We performed nerve fiber analysis of the nerve to the plantaris muscle in ten cases. Macroscopically, the nerve to the plantaris muscle has a tendency to branch off from the tibial nerve itself independent of the nerves to the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (the triceps surae muscle). After removing the epineurium of the tibial nerve, it was revealed that, in all ten cases, the nerve to the p...

Background: Due to the increasing number of surgical techniques used nowadays on the knee joint, the importance of the knowledge of the branching pattern of the vessels neighboring the joint becomes very significant. Anomalies of vascular patterns near the knee joint particularly the popliteal vessels, are therefore noteworthy in understanding the atypical clinical findings encountered while de...

BACKGROUND The exact role of the lymphoreticular system in the spread of peripheral prion infections to the central nervous system still needs further elucidation. Against this background, the influence of the regional lymph node (Ln. popliteus) on the pathogenesis of scrapie was monitored in a hamster model of prion infection via the footpad. METHODS Surgical lymphadenectomy was carried out ...

Although the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a complete aquatic species, spending its entire life in the ocean, it has been considered morphologically to be a semi-aquatic animal. This study aimed to clarify the unique hindlimb morphology and functional adaptations of E. lutris in comparison to other Mustelidae species. We compared muscle mass and bone measurements of five Mustelidae species: the...

BACKGROUND Consensus has been lacking as to how to reconstruct the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee in patients with posterolateral instability. We describe a new reconstructive technique for PLC based on Larson's method, which reflects the physiological load-sharing pattern of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and popliteofibular ligament (PFL). FINDINGS Semitendinosus graft is ha...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether positioning of the tibia affects the degree of tibial external rotation seen during a dial test in the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)-posterolateral corner (PLC)-deficient knee. DESIGN Laboratory investigation. SETTING Biomechanics laboratory. HYPOTHESIS An anterior force applied to the tibia in the combined PCL-PLC-deficient knee will yield increased tib...