No abstract

Sexual dimorphic studies of various parameters of the femur play an important role in forensic studies. Various femur morphometric parameters help estimate an individual’s age, sex, and stature from unknown skeletal remains. This research was done to analyze maximum length, trochanteric oblique length, and diameter of the femur head for sexual dimorphism. The study was done on 200 (128 male & 72 female) Indian adult human femora, which were fully ossified, dry, and free from deformity. The maximum length of the femur (L), trochanteric oblique length (TOL), and vertical diameter of the head (VDH) were measured using an osteometric board and digital Vernier calipers. The mean length of the femur was 436.88 mm in males and 402.38 mm in females, respectively. The mean trochanteric oblique length of the femur was 423.78 mm in males and 387.18 mm in females, respectively. The mean vertical diameter of the femur head was 43 mm in males and 38.19 mm in females, respectively. Depending upon the results of this study, it was concluded that the mean values of maximum length, trochanteric oblique length, and vertical diameter of the femur head are significantly higher in males than females. These parameters are useful and reliable for sexual dimorphism in anthropometric and forensic studies, especially in identifying skeletal remains. These differences can also be considered in selecting or designing the exact ranges of the gender-specific prosthesis for Orthopedic surgeries.

Background: The deltoid ligament (DL) is a strong triangle-shaped ligament with a complex fascicular arrangement. Understanding the morphological and/or functional typing of the DL structure is hindered by a paucity of clear, quantitative, and reproducible data and is further complicated by inconsistent terminology use. The aim of this work was to describe different components of the DL using strict identification criteria.Methods: Thirty embalmed cadaveric ankles of both sides were dissected on all sides and studied by using gross examination, micro-dissection, and light microscopy by tracing the fascicular pattern of each under 6X magnification.Results: Six ligamentous bands were identified. The tibiotalocalcaneal ligament (TTC) and the superficial posterior tibiotalar ligament (sPTT) were two superficial variants and the anterior tibiotalar ligament (ATT), the anterior tibiotalonavicular ligament (ATTN), the intermediate tibiotalar ligament (ITT), and the deep posterior tibiotalar ligament (dPTT) were four deep variants. The TTC was identified in all 30 embalmed cadaveric specimens. Five additional ligamentous bands (ITT, sPTT, dPTT, ATT, and ATTN) were variable findings in the current cohort.Conclusion: This study presents six ligamentous bands as a regular finding and five additional ligamentous bands as variable findings in the dissected specimen. This data could assist in the radiological diagnosis of DL injuries and advanced procedures related to its surgical repair and reconstruction.

<b>Background: </b>The area of the cubital fossa contains the main superficial veins, including the basilic, cephalic, median cubital, and median antebrachial veins, and their innominate small tributaries. For this reason, it is the area most preferred by medical practitioners to access the circulatory system for various clinical applications.<br /> <b>Objective:</b> The aim of this study was to address the prevalence of different types of antecubital fossa superficial vein patterns observable among Saudi subjects by applying a tourniquet and using a VeinViewer®.<br /> <b>Materials and methods:</b><b> </b>Over the period from September 2020 to April 2021, a cross-sectional study was carried out in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The 151 study subjects were randomly chosen from the emergency department of King Fahad University Hospital. A total of 302 venous patterns were obtained; 55 were excluded due to the presence of scar tissues over the antecubital fossa, obesity, or thick subcutaneous tissue. Four classes of cubital venous patterns were established according to other studies, and a VeinViewer® and a tourniquet were used to visualize the venous patterns.<br /> <b>Results: </b>Of the 151 people, 21 were female and 130 were male. Among the included 247 venous patterns, the predominant type was type 2 (52.2%), characterized by a branching off the median cubital vein from the cephalic vein and an upward progression to join the basilic vein.<br /> <b>Conclusion: </b>Type 2 appears to be the dominant pattern, with no significant relation to the origins of the parents, in the Saudi population. Gender does not influence the venous patterns. Further studies are needed outside the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic to obtain a larger sample.

BackgroundCardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is essential to prevent cardiovascular diseases by correcting modifiable risk factors such as lowering lipid levels, lowering blood pressure, improving eating habits, giving up smoking, etc. The present study assessed the efficacy of herbal preparation containing Allium sativum (A. sativum), Commiphora mukul (C. mukul), and Trigonella foenum-graecum (T. foenum-graecum) in patients with hyperlipidemia. MethodologyPatients were given extracts of A. sativum 350 mg, T. foenum-graecum 350 mg, C. mukul 200 mg, Picrorhiza kurroa (P. kurroa) 200 mg, and Piper nigrum (P. nigrum) 5 mg. Unichem Laboratories, Mumbai, provided placebo tablets similar in shape and size to herbal tablets. Patients were assessed for compliance, and a complete lipid profile was done at DO, D15, D46, D76, and D106. In addition, total cholesterol and highdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) serum triglyceride were estimated by the respective methods throughout the study. ResultsThe weight of the patients remained stable, the mean weight before being 65.42 ± 8.35 kg and after completion of the study being 65.42 ± 8.35 kg. There were no changes in the ECG during or after the drug therapy in any of the patients. Group A comprised nine patients, and group B had ten patients. Serum creatinine (mg %) was 0.94 and 0.95, fasting blood sugar mg (%) was 111.05 and 99.63, and postprandial blood sugar (mg %) was 150.89 and 147.94 on pre-treatment and post-treatment, respectively. The mean serum triglyceride levels in group

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the effect of Catha edulis leaves on glycosylated haemoglobin and lipid profiles in healthy individuals in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the effect of khat leaves on the glycated haemoglobin and lipid profile in the Dire Dawa population. For the study, 100 male subjects (aged ⩾20–⩽40 years) were recruited and divided into two groups, each consisting of 50 subjects: the first group was khat chewing people while the other group was non-khat chewing individuals. Blood samples were collected and tested to evaluate the glycated haemoglobin and lipid profiles. Results: The mean glycated haemoglobin value of khat chewers was 5.33% and for non-chewers, it was 5.48%, respectively. Since p value is less than the significance value, the t-test supports the reduction in glycated haemoglobin values in khat chewers. The mean values of total cholesterol, and triglycerides in khat chewers are 175.2 and 172.92, and for non-chewers they are 168.7 and 164.56, respectively. Conclusion: From this study, we concluded that Catha edulis leaves have a significant effect on glycosylated haemoglobin levels. Mean glycated haemoglobin values of long-term healthy khat chewers are comparatively less than healthy non-chewers. Long-term khat chewing increases total cholesterol levels and triglycerides levels but there is no significant effect on the high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein levels.

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer causing death among females worldwide. Radiotherapy after lumpectomy/mastectomy in breast cancer cases is a successful treatment modality taking five weeks to complete. The aim of the present study is to compare the effectiveness of hypo-fractionated radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with conventional radiotherapy with respect to outcome and toxicity.Methods: Sixty patients were randomly divided equally into a conventional group, Group A (dose: 50 Gy in 25 fractions), and a hypo-fractionated short-course radiotherapy group, Group B (dose: 40 Gy in 16 fractions). After thorough clinical and laboratory examination of all patients, the disease status was assessed prior to radiotherapy and three and six months after completion of radiotherapy. The cardiopulmonary function was assessed using echocardiography and pulmonary function tests prior to the procedure. The assessment of the development of toxicity (dysphagia, skin, lung, and lymphedema) was done during every clinical visit.Results: The mean age of patients was 53.28 ± 9.73 years in Group A, and 55.67 ± 10.41 years in Group B (p=0.82). The right breast was involved in 13 (43.4%) patients in Group A and 14 (46.6%) in Group B, and the left breast was involved n 17 (56.6%) patients in Group A and 16 (53.4%) in Group B (p=0.81). Most of the patients were post-menopausal; 24 (80%) in Group A and 25 (83.4%) in Group B (p=0.91). Eleven (36.6%) patients were of stage T2N1M0 in both groups. However, no statistical difference was observed between the groups in the TNM (tumor, node, and metastasis) staging using the AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) criteria (p=0.26). On comparing the responses in Group A and Group B, no significant difference was observed in either of the groups from immediate post-treatment to the 12-month follow-up period (p=0.53 and p=0.64, respectively). Conclusion: Hypo-fractionated radiotherapy is as effective as conventional radiotherapy and can be used as an alternative method for treatment following breast cancer surgery.

Background: Ultrasonography is the first imaging method to assess splenomegaly. So far, established normal limits of spleen dimensions remain scanty in the Ethiopian population, and the ultrasound data from the previous studies demonstrated that racial differences could affect the splenic volume; this necessitates the establishment of normative data of spleen dimensions for different areas. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study design was performed at the University of Gondar, hospital. The sonographic measurements of spleen length, width, thickness and volume were performed on 380 subjects. In addition, weight of the subjects were measured using standard anthropometric technique. Age and sex were also recorded. By Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients, the relation of spleen dimensions to weight was evaluated. Results: In males, there is a statistically significant positive correlation between subject weight and spleen length (r=0.244, P<0.001), and volume (r=0.164, P<0.05); however, there is no statistically significant correlation with spleen width (r=0.034, P>0.05) and spleen thickness (r=0.136, P>0.05). In females there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the weight of female subject and spleen length (r=0.274, P<0.001), width (r=0.239, P<0.01), thickness (r=0.244, P<0.01), and volume (r=0.335, P<0.0001). Conclusion: The positive correlation is found between the spleen parameters and weight of both the genders in Ethiopian population which has both clinical and forensic importance.