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Background: Digital 3D visualisation tools have been increasingly used to supplement anatomy teaching with positive results reported in knowledge acquisition, 3D spatial understanding, and active student engagement. Despite their well-documented benefits, evidence of their learning effect on head and neck anatomy is limited. Methods: This cross-over design study aimed to compare using Complete Anatomy (CA) and conventional methods (prosections and plastic models) to learn laryngeal anatomy. Fifty-four first-year dental and dental hygiene students were randomly assigned to a CA and a conventional group. Pre- and post-tests were used to compare groups' knowledge gains, and a feedback questionnaire was used to compare students' perceptions towards CA. Results: Both groups improved significantly in the post-test compared to the pre-test (Cohen's d ≥ 0.8). The conventional group significantly outperformed their counterparts in total (Cohen's d = 0.57) and written questions (Cohen's d = 0.9). However, both groups performed equally in the identification questions. Question-based analysis shows that the CA group performed significantly better in the identification questions than in the written questions (Cohen's d = 0.51). Nearly half the students perceived the CA application as easy to use, and the same proportion believed CA assisted their learning of laryngeal anatomy. Conclusion: This study provides further evidence of the effectiveness of CA in knowledge gain and anatomical recognition and supports its use as supplementary to anatomy education in general and head and neck anatomy in particular.

Introduction: The anatomical complexity of the upper extremity is reflected in the vast array of structural variation and anomalies that can be observed. Variations and developmental anomalies have been reported in the vasculature, innervation, or musculoskeletal structures of the limb. While anomalies tend to involve multiple structures, variations tend to be more subtle and restricted to individual structures with limited physiological impact. Case presentation: Routine dissection of the hands of a female cadaver revealed bilateral anatomical variations. Firstly, the palmaris longus had multiple distal tendinous insertions bilaterally. Secondly, Berrettini type nervous communications were observed bilaterally between the common digital branches of the ulnar nerves and medial common digital branches of the median nerves. Finally, vascular supply for both hands displayed a number of anomalies of the radial and ulnar arteries. In the right hand, there was a small midline anastomosis between the radial and ulnar arteries while it was absent in the left hand, leading to an incomplete superficial palmar arch. Conclusion: In both hands, the location and pattern of arterial supply rendered the vessels vulnerable to injury and occlusion. Absence of collateral blood supply between the ulnar and radial arteries in the left hand, as well as the superficial location of the superficial palmar radial arteries made the hands of this individual particularly susceptible to ischemic injury. Vascular abnormalities of this nature are routinely screened for prior to procedures of the hand. Anatomical variations of the vasculature, innervation and musculature of the hand and wrist are common. This case displays a unique accumulation of such variations in both hands of a cadaveric specimen.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the effect of interventions on spatial abilities in the field of technical skills in health care. Methods: A literature search was conducted up to November 14, 2017 in Scopus and in several databases on EBSCOhost platform. Citations were obtained, articles related to retained citations were reviewed and a final list of included studies was identified. Methods in the field of technical skills relating an intervention to spatial abilities test scores between intervention groups or obtained before and after the intervention were identified as eligible. The quality of included studies was assessed and data were extracted in a systematic way. Results: A series of 5513 citations was obtained. Ninety-nine articles were retained and fully reviewed, yielding four included studies. No difference in the Hidden Figure Test score after one year was observed after residency training in General Surgery of at least nine months. A first-year dental curriculum was not found to elevate the Novel Object Cross-Sections Test score (P = 0.07). A two-semester learning period of abdominal sonography was found to increase the Revised Minnesota Paper Form Board Test score (P < 0.05). A hands-on radiology course using interactive three-dimensional image post-processing software consisting of seven two-hour long seminars on a weekly basis was found to amplify the Cube Perspective Test score (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Spatial abilities tests scores were enhanced by courses in abdominal sonography and hands-on radiology, but were not improved by residency training in General Surgery and first-year dental curriculum.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset disorder caused by a (GCG)n trinucleotide repeat expansion in the poly(A) binding protein nuclear-1 (PABPN1) gene, which in turn leads to an expanded polyalanine tract in the protein. We generated transgenic mice expressing either the wild type or the expanded form of human PABPN1, and transgenic animals with the expanded form showed clear signs of abnormal limb clasping, muscle weakness, coordination deficits, and peripheral nerves alterations. Analysis of mitotic and postmitotic tissues in those transgenic animals revealed ubiquitinated PABPN1-positive intranuclear inclusions (INIs) in neuronal cells. This latter observation led us to test and confirm the presence of similar INIs in postmortem brain sections from an OPMD patient. Our results indicate that expanded PABPN1, presumably via the toxic effects of its polyalanine tract, can lead to inclusion formation and neurodegeneration in both the mouse and the human.

Objective: Our main goal was to evaluate the accuracy of an original non-supervised spatio-temporal magnetoencephalography (MEG) localization method used to characterize interictal spikes generators., Methods: MEG and stereotactic intracerebral recordings (stereo-electro-encephalographic exploration, SEEG) data were analyzed independently in 4 patients. MEG localizations were performed with and without anatomical constraints., Results: We analyzed 1326 interictal spikes recorded using MEG. For each patient, 2-3 typical source patterns were described. These source configurations were compared with SEEG. SEEG findings and MEG spatio-temporal localization results were remarkably coherent in our 4 patients. Most of the MEG patterns were similar to interictal SEEG patterns from a spatio-temporal point of view., Conclusions: We were able to evaluate the usefulness of our non-invasive localization method. This approach described correctly the part of the epileptogenic network involved in the generation of interictal events. Our results demonstrate the potential of MEG in the non-invasive spatio-temporal characterization of generators of interictal spikes.

A new automatic EMG analysis and on-line assignment of MUAP into 8 dynamic cluster algorithm classes (P1......P8) were applied to female relatives of patients with Duchenne type dystrophy. Promising results are given. MUAP amplitude and duration differed significantly in the female relatives compared to the control subjects. MUAP distribution patterns found in the carrier population were significantly different from those found in controls; the carrier population exhibited higher percentages of MUAP (than healthy subjects) in the classes where were assigned the great majority of the potentials obtained from patients with Duchenne type dystrophy. All the known carriers and 55.5% of the possible carriers were detected using these methods. Nevertheless, the absolute accuracy of the results cannot yet be considered achieved because no recognizable distribution pattern was observed in carrier's daughters. No correlation was found between CK levels and EMG distribution.

The spin echo decay curve of NMR protons in in-vitro rat muscle is two or three exponential as Hazlewood demonstrated in 1974. This author hypothesized that the longer T2 component is extracellular water and that the medium T2 is intracellular water. Our purpose was to test the histological significance of these two T2. Variations of water contents in two types of rat muscles were induced by electrical stimulation and osmotic diuresis and their incidence on the decomposition of the proton spin echo signal analysed. Decomposition of signal in resting muscles revealed two phases with T2 values similar to the Hazlewood's: a short phase, S, with T2 of 40 ms (20 MHz, 276 degrees K) representing 90-97% of the total signal and a long one, L, with T2 of 100-120 ms representing 3-10% of the signal. Increasing vascular volume appeared to increase the percentage of phase (L) in the total signal. Osmotic diuresis decreased the volume of the phase (S) and increased the volume of the phase (L). The use of Gd-DTPA allowed to differentiate the vascular compartment: Gd DTPA decreased in a great extent the T2 values of phase (L) and in low extent the T2 values of phases (S). From these results, it appears that phase (L) could correspond to vascular volume and that phase (S) would be interstitial and intracellular water. Elements of comparison with classical methods for determination of water compartmentation in tissues are given.

The results of the application of classification methods to electromyograph signals of weak contractions in normal and myopathic subjects are described. Methods of pattern recognition, previously presented, allow the selection of representative motor unit action potentials. The analysis is done with ordinal qualitative variables obtained by identification of shape descriptive parameters (amplitude, duration, number of phases, number of extrema). From this analysis, characteristic classes for normality and myopathy appear, from which a diagnostic aid by assignment can be made.