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Very Thin (very + thin)
Terms modified by Very Thin Selected AbstractsA practical interface for microfluidics and nanoelectrospray mass spectrometryELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 9 2008Sergio L. S. Freire Abstract We report a new method for fabricating nanospray ionization tips for MS, formed from glass substrates and the inert polymer, parylene-C. Using a single photolithography step, the emitters are formed contiguously with microchannels, such that no dead volumes are observed. In addition, because the devices are very thin (,0.3,mm) and the tips are formed at rectangular corners, the Taylor cone volumes are small, which makes the method attractive for future integration with microfluidic separations. Device performance was demonstrated by evaluating diverse analytes, ranging from synthetic polymers, to peptides, to nucleic acids. For all analytes, performance was similar to that of conventional emitters (pulled-glass capillaries and the Agilent HPLC ChipÔ) with the advantage of rapid, batch fabrication of identical devices. [source] Clinical anatomy of the equine sphenopalatine sinusEQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 6 2004J. L. McCANN Summary Reasons for performing study: Disorders of the equine sphenopalatine sinus, including empyema and neoplasia, have been reported to cause damage to cranial nerves II and V. However, the clinical anatomy of these sinuses is not well described in horses. Objective: To examine the anatomy of the sphenopalatine sinuses in a range of equidae and, in particular, to examine the relationship of these sinuses to adjacent major nerves and vessels. Methods: The anatomy of the sphenoidal and palatine paranasal sinuses was examined in 16 equidae, primarily using transverse skull sections. Relevant structures were documented and photographed. Results: There was much variation between individual horses in sphenopalatine sinus anatomy. The sphenoidal sinuses were small in young horses and appeared to become larger and more complex with age. Variation was present in the extent that the sphenopalatine sinus extended into the basisphenoid bone. The septum dividing left and right sphenoidal sinuses was frequently not midline, but was intact in all cases. The sphenoidal and palatine sinuses communicated in most horses. In such cases, what could accurately be termed the (combined) sphenopalatine sinuses usually drained directly into the caudal maxillary sinuses. Additionally, in 5 out of 16 cases, some compartments of the sphenoidal sinus also drained into the ethmoidal sinus. The dorsal and lateral walls of the sphenoidal sinus were very thin and directly adjacent to cranial nerves II, III, IV, V and VI and major blood vessels. Conclusions: The equine sphenoidal and palatine sinuses are very variable in their anatomy, but are always in close proximity to multiple cranial nerves and major blood vessels. Potential relevance: Many cranial nerves and blood vessels could be damaged with disorders involving the sphenopalatine sinus, potentially causing major and variable neurological syndromes, haemorrhage and extension of sepsis. [source] A radialization factor in normal cortical plate restores disorganized radial glia and disrupted migration in a model of cortical dysplasiaEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2003Thomas A. Hasling Abstract Treatment of pregnant ferrets on embryonic day 24 (E24) with the antimitotic methylazoxy methanol (MAM) leads to a specific constellation of effects in newborn kits, which include a very thin and poorly laminated neocortex, disruption of radial glial cell morphology with early differentiation into astrocytes, and abnormal positioning of Cajal,Retzius cells. We suggest that MAM treatment on E24 results in this model of cortical dysplasia by eliminating a population of cells that produce a factor capable of maintaining radial glia in their normal morphology. The abnormal radial glia, either alone or in combination with other abnormal features, are likely to prevent proper migration into the cortical plate. To test the possibility that normal cortex can provide the missing substance that influences radial glia, slices of E24 MAM-treated cortex were removed at postnatal day 0 (P0) and cultured adjacent to explants of P0 normal cortical plate. By labelling a small number of cells with injections of fluorescent dextrans into the cultured slices, we found that abnormal radial glia in MAM treated slices cocultured adjacent to normal cortical plate were restored toward normal, in comparison to E24 MAM treated slices cultured alone and in other control conditions. We also found that abnormally positioned Cajal,Retzius cells move into the marginal zone and that neurons are able to migrate into the cortical plate more effectively in the coculture condition. These data indicate that normal cortical plate of ferrets contains a factor causing radial glia to maintain their elongated morphology; the improved position of radial glia encourages repositioning of Cajal,Retzius cells and improved neuronal migration into the cortical plate. [source] Perovskite BaHfO3 Dielectric Layers for Dynamic Random Access Memory Storage Capacitor Applications,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 4 2009Grzegorz Lupina Very thin layers of dielectric materials are of high importance for many advanced microelectronic applications. In this work, properties of very thin (<50,nm) BaHfO3 layers prepared using molecular beam deposition and chemical vapor deposition are examined. We conclude that polycrystalline cubic BaHfO3 films appear to be promising candidates for future memory capacitor applications. [source] Essential role for ERK2 mitogen-activated protein kinase in placental developmentGENES TO CELLS, Issue 11 2003Naoya Hatano Background:, Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) has been implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. However, its role in vivo remains to be determined. Results:, Here we show that the targeted disruption of the mouse ERK2 gene results in embryonic lethality by E11.5 and severe abnormality of the placenta. In these animals, the labyrinthine layer of the placenta is very thin and few foetal blood vessels are observed. ERK2 mutants can be rescued by the transgenic expression of ERK2, demonstrating that these abnormalities are caused by ERK2-deficiency. Although ERK2-deficient fetuses are much smaller than wild-type littermates, this seems to be secondary to malfunction of the placenta. When the placental defect is rescued by tetraploid-aggregation, ERK2-deficient foetuses grow as well as littermate controls. Conclusion:, These observations indicate that ERK2 is essential for placental development and suggest that ERK2 in the trophoblast compartment may be indispensable for the vascularization of the labyrinth. [source] Solution-Deposited Zinc Oxide and Zinc Oxide/Pentacene Bilayer Transistors: High Mobility n-Channel, Ambipolar, and Nonvolatile Devices,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 12 2008Bhola Nath Pal Abstract A solution processed n-channel zinc oxide (ZnO) field effect transistor (FET) was fabricated by simple dip coating and subsequent heat treatment of a zinc acetate film. The field effect mobility of electrons depends on ZnO grain size, controlled by changing the number of coatings and zinc acetate solution concentration. The highest electron mobility achieved by this method is 7.2,cm2 V,1 s,1 with On/Off ratio of 70. This electron mobility is higher than for the most recently reported solution processed ZnO transistor. We also fabricated bilayer transistors where the first layer is ZnO, and the second layer is pentacene, a p-channel organic which is deposited by thermal evaporation. By changing the ZnO grain size (or thickness) this type of bilayer transistor shows p-channel, ambipolar and n-channel behavior. For the ambipolar transistor, well balanced electron and hole mobilities are 7.6,×,10,3 and 6.3,×,10,3,cm2 V,1 s,1 respectively. When the ZnO layer is very thin, the transistor shows p-channel behavior with very high reversible hysteresis. The nonvolatile tuning function of this transistor was investigated. [source] Heat transfer in high-aspect-ratio rectangular passage with skewed ribsHEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 2 2002Takanari Okamura Abstract The heat transfer characteristics and flow behavior in a rectangular passage with two opposite 45° skewed ribs for turbine rotor blade have been investigated for Reynolds numbers from 7800 to 19,000. In this blade, the spanwise coolant passage at the trailing edge region whose thickness is very thin is chosen, so the channel aspect ratio (=width/height of channel) is extremely high, 4.76. Therefore the heat transfer experiment in the high-aspect-ratio cooling channel was performed using thermochromic liquid crystal and thermocouples. Furthermore, the calculation of flow and heat transfer was carried out using CFD analysis code to understand the heat transfer experimental results. The enhanced heat transfer coefficients on the smooth side wall at the rib's leading end were the same level as those on the rib-roughened walls. © 2002 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 31(2): 89,104, 2002; DOI 10.1002/htj.10018 [source] Electrostatic BEM for MEMS with thin beamsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2005Zhongping Bao Abstract Micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) and nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) systems sometimes use beam- or plate-shaped conductors that can be very thin,with h/L,,,(10,2,10,3) (in terms of the thickness h and length L of a beam or the side of a square pate). Conventional boundary element method (BEM) analysis of the electric field in a region exterior to such thin conductors can become difficult to carry out accurately and efficiently,especially since MEMS analysis requires computation of charge densities (and then surface tractions) separately on the top and bottom surfaces of such objects. A new boundary integral equation (BIE) is derived in this work that, when used together with the standard BIE with logarithmically singular kernels, results in a powerful technique for the BEM analysis of such problems with thin beams. This new approach, in fact, works best for very thin beams. This thin beam BEM is derived and discussed in this work. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Two simple and efficient displacement-based quadrilateral elements for the analysis of composite laminated platesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 11 2004Y. X. Zhang Abstract Two simple 4-node 20-DOF and 4-node 24-DOF displacement-based quadrilateral elements named RDKQ-L20 and RDKQ-L24 are developed in this paper based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) for linear analysis of thin to moderately thick laminates. The deflection and rotation functions of the element sides are obtained from Timoshenko's laminated composite beam functions. Linear displacement interpolation functions of the standard 4-node quadrilateral isoparametric plane element and displacement functions of a quadrilateral plane element with drilling degrees of freedom are taken as in-plane displacements of the proposed elements RDKQ-L20 and RDKQ-L24, respectively. Due to the application of Timoshenko's laminated composite beam functions, convergence can be ensured theoretically for very thin laminates. The elements are simple in formulation, and shear-locking free for extremely thin laminates even with full integration. A hybrid-enhanced procedure is employed to improve the accuracy of stress analysis, especially for transverse shear stresses. Numerical tests show that the new elements are convergent, not sensitive to mesh distortion, accurate and efficient for analysis of thin to moderately thick laminates. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Image enhancement in ultramicroscopy by improved laser light sheetsJOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS, Issue 10-11 2010Saiedeh Saghafi Abstract In the majority of implementations of light sheet microscopy, such as ultramicroscopy, the laser beam illuminating the specimen is truncated by a slit aperture before it is focused to a light sheet by a single cylindrical lens. A light sheet generated in this way can be made very thin near to the focal point, but unfortunately its Rayleigh range is severely limited. This problem can be partially solved by using a smaller slit aperture. However, this also causes a major loss in power, a severe broadening of the beam waist, and thus a significant loss of resolution along the detection axis. We developed improved light-sheet-generation optics, which provide longer Raleigh ranges, whilst retaining beam waists comparable to our standard system with one cylindrical lens. Using the modified system we achieved a marked improvement in the resolution of ultramicroscopy reconstructions of representative biological specimens. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] TELOCYTES , a case of serendipity: the winding way from Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC), via Interstitial Cajal-Like Cells (ICLC) to TELOCYTESJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010L. M. Popescu Abstract Ramon y Cajal discovered a particular cell type in the gut, which he named ,interstitial neurons' more that 100 years ago. In the early 1970s, electron microscopy/electron microscope (EM) studies showed that indeed a special interstitial cell type corresponding to the cells discovered by Cajal is localized in the gut muscle coat, but it became obvious that they were not neurons. Consequently, they were renamed ,interstitial cells of Cajal' (ICC) and considered to be pace-makers for gut motility. For the past 10 years many groups were interested in whether or not ICC are present outside the gastrointestinal tract, and indeed, peculiar interstitial cells were found in: upper and lower urinary tracts, blood vessels, pancreas, male and female reproductive tracts, mammary gland, placenta, and, recently, in the heart as well as in the gut. Such cells, now mostly known as interstitial Cajal-like cells (ICLC), were given different and confusing names. Moreover, ICLC are only apparently similar to canonical ICC. In fact, EM and cell cultures revealed very particular features of ICLC, which unequivocally distinguishes them from ICC and all other interstitial cells: the presence of 2,5 cell body prolongations that are very thin (less than 0.2 ,m, under resolving power of light microscopy), extremely long (tens to hundreds of ,m), with a moniliform aspect (many dilations along), as well as caveolae. Given the unique dimensions of these prolongations (very long and very thin) and to avoid further confusion with other interstitial cell types (e.g. fibroblast, fibrocyte, fibroblast-like cells, mesenchymal cells), we are proposing the term TELOCYTES for them, and TELOPODES for their prolongations, by using the Greek affix ,telos'. [source] Impact of habitat disturbance in the wetland forests of East Usambara, TanzaniaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Ramadhani Senzota Abstract We evaluated habitat characteristics of East Usambara wetland forests. The abundance and species composition in the tree, shrub and herbaceous layers were enumerated in two sets of nested plots, one set in a natural wetland forest and the second in a wetland forest that had been disturbed by small-scale gold mining activities. Each set had thirty-six 1 m × 1 m plots for herbs, inside nine 5 m × 5 m plots for shrubs, in three 20 m × 20 m plots for trees. The habitat profile of herbaceous , shrub , tree layers was found to be sharply different from one obtained in previous studies at the surrounding nonwetland forests as were species composition and abundance. Unlike in the nonwetland forests, the herbaceous layer was thick, the shrub layer very thin and the woody species density and richness much lower. Disturbance significantly reduced woody cover and changed species composition in the herbaceous layer. Recovery of the woody vegetation was low. Wetland forests in the East Usambaras form a small fraction of the total area, but they are a unique biodiversity repository, they appear to be an important carbon dioxide sink and to reserve and purify water. They are sensitive to disturbance and need protection. Résumé Nous avons évalué les caractéristiques de l'habitat des forêts humides d'East Usambara. L'abondance et la composition des espèces dans les étages d'arbres, d'arbustes et d'herbes furent dénombrées dans deux ensembles de parcelles emboitées, un situé dans une forêt humide naturelle, l'autre dans une forêt humide qui avait été perturbée par les activités d'orpaillage à petite échelle. Chaque ensemble se composait de 36 carrés de 1 m² pour les herbes, situés dans neuf carrés de 5 m × 5 m pour les buissons, eux-mêmes situés à l'intérieur de trois carrés de 20 m × 20 m pour les arbres. Le profil des habitats pour les trois couches d'herbes , d'arbustes , d'arbres s'est révélé très différent de celui qui avait été obtenu lors d'études précédentes réalisées dans des forêts environnantes non humides; il en était de même pour la composition et l'abondance des espèces. Contrairement aux forêts non humides, la couche herbeuse était épaisse, la couche des arbustes très claire et la densité et la richesse des espèces ligneuses étaient beaucoup plus faibles. La perturbation avait significativement réduit le couvert ligneux et changé la composition des espèces de l'étage herbacé. La restauration de la végétation ligneuse était faible. Les forêts humides des East Usambara ne constituent qu'une petite fraction de la superficie totale, mais elles sont un sanctuaire unique pour sa biodiversité, elles semblent être un puits de carbone important et aussi retenir et purifier l'eau. Elles sont sensibles à toute perturbation et doivent être protégées. [source] Morphology of skin incubation in Pipa carvalhoi (Anura: Pipidae)JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 11 2009Hartmut Greven Abstract South American Pipidae show a unique reproductive mode, in which the fertilized eggs develop in temporarily formed brood chambers of the dorsal skin after eggs have been deposited on the back of the female. We studied the skin incubation of Pipa carvalhoi using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The skin consists of a stratified epithelium with a one-layered stratum corneum, and the dermis. The dermis of the dorsal skin of nonreproductive and reproductive females lacks a distinct stratum compactum, which is typical for most anuran skins. The entire dermis shows irregularly arranged collagen bundles like a stratum spongiosum. Before egg laying, the skin swells, primarily by thickening and further by loosening of the middle zone of the dermis. In the epidermis, large furrows develop that are the prospective sites of egg nidation. The epidermis, which forms a brood chamber around the developing egg becomes bi-layered and very thin and lacks a stratum corneum. Further, the dermis loosens and becomes heavily vascularized. Egg carrying females do not have mature oocytes in their ovaries indicating a slow down or interruption of egg maturation during this period. Similarities with the brood pouch of marsupial frogs are discussed. J. Morphol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] In situ Raman monitoring of chromium oxide scale growth for stress determinationJOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 9 2001Julie Mougin Raman spectra of a growing chromia (Cr2O3) layer generated by oxidation of pure chromium at 750 °C under 150 mbar of oxygen were recorded in situ every 5 min. The wavenumber evolution of the main Raman band versus oxidation time was interpreted in terms of mechanical stress development. Comparison with Raman spectra of a fully relaxed spalled chromia layer submitted to high-pressure and high-temperature treatments showed that internal compressive stresses develop during the growth, varying from ,2.1 GPa when the scale is very thin to ,2.4 GPa when the scale reaches a thickness of 0.6 µm. Relaxation phenomena seem to take place during isothermal oxidation. During cooling, thermal stresses are induced, which are purely elastic according to the perfect reversibility of cooling,heating cycles. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Positron annihilation studies of defects in Si1-xGex/SOI heterostructuresPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11 2009A. Calloni Abstract The strain of a SiGe alloy epitaxially grown on Si can be released by heating at 750°C. However the strain relaxation is accompanied by the generation of threading dislocations and associated point defects. The attempted remedy is to let SiGe grow on a very thin Si substrate on top of a SOI heterostructure, with the purpose of concentrating the defects at the Si-SiO2 interface of the SOI substrate. A slow positron beam was used to investigate the effectiveness of the remedy. The positron diffusion length in SiGe decreases after the thermal treatment. This result shows the generation of lattice defects still occurs in the SiGe layer, in spite of the deposition on SOI. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Technological Characterization of Campanian Pottery of Type A, B and C and of Regional Products from Ancient Calabria (Southern Italy)ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 1 2001P. Mirti Sherds of Campanian pottery were studied by SEM-EDX. SEM images show that slips of Campana C are scarcely sintered and are thicker than the well vitrified coatings of Campana A and B and imitations of Campana B. Slips of products with a grey slip on a grey body are very thin and well vitrified. EDX analyses indicate that slips are richer in aluminium and iron, and poorer in silicon and calcium, with respect to the bodies. Higher potassium is also found in all of the coatings except those of Campana A. Here relatively high sodium makes the total alkalis comparable with those of the other products, except Campana C, where it is somewhat lower. Measurement of thermal expansion and X-ray powder diffractograms suggest that firing temperatures were mostly in excess of 900°C, but some samples of Campana C seem to have been fired below 800°C. [source] Developmental morphology of Saxicolella amicorum and S. submersa (Podostemaceae: Podostemoideae) from GhanaBOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 3 2002K. GABRIEL AMEKA Saxicolella (six spp.) is a podostemoid genus occurring in tropical west Africa (Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria). Taxonomically used characters such as root (with holdfasts), pollen (dyads in many Podostemoideae), capsules (with ribs) and seeds are demonstrated and discussed. This paper deals with the structure and development of two species, which are endemic to rivers in southern Ghana: Saxicolella amicorum J.B.Hall and Saxicolella submersa (J.B.Hall) C.D.K.Cook & Rutish. (syn. Polypleurum submersum J.B.Hall).,Saxicolella amicorum has simple, one-flowered stems up to 3 cm long, whereas S. submersa has branched, many-flowered stems up to 25 cm long. Vegetative shoots can reach 12 cm (S. amicorum) and even 50 cm (S. submersa) in length. The latter species was previously placed in the Asian genus Polypleurum because the long floating axis was misinterpreted as a root which would be typical for Polypleurum. The long floating axis of S. submersa develops exogenous leaves and is actually a stem. Both S. amicorum and S. submersa have various features in common: vegetative parts (roots, stems, leaves) are elongate and very thin (diameter less than 1 mm); prostrate roots are narrow ribbons (twice as wide as thick); endogenous shoots in opposite pairs along the root; leaves usually simple and filiform; leaf bases with two attached ear-like stipules; spathella club-shaped to ellipsoidal; erect flowers with a solitary stamen; ovary ellipsoidal to fusiform, bilocular; capsules nearly isolobous, with three prominent ribs per valve (i.e. eight ribs per capsule including sutural ribs). Evolutionary dynamics of the root structures in African Podostemoideae such as Saxicolella include: formation of green prostrate ribbons as a result of dorsoventral root flattening; reduction of root caps; occurrence of adhesive hairs and exogenous holdfasts which are disk- or finger-like. Structural diversity and developmental patterns in the Ghanaian Saxicolella species are compared with other African Podostemoideae. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 139, 255,273. [source] 2142: Ulrastructural features of keratoconus cornea after cross-linking by riboflavin/UVAACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010S AKHTAR Purpose In the present studies we assess the effects of collagen cross-linking on ultrastructure organisation of the corneal stroma of keratoconus human corneas. Methods One normal, one keratoconus (KC) and three cross-linked keratoconus corneas were analysed. One was treated with standard cross linking (SXL) and two with trans-epithelial collagen cross linking (TEXL). Penetrating keratoplasty was performed three months after treatment. All samples were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde containing cuprolinic blue in sodium acetate buffer and processed for electron microscopy. Results The structure of SXL corneas was very similar to normal corneas in their hemidesmosomes, basement membrane (BM), Bowman's layer (BW) and stromal lamellae that were not undulated. The architecture of TEXL corneas presented some differences. The BM was thick with degenerated hemidesmosomes. Bowman's layer was disorganised at some places and replaced by thin filaments forming pannus. There were thin undulating lamellae in anterior, middle and posterior stroma. The keratocytes were embedded between undulating lamellae. Large amounts of abnormal PGs were attached around collagen fibrils. The parallel running lamellae were very thin. In some parts of the anterior stroma collagen fibrils were oriented (running) in random directions instead of running parallel. There were some parts of the stroma which showed a normal appearance. Conclusion The present studies demonstrate that corneal cross-linking leads to modifications in keratocytes and in the organisation of collagen fibril. The morphological changes might be correlated to the process of increase in biomechanical stability although there are differences between stromal structures treated by standard and trans [source] Selectively Deposited Silver Coatings on Gold-Capped Silicon Nanowires for Surface-Enhanced Raman SpectroscopyCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 8 2009M. Becker Dr. Abstract Gold caps on silicon nanowires are selectively coated with silver by autometallography (electroless deposition). Changing the conditions of silver deposition, a variety of different coating morphologies can be produced (see figure). The different silver coating morphologies are investigated in terms of their capabilities for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) experiments. Gold caps on silicon nanowires are hemispherical and only a few tens of nanometers in diameter when grown from metal catalysts by the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism using chemical vapor deposition. These gold caps are capable of enhancing Raman signals based on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect. The Raman signal can be enhanced even further (by at least one order of magnitude) when silver is selectively deposited onto these gold caps by autometallography (electroless deposition). By changing the silver deposition conditions, different coating morphologies can be realized on the gold caps that range from very thin, smooth layers to uneven and extremely rough coatings. The SERS signal enhancement and the spatial homogeneity of the achievable enhancement are compared for the different silver coatings using a model dye molecule. [source] The interpectoral fascia flapCLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 6 2008Gertrude M. Beer Abstract Despite the great number of pedicled and free flaps that are available for defect and contour repair, the number of fascia flaps with an axial blood supply are sparse. Such flaps with their gliding function are mandatory, whenever coverage with very thin, well-vascularized tissue is necessary. To the currently established fascia flaps, (the temporoparietal fascia flap, the radial forearm fascia flap, the lateral arm fascia flap, and the serratus anterior fascia flap), we want to add a new fascia flap, the interpectoral fascia flap. We dissected the interpectoral fascia flap from 20 cadavers. In each of the 40 hemichests, the trunk of the thoracoacromial vessels was selectively injected with red polyurethane and the tissue containing the pectoral branches was separated from the overlying pectoralis major muscle and converted into an independent fascia flap. The maximum flap length was 13.5 cm and the maximum breadth was 10.3 cm. The length of the vascular pedicle before entering the flap was 3.9 cm ± 1.4 cm with a range of 1.5,6.8 cm. Concerning the arc of rotation, all 40 flaps reached the posterior axillary fold, and 29 flaps (73%) reached the mandibular border. This new fascia flap has applications as pedicled and as free flap. The pedicled flap is used in the neck region, in the axillary region and as gliding tissue between the nipple-areola complex and the pectoralis major muscle. The usage of the fascia flap as a free flap has similar characteristics as the other fascia flaps. Clin. Anat. 21:465,470, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||