Three-Dimensional Imaging Analysis of the Developmental Process of Posterior Meniscofemoral Ligaments in Rat Embryos.

Introduction: The posterior meniscofemoral ligament (pMFL) of knee joint is a ligament that runs posterior to the posterior cruciate ligament and it is known that the height of the pMFL attachment site causes meniscus avulsion. Therefore, understanding the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the pMFL attachment site is essential to better understand the pathogenesis of meniscus disorders. However, the developmental process of pMFL has not been well investigated.

Femoral posture during embryonic and early fetal development: An analysis using landmarks on the cartilaginous skeletons of ex vivo human specimens.

The pre-axial border medially moves between the fetal and early postnatal periods, and the foot sole can be placed on the ground. Nonetheless, the precise timeline when this posture is achieved remains poorly understood. The hip joint is the most freely movable joint in the lower limbs and largely determines the lower-limb posture.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of simplified analogues of MraY inhibitory natural product with rigid scaffold.

Muraymycins and caprazamycins are strong inhibitors of MraY, which is responsible for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Although they are promising antibacterial agents with a novel mode of action, their chemical structures are rather complex. This study investigated the simplification of these natural products by structure-based drug design, synthesis, and biological evaluation.

Early development of the cortical layers in the human brain.

The cortical plate (CP) first appears at seven postconceptional weeks (pcw), when it splits the preexisting preplate into two layers, the marginal zone and the presubplate (pSP). Although three-dimensional (3D) analysis using fetal magnetic resonance imaging and two-dimensional tissue observations have been reported, there have been no studies analyzing the early development of the layer structure corresponding to the pSP stage in 3D. Here, we reconstructed 3-D models of the brain with a focus on the cortical layers in pSP stage.

Nascent nephrons during human embryonic development: Spatial distribution and relationship with urinary collecting system.

The two major components of the metanephros, the urinary collecting system (UCS) and nephron, have different developmental courses. Nephron numbers vary widely between species and individuals and are determined during fetal development. Furthermore, the development of nascent nephrons may contribute to the expansion of the proximal part of the UCS.

Less invasive treatment for broad ligament hernia: A case report.

Introduction: Among diseases that cause small bowel obstruction, internal hernia may result in severe outcomes. Therefore, emergency laparotomy has been often performed, but it may be invasive. We experienced a case of a broad ligament hernia of the uterus, which is relatively rare among the cases of internal hernia that were treated by less invasive laparoscopic surgery.

Relationship between rectal abdominis muscle position and physiological umbilical herniation and return: A morphological and morphometric study.

The herniation of the intestinal loop (IL) in the extraembryonic coelom and its return to abdominal cavity is in parallel with the formation of the rectal abdominis muscle (RAM). Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data of human fetuses (n = 19, CRL22-69 mm; stored at Kyoto Collection), this study aimed to analyze the relationship between the development of RAM and phase of IL herniation. The RAM runs at the lateral part of the abdominal wall in the small samples in the herniation phase.

Development of cyclic peptide derivatives from the N-terminal region of LANA for targeting the nucleosome acidic patch.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is known to be a carcinogenic agent that causes AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). When KSHV infects host's cells, one of the virus's proteins, latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA), binds to the host's nucleosomes to retain episomes and create latency circumstances. Although the infectious mechanism of KSHV is partly elucidated, the development of drug candidates for targeting KS is ongoing.

Rib Cage Morphogenesis in the Human Embryo: A Detailed Three-Dimensional Analysis.

Formation of the skeletal structure in the human embryo has important consequences in terms of support, protection, and function of organs and other systems. We aimed to describe the formation of the rib cage during the embryonic period, in order to detect prominent features and identify the possible factors affecting rib cage morphology. We employed high-resolution digitized imaging data (n = 34) obtained in human embryos with Carnegie stage (CS) between 17 and 23.

Spatial Relationship Between the Metanephros and Adjacent Organs According to the Carnegie Stage of Development.

The morphological changes in the metanephros and its spatial relationship to the adjacent organs was evaluated based on the Carnegie stages (CSs) from 14 through 23. The imaging modalities used included magnetic resonance imaging (N = 4), phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography (N = 11), and serial histological sections (N = 40), supplemented by three-dimensional image reconstruction. The orientation of the hilus of the metanephros changed significantly between CS17 (34.

Return of the intestinal loop to the abdominal coelom after physiological umbilical herniation in the early fetal period.

The intestine elongates during the early fetal period, herniates into the extraembryonic coelom, and subsequently returns to the abdominal coelom. The manner of herniation is well-known; however, the process by which the intestinal loop returns to the abdomen is not clear. Thus, the present study was designed to document and measure intestinal movements in the early fetal period in three dimensions to elucidate the intestinal loop return process.

Branching morphogenesis of the urinary collecting system in the human embryonic metanephros.

An elaborate system of ducts collects urine from all nephrons, and this structure is known as the urinary collecting system (UCS). This study focused on how the UCS is formed during human embryogenesis. Fifty human embryos between the Carnegie stage (CS) 14 and CS23 were selected from the Kyoto Collection at the Congenital Anomaly Research Center of Kyoto University, Japan.

Variations of the Circle of Willis at the End of the Human Embryonic Period.

Variations of the circle of Willis (CW) influence blood supply to the brain and adjacent structures in adults. We examined the formation of the CW in 20 human embryo samples at the end of the embryonic period using 3-D reconstructions of serial histological sections. The CW was closed in all samples, and did not form in a single plane, but was composed of multiple stair-like planes.

Formation of the Periotic Space During the Early Fetal Period in Humans.

The inner ear is a very complicated structure, composed of a bony labyrinth (otic capsule; OC), membranous labyrinth, with a space between them, named the periotic labyrinth or periotic space. We investigated how periotic tissue fluid spaces covered the membranous labyrinth three-dimensionally, leading to formation of the periotic labyrinth encapsulated in the OC during human fetal development. Digital data sets from magnetic resonance images and phase-contrast X-ray tomography images of 24 inner ear organs from 24 human fetuses from the Kyoto Collection (fetuses in trimesters 1 and 2; crown-rump length: 14.

Morphogenesis of the Middle Ear during Fetal Development as Observed Via Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Recently, our research group has utilized serial histological sections to investigate the morphogenesis of the middle ear, which corresponds to the period of middle ear ossicle (MEO) cartilage formation. However, research regarding middle ear development during the post-embryonic period has been limited. In the present study, we investigated morphogenesis of the middle ear in human fetuses with a crown-rump length (CRL) between 37 and 197 mm using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Cartilage formation in the pelvic skeleton during the embryonic and early-fetal period.

The pelvic skeleton is formed via endochondral ossification. However, it is not known how the normal cartilage is formed before ossification occurs. Furthermore, the overall timeline of cartilage formation and the morphology of the cartilage in the pelvis are unclear.

Positional Changes of the Ocular Organs During Craniofacial Development.

The present study aimed to describe the positional changes of the ocular organs during craniofacial development; moreover, we examined the relationships among the ocular organs and other internal structures. To do this, we traced the positions of the ocular organs in 56 human early fetal samples at different stages of development using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography. The eyes were located on the lateral side in the ventral view at Carnegie stage (CS) 16, and then changed their positions medially during development.

Morphogenesis of the middle ear ossicles and spatial relationships with the external and inner ears during the embryonic period.

We describe the three-dimensional morphogenesis of the middle ear ossicles (MEOs) according to Carnegie stage (CS) in human embryos. Seventeen samples including 33 MEOs from CS18 to 23 were selected from the Kyoto Collection. The primordia of the MEOs and related structures were histologically observed and three-dimensionally reconstructed from digital images.