African lungfishes can undergo long periods of aestivation on land during drought. During aestivation, lungfishes are confronted with desiccation and dehydration, and their gills become non-functional and covered with a thick layer of dried mucus. Aquaporins (Aqps) are a superfamily of integral membrane proteins which generally facilitate the permeation of water through plasma membranes. This s...

The objective of the present study was to examine the branchial distribution of the recently identified rainbow trout cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrase isoform (tCAc) and to investigate its role in the regulation of acid-base disturbances in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In situ hybridization using an oligonucleotide probe specific to tCAc revealed tCAc mRNA expression in both pavement cell...

BACKGROUND Branchial cleft anomalies constitute a frequently encountered and commonly non-lethal disease in otolaryngology, and result from aberrant embryonic development. The third branchial cleft fistula is one of the four known specific types of branchial cleft anomalies, and always presents as recurrent neck abscess and suppurative thyroiditis. Here, we report an unexpected death due to sev...

The homology of branchial arch segments in salamanders has been a matter of controversy since the last century. Many investigators term the most medial paired elements of salamander branchial arches "ceratobranchials" and the next distal paired elements "epibranchials." This suggests that the first two segmental elements of the salamander branchial arch are not homologous with elements occupyin...

OBJECTIVE This study describes the presentation of first branchial cleft anomalies and compares outcomes of first branchial cleft with other branchial cleft anomalies with attention to otologic findings. STUDY DESIGN Case series with chart review. SETTING Pediatric tertiary care facility. METHODS Surgical databases were queried to identify children with branchial cleft anomalies. Descript...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of endoscopic cauterization as definitive treatment for fourth branchial cleft sinuses. DESIGN Retrospective chart review with follow-up questionnaire. SETTING Tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS Ten children (age range, 10 months to 10 years) with fourth branchial cleft sinuses treated with endoscopic cauterization between 1995 and 2002. ...