PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the precision of ultrasound in identifying upper limb peripheral nerves by comparing ultrasonographic findings with direct human cadaveric dissection.
METHOD: Fourteen fresh-frozen upper limb specimens were examined in February 2023. Ultrasound assessments were performed by two experienced musculoskeletal radiologists using three linear probes (15 MHz, 24 MHz, and a 22 MHz hockey stick probe). Seven peripheral nerves were identified and marked using dye injections. Subsequent dissections were conducted under loupe magnification by hand surgeons.
RESULT: The recurrent motor branch of the median nerve exhibited the lowest discrepancy (mean 1.014 ± 1.459 mm) and the highest accuracy (64.29% of specimens). The greatest discrepancy was observed in the branch of the musculocutaneous nerve to the brachialis (mean 5.114 ± 3.758 mm). The interrater correlation coefficient (ICC) varied across nerve sites, ranging from - 6.298 to 0.795, with the highest ICC observed in the superficial branch of the ulnar nerve (0.795, 0.066).
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that ultrasound is a valid and effective tool for identifying peripheral nerve branches in the upper limb, particularly for superficial nerves. Improved accuracy in ultrasound-guided nerve identification may enhance surgical precision and reduce complications in nerve-related procedures.
METHODS: We examined 81 common treeshrews from 14 areas in nine states and the Federal Territory of Peninsular Malaysia for filarial parasites. Once any filariae that were found had been isolated, we examined their morphological characteristics and determined the partial sequences of their mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and 12S rRNA genes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region were then cloned into the pGEM-T vector, and the recombinant plasmids were used as templates for sequencing.
RESULTS: Malayfilaria sofiani Uni, Mat Udin & Takaoka, n. g., n. sp. is described based on the morphological characteristics of adults and microfilariae found in common treeshrews from Jeram Pasu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The Kimura 2-parameter distance between the cox1 gene sequences of the new species and W. bancrofti was 11.8%. Based on the three gene sequences, the new species forms a monophyletic clade with W. bancrofti and Brugia spp. The adult parasites were found in tissues surrounding the lymph nodes of the neck of common treeshrews.
CONCLUSIONS: The newly described species appears most closely related to Wuchereria spp. and Brugia spp., but differs from these in several morphological characteristics. Molecular analyses based on the cox1 and 12S rRNA genes and the ITS1 region indicated that this species differs from both W. bancrofti and Brugia spp. at the genus level. We thus propose a new genus, Malayfilaria, along with the new species M. sofiani.