Background: The objective of the study is to evaluate the popliteal artery topography and the origin variability of its branches in human foetuses at the gestational age of from 4 to 9 months. The basis for the analysis are direct observations of classic anatomic dissections of the popliteal fossa. Possible dimorphic and bilateral differences, as well as the gestational age variability at the foetal period, were considered. A typology of popliteal artery branches will be made on the basis of the studies. Material and methods: The research material of this study comprises 231 foetuses (including 116 males and 115 females). The foetuses were divided into five 28-day age classes. The vessels of the lower extremity were injected with LBSK 5545 latex through the femoral artery. The bilateral dissection of the popliteal artery along with its branches was performed. No visible malformations were found in the research material, and the foetuses came from spontaneous abortions and premature births. Results and Conclusions: 10% of the cases featured the variations of popliteal artery terminal branches. Three most commonly seen variations are the trifurcation, anterior tibial-peroneal trunk, and high terminal division of the popliteal artery. The most common course of the superior muscular branches is that there are two large branches which are distributed from the popliteal artery at the height of the knee joint cavity and they do not distribute cutaneous branches. Sural branches are also present as two large vessels without cutaneous branches. The genicular anastomosis branches that run on their own are a typical topographic system of these branches. Background: The objective of the study is to evaluate the popliteal artery topography and the origin variability of its branches in human foetuses at the gestational age of from 4 to 9 months. The basis for the analysis are direct observations of classic anatomic dissections of the popliteal fossa. Possible dimorphic and bilateral differences, as well as the gestational age variability at the foetal period, were considered. A typology of popliteal artery branches will be made on the basis of the studies. Material and methods: The research material of this study comprises 231 foetuses (including 116 males and 115 females). The foetuses were divided into five 28-day age classes. The vessels of the lower extremity were injected with LBSK 5545 latex through the femoral artery. The bilateral dissection of the popliteal artery along with its branches was performed. No visible malformations were found in the research material, and the foetuses came from spontaneous abortions and premature births. Results and Conclusions: 10% of the cases featured the variations of popliteal artery terminal branches. Three most commonly seen variations are the trifurcation, anterior tibial-peroneal trunk, and high terminal division of the popliteal artery. The most common course of the superior muscular branches is that there are two large branches which are distributed from the popliteal artery at the height of the knee joint cavity and they do not distribute cutaneous branches. Sural branches are also present as two large vessels without cutaneous branches. The genicular anastomosis branches that run on their own are a typical topographic system of these branches.

Background: Bruxism is defined as repetitive activity of the masticatory muscles characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or stiffening or protrusion of the mandible, referred to as sleep bruxism or awake bruxism. It is believed that in generally healthy individuals, bruxism should not be considered a disorder, but rather a behavior that may be a risk factor (and/or protective factor) for certain clinical consequences. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence and strength of the correlation between bruxism and sleep disorders (parasomnias and insomnia), as well as to evaluate the correlation between bruxism and the nature of dreams. Methods: The study involved 276 people aged 18–55. The research was conducted using an online survey in the period from January to March 2022. The author’s own questionnaire was composed of five segments of test questions (basic questions, bruxism severity test, Athens Insomnia Scale, parasomnia test, sleep evaluation test). The respondents were divided into groups based on the severity of bruxism, insomnia, parasomnias and the occurrence of dreams related to the oral cavity and teeth. Statistical analysis included Spearman’s correlation coefficients, chi-square test, Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA, and Mann–Whitney U test. Results: The analysis revealed a significant correlation between the severity of bruxism and insomnia symptoms. Participants with moderate and severe bruxism reported insomnia more frequently and with greater intensity. Similar correlations were observed with parasomnias and the frequency of dreams concerning the oral cavity and teeth. The strongest association with bruxism was found for physical dreams. Moreover, correlations were also noted between insomnia and parasomnias. Conclusions: These findings suggest that individuals experiencing bruxism, particularly sleep bruxism, may be more vulnerable to other sleep disturbances. Addressing one of these conditions could potentially have a beneficial impact on the others.

This study evaluates the differences in the dimension, symmetry, and anatomical characteristic of the tubero–palato–pterygoid region in adults using 3D printed models. The objective of this study was also estimation of how many tubero–pterygoid implants can be placed safely with enough distance between threads of implants. The investigation draws on 57 models of upper jaws, including the adjacent pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone from randomly selected cases. The consecutive measurements (lateral, medial, rostral, caudal, area, line-1 longitudinal, and line-2 transverse) on both sides of the body—right (R) and left (L)—were used for the purpose of this study. Among the group of 57 cases were 30 females (F) and 27 males (M). A strong correlation was identified between lateral and line-1 longitudinal across the sample group of both male and female cases (p ≤ 0.05; r ≥ 0.9). Moreover, a strong correlation was noted between medial and line-1 longitudinal in the whole group of cases and in the male group (p ≤ 0.05; r ≥ 0.9). Lateral and line-1 longitudinal demonstrated a weak positive relationship with the age of the female cases (p ≤ 0.05; 0.03 < r < 0.05). Medial and line-1 longitudinal showed a weak negative relationship with the age of the male cases (p ≤ 0.05; −0.05 < r < −0.03). The results of this study suggest that, in most cases, two such tubero–pterygoid implants may be placed, which is a good advantage for support of implant-based bridges.

This study aimed to evaluate and measure the occurrence of jaw and palate asymmetry based on 3D-printed stereolithographic models of edentulous elderly people. The analyses were performed on 3D models of the jaws, which were printed using the data (CT) obtained from the CBCT center. The control group consisted of 10 modern adult skulls (7 male and 3 female skulls) owned by the Department of Anthropology of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The small size of the studied groups did not allow for the performance of the analysis indicating the form of the observed morphological asymmetry—it was impossible to differentiate to indicate whether the examined features showed directional or fluctuating asymmetry. However, it was possible to determine the direction of the morphological asymmetry of the analyzed features. Both in the test group and the control group, it was a right-sided asymmetry. The analysis of the significance of differences in mean values of the asymmetry index showed that the intensity of asymmetry of the anterior part of the superior alveolar arch was significantly greater in the test group. The severity of the asymmetry of the lateral part of the alveolar arch in the tested groups did not differ significantly. The authors concluded that adequate maxillary height does not only influence proper dental prosthesis adhesion but also corresponds with a potential source for correct dental implant placement. We also concluded that the vertical height of the edentulous alveolar process of the mandible is important for adequate prosthesis fixing. In some cases, the bone atrophy and the bone itself are asymmetrical, so planning a prosthesis might be challenging. The adequate placement of implants should include the symmetry of jaw bones because of future masticatory force impact on the bone and the entire masticatory system, including the temporomandibular joint.

Libkovice is a village in the northwestern Czech Republic that was demolished at the end of the last century due to the expansion of a nearby mine. The former church cemetery has been a subject to bioarchaeological excavation and research, where some 850 burials from the 13th to the 19th Century have been discovered so far. With the application of stable isotope analysis, it has also been possible to uncover the dietary patterns of this exemplary rural Central European community, which was the aim of this study. The materials analysed here consist of samples from long bones of 56 burials and 18 animal bones discovered in Libkovice during the 2019/21 excavations. It has been employed stable carbon (δ13C) isotope analysis to determine the average contributions of foods derived from the C3 plants. Statistically significant differences were found between the analyzed fauna and human samples for nitrogen (F=47.4 p<0.05) and carbon (F=19.18 p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the analyzed animal and human samples between the specify centuries. When considering the ages of various human individuals, the results indicated statistically significant differences in nitrogen isotopes (F= 7.71 p<0.05) between children from the infants I group and older children together with adults from the Middle Ages, as well as between children from the infants I group and adults (F= 3.3, p<0.05) from the modern times. The proportion of food from C3 plants that made up the diets of the studied population was on average 89%, and the potential proportion of freshwater fish in the diet could be higher than 80%. The similarity between the chronologically diverse groups may indicate similar strategies for food acquisition. The results obtained for the population of Libkovice are very similar to the diets of the populations living in Central Europe broadly during the two periods.