Anatomical Atlas Research Articles

Comparing the effectiveness of augmented reality and anatomical atlases in student preparation for neuroanatomy dissection

Anatomy teachers urge students to come to education sessions at the dissection rooms as well-prepared as possible. To effectuate optimal preparation, assignments are designed to guide the students’ learning processes. These assignment often include the use of anatomical figures in atlases. The role of augmented reality (AR) applications in helping students prepare for body donor-based teaching sessions at the dissection rooms remains quite elusive. Therefore, this study examines the effects of the use of an AR application compared to the use of anatomical atlases in helping students (n = 28) prepare for a neuroanatomy session at the dissection rooms with prosections. The study shows that students from both groups showed a similar improvement in anatomy test scores. The amount of experienced cognitive engagement, however, is higher in the experimental AR group. Based on these results, it can be suggested that an AR application is a valid method to help students prepare and could be an alternative to the use of anatomical atlases. Nevertheless, future studies should re-investigate this research question in larger cohorts. Also, it remains unknown whether cognitive engaged students are indeed the students who are better prepared for educational sessions at the dissection rooms.

In Vivo visualization of white matter fiber tracts in the brainstem using low flip angle double echo 3D gradient echo imaging at 3T

BackgroundWhite matter (WM) fiber tracts in the brainstem communicate with various regions in the cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord. Clinically, small lesions, malformations, or histopathological changes in the brainstem can cause severe neurological disorders. A direct and non-invasive assessment approach could bring valuable information about the intricate anatomical variations of the white matter fiber tracts and nuclei. Although tractography from diffusion tensor imaging has been commonly used to map the WM fiber tracts connectivity, it is difficult to differentiate the complex WM tracts anatomically. Both high field MRI methods and ultrahigh-field MRI methods at 7T and 11.7 T have been used to enhance the contrast of WM fiber tracts. Despite their promising results, it is still challenging to achieve wide clinical adoption at 3T. In this study, we explored a clinically feasible method using a proton density weighted (PDW) 3D gradient echo (GRE) sequence to directly image the WM fiber tracts in the brainstem at 3T in vivo. MethodsWe optimized a 3D high resolution, double echo, short TR, PDW GRE sequence on 5 healthy volunteers using a clinical 3T scanner to visualize the complicated anatomy of WM fiber tracts in the brain stem. Tissue properties including T1, proton density and T2* from in vivo quantitative MRI data were used for simulations to determine the optimal flip angle for the sequence. The visualization of multiple WM fiber tracts in the brainstem was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using relative contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). To improve the CNR, the final images were created by averaging over all echoes from two consecutive scans at the optimal flip angle. The results were compared to anatomical atlases and histology sections to identify the major fiber tracts. All the identified major fiber tracts were labeled on axial, sagittal and coronal slices. ResultsThe WM fiber tracts were found to have distinct hypointense signal throughout the brainstem and most of the major WM fiber tracts, such as the corticospinal tract, medial lemniscus, medial longitudinal fasciculus, and central tegmental tract, in the brainstem up to and including the thalamus were identified in all subjects. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations showed that the 3° scan offered the best contrast for WM fiber tracts for a TR of 20 ms. The average over the first two echo times and two consecutive 3° scans gave a CNR of 47.8 ± 6.2 for the pyramidal tracts in particular and CNRs values greater than 6.5 ± 2.4 for the rest of the fiber tracts. ConclusionsAll the major fiber tracts in the brainstem could be visualized. Given the reasonably short scan time of 10 min at 3T, double echo PDW GRE sequence is a very practical approach for clinical adoption.

Hand Musculature of the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta): An Anatomical Study

The rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) is one of the most frequently used primate species in biomedical research. As a common animal model used to study human disease, the validation of the obtained research data depends on a solid understanding of rhesus monkey anatomy. Unfortunately, the number of anatomical studies on the rhesus monkey is low. Moreover, the available anatomical books and atlases are outdated. For example, no color photographs—only line drawings—are presented. Luckily, renewed interest in rhesus monkey anatomy has been observed. The present study builds upon a recently published manuscript on the topographical anatomy of the thoracic limb of the rhesus monkey. More specifically, the musculature of the rhesus monkey hand is described using full-color anatomical photographs taken during dissections of the hands of three rhesus monkeys. The structures that are visible in the different layers, from the superficial to the deepest layer, are described using veterinary anatomical nomenclature. As expected, the anatomy of the rhesus monkey hand largely parallels human anatomy, which supports the value of the rhesus monkey as animal model. However, some remarkable differences have been identified as well. The present publication could therefore be useful when modeling the human hand (e.g., surgical protocols) using the rhesus monkey.

John Lizars' (1792-1860). A system of anatomical plates of the human body: Artistry and analysis.

John Lizars' (1792-1860) 'A System of Anatomical Plates of the Human Body' is widely recognized as one of the finest British anatomical atlases published in the nineteenth century. Lizars' commentators always praise his illustrations for their artistry and accuracy, but no one ever provides an account of why they are artistically significant or what makes them veracious. The principal aim of this paper is to begin a discussion of both of those subjects and to show how Lizars used the resources of the visual arts as analytical tools to extend his audience's understanding of the human body.

Comparative analysis of the chimpanzee and human brain superficial structural connectivities

Diffusion MRI tractography (dMRI) has fundamentally transformed our ability to investigate white matter pathways in the human brain. While long-range connections have extensively been studied, superficial white matter bundles (SWMBs) have remained a relatively underexplored aspect of brain connectivity. This study undertakes a comprehensive examination of SWMB connectivity in both the human and chimpanzee brains, employing a novel combination of empirical and geometric methodologies to classify SWMB morphology in an objective manner. Leveraging two anatomical atlases, the Ginkgo Chauvel chimpanzee atlas and the Ginkgo Chauvel human atlas, comprising respectively 844 and 1375 superficial bundles, this research focuses on sparse representations of the morphology of SWMBs to explore the little-understood superficial connectivity of the chimpanzee brain and facilitate a deeper understanding of the variability in shape of these bundles. While similar, already well-known in human U-shape fibers were observed in both species, other shapes with more complex geometry such as 6 and J shapes were encountered. The localisation of the different bundle morphologies, putatively reflecting the brain gyrification process, was different between humans and chimpanzees using an isomap-based shape analysis approach. Ultimately, the analysis aims to uncover both commonalities and disparities in SWMBs between chimpanzees and humans, shedding light on the evolution and organization of these crucial neural structures.

Clinical Anatomy of the Lower Extremity Veins—Topography, Embryology, Anatomical Variability, and Undergraduate Educational Challenges

Veins of the lower extremity can be categorized into three hierarchically ordered groups: the epifascial, the interfascial, and the deep ones. In the past, the interfascial veins, e.g., the great saphenous vein, were categorized as superficial veins. But nowadays, experts recommend regarding these veins as a separate group because of their unique topography and clinical relevance. In order to better understand the venous anatomy of the lower limbs, which is highly variable, one should also comprehend their embryological development. Venous embryogenesis in the lower limb consists of three stages. During the first stage the primitive fibular vein is the main vein of the extremity. During the second stage it is replaced by the axial vein and finally by the femoral vein. In some adult individuals this embryonic or fetal venous anatomy is still present. Unfortunately, current anatomical textbooks and atlases, as well as traditional cadaver dissections, are not very useful regarding these issues. Therefore, undergraduate teaching of anatomy can be challenging. New educational tools, such as ultrasonography, seem indispensable to teach the anatomy of these veins properly.

Hemispheric functional organization, as revealed by naturalistic neuroimaging, in pediatric epilepsy patients with cortical resections

Functional changes in the pediatric brain following neural injuries attest to remarkable feats of plasticity. Investigations of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie this plasticity have largely focused on activation in the penumbra of the lesion or in contralesional, homotopic regions. Here, we adopt a whole-brain approach to evaluate the plasticity of the cortex in patients with large unilateral cortical resections due to drug-resistant childhood epilepsy. We compared the functional connectivity (FC) in patients' preserved hemisphere with the corresponding hemisphere of matched controls as they viewed and listened to a movie excerpt in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The preserved hemisphere was segmented into 180 and 200 parcels using two different anatomical atlases. We calculated all pairwise multivariate statistical dependencies between parcels, or parcel edges, and between 22 and 7 larger-scale functional networks, or network edges, aggregated from the smaller parcel edges. Both the left and right hemisphere-preserved patient groups had widespread reductions in FC relative to matched controls, particularly for within-network edges. A case series analysis further uncovered subclusters of patients with distinctive edgewise changes relative to controls, illustrating individual postoperative connectivity profiles. The large-scale differences in networks of the preserved hemisphere potentially reflect plasticity in the service of maintained and/or retained cognitive function.

Lung divisions for models of cardiopulmonary interaction – preliminary tests

Abstract Introduction: The perfusion of a part of the lung depends on its distance from the pulmonary trunk (differences in vascular resistance) and on the horizontal plane (differences in hydrostatic pressure). The aim of this study was to determine the geometric parameters characterising their positions and sizes in order to analyse the diffusion of the ventilation/perfusion ratio. Material and methods: A developed virtual respiratory system has been supplemented with an appropriate model of pulmonary circulation that uses a lung outline that is divided into parts based on an anatomical atlas and a CT image; it comprises a 3D geometric model of the lungs that was developed using the Inventor CAD software (Autodesk, Inc, San Francisco, USA). Each panel was divided into 2 horizontal and 8 vertical parts; the 16-part division was then modified. Results: When taking human lungs as a research object and simulating their accompanying physical, biological, or biochemical phenomena, one necessary task is to construct a spatial model of the lungs that takes into account, and maintains awareness of, the limitations of the source of data that is relied upon. The developed modified geometric model of lung division turned out to be useful and was successfully applied to a virtual patient, among others, as part of the VirRespir project. Conclusions: Finally, we can conclude that the virtual cardiorespiratory system thus elaborated may serve as a proper tool for the preliminary analysis of such complex interactions, considering the elaborated model of the lung’s divisions and its future improvements.

Taxonomy of Acute Stroke: Imaging, Processing, and Treatment

Stroke management employs a variety of diagnostic imaging modalities, image processing and analysis methods, and treatment procedures. This work categorizes methods for stroke imaging, image processing and analysis, and treatment, and provides their taxonomies illustrated by a state-of-the-art review. Imaging plays a critical role in stroke management, and the most frequently employed modalities are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR). CT includes unenhanced non-contrast CT as the first-line diagnosis, CT angiography, and CT perfusion. MR is the most complete method to examine stroke patients. MR angiography is useful to evaluate the severity of artery stenosis, vascular occlusion, and collateral flow. Diffusion-weighted imaging is the gold standard for evaluating ischemia. MR perfusion-weighted imaging assesses the penumbra. The stroke image processing methods are divided into non-atlas/template-based and atlas/template-based. The non-atlas/template-based methods are subdivided into intensity and contrast transformations, local segmentation-related, anatomy-guided, global density-guided, and artificial intelligence/deep learning-based. The atlas/template-based methods are subdivided into intensity templates and atlases with three atlas types: anatomy atlases, vascular atlases, and lesion-derived atlases. The treatment procedures for arterial and venous strokes include intravenous and intraarterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. This work captures the stateoftheart in stroke management summarized in the form of comprehensive and straightforward taxonomy diagrams. All three introduced taxonomies in diagnostic imaging, image processing and analysis, and treatment are widely illustrated and compared against other state-of-the-art classifications.

Anatomical Step-by-Step Dissection of Complex Skull Base Approaches for Trainees: Surgical Anatomy of the Translabyrinthine and Transcochlear Approaches

Abstract Introduction Skull base neuroanatomy is traditionally learned through two-dimensional anatomical atlases, which while are of unquestionable value, lack the nuanced association of three-dimensional relationships between fundamental anatomical structures relevant to surgical approaches. Surgically focused step-by-step anatomical dissections can augment trainee learning of complex skull base techniques, particularly multistep and nuanced techniques such as translabyrinthine and transcochlear approaches. Methods Translabyrinthine and transcochlear approaches were performed on six sides of three formalin-fixed latex-injected specimens. The study objective was the completion and photo documentation of the steps involved in the approach in order to provide a comprehensive, intelligible, and anatomically oriented resource for multilevel trainees. Illustrative case examples were prepared to supplement approach dissections. Results The translabyrinthine and transcochlear approaches offer unique lateral windows through the temporal bone into the posterior fossa, providing excellent access to pathology at the petrous apex, internal auditory canal, Meckel's cave, and anterolateral brainstem. The transcochlear approach, which is an anterior extension of the translabyrinthine, particularly provides excellent exposure of the prepontine region and clivus. Important surgical considerations include patient position, temporal bone drilling and identification of critical landmarks, dural opening and identification of neurovascular structures, and reconstruction/closure techniques. Conclusion The translabyrinthine and transcochlear approaches are fundamental techniques for lateral skull base and posterior fossa pathologies. Both approaches are hearing-sacrificing but often require minimal to no cerebellar retraction and deliver unique visualization of prepontine neurovascular structures. This step-by-step approach guide provides a unique practical and high-yield surgically oriented learning resource for neurosurgery and otolaryngology trainees.

GRAVEN: a database of teaching method that applies gestures to represent the neurosurgical approach’s blood vessels and nerves

BackgroundIn this era of rapid technological development, medical schools have had to use modern technology to enhance traditional teaching. Online teaching was preferred by many medical schools. However due to the complexity of intracranial anatomy, it was challenging for the students to study this part online, and the students were likely to be tired of neurosurgery, which is disadvantageous to the development of neurosurgery. Therefore, we developed this database to help students learn better neuroanatomy.Main bodyThe data were sourced from Rhoton’s Cranial Anatomy and Surgical Approaches and Neurosurgery Tricks of the Trade in this database. Then we designed many hand gesture figures connected with the atlas of anatomy. Our database was divided into three parts: intracranial arteries, intracranial veins, and neurosurgery approaches. Each section below contains an atlas of anatomy, and gestures represent vessels and nerves. Pictures of hand gestures and atlas of anatomy are available to view on GRAVEN (www.graven.cn) without restrictions for all teachers and students. We recruited 50 undergraduate students and randomly divided them into two groups: using traditional teaching methods or GRAVEN database combined with above traditional teaching methods. Results revealed a significant improvement in academic performance in using GRAVEN database combined with traditional teaching methods compared to the traditional teaching methods.ConclusionThis database was vital to help students learn about intracranial anatomy and neurosurgical approaches. Gesture teaching can effectively simulate the relationship between human organs and tissues through the flexibility of hands and fingers, improving anatomy interest and education.

Effectiveness of digital and analog learning methods for learning anatomical structures in physiotherapy education

BackgroundAccording to the German Physiotherapy Education and Qualification Regulations, teaching of anatomical structures is one of the fundamental subjects of physiotherapy education. Besides exhibits and models, anatomy atlases are usually used as teaching and learning tools. These are available in both analog form such as printed books or in digital form as a mobile application. Furthermore, the use of digital teaching and learning tools is steadily increasing within the education of health professionals.AimTo assess the efficacy of a digital educational tool in contrast to an analog anatomical atlas in acquiring knowledge about anatomical structures.Material and methodThe data collection took place in the context of an anatomy tutorial for students of the bachelor’s degree program in physiotherapy. In a cross-over design, the students completed two learning assignments, each, with different learning materials provided, either with an anatomy app on a tablet or with an anatomy atlas as a book. The tests to assess the newly acquired knowledge immediately after the task, consisted of questions about the anatomical structures of the knee as well as the shoulder. In addition, the students’ satisfaction with the learning materials provided was surveyed using a questionnaire. The survey assessed their satisfaction, their assessment of learning success, and their affinity to digital learning materials. This was done using a 5-point Likert scale and a free-text field. The data was analyzed descriptively, and group differences were calculated using a t-tests.ResultsThirty students participated. The group comparison showed a significantly better outcome for the group that prepared with the analog anatomy atlas for the questions on the knee than the comparison group that used the anatomy app (t(28) = 2.6; p = 0.007). For the questions concerning the shoulder, there was no significant difference between the digital and analog groups (t(28) = 1.14; p = 0.26). The questionnaire revealed that satisfaction with the analog anatomy atlas was significantly higher than with the anatomy app. A total of 93.34% rated their experience with the analog learning tool at least “somewhat satisfied”. In contrast, 72.67% of students partially or fully agreed that they “enjoyed learning with digital learning tools”.DiscussionLearning anatomical structures with the Human Anatomy Atlas 2023 + app did not show a clear advantage when compared to an anatomy book in these two cohorts of physiotherapy students. The results of the questionnaire also showed greater satisfaction with the analog anatomy atlas than with the anatomy app, whereas most students stated that they frequently use digital learning tools, including some for anatomical structures. Satisfaction with the learning tool seems to play a central role in their effectiveness. In addition, sufficient time must be provided for users to familiarize themselves with the user interface of digital applications to use them effectively.RegistrationDiese klinische Studie wurde nicht in einem Studienregister registriert.

Anatomy's missing faces: An assessment of representation gaps in atlas and textbook imagery.

Previous research suggests that underrepresentation in medical curricula perpetuates inequities in healthcare. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence of human phenotypic diversity (e.g., skin tone, sex, body size, and age) across 11 commonly used anatomy atlases and textbooks in pre-clerkship medical education, published from 2015 to 2020. A systematic visual content analysis was conducted on 5001 images in which at least one phenotypic attribute was quantifiable. Anatomy images most prevalently portrayed light skin tones, males, persons with intermediate body sizes, and young to middle-aged adults. Of the 3883 images in which there was a codable skin tone, 81.2% (n = 3154) depicted light, 14.3% (n = 554) depicted intermediate, and 4.5% (n = 175) depicted dark skin tones. Of the 2384 images that could be categorized into a sex binary, 38.4% (n = 915) depicted females and 61.6% (n = 1469) depicted males. A male bias persisted across all whole-body and regional-body images, including those showing sex organs or those showing characteristics commonly associated with a specific sex (e.g. for males, facial hair and/or muscle hypertrophy). Within sex-specific contexts, darker skin was underrepresented, but male depictions displayed greater overall skin tone variation. Although most images could not be assigned to a body size or age category, when codable, these images overwhelmingly depicted adults (85.0%; 482 of 567) with smaller (34.7%; 93 of 268) or intermediate (64.6%; 173 of 268) body sizes. Ultimately, these outcomes provide reference metrics for monitoring ongoing and future efforts to address representation inequalities portrayed in anatomical imagery.

Interactive three-dimensional atlas of the mineralized skeleton of the sand tiger shark Carcharias taurus.

Non-invasive computed tomography (CT) of an adult sand tiger shark Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810 is used to provide an interactive three-dimensional 'general' shark (Selachimorpha) anatomy atlas. Given its post-cranial body morphology, the sand tiger shark appeared to be a well-chosen candidate and through comparison of the sand tiger shark with several other representatives of all eight established orders of sharks, we confirm that the relatively large degree of mineralization of the endoskeleton, along with the overall size, makes the sand tiger shark an ideal candidate for skeletal segmentation and construction of a skeletal atlas using conventional CT. This atlas both increases accessibility to the internal morphological features of the sand tiger shark and provides a more generalized overview of the skeletal anatomy of sharks and can aid as a supplement to destructive fresh dissection of specimens in the future and the construction of future skeletal atlases of other less mineralized sharks.

Diagnosis-Guided Deep Subspace Clustering Association Study for Pathogenetic Markers Identification of Alzheimer's Disease Based on Comparative Atlases.

The roles of brain region activities and genotypic functions in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain unclear. Meanwhile, current imaging genetics methods are difficult to identify potential pathogenetic markers by correlation analysis between brain network and genetic variation. To discover disease-related brain connectome from the specific brain structure and the fine-grained level, based on the Automated Anatomical Labeling (AAL) and human Brainnetome atlases, the functional brain network is first constructed for each subject. Specifically, the upper triangle elements of the functional connectivity matrix are extracted as connectivity features. The clustering coefficient and the average weighted node degree are developed to assess the significance of every brain area. Since the constructed brain network and genetic data are characterized by non-linearity, high-dimensionality, and few subjects, the deep subspace clustering algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the original data. Our multilayer neural network helps capture the non-linear manifolds, and subspace clustering learns pairwise affinities between samples. Moreover, most approaches in neuroimaging genetics are unsupervised learning, neglecting the diagnostic information related to diseases. We presented a label constraint with diagnostic status to instruct the imaging genetics correlation analysis. To this end, a diagnosis-guided deep subspace clustering association (DDSCA) method is developed to discover brain connectome and risk genetic factors by integrating genotypes with functional network phenotypes. Extensive experiments prove that DDSCA achieves superior performance to most association methods and effectively selects disease-relevant genetic markers and brain connectome at the coarse-grained and fine-grained levels.

Abstract 4900: Spatial Atlas of Human Anatomy (SAHA): A subcellular, multiscale spatial odyssey of immune and gastrointestinal tissues and tumors

Abstract The Spatial Atlas of Human Anatomy (SAHA) is a foundational effort to map 250 million cells and transcriptomes and proteomes of 30 non-diseased organs from healthy adults at two spatial scales: whole transcriptome of histological features (50 µm to 2 mm), and 1,000-plex RNA and 64-plex protein panels at spatial subcellular resolution (50 nm across 1 cm2). The project aims to establish and validate best practices in experimental design, sample processing, data analysis, and data standards for high-content spatial analysis across multiple human organs at whole transcriptome and proteome levels. The profiled samples will capture variability across genders and ancestries. All results, including raw and processed data, will be made available to the scientific community through the SAHA data portal and AtoMxTM Spatial Informatics Platform. Here we present the part of Phase I data collected specifically around immune (bone marrow and lymph node) and gastrointestinal tissues (ileum, appendix, colon, and liver), and compare these data to colon and liver cancer samples. On serial sections, we perform spatial whole transcriptome data (with GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler) and 1,000-plex RNA profiles and 64-plex protein profiles collected by the CosMx™ Spatial Molecular Imager (SMI) matched to the exact shape of functional histological organ features from H&E and immunofluorescence stainings. Our data, which spans ~1.5 million cells collected across ~1,100 fields of view, enables the highest-ever subcellular resolution maps of cell types, lineage states, metabolic capacity, cellular neighborhoods, subcellular movements of organelles, and spatially resolved (and novel) ligand-receptor interactions across normal and cancer tissues. Through comparing these data to several cancer samples collected across multiple spatial platforms, we show how spatial organ atlasing at multiple scales can uncover unique insights into organ development, health, and cancer. We also show how the SAHA data can serve as a benchmark reference for spatial precision medicine. Citation Format: Jiwoon Park, Roberto Gregorio, Erika Hissong, Sanjay Patel, Brian Robinson, Fabio Socciarelli, Evenlyn Metzger, Yan Liang, Jason Reeves, Joseph Beechem, Olivier Elemento, Alicia Alonso, Shauna Houlihan, Robert Schwartz, Christopher E. Mason. Spatial Atlas of Human Anatomy (SAHA): A subcellular, multiscale spatial odyssey of immune and gastrointestinal tissues and tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4900.

Diagnosing schizophrenia using deep learning: Novel interpretation approaches and multi-site validation

Schizophrenia is a profound and enduring mental disorder that imposes significant negative impacts on individuals, their families, and society at large. The development of more accurate and objective diagnostic tools for schizophrenia can be expedited through the employment of deep learning (DL), that excels at deciphering complex hierarchical non-linear patterns. However, the limited interpretability of deep learning has eroded confidence in the model and restricted its clinical utility. At the same time, if the data source is only derived from a single center, the model's generalizability is difficult to test. To enhance the model's reliability and applicability, leave-one-center-out validation with a large and diverse sample from multiple centers is crucial. In this study, we utilized Nine different global centers to train and test the 3D Resnet model's generalizability, resulting in an 82% classification performance (area under the curve) on all datasets sourced from different countries, employing a leave-one-center-out-validation approach. Per our approximation of the feature significance of each region on the atlas, we identified marked differences in the thalamus, pallidum, and inferior frontal gyrus between individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls, lending credence to prior research findings. At the same time, in order to translate the model's output into clinically applicable insights, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) permutation explainer method with an anatomical atlas have been refined, thereby offering precise neuroanatomical and functional interpretations of different brain regions.

(221) Anatomical Transcriptome Atlas of the Male Mouse Reproductive System During Aging

Abstract Introduction The elderly males undergo degenerative fertility and testicular endocrine function that jeopardize the reproductive health and well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying reproductive aging are unclear. Objective This study aims to investigate the phenotypes and transcriptomes of seven regions of the male mouse reproductive tract: the testis, efferent ductules, initial segment, caput, corpus and cauda epididymidis, and vas deferens, in adult (3 months) and aged (21 months) mice. Methods Quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescent staining, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed for the analysis of gene expression in mice, human tissues, and semen samples. Aged male mice showed both systematic and reproductive changes, and remarkable histological changes were detected in the testis and proximal epididymis. Transcriptomes of the male reproductive tract were mapped, and a series of region-specific genes were identified and validated in mouse and/or human tissues, including Protamine 1 (Prm2), ADAM metallopeptidase domain 28 (Adam28), Ribonuclease A family member 13 (Rnase13), WAP four-disulfide core domain 13 (Wfdc13), and Wfdc9. Meanwhile, age-related transcriptome changes of different regions of the male reproductive tract were characterized. Results Notably, increased immune response was functionally related to the male reproductive aging, especially the T cell activation. An immune response-associated factor, phospholipase A2 group IID (Pla2g2d), was identified as a potential biomarker for reproductive aging in mice. And the PLA2G2D level in human seminal plasma surged at approximately 35 years of age. Furthermore, we highlighted Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type C (Ptprc), Lymphocyte protein tyrosine kinase (Lck), Microtubule associated protein tau (Mapt), and Interferon induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 3 (Ifit3) as critical molecules in the aging of initial segment, caput, caput, and cauda epididymidis, respectively. Conclusions This study provides an RNA-seq resource for the male reproductive system during aging in mice, and is expected to improve our understanding of male reproductive aging and infertility. Disclosure No.

Robert Heinrich Johannes Sobotta (1869-1945): The Great Author of the Most Widely Used Anatomy Atlas in Medical Education

In 1904 Sobotta’s Atlas of Descriptive Human Anatomy was published for the first time. At that time still divided into three volumes and published by Verlag Lehmann in Munich, the atlas was completely revised in 1982 and restructured into two volumes. Although the atlas has been revised several times since it was first published almost a hundred years ago. After starting out in Berlin, Sobotta worked for twenty-one years at the Anatomical Institute in Würzburg. Here he spent most of his scientific work and created his most important works. A brief three-year stint as director of the Anatomical Institute at the University of Königsberg followed before Sobotta became director of the Anatomical Institute in Bonn in 1919, where he taught until his retirement. The study paper is intended to provide a more detailed insight into the life and work of the scientist, whose name is known to almost every physician and healthcare professional.

Design and Development of Electronic Moulage of Brachial Plexus Muscles to Enhance the Learning of Upper Limb Anatomy: An Interventional Study

Background: Anatomy embraces various fields and is regarded as the foundation of medical sciences due to its broad clinical applications, particularly in surgery. However, teaching this subject, particularly in practical units, poses challenges, and insufficient anatomical knowledge and errors in anatomy-related decisions by physicians can lead to avoidable deaths and medical errors. This study aimed to design and develop an electronic moulage (EM) for teaching upper limb anatomy, specifically focusing on the muscles and brachial plexus (BP). Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design. Electronic moulage has been implemented in a manner that allows independent structures within a compartment to be taught without the presence of a teacher or anatomical atlases and enables learners to comprehend the anatomical features and relationships of structures in both combined and isolated modes, even without prior knowledge of anatomical theory specific to that compartment. The EM incorporates a skeletal compartment system and a BP component, utilizing audio and visual systems to deliver a comprehensive educational experience. The effectiveness of the EM was evaluated by experts in anatomy and medical science students, comparing it to other teaching methods. Four groups of undergraduate medical radiology students with no prior instruction in upper limb anatomy participated in the study. Each group was assigned to a different training method, including lecture-based education, digital-based education with a simulator, cadaver-based education, and EM-based education. Results: After assessing the results using educational and motivational indicators, it was determined that the EM demonstrated innovative potential and could enhance motivation and the quality of anatomy education. Comparing the post-test scores of the EM-based education group to the other groups revealed significantly higher scores in the EM-based group. This finding indicates that the EM has the potential to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of anatomy education, addressing the limitations of other teaching methods. Conclusions: The developed EM presents a promising solution for enhancing anatomy education, particularly in the context of upper limb anatomy. The innovative features of EM and its ability to improve motivation and learning outcomes make it a valuable tool for teaching this subject matter.