The photo of a laboratory specimen of the grass frog Rana temporaria. The Author of the photo is Senior Lecturer of the Histology with a Course Embryology Department of the Kirov Military Medical Academy:

©Anastasia Sergeevna Komarova (Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 2024)

©Graphic editing of the photo: Morphological Newsletter journal (Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 2024)

In amphibians, the cloaca is formed during embryogenesis and functions throughout life. The cloaca as a temporary (provisional) formation also exists in early human embryogenesis, and its developmental disturbances lead to a number of congenital pathologies, one of which is persistent cloaca. Understanding the histogenetic causes of congenital anomalies can be achieved by taking into account phylogenetic studies. The starting point for them can be the identification of histogenetic features of the formation of the cloaca, its epithelial layer and derivatives using amphibians (Grass frog, Rana temporaria), birds, mammals and humans as an example. The purpose of the study is to characterize the epithelial layer of the cloaca in amphibians. The object of the study was the caudal section of the gastrointestinal tract of adult individuals of the species Rana temporaria, n=10. Morphometric analysis of epithelial cells of three parts of the cloaca - cutaneous, urinary and intestinal - was performed on paraffin sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The following karyometric parameters were measured: long and short axes of the nucleus, nuclear area, and nuclear elongation. As a result of morphometric analysis, it was established that the length of the frog cloaca parts varies. In the cutaneous part it is 893±82,2 μm, in the urinary part - 320±29,2 μm, in the intestinal part - 1092±110 μm. The epithelial layer of each of the three parts of the cloaca is characterized by cell heteromorphism. The skin part is represented by a multilayered mucous epithelium, which breaks off along the line of contact with the epithelium of the urinary part and then the layer continues with an epithelium of a different structure and morphometric parameters. In the area of ​​contact with the intestinal epithelium, a clear demarcation line is also observed. The epithelial layer of each of the three parts of the cloaca is characterized not only by differences in morphology, but also by differences in the karyometric indices of the cells, which indicates different embryonic sources of development. Morphometric analysis of the cellular composition of the epithelial layer of different parts of the frog cloaca allows for differential diagnostics of different parts of the anorectal tract in the embryogenesis of higher vertebrates.

The periosteum is a specialized and functionally significant part of the bone involved in its regeneration. The most part of scientific research is devoted to the study of the structure and functioning of the periosteum and endosteum of tubular bones, while the periosteum lining the cavities of pneumatized bones remains poorly understood. Clinical needs for its study are due to the increasing demands of modern medicine in the development of minimally invasive and personalized methods for treating patients with pathology of the nose and its sinuses. The aim of the study is to compare the morphology of the periosteum of the outer and inner surfaces of the anterior wall of the maxillary sinus in adult men. In this morphological study, we analyzed the skin-periosteal and mucoperiosteal fragments of the anterior wall of the maxillary sinus from 40 patients who were treated for the removal of foreign bodies from the maxillary sinuses using the their microtomy method. Tissue samples were studied using classical light microscopy, immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies to smooth muscle actin, morphometry and statistical processing of the obtained data. It was found that within a single anatomical bone structure, the periosteum has a number of distinctive features manifested in the thickness and quantity of collagen bundles that form the fibrous layer, the qualitative composition of collagen fiber bundles. The study also showed that the periosteum from the side of the inner surface of the anterior wall of the maxillary sinus does not have a strong connection with the bone matrix. The immunohistochemical study to detect smooth muscle actin made it possible to establish a significant number of positively stained cells in the structure of the proper plate of the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinus. It is known that the actin cytoskeleton, the network of intermediate filaments and microtubules participate in the regulation of cell motility, as well as in their migration processes. Cell migration is a pattern of histogenesis and regeneration mechanisms. The presence of actin-positive cells in the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinus of an adult allows us to consider their migration as one of the mechanisms of its postnatal morphogenesis.

In the context of the secular trend of decreasing male fertility rates that began worldwide in the 1980s, the issue of reference values ​​of anatomical parameters of male gonads is actual scientific task of modern andrology and urology. The information available in the literature for different populations is contradictory and is represented by indirect measurements. The aim of the study was to establish reference values ​​of anatomical parameters of male gonads based on direct instrumental orchidometry. The material for the study was measurements of orchidometric parameters of 217 autopsy cases of male individuals of homogeneous ethnic and territorial affiliation aged 19-88 years. The study did not include autopsy cases in which signs of liver disease, malignant neoplasms, HIV infection, diseases of the testicles and their membranes were found. Autopsies were performed within the first two days after death. To measure the linear dimensions of the testicle, we used an electronic caliper with an accuracy of 0,01 mm, scales with an accuracy of 0,001 mg, the volume was measured by water displacement in a measuring cylinder with an accuracy of 0,1 ml. According to the obtained results, the average weight of the right testicle was 18,4±0,39 g, the left - 17,3±0,37 g, the average volume of the right testicle was 17,8±0,38 ml, the left - 16,6±0,36 ml, the average density of both the right and left testicles was 1,04±0,002 g/ml with a range of variation of the average volume of 17,22±5,33 ml (M±σ). Among the linear parameters, the values ​​​​of the length and width of the testicle showed the least variability, the coefficients of their variation did not exceed the permissible values ​​​​for statistically significant conclusions about the boundaries of variability. The most variable parameter was the organ thickness, more pronounced fluctuations in values ​​were also inherent in the mass of the left testicle. As a result of the study, reference (M±0,67σ) values ​​of testicle sizes were established, which can be used to determine deviations during clinical examination of patients, forensic and pathological autopsies.

Chronic alcohol intoxication and type 1 diabetes mellitus are a growing health problem in the modern world, the relevance of their study both in the clinic and in the experiment remains to this day. The combined effect of these two diseases on the state of the exocrine and endocrine parts of the pancreas remains unexplored. The aim of this study is to assess the role of chronic alcohol intoxication in disorders of the structure and function of the pancreas of rats with experimental type 1 diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes mellitus was modeled by a standard method using alloxan. Chronic alcohol intoxication was modeled by forced alcoholization of animals with a 15% ethanol solution for 30 days. Histological examination and morphometry were performed on total sections of the pancreas of rats from three groups: intact animals, animals with experimental type 1 diabetes mellitus, and animals with experimental type 1 diabetes mellitus complicated by chronic alcohol intoxication. The general structure of the pancreas was analyzed on preparations stained with hematoxylin and eosin, paraldehyde fuchsin, and toluidine blue, the areas of acini and pancreatic islets were measured, and the number of corresponding cells was counted. The study established that the degree of expression of pathomorphological changes in pancreatic tissues was significantly higher in rats with the combined effect of the pathologies under study, both in intact animals and in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus. These changes are primarily manifested in increased fibrosis of pancreatic tissue, destructive changes in acinis, changes in the vascular bed and inhibition of the development of compensatory mechanisms aimed at restoring the endocrine apparatus of the organ. It follows that chronic alcohol intoxication significantly affects the condition of both the exocrine and endocrine parts of the pancreas in rats with experimentally induced type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Known experimental models of liver cirrhosis do not allow to reproduce on laboratory animals the modeling of structural reorganization of liver parenchyma with disconnection of its blood circulation, and therefore new approaches to the development of such models are required. The aim of the study is morphological and functional assessment of the liver in experimental modeling of acute focal post-necrotic cirrhosis by injection of various concentrations of ethanol solution into its parenchyma. Modeling of acute focal post-necrotic cirrhosis of the liver was carried out under general anesthesia on male rats weighing 250 g. Under aseptic conditions, micro-laparotomy was performed in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium to provide surgical access to the right lobe of the liver and under the liver capsule deep into the liver parenchyma using a syringe, ethanol solution of various concentrations from 40% to 89% in a volume of 0.1 to 0.6 ml was injected. The present study included only animals with a visually verified focus of post-necrotic cirrhosis, which developed with the introduction of 0.3-0.5 ml of 60-80% ethanol and did not cause either total liver damage or death of animals. Euthanasia and morphological examination of the liver with a biochemical blood test were performed for these groups of animals 14 days after the start of the experiment. The study found that the overall structure of the liver tissue in the experimental animals was disrupted. The liver structure is lobular due to pronounced foci of fibrosis, hepatocytes are dystrophic, with signs of vacuolar dystrophy, binuclear regenerating cells are noted, most of them are concentrated in the marginal zone of the cirrhosis focus. The picture of the formation of liver cirrhosis was confirmed by the data of a laboratory biochemical study of the blood of animals. Thus, in experimental modeling of acute focal post-necrotic cirrhosis by injecting 0.3-0.6 ml of ethanol solution of various concentrations into the liver tissue of laboratory rats, typical morphological changes characterizing this process are observed after 14 days.

The development of modern endoprosthesis constructions for structural and functional prosthesis of ankle joint injuries requires, in the context of a personalized approach to patients, maximum compliance of all articular surfaces and sizes of bone elements with the anatomically original ones. There is an urgent need to clarify the correspondence of specific linear anatomical and morphometric patterns of bones to the configurations of their articular surfaces in order to correlate their linear dimensions in a patient, which are fairly easily obtained by visualization means, with specific patterns of articular surface configurations that are difficult to determine by these means. The purpose of the study: to summarize the available data in the scientific literature on the anatomical variability of the articular facets of the human talus, their applied significance in various fields of biomedical knowledge. The material for the study was the sources of scientific literature from 1889 to 2023 for a period of 135 years. The conducted analysis of scientific literature allows us to conclude, firstly, that classical standard descriptions of the features of its shape and structure, reflecting, first of all and to a greater extent, its parts and apophyses, do not allow us to form the opinion and do not give appropriate ideas about other structural elements that carry greater functional and diagnostic significance. Such elements should be considered its articular surfaces (facets). Secondly, the diversity of their number, topography, general configuration, size of their areas, their combinations and bilateral differences in each person represent unique anatomical patterns characterizing the structural individual basis of his locomotor activity. Thirdly, the analysis of the articular facets of the talus allows, regardless of the period of time in which a person lived, provided that the anatomical integrity is sufficient, to obtain data not only on the individual characteristics of his motor activity and movements, but also on the nature of the habitat, terrain, behavioral features and motor rituals, predisposition to certain types of traumatic injuries of the foot and ankle joint.

Teaching morphological disciplines such as anatomy is an important part of medical education, providing students with knowledge of the structure and functioning of living organisms. However, in universities of countries and regions with a predominantly Islamic population or in universities with a significant number of foreign students from Muslim countries, teaching these disciplines faces a number of difficulties due to the requirements and canons of the Islamic faith. The purpose of this work is to analyze the features of teaching morphological disciplines to students of medical universities who profess Islam. The materials for the study were the relevant few sources of literature with the corresponding keywords and content, the teaching experience of the authors and the data of a small pilot survey of students of one of such universities. The obtained materials were analyzed for the purpose of the study. The analysis of the main ethical principles that students of Islamic faith who study at anatomy departments adhere to and which affect their educational process shows certain difficulties that teachers face. A special place among them is occupied by the issues of studying the human body from the point of view of Islamic ethics, restrictions related to the sex of students, the use of anatomical preparations, images and models of the naked body in the learning process. At the same time, a pilot study in the form of a questionnaire on the issues raised in this publication demonstrated that the existing problems and difficulties of anatomical education of students professing Islam are quite surmountable, but require the creation of certain conditions in the organization of the educational process, the widespread use of non-conventional types and forms of educational work in morphological departments and the creation of a tolerant environment. A detailed consideration of the above problems and proposals for the development of methods for optimizing the teaching of morphological disciplines will allow educational institutions in certain territories to optimize the learning process, making it acceptable for students with different religious views.

Human anatomy as an academic discipline and as a science in modern conditions acquires new facets that take it beyond the exclusively educational process in higher medical school. Anatomical departments have become more active in introducing modern anatomical knowledge into educational work among the general population, new data from scientific research in the field of anatomy and anthropology into practical medicine, undergraduate and postgraduate training of doctors, and career guidance work. For the professional exchange of experience, discussion, and scaling of the best practices using at anatomical departments of medical universities in Russia, the All-Russian scientific and practical conference "Human Anatomy in the Modern World" was held at the Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University within the framework of the Annual National Congress with international participation "Ecology and Human Health in the North", dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the 180th anniversary of the Yakut Republican Clinical Hospital. The organizers were the University Human Anatomy Department (Head of Department - Professor Darima Garmaeva, Yakutsk), the Morphology and Pathology Department of the REAVIZ Private University in Saint-Petersburg (Head of the Department - Professor Radik Khayrullin), the Omsk State Medical University Human Anatomy Department (Head of the Department - Professor Irina Putalova, Omsk), the Ingush State University Medical Faculty Human Anatomy Department (Head of the Department – Docent Madina Bolgucheva, Magas), the Professor Voyno-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University Human Anatomy Department and the Human Histology, Cytology and Embryology Department (Head of the Department - Professor Nadezhda Medvedeva and Head of the Department - Professor Lyudmila Sindeeva, Krasnoyarsk), the Academician Wagner Perm State Medical University Normal, Topographic and Clinical Anatomy, Operative Surgery Department (Head of the Department - Professor Irina Balandina, Perm). The conference was also attended anatomists of anatomical departments of other medical universities of Russia and foreign states. The article presents the results of the conference and its significance anatomy promotions.

Anniversary article dedicated to the 85^th Anniversary of Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor of the Human Anatomy and Medical Terminology Department of the Azerbaijan Medical University Vagif Shadlinsky.

The anniversary article is dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the birth of Docent, Candidate of medical sciences, Associate Pro-fessor of the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Anatomy and Histology Department, member of the Moscow branch of the Scientific Medical Society of Anatomists, Histologists and Embryologists of Russia Valentina Aleksandrovna Kudryashova, who has been teaching human anatomy for more than fifty years.