The architecture of the connective tissue, including structures such as fasciae, sheaths, and membranes, is more important for understanding functional meaning than is more traditional anatomy, whose anatomical dissection method neglects and denies the continuity of the connective tissue as integrating matrix of the body. The connective tissue anatomy and architecture exhibits two functional te...

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare inflammatory multiorgan disorder affecting cartilaginous structures and other connective tissues. Serious cardiovascular complications have been reported in patients with RP, the most frequent being aortic or mitral regurgitation and aortic aneurysms. Aortitis is a very rare complication. An unusual case of active aortitis in a patient with RP, despite in...

Type A aortic dissection in pregnancy is a rare, life-threatening condition with a higher incidence in patients with connective tissue diseases. Mortality is high, reflecting the challenges of protecting both maternal and fetal well-being. We discuss two pregnancies complicated by aortic dissection, including one twin pregnancy, and describe the successful aortic repair immediately following Ca...

Skeletal muscles belong to the musculoskeletal system, which is composed of bone, tendon, ligament and irregular connective tissue, and closely associated with motor nerves and blood vessels. The intrinsic molecular signals regulating myogenesis have been extensively investigated. However, muscle development, homeostasis and regeneration require interactions with surrounding tissues and the cel...

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a disorder of connective tissue, existing in a severe form (congenita) and a milder form (tarda) both being inherited as an autosomal dominant (McKusick, 1966). Recently Aeschlimann, Grunt, and Crigler (1966) and Bilginturan and Ozsoylu (1966) reported three infants with osteogenesis imperfecta congenita who improved, as regards survival and frequency of spontaneous f...

This paper identifies features that occur frequently in coherence relations labelled CHOSEN ALTERNATIVE. This achieves two goals: (1) to identify evidence for an argument being considered an alternative excluded from further consideration, and (2) to contribute to the automatic identification of coherence relations and their arguments. It is shown that the simplest of these features occur signi...

Within the last decade silicon has been recognized as participating in the normal metabolism of higher animals and as being an essential trace element. Silicon is found to perform an important role in connective tissue, especially in bone and cartilage. Bone and cartilage abnormalities are associated with a reduction in matrix components, resulting in the establishment of a requirement for sili...

Using indirect immunofluorescence we have localized an endogenous beta-galactoside-specific lectin in resin-embedded rabbit tissue sections. The pattern of lectin distribution correlates well with biochemical estimations of lectin levels, being abundant in intestine, lung and heart tissue and relatively less abundant in skeletal muscle, liver and kidney. In all tissues lectin is found in connec...