Each year, 33% of US citizens suffer from a musculoskeletal condition that requires medical intervention, with direct medical costs approaching $1 trillion USD per year. Despite the ubiquity of skeletal dysfunction, there are currently limited safe and efficacious bone growth factors in clinical use. Notch is a cell–cell communication pathway that regulates self-renewal and differentiation within the mesenchymal/osteoblast lineage. The principal Notch ligand in bone, Jagged-1, is a potent osteoinductive protein that positively regulates post-traumatic bone healing in animals. This report describes the temporal regulation of Notch during intramembranous bone formation using marrow ablation as a model system and demonstrates decreased bone formation following disruption of Jagged-1 in mesenchymal progenitor cells. Notch gain-of-function using recombinant Jagged-1 protein on collagen scaffolds promotes healing of craniofacial (calvarial) and appendicular (femoral) surgical defects in both mice and rats. Localized delivery of Jagged-1 promotes bone apposition and defect healing, while avoiding the diffuse bone hypertrophy characteristic of the clinically problematic bone morphogenetic proteins. It is concluded that Jagged-1 is a bone-anabolic agent with therapeutic potential for regenerating traumatic or congenital bone defects.

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33.9 ± 19.8% and 69.0 ± 18.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). We concluded that bodypainting has great potential for support the classic lectures of the equine locomotor apparatus. (Folia Morphol 2015; 74, 4: 503-507)

(Folia Morphol 2016; 75, 3: 300-305)

The Masquelet induced‐membrane (IM) technique is indicated for large segmental bone defects. Attributes of the IM and local milieu that contribute to graft‐to‐bone union are unknown. Using a rat model, we compared global gene expression profiles in critically sized femoral osteotomies managed using a cement spacer as per Masquelet to those left empty. At the end of the experiment, IM and bone adjacent to the spacer were collected from the Masquelet side. Nonunion tissue in the defect and bone next to the empty defect were collected from the contralateral side. Tissues were subjected to RNA isolation, sequencing, and differential expression analysis. Cell type enrichment analysis suggested the IM and the bone next to the polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) spacer were comparatively enriched for osteoblastic genes. The nonunion environment was comparatively enriched for innate and adaptive immune cell markers, but only macrophages were evident in the Masquelet context. iPathwayGuide was utilized to identify cell signaling pathways and protein interaction networks enriched in the Masquelet environment. For IM vs nonunion false‐discovery rate correction of P values rendered overall pathway differences nonsignificant, and so only protein interaction networks are presented. For the bone comparison, substantial enrichment of pathways and networks known to contribute to osteogenic mechanisms was revealed. Our results suggest that the PMMA spacer affects the cut bone ends that are in contact with it and at the same time induces the foreign body reaction and formation of the IM. B cells in the empty defect suggest a chronic inflammatory response to a large segmental osteotomy.

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Introduction: The Crab-eating fox is a medium-sized South American canid. Although there are several studies regarding this species, especially in epidemiology and parasitology studies, only few data regarding the morphology has been reported. The aim of our study was to describe the gluteal nerves of the Crab-eating fox and compare them with the domestic dogs for homology concerns and surgical application. Materials and Methods: We used four pelvic limbs of Crab-eating foxes fixed with 10% formalin and injected with red neoprene latex. Muscles, arteries and nerves were anatomically dissected. Results: The Cranial gluteal nerve supplied the Middle gluteal, Deep gluteal and Tensor Fasciae Latae muscles, while the Caudal gluteal nerve supplied the Middle Gluteal, Superficial Gluteal, Pirirformis, Gemilli and Coccygeus muscles. Conclusions: Our results presented a variable relation between muscles and nerve supplies between the Crab-eating fox and the domestic dogs. The indings also suggested morphological differentiation in lumbosacral plexus during canids species evolution. Finally, for surgical approaches to hip joint and pelvis, the domestic dog can be used as model for the Crab-eating fox.