More Like this

1. Ontogenetic variability of the intertympanic sinus distinguishes lineages within Crocodylia

   https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13830  

   Perrichon, Gwendal; Hautier, Lionel; Pochat‐Cottilloux, Yohan; Raselli, Irena; Salaviale, Céline; Dailh, Benjamin; Rinder, Nicolas; Fernandez, Vincent; Adrien, Jérôme; Lachambre, Joël; et al (June 2023, Journal of Anatomy)

   Abstract The phylogenetic relationships within crown Crocodylia remain contentious due to conflicts between molecular and morphological hypotheses. However, morphology‐based datasets are mostly constructed on external characters, overlooking internal structures. Here, we use 3D geometric morphometrics to study the shape of the intertympanic sinus system in crown crocodylians during ontogeny, in order to assess its significance in a taxonomic context. Intertympanic sinus shape was found to be highly correlated with size and modulated by cranial shape during development. Still, adult sinus morphology distinguishes specimens at the family, genus and species level. We observe a clear distinction between Alligatoridae and Longirostres, a separation of differentCrocodylusspecies and the subfossil Malagasy genusVoay, and a distinction between theTomistomaandGavialislineages. Our approach is independent of molecular methods but concurs with the molecular topologies. Therefore, sinus characters could add significantly to morphological datasets, offering an alternative viewpoint to resolve problems in crocodylian relationships. 

   more » « less
2. Effect of Blood Pressure Levels on Sinus Hemodynamics in Relation to Calcification After Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-023-03426-4  

   Vogl, Brennan; Sularz, Agata; Lilly, Scott; Thourani, Vinod H.; Lindman, Brian R.; Alkhouli, Mohamad; Hatoum, Hoda (December 2023, Annals of Biomedical Engineering)
3. Analysis of Energy and Pressure in the Sinus with Different Blood Pressures after Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03587-w  

   Vogl, Brennan; Sularz, Agata; Ahn, Sunyoung; Gadhave, Rajat; Lilly, Scott; Thourani, Vinod; Lindman, Brian; Alkhouli, Mohamad; Hatoum, Hoda (December 2024, Annals of Biomedical Engineering)
4. A Model of High-Speed Endovascular Sonothrombolysis with Vortex Ultrasound-Induced Shear Stress to Treat Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis

   https://doi.org/10.34133/research.0048  

   Zhang, Bohua; Wu, Huaiyu; Kim, Howuk; Welch, Phoebe J.; Cornett, Ashley; Stocker, Greyson; Nogueira, Raul G.; Kim, Jinwook; Owens, Gabe; Dayton, Paul A.; et al (January 2023, Research)

   This research aims to demonstrate a novel vortex ultrasound enabled endovascular thrombolysis method designed for treating cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). This is a topic of substantial importance since current treatment modalities for CVST still fail in as many as 20% to 40% of the cases, and the incidence of CVST has increased since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Compared with conventional anticoagulant or thrombolytic drugs, sonothrombolysis has the potential to remarkably shorten the required treatment time owing to the direct clot targeting with acoustic waves. However, previously reported strategies for sonothrombolysis have not demonstrated clinically meaningful outcomes (e.g., recanalization within 30 min) in treating large, completely occluded veins or arteries. Here, we demonstrated a new vortex ultrasound technique for endovascular sonothrombolysis utilizing wave-matter interaction-induced shear stress to enhance the lytic rate substantially. Our in vitro experiment showed that the lytic rate was increased by at least 64.3% compared with the nonvortex endovascular ultrasound treatment. A 3.1-g, 7.5-cm-long, completely occluded in vitro 3-dimensional model of acute CVST was fully recanalized within 8 min with a record-high lytic rate of 237.5 mg/min for acute bovine clot in vitro. Furthermore, we confirmed that the vortex ultrasound causes no vessel wall damage over ex vivo canine veins. This vortex ultrasound thrombolysis technique potentially presents a new life-saving tool for severe CVST cases that cannot be efficaciously treated using existing therapies. 

   more » « less
5. First digital study of the frontal sinus of stem-Canini (Canidae, Carnivora): evolutionary and ecological insights throughout advanced diagnostic in paleobiology

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1173341  

   Frosali, Samuele; Bartolini-Lucenti, Saverio; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan; Urciuoli, Alessandro; Costeur, Loïc; Rook, Lorenzo (May 2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)

   IntroductionThe phylogenetic and ecological importance of paranasal sinuses in carnivorans was highlighted by several previous authors, mostly in extant species. Nevertheless, no specific study on this feature on extant canids, and no one on fossil representatives of the family, has been published up to now. Here, we analyze for the first time the paranasal sinus of extant and fossil canids through computed tomographic techniques to characterize them morphologically and morphometrically, making ecological inferences. MethodsTo do so, we applied for the first time an innovative deformation-based morphometric approach. ResultsThe results obtained for extant species highlight a remarkable correlation between morphology and ecomorphotypes previously defined by some scholars (namely hypercarnivorous group-hunters; small-prey hypercarnivores, mesocarnivores, hypocarnivores). Our results thus support the direct relationship between diet preferences and the development of frontal sinus in canids. Regarding fossil specimens, we reconstructed for the first time the frontal sinus of threeEucyonspecies and compared it to those of living forms. DiscussionThe best-preserved specimen, the only known cranium ofEucyon adoxusdated to the Late Pliocene of Saint-Estève (France), displayed similarities with hypercarnivorous group-hunter canids by the large sinus prominences. Given that the overall craniodental morphology ofE. adoxussuggests that it acted as a small prey hypercarnivore—similar to extantCanis simensis—the aforementioned affinities might have evolved independently, in relation to high stresses during feeding. Overall, our study demonstrates that morphological inspection and deformation-based geometric morphometrics complement each other and allow a thorough investigation of sinus shape variability, thus enabling the study of sinus morphology in other fossil carnivorans with the ultimate goal of inferring their ecological preferences. 

   more » « less