This study aimed to clarify the morphologic variations of the Martin-Gruber anastomosis (MGA) by tracing the anastomotic fascicles. We used 102 upper limbs, and MGA was found in 39.2%. Among 12 instances of MGA between the branches innervating the flexor digitorum profundus muscle, eight anastomotic branches solely innervated the muscle without crossover from median to ulnar nerve. The results of the present study showed three morphologic features of MGA that could not be detected by an electrodiagnostic method.

The marginal mandibular branch (MMB) has a particular risk of injury during surgical procedures in the submandibular region, especially over the lower border of the mandible. The facial nerve has been described in many studies, but the MMB is dealt with generally as a branch of the facial nerve. The purpose of this study was to document the anatomy of the MMB by correlation with anatomical landmarks. Eighty-five facial halves were examined for this study. The MMB was classified according to the number of branches and their connections with other branches, and by its relationship with landmarks of the gonion, facial artery, and retromandibular vein. The MMB showed one (28%), two (52%), three (18%), or four branches (2%) where it exited the parotid gland. Classification was based on connection with other branches. Type I (60%) did not communicate with other branches. Type II (40%) communicated with the buccal or cervical branches, or with another branch of the MMB. The cervicofacial division coursed along the lateral aspect of the retromandibular vein in 83% of specimens. The MMB passed the facial artery superficially (42%), passed it deeply in 4%, and ran on both sides of it in 54% of the facial halves. The distribution of the MMB formed a quadrilateral with angles +19.8 mm, -8.1 mm, +30.0 mm, and -15.3 mm measured from two sides on the inferior border of the mandible. These topographical data should help to decrease the incidence of injuries during surgery on the submandibular regions in Koreans.

In anterior interosseous nerve syndrome and ulnar neuropathy, paralysis or weakness of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) muscles has been shown to vary according to the degree of involvement of the median and ulnar nerves, respectively. We traced these nerves in 50 cadaveric specimens in which each FDP was completely separated. The specimens were classified into six anatomic and another six presumptive electromyography (EMG) types according to the innervation patterns of the entire and the proximal one-third of the FDP muscles, respectively. The diverse anatomic and presumptive EMG types in this study suggest that the FDP muscles of the 2nd to the 5th digits should be examined by functional tests and EMG in lesions of the median or ulnar nerve.

Lateral and medial pectoral nerves are distributed to the pectoralis major and minor muscles. The purpose of this study was to identify the spinal origins of lateral and medial pectoral nerves and to evaluate the participating amounts of each spinal nerve composing both pectoral nerves. Two types of spinal origins appeared in lateral pectoral nerves. The first type was composed of nerve fibers from C5, C6, and C7 with a frequency of 50.0% and the second type was composed of nerve fibers from C6 and C7 at a frequency of 50.0%. Regarding the average participating diameter to the lateral pectoral nerve, C7 was the thickest with a value of 1.60 +/- 0.35 mm (mean +/- SD), next was C6 at 0.83 +/- 0.18 mm, and C5 was the third at 0.42 +/- 0.24 mm. Three types of spinal origin appeared in the medial pectoral nerve. The first type was comprised of nerve fibers from C8 and T1 in 73.3% of cases. The second type was comprised of C8 only in 23.4% of cases, and the third type was comprised of T1 only in 3.3% of cases. The average participating diameter was 0.71 +/- 0.22 mm from C8 and 0.52 +/- 0.17 mm from T1. These results show that the spinal origins of the both pectoral nerves were various. Participating amounts of the lateral pectoral nerve appeared sequentially in the order of C7, C6, and C5. In the medial pectoral nerve, C8 participated more amounts than T1.

We report the effect of Na on the electronic properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells with a structure of grid/ITO/i-ZnO/CdS/CIGS/Mo/SiOx/soda-lime glass (SLG). The diffusion of Na from the SLG into the CIGS layer was systematically controlled by varying the thickness of SiOx. As the Na content increased, the hole concentration of CIGS was enhanced, while the band-gap was nearly constant, which led to a lower Fermi level in the CIGS towards its valence-band edge. The Na-induced increment in the built-in potential (Vbi) across the n-(ITO/i-ZnO/CdS)/p-CIGS junction yielded an increment of open-circuit voltage that well agreed with the calculated Vbi.