OBJECTIVE To analyze the variations in the angle basal sphenoid skulls of adult humans and their relationship to sex, age, ethnicity and cranial index. METHODS The angles were measured in 160 skulls belonging to the Museum of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo Department of Morphology. We use two flexible rules and a goniometer, having as reference points for the first rule the posterior e...

In order to evaluate the influence of masticatory movement on cranial bone mineral density (BMD) and osteocyte and osteoblast micromorphology, we conducted a study in rats fed with solid feed (n=10) and powdered feed (n=10). Cranial BMD was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Osteocyte morphology was evaluated by light microscopy. In addition, some of the tissue was treated with EDTA-K...

Craniosynostosis is a significant disorder affecting 1 in 2500 live births worldwide. Although a large body of work has focused on dural regulation and the contributions of molecular mediators such as fibroblast growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein, and transforming growth factor β, minimal attention has been directed toward osteoclast function in cranial suture biology. Receptor activator...

Direct development is a common reproductive mode in living amphibians characterized by absence of the free-living, aquatic larval stage. In Eleutherodactylus, a species-rich genus of New World frogs, evolution of direct development from the ancestral biphasic ontogeny is correlated with a comprehensive modification in embryonic cranial patterning, including the loss of many larval-specific comp...

Introduction: The vertical and sagital position of the maxilla and mandible is influenced by the size and the angulation of the cranial base. Sellae turcica is part of the cranial base. It is located in the middle cranial fossa. Thus, the growth and the development of this bony structure are influenced by neural and general skeletal pattern as well. Cephalometric analysis is an important part o...

The pterion is one of the most interesting bone meeting points in craniofacial osteology and its complex morphology derives from the fact that is the contact point of the facial skeletal elements, skull base and calvarium. Knowledge of its peculiar morphology is mandatory for the pterional approach used in microsurgery and surgery. The Authors studied 506 adult, human skulls where the pterion w...

A bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) demonstrating moderate valvular stenosis and mild insufficiency was identified in an asymptomatic 1-year-old male cryptorchid English bulldog by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. The BAV was most consistent with type 3 morphology, based upon human classification. Pulmonary valve dysplasia with mild pulmonary stenosis and a suspected persistent lef...

Cetotheriidae are an iconic, nearly extinct family of baleen whales (Mysticeti) with a highly distinct cranial morphology. Their origins remain a mystery, with even the most archaic species showing a variety of characteristic features. Here, we describe a new species of archaic cetotheriid, Tiucetus rosae, from the Miocene of Peru. The new material represents the first mysticete from the poorly...

Pollinator and flower morphology are important factors in structuring the plant-pollinator relationship. A pollinator’s morphology may influence aspects of its diet. Flower-visiting bats are important pollinators but very little is known about what influences their interactions with food plants. I examined the role of morphology in the partitioning of food resources for five species of flower-v...

–The Late Triassic (Norian) phytosaurs Nicrosaurus kapffi and Mystriosuchus planirostris appear at about the same time in central Europe. Both have very distinctive snout shapes and are thought to occupy different ecological niches. The depositional environment and post-cranial morphology suggest a secondarily terrestrial lifestyle for Nicrosaurus. Some phytosaurs might have exploited coastal h...