#micro ct

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Secrets Hopping

Using a non-destructive, high-res method called diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced microCT (diceCT) to image and digitally dissect the limb musculature of 30 species of frogs reveals relationships between anatomical complexity and function – providing insights that could inform muscle and locomotion research in humans

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Alice Leavey, Christopher T. Richards and Laura B. Porro

Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London; Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College—Camden Campus, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, London, UK

Image contributed and copyright held by Alice Leavey

Research published in Journal of Anatomy, August 2024

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[fruitsoftheweb]

“Skimmer, a pygmy slow loris, was 19 when she died at the Duke Lemur Center in 2013. She is one of more than 100 rare or endangered primates whose bodies are being preserved with help from an X-ray imaging technique called micro-computed tomography.“

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Good Vibrations

Pound for pound, human bone is stronger than steel. But for three million people in the UK, osteoporosis has left their bones weakened. Current drug treatments come with numerous side effects. Some with the disease therefore choose alternative therapies, including mechanical stimulation of their bones through exercise. However, this mainly targets weight-bearing bones and doesn't help the alveolar bones of the jaw, which hold our teeth in place. Unsurprisingly, tooth loss is more common in osteoporosis patients. Researchers therefore investigated whether stimulating these bones with vibrations called high frequency acceleration (HFA) could strengthen them. In mice with osteoporosis, HFA was applied to one-half of their jaws but not the other. The alveolar bones were then imaged using micro-CT (pictured). The quality and quantity of HFA-treated alveolar bone (upper) were significantly better than non-treated bone (bottom). More research is needed to find out if this will work in osteoporosis patients too.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Image from work by Mani Alikhani and colleagues

CTOR Academy, Hoboken, NJ, USA

Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)

Published in PLOS One, January 2019

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Old Bones

Causing an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018, cancer is one of the most significant health concerns worldwide. While we generally focus on modern behaviours increasing the risk of cancer, such as smoking or exposure to pollutants, this disease has an ancient origin. Scientists recently discovered evidence of cancer in a 240-million-year-old fossil of an extinct relative of turtles, Pappochelys rosinae (pictured), making it the oldest known case in an amniote, the group of vertebrates including reptiles, birds and mammals. Pappochelys fossils helped palaeontologists shed light on how turtles evolved shells, but a suspicious growth on one specimen’s femur also caught their attention. Micro CT scans revealed a bone tumour closely resembling periosteal osteosarcoma, a bone cancer found in humans. While most tumours develop in soft tissues, so are not preserved in the fossil record, this discovery highlights the ancient nature of the genetic and cellular processes underpinning this disease.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Image by Rainer Schoch, Stuttgart Natural History Museum

Research from Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany

Image copyright held by the photographer

Research published in JAMA Oncology, February 2019

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Beat the System

Stretching across the heart, cells in the cardiac conduction system (CCS) send out electrical impulses that control our steady heartbeats. But these natural pacemakers can go awry, leading to irregular beats called arrhythmias. The CCS can be damaged by disease, but it can also be disturbed during heart surgery as it’s difficult to spot deep in the muscly tissue. To get a better look, scientists fired x-rays at a post-mortem human heart, using a technique called micro computerised tomography to map out the CCS (left). Superimposing this scan onto the heart’s main chambers (the two atria top, and ventricles bottom) creates detailed 3D models (middle and right). These can now be used to plan and guide surgery, teach medical students, and also to compare healthy anatomy with hearts damaged by disease or age.

September is Vascular Disease Awareness Month

Written by John Ankers

Adapted image from work by Robert S. Stephenson and Andrew Atkinson, and colleagues

School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, and Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)

Published in Scientific Reports, August 2017

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[fruitsoftheweb]

Visible Interactive Parrot - macaw skull with brain endocast, inner ears, etc.

[fruitsoftheweb]

“Animation of the skull of an adult scarlet macaw (Ara macao, OUVC 10633)“

[lookinsidewithct]

Praying mantis