In this study, the cytotoxicity of medical latex gloves to cultured L-929 cells was determined using various extraction conditions. According to the extraction time and temperature, three types of extraction conditions were used: 1) 24 h at 37℃; 2) 72 h at 37℃; 3) 72 h at 50℃. Also, four different extraction vehicles were used, namely, distilled water (DW), 9 g/l sodium chloride (saline) in DW, and culture media with or without serum. Under the above-mentioned conditions, the samples were extracted and then 2-fold serially diluted in the concentration range 3.13 - 50%. When extracted with either DW or saline for 24 h or 72 h at 37℃, only 50% diluted samples showed distinct cytotoxicity to L-929 cells. Moreover, no cytotoxic potentials were observed when gloves were extracted with DW or saline at 50℃ for 72 h. Cytotoxicity was markedly greater when gloves were extracted with culture medium, irrespective of the presence of serum in the medium. These results suggest that optimal extraction conditions should be established for the cytotoxicity evaluations of biomaterials and medical devices.

The current study investigated the anatomy of the infraorbital canal (IOC) and its related small canals in the maxilla. Twenty-eight hemimaxillae from human cadavers were studied. The samples were scanned using microcomputed tomography, and then images were three-dimensionally reconstructed using computer software. The branch point of the canal into the anterior superior alveolar nerve from the IOC occurred at about one third along the length of the IOC in the anterior direction. Just over half of the cases had 1 canal. The branch arose either laterally (21/28) or inferiorly (7/28) from the IOC. There was a canal located at the inferior lateral border of the piriform aperture in all cases. The distribution of the canals in the maxilla is represented indirectly by the course and distribution of the nerve and blood vessels therein. This distribution could explain various phenomena encountered in the clinical field.

The masseter muscle has superficial tendons that interdigitate like a saw (tendinous digitations), but a detailed description of these tendons is lacking in anatomic textbooks and atlases. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the topographic anatomy of the masseter muscle, focusing on its tendinous digitation. Sixty‐five adult faces (113 sides) were dissected. Five parameters, including the lengths, widths, and thickness of the muscle, were measured. The number and morphology of tendinous digitations were also investigated. The length and width of the masseter muscle were longer and wider in male specimens than in female specimens. The number of masseter muscle tendinous digitations was predominantly two in males and three in females. The length of the tendinous digitations tended to be about three‐quarters of that of the muscle. The second tendinous digitation was the longest in male specimens, while the first tendinous digitation was the longest in females. Based on our results, the external morphology of the masseter muscle does not match that described in anatomical atlases and textbooks. These findings may be helpful as a basic reference and in the treatment of masseter muscle hypertrophy and masseter tenomyositis. Clin. Anat. 25:889–892, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The purposes of this study were therefore to characterize the degeneration and regeneration of nerves to the calf muscles after selective neurectomy, both macroscopically and microscopically, and to determine the incidence of such regeneration in a rabbit model. Seventy four New Zealand white rabbits were used. Selective neurectomy to the triceps surae muscles was performed, and the muscles were subsequently harvested and weighed 1-4 months postneurectomy. The gastrocnemius muscles were stained with Sihler's solution to enable the macroscopic observation of any nerve regeneration that may have occurred subsequent to neurectomy. The change in triceps surae muscle weight was measured along the time course of the experiment. After neurectomy, nerve degeneration was followed by regeneration in all cases. The weight of the triceps surae muscle decreased dramatically between completion of the neurectomy and 1 month postneurectomy, but increased thereafter. The nerve branches were weakly stained with Sihler's solution until 2 months postneurectomy, and then strongly stained after 3 months. The number of myelinated axons was decreased at 2 month after neurectomy compared to nonneurectomized controls, but then gradually increased thereafter. Although there are currently no reports on the incidence of recovery after calf reduction, it may be a very common occurrence in the clinical field based on our findings. The findings of this study provide fundamental anatomical and surgical information to aid planning and practice in calf-reduction surgery.