In eutherian mammals, embryonic growth and survival is dependent on the formation of the placenta, an organ that facilitates the efficient exchange of oxygen, nutrients, and metabolic waste between the maternal and fetal blood supplies. Key to the placenta's function is the formation of its vascular labyrinth, a series of finely branched vessels whose molecular ontogeny remains largely undefine...

Unusual expression of interleukin-1alpha, -1beta and -6 was previously found in the epiphyseal cartilage of rat fetuses prenatally exposed to various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID, i.e., ibuprofen, piroxicam, tolmetin) and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (DFU). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of placenta in such phenomenon. Morphology of the organ, thic...

Introduction The membranes of the inferior division of the labyrinth in some mammals appear more vulnerable to hydropic distention than those of the superior division. This finding in guinea pigs, cats, and humans has been attributed to the evidently thinner membranes with implied higher stress levels. Objective The objective of this study is to identify other configurational features, if any, ...

Objective To develop a three-dimensional study tool of the membranous labyrinth in order to study the pathophysiology, diagnostic workup and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV is the most common cause of peripheral vertigo. Its diagnosis and treatment depend on an understanding of the anatomy of the vestibular labyrinth and its position relative to the head. To date,...

In this, our second temporal bone installment, we will emphasize the vestibular portion of the labyrinth, that relating to balance and equilibrium. Before proceeding, we must again remind the reader of the basic structure of the labyrinth: an inner membranous labyrinth (endolymphatic) surrounded by an outer osseous labyrinth with an interposed supportive perilymphatic labyrinth. We recommend pe...

The ant in the labyrinth: random walks and percolation – p.

The labyrinth is the highly vascularized part of the rodent placenta that allows efficient transfer of gases, nutrients, wastes, and other molecules between the maternal and embryonic circulations. These two blood compartments are separated by blastocyst-derived trophoblasts and endothelial cells with an intervening basement membrane that contains laminin and other typical basement membrane com...

Predicting whether a molecule can traverse chemical labyrinths of channels, tunnels, and buried cavities usually requires performing computationally intensive molecular dynamics simulations. Often one wants to screen molecules to identify ones that can pass through a given chemical labyrinth or screen chemical labyrinths to identify those that allow a given molecule to pass. Because it is impra...

We describe a quantitative method to assess repeated stair stepping stability. In both the mediolateral (ML) and anterioposterior (AP) directions, the trajectory of the subject's center of mass (COM) was compared to an ideal sinusoid. The two identified sinusoids were unique in each direction but coupled. Two dimensionless numbers-the mediolateral instability index (IML) and AP instability inde...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to image the internal structure of a rat cochlea (ex vivo). Immediately following sacrifice, the temporal bone of a Sprague-Dawley rat was harvested. Axial OCT cross sectional images (over regions of interest, 1x1 mm-2x8 mm) were obtained with a spatial resolution of 10-15 microm. The osseous borders of the lateral membranous labyrinth overlying the c...