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.