Fatty infiltration and morphology of cervical muscles in patients with temporomandibular disorders: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the fatty infiltration and/or muscle volume of neck muscles can alter cervical spine alignment and cranial load distribution, which may cause pain in the orofacial region. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine the muscle volume and fatty infiltration of neck muscles in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This case-control study included 18 patients with TMD and 18 ageand sex-matched controls. The muscle volume and fatty infiltration of the neck muscles of the participants were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ITK-SNAP software. The 3D models of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), splenius capitis (SPLC), semispinalis cervicis (SC)-semispinalis capitis (SCP), and multifidus (M) muscles within the C3-C7 range were created using ITK-SNAP, a semi-automatic segmentation software. The models were used to determine the volumes and fatty infiltration levels. The Neck Disability Index (NDI) was used to assess neck pain-related disability. The severity of TMD was determined using the Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI), while jaw-related disability was measured with the Jaw Functional Limitation Scale-20 (JFLS-20). Pain levels were recorded at rest and during chewing using the numeric rating scale (NRS). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in total muscle volume, fatty infiltration volume and fatty infiltration percentage of the SCM, SPLC, SCP, SC, and M muscles between the 2 groups (p > 0.05). The patient group had higher NDI scores compared to the controls (p < 0.001). The NDI scores correlated positively with the JFLS-20 (r = 0.831, p < 0.001), FAI (r = 0.815, p < 0.001) and NRS scores at rest (r = 0.753, p < 0.001) and during chewing (r = 0.686, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study did not identify any significant differences in the neck muscle volume or fatty infiltration between the TMD patients and controls. However, the severity of neck disability was found to correlate with jaw function, pain and TMD levels.

Decreased frontal and orbital volumes and increased cerebellar volumes in patients with anosmia Of Unknown origin: A subtle connection?

PURPOSE: Neuroimaging studies have shown that anosmia is accompanied by a decreased olfactory bulb volume, yet little is known about alterations in cerebral and cerebellar lobule volumes. The purpose of this study was to investigate structural brain alterations in anosmic patients. METHODS: Sixteen anosmic patients (mean age 42.62 ± 16.57 years; 6 women and 10 men) and 16 healthy controls (mean age 43.37 ± 18.98 years; 9 women and 7 men) were included in this retrospective study. All subjects who underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans were analyzed using VolBrain and voxel-based morphometry after olfactory testing. RESULTS: Despite being statistically insignificant, analysis using VBM revealed greater gray matter (GM) and white matter in the anosmia group compared to the healthy subjects. However, decreased GM (p < 0.001) and increased cerebellar (p = 0.046) volumes were observed in the anosmic patients. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed structural brain alterations in specific areas beyond the olfactory bulb. Our results indicate that the cerebellum may play an exceptional role in the olfactory process and that this will be worth evaluating with further dynamic neuroimaging studies.

Investigation of the relationship between foot deformities and radiographic measurements of the talus and calcaneus / Investigación de la relación entre las deformidades del pie y las mediciones radiográficas del talo y del calcáneo

SUMMARY: The weight of the body is transmitted to the foot through the subtalar joint and talus. Considering the important location of the talus and calcaneus, the morphological structures of these bones may affect the biomechanics of the subtalar joint. At the same time, the morphological structure of these bones is important in some common foot deformities. We aimed to investigate whether the various measurements of the talus and calcaneus are associated with different foot deformities in this study. In this study, radiography images of 158 (72 male and 86 female) patients within the mean age of 44 years were retrospectively examined. Eleven different measurements of the talus and calcaneus were obtained from the lateral and antero-posterior radiographs of the patients. A total of 158 patient's routine clinic radiographs were retrospectively assessed, which have calcaneal spur (n=63), hallux valgus (n=32) and control group (n=63). We determined that the body height of the calcaneus, maximum width of the head of the talus, minimum anterior width of the calcaneus were significantly different between calcaneal spur group and control group. Maximum length fibular malleolar facet of the talus was significantly different between age groups. And we determined that the calcaneal index was significantly different between hallux valgus group and control groups. Also all measurements were significantly different between males and females. As a result, some measurements that significantly determine the morphology of the talus and calcaneus were found to be significant between deformity groups and control groups. We think that our study will contribute to the literature as it is the first study in which the measurements obtained from the radiographic images of the talus and calcaneus are associated with foot deformities.

El peso del cuerpo se transmite al pie a través de la articulación subtalar y el talo. Teniendo en cuenta la importante ubicación del talo y el calcáneo, las estructuras morfológicas de estos huesos pueden afectar la biomecánica de la articulación subtalar. Al mismo tiempo, la estructura morfológica de estos huesos es importante en algunas deformidades comunes del pie. Nuestro objetivo fue investigar si las diversas medidas del talo y el calcáneo están asociadas con diferentes deformidades del pie en este estudio. Se examinaron retrospectivamente imágenes radiográficas de 158 pacientes (72 hombres y 86 mujeres) con una edad promedio de 44 años. Se obtuvieron once medidas diferentes del talo y el calcáneo a partir de las radiografías lateral y anteroposterior de los pacientes. Se evaluaron retrospectivamente un total de 158 radiografías clínicas de rutina de los pacientes, los cuales tenían espolón de calcáneo (n=63), hallux valgus (n=32) y grupo control (n=63). Determinamos que la altura del cuerpo del calcáneo, el ancho máximo de la cabeza del talo, el ancho anterior mínimo del calcáneo fueron significativamente diferentes entre el grupo con espolón calcáneo y el grupo control. La longitud máxima de la faceta maleolar fíbular del talo era significativamente diferente entre los grupos de edad. También determinamos que el índice calcáneo fue significativamente diferente entre el grupo de hallux valgus y los grupos controles. Además, todas las medidas fueron significativamente diferentes entre hombres y mujeres. Como resultado, algunas medidas que determinan la morfología del talo y el calcáneo resultaron significativas entre los grupos de deformidad y los grupos controles. Estimamos que nuestro estudio contribuirá a la literatura debido a que es el primer reporte en el que las medidas obtenidas de las imágenes radiográficas del talo y el calcáneo se asocian con deformidades del pie.

The Prevalence of Accessory Ossicles, Sesamoid Bones, and Biphalangism of the Foot and Ankle: A Radiographic Study.

BACKGROUND: Accessory ossicles, sesamoid bones, and biphalangism of toes are the most common developmental variations of the foot. These bones may be associated with painful syndromes; however, their clinical importance is not well understood because the reported prevalence varies widely. Therefore, we aimed to investigate these variants in Turkish subjects. METHODS: A total of 1651 foot radiographs were retrospectively assessed. Radiographs of feet were examined regarding the prevalence, sex, and bilaterality of accessory ossicles, sesamoid bones, and biphalangism in Turkish subjects. RESULTS: Accessory ossicles (26.1%) and sesamoid bones (8%) were detected. The most common accessory ossicles were os trigonum (9.8%), accessory navicular bone (7.9%), and os peroneum (5.8%). Also, we detected os supratalare (0.48%), os calcanei secundarium (0.42%) os subfibulare (0.42%), os supranaviculare (0.36%), os vesalianum (0.30%), os subtibiale (0.24%), os intermetatarseum (0.12%), and os subcalcis (0.12%). We observed bipartite hallux sesamoid in 1.8% and interphalangeal sesamoid bone of the hallux in 0.7% of radiographs. Incidences of metatarsophalangeal sesamoid bones were found as 0.6%, 0.06%, 0.6%, and 5.8% in the second, third, fourth, and fifth digit, respectively. We observed biphalangeal toe in 0.5%, 1.7%, 3.5%, and 37.6% in the second, third, fourth, and fifth toe, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study is the first detailed report on the incidence of the most common variants of the foot and ankle in a wide-ranging patients' series in Turkish subjects. Our study's findings will contribute to reducing misdiagnosis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results of this study may provide anatomical data that could help clinicians in the diagnosis and management of disorders that present with pain and discomfort in the feet. Knowledge of these variants is important to prevent misinterpreting them as fractures.

3D modeling and comparative analysis of the double arcus aorta case.

We analyzed the double arch of a 51-year-old male patient who applied to the outpatient clinic with chest pain and shortness of breath and compared this rare case with the studies in the literature. Double aortic arch (DAA) is defined as a type of vascular ring malformation. The incidence of congenital heart diseases is less than 1%. DAA makes up 46-76% of all rings. We aimed to contribute to cardiac surgery by examining and modeling the diameters in the 2D and 3D images of the patient. For 3D modeling, an open-source software program ITK-SNAP 3.8 was used, which converts 2D images from MRI, CT, and ultrasound to 3D medical image volumes. CT images of the case taken from the SECTRA system of our hospital were uploaded to ITK-SNAP and segmentation was performed. With 3D modeling, a better understanding of the stenosis in the trachea and the double arch was achieved. The ascending aorta diameter was 30 mm. There were atherosclerotic changes in the aorta and its branches. The diameter of the right aortic arch was 22.2 mm, and the diameter of the left aortic arch was 14.5 mm. Trachea diameter was found to be 17 mm/13.2 mm. Esophageal diameter was 9.8 mm. The patient had no specific complaints and no medical or surgical treatment was recommended because his physical examination was normal. We think that a better understanding of such cases in 3D may contribute to cardiovascular surgery.