Reevaluation of the lumbosacral region of Oreopithecus bambolii

Functional interpretations of the postcranium of the late Miocene ape Oreopithecus bambolii are controversial. The claim that Oreopithecus practiced habitual terrestrial bipedalism is partly based on restored postcranial remains originally recovered from Baccinello, Tuscany ( Köhler and Moyà-Solà, 1997). The lower lumbar vertebrae of BA#72 were cited as evidence that Oreopithecus exhibits features indicative of a lordotic lumbar spine, including dorsal wedging of the vertebral bodies and a caudally progressive increase in postzygapophyseal interfacet distance. Here, we demonstrate why the dorsal wedging index value obtained by Köhler and Moyà-Solà (1997) for the BA#72 last lumbar vertebra is questionable due to distortion in that region, present a more reliable way to measure postzygapophyseal interfacet distance, and include an additional metric (laminar width) with which to examine changes in the transverse dimensions of the neural arches. We also quantify the external morphology of the BA#72 proximal sacrum, which, despite well-documented links between sacral morphology and bipedal locomotion, and excellent preservation of the sacral prezygapophyses, first sacral vertebral body, and right ala, was not evaluated by Köhler and Moyà-Solà (1997). Measures of postzygapophyseal interfacet distance and laminar width on the penultimate and last lumbar vertebrae of BA#72 reveal a pattern encompassed within the range of living nonhuman hominoids and unlike that of modern humans, suggesting that Oreopithecus did not possess a lordotic lumbar spine. Results further show that the BA#72 sacrum exhibits relatively small prezygapophyseal articular facet surface areas and mediolaterally narrow alae compared with modern humans, indicating that the morphology of the Oreopithecus sacrum is incompatible with the functional demands of habitual bipedal stance and locomotion. The Oreopithecus lumbosacral region does not exhibit adaptations for habitual bipedal locomotion.     

Angiogenesis in the Ischemic Rat Lung

The adult lung is perfused by both the systemic bronchial artery and the entire venous return flowing through the pulmonary arteries. In most lung pathologies, it is the smaller systemic vasculature that responds to a need for enhanced lung perfusion and shows robust neovascularization. Pulmonary vascular ischemia induced by pulmonary artery obstruction has been shown to result in rapid systemic arterial angiogenesis in man as well as in several animal models. Although the histologic assessment of the time course of bronchial artery proliferation in rats was carefully described by Weibel ¹, mechanisms responsible for this organized growth of new vessels are not clear. We provide surgical details of inducing left pulmonary artery ischemia in the rat that leads to bronchial neovascularization. Quantification of the extent of angiogenesis presents an additional challenge due to the presence of the two vascular beds within the lung. Methods to determine functional angiogenesis based on labeled microsphere injections are provided.     

Chemical evidence of preserved collagen in 54-million-year-old fish vertebrae

Collagens are the most abundant proteins in the animal kingdom. They form the structural framework of connective tissues such as bones, tendons and skin, and play important biomechanical role in supporting tissue functions. The preservation of collagen in deep time is a topic of intense debate. Here we provide indisputable evidence for the presence of collagen in early Eocene fish vertebrae using online pyrolysis comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (py-GC×GC-TOFMS) and immunofluorescence analysis. The presence of cyclic dipeptides such as diketodipyrrole, 2,5-diketopiperazine of proline-proline and 2,5-diketopiperazine of proline-glycine along with other nitrogen-bearing molecules in the pyrolysis products of the studied fossils unequivocally demonstrate that collagen can withstand degradation and diagenetic alteration. Immunofluorescence study also confirms the presence of collagen-I in the fossilized fish vertebrae. Contrary to common opinion, the present findings suggest that the preservation of collagen in fossilized soft tissues is not rare. We propose that one of the essential factors controlling preservation of collagen is the establishment of a suitable microenvironment within the fossil, inhibiting diagenetic alteration including microbial decay.     

胸外科手术术后神经病理性疼痛的发生情况及相关因素分析

目的:探讨胸外科手术术后神经病理性疼痛的发生情况及相关危险因素。方法:回顾性分析2015年至2016年就诊于我院行胸外科手术的患者的临床资料,包括患者的年龄、性别、吸烟史、BMI、术前是否使用催眠药物、术前诊断、手术侧别、手术方式、是否为微创、硬膜外自控镇痛泵使用情况、术中失血量、手术持续时间、引流管引流时间及是否发生神经病理性疼痛,对比分析是否发生神经病理性疼痛患者的临床资料,对有差异的临床资料进行多因素Logistic回归分析探讨发生神经病理性疼痛的危险因素。结果:共有123例患者纳入研究,33例(26.8%)患者的患者术后出现神经病理性疼痛,6例(4.9%)患者在术后一年仍有持续性神经性病理疼痛,术后出现神经病理性疼痛的平均时间为术后第7天,平均持续时间为75天,发生神经病理性疼痛的患者吸烟比例(81.8%)、术前使用催眠药比例(57.6%)、开胸手术比例(81.8%)、术中失血量(185 mL)、手术时间(196分钟)、术后引流时间(2.5天)均高于没有发生神经病理性疼痛的患者。多因素分析显示术前使用催眠药(OR=2.322,P<0.001)、手术时间延长(OR=3.703,P<0.001)和术后引流时间延长(OR=2.675,P=0.002)均是神经病理性疼痛发生的危险因素,电视辅助胸腔镜手术方式是保护性因素(OR=0.453,P=0.002)。结论:术前使用催眠药物、延长的手术时间及术后引流时间增加了神经病理性疼痛发生的风险,电视辅助胸腔镜技术可减少其发生率。     

Vertebral and rib anatomy in Caperea marginata: Implications for evolutionary patterning of the mammalian vertebral column

The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is a rare mysticete cetacean with an unusual suite of axial skeletal characters. Distally expanded first ribs, a long thorax with broadly overlapping vertebral transverse processes, plate‐like posterior ribs, and a short tail contrast with other cetaceans and suggest unique developmental patterning. Twenty‐four individuals of diverse ontogenetic age were available for analysis. Multiple, variable examples of incomplete rib fusion in dependent calves indicate that the first rib of adults is an ontogenetic fusion product of ribs 1 and 2. The composite rib articulates by way of its anterior (Rib1) component to the sternum and by way of its posterior (Rib2) component with thoracic vertebra 2. Thoracic vertebra 1 lacks rib articulations. When rib fusion is taken into account, the most frequent column formulas are C7T18L1Cd16–17 = 42–43 and C7T17L1Cd16–18 = 41–43. Thoracic and lumbar series are not reciprocal in count, arguing against their developmental linkage. Instead, parallel reduction in both lumbar and caudal counts supports the existence of neocete patterning in Caperea, as in all other living cetaceans. Ontogenetic vertebral column elongation is most marked in the posterior thorax, lumbos, and anterior tail. Vertebrae in these column regions are excellent predictors of total body length.     

Morphological correlates of tail length in the catarrhine sacrum

Taillessness is a distinctive synapomorphy of the Hominoidea that has implications for interpretation of the locomotor behaviors and phylogenetic affinities of the clade’s earliest members. However, difficulties persist in confidently identifying taillessness in the catarrhine fossil record, stemming largely from our limited knowledge of the anatomical features with which the tail is associated. Here, we compare the morphology of the sacrum, the sole bony link between the tail and the rest of the body, among extant tailless hominoids and a broad sample of extant cercopithecoids known to vary in tail length (i.e., ‘very short’, ‘short’, and ‘long’) in order to identify morphological correlates of tail length. We examine three features of the sacrum, including the shape of the sacrum’s caudal articular surface (CAS), the sacrocaudal articulation (SCA) angle, and the lateral expansion of the last sacral vertebra’s transverse processes. Compared with all other taxa, ‘long’-tailed cercopithecoids have significantly more circularly-shaped CASs, more acute SCA angles, and more laterally expanded transverse processes of the last sacral vertebra. Tailless hominoids have significantly more elliptically-shaped CASs and less laterally expanded transverse processes than all tailed cercopithecoids, but in the latter parameter, they only differ significantly from ‘long’-tailed cercopithecoids. Cercopithecoids with ‘short’ and ‘very short’ tails are intermediate between tailless hominoids and ‘long’-tailed cercopithecoids with respect to CAS shape and lateral expansion of the transverse processes. SCA angle distinguishes clearly among all three cercopithecoid tail length groups. The results of this study provide evidence for significant differences in sacral morphology among extant catarrhines known to differ in tail length, and have implications for making inferences about tail length and function in extinct catarrhines.     

THE FIRST NEOCERATOPSIAN DINOSAUR REMAINS FROM EUROPE

Abstract:  Shallow marine, nearshore strata of earliest Campanian ( Gonioteuthis granulataquadrata belemnite Zone) and latest Early Campanian (informal Belemnellocamax mammillatus belemnite zone) age in the Kristianstad Basin, southern Sweden, have yielded isolated leptoceratopsid teeth and vertebrae, representing the first record of horned dinosaurs from Europe. The new leptoceratopsid occurrence may support a European dispersal route for the Leptoceratopsidae, or may represent an entirely endemic population. The presence of leptoceratopsid teeth in shallow marine deposits contradicts previous hypotheses suggesting that basal neoceratopsians mainly preferred arid and/or semi-arid habitats far from coastal areas.     

Distribution and characterization of nitric oxide synthase in the nervous system of Triatoma infestans (Insecta: Heteroptera)

The biochemical characterization of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and its distribution in the central nervous system (CNS) were studied in the heteropteran bug Triatoma infestans. NOS-like immunoreactivity was found in the brain, subesophageal ganglion, and thoracic ganglia by using immunocytochemistry. In the protocerebrum, NOS-immunoreactive (IR) somata were detected in the anterior, lateral, and posterior soma rinds. In the optic lobe, numerous immunostained somata were observed at the level of the first optic chiasma, around the lobula, and in the proximal optic lobe. In the deutocerebrum, NOS-IR perikarya were mainly observed in the lateral soma rind, surrounding the sensory glomeruli, and a few cell bodies were seen in association with the antennal mechanosensory and motor neuropil. No immunostaining could be detected in the antennal nerve. The subesophageal and prothoracic ganglia contained scattered immunostained cell bodies. NOS-IR somata were present in all the neuromeres of the posterior ganglion. Western blotting showed that a universal NOS antiserum recognized a band at 134 kDa, in agreement with the expected molecular weight of the protein. Analysis of the kinetics of nitric oxide production revealed a fully active enzyme in tissue samples of the CNS of T. infestans. This work was funded by the Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas. Universidad Austral. A.J.N. is supported by the NIH-NIDCD (DC04292). Part of this work was performed at the Arizona Research Laboratories, Division of Neurobiology (Tucson, Arizon, USA) with the support of a Fulbright Research Award to B.P.S.     

胸神经阻滞和肋间神经阻滞对乳腺癌根治术患者血流动力学、术后镇痛及呼吸功能的对比研究

目的:比较胸神经阻滞和肋间神经阻滞对乳腺癌根治术患者血流动力学、术后镇痛以及呼吸功能的影响,为乳腺癌根治术患者的临床麻醉选择提供参考。方法:选择2017年3月至2018年3月医院收治的120例行乳腺癌根治术的患者作为研究对象,按照麻醉方式不同分为观察组和对照组各60例,其中观察组患者给予胸神经阻滞复合全身麻醉,对照组患者给予肋间神经阻滞复合全身麻醉。比较两组患者术后2h、6h、12h、24h、48h的静态和动态的视觉模拟评分(VAS)评分,并比较两组患者切皮前5 min(T_0)、切皮即刻(T_1)、切皮后15 min(T_2)、30 min(T_3)、钉皮即刻(T_4)及拔管后15 min(T_5)的血流动力学以及呼吸功能指标,并分析两组患者术中用药、术后镇痛泵使用情况以及术后不良反应。结果:两组患者术后静息状态下不同时点的VAS评分差异无统计学意义(P0.05);动态状态下,观察组患者的VAS评分明显低于对照组(P0.05)。T_1-T_5期间,观察组患者的平均动脉压(MAP)、心率(HR)均明显低于对照组,每分钟通气量(MV)明显高于对照组(P0.05)。观察组患者的术中瑞芬太尼消耗量、丙泊酚用量、镇痛泵有效按压次数以及补救镇痛例数均明显低于对照组;恶心呕吐(PONV)、尿潴留、嗜睡等不良反应明显低于对照组(P0.05)。结论:与肋间神经阻滞相比,胸神经阻滞治疗乳腺癌根治术患者可以有效增强术后镇痛效果,术中血流动力学平稳,减少阿片类药物用量,降低术后不良反应发生率,改善术后呼吸功能,效果显著,值得临床推广使用。     

“Lucy” (A.L. 288‐1) had five sacral vertebrae

A “long‐backed” scenario of hominin vertebral evolution posits that early hominins possessed six lumbar vertebrae coupled with a high frequency of four sacral vertebrae (7:12‐13:6:4), a configuration acquired from a hominin‐panin last common ancestor (PLCA) having a vertebral formula of 7:13:6‐7:4. One founding line of evidence for this hypothesis is the recent assertion that the “Lucy” sacrum (A.L. 288‐1an, Australopithecus afarensis) consists of four sacral vertebrae and a partially‐fused first coccygeal vertebra (Co1), rather than five sacral vertebrae as in modern humans. This study reassesses the number of sacral vertebrae in Lucy by reexamining the distal end of A.L.288‐1an in the context of a comparative sample of modern human sacra and Co1 vertebrae, and the sacrum of A. sediba (MH2). Results demonstrate that, similar to S5 in modern humans and A. sediba, the last vertebra in A.L. 288‐1an exhibits inferiorly‐projecting (right side) cornua and a kidney‐shaped inferior body articular surface. This morphology is inconsistent with that of fused or isolated Co1 vertebrae in humans, which either lack cornua or possess only superiorly‐projecting cornua, and have more circularly‐shaped inferior body articular surfaces. The level at which the hiatus' apex is located is also more compatible with typical five‐element modern human sacra and A. sediba than if only four sacral vertebrae are present. Our observations suggest that A.L. 288‐1 possessed five sacral vertebrae as in modern humans; thus, sacral number in “Lucy” does not indicate a directional change in vertebral count that can provide information on the PLCA ancestral condition. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:295–303, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.