Anatomy & distribution of coronary arteries in pig in comparison with man.

Background & Objective: The suitability of pig as an animal model for research in coronary artery disease is well established. As coronary arteries (CAs) of the pig are reportedly closely resemble those of man. We investigated the CAs of the pig (Sus scrofa) and study differences between the two, if any.

Facial soft tissue thickness in northwest Indian adults.

In order to reconstruct the face from a bare skull, the facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT) was determined at 29 standard anthropological landmarks by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 173 male and 127 female adult subjects of northwest Indian origin. Repeatability and accuracy of the measurements was assessed by paired t-test and 95% confidence intervals. A stepwise discriminant function analysis selected nine landmarks for better sex classification in FSTT measurements.

Variations and anomalies of the posterior communicating artery in Northwest Indian brains.

Background: The PCoA is a major branch of the supraclinoid internal carotid artery. Thorough knowledge of the anatomy and awareness of the variations and anomalies are of clinical importance.

Methods: The PCoA was studied in 200 male and 80 female adults and in 20 male and 25 female children.

Weight and dimensions of the pituitary in northwestern Indians.

Weight and dimensions of the pituitary (hypophysis cerebri) obtained from medicolegal autopsies of northwestern Indian subjects, which included 87 children and adolescents and 798 adults were recorded. Volume of the pituitary was determined in 100 specimens. In addition, anteroposterior and vertical measurement of pituitary were taken in mid-sagittal sections of the head in magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 130 living adults.

Filiform papillae in the mucosa of the human vaginal wall.

Background & Objective: While giving the gross anatomy of the mucosa of the vagina, textbooks of Anatomy and Obstetrics and Gynaecology describe the presence of a median longitudinal ridge on its anterior wall (columna rugarum anterior) and another similar ridge (columna rugarum posterior) on its posterior wall is described, and transverse rugae separated by sulci of variable depth, extend bilaterally from these ridges. While conducting autopsy of female cases the routine examination of vaginal mucosa did not show the presence of longitudinal ridges. In addition, some small areas bearing filiform papillae were seen in the lower third of the vagina in young subjects.

Time of closure of cranial sutures in northwest Indian adults.

Time of closure of sagittal, coronal and lambdoid sutures was studied at autopsy in 538 male and 127 female adults of known ages belonging to Chandigarh zone of northwest India. The sagittal suture was divided into four segments and each side of the coronal and lambdoid sutures into three segments. Whether a segment was open or closed on either surface was recorded.

Shape, measurements and weight of the thyroid gland in northwest Indians.

The shape of the thyroid gland, its extension as the pyramidal lobe (PL) and attachments of the levator glandulae thyroideae (LGT) were studied in 410 male and 160 female adults from the Chandigarh zone in northwest India during medicolegal autopsies performed in the department. Whereas the measurements of the gland were recorded in 210 subjects, the weights were taken only in 160 instances. The shapes of the glands were: lateral lobes (LL) with isthmus (50.

Hepatic veins in northwest Indian subjects.

Formation, position, course and areas of drainage by hepatic veins were studied in 153 adult autopsy specimens. There were three major hepatic veins; left, middle and right. The middle hepatic vein (MHV) joined the left hepatic vein (LHV) in 88.

Dimensions & weight of the cricoid cartilage in northwest Indians.

Background & Objectives: Information on the diameters of the cricoid cartilage in northwest Indian children and adults is scanty. As injury to the mucous membrane of the larynx could occur when an endotracheal tube or a laryngoscope, selected on the basis of western data, is introduced into the larynx of patients. It was, therefore, considered necessary to study the diameters of the cartilage.

Gross anatomy of the pancreatic ducts in north Indians.

Gross anatomy of the pancreatic ducts was studied in dissections and by preparing corrosion casts of pancreases, obtained from 218 male and 57 female adult cadavers. In addition 72 normal pancreatograms were also examined. The main pancreatic duct (MPD) started as two or more tributaries in the tail of the pancreas and crossed the body of the 12th dorsal or the first lumbar vertebra or in between in 72.

Weight and measurements of kidneys in northwest Indian adults.

Weights and measurements of paired kidneys obtained from medicolegal autopsies of northwest Indian adults, 155 males and 84 females, were compared. The right and left kidneys weighed 108.7 +/- 22.

An Indian mummy: a case report.

A case of mummification occurring in northwest India (Chandigarh) is described. A middle-aged man developed an abscess on his back and was treated by a mystical man who did not allow him any food or water. After a few days the patient died.

Dimensions & shape of the trachea in the neonates, children & adults in northwest India.

Measurements of the trachea and the two main bronchi including the subcarinal angle and the angles of the bronchi with the vertical were taken in specimens obtained from 370 adults, 60 children and adolescents up to 17 yr and 27 dead newborns. These measurements showed a gradual increase with age up to a certain point (often 31-35 yr in males and 26-30 yr in females) and stabilised thereafter. There was no sexual dimorphism in measurements till the age of 17 yr and thereafter, the measurements were greater in males than in females (P < 0.

Changing trends in acute poisoning in Chandigarh zone: a 25-year autopsy experience from a tertiary care hospital in northern India.

A 25-year autopsy study (1972-1997) of acute poisoning deaths from a tertiary care hospital in northern India (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh) revealed a steep increase in the incidence of acute poisoning since 1987. The majority (68%) of subjects were between the ages of 14 and 30 years, and there was a male preponderance (69%). The main victims were students and unemployed youths, followed by agricultural workers and domestic workers.

Time of fusion of the basisphenoid with the basilar part of the occipital bone in northwest Indian subjects.

To find out the time of fusion of the basisphenoid with the basilar part of the occipital bone in Northwest Indian subjects, a quadrilateral piece of bone extending from the posterior clinoid processes to the jugular tubercles was removed from 50 male and 34 female autopsy subjects between the ages of 10 and 20 years. The piece of bone was X-rayed and then macerated. In addition CT scan cuts of the basisphenoid were obtained in 46 male and 27 female living subjects between the age of 10 and 19 years.

Brain weight of Northwest Indian children and adolescents.

Brain weight of 708 individuals, 329 neonates (211 males and 118 females), 142 infants (101 males, 41 females), and 237 children and adolescents (136 males and 101 females), from Chandigarh region of northwest India were measured. Brain weight was 371.9 ± 89.

Incidence and structure of the appendices of the testis and epididymis.

In paired tests obtained from 425 adults, 50 children and 10 neonates, the incidence of testicular appendices was 76% in adults (93.3% sessile) and 83.3% in neonates/children (88% sessile).

Aluminum phosphide ingestion--a clinico-pathologic study.

Background: Aluminum phosphide is widely used in India as a fumigant to protect stored grain from pests and rodents. It is marketed in India as 3 g tablets under several brand names as Celphos, Phostek, Quickphos, and Phosphume. If ingested, it is acutely toxic with a high mortality.

Time of fusion of epiphyses at the elbow and wrist joints in girls of northwest India.

A radiological examination of both elbows and wrists of 149 Northwest Indian schoolgirls between the ages of 11 and 19 years, of middle socio-economic status, was undertaken to determine the time of fusion of the epiphyses with the metaphyses of the medial epicondyle of the humerus, the proximal end of the radius and the distal ends of both radius and ulna. The data were subjected to discriminant function tests as well as sensitivity and specificity tests. If the epiphysis of the medial epicondyle of the humerus or that of the head of the radius has not fused with metaphysis completely, the age of the girl would be < 16 years.

Weights of the heart in northwest Indian adults.

Weights of apparently normal hearts were obtained from 1,344 male and 313 female adults from the Chandigarh region of northwest India, on whom a medicolegal autopsy was performed. The average weight of the heart was 296.7 ± 48.

Incidence of myocardial bridges in northwest Indians.

Dissection of hearts obtained at autopsy from 150 adults (110 males, 40 females) and 15 children (10 males, 5 females) showed an incidence of myocardial bridges over the coronary arteries to be 34.5% in the male and 32.5% in female adults (p = NS); in children the incidence was 40% in either sex.

Age, sex and socioeconomic correlates of fat patterning among adults from the Chandigarh zone of northwest India.

Fat patterns were derived from principal-component analysis of skinfolds and circumferences of 651 northwest Indian adults 18-49 years of age of high and low socioeconomic class. All measurements were corrected for absolute size prior to the analysis. As described in other ethnic groups, two patterns emerged: trunk/extremity and upper/lower body, based upon skinfolds and circumferences respectively.

Brief communication: coracoclavicular joint in Northwest Indians.

The incidence of an articular facet on the conoid tubercle of the clavicle indicating the presence of a coracoclavicular joint was studied in paired clavicles obtained from 1,000 adult subjects aged 18 to 95 years (748 males, 252 females), and 75 children (45 males, 30 females) of known age on whom a medicolegal postmortem had been performed by the second author during 1972-90. The subjects were inhabitants of northwest India. In addition, paired clavicles from 50 neonates and 35 fetuses were also examined.