the dorsum sellae (6.1%). No statistically significant relationship was found between sella turcica variations and skeletal malocclusion. The correlation between female sex with the diameter (p=0.027) and depth values (p=0.035) of sella turcica was statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in length based on gender. The most morphological type reported was normal sella turcica (37.8%). Anatomical variations of sella turcica had no association with malocclusion. The most considerable depth and diameter of sella turcica were found in women.

Novel Insights Into the Architecture of Macro and Microstructures in Cattle Ossa Cordis.

Ossa cordis, bones located within the heart trigones, are often classified as heterotopic or ectopic bones. Despite their high prevalence in cattle and some other bovids, little is known about their structure or development. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microtomography, gross dissections, and measurements showed the anatomical locations, prevalence, shapes, and measurements of the cardiac bones in both Egyptian Baladi cattle and Holstein-Friesians. All cattle (n = 12) had an Ossa cordis dextrum (average = 50.70 × 20.91 × 5.40 mm). Additionally, 80% Egyptian Baladi and 57% Holstein-Friesian had a smaller Ossa cordis sinistrum (average = 24.94 × 12.75 × 4.12 mm). Egyptian Baladi Ossa cordis were smaller than observed in Holstein-Friesians. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed the elemental constitution (carbon, oxygen, calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, and magnesium) of Ossa cordis and Cartilago cordis. These imaging techniques, plus four histological stains (hematoxylin and eosin, Crossman's trichrome, Alcian blue with Van Gieson, and Sirius Red) and microscopy, demonstrated osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, astrocytes, blood vessels, bone marrow, lamellar and woven bone, cortical bone, trabeculations with pores and canaliculi, and fibrous components including collagen in the Ossa cordis dextrum and sinistrum. Hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage (chondrocytes and cartilage matrix) were found within and surrounding the Ossa cordis. These findings were additionally compared against other cattle breeds and species.