Obesity is a public health problem and many patients resort to bariatric surgeries as a form of treatment. However, surgical weight loss mechanisms, histopathological changes and long‐term consequences of bariatric surgery remain unclear. Among the main histopathological changes in the intestine we have increased expression of neutral mucins, acid mucins, caliciform cells and collagen in animals submitted to the gastric restriction model. Currently there is no therapeutic tool to reduce histopathological and oxidative changes promoted by gastric restriction surgeries. Based on these premises, the aim of this work was to investigate whether Peppermint essential oil reduces histopathological and oxidative changes in the experimental gastric restriction model. Adult male Wistar rats weighing between 250 and 400 grams were used. The animals were submitted to surgical gastrostomy and a cylindrical natural sponge (1.5 cm in diameter) was inserted into the stomach. The rats were separated into 3 groups, namely: Control (treated only with saline), Sham (surgical procedure only) and treatment (peppermint oil 100mg/Kg orally). Weight, water and food consumption were measured daily. On the last day all animals were euthanized and had the biological material collected (stomach, duodenum and jejunum) for histopathological evaluation and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in tissue. It was found that peppermint oil was able to reduce histopathological changes caused by the phytobenzoar in duodenum and jejunum, as well as to reduce the concentration of MDA in the jejunum (Figure 2). Regarding feed intake, the control group presented lower average consumption (98.7g/animal) when compared with Sham (134g/animal) and treatment groups (132g/animal). Regarding the average weight of the animals, it was observed that there was no statistically significant difference. It was found that peppermint essential oil presented moderate protective effect on phytobenzoar‐induced gastric restriction and reduced the loss of the architecture of intestinal viles.

Intestinal mucositis is a common complication associated with 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐FU) treatment, a chemotherapeutic agent widely used for cancer treatment. Characterized by inflammatory and/or ulcerative processes, intestinal mucositis is pathophysiologically based on the promotion of direct damage to the epithelium resulting from oxidative stress from the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Flavonoids such as rutin, troxerutin and isoquercitrin, obtained from D. Gardnerian, have been reported with antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of flavonoids obtained from D. Gardnerian on 5‐fluorouracil‐induced intestinal mucositis in Swiss mice and identification of possible interactions of flavonoids in pro‐ inflammatory proteins. The mice (25‐30g) were divided into 4 groups (n=6): Saline group (NaCl 0.9%), 5‐FU group, Troxerutin group (150mg/kg troxerutin, orally) and Rutin group (300mg/kg rutin, orally). All animals except the Saline group received 5‐ FU at a concentration of 450 mg/kg in the first experimental protocol. To investigate morphological changes, periodic acid Schiff (PAS), toluidine blue, hematoxylin and eosin staining were performed. For the oxidative damage evaluation, the levels of the reduced antioxidant glutathione and the lipid peroxidation product, malondylaldehyde, of duodenal segments were determined. In silico molecular docking assays of the complexes formed between flavonoids (rutin, troxerutin and isoquercitrin) and the COX‐2, TNF‐α and NF‐kB enzymes were performed. The results showed that the antineoplastic 5‐FU promoted oxidative stress, evidenced by a decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) and an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) when compared to the saline group (p <0.05). Furthermore, the administration of flavonoids rutin and troxerutin promotes a decrease in MDA levels and an increase in GSH reserves (p <0.05), which culminate in attenuation of the oxidative stress promoted by the antineoplastic agent. The antioxidant effect of flavonoids corroborates the histopathological results, which show that both flavonoids have a significant reversal of antineoplastic‐induced morphological changes (p <0.05), such as reduction of villus height, deepening of the crypts, decrease in goblet cells and increase in mast cells and inflammatory infiltrate. Finally, molecular docking showed that the flavonoids rutin, troxerutin and isoquercitrin show stable binding to the target sites of COX‐2, NF‐kB, TNF‐α, important pro‐inflammatory proteins in inflammatory and ulcerative processes such as intestinal mucositis. It was concluded that the antioxidant effect promoted by flavonoids is one of the protective mechanisms of these natural products of the D. Gardnerian tree to prevent the morphophysiological damage of 5‐FU induced intestinal mucositis.

The foramen magnum is an opening located at the base of the skull, more specifically in the occipital bone, and it has a remarkable anatomical significance, as many important structures, such as nerves, arteries and the medulla oblongata, pass through it. A small, large or asymmetric foramen magnum can end up causing clinical complications, such as compression, or increasing the risk of herniation. By becoming aware of the most frequent sizes and shapes in the population, it also becomes easier to detect diseases that change its morphology, such as achondroplasia, which makes it smaller, and Chiari I and II malformations, which makes it larger. In this study, we aim to observe gender‐related anatomical differences of the foramen magnum and report the frequency of the most commonly observed shapes. To achieve this, we studied the morphometry of the foramen magnum in 40 skulls. Anteroposterior and transverse length measurements were manually obtained with the aid of a digital caliper. Digital images were used to analyze the shapes of each available foramen magnum, which were then subdivided according to the following categories: oval, diamond, hexagon, egg‐shaped, pentagon and round. The differentiation between male and female was based on sexual dimorphism, using anatomical landmarks as a reference. The results obtained showed that among the 40 skulls observed, 32 were male and 8 were female. Our study revealed a statistically significant (p=0.0462) sex‐related difference between the anteroposterior diameters of the foramina, which is often larger in men and smaller in women. In contrast, the transverse diameter was not statistically significant. As for the shapes, 39 were analyzed: 12 (30.76%) of them in oval shape, 10 (25.64%) in diamond shape, 8 (20.51%) in hexagon shape, 4 (10.25%) in egg shape, 3 (7.69%) in pentagon shape and 2 (5.12%) in round shape. Therefore, we conclude that the anteroposterior length of the foramen magnum can be used as a tool to help differentiate between skulls of different sexes for academic and forensic purposes. Knowledge of the most common possible shapes for the foramen magnum can also be an important predictor, useful for clinical and anatomical knowledge. The data obtained has potential use in forensic techniques, in addition to providing information on variations in the Brazilian population.

Intestinal mucositis, characterized by inflammatory and/or ulcerative processes, occurs due to cellular and tissue damage following treatment with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU). Troxerutin (TRX), a semi‐synthetic flavonoid extracted from Dimorphandra gardneriana, has been reported as a potent anti‐inflammatory agent. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of TRX on 5‐fluorouracil‐induced intestinal mucositis in Swiss mice. The mice (25‐30g) were separated into 3 groups (n = 6): Saline group (NaCl 0.9%), 5‐FU group, TRX group (100mg/kg TRX, orally). All animals, except the Saline group, received 5‐FU at the concentration of 450 mg/kg in the first experimental protocol. Duodenal portions were removed for evaluation of mucositis by analysis of histopathological damage and cellularity of resident cells of the intestinal mucosa (mast cells and goblet cells). The results of the histopathological analysis demonstrated that 5‐FU promoted structural alterations of the intestinal mucosa (p <0.05), evidenced by the reduction of villi height, deepening of the crypts, and TRX treatment (100 mg/kg) prevented the 5‐FU‐induced histopathological changes (p <0.05). Regarding cellularity, TRX decreases 5‐FU‐induced mast cell infiltration (p <0.05), as well as decreases cell lineage degranulation and, regarding goblet cell count, mucus‐producing cells, TRX prevented the decrease of these cells (p <0.05), which is a problem promoted by the 5‐FU. Our findings suggest that TRX at a concentration of 100 mg/kg had chemopreventive effects on 5‐FU‐induced intestinal mucositis due to the prevention of histological damage and maintenance of resident cellularity in the intestinal mucosa.

Sciences like Anatomy were developed in the meaning of trying to fulfill the gap of knowledge about the structure of the body and how every component interact so harmonically. However, according to recent studies, the most important part of anatomy studying, the cadaveric dissection, faces multiple obstacles created by the society itself, like religion, folk beliefs, local culture, and history. By that optic, the study of anatomy becomes much more affected by the decreasing numbers of body donation in different countries. This study aims to evaluate the manifold perception on body donation for anatomical teaching between different demographic shares from Brazil. For that, a descriptive, cross‐sectional exploratory study with a quantitative approach that was carried out with a sample of 250 individuals divided into four groups: (1) health graduatings; (2) health professionals; (3) graduatings from other areas and (4) general population. All participants agreed to fill the Term of Free and Informed Consent. A semi‐structured questionnaire was used for collecting data, containing 10 objective questions about the demographic profile of the public and its intentions on body donation. The questionnaire was based on the model of Marsola (2013) and adapted according to the purpose of our research. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The sample population studied varied between 18 and 87 years of age, consisting of 100 males and 150 females. The analysis shown that 50.4% said they would donate their body for teaching anatomy. Regarding the motivation to donate bodies for the study of anatomy, 26.8% of the participants said it would be to contribute to the advancement of education in the health area, 9.1% said they would donate, knowing the need for this material in anatomy laboratories, 5.9% because it would be considered useful after death and 4.3% in gratitude to science, and the other 7.8% justified it for different reasons. Cadaveric dissection is still the main method of learning anatomy in many health schools because its understanding provides students with theoretical‐practical learning, making it possible to identify the forms and structures of the human body and correlate them with its functions. However, despite the importance of studying anatomy in real cadaveric pieces, the donation of bodies for such purposes is low worldwide. Study carried out by Habicht et al. 2018 shows that, in most countries, bodies that are not claimed remain the main sources. The participants in this research showed relative aptitude to donate their own bodies, a fact that contrasts with the current scarcity of anatomical material in educational institutions. In conclusion, the answers obtained by the questionnaire, although positive, go directly opposite with what is seen at the universities, where the number of bodies available to dissection is not sufficient. Therefore, the effective development of programs that raise awareness about body donation and its wide dissemination are necessary for the increase of this ...