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Ugeskrift For Laeger Dec 2023Introduction Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) has commonly been touted for its potential to extend the aesthetic lifespan (EL) of Christmas trees when added to the water in... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Introduction Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) has commonly been touted for its potential to extend the aesthetic lifespan (EL) of Christmas trees when added to the water in the tree stand. This study examined the efficacy of ASA in prolonging the aesthetic longevity of spruce branches, in comparison to placebo and sildenafil. Intervention We conducted a triple-blinded, randomised clinical trial, wherein 60 spruce branches were allocated to one of three treatment arms in a 1:1:1 ratio. The primary intervention was ASA, compared against both placebo and sildenafil treatments. The study's primary endpoint was the EL of the spruce branches. Results All participating branches completed the study. No statistically significant differences were observed in the survival times across the three groups: ASA 17 days (standard deviation (SD): 6), placebo 20 days (SD: 8), and sildenafil 21 days (SD: 7); p = 0.30. Both the log-rank test and adjusted Cox proportional-hazards analyses failed to show any significant variations in aesthetic survival time among the treatment arms (p > 0.05). Conclusion Given our findings, there is no empirical support for the widely held recommendation of adding ASA to the water at the base of a Christmas tree to extend its aesthetic lifespan. Funding none. Trial registration none.
Topics: Humans; Aspirin; Sildenafil Citrate; Water; Picea
PubMed: 38084621
DOI: No ID Found -
Folia Morphologica 2023The goal of the study was to provide relevant data about the location and prevalence of the occipital artery-vertebral artery (OA-VA) anastomosis in patients without...
BACKGROUND
The goal of the study was to provide relevant data about the location and prevalence of the occipital artery-vertebral artery (OA-VA) anastomosis in patients without visible occlusive disease, as well as to thoroughly discuss the clinical significance of these anastomotic channels. Furthermore, the morphometric properties of the OA and its branches were also analysed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective study was carried out to indicate anatomical variations, their prevalence, and morphometrical data on the OA and its branches. The study was performed on 55 randomly selected computed tomography angiographies (CTA) of the head and neck region. Each CTA result was analysed bilaterally. Thus, 110 results were originally assessed.
RESULTS
The OA median maximal diameter was demonstrated at 4.85 mm (lower quartile [LQ]: 4.11; upper quartile [UQ]: 5.53) and the median maximal diameter of VA at 3.60 mm (LQ: 2.79; UQ: 4.38). The distances between OA and its branches were also measured giving a median result of 21.73, 30.29, 60.84, 34.88, 18.02, 55.16 mm for the lower and upper sternocleidomastoid branch, meningeal branch, mastoid branch, and descending branch, respectively. The median distance between OA and its first anastomosis was set to be 51.15 mm (LQ: 37.20; UQ: 60.10). Moreover, a set of additional measurements was carried out in order to create a three-dimensional anatomical heat-map of the occurrence of the OA-VA anastomosis.
CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge about the anatomy of the OA-VA anastomosis might be of immense importance to avoid potentially fatal complications during embolisation of the OA and its branches.
Topics: Humans; Retrospective Studies; Vertebral Artery; Head; Spine; Anastomosis, Surgical
PubMed: 36472395
DOI: 10.5603/FM.a2022.0101 -
Molecular Biology Reports Feb 2022Currently, nanoscale materials and scaffolds carrying antitumor agents to the tumor target site are practical approaches for cancer treatment. Immunotherapy is a modern... (Review)
Review
Currently, nanoscale materials and scaffolds carrying antitumor agents to the tumor target site are practical approaches for cancer treatment. Immunotherapy is a modern approach to cancer treatment in which the body's immune system adjusts to deal with cancer cells. Immuno-engineering is a new branch of regenerative medicine-based therapies that uses engineering principles by using biological tools to stimulate the immune system. Therefore, this branch's final aim is to regulate distribution, release, and simultaneous placement of several immune factors at the tumor site, so then upgrade the current treatment methods and subsequently improve the immune system's handling. In this paper, recent research and prospects of nanotechnology-based cancer immunotherapy have been presented and discussed. Furthermore, different encouraging nanotechnology-based plans for targeting various innate and adaptive immune systems will also be discussed. Due to novel views in nanotechnology strategies, this field can address some biological obstacles, although studies are ongoing.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Immune System; Immunologic Factors; Immunotherapy; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Neoplasms
PubMed: 34716502
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06876-y -
Developmental Biology Jul 2019A neuron's contribution to the information flow within a neural circuit is governed by the structure of its dendritic arbor. The geometry of the dendritic arbor directly... (Review)
Review
A neuron's contribution to the information flow within a neural circuit is governed by the structure of its dendritic arbor. The geometry of the dendritic arbor directly determines synaptic density and the size of the receptive field, both of which influence the firing pattern of the neuron. Importantly, the position of individual dendritic branches determines the identity of the neuron's presynaptic partner and thus the nature of the incoming sensory information. To generate the unique stereotypic architecture of a given neuronal subtype, nascent branches must emerge from the dendritic shaft at preprogramed branch points. Subsequently, a complex array of extrinsic factors regulates the degree and orientation of branch expansion to ensure maximum coverage of the receptive field whilst constraining growth within predetermined territories. In this review we focus on studies that best illustrate how environmental cues such as the Wnts and Netrins and their receptors sculpt the dendritic arbor. We emphasize the pivotal role played by the actin cytoskeleton and its upstream regulators in branch initiation, outgrowth and navigation. Finally, we discuss how protocadherin and DSCAM contact-mediated repulsion prevents inappropriate synapse formation between sister dendrites or dendrites and the axon from the same neuron. Together these studies highlight the clever ways evolution has solved the problem of constructing complex branch geometries.
Topics: Animals; Dendrites; Humans; Neurogenesis; Neuronal Plasticity; Synapses
PubMed: 30550882
DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.12.005 -
Turkish Neurosurgery 2019Variations and anomalies of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) have several clinical implications, including assisting in understanding the clinical signs of a stroke.... (Review)
Review
Variations and anomalies of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) have several clinical implications, including assisting in understanding the clinical signs of a stroke. Anomalies have been described previously; however, few reports mention the origins, absence, duplication and triplication of the cortical branches. Furthermore, the PCA branching pattern has not been adequately described. The aim of this study was to describe the anatomy and anomalies of the PCA. Results of a pilot study were additionally included. The quantity, origin, diameter and length of the PCA cortical branches were described in this review, as well as the branching pattern and the anomalies. Accordingly, the pilot study reported on these aspects. In the pilot study it was evident that the description of the branching pattern is not the "normal" pattern, since it was only observed in one case. This pattern was re-evaluated and three groups were described; monofurcation, bifurcation and trifurcation. Furthermore, one case of a fenestration was observed. Aneurysms tend to form at branching points, thus knowledge of the branching pattern can aid in detection of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms in this region. This review outlined several gaps in the literature, and a pilot study was included to fill some of these gaps. Future research should especially focus on the branching pattern of the PCA. Possible sex, age and population differences may also exist.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Posterior Cerebral Artery
PubMed: 29368322
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.21443-17.2 -
Plant Physiology Nov 2021The architecture of flowering plants exhibits both phenotypic diversity and plasticity, determined, in part, by the number and activity of axillary meristems and, in... (Review)
Review
The architecture of flowering plants exhibits both phenotypic diversity and plasticity, determined, in part, by the number and activity of axillary meristems and, in part, by the growth characteristics of the branches that develop from the axillary buds. The plasticity of shoot branching results from a combination of various intrinsic and genetic elements, such as number and position of nodes and type of growth phase, as well as environmental signals such as nutrient availability, light characteristics, and temperature (Napoli et al., 1998; Bennett and Leyser, 2006; Janssen et al., 2014; Teichmann and Muhr, 2015; Ueda and Yanagisawa, 2019). Axillary meristem initiation and axillary bud outgrowth are controlled by a complex and interconnected regulatory network. Although many of the genes and hormones that modulate branching patterns have been discovered and characterized through genetic and biochemical studies, there are still many gaps in our understanding of the control mechanisms at play. In this review, we will summarize our current knowledge of the control of axillary meristem initiation and outgrowth into a branch.
Topics: Cell Plasticity; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Regulatory Networks; Magnoliopsida; Meristem; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Shoots
PubMed: 33616657
DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab071 -
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy : SRA Oct 2022The thoracoacromial trunk (TAT) originates from the second part of the axillary artery and curls around the superomedial border of the pectoralis minor, subsequently...
PURPOSE
The thoracoacromial trunk (TAT) originates from the second part of the axillary artery and curls around the superomedial border of the pectoralis minor, subsequently piercing the costocoracoid membrane. Knowledge about the location, morphology, and variations of the TAT and its branches is of great surgical importance due to its frequent use in various reconstructive flaps.
METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted to establish anatomical variations, their prevalence, and morphometric data on TAT and its branches. The results of 55 consecutive patients who underwent neck and thoracic computed tomography angiography were analyzed. A qualitative evaluation of each TAT was performed.
RESULTS
A total of 15 morphologically different TAT variants were initially established. The median length of the TAT was set at 7.74 mm (LQ 3.50; HQ 13.65). The median maximum diameter of the TAT was established at 4.19 mm (LQ 3.86; HQ 4.90). The median TAT ostial area was set to 13.97 mm (LQ 11.70; HQ 18.86). To create a heat map of the most frequent location of the TAT, measurements of the relating structures were made.
CONCLUSION
In this study, the morphology and variations of the branching pattern of the TAT were presented, proposing a new classification system based on the four most commonly prevalent types. The prevalence of each branch arising directly from the TAT was also analyzed. It is hoped that the results of the present anatomical analysis can help to minimize potential complications when performing plastic or reconstructive procedures associated with TAT.
Topics: Humans; Retrospective Studies; Surgical Flaps; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Pectoralis Muscles; Axillary Artery
PubMed: 36094609
DOI: 10.1007/s00276-022-03016-4 -
Developmental Biology Jul 2019The terminal cells of the tracheal epithelium in Drosophila melanogaster are one of the few known cell types that undergo subcellular morphogenesis to achieve a stable,... (Review)
Review
The terminal cells of the tracheal epithelium in Drosophila melanogaster are one of the few known cell types that undergo subcellular morphogenesis to achieve a stable, branched shape. During the animal's larval stages, the cells repeatedly sprout new cytoplasmic processes. These grow very long, wrapping around target tissues to which the terminal cells adhere, and are hollowed by a gas-filled subcellular tube for oxygen delivery. Our understanding of this ramification process remains rudimentary. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of studies on terminal cells to date, and attempts to extrapolate how terminal branches might be formed based on the known genetic and molecular components. Next to this cell-intrinsic branching mechanism, we examine the extrinsic regulation of terminal branching by the target tissue and the animal's environment. Finally, we assess the degree of similarity between the patterns established by the branching programs of terminal cells and other branched cells and tissues from a mathematical and conceptual point of view.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila melanogaster; Larva; Organogenesis; Respiratory Mucosa; Trachea
PubMed: 30529233
DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.12.001 -
Acta Neuropathologica Communications Jul 2023Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) and characterized by perivascular...
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) and characterized by perivascular accumulations of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) at the depths of the cortical sulci. Studies of living athletes exposed to RHI, including concussive and nonconcussive impacts, have shown increased blood-brain barrier permeability, reduced cerebral blood flow, and alterations in vasoreactivity. Blood-brain barrier abnormalities have also been reported in individuals neuropathologically diagnosed with CTE. To further investigate the three-dimensional microvascular changes in individuals diagnosed with CTE and controls, we used SHIELD tissue processing and passive delipidation to optically clear and label blocks of postmortem human dorsolateral frontal cortex. We used fluorescent confocal microscopy to quantitate vascular branch density and fraction volume. We compared the findings in 41 male brain donors, age at death 31-89 years, mean age 64 years, including 12 donors with low CTE (McKee stage I-II), 13 with high CTE (McKee stage III-IV) to 16 age- and sex-matched non-CTE controls (7 with RHI exposure and 9 with no RHI exposure). The density of vessel branches in the gray matter sulcus was significantly greater in CTE cases than in controls. The ratios of sulcus versus gyrus vessel branch density and fraction volume were also greater in CTE than in controls and significantly above one for the CTE group. Hyperphosphorylated tau pathology density correlated with gray matter sulcus fraction volume. These findings point towards increased vascular coverage and branching in the dorsolateral frontal cortex (DLF) sulci in CTE, that correlates with p-tau pathology.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Brain; tau Proteins; Frontal Lobe; Athletes
PubMed: 37491342
DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01612-y