A series of bird skeletons collected in areas of Paraguay without severe human disturbance were examined for osteological abnormalities. The majority of pathological lesions were the result of trauma and a significant portion to the pectoral girdle. Several groups showed a relatively high prevalence rate, e.g. hawks and owls, which is presumably related to the method of food capture. The interp...

INTRODUCTION The scapula is one of the most common locations for chondrosarcomas. They may have a primary or secondary origin, and they can be due to a degeneration of benign lesions or be secondary to radiotherapy. The surgical treatment presents good survival rates, if safety margins are preserved. PRESENTATION OF CASE We present the case of a chondrosarcoma of the scapula secondary to a ra...

The cephalic and pectoral girdle structures of Chaca bankanensis are described and compared to those of other catfishes, as the foundation for a discussion on the autapomorphies and phylogenetic relationships of the Chacidae. Our observations and comparisons pointed out six new chacid autapomorphies, namely: (1) absence of abductor superficialis; (2) ethmoid cartilage with long, thin, anterolat...

A new species of Parotocinclus is described from three small tributaries of the rio Tapajós basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by presenting the following characters: (1) a triangular dark blotch at the anterior base of the dorsal fin, (2) the absence of an adipose fin but presence of one small platelet at typical adipose-fin region, (3) th...

Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology affecting individuals aged fifty years and older, mainly of Caucasian ethnicity. Polymyalgia rheumatica is associated with giant cell arteritis more frequently than expected by chance alone. In both conditions, females are affected two to three times more often than males. The clinical hallmark manifestations of polymyalgia r...

Triggering physical problems are functional strains or overstress like a bad posture in everyday life while slouching in front of a computer or elsewhere as well as ergonomically inconvenient work places. Using a PC mouse causes a further unidirectional lifting of the pectoral girdle. Stress, worries and anxiety lead to a more intense muscular tension as such and load even more. 2 3 Likewise gr...

A new Dipterus−like lungfish, Harajicadipterus youngi, is described from the Givetian (Middle Devonian) Harajica Sand− stone Member of central Australia. The material is comprised of five specimens representing the skull roof, orbital bones, tooth plates, operculo−gular bones, a partial pectoral girdle, centra and scales. Harajicadipterus can be distinguished from other dipnoans by its long pos...

In terrestrial vertebrates, the pelvic girdle can reliably predict locomotor mode. Because of the diminished gravitational effects on positively buoyant bony fish, the same relationship does not appear to exist. However, within the negatively buoyant elasmobranch fishes, benthic batoids employ pelvic fin bottom-walking and punting as primary or supplementary forms of locomotion. Therefore, in t...

The dermal layers of several elasmobranch species have been shown to be sexually dimorphic. Generally, when this occurs the females have thicker dermal layers compared to those of males. This sexual dimorphism has been suggested to occur as a response to male biting during mating. Although male biting as a copulatory behaviour in Scyliorhinus canicula has been widely speculated to occur, only r...

Bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) swim in the labriform mode at low speeds, generating lift and thrust by beating their pectoral fins. The maximal power output available from the two largest pectoral fin adductor and abductor muscles, constituting half of the total pectoral girdle muscle mass, was measured in vitro and used to estimate the muscle mechanical power output during maximal labr...