Remarkable discoveries such as condensed chromatin in duckbill dinosaur cartilage and newly presented discoveries of dinosaur vascular veins, venule valves, and nerve fibers (this report) warrant study of global dinosaur remains for preserved soft tissue (dST). Dinosaur osteocytes feature dendritic projections (filipodia) of lengths up to 18 µm, while osteocytes collected from a Triceratops horn have lengths of 25 µm or longer. While preservation methods for dST involve the degradation of sugars into glycation end products and the employment of highly oxidative hydroxyl radicals to “fix” tissues, we note that lengthy and narrow osteocyte filipodia show no signs of hydroxyl radical infiltration into the lacuna-canalicular network. Moreover, our ultraviolet fluorescence (UVFL) study of Triceratops horn, rib, vertebra, and frill thin sections shows extensive clotting in most vessel canals, probably as a result of asphyxia while drowning. Further UVFL autofluorescence study of dinosaur bone sections is vital for characterization of dinosaur blood clots.

Currently, limited studies have quantified the risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) for MRSA-colonized patients on discharge from hospital. Our retrospective, case-control study identified independent risk factors for the development of MRSA SSTIs among such patients detected by active MRSA nasal screening in an acute care hospital by PCR on admission, and bacteriological cultures on discharge. Cases were MRSA-colonized patients aged ⩾18 years who developed a MRSA SSTI post-discharge and controls were those who did not develop a MRSA SSTI post-discharge. Controls were matched to cases by length of follow-up (±10 days) for up to 18 months. Potential demographic and clinical risk factors for MRSA infection were identified using electronic queries and manual chart abstraction; data were compared by standard statistical tests and variables with P values ⩽0·05 in bivariable analysis were entered into a logistic regression model. Multivariable analysis demonstrated prior hospital admission within 12 months (P = 0·02), prior MRSA infection (P = 0·05), and previous myocardial infarction (P = 0·01) were independently predictive of a MRSA SSTI post-discharge. Identification of MRSA colonization upon admission and recognition of risk factors could help identify a high-risk population that could benefit from MRSA SSTI prevention strategies.

Two methods are especially suited for tomographic imaging with histological detail of macroscopic samples that consist of multiple tissue types (bone, muscle, nerve or fat): Light sheet (based) fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT requires staining with heavy chemical elements (and thus fixation and sometimes dehydration) in order to make soft tissue imageable when measured alongside denser structures. LSMF requires fixation, decalcification, dehydration, clearing and staining with a fluorescent dye. The specimen preparation of both imaging methods is prone to shrinkage, which is often not mentioned, let alone quantified. In this paper the presence and degree of shrinkage are quantitatively identified for the selected preparation methods/stains. LSFM delivers a volume shrinkage of 17% for bone, 56% for muscle and 62% for brain tissue. The three most popular micro-CT stains (phosphotungstic acid, iodine with potassium iodide, and iodine in absolute ethanol) deliver a volume shrinkage ranging from 10 to 56% for muscle and 27–66% for brain, while bone does not shrink in micro-CT preparation.

By limiting its objective to correcting dysmorphisms of the dento-alveolar arches, current treatment of malocclusions loses a great deal of effectiveness that technical procedures might otherwise achieve. An inadequate understanding of the mechanics of the facial envelope can allow the dysmorphisms and breathing dysfunctions associated with malocclusions to persist.

However, the oral fissure has a profound impact on the mechanical behavior of the facial envelope. Like an operational command, it transforms the local mechanics of the facial envelope by creating a phenomenon of a concentration of stress and deformations whose manifestations are visible not only on facial soft tissues, but also on their cartilage and osseous supports. This phenomenon also influences the physiology of the facial muscles by distorting them as they are forced to adapt to the fissure, and by guiding the functional adaptations of the envelope.

Basically, the impact of this phenomenon on the structural organization of the facial envelope is transformed by the oronasal morphophysiologic integration of the structures of the face and practitioners must necessarily adapt their therapy to address these problems. Finally, the functional relationship between the nasal mucosa and the cavernous sinus increasingly broadens orthopedic perspectives for therapy that will most importantly encompass the cephalic hypothalamic-pituitary axis.

The effectiveness of a procedure appropriately initiated by practitioners of DFO due to their specific expertise will require them to exercise a greater attentiveness to the global functionality of this complex into which the face is integrated.

Methods for creating speckle patterns on mouse arteries for use in deformation and strain field measurements in a stereomicroscope digital image correlation (DIC) system are described. Both fluorescent microsphere binding and ethidium bromide (EB) nuclear staining were used to generate high contrast, random patterns on mouse carotid arteries. To quantify the quality of each pattern, several metrics are used including (a) histogram distribution for each intensity pattern and (b) pixel-level variance in intensity pattern noise. Results demonstrate that both approaches provide sufficient pattern contrast for use in image-based methods to measure deformations in soft tissue. While fluorescent nuclear staining generates higher pixel-level intensity noise, this method provides better overall pattern quality (greater spatial uniformity and broader histogram) for automated DIC analysis when used at the appropriate magnification. Using recently developed theoretical predictions, estimates for the standard deviation in image-correlation-based displacements due to the measured intensity pattern variance are presented for fluorescent microsphere binding and EB nuclear staining patterns. Results confirm that both patterning approaches provide relatively small standard deviation in displacement measurements and hence are appropriate for measurement of deformations in small artery specimens.

The simplified text-book view holds that hydroids' soft body is composed of a branched double-layered tube, whose wall consists of two epithelial layers (the inner gastrodermis and the outer epidermis) separated by the mesoglea. Some hydroids are characterized by large, complex colonies and likely an even more complicated inner organization. By using three species from the thecate hydroids of the family Sertulariidae we investigated the soft body structure of such hydroids. The anatomical study revealed some new features of colonial hydroids. The double layered coenosarc fills the perisarc (outer skeleton) tube only at the endings of the branched colony. More proximally, the coenosarc tube becomes narrower and a thin epidermal lining covers the inner surface of the perisarc tube. In some species the soft tissues of the shoots form a network of anastomosing canals. The canals are formed by the gastrodermal epithelium and they are embedded in epidermal tissue. In the upper part of the shoot, these canals are located at the periphery, along the inner surface of the perisarc. In more proximal regions of the stem, the whole lumen of the perisarc tube can be occupied by gastrodermal canals; the canals are enclosed in a parenchyma-like epidermal tissue. The organization of the soft tissue in these thecate hydroids is a striking example of structural complexity that does not contravene the limits of the ground plan of the phylum.