Folia Morphologica 2010, tom 69, nr 4

Wisdom teeth are third molars that develop in the majority of adults and generally erupt betweenthe ages of 18 and 24 years, although there is wide variation in the age of eruption. In some people theteeth become partially or completely impacted below the gum line because of lack of space, obstruction,or abnormal position. Impacted wisdom teeth may be diagnosed because of pain and swelling orincidentally by routine dental radiography [3]...

The anomalies of branches arising from the aortic arch are due to variations in the extent of thefusion process and absorption of some of the aortic arches into the aortic sac. Increases and decreasesin the number of the branches arising from the arch depend on such processes. The great arteries of thethoracic region are well known for their variations, the aortic arch being one of them...

Regions of the aorta, namely: ascending, arch, descending thoracic, and abdominal, vary in theirstructure [1, 22] and susceptibility to disease. For instance, atherosclerosis and related aneurysms occurmore commonly in the abdominal than in the thoracic aorta [13], while dissecting aneurysms andpenetrating atherosclerotic ulcers seem to be more common in descending thoracic than in abdominalaorta...

The greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus, Temmincks) is a prolific, herbivorous wild rodent ofthe order hystricomorpha, which is vigorously hunted and exploited in most areas, particularly in WestAfrica south of Sahara [4, 6]. It is currently undergoing domestication and captive rearing in this region,and a recent trend in its farming is towards increased stock levels and intensification of production practices...

The suprascapular notch (SSN) is bridged by the superior transverse scapular ligament (STSL), which is sometimesossified and the foramen and, thus completed, transmits the suprascapular nerve (SN) to the supraspinatusfossa [15]. Accordingly, this notch is an important landmark of the SN during arthroscopic shoulder operations...

Anterior single rod instrumentation has been broadly used for the treatment of unstable fracturesof the spinal column and idiopathic scoliosis, and it has a better effect of relieving compression of thespinal cord and spinal nerves, correcting hypokyphosis and preventing vertebral body fusion than thetraditional posterior instrumentation for fixation...

Proper blood supply is necessary for the normal function of every organ. In the case of the testes,which are relatively sensitive to the influence of external factors, even transient, minor episodes of ischaemiacould lead to functional disturbances of the gonad, resulting in long-term, difficult-to-predict disturbances...

The pancreas is an important alveolar gland with endo- and exocrine functions. It consists of fourparts: the head, neck, body, and tail of the pancreas [5]. Embryologically, the pancreas develops from twoseparate buds: the dorsal and ventral buds. The dorsal and ventral buds fuse in the seventh week ofgestation...

The African giant rat (Cricetomys ganbianus, Waterhouse) (AGR) is a representative of the Muridaefamily [11], which constitutes a group of the Rodentia order of mammals. The AGR is also knownas the Giambian rat, fancy rat, or comic rat. They are found in Central and West African countries, including Nigeria [1, 6]. The biggest economic impactof the AGR is that they are a good source of meat...

Ovarian cancer, being the sixth most frequently occurring cancer in the world, takes the second place(after cervical cancer) with respect to the occurrence of reproductive organ cancers, and is the fifth mostcommon cause of death due to cancer in women. Annually over 3000 new cases are noted in Poland(reports based on data from the National Cancer Registry, Poland)...