Unilateral variations in the formation of the median nerve, with the presence of the third head of the biceps brachii entrapping the nerve are very rare. These variations were observed on the right side, of a 30-year-old male cadaver during routine dissection at the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi. The median nerve was formed by the union of three contributions; two from the lateral cord and one from the medial cord. An additional head of the biceps brachii looped over the formed median nerve. On the left side, the median nerve was formed classically by single contributions from the medial and the lateral cords. These variations are clinically important because symptoms of high median nerve compression arising from similar formations are often confused with more common causes such as radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objectives:The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a known biomarker of clinical and subclinical cardiovascular events and evaluation of therapeutic action. Excessive salt directly causes changes in the common carotid intima and media layers and has been linked to hypertensive disease resulting to changes on vascular structure. Hibiscus sabdariffa is a traditional herbal drink with antihypertensive effects. The anatomical aspects of its effects however, are largely unknown. This study therefore, investigated the effects of hibiscus extract on CIMT in rats fed with a high-salt diet.Methods: Young albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into three groups: (A) high-salt diet alone, (B) high-salt diet and Hibiscus sabdariffa extract and (C) control group fed a normal diet for 8 weeks. Specimens from carotid arteries of rats were fixated and processed for paraffin embedding. Seven-micrometer thick sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain and examined under light microscopy. Morphometric measurements were taken to determine the CIMT.Results: High-salt diet increased CIMT from 497.86 μm to 697.85 μm in 8 weeks. In Hibiscus sabdariffa extract fed rats, the CIMT decreased to 542.85 μm (p<0.05) by week 8. Conclusion:Hibiscus sabdariffa extract ameliorates salt-induced increase in CIMT in rats in a time-dependent manner. This implies that Hibiscus sabdariffa products may have therapeutic value in salt-induced vascular morbidity.

Codeine is an opioid analgesic and antitussive that has been widely abused. Some adverse effects noted with its abuse include adrenocortical insufficiency and activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The structural basis for these dysfunctions is not clearly understood. Twenty-five adult male rats were used for the study. They were divided into intervention and control groups that were administered 40 mg/kg of codeine phosphate and normal saline respectively by gavage daily for 50 days. Subsequently, both groups were given normal saline for a further fourteen days to note recovery changes. At day 0, 50 and 64, rats were randomly selected from both groups, euthanized and adrenal glands harvested for histological processing and analysis. At day 50 of codeine administration, the adrenal glands demonstrated an increase in zona fasciculata thickness but a decrease in zona reticularis thickness. Lower values were noted in the volume density of zona reticularis and cells count of the medulla in the experimental compared to the control groups (P-value<0.05). The experimental group also showed an increase in vascularization and connective tissue in the glands. After 14 days of recovery, most of the changes observed in experimental animals were reversed and the adrenal glands in both groups had similar features. A decrease in cell count of the adrenal medulla was however observed (P-value<0.05). In conclusion administration of codeine phosphate causes discernible changes in the microscopic structure of the adrenal gland, most of which appear to be reversed after two weeks recovery period.

The tunica adventitia is an active vascular compartment that actively participates in modulation of vascular structure, function and pathophysiology. Adventitial thickness has recently been accepted as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. The effects of salt and chemicals that ameliorate those effects are important in understanding vascular structure, function and pathology. There are few studies on hibiscus and high salt induced vascular pathology. This study, therefore, investigated the effects of hibiscus on salt induced vascular changes on rat carotid artery. The experimental animals were divided into 3 groups of 8 animals each – (i) controls; (ii) high salt diet alone and (iii) high salt + hibiscus extract for a period of eight weeks. At ages 2, 5 and 8weeks 2 – 3 animals were sacrificed for study. They were anaesthetized with ether and perfused with formal saline. Specimens were then obtained from the middle of common carotid artery, fixed in 5% formaldehyde solution, processed routinely for paraffin embedding and 5-micron thick sections stained with Hematoxylin / Eosin and also with Mason’s Trichome/ Aniline blue. Adventitial thickness and volumetric densities of collagen were measured using morphometric techniques. High salt consumption induced statistically significant increase in adventitial thickness from 297.45μm at week 2 to 659.4μm in week 8. In hibiscus fed rats, this increase progressively reduced to 482.55μm in week 8. Volumetric density of collagen was 57% in high salt fed rats but reduced to 45.66% in hibiscus fed rats (p<0.001). The increase in tunica adventitial thickness and collagen density which is induced by high salt can be mitigated by hibiscus extract. This implies that hibiscus has potential to restore salt induced vascular injury. Further studies are recommended to refine the extract.Keywords: adventitial thickness, high salt, hibiscus, collagen, density

Telocytes are interstitial cells characterized by small cell bodies with very long and slender processes extending from them. They are present in most tissues and are most commonly found in close association with nerves, smooth muscle and microvascular networks in tissue interstitial space. Telocytes maintain tissue homeostasis in various ways including modulation of electrical activity, regulation of stem cell proliferation and angiogenesis. The role of telocytes in blood vessels stems from a structural and functional coupling to vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. This review explores the distribution of telocytes in cardiovascular tissues, their mechanisms in angiogenesis and application of this property in tissue regeneration. The literature search was conducted on PubMedTM, Science directTM and African Journals Online databases as well as Google ScholarTM search engines. The keywords used in the literature search included ‘telocytes’, ‘cardiovascular telocytes’, ‘blood vessel’, ‘cardiac tissue’, ‘(neo-)angiogenesis’ and ‘tissue regeneration’. Articles which contained the keywords and relevant citations from their reference lists were included in the study. In conclusion, telocytes display close structural relationship with cardiovascular tissues. They play an angiogenesis inducing role which may be explored as a therapeutic target in tissue repair and regeneration. Keywords : cardiovascular telocytes, interstitial Cajal-like cell, regeneration, angiogenesis