Hip joint ligaments, a cadaver imaging study for education / Ligamentos de cadera, un estudio cadavérico imagenológico para educación

The stereoscopic morphology of the iliofemoral, pubofemoral, and ischiofemoral ligaments in hip joint is hard to understand, either in anatomy books or from cadaver dissection. To aid in understanding, three-dimensional models were built from the sectioned images of cadaver hip, which demonstrate fine components better than CTs and MRIs. In the female data of Visible Korean project, the ligaments and neighboring structures were recognized and outlined in detail. Successively, the outlines were stacked and reconstructed to manufacture their surface models by using the sophisticated computer method. The surface models were overlapped with the original sectioned images, which enhanced comprehension of the hip joint anatomy. With the surface models, hip joint was hyperextended to suggest the function of the ligaments. The graphic data of the surface reconstructed hip ligaments are expected to be the source of interactive simulators for anatomy and surgery of the hip joint.

La morfología estereoscópica de los ligamentos iliofemoral, pubofemoral e isquiofemoral de la articulación de la cadera es difícil de entender, ya sea a partir de lo hallado en los libros de anatomía como en la disección de cadáveres. Para ayudar en su comprensión, se construyeron modelos tridimensionales a partir de imágenes de secciones cadavéricas de la cadera, que demuestran de mejor manera los componentes finos, en comparación a las imágenes de tomografía axial computada y resonancia magnética nuclear. En los datos obtenidos del "Visible Korean Project", correspondientes a mujeres, los ligamentos de la articulación y sus estructuras vecinas fueron reconocidos y descritos en detalle. Sucesivamente, se identificaron los contornos y se reconstruyeron para la fabricación de modelos de superficie, mediante el uso de un sofisticado método informático. Los modelos de superficie se asociaron con las imágenes de sección originales, que aumentaron la comprensión de la anatomía de la articulación de la cadera. En los modelos de superficie se provocó la hipertensión de la articulación de la cadera para permitir evidenciar la función de los ligamentos. Se espera que los datos gráficos obtenidos de los modelos de superficie de los ligamentos de la cadera sirvan como fuente para el desarrollo de simuladores interactivos que permitan el estudio de la anatomía y la cirugía de la articulación de la cadera.

The effects of salinity on the growth and biochemical properties of Chlamydomonas mexicana GU732420 cultivated in municipal wastewater.

A freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana was grown on municipal wastewater with different levels of salinity up to 400 mmol/L NaCl, and the biochemical properties were characterized after 10 days of cultivation. C. mexicana showed the higher specific growth rates for 100 and 200mmol/L NaCl. Nitrogen was completely removed within 10 days as a result of algal growth promoted by the addition of 200-400 mmol/L NaCl. Phosphorus removal increased from 77-84% as the concentration of NaCI increased from 100 to 400 mmol/L. The highest removal of total inorganic carbon (66%) was obtained with the addition of 200 mmol/L NaCl. The lipid content increased from 17% to 38% as the concentration of NaCl increased from 0 to 400mmol/L. The total fatty acid content and glycerol yield of C. mexicana increased 1.8- and 4-fold in wastewater amended with NaCl, respectively. Fatty acids accumulated in the algal biomass were mainly composed of palmitic (27-29%), y-linolenic (27-30%), and linolelaidic acids (16-18%). The optimal condition for fatty acids production in C. mexicana was observed when the municipal wastewater was amended with 100-200 mmol/L NaCl with a simultaneous removal of nutrients.

Minimally invasive posterior cervical microforaminotomy in the lower cervical spine and C-T junction assisted by O-arm-based navigation.

Navigated posterior cervical microforaminotomy (PCM) is a promising minimally invasive technique for treating radiculopathy caused by lateral disc herniations and foraminal stenosis. Between December 2009 and October 2010, 14 patients with unilateral foraminal disc herniations or foraminal stenosis at the C6-7 or C7-T1 level underwent PCM assisted by O-arm navigation using the METRx tubular retractor. The main symptoms were radicular arm pain with no significant neck pain. Successful relief of radicular pain was achieved in all 14 patients. Two of the patients were lost during follow-up, and three had to undergo further decompression due to remnant foraminal stenosis being discovered on intraoperative O-arm images. There were no cases of instability or recurrence, and the only complication observed was a dural tear in one patient, which was adequately treated with fibrin glue and bed rest. The duration of symptoms was 4.5 months on average. The mean operation time was 136 minutes, with the additional time required for the image guided surgery assisted by O-arm-based navigation being approximately 28 minutes on average. There were no other complications during the surgical procedure or in the immediate postoperative period. Posterior cervical microforaminotomy assisted by O-arm-based navigation is a safe, effective and minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of lateral disc herniations and foraminal stenosis of the lower cervical spine and C-T junction, offering the possibility of an accurate decompression with a reduced risk of segmental instability.