Muscle cells could serve as antigen‐presenting cells, and participate in the activation of immune response. Immunological characteristics of muscle cells, and their capacities to equip themselves with immunorelevant molecules, remain to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the immunological properties of myoblasts and differentiated myotubes in vitro and in vivo, under the IFN‐γ induced inflammatory condition. We found that the fused C₂C₁₂ myotubes are more sensitive to inflammatory stimulation, and significantly upregulated the expression levels of MHC‐I/II and TLR3/7 molecules, than that of proliferated myoblasts. As well, some co‐stimulatory/‐inhibitory molecules, including CD40, CD86, ICAM‐I, ICOS‐L, and PD‐L1, were prominently upregulated in IFN‐γ induced myotubes. Notably, we detected the protein levels of ASC, NLRP3, and Caspase‐1 increased in stimulated myotubes, and IL‐1β in cell culture supernatant, implying the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in IFN‐γ treated myotubes. The pro‐inflammatory cytokines and chemokines mRNA levels in IFN‐γ induced C₂C₁₂ myotubes and myoblasts, involving IL‐1, IL‐6, and MCP‐1, increased markedly. T cell activation test further verified IFN‐γ induced C₂C₁₂ myotubes prompt to the proliferation of the splenic CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. In Cardiotoxin‐damaged tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, some regenerated myofibers expressed both MHC class I and class II molecules under IFN‐γ enhanced inflammatory condition. Thus, our work demonstrates that muscle cells are active participants of local immune reactions. Anat Rec, 301:1551–1563, 2018.

Cranial sutures play critical roles in load distribution and neuroprotection, with their biomechanical performance intimately linked to morphological complexity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different morphologies of cranial sutures on their biomechanical behavior. Based on the different morphologies of the cranial sutures, six groups of finite element models (closed, straight, sine wave, tight sinusoidal wave, layered sinusoidal wave, and layered sinusoidal wave + sutural bone) of the bone–suture–bone composite structures that ranged from simple to complex were constructed. Each model was subjected to 50 kPa impact and 98 N bilateral tensile loads to evaluate von Mises stress and total deformation variations across all groups under combined loading conditions. Key findings reveal that morphological complexity directly governs stress dynamics and mechanical adaptation; layered sinusoidal configurations delayed peak stress by 19–36% and generated elevated von Mises stresses compared to closed sutures, with stress concentrations correlating with interfacial roughness. Under impact, sutures exhibited localized energy dissipation ( 0.05), underscoring their dual roles in localized energy absorption and global strain redistribution. Craniosacral therapy relevant forces produced sub-micron deformations far below pathological thresholds (≥1 mm), which implies the biomechanical safety of recommended therapeutic force. Staggered suture–bone in open sutures (31.93% closure rate) enhances shear resistance, whereas closed sutures prioritize rigidity. The findings provide mechanistic explanations for suture pathological vulnerability and clinical intervention limitations, offering a quantitative foundation for future research on cranial biomechanics and therapeutic innovation.

In the routine anatomic measurement study on Asian dry skulls, a skull of atlanto-occipital fusion with other multiple anatomic variations was observed. The entire right half of the atlas vertebra, including the anterior arch, anterior tubercle, posterior arch, and lateral masses, was fused entirely with the occipital bone, while the left fused partly. Besides the atlanto-occipital fusion, the target skull specimen also includes posterior arch defects of the atlas, metopic suture, wormian bones. So many anatomy variations rarely exist in one specimen. This paper aims to present detailed anatomic case reports and discuss related diseases in an anatomic and clinical study. In the routine anatomic measurement study on Asian dry skulls, a skull of atlanto-occipital fusion with other multiple anatomic variations was observed. The entire right half of the atlas vertebra, including the anterior arch, anterior tubercle, posterior arch, and lateral masses, was fused entirely with the occipital bone, while the left fused partly. Besides the atlanto-occipital fusion, the target skull specimen also includes posterior arch defects of the atlas, metopic suture, wormian bones. So many anatomy variations rarely exist in one specimen. This paper aims to present detailed anatomic case reports and discuss related diseases in an anatomic and clinical study.

Background: Cervical rotatory manipulation (CRM) is commonly used for neck-related symptoms and is often accompanied by a cracking sound. Whether a simulated cracking sound can reproduce the short-term subjective and neurophysiological responses to the complete CRM remains unclear. Objective: This study compared short-term subjective and electroencephalography (EEG) responses to CRM with those following sham manipulation with or without a simulated cracking sound. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial with three parallel groups and a single intervention session, 54 healthy volunteers were allocated to CRM, sham manipulation, or sham + simulated sound. Positive affect, negative affect, comfort, satisfaction, and eyes closed resting state EEG were assessed before and after the intervention. Prespecified EEG derived outcomes included frontal alpha power, frontal alpha/beta ratio, occipital individual alpha frequency, and alpha band frontoparietal and frontotemporal functional connectivity. Results: CRM produced greater improvements in positive affect, comfort, and satisfaction than sham manipulation or sham + simulated cracking sound, whereas no clear difference among groups was observed for negative affect. Differences among groups were also observed in frontal alpha/beta ratio and alpha band frontoparietal and frontotemporal functional connectivity. Sham + simulated sound did not reproduce the overall pattern of subjective and EEG responses observed after CRM. Conclusions: CRM produced greater improvements over the short-term in positive affect, comfort, and satisfaction and was accompanied by differences in selected resting state EEG outcomes compared with sham manipulation with or without simulated cracking sound. Adding simulated cracking sound to sham manipulation did not reproduce this pattern. Because CRM differed from the control conditions in several procedural components, the specific component or combination of components responsible for these differences could not be determined. Trial registration: The trial was registered with the International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry (URL: https://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn ; ITMCTR2025001112).