Morphometric Evaluation of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve of Wistar Rats Exposed to Pesticides

The literature has been shown that exposition by inhalation to chemical compounds can cause vocal disorders and dysphagia in humans, in addition to other symptoms that are manifested according to the type, concentration and duration of exposure to the substance. Cypermethrin and dichlorvos are pesticides widely used in agriculture, public health, veterinary, and home environments. Despite the scientific evidence that cypermethrin and dichlorvos can cause neurodegenerative damage and motor alterations, there are no studies evaluating the toxic effects of these pesticides on the morphology of structures responsible for vocal mobility, especially to the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve (RLN). Considering the association between vocal disorders in humans and variations in RLN and morphometry, the aim of this study was to evaluate the possible alterations in the microstructure of RLN secondary to subchronic exposure to cypermethrin (pyrethroid) and dichlorvos (organophosphate) in Wistar rats. The experimental protocol (approved by CEUA-UFCSPA: 321/15 and 323/15) consisted of 15 male Wistar rats, allocated in 3 groups: Control (n = 5, exposed to water), Cypermethrin (n = 5, exposed to cypermethrin - 1/10 of the inhalation median lethal concentration [LC50] - 0.25 mg/L) and dichlorvos (n = 5, exposed to dichlorvos - 1/10 of the LC50 - 1.5 mg/L). Inhalation exposure was performed for 4 hours, 5 times per week, for 6 weeks. The nerves were collected, histologically processed and analyzed using morphometric parameters measured using ZEN 2.6 (Zeiss - Germany). The cypermethrin and dichlorvos groups showed significant changes (P < 0.001, ANOVA) in the g-ratio and in the thickness of the myelin sheath of the RLN when compared to the control animals, however, none of the other parameters evaluated showed statistically significant differences. These findings indicate that repeated inhalation exposure to commercial products of cypermethrin and dichlorvos is able to modify the structure of the RLN and possibly generating vocal changes and / or dysphagia.

The Virgin and Child with the Infant St. John the Baptist by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510): does the child have Pompe disease?

PURPOSE

Current literature describes that art can be used to teach observation skills in medical students. In this way, many medical schools have developed formal observational training on works of art to improve their students' visual diagnostic skills. In this context, this description presents unprecedented evidence that Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) may have represented a rare neuromuscular disorder, known as Pompe disease (accumulation of lysosomal glycogen primarily in the heart, skeletal muscles, and the nervous system) in one of the characters that make up Virgin and Child with the Infant St. John the Baptist (1490-1500).

METHODS

Observational study.

RESULTS

The painting reveals that the Infant Jesus has facial features consistent with some of the main clinical manifestations of Pompe disease (poor head control, facial weakness with open mouth posture, tongue protrusion, and eyelid ptosis).

CONCLUSION

These results may indicate that Botticelli in 1500 may have made the first pictorial representation of Pompe's disease that was only described in the medical literature in 1932. Furthermore, this description demonstrates the importance of the medico-artistic field for the study of any disease during the Renaissance period, which will be essential for the learning process of visual diagnostic.

A conjunctival papilloma in Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520)?

The specialized literature has described that Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520), universally known as Raphael, is among the greatest artists of the Renaissance. Additionally, it is also described that there are still many controversies regarding Raphael's health when he died in 1520. In this context, due to the 500th anniversary of his death, it would be timely to bring up some pieces of information that haven't been presented in the literature so far, regarding the health of this famous artist Therefore, we have decided to present in this description a self-portrait of Raphael from 1519, which, associated with previous descriptions concerning the artist's lifestyle, can provide some indication that Raphael had a clinical condition known as conjunctival papilloma.

Bony Tunnel Formation Associated with the Distal Segment of the Frontal Branch of the Middle Meningeal Artery

The knowledge of certain anatomical variations is fundamental and any surgeon who operates without that knowledge may encounter difficulty during surgery. In this context, there is the middle meningeal artery (MMA) which also engenders considerable clinical interest due to its location. The MMA is predominantly periosteal, irrigating the bone and dura mater. It enters the floor of the middle cranial fossa through the foramen spinosum, travels laterally through a middle fossa bony ridge, and curves anteriorly over the upper-greater wing of the sphenoid where it divides into parietal and frontal branches at a variable point. Occasionally, the distal segment of the frontal branch may pass through a bony tunnel of variable size. To the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence in the current literature on the incidence of this rare bony tunnel. Therefore, we decided to investigate the incidence of this bony tunnel in 85 dry skulls of adults (both genders) belonging to the didactic collection of the Human Anatomy Laboratory of the Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil. All the skulls were examined bilaterally for the presence or absence of the bony tunnel associated with the distal segment of the frontal branch of the MMA. Of the 85 skulls analyzed, the bony tunnel was present on the right side in 1.18% and on the left side in 5.88% ( p  = 0 .045 ). Thus, in the studied sample, there was a significant tendency for this bony tunnel to be formed on the left side.

A hidden rib found in Michelangelo Buonarroti's fresco The Creation of Adam

The fresco The Creation of Adam (1511), painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by the great genius of human anatomy Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), represents one of the most emblematic and best-known scenes in the world. This fresco illustrates a key passage from the Book of Genesis: the moment when God creates the first man, Adam. Since its completion, this work has been intensively studied by many scholars of art, and by several anatomists, who have pointed out signs of anatomical representations contained in the scene. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding this famous scene, especially in relation to its complete iconography. In an attempt to understand Michelangelo's purpose better regarding this emblematic scene, this article presents unpublished evidence that the artist could have concealed within the figure of Adam the anatomical image of a rib which, according to traditional Biblical accounts, is iconographically associated with the origin of Eve, Adam's companion. Curiously, this hidden rib in Adam's body figure could be related to the traditional view of the origin of the first humans expounded in the Jewish Kabbalah. Clin. Anat. 32:648-653, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Self-Portrait of Michelangelo Buonarroti Hidden in a Drawing from the Ashmolean Museum

The discovery was recently announced in the scientific literature of a self-caricature of the great Renaissance artist and genius of human anatomy, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), concealed in a drawing from 1525. This drawing is held in the collection of the British Museum in London, England. In it, the artist portrayed the Marchesa di Pescara, Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547). The present article considers evidence that Michelangelo may have depicted himself in another portrait of Vittoria Colonna, dated to approximately 1522, which is currently in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. This concealed silhouetted figure displays physical features strikingly similar to those depicted in portraits of Michelangelo by his contemporaries, and in the description of the artist by Michelangelo's biographer, Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574): the large body, the shape of the face, the beard and the flattened nose. In this context, the present article could serve to facilitate analyses of the physical form and even of the state of health (from 1522) of one of the foremost anatomists of the Renaissance. Clin. Anat., 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Michelangelo buonarroti's code in the frescoes of the sistine chapel - an allusion to gematria of the hebrew/greek alphabet and the Golden Ratio

According to Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), the great genius of anatomy, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), in painting the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512), demonstrated to the world a new dimension/perspective of painting, especially in the sublime manner with which the artist represented the anatomical details of the characters that made up his frescoes. Since then, the Sistine Chapel has received millions of tourists annually, who marvel at the anatomical beauty of the characters depicted on its ceiling. It has also received many scholars of art and even anatomists, who have often tried to infer theses and explanations regarding Michelangelo's real intentions in elaborating this great work. However, even after five centuries, the Vatican's own official explanations of the true intentions of the artist remain quite uncertain. In an attempt to elucidate Michelangelo's possible intentions in the design of this memorable work, this article presents unpublished evidence that all the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were organized by the artist according to a code based on the number of characters in each fresco, the gematria of the Hebrew/Greek alphabet, and the Golden Ratio. This decoding process could reveal a key factor influencing the artist's intentions in ordering the elements in this work. Clin. Anat. 31:948-955, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A self-caricature of michelangelo buonarroti hidden in the portrait of vittoria colonna

The specialized literature has described how the great anatomist par excellence, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), like many other renowned artists of his time, included a self-portrait in many of his works. This article presents novel evidence that Michelangelo inserted his self-portrait into a sketch of his close friend, Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547). This work, made by Michelangelo in 1525, is currently in the collection of the British Museum in London, England. This self-portrait of Michelangelo can serve as a tool for analyzing the artist's probable bodily dimensions and even his state of health during this period of his life. Clin. Anat. 31:335-338, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Using body donor demographics to assist the implementation of donation programs in Brazil

The use of human material in anatomy education depends upon the generosity of body donors. However, little is known regarding the demographics of body donors in Brazil, where voluntary body donation is a relatively rare phenomenon. Hence, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the demographic profile of applicants to the Body Donation Program (BDP) at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre in Brazil, as well as to assess whether the observed characteristics of body donors are unique to that sample, or if they merely reflect the characteristics of the regional population. Information derived from the specific forms filled out by donors between January 2008 and June 2016 at the time of registration were collected. Data from 416 forms were analyzed. Based on this study, the typical applicant in Brazil is typically a white female (67.4%), over 60 years of age (60.3%), unmarried or single (70.6%), affiliated with a religious group (89.1%), of middle class background (40.4%), who has completed high school and/or holds a university degree (93.8%). The motivation of donors was, in most cases, an altruistic gesture, represented by the desire to help society and science. Elucidating these demographic characteristics of potential donors may help identify the target public to which information regarding body donation campaigns could be directed. Anat Sci Educ 10: 475-486. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

The hidden symbols of the female anatomy in Michelangelo Buonarroti's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel

A number of published articles have suggested that each element of Renaissance art contains an inner meaning. Some of these elements include the choice of theme and protagonists, faces selected for the characters, colors used, species of flowers and trees chosen, animals depicted, positions of the elements, posture of the characters and their gestures, juxtapositions in the scenes, and even the very scenario or landscape. All of these elements are thought to have hidden meanings. In this context, this manuscript presents a new hypothesis suggesting that Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) may have concealed symbols associated with female anatomy in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (painted 1508-1512) in Rome. Thus, this paper is useful to better understand the history of anatomy and corroborates recent descriptions that have suggested the possible existence of anatomic figures concealed in many of Michelangelo's works. Clin. Anat. 29:911-916, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Similarities in the surface area/volume ratio in the fibers of the recurrent laryngeal nerve can explain the symmetry in the vocal fold mobility?

We demonstrate in this paper that although there are statistical differences for all morphometric data [axon length, axon diameter, myelinated fiber diameter and degree of the myelination (g-Ratio)] between the fibers of recurrent laryngeal nerve right and left, the surface area/volume ratio in the fibers of both nerves is exactly the same (1/1.7). Thereby, this paper presents the hypothesis that this similarity between the nerves can actually trigger a considerable synchrony in mobility of the intrinsic muscles of the larynx that control of the vocal folds.

Michelangelo, the Last Judgment fresco, Saint Bartholomew and the Golden Ratio

Art and anatomy were particularly closely intertwined during the Renaissance period and numerous painters and sculptors expressed themselves in both fields. Among them was Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), who is renowned for having produced some of the most famous of all works of art, the frescoes on the ceiling and on the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Recently, a unique association was discovered between one of Michelangelo's most celebrated works (The Creation of Adam fresco) and the Divine Proportion/Golden Ratio (GR) (1.6). The GR can be found not only in natural phenomena but also in a variety of human-made objects and works of art. Here, using Image-Pro Plus 6.0 software, we present mathematical evidence that Michelangelo also used the GR when he painted Saint Bartholomew in the fresco of The Last Judgment, which is on the wall behind the altar. This discovery will add a new dimension to understanding the great works of Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Degree of myelination (g-ratio) of the human recurrent laryngeal nerve

The g-ratio (estimated by dividing the axon diameter by the myelinated fiber diameter) can be useful to the evaluation of the relationship between nerve conduction velocity and fiber morphology during peripheral nerve regeneration. However, there is little detailed information about the g-ratio of the human recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), especially between men and women. The objective of this study was to investigate the g-ratio of the RLN by quantifying histomorphometric data (axon diameter and myelinated fiber diameter) in the RLN of men and women. The RLN was bilaterally studied in human specimens obtained from necropsies (seven men and seven women). The nerves were analyzed using histology, and the morphometric parameters were measured using Image Pro-Plus Software (Image Pro-Plus 6.0; Media Cybernetics, Silver Spring, MD, USA). When compared with the RLN of the women, the parameters of the RLN of the men are significantly larger, as shown by the axon diameter (19.0%) (P = 0.0001), myelinated fiber diameter (7.1%) (P = 0.0497), and g-ratio (12.5%) (P = 0.0005). Our findings demonstrated that there are morphological asymmetries between the g-ratio (degree of the myelination) of the masculine and feminine RLN. These morphological findings are probably related to physiological differences.

Abnormality of the Foramen Spinosum due to a Variation in the Trajectory of the Middle Meningeal Artery: A Case Report in Human

Originating from the maxillary artery, the middle meningeal artery (MMA) is predominantly periosteal irrigating the bone and dura mater. It enters the floor of the middle cranial fossa through the foramen spinosum, travels laterally through a middle fossa bony ridge, and curves over the previous upper-greater wing of the sphenoid, where it in a variable point is divided into frontal and parietal branches. The complex sequence of the MMA development gives many opportunities for variant anatomy. In a Caucasian cadaver skull of an approximately 35-year-old individual belonging to the didactical collection of the Laboratory of Human Anatomy at the University of Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil, it was noted that the right foramen spinosum has an abnormal shape. In this report, we discuss an abnormality of the foramen spinosum due to a variation in the trajectory of the MMA. Thus, the present study shall be important for health sciences and those who have some interest in pathologies associated with the MMA.

Morphometric analysis of the middle meningeal artery organization in humans-embryological considerations

The middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the largest branch of the internal maxillary artery supplying the meninges. The complex sequence of MMA development gives many opportunities for variant anatomy. Additionally, the variations in the origin of the MMA are of clinical importance when dealing with fractures of the base of the skull, epidural hematomas, and bypass procedures. Therefore, various anastomosis and aberrant origins of the MMA have been documented in literature. However, there are no reports about some morphometric aspects of this important arterial segment. Thus, in this study, we decided to investigate the anatomical organization of the MMA through the bony groove measurements from human skulls (n = 50 subjects). Six measurements were performed bilaterally: angle of the main trunk, length of the main trunk, angle between the frontal and parietal branches, length of the frontal branch, length of the parietal branch, and length of the bony tunnel formed by the frontal branch. We showed that the anatomical organization of the MMA is bilaterally similar, except for the length of the parietal branch (p = 0.009). Moreover, our results provide baseline normal values for future studies aimed at further elucidating the functional and morphological pattern of the MMA.

Histological asymmetry of the human recurrent laryngeal nerve

Histological studies of the human recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLNs) have described differences in fiber length and thickness between the right and left RLNs. This asymmetry is probably involved in the different times of arrival of the stimuli to the laryngeal musculature controlled by each nerve. Histological and structural differences between the right and left RLNs could explain the synchronicity of laryngeal musculature contraction despite the differing nerve lengths. The purpose of this investigation was to shed some light on this paradigm by obtaining estimates of some morphometric parameters, such as intraperineural area, intraperineural perimeter, fiber area, fiber perimeter, fiber density (number of fibers/mm(2)), and total number of fibers in the right and left RLN of humans. Thus, the right and left RLNs were studied in a total sample of eight human specimens obtained from necropsies. The nerves were analyzed using histology, and the morphometric parameters were measured using Image Pro Plus Software 4.1 (Media Cybernetics, Silver Spring, MD, USA). No statistical differences between the two RLNs were observed in the intraperineural area, intraperineural perimeter, density (number of fibers/mm(2)), and total number of fibers. However, the area and perimeter of fibers of the right RLN were statistically larger when compared with those of the left RLN--21% and 11%, respectively. In conclusion, we show that in humans, the area and perimeter of the right RLN are larger than those of the left RLN. This morphological finding is probably related to the different time of arrival of the stimulus to the laryngeal musculature.