Sodium tungstate alleviates biomechanical properties of diabetic rat femur via modulation of oxidative stress

Diabetes mellitus leads to bone disorders such as osteopenia and osteoporosis that can increase fracture risk. On the other hand, sodium tungstate is an inorganic compound which exerts anti-diabetic activity in experimental studies due to its suggested insulin-mimetic or antioxidant activity. Therefore this study was designed to investigate the effect of tungstate on bone quality in diabetic rat femurs. The rats were divided into four groups: Control (C), tungstate-treated control (C+Tung), diabetes (STZ-D) and tungstate-treated diabetes (STZ-D+Tung). Diabetes mellitus was induced by single injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg). The treated rats received 150 mg/kg/day of sodium tungstate for 12 weeks. Sodium tungstate achieved a little (17%) but significant reduction on blood glucose levels, while it didn't recover the reduced body weights of diabetic rats. In addition, impaired bone mechanical quality was reversed, despite the unchanged mineral density. Sodium tungstate administration significantly lowered the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and restored the activity of tissue antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase in diabetic rats. On the other hand, glutathione levels didn't change in either case. These findings indicate that tungstate can improve the reduced mechanical quality of diabetic rat femurs due probably to reduction of reactive oxygen species and modulation of antioxidant enzymes as well as reduction in blood glucose levels.

Arterial, neural and muscular variations in the upper limb

During our routine dissection studies we observed arterial, neural and muscular variations in the upper limbs of an adult male cadaver. In this case we observed the superficial brachial artery origination from the third part of the axillary artery, communications between the musculocutaneous and median nerves, variant formation of the brachial plexus, origination of the profunda brachii artery from the posterior circumflex humeral artery and supernumerary tendons of the abductor pollicis longus muscle. We think that such variations should be kept in mind during surgical and diagnostic procedures.

Important anatomical landmarks in the lateral nasal wall

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate the anatomy of the lateral nasal wall to provide a set of measurements among some important anatomical landmarks and to reveal the relationship between them.

METHODS

Fifty half heads were dissected to determine the distances between important landmarks in the lateral nasal wall for endoscopic sinus surgery. Landmarks were measured with an electronic caliper. This study was carried out between December 2002 and February 2003 at the Anatomy Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.

RESULTS

Results were provided as mean +/- standard deviation. In our study, some of the critical distances as in the lateral nasal wall were measured and results showed consistency to the data found in the literature.

CONCLUSION

Our results are useful to achieve safe endoscopic sinus surgery.

Cleidooccipital muscle: an anomalous muscle in the neck region

During our routine dissection studies, we encountered a case with abnormal muscle deep to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. According to its origin, insertion and innervation features, the abnormal muscle was considered as cleidooccipitalis muscle.