The aim of this work is to present a room-temperature plastination technique developed in our laboratories and its results. This technique emphasizes the use of silicones, catalysts, and generic hardeners, and some variations of the traditional technique resulted in low cost and high-speed implementation. Two hands, a heart, and a brain were dissected from Caucasian adult undefined-gender cadavers previously kept in 5 % formalin solution. Also dissected was a pig heart kept in 5 % formalin solution. Dehydration was performed for 1 month at room temperature to favor defatting. Afterwards, forced impregnation took place. The average process for each specimen lasted 3 or 4 days, 8 h a day (active forced impregnation), halting the forced impregnation overnight (passive forced impregnation). Once 5 mmHg had been reached without bubbling and the vacuum process had ended, specimens were drained and positioned. Finally, curing was performed by subjecting the specimens to cross-linker. The different morphological characteristics of the specimens determined variations in the forced impregnation time, as well as curing. Once polymerization was complete, specimens were stored in plastic bags, facilitating internal curing. Three kinds of silicones were used: Biodur, North Carolina, and a local generic. The catalyst and the hardener were generic products also acquired locally. Based on our technique, we obtained completely dry and rigid specimens, of excellent quality and durability, which kept their original color and anatomical shape.

's embalming method. Review of solutions and applications in different fields of biomedical research. Int. J. Morphol., 34(4):1442Morphol., 34(4): -1454Morphol., 34(4): , 2016. SUMMARY:Walter Thiel developed the method that enables preservation of the body with natural colors in 1992. It consists in the application of an intravascular injection formula, and maintaining the corps submerged for a determinate period of time in the immersion solution in the pool. After immersion, it is possible to maintain the corps in a hermetically sealed container, thus avoiding dehydration outside the pool. The aim of this work was to review the Thiel method, searching all scientific articles describing this technique from its development point of view, and application in anatomy and morphology teaching, as well as in clinical and surgical practice. Most of these studies were carried out in Europe. We used PubMed, Ebsco and Embase databases with the terms "Thiel cadaver", "Thiel embalming", "Thiel embalming method" and we searched for papers that cited Thiel`s work. In comparison with methods commonly used with high concentrations of formaldehyde, this method lacks the emanation of noxious or irritating gases; gives the corps important passive joint mobility without stiffness; maintaining color, flexibility and tissue plasticity at a level equivalent to that of a living body. Furthermore, it allows vascular repletion at the capillary level. All this makes for great advantage over the formalinfixed and fresh material. Its multiple uses are applicable in anatomy teaching and research; teaching for undergraduates (prosection and dissection) and for training in surgical techniques for graduates and specialists (laparoscopies, arthroscopies, endoscopies).

SUMMARY:Plastination is a conservation technique which allows anatomical pieces to be preserved, dry and odor-free, for an indefinite period. In particular, plastination of sections of tissue with epoxy resin allows very thin slices to be made of various regions of the anatomy, permitting close viewing of anatomical structures which are difficult to access by dissection or cadaver exploration. The objective of this work is to present a plastination technique developed in our laboratory for tissue sections using commercial epoxy resin, as an alternative to the existing classic plastination techniques. The technique was applied to a human knee, obtaining 5 mm thick sections which were compared with computerized tomography images. The development of an alternative sheet plastination technique using epoxy resin allows the preservation of anatomical regions which are difficult to study, with the possibility of comparing the sections with imaging studies. In this way anatomy can be usefully combined with clinical experience, allowing students to gain more significant knowledge of anatomy. The technique would also ensure provision of anatomical samples for research in the area of morphological science.

SUMMARY:Today, alternatives methods are developed for the use of laboratory animals for teaching, research and surgical training. In our work we present a novel alternative to the use of rats, by developing a technique of plastination at room temperature. High-quality rat preparations from the anatomical dissection point of view were obtained, in order to indefinitely preserve them dry, the thoracic and abdominal organs conserve its natural volume and shape, maintaining their texture and color. No odors or hassles and toxic vapors of conventional preserving agents were found. This technique allows the collection of dry, completely biosafe and durable specimens in a short time and with excellent quality. Plastination in laboratory rats complements undergraduate and postgraduate anatomy studies perfectly. Also, radiology and surgery may benefit from this technique.

SUMMARY:The classic description of the hand's superficial palmar arch is based on the anastomosis among the ulnar and radiopalmar arteries, a branch of the radial artery. However, the arch formation is highly variable regarding the size of the arteries that make it up and due to the existence of branches coming from other arteries and adding up as tributary to it. The objective of this paper is to classify these possible varieties, to define the formation of the arch, the reasons for its variable arrangement and the importance of its clinical and surgical applications. 86 formalized hands were dissected at 40%. There is prevalence concerning the size of the ulnar artery, with or without an arch. The anatomic knowledge of the variability in the arch formation becomes important in the application of surgical techniques that can help treating pathologies of the hand.

Plastination is an anatomical technique that consists of replacing the liquids and fat of specimens by reactive polymers through forced impregnation in a vacuum. These are then polymerized to achieve the final result. E12 sheet plastination involves epoxy resin impregnation of thin (2-4 mm) and ultra-thin (<2 mm) tissue sheets, producing dry, transparent, odorless, non-toxic and long-lasting sheets. E12 sheet plastination techniques were reviewed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and SciELO databases, and manual searches. After searching, 616 records were found using the online and manual searches (MEDLINE, n: 207; EMBASE, n: 346; SciELO, n: 44; Manual search: 23). Finally, 96 records were included in this review (after duplicates and articles unrelated to the subject were excluded). The aim of this work was to review the E12 sheet plastination technique, searching for articles concerning views of it, identifying the different variants implemented by researchers since its creation by Gunther von Hagens, and to identify its applications from teaching and research in anatomy to morphological sciences. Clin. Anat. 31:742-756, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The findings suggest a significant relationship between TMD findings and both cephalometric and morphometric parameters of the cervical spine.

No abstract