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Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease. In this study it was aimed to compare the general features of OA such as location, placement, severity and shape of the lesions in terms of radiological and morphological aspects and to determine their relationship with each other. Methods: In our study, the antero-posterior and lateral radiographies of knee talocrural and transverse tarsal joints of 20 cadavers by age between 30 and 50 years were taken. The results obtained from the radiological examination were graded according to the Kellgren and Lawrence scale. For each of the identified regions, the presence of degenerative changes was noted. Then samples were taken from these regions were examined by microscopic methods. The cartilage degeneration changes, presence of fibrillations, density, depth, chondrocyte aggregation, and necrotic changes were evaluated. Results: In the radiological examination OA was found in 35% in knee joint, 25% in the talocrural joint, 15% in the transverse tarsal joint. In the morphological examination OA was found in 31.5% knee joint, 25% ankle joint and 5% transverse tarsal joint. In the microscopic examination OA was found in 94.7% knee joint, in 94.7% ankle joint and in 100% transverse tarsal joint. Conclusion: Although radiological and macroscopic OA was detected in approximately 1/3 of cadavers aged between 30 and 50 years, degeneration of varying degrees was detected in all joints examined in microscopic examination. This shows that an advanced age disease OA, starts at a very early age. Key words: Osteoarthritis, Knee joint, Talocrural joint, Transverse tarsal joint

We aimed to investigate the effects of erythropoietin, acetyl-l-carnitine, and their combination on nerve regeneration in experimental peripheral nerve injury.Rats were randomly divided into five groups - sham-operated (S), sciatic nerve crush injury (C), C + acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR), C + erythropoietin (EPO), and C + EPO + ALCAR. ALCAR (50 mg/kg/day) was administered intraperitoneally, and EPO (5000 U/kg) was injected subcutaneously for 10 days. Functional recovery was evaluated using walking track analysis (sciatic functional index [SFI]), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) assay, and caspase-3 and S100 immunoreactivities.In SFI analyses, delayed functional recovery was observed in the C group, whereas the functional recovery of rats treated with EPO and ALCAR significantly improved. The latencies of the SEP components were significantly prolonged in C group. In the treatment groups (C + EPO, C + ALCAR, and C + EPO + ALCAR), all recorded values of SEP components significantly decreased. TBARS levels in C group were significantly higher than those in the S group. EPO and ALCAR administration significantly decreased TBARS levels. Caspase-3 immunoreactivity was increased in the C group, whereas it was decreased in the treatment groups. S100 immunolabelling was significantly decreased in the C group. EPO and ALCAR administration caused an increase in the amount of S100-positive cells in all treatment groups.EPO and ALCAR administration could accelerate sciatic nerve repair by reducing apoptosis and lipid peroxidation and promoting myelinization. Although both EPO and ALCAR had positive effects on nerve healing, their combined efficacy had no statistically significant effect on peripheral nerve regeneration.

Histamine is an endogenous biogenic amine that is synthesized from the basic amino acid histidine. Ability to mimic anaphylaxis is one of the first described functions of histamine and it has been demonstrated that histamine plays a significant role in the regulation of immune system and neuronal function, influences neuronal morphology and is involved in mast cells (MCs) chemotaxis. MCs as histamine releasers, may thus also interact with neuronal function. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the role of histamine on mast cell density and neuronal morphology in the gastrointestinal tract of the mouse. Ten mice were daily injected intraperitoneally for 7 days with 20 mg/kg of histamine diluted in 0.5 ml physiological serum. After 7 days, mice were euthanised and samples from stomach, small bowel, colon and appendix were processed for histological examination. Immunohistochemistry was performed employing primary antibodies directed against triptase for mast cells and PGP 9.5 antigen for neuronal structures. The density of triptase and PGP 9.5 positive cells and the morphology of the ganglia were quantitatively evaluated by digital image analysis. The number of ganglia was higher in stomach, small bowel, colon and appendices of the histamine group when compared with the control group. Only in appendices and colon, the number of Schwann cells was significantly higher than that of the control group. The PGP 9.5 expression and the mean area of ganglia showed a significant increase only in appendices. In histamine group the MCs were clustered especially in the lamina propria. Mast cell density (MCD) was significantly higher than the control group in the small bowel, colon and appendices tissues. The intraperitoneally injection histamine increases the MCD and induces the neuronal hypertrophy and after the comparison of the organs in the gastrointestinal tract the results indicated the most effected organ as the appendices.

Accessory ossicles are the skeletal variations of the ankle and foot that can cause painful syndromes. The accessory navicular bone is one of the most common accessory ossicle of the foot (4-21%) and is also known as os tibiale, os tibiale externum and os naviculare secundarium. This bone can be adjacent to the posteromedial tuberosity of the navicular bone or can be separated and may cause various diseases in the foot and mimic fractures of foot bones. The aim of this study was to document a detailed investigation of incidence and types of accessory navicular bones of Turkish subjects according to sex in both extremities. The accessory navicular bone was detected (11%) via the posterior-anterior radiographs of 650 subjects in the radiological examination. The incidences of accessory navicular bones were identified as 6.1-4.9% in female and male participants. Accessory navicular bones were classified into three groups as Type I, Type II and Type III and the incidences of these bones were determined as 3.3, 3.1, 4.6%, respectively. Each group was also divided into subgroups. The incidences of the subgroups are as Type Ia 0.6%, Type Ib 1.5%, Type Ic 1.2%, Type IIA/a 0.8%, Type IIA/b 0.4%, Type IIA/c 0%, Type IIB/a 1.1%, IIB/b 0.3%, IIB/c 0.5%, Type IIIa 1.5%, Type IIIb 1.4%, Type IIIc 1.7%. Finally, the types of accessory navicular bones were discussed and the imaging modalities for diagnosis were presented.

Wilhelm Heinrich Erb was a renowned German neurologist and an eminent physician of his time. He is well known for his innovative contributions to neurology. Erb became known primarily for his contributions to diagnosing and treating various neurological disorders. He was one of the clinicians to use electricity in the diagnosis and treatment of nervous disorders.1 Duchenne should not be overlooked in the history of electrical stimulation. He used his electrical stimulation technique, which he called “electrisation localisee” (localised faradisation), as a clinical diagnostic and prognostic tool, as well as a physiological means of exploring the anatomy of the living.2 Apart from Erb’s description of the disorders to which his name is attached, he pioneered the usage of reflex hammer in neurological examinations. Additionally, he introduced the term “tendon reflex”. He gave his name to paralysis of the brachial plexus and described important neurological terms.1 Erb was born in Winweiler, the Bavarian Palatinate, …

During the routine dissection studies on the right side of a 56-year-old female cadaver we encountered co-existence of the pectoralis quartus and pectoralis intermedius muscles. The pectoralis quartus originated from the costochondral junction of the fifth and sixth ribs, and then extended laterally under the border of pectoralis major muscle, but it was entirely separate from it. The pectoralis quartus formed a long flat band with an average width of 1.5 cm. It then inserted as an aponeurosis to the both of lateral lip of the intertubercular groove of the humerus and tendon of the short head of the biceps brachii muscle. Furthermore, the pectoralis intermedius muscle was a fleshy slip between the pectoralis minor and pectoralis quartus muscles and arose from the third and fourth ribs. It then united to the tendon of the short head of the biceps brachii muscle two cm below the coracoid process.