Surgical anatomy of the sphenopalatine artery in lateral nasal wall.
We investigated the surgical anatomy of the sphenopalatine artery. First, the location of the sphenopalatine foramen on the lateral nasal wall and the pattern of the main branches of the sphenopalatine artery from the sphenopalatine artery were studied. Second, the course of the posterior lateral nasal artery with respect to the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus, the perpendicular plate of the palatine bone, and the pattern of distribution of its branches on the fontanelle was determined. Third, the distribution pattern on the inferior turbinate was analyzed.



Fifty midsagittal sections of randomly selected Korean adult cadaver heads with intact sphenoid sinus and surrounding structures were used in the study.



The mucosa on the sphenopalatine foramen and its surrounding mucosa were removed with a microscissors, a fine forceps, and a pick to expose the sphenopalatine artery under an operating microscope (original magnification x6).



The feeding vessels of the superior turbinate were from the septal artery in 36 cases (72%). The feeding vessels to the middle turbinate branch originated from the proximal portion of the posterior lateral nasal artery just after exiting the sphenopalatine foramen in 44 cases (88%). Some portion of the posterior lateral nasal artery ran anterior to the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus in 38%. The major feeding arteries to the fontanelle were from the inferior turbinate branch in 25 cases (50%). In most cases, the inferior turbinate branch was the end artery of the posterior lateral nasal artery (98%).



The study provides detailed information concerning the sphenopalatine artery, which we hope will help explain the arterial bleeding that may occur during ethmoidectomy, middle meatal antrostomy, conchotomy, and endoscopic ligation of the sphenopalatine artery.

title: Surgical anatomy of the middle turbinate.
abstract: Clinicians have encountered many variations of the middle turbinate. Previous descriptions of the middle turbinate were only focused on its size and shape and lacked surgical implications associated with endoscopic sinus surgery. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the surgical anatomy of the middle turbinate in hemisected cadaveric heads. The middle turbinates from 101 hemisections of adult Korean cadaveric heads were measured using digital calipers and a protractor. The middle turbinates were then classified according to their shape. The mean distance between the anterior attachment of the middle turbinate and the anterior attachment of the superior turbinate was 18.5 mm. The posterior end of the middle turbinate extended more posteriorly than that of the inferior turbinate in 40% of the cases, while in 26.3% of the cases, the posterior end of the inferior turbinate extended more posteriorly than that of the middle turbinate. The middle turbinate was classified into three types according to the shape of its anterior border. In type 1, the anterior border of the middle turbinate ran directly posteroinferiorly from its attachment to the conchal plate, and was observed in 45.3% of the cases. In type 2, the anterior border of the middle turbinate initially coursed inferiorly from the conchal plate and then turned in a posteroinferior direction. This type was observed in 44.2% of the cases. Type 3 involved 10.5% of the cases where the anterior border bulged anteriorly before it coursed posteroinferiorly. The information provided in this report should assist surgeons when performing partial middle turbinectomies.

title: No Association between Serotonin Receptor 2C-759C/T Polymorphism and Weight Change or Treatment Response to Mirtazapine in Korean Depressive Patients
abstract: Activation of one or more serotonin (5-HT) receptors may play a role in mediating the antidepressant effects of serotonergic antidepressants. The serotonin 2C (5HT 2C) receptor is known to be associated with antidepressant action and weight gain. We sought to determine whether the 5-HTR 2C receptor -759C/T polymorphism was associated with weight gain and treatment response to mirtazapine in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients.  The 5-HT 2C receptor -759C/T polymorphism was analyzed in 323 MDD patients. All patients were evaluated using the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at the beginning of the study and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks of mirtazapine treatment.  There was no significant difference in the 5-HT 2C receptor -759C/T genotype distribution between responder and non-responder groups. The 5-HT 2C receptor -759C/T polymorphism was not associated with weight change over time after mirtazapine administration.  The 5-HT 2C receptor -759C/T polymorphism does not appear to be a predictor of treatment response to mirtazapine. This polymorphism was not associated with weight change after 8 weeks of mirtazapine treatment. Further investigation on other polymorphisms of the 5-HT 2C gene is required to determine whether the 5-HT 2C gene influences treatment response and weight change after mirtazapine administration in patients with major depressive disorder.

title: Selective catalytic activity of ball-shaped Pd@MCM-48 nanocatalysts.
abstract: Remarkable selectivity is achieved in the cleavage of benzyl ethers using ball-shaped palladium nanocatalysts, Pd@MCM-48, in an MCM-48 matrix. The unique nanocatalysts not only feature unprecedented complete hydrogenolysis selectivity of a benzyl ether over hydrogenation of a double bond, but also demonstrate selective cleavage of unsubstituted benzyl ether over substituted benzyl ethers.

title: Superficial venous aneurysm: reports of 3 cases and literature review.
abstract: The purpose of this series is to describe the ultrasonographic and computed tomographic (CT) findings of superficial venous aneurysms sometimes misdiagnosed as subcutaneous soft tissue tumors.



Two of the patients had an asymptomatic subcutaneous mass that gradually increased in size; the third patient had a superficial mass in the right antecubital fossa associated with pain and occasional edema. All of the patients were examined with ultrasonography, and 2 had CT scans.



In all cases, ultrasound examinations showed a well-defined heterogeneous echoic lesion that was contiguous with the adjacent superficial vein and easily compressed by the probe, whereas a Doppler study indicated a venous spectral wave without pulsation. Dynamic enhanced CT showed homogeneous enhancement in the late phase, with contiguity with the adjacent vein. Only the third patient had an internal, floating, heterogeneous, echoic mass-like lesion, suggesting a chronic thrombus in the lesion on ultrasonography. This patient underwent aneurysmectomy with end-to-end anastomosis.



Venous aneurysm should be included in the differential diagnosis of a subcutaneous mass, and an accurate understanding of the differences between superficial and deep venous aneurysms may help in diagnosis and treatment.

title: DNA typing for the identification of old skeletal remains from Korean War victims.
abstract: The identification of missing casualties of the Korean War (1950-1953) has been performed using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profiles, but recent advances in DNA extraction techniques and approaches using smaller amplicons have significantly increased the possibility of obtaining DNA profiles from highly degraded skeletal remains. Therefore, 21 skeletal remains of Korean War victims and 24 samples from biological relatives of the supposed victims were selected based on circumstantial evidence and/or mtDNA-matching results and were analyzed to confirm the alleged relationship. Cumulative likelihood ratios were obtained from autosomal short tandem repeat, Y-chromosomal STR, and mtDNA-genotyping results, and mainly confirmed the alleged relationship with values over 10⁵. The present analysis emphasizes the value of mini- and Y-STR systems as well as an efficient DNA extraction method in DNA testing for the identification of old skeletal remains.

title: Test and teach. Number fifty-three. Diagnosis: Calcifying fibrous pseudotumour.