The Journal of Plastination

The official publication of the International Society for Plastination

ISSN 2311 -7761

IN THIS ISSUE:

Report of the 18th International Conference on Plastination – P9

Abstracts from the Scientific Sessions of the 18th International Conference – P13

Minutes of the ISP Business Meeting – P38

Volume 28 (1);i December 2016

The Journal of Plastination Philip J. Adds ISSN 2311-7761 Editor-in-Chief The official publication of the International Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education Society for Plastination (Anatomy) St. George’s, University of London

London, UK

Editorial Board: Robert W. Henry Associate Editor Rafael Latorre Department of Comparative Medicine Murcia, Spain College of Veterinary Medicine Scott Lozanoff Knoxville, Tennessee, USA Honolulu, HI USA Selcuk Tunali Ameed Raoof. Assistant Editor Ann Arbor, MI USA Department of Anatomy Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Mircea-Constantin Sora Ankara, Turkey Vienna, Austria Executive Committee: Hong Jin Sui Rafael Latorre, President Dalian, China Dmitry Starchik, Vice-President Carlos Baptista Selcuk Tunali, Secretary Toledo, OH USA Carlos Baptista, Treasurer

Instructions for Authors

Manuscripts and figures intended for publication in The Journal of Plastination should be sent via e-mail attachment to: [email protected]. Manuscript preparation guidelines are on the last two pages of this issue.

On the Cover: Poster from the 18th International Conference on Plastination commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the International Society for Plastination; Roy Schneider, Medical Illustrator, University of Toledo.

i The Journal of Plastination 28(1):1 (2016)

Journal of Plastination Volume 28 (1); December 2016

Contents

Farewell Letter from the President, Carlos Baptista 2

Welcome Letter from the New President, Rafael Latorre 4

Letter from the Editor, Philip J. Adds 6

Report of the 18th International Conference on Plastination 9

Abstracts from the Scientific Sessions of the 18th International Conference on 13 Plastination

Minutes of the ISP Business Meeting 38

Instructions for Authors 42

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):2-3 (2016)

FAREWELL LETTER Dear Friends and Plastinators: FROM THE For the past eight years I have had the privilege and the honor to serve as PRESIDENT president of the International Society for Plastination. My journey and inspiration started in 2008 in Heidelberg when we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the creation of plastination. It was the 14th International Conference on Plastination. It was a memorable meeting. In 2016 we commemorated the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the International Society for Plastination. The society was created by Dr. Harmon Bickley with the intention to unite a selected group of individuals interested in something new called plastination.

Thirty years later we have a society that is fulfilling its promise and the dream of Harmon Bickley. Today our membership is comprised of individuals in all continents. The ISP biennial meetings have traveled from San Antonio, Texas, United States (1986) to Macon , Georgia, USA (1988), to Heidelberg, Germany, (1990), to Kingston, Canada (1992), to Graz, Austria (1994), to Brisbane, Australia

Carlos A. C. Baptista, MD, PhD (1996), to Quebec, Canada (1998), to St Etienne, France (2000), to San Juan, Porto Rico (2002), to Murcia, Spain (2004), to Vienna, Austria (2006), to Heidelberg/Guben, Germany (2008), to Hawaii, USA (2010), to Beijing/Dalian, China (2012), to St Petersburg, Russia (2014) and finally to Toledo, Ohio, USA (2016).

So where will we go from here? The future of the Society is in good hands with the new team under the leadership of Rafael Latorre and Dmitry Starchik, who are distinguished plastinators and have a passion for the continued growth of the Society. With the new board comprising individuals from many countries, the Society now is well represented with the true meaning of being international. I hope there will be more participation by members in the future so the health of the Society is guaranteed.

I am delighted that plastination is still flourishing all over the world. A recent example of this is Brazil where there has been an increased interest in plastination over the past few years thanks to the leadership of Athelson Bittencourt. The hosting of the 11th Interim Meeting in Brazil energized the interest for plastination in Latin America. My hope is that the hosting of the 12th Interim Meeting in Durban, South Africa, will ignite the same interest for plastination in Africa.

For this past eight years I was able to direct the Society with the help of many individuals. My special thanks goes to my dear friend, Bob Henry, who is the heart and soul of the ISP. Without his counseling and encouragement nothing could have been done. I am grateful for the continued support of those

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):3 (2016) individuals who served with me on the Executive Board: Rafael Latorre, Joshua Lopez, Ameed Raoof, Selcuk Tunali and Christoph von Horst. In addition, my special thanks to Constantin Sora, Kees de Jong, Athelson Bittencourt, Telma Masuko and many others for their support.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge Philip Adds for his dedication to make the Journal of Plastination an outstanding publication. It is not easy to be the editor of a journal. I encourage all of the membership to submit papers for publication if we want to continue to have a journal. Thank you, Phil, for your outstanding work.

Thank you to those individuals who attended the 18th International Conference in Toledo. Although it was an unexpectedly turbulent time for me personally, it was a pleasure for me to host this meeting at the University of Toledo. I owe a debt of gratitude to those individuals who put forth extra effort to assure the success of the meeting. My appreciation to the students Vipul Shukla, Akhil Gangisetty, Daniel Le, and Ali EL-Tatawy. My gratitude to my dear friend, Kathy McVicker, for her constant support and help with the Journal, meetings and with the affairs of the society.

Warmest Regards

Carlos A. C. Baptista President

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):4-5 (2016)

WELCOME LETTER Dear Friends and Plastinators, FROM THE On behalf of the International Society for Plastination (ISP) I would like to thank NEW PRESIDENT all of you who participated in the 18th International Conference on Plastination in Toledo, Ohio (June 27- July1, 2016). The organization, in charge of Dr. Baptista, was successful in spite of the short time available for re-arranging the Conference due to the special circumstances that determined a last-minute change in the hosting institution. Participation attracted 50 delegates from 17 different countries. The quality of the lectures and communications was excellent as can be verified in the abstracts contained in this issue of the Journal of Plastination. Special thanks to Ms. Kathy McVicker, Conference Coordinator, for her dedication to making everything in this meeting a big success.

In the General Meeting of the ISP held on June 30, 2016 the new Officers and Councilors of the International Society for Plastination for the years 2016-2018 were announced: President: Rafael Latorre, Vice-president: Dmitry Starchik, Secretary: Selcuk Tunali, Treasurer: Carlos Baptista, Councillors: Robert Henry, Rafael Latorre Athelson Bittencourt, Ming Zhang, Telma Masuko, and Nicolas Ottone. I would like to thank the great work made by the previous Officers and congratulate the new team.

It is a great challenge for me to be President of the ISP in this period. I am sure everything will be easy with the help of all ISP members, especially those mentioned above. I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Carlos Baptista on behalf of all members of the ISP. During the past eight years Carlos has done a great job in charge of the ISP, he has not only served as President but also has commissioned when necessary to push the Journal of Plastination forward, facilitating its publication and dissemination. Our Society is deeply grateful to Dr Baptista, so in the General Meeting, he was appointed as Honorary Member and for this he received a memorable gift with the following engraved inscription: "To Carlos Baptista, President and Distinguished Member of the International Society for Plastination, thanks for all your efforts during these years to keep our Society in the highest standard”.

Participants in the General Meeting of the ISP decided on Dalian, China, to host the 19th International Conference on Plastination to be held in 2018. My best congratulations to Prof Hong-Jin Sui. The other candidate, Durban, South Africa, was invited to host the 11th Interim Meeting of the ISP in 2017, and Dr. Onyemaechi Azu has already presented the official acceptance.

Also, I would like to welcome all new members of the ISP and to invite them as well as the rest of member to participate in the forthcoming different activities organized or hosted by the ISP.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):5 (2016)

Finally, I want to express my appreciation and gratitude to Philip Adds for the initial organization of this issue.

With the kindest regards from Murcia, Spain,

Rafael Latorre President

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):6-8 (2016)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Plastination or plastication – what’s in a name?

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names” (Confucius) Dear Colleagues,

I was marking a student’s essay recently in which she referred to “plasticated” specimens. This set me wondering about the word “plastination”, a word which we now take for granted, and which has entered the lexicography of many different languages. We also speak of “a plastinate” (noun), to mean a “plastinated (adjective)” specimen, as well as “to plastinate” (verb) meaning to carry out the process of “plastination” (noun). I have also heard the process referred to as “plasticizing”, which means something completely different.

Philip J. Adds, MSc, FIBMS A quick search of the standard dictionaries in our University library was notably unhelpful. The two-volume Shorter Oxford Dictionary (2002) listed the following, related words, but plastination was not mentioned:

plastic: (from the French plastique or Latin plasticus from the Greek plastikos, which derived from plastos/plassein – to mould, to form. Several different applications are listed including “characterised by moulding or shaping, flexible; made of or containing plastic; a large class of polymers that may be moulded, extruded or cast while still soft or liquid, then set usually by heating or cooling”.

plasticate: to change into a homogenous plastic (i.e. mouldable) mass; also to attack or destroy with plastic bombs or plastic explosive.

plasticize: to make plastic or mouldable by adding solvent; to treat or make with plastic.

plasticization: the process of making something more plastic or mouldable.

plastify: an alternative form of plasticize.

Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999) listed plasticize “to make or become flexible, e.g. by adding a plasticizer. Plasticizer (a word dating from as long ago as the 1920s) was defined as “an organic compound that is added to a rigid polymer in order to make it flexible”, but again made no mention of plastination.

Collins English Dictionary (2003) gave an intriguing alternative definition of plasticity: “(in pictorial art) the quality of depicting space and form so that they appear three- dimensional”, adding another layer of meaning to the term “plastination”. The word plastometer was also listed: an instrument for measuring plasticity. The word “plastic” is aptly defined – it is capable of taking on many different forms!

The image below is taken from Google Books, and shows the rise in appearances of the word “plastination/Plastination” in print from 1975-2008 (unfortunately more recent

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):7 (2016) data are not available), showing a steep rise in usage post-2000, so it is not surprising to find the word in more common usage on line.

Figure 1: Ngram viewer showing occurrences of the word “plastination” in print (Google Books)

Webster’s on-line dictionary defines plastination as “a technique for the preservation of biological tissue that involves replacing water and fat in tissue with a polymer (as silicone or polyester) to produce a dry durable specimen for anatomical study”, and gives some limited information on its etymology: “International Scientific Vocabulary plastic + -ination (as in calcination), with the first known use given as 1981 (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Gunther von Hagens first developed the process in 1977: “That was on January 10, 1977, the day that I decided to make Plastination the focus of my life” (www.bodyworlds.com), and appears to have used the term “plastination” in a description of the process in English and German, (with a French abstract), in the German journal, Der Präparator (von Hagens, 1979). However, the first widely- distributed appearance of the word in an English publication would appear to have been in “An improved method for the preservation of teaching specimens” by Bickley, von Hagens and Townsend, that appeared in December 1981. “Plastination” is defined in the abstract thus: “impregnation of biological materials with curable polymers” – an unimprovably concise and clear description (Bickley et al., 1981).

The complete Oxford English Dictionary (OED), of course, lists plastination and defines it, somewhat loosely, as “An embalming and preserving technique for animal and human tissue in which body fluids and fat are replaced with synthetic materials such as silicone resins or epoxy or polyester polymers” (www.oed.com). The OED dates the word to 1981, and says of its etymology “formed within English, by derivation” from plasti (in plastic) with ation (suffix) “with an epenthetic n”. The OED quotes from a letter by Gunther in their archive, written in 2005, in which he states “I invented the word in 1980 in a pub in Vienna…”

The rest, as they say, is history: plastination has become an enduring and world-wide phenomenon. If you need evidence, look no further than this issue of the Journal, which

The Journal of Plastination 27(1):8 (2016)

contains abstracts and a report from the 18th Biennial International Conference of Plastination, which attracted delegates from 17 different countries – testament indeed to the lasting and widespread interest in plastination around the world.

Phil Adds Editor-in-Chief

References

Bickley HC, von Hagens G, Townsend FM. 1981: An improved method for the preservation of teaching specimens. Arch Pathol Lab Med 105:674-6766

BodyWorlds, http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/plastination/idea_plastination.html (accessed 6/10/2016)

Confucius, https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Confucius (accessed 4/10/2106)

Google Books, https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=plastination&case_insensitive=on&ye ar_start=1975&year_end=2010&corpus=15&smoothing=5&share=&direct_url=t4%3B% 2Cplastination%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bplastination%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BPlastination %3B%2Cc0 (accessed 4/10/2016)

OED online, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/261811?redirectedFrom=plastination#eid (accessed 12/10/2016

Von Hagens G. 1979: Emulsifying resins for Plastination. Plastination mit emulgierden Kunststoffen. [in English and German with French abstract]. Der Präparator 25: 43-50

Webster-Merriam on-line Dictionary http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/plastination (accessed 5/10/2106)

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):9-12 (2016)

The 18th International Conference on Plastination Toledo, Ohio - USA June 27-July 1, 2016

By Kathy McVicker

The 18th International Conference on Plastination was held on the Health Science Campus of the University of Toledo, in Toledo, Ohio. The Conference was originally scheduled to take place in Colombia, but due to unforeseen circumstances the venue was changed and coincided with the 5th Plastination Workshop in Toledo, Ohio.

More than 50 delegates from 17 different countries participated in the Conference, submitting 28 abstracts for both platform and poster presentations. Daily schedules were arranged with plenary sessions (Fig. 1) in the morning followed by workshop/laboratory sessions (Fig 2-7) in the afternoon. Posters were available for viewing before and after the lunch breaks. The Conference provided a wonderful opportunity for participants to exchange ideas about plastination, and also learn the technique by hands-on practice in the workshop from expert scientists from all over the world.

Attendees were able to tour the Interactive Museum of Anatomy and Pathology (Fig. 8), where over one hundred plastinated specimens are displayed along with touch pads which provide additional information about each specimen. A tour of the New Morphological Sciences Laboratory and Simulation Center (Fig. 9) in the Center for Creative Education was also provided. In the Simulation Center participants were able to see how the University of Toledo is training healthcare professionals using simulation models, simulated clinical settings, and 3D Virtual Immersive Environments.

The Conference organizers offered a full social program, beginning with a Welcome Reception (Fig. 10) which was held in the Faculty Club in The Radisson Hotel on the campus of the University. Two additional evening receptions were the highlights of the social program for the week: a strolling dinner and music at the Toledo Museum of Art (Fig. 11-13) and a farewell dinner held at the Toledo Botanical Gardens (Fig. 14- 16). The reception at the Museum was held in The Cloister, a medieval stone courtyard surrounded by colonnades. Guests were able to browse the exhibits in the Museum on their own or take a docent tour of select exhibits. The evening at the Botanical Gardens began with a tour of a lithophane museum, followed by a casual buffet dinner and self-guided walking tour of the gardens. Conference attendees were also provided with opportunities to visit The Toledo Zoo, attend a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game or tour the Henry Ford Museum in nearby Detroit, Michigan.

The Business Meeting of the International Society for Plastination was held on Thursday, June 30th (Minutes of the meeting are available on page 38). During this meeting, a “Distinguished Member Award” was presented to Carlos Baptista for outstanding service and dedication during his eight-year tenure as President of the Society.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):10 (2016)

Figure 1. Plenary Sessions were held in lecture Figure 2. Carlos Baptista demonstrated using molecular rooms each morning. sieves in recycling acetone

Figure 3. Rafael Latorre provided a presentation Figure 4. Rafael Latorre checks specimens along with hands on teaching in the plastination lab. curing under ultraviolet lights.

Figure 5. A flat chamber assembly is demonstrated Figure 6. Left to right: Carla Rodgers, Leah Leighton and by Robert Henry. Namrata Singh with finished specimens

Figure 7. Borges Brum Gonzalo examines a specimen with Figure 8. Athelson Bittencourt (left) and Dmitry Starchik Rafael Latorre. visit the Interactive Museum of Anatomy and Pathology.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):11 (2016)

Figure 9. Participants tour the tour New Morphological Figure 10. The Welcome Reception was held in The Faculty Sciences Laboratory & Simulation Center Club at the Radisson Hotel.

Figure 11. Carlos Baptista greets guests in the lobby of the Figure 12. Participants enjoyed gathering in the Cloister at Toledo Museum of Art. the Toledo Museum of Art.

Figure 13. Left to right: Jamille Chamon, Anna Paula Figure 14. Participants enjoyed a tour of the Lithophane Bittencourt, and Telma Masuko in the Cloister at the Toledo Museum at the Toledo Botanical Gardens. Museum of Art.

Figure 15. An informal farewell dinner was held Figure 16. The Courtyard garden was just steps away from at the Toledo Botanical Gardens. the Farewell Dinner

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):12 (2016)

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):13-37 (2016)

Abstracts from The 18th International Conference on Plastination Toledo, Ohio USA - June 27-July 1, 2016

1. Up-scaling the repertoire of anatomical teaching and learning materials at the University of KwaZulu Natal: the making of molds of bones

Mathura G, Azu OO

Discipline of Clinical Anatomy, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Introduction: While it is becoming increasingly difficult to demonstrate intricate anatomical structures using wet mounted specimens coupled with shrinking cadaveric material numbers, use of casts and moulds comes in handy to increase the repertoire of instructional anatomical materials in medical schools.

Objectives: To produce adequate and accurate moulds of osteological anatomical specimens using real bones for teaching and learning in the Medical School.

Materials and Methods: Selected osteology samples, devoid of defects, were prepared by maceration and defatting. We have evolved an eight-step process that eventually results in the final mould (made from real osteological source- cadaver).

Results: By filling anatomical spaces with extraneous material that reproduces a three-dimensional replica of the space, we have produced (at very low cost) various collections of moulds of bones of the upper limb with clear labelling and accuracy. These represent the real anatomical details for the bone demonstrated. These have been greatly resourced by the students in the department and continue to be requested by other academic faculties within the South African region.

Conclusions: Making moulds of bones has proved invaluable teaching and research in anatomy especially in the period of cadaveric shortage.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):14 (2016)

2. Morphological relationship between the superficial cortical and deep gray matter structures in adult human brains: a cadaveric study

Haghegh EY, Naidu ECS, Azu OO

Discipline of Clinical Anatomy, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences. Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Introduction: While various neurodegenerative diseases affect the cortical mass and mass of deep grey matter differently, finding an optimal and accurate method for measuring thickness and surface area of the cerebral cortex remains a challenging problem due to the highly convoluted surface of the cortex. We therefore investigated the superficial and deep gray matter thickness and surface area in a sample of cadaveric specimens at the Discipline of Clinical Anatomy, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, and University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to provide some clue as to possible variations in these parameters.

Materials and Methods: With ethical approval, 60 brain samples were uniformly sectioned at 5mm thickness. Eight slices containing the deep nuclei were taken from each brain and stained by Mulligan’s technique. Thickness was measured at selected angles 0º, 45º, 90º, 135º and 180º for both right and left cerebral hemispheres. The cortical thickness and surface area of selected slices for both the superficial cortex and the corresponding deep nuclei were measured.

Results: Mulligan’s stain produced good gray mater differentiation and clear images that enabled manual delineation of structures. There was rightward asymmetry of cortical thickness of the selected slices at the suggested angles which corresponded to structurally and functionally important brain regions. There was a positive correlation between the mean surface area of superficial cortex and deep nuclei across the regions of interest (ROI).

Conclusion: Baseline data from 55 brain samples provided a range of means and 95% confidence intervals for the three parameters of cortical thickness, cortical surface area and surface area of deep nuclei to be made for a reference table comprising eight coronal slices taken at five angles. This allows an objective assessment of thinning of the cortex or loss of deep gray matter to be made from measurements of the same parameters for the equivalent slices from a post- mortem brain slice or an appropriate radiographic image.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):15 (2016)

3. Evaluation of combined plastination and diafanization (clearing) techniques to produce high quality specimens

Barros HP1, De Paula RC2, De Godoy JRP3, De Souza Rodrigues CF4

1University Tiradentes, Brazil / State University of Alagoas Health Sciences, Brazil

2Federal Fluminense University, Brazil

3University of Brasilia, Brazil

4Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil / State University of Alagoas Health Sciences, Brazil

Introduction: Diafanization (clearing) is a technique that when applied to organic tissues allows for 3D visualization of the internal structures through transparency or translucency of the tissues. Along with the use of specific pigments, the technique is very useful for the study of delicate skeletons, as it keeps all its components in their original positions, facilitating anatomical study. The aim of this study was to combine the diafanization technique with plastination using polyester resin made in Brazil.

Materials and Methods: An ornamental fish after euthanasia was gutted and had the eyeballs removed. It was fixed in 10% formaldehyde, dehydrated in acetone series until no further change in concentration. It was then diaphanized (cleared) with potassium hydroxide (KOH) 2% to a complete transparency. The specimen was then stained with Alizarin red. After staining, the fish was placed in a demountable glass chamber, and immersed in polyester (AvipolTM) + Catalyst + deaerate. A glass desiccator was used as a vacuum chamber. Vacuum was applied for impregnation and embedding. After the curing process was completed the specimen was removed from the mold and its surface was polished.

Results and Conclusion: The crystal polyester (AvipolTM) proved to be a satisfactory resin. The diafanization (clearing) technique did not interfere with the plastination process. This method is one more tool available for teaching, research and museum display.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):16 (2016)

4. Team based learning: a model for teaching gross anatomy

Bennett-Clarke C

Emeritus Professor, Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, The University of Toledo

Introduction: Team-based learning (TBL) can be defined as an instructional strategy that is considered active learning. This type of instruction has been proven to enhance long-term knowledge, retention and quality of student learning in many different types of courses.

Materials and Methods: At the start of the TBL instructional unit, students are given readings and other assignments that contain information on the concepts and ideas that must be understood to be able to solve the problem(s) outlined for the unit. Students complete the assignments and come to the “recitation” class period prepared to take a “test” on the assigned materials. Each unit of TBL instruction provides the foundation for individual and team accountability which include: (1) assigned readings/assignments/ laboratories, (2) individual quizzes, (3) team assignments, (4) instructor feedback and (5) a group problem solving exercise where students can apply the concepts they have learned to selective clinical scenario. Three years ago the anatomy faculty modified the lower limb unit of the medical gross anatomy course to reflect a team based learning approach. Over this time we have made minor changes to the format primarily based on student feedback.

Results and Conclusion: The results of our student survey indicate that most medical students enjoy this unit and feel that TBL is an effective means for learning the salient anatomical concepts for the lower limb. Student performance on this unit is consistently higher than it was when the lower limb information was taught in a traditional manner.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):17 (2016)

5. Kidney impregnation using silicone Polisil P10

Monteiro YF1, Juvenato LS1, Baptista CAC3, Bittencourt APSV2, Bittencourt AS1

1Department of Morphology and 2Department of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil

3University of Toledo, Toledo Ohio, USA

Introduction: Plastination requires many chemicals, which can be purchased from specialized companies. In Brazil, polymers for plastination must be imported, which makes the plastination very expensive. The aim of this study was to test the silicone P10 of Polisil Inc., distributed in Brazil. The silicone P10 of Polisil Inc. has a viscosity of 1250 mPas, as an alternative to Biodur silicone S10 which the viscosity of 500 mPas. The silicone was tested in both cold and room temperature plastination.

Materials and Methods: Eight bovine kidneys used for the experiment were donated by Mafrical slaughterhouse. The kidneys were fixed in 10% formalin, and divided in two groups: 4 kidneys were plastinated at room temperature (RT) and 4 at cold temperature (CT). Each group was divided into 2 subgroups with 2 kidneys each. Each two kidneys were impregnated as follows: S10 (control) RT-S10, CT-S10 and P10, RT-P10 and CT-P10. Kidneys were dehydrated in acetone at room temperature (RT group) (25 to 30˚C) and at -25˚C, (CT group). Kidneys were impregnated at room temperature (RT-P10 and RT-S10 subgroups) and at -18˚ C (CT-P10 and CT-S10 subgroups) respectively. Kidneys of RT-P10 and RT-S10 subgroups were cured with their respective catalysts, DBTL (Polisil) and S3 (Biodur), while those of the cold subgroup (CT-P10 and CT-S10), were cured with their respective cross-linkers, that is, TES (Polisil) and S6 (Biodur).

Results: Plastination of the kidneys was successful in all subgroups. The average shrinkage before and after impregnation was: RT-P10 55%, RT-S10 32%, CT-P10 and CT-S10 40%.

Conclusion: P10 Polisil silicone, despite the higher viscosity of 2.5x, produced higher shrinkage at room temperature when compared to Biodur S10. Cold temperature impregnation produced a similar shrinkage rate when compared with Biodur S10.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):18 (2016)

6. Set up of a plastination laboratory at the faculty of veterinary science at the University of Buenos Aires

Borges Brum G1, Vidal Figueredo R1, Ottone NE2,3, Blanco CJ1

1Laboratory of Plastination, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2Laboratory of Plastination and Anatomical Techniques, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

3Doctoral Program in Morphological Sciences, Medicine School, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

Introduction: Plastination is a current conservation method with most advantages in terms of duration and storage. This technique was developed by Dr Gunther von Hagens in 1977 and since then many researchers have implemented the technique. The aim of this paper is to report on the setting up of a Plastination Laboratory at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Buenos Aires.

Materials and Methods: For the development of the plastination technique, we used Biodur equipment: vacuum chamber (for small and medium size corpses), Biodur S-10, catalyst Biodur S-3, hardener Biodur S-6, local resins, acetone, ultraviolet light, curing chamber, and a vacuum pump. The technique was applied in animal corpses. The plastination technique at room temperature developed in this work corresponds to the method previously described for silicone, and the plastination technique was also developed at room temperature with resins (P-40, E-12).

Results: We achieved the implementation of a Laboratory of Plastination and Anatomical Techniques, in the facilities of the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, at the University of Buenos Aires, with the necessary equipment for the development of the following techniques for plastination at room temperature: S-10, P-40, and E-12. Plastinated specimens are presented.

Conclusion: From the plastination laboratory we will seek to achieve preparations of high quality, durability and free from toxicity caused by the formaldehyde, essential pillars in the development of our laboratory. We will offer undergraduate students, professionals at the graduate level, and the community in general, specimens that will be a source of learning and knowledge in anatomy and morphological sciences.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):19 (2016)

7. Room-temperature plastination with Brazilian silicone: Polisil® silicones Poliplast 40

Godoy JRP1, Sousa HA1, Pádua AC2, Carvalho P2, Cerqueira GS3, Barros HP4, De Paula RC5

1Morphology Area, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Brazil

2Faculty of Medicine, FACIPLAC, Brasília, Brazil

3Department of Medicine UFPI, Parnaiba, Brazil

4Tiradentes University, Maceió, Brazil

5Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Introduction: Plastination is a technique used to preserve bodies or body parts that consist of replacing the tissue fluid and fat by a curable polymer such as silicone, polyester or epoxy. The object of this study is to present the results of a Brazilian silicone, POLISIL® Poliplast 40, used in plastination.

Materials and Methods: The POLISIL® Silicones products are: Poliplast 40 and Poliplast 20 (polymer silicone); DBTL (catalyst and chain-extender, premix) and TES (cross-linker). Polisil 40 is mixed with TES at 93:7 to prepare the reaction- mixture and stirred thoroughly. A child hand previous fixed in formalin 10% was used. The specimen was dissected to expose the anatomical structures of interest, washed in running water for 48 hours and subjected to dehydration and degreasing process by soaking in acetone in different grades, until the acetone purity reading reached 99%. After this step, acetone was drained and the specimen was immediately immersed in the polymer in order not to dry the surface. The vacuum chamber was closed and the specimen allowed to equilibrate in the polymer-mix overnight. The next morning the vacuum pump was turned on and the pressure was decreased to 230 mm/Hg when rapid bubbles formed. These bubbles were controlled for 12 days and the pressure was decreased to maintain the bubbles until they ceased (4 mm/Hg). Curing occurred in 10 days. The specimen was brought to atmospheric pressure and allowed to drain. Then it was placed on absorbent towel and the excess polymer-mix on the surface was wiped off. This step lasted for 4 days. On the 5th day DBTL was applied to the surface of the specimen, which was then wrapped in plastic film. For the next 5 days the cure rate was checked and more DBTL applied. The specimen was ready to use after these steps.

Results: The Poliplast 40 impregnated and cured specimen is dry, odourless, durable, maintains good flexibility and preserves the anatomical structures.

Conclusion: The room-temperature plastination technique produces real specimens with reliable structures, and not models. These specimens promote excellence in anatomical teaching practices.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):20 (2016)

8. Plastination history

Henry RW

College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, College of Veterinary Medicine,

Harrogate, TN, USA

Plastination birthed 1975 - Dr Gunther von Hagens

First publication: 1978, “Impregnation of large specimens with polymers”, in Verhabdlungen der Anatomischen Gessellschaft, 1978.

Plastination brought to USA, 1979 by Dr Harmon Bickley and first plastination lab established.

First plastination meeting, 1982, San Antonio, Texas “The First International Conference on Plastination”.

2nd International Conference on plastination: April, 1984, San Antonio, Texas.

3rd International Conference on Plastination: April 21-25, 1986, San Antonio, Texas. International Society for Plastination (ISP) founded. Harmon Bickley - First Journal Editor.

January 1987, 60 members: five are still active: Carlos Baptista, AW Budenz, Gunther von Hagens, Steve Holladay, Bob Henry.

First Volume, Journal of the International Society for Plastination, January, 1987.

4th International Conference on Plastination: Macon, Georgia, March 21-25, 1988. 1st Biennial Meeting of ISP.

5th International Conference on Plastination: Heidelberg, Germany, July 22-27, 1990. 2nd Biennial Meeting of ISP.

6th International Conference on Plastination: Kingston, Ontario, Canada, July 26-31, 1992. 3rd Biennial Meeting of ISP.

7th International Conference on Plastination: Graz, Austria, July 24- 29, 1994. 4th Biennial Meeting ISP: ISP formally organized. Distinguished Members elected: Gunther von Hagens and Harmon Bickley.

8th International Conference on Plastination: Brisbane, Australia, July 14-19, 1996. 5th Biennial meeting of ISP: Plastination Index presented.

9th International Conference on Plastination: Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada, July 5-10, 1998. 6th Biennial meeting of ISP.

10th International Conference on Plastination: Saint-Etienne, France, July 2-7, 2000. 7th Biennial Meeting.

11th International Conference on Plastination: San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 14-19, 2002. 8th Biennial Meeting ISP.

12th International Conference on Plastination: Murcia, Spain, July 11-16, 2004. 9th Biennial Meeting ISP.

13th International Conference on Plastination: Vienna, Austria, July 2-7, 2006. 10th Biennial Meeting ISP.

14th International Conference on Plastination: Heidelberg and Guben, Germany: July 20-26, 2008. 11th Biennial Meeting ISP, *Journal name change.

Last issue of “Journal of the International Society for Plastination”: Vol. 23, 2008

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):21 (2016)

New name “Journal of Plastination”: Vol 24, 2009-2012. Http://journal.plastination.org

15th International Conference and workshop on Plastination: Honolulu, Hawaii, Joint Meeting with AACA, July 19-24, 2010. 12th Biennial Meeting ISP:

16th International Conference and workshop on Plastination: Beijing, China, July 23-27, 2012. 13th Biennial Meeting ISP.

17th International Conference on Plastination: Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 13-17, 2014. 14th Biennial Meeting ISP.

18th International Conference and Workshop on Plastination: Toledo, Ohio, June 26-July 1, 2016. 15th Biennial Meeting ISP.

Interim Meetings

1st Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, November, 1989, Knoxville, Tennessee.

2nd Interim Conference on Plastination, Rancho Cucamonga, California, August 7-9, 1991.

3rd Interim Conference on Plastination, Mobile, Alabama, August 3-7, 1993.

4th Interim Conference on Plastination, Columbus, Ohio, July 14, 1995.

5th Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, Knoxville, Tennessee, June 29 - July 3, 1997.

6th Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, Rochester, New York, July 11-16, 1999.

7th Interim Conference on Plastination and Tour, June 11-15, 2001, Shanghai and Nanjing, People’s Republic of China.

8th Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, July 6-9, 2005, Skopje, Macedonia.

9th Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, July 8-10, 2007, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

10th Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, July 9-12, 2011, Toledo, Ohio.

11th Interim Conference and Workshop on Plastination, July 9-12, 2015, Vitoria, Brazil.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):22 (2016)

9. Plastination of fungi and fragile biological specimens

Henry RW1, Wilton J1, Iliff S2

Lincoln Memorial University, 1College of Veterinary Medicine, 2Debusk College of Medicine, Harrogate, TN, USA

Introduction: It is often difficult to preserve biological specimens in a fashion that is easily accessible, not easily destroyed, and functional. Some specimens are tough and fibrous while others are soft and delicate. The plastination technique replaces cellular and interstitial fluid with a curable polymer, like silicone, to preserve the tissue at the cellular level. Specimens are preserved forever and are not affected by insects as dry preserved specimens often are.

Materials and Methods: Silicone plastination, both the new room-temperature method and classic cold-temperature silicone process, was used to impregnate specimens. Both methods are similar: 1. Specimens prepared, 2. Dehydrated, 3. Impregnated with silicone, 4. Cured. Reptilian and mammalian preparations were fixed with 10% formalin, while plants and insects were frozen in appropriate position by placing them in -20° C acetone which commences the dehydration step. Formalin-fixed specimens were flushed in running tap water for 2 days and then placed in -20° C 100% acetone for a week with 3 weekly acetone changes to complete dehydration. Acetone-filled specimens were submerged in appropriate polymer-mix in the vacuum chamber. Cold temperature method (carried out in a -15° C deep freezer) used silicone polymer mixed with 2% catalyst, while the room temperature method used silicone polymer mixed with 8% cross-linker. Specimens equilibrated overnight in polymer-mix, and vacuum was then applied. From ambient atmosphere, pressure was lowered to 50 mm Hg over a 2-week period (room-temperature) or nearly one atmosphere, 4 mm Hg (cold temperature), over a month. Impregnation was monitored by bubble formation and a manometer. After impregnation was complete (2 weeks, room temp and 4 weeks, cold temp), vacuum pumps were turned off and chambers returned to ambience. Excess polymer was drained from the specimens for a few days and the specimens were cured/hardened by application of cross-linker (cold temperature impregnation) or catalyst for room temperature impregnation.

Results: Specimens plastinated by either warm or cold methodology produced quality specimens. Only the time allotment from start to finish was different. Room temperature required about 2 weeks less time. Mushroom stems tended to shrink a small amount. However, life-likeness and fine details of anatomical features were remarkable. Insects were fragile and life-like, but more durable after plastination than in their previous dried/ battered states. Reptilian keratinized skin was maintained along with good anatomical detail.

Conclusion: Plastination is a good method for preservation of mushrooms and other delicate biological specimens.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):23 (2016)

10. A time- and space-saving alternative to molecular sieve regeneration

Iliff SW1, Henry RW2, Wilton J2

1Department of Anatomy, DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee, USA

2Department of Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee, USA

Introduction: During dehydration of specimens for plastination, acetone replaces water, embalming fluid, fat and other fluids in specimens. The end of this collective-stage process produces “dirty” acetone that requires either distillation or costly and wasteful disposal. Mechanical filtration followed by solvent distillation brings the purity of acetone to 95-97% at best. After this process, the acetone purity outcomes are not adequate for complete dehydration of the specimen. After solvent distillation, molecular sieves are used to purify acetone to above 99.5%. Work done by Baptista on the regeneration of molecular sieves was accomplished by heat drying the sieves at 250° C for 24 hours in a conventional oven. Although this a very effective way to reprocess molecular sieves, many labs may be limited on space and time to carry out this method. Subsequently, another method of molecular sieve regeneration was tested.

Materials and Methods: mSORB® 3Ångstrom molecular sieve beads were used in the dehydration of solvent distilled acetone. A conventional microwave oven was used in the regeneration process of the used sieves. Clean distilled acetone was diluted with tap water to 90% and 97% respectively. Three batches of used, air-dried, acetone-free molecular sieves were dehydrated in a microwave oven for three time intervals 20, 40 and 60 minutes. Sieves were cooked for 10 minutes, cooking stopped for 5 minutes to stir (to prevent overheating of the container) and then the next cooking cycle until completion. By volume, 200 ml of sieves were placed in each filter sock (Tuffy®, milk filters) and submerged in 900 ml of 90% acetone and 900ml of 97% acetone respectively. To increase the sieves/acetone ratio, 300 ml of sieves were placed in 2 filter socks, then submerged in 850 ml of 90% and 850 ml of 97% acetone respectively. The sieves were allowed to react at room temperature for 24 hours and then the acetone purity was checked with an acetonometer.

Results: In experiment #1 (90% acetone) the H2O saturation of sieves increased in effectiveness as cook time increased (0.9 and 1.7 to 2.3 %↑). In experiment #2 (97% acetone) the range of saturation was less defined (0.9 and 1.0% to 2.4 and 3%) between cooking times but saturation limits (%↑) were much higher.

Conclusion: This method has been effective in regenerating sieves to make more pure acetone (98→100%) for end stage dehydration. A microwave oven can be placed on a counter top and cooking of sieves can easily be done while accomplishing other lab duties. For this method to be effective, at least 25% of the total volume of sieves to distilled acetone should be used. The forty minute cook times in both experiments proved to be the most effective in time management sieve regeneration. Note: for safety reasons handling of acetone must always be carried out in spark proof areas.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):24 (2016)

11. Chemistry and physical properties of polymers for plastination

Jabarin SA

University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA

The basic chemistry and some physical properties of polymers used in the plastination process will be discussed. Three classes of polymers, namely: polyesters, silicones and epoxy resins constitute the main plastination polymers. The functional groups, which are active for polymerization and curing processes, are identified for each class of polymers. The chemical routes for the curing process of the different polymers will be presented. Experimental techniques can be used to determine the optimum temperature and time for the curing methods of different polymer blend recipe. Two methods will be discussed.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):25 (2016)

12. Plastination combined with wet cadaver dissection in veterinary anatomy learning

Latorre R1,2, Bainbridge D2, Tavernor A2, López Albors O1

1Department of Anatomy and Comparative Pathology, University of Murcia, Spain

2Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, UK

Introduction: The aim of this study was to scrutinize learners’ perspectives by exploring how first- and second-year veterinary students perceive the use of plastinated anatomical prosections, not only during wet cadaver dissections in their anatomy practicals, but also in small-group tutorials.

Materials and Methods: A collection of 135 plastinated specimens including isolated organs, cavity prosections, prosections of specific regions such as head and neck, etc. was accessible during practical sessions with wet cadavers in the dissection room. After the practicals students also had free access to the plastinated specimens in the Veterinary Anatomy Museum, and during supervision meetings with their supervisors. An anonymous closed questionnaire, using estimation Likert scale (1-5 grades), was completed.

Results: All students (100%) positively appreciated the use of plastinated specimens in combination with wet embalmed cadaver dissection. Overall, 87% of students would have liked to have had more plastinated specimens during wet cadaver dissection in the practicals. The possibility of having plastinated specimens in advance to prepare for the practical sessions was important for 76.6% of second year students. Overall, 97.7% of students thought that the plastinated specimens helped them to understand and learn anatomy. All students surveyed agreed to recommend the use of plastinated specimens in the following year.

Conclusion: The use of plastinated specimens in the dissection room and anatomical museum benefited the learning of anatomy in the opinion of students and therefore they recommended it as a permanent resource in combination with wet cadaver dissection and supervision in small groups.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):26 (2016)

13. Endoscopic training: how can plastinated specimens be used?

Latorre R1, López-Albors O1, Henry RW2

1Dept. Anatomy and Comparative Pathology, University of Murcia, Spain

2College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN, USA

Introduction: The use of live animals as models for endoscopic training has been recommended as the ideal option since this is the real situation. Training with simulators can provide a safe and controlled environment for learning basic endoscopic skills without risk to patients; however, both virtual simulators and artificial organs have limitations in terms of their procedural realism and degree of fidelity, and therefore users acquire specific skills that may not apply to the patient when performing procedures such as gastrointestinal endoscopy. When beginning to learn endoscopy, if proper training models are not available for practice, complications may result. The learning curve for digestive and respiratory endoscopy is not easy, therefore it is essential to visualize and understand the external anatomy of the gut or the lung during endoscopic maneuvers. Training simulations designed for use with fresh ex-vivo gastrointestinal tracts, allow movement of the endoscopic tip to be seen as well as show reaction of the gut during endoscopic advancement. However, because of autolysis fresh material from slaughterhouses may be used for only a short period of time. Plastinated organs are used mainly as a teaching tools in anatomy; however, there are references describing the application of plastinated specimens in postgraduate teaching and specialized courses, particularly in the training of minimally invasive surgical techniques. Modifying the plastination process will help retain the soft flexible properties of the plastinated organs and this benefits the handling and durability limitations of virtual simulators used with artificial organs.

Materials and Methods: The changes in the plastination process are increasing the pre-curing time after impregnation and reducing the use of cross-linker. During this pre-curing time the hollow specimens remain at room temperature dilated with circulating air for several months to allow excess polymer to drain and elongation of the silicone polymer chains. Once weeping has finished and the surface is dry, specimens are placed for 1-2 days in a curing chamber with cross-linker.

Results: The plastinated specimens retain not only their external or superficial morphology but also the internal or intraluminal anatomy. The flexibility of these specimens allows routine endoscopic maneuvers to be performed during exploration techniques such as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy and bronchoscopy. These specimens are routinely used in a regular surgical theatre before starting training with live animal models.

Conclusion: Plastinated experimental models can be used at the entry level of an endoscopic learning and training program. The development of new training protocols that include the use of plastinated organs is of the greatest importance. This would decrease time and costs of the training, while minimizing risk for both patients and clinical staff.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):27 (2016)

14. The human body and the harms of modern life: itinerant museum of anatomy (IMA) using plastinated specimens and anatomical models

MasukoTS1, Coutinho RVS2, Gonçalves JO2, Carvalho PS2, Vilasbôas IM2, Oliveira AB2, Maron_E_Silva MM2, Nascimento JN2, Matos DFB2, Souza_Santos LDA2, Campos LM1

1Department of Biomorphology, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil,

2Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

Introduction: The Itinerant Museum of Anatomy (IMA) targets middle and high school students, and teachers use anatomical models and plastinated specimens to promote an innovative learning experience, creating a better understanding of the human body. It also creates an awareness of the harms that the habits of modern society and its contemporary behaviors cause to the organism.

Methods: The first stage of this project covers four visits to one Brazilian public school in Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil. The IMAs were done in two steps: lecture followed by correlated anatomical models exposition. A 10-question pre-test was administered to students over 18 years of age. Following the lecture, a post-test containing the 10 questions given in the pre-test plus 5 additional new questions was administered. The anatomical models exposition comprised plastinated specimens and anatomical teaching aids related to the IMA’s topic. Four IMA modules were created: (1) STD, early pregnancy and contraception; (2) Legal and illegal drugs; (3) Locomotor and cardiovascular system; (4) Nervous system and skin.

Results: A mean of 17 students answered the pre-tests during the first, second, third and fourth IMA sessions, achieving an average score of 61.9%, 64.3%, 75.7% and 75.2% in each, with worse results on topics of: female reproductive system, AIDS/HIV infection; harms of tobacco, marijuana and alcohol. A mean of 15 students answered the post-tests during the first, second, third and fourth IMA sessions, achieving an average score of 70.5%, 66.3%, 79.3% and 71.7% in each, with worse results on topics of anatomy; improved results on STD and pregnancy prevention; worse results on the effects of cocaine, but better results on the effects of alcohol abuse.

Conclusions: The tests revealed that entertaining, didactic teaching methods, when appropriate to teenagers’ age range, are effective in enriching knowledge and suggesting positive behavioural changes. Thus, perceiving anatomy through plastinated specimens and resin anatomical models made it easier to realize how risky behaviors can impact on human lives. The value of IMA visits can be attributed to the facilitators’ age group being similar to the students’, but also to curiosity about the novelty of the display of anatomical models.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):28 (2016)

15. Three-dimensional and two-dimensional reconstruction of plastinated specimens with silicone at room temperature

Ottone NE1,2, Bianchi HF3, Latorre L3, Borges Brum G4, Blanco CJ4, Fuentes R1

1Laboratory of Plastination and Anatomical Techniques, Research Centre in Dental Sciences (CICO), Dental School, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

2Doctoral Program in Morphological Sciences, Medicine School, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

3Institute of Morphology JJ Naón, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

4Laboratory of Plastination, Chair of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Introduction: Plastination is presently used in college teaching and it is increasingly used in research. This technique is also used in conjunction with imaging techniques, serving as a complementary tool to living human body images. Plastination allows the creation of three-dimensional reconstructions of the body’s anatomy. Using slices in three- and two-dimensions allows visualization of the specimen’s internal anatomy through application of these imaging techniques.

Materials and Methods: A modified room temperature plastination technique is used: dehydration, two weeks, in acetone concentrations above 90% for the first bath, and acetone 100% concentration for the second one. Forced impregnation: 3/4 days, the specimens were placed in a silicone/catalyst (polydimethylsiloxane/dibutyltindilaurate) mixture 100:1. Forced impregnation using vacuum is complete when pressures are decreased to 5 mm Hg. This process is done in two stages: active forced impregnation (activation of vacuum pump for 8 hrs) and passive forced impregnation (vacuum pump off, for 12 hrs) until 5 mmHg was achieved, and acetone bubbles were no longer present. Silicone excess was removed and the specimen positioned. Specimens were cured with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) for 2 days (30 minutes/day of TEOS exposure). Once the plastination process was finished, specimens were scanned using a GE Optima CT660 Second Edition – Multislice 16-slice, CT scanner. Tomographic images were obtained and three-dimensional reconstructions were created.

Results: Three-dimensional reconstructions were obtained from plastinated specimens. Further three-dimensional and two-dimensional cuts were achieved.

Conclusion: Creating three-dimensional reconstructions of plastinated specimens is possible and the generation of three-dimensional and two-dimensional images are of great use. It is an excellent tool for teaching and research.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):29 (2016)

16. How to select vacuum equipment for plastination

Pascoe D

CEO of Davasol Inc, Burlington, Canada

Vacuum pumps are used throughout industry, being employed in a host of different applications. Unlike other technologies being used in the industrial arena, vacuum is often misunderstood. This leads to vacuum equipment, particularly vacuum pumps, being incorrectly selected due to the lack of fundamental knowledge being readily available.

This presentation will explain the basic selection criteria to enable the correct choice of vacuum pump and associated equipment to undertake the task of plastination.

About Daniel Pascoe: Daniel is manufacturing engineer from the UK with origins in the British aerospace production industry. Having worked in that environment for some years as a production and design engineer, Daniel changed paths in the early 1990s and began a career in the fluid power industry with a focus on vacuum technology. Having established a vacuum component distribution firm in the UK in 1996, Daniel emigrated to Canada in 2003, and in 2005 incorporated Vacuforce, a vacuum solutions provider for automation houses in the USA and Canada. In 2013 Daniel moved Vacuforce to Indianapolis from Ontario to better serve its American customer base. At the same time Daniel started an industrial distribution consultancy firm, Davasol Inc, which occupies the majority of his time today. Daniel continues to oversee Vacuforce operations from his base in Ontario, Canada which includes administering vacuum technology surveys to large industrial users across North America.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):30 (2016)

17. Documenting plastination runs with a Microsoft™ Excel template

Pizzimenti MA

Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa, USA

Introduction: The purpose of this lab management tool is electronically to document, track, and graph information about important aspects of the plastination process. Electronic record keeping provides access to tools that are capable of tracking chemical usage, formulations, and procedural details. Capturing and reporting these aspects of the plastination process are important from an experimental and lab management perspective.

Materials and Methods: A template was developed in Microsoft™ Excel using basic mathematical, macro, and graphing functions. Each event (e.g. acetone measurement or change in vacuum) is time-stamped within the data portion of the worksheet. Calculations within the worksheet are automatically updated to report such variables as days-in-procedure, acetone volume used (recycled vs. new), and an estimate of acetone purity. During the polymer impregnation process, pressure within the chamber is monitored with a digital manometer and estimates of the percentage of total vacuum are recorded. Time-line graphs demonstrate acetone usage and vacuum chamber readings throughout the process.

Results: Electronically documenting the plastination process provides a method to track, assess, and report on important aspects of lab activity. Although documenting protocols and overall chemical usage is easily accomplished through conventional laboratory logbooks, the current method provides a more efficient collection of summary data. For example, tracking the total volume of acetone (i.e. recycled and new) in each plastination run can then be linked to total lab volumes for inventory. In addition, tracking the volume of recycled acetone used in each run provides excellent data to assess the value of the laboratory’s acetone distillation/recovery system. The graphing function of the Excel template also provides a visual verification to indicate the necessary times for changes in the acetone bath. Quantitative values, along with graphical depiction, indicate the dehydration potential of the acetone that is based on slope functions. Pressure/vacuum readings within the chamber are recorded during the polymer impregnation phase, along with temperature, and these are graphed. These data, coupled with observation, are used to incrementally adjust chamber pressures.

Conclusion: The current Excel template provides an efficient method for documenting protocols and lab values during the plastination process. Planned updates to the template include monitoring local barometric pressure, temperature differentials, and lab chemical inventory monitoring.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):31 (2016)

18. Recording cadaver medical history and pertinent dissection findings enriches the role of anatomy in enhancing medical students’ professionalism

Raoof A, Chang A, Schmidt B, Attardi S, Schlegel D, Barremkala M, Forbes W, Gould D, Thompson B, Venuti J, Jankowski M

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, Michigan

Introduction: During the past couple of decades there has been a remarkable emphasis on the role of anatomy lab in promoting professionalism among medical students. Several studies and surveys proved that medical students’ encounter with dissection represents a major opportunity to develop the attitudes of empathy, respect, and humility while integrating them with attitudes of scientific enquiry and evidence-based medicine. This study aimed to introduce first-year medical students at OUWB School of Medicine to cadaver medical histories early in the semester, and to offer them the opportunity to record dissection notes and pertinent pathological findings. It is believed that this interaction with cadavers will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing students’ professionalism in addition to improving anatomy knowledge and comprehension.

Materials and Methods: Students were provided with their donors’ cause of death and medical history. They filled out a cadaver assessment form to outline inspection findings before dissection. The rationale was to create a deeper and a more meaningful appreciation of the cadaver's role in facilitating anatomy education. Students filled out dissection findings and recorded pertinent pathological findings. Care of their tables and donors were monitored periodically. Students were informed categorically of any inadequate table care. A survey was administered at the end of the semester to assess students’ opinions about these measures.

Results: Participation rate was 93%. More than 47% agreed that the new measures helped to improve their teamwork skills, relationships with donors, and ability to express empathy. However, only 35% believed that the new measures improved their ability to cope with death.

Conclusion: The new measures had positively influenced students' perception of the cadaver as an individual and recognizably promoted respect, better teamwork, and empathy. The lower mean response to the influence of these measures on students’ ability to cope with death is noteworthy. Further steps are needed to ensure that students’ interaction with cadavers is a more positive experience and enhances professional attitude. The survey will have a more significant impact if measures are reassessed regularly, and responses of future students are analyzed and compared to ensure a sustainable outcome.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):32 (2016)

19. Changing the face of anatomy at University of Texas School of Dentistry: a preliminary report on a plastinated approach

Rogers CS, Warner RL

Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA

Introduction: Following a redesign of the basic science curriculum in the School of Dentistry, the school chose to forgo a traditional anatomy course, and, in 2016, replaced the use of dissecting cadavers with the study of dissected plastinated specimens and sections.

Materials and Methods: The class was divided into eight groups for the labs (12-13 students per group). Each group would meet twice a week for two hours per session. Travel, preparation, and clean-up time was eliminated. Students were encouraged to work together utilizing the plastinated specimens, models, PowerPoint slides, online resources and atlases. At the end of each lab, the students were given a 5-question PowerPoint quiz, utilizing photos of the specimens.

Results: The change from a cadaver dissection anatomy course has improved the efficiency of teaching anatomy. The prior dissection course involved 66 lab hours, while the new course involves 48 lab hours. Final grades and student evaluations have not yet been established. However, undocumented observations have been made:

1. Very few complaints on the practical examinations and very few contested questions. 2. Students work together well. Students have commented on how much they enjoy seeing “great dissections”. 3. Students are improving their grade performance, particularly the practical exams. Comparing the first lab practical exams, 19 students failed in the 2015 course. In contrast, 5 students failed in the 2016 course. 4. A financial advantage is predicted due to the life span of the specimens and no recurring costs of the dissection laboratory cadavers. Specimens will be further utilized for undergraduate and post-graduate anatomy courses, as well as CME courses for the public practicing professionals.

Conclusion: UTSD made the decision to abandon cadaver dissection in 2014, and implemented the new course in 2016. Preliminary results have shown this mode of teaching and learning has been successful. Students have made considerable positive comments about the experience. Following a viewing of traditionally dissected cadavers, students indicated a preference for the use of our plastinated specimens. Students’ grades have been exceptionally high, with few failures. Further analysis of the grades, student course evaluations, and comparison of the anatomy results on the NBDE Part 1 will enhance our comparison of the new curriculum vs the former dissection course.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):33 (2016)

20. Working with millennial learners: the active classroom

Shriner CJ

Vice Provost Faculty Development and Assessment, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA

Our classrooms are changing. They are changing in terms of the technology and resources available to us as teachers and even in terms of location. We now have virtual classroom as well as traditional face-to-face options for the presentation of our content; and our students are changing as well. Students who enter our classrooms as first-year students this year will have never licked a postage stamp and have never known a world without the internet and Google.

This presentation will address the characteristics of our current students compared to earlier generations and integrate these with the pedagogical strategies that make use of growing array of materials and resources available to faculty – with an ultimate goal of increasing students’ engagement and content mastery.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):34 (2016)

21. Plastination technique of brain specimens: minimizing shrinkage

Starchik D, Ovcharenko T

International Morphological Centre, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

Introduction: One of main difficulties of whole brain plastination is shrinkage. According to different authors, volumetric changes in brain specimens during plastination can be up to 20% of its primary volume. Here we present a technique of brain plastination that minimizes shrinkage.

Materials and Methods: Brains should be taken in autopsy as soon as possible. The brains that were not fixed until 5 days after death are not suitable for getting good plastinated brain specimens. While carefully taking the brain out of the cranial cavity we incised the internal carotid and vertebral arteries at the maximal distance from the brain in order to leave long segments of these vessels. To fix the brain we inserted tubes for injecting with fixation solution into both internal carotids and one vertebral artery. The second vertebral artery should be ligated. Formalin (10%) was injected into each cannula in amounts of 50-100 ml. After injection, cannulae were closed with special corks and the whole brain was suspended in a bucket with 1% formalin solution for 2 weeks. It is important to arrange the hemispheres of the brain symmetrically and to ensure that the brain does not touch the side or bottom of the bucket. Every two weeks the brains were moved into increasing formalin solution (3, 5, and 7%) and, and then stored for 4 more weeks in 10% formalin. After fixation, the arachnoid mater with blood vessels should be carefully dissected away without removing the cranial nerves on the base of the brain. Specimens can be bleached in 1-2% perhydrol solution for 5 - 12 hours. After that, brains were washed under cold running water for 1-2 hours, and cooled in water to 4-5° C for 6 - 10 hours. Wood and metal pins were used to fix the cerebellum and brain stem to prevent deformation. Dehydration was carried out according to the standard method in cold acetone for 5 weeks. After dehydration, the brains were placed into a polymer-mix of 80% low-molecular silicone P-27 with 15% of polymethylsiloxane-5 and 5% of cross linker (tetraethoxysilane), and impregnated at +20°C. Pressure in the vacuum chamber was slowly lowered from 300 to 30 mm Hg, maintaining a moderate boil. Curing was done by spraying the surface with 30% of catalyst P-27A (dibutyltindilaurate).

Results: This silicone plastination technique is quite simple to do and permits less deformed specimens, and minimizes shrinkage up to 8%. However, it takes a longer time because of the prolonged fixation stage.

Conclusion: This silicone plastination technique yields three-dimensional whole brain specimens with good demonstration features. They have minimal shrinkage and less deformation and can be successfully used in teaching the anatomy of the central nervous system.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):35 (2016)

22. Comparison of cold and room temperature silicone plastination techniques

Starchik D1, Henry RW2

1International Morphological Centre, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

2College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN, USA

Introduction: Today, two well-known silicone plastination techniques produce large numbers of plastinated specimens. The first one was introduced by Gunter von Hagens in 1977, and is considered now as the S10 cold-temperature (classical) plastination. The second technique was proposed by Daniel Corcoran & Dow Corning Corporation in 1998 and uses a room-temperature silicone mix for impregnation. Both methods have differences in polymer components and in the sequence of their combination in the final plastination stages. We assumed cold- and room-temperature plastination techniques should have other quantitative and qualitative differences in features of the plastinated specimens, as well as other results of both standard methods.

Materials and Methods: A variety of tissue cores, organs, regions and whole body specimens were plastinated using the standard procedures for cold temperature and room temperature silicone plastination. From these plastinates, advantages and shortcomings of both methods were evaluated. Criteria used for evaluation of plastinates included: shrinkage, duration of impregnation and curing, quality of plastinated specimens, need for extra equipment and its maintenance, as well as other cost considerations. To efficiently evaluate shrinkage and duration of plastination, 3 cm core samples of parenchymatous organs were collected, dehydrated and plastinated using standard procedures for both plastination techniques. Core sample volume was evaluated at the end of each stage of the process by fluid displacement.

Results: The average shrinkage for tissue cores plastinated by the room-temperature technique was 1.5 times less than the cold-temperature method (p < 0.05). The total duration of impregnation and curing stages of core samples for cold- temperature plastination proved to be 1.54 times longer than the room-temperature technique. The silicone impregnation-mix for the room-temperature technique, because of its low viscosity, drains very easily from impregnated hair, fur, and feather specimens which is a large time saver. The cold-temperature plastinated hollow organs and body part specimens were more flexible and elastic after curing than those made with the room-temperature technique, which produced specimens that were harder and more fragile. An additional freezer for the impregnation vacuum chamber, and a special chamber equipped with a fan, an aquarium pump and desiccant were needed for the cold- temperature technique.

Conclusion: The cold-temperature technique makes specimens more flexible and elastic, but this process takes longer and specimens tend to shrink more. Cold temperature is preferable for plastination of hollow organs (gastrointestinal tract, lungs and the whole body). Room-temperature plastination is more economical to set up, allows production of good quality specimens with minimal shrinkage and in a shorter period of time. Room-temperature protocol is recommended for brain, parenchymatous organs, body parts, fetus, fur/hair/feather covered specimens, and reptiles & fish. This technique is also preferable for plastination of long-term formalin-fixed specimens, as well as for archaeological and fossil objects.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):36 (2016)

23. Myodural bridge: a universal, normal mammalian anatomical structure, based on P45 sheet plastination

Yu SB, Liu P, Zheng N, Yuan X-Y, Xu Q, Cong Liu C, Chi Y-Y, ChunP, Tang W, Li Y-F, Ge B-J, Zhang J-F, Li C, Fu Y-S, Sui H-J

Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Dalian Medical University

Introduction: The suboccipital region is one of the most complex anatomical regions in the human body. Recently, gross dissection, histology, and medical imaging studies revealed that connective tissue exists between the deeper muscles of the suboccipital region and the spinal dura mater. This connective tissue is referred to as the “myodural bridge”. As a constant structure in the human body, the MDB seems to be a universal, normal anatomical structure in mammals.

Materials and Methods: Gross dissection was conducted, and P45 plastinated sheets were created from these specimens. In order to examine whether the myodural bridge exists in other mammals, three mammalian orders were examined in this study, represented by Neophocaena phocaenoides (finless porpoise), dogs, Macaca mulatta (rhesus monkey) and a mandrill.

Results: In all the mammalian subjects, a bundle of muscular fibers was discovered protruding from the rectus capitis posterior minor, entering the posterior atlanto-occipital interspace, passing through the posterior atlanto-occipital membrane and terminating at the posterior aspect of the spinal dura mater. This structure was the same as the myodural bridge observed in humans. Thus it can be seen that the myodural bridge is a universal, normal anatomical mammalian structure.

Conclusion: The findings of this study illustrate that the headache patients suffered from obvious hypertrophy of the rectus capitis posterior minor, compared to the normal group. Statistically, a correlation of rectus capitis posterior minor hypertrophy with chronic headache was confirmed. According to the novel physiological function of the myodural bridge, the hypertrophic rectus capitis posterior minor could lead to abnormal CSF flow and pressure via the myodural bridge, thus inducing the chronic headaches. However, substantial evidence still need to be found to support this hypothesis.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):37 (2016)

24. Body donation for plastination

Von Hagens R

The Institute for Plastination, Heidelberg Germany

Introduction: The Body Donation program of the Institute for Plastination was started in 1983 at the University of Heidelberg, and transferred to the newly-established Institute for Plastination in 1993. At the end of 2015, a total of 15,959 donors had registered, of whom 14,270 are still living. So far 1,689 bodies have been received.

Materials and Methods: Potential donors are provided with a brochure and questionnaire giving full details of the program. There is no financial incentive; within Germany, the Institute for Plastination covers the costs of transport of the deceased. Donors sign a ‘Declaration of Intent’ to donate: this is not a binding contract and can be revoked at any time. Regular meetings of body donors are held, and there is an ‘Independent Federal Association of Body Donors’ in Germany.

Results: Breakdown of donors according to age and sex: of the living donors, 8,068 (56.5%) are female and 6,202 (43.5%) are male; of the deceased, 712 (42.2%) were female and 977 (57.8%) were male. Just under half of the donors (49%) are over 61 years of age, 24.8% are between 51-60 years, 25.3% are aged 50 years or below. Approximately a third of donors are also organ donors.

Conclusion: Motivation for donation is varied, with the most common reasons being altruistic: 88% of donors agreed with the statement “I would like to donate my body to a good cause”; an almost equal number (81%) agreed that “I would like to contribute to medical research”.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):38-41 (2016)

Minutes Business Meeting of the International Society for Plastination held in Toledo, Ohio, USA, June 30, 2016

1. Call to Order The meeting of the society was called to order at 11:12 a.m. by the President Carlos A.C. Baptista. There were 23 members present at the ISP meeting. The quorum was established.

2. Approval of the minutes of the 2014 business meeting The minutes were approved without discussion, as printed (and publish online) in the Journal of Plastination volume 26; 1 (2014).

3. Reports of the Officers: President´s Report The President, Carlos Baptista, reported that the 17th International Conference which was held in St. Petersburg, Russia in July 2014, was a tremendous success. It was one of the most beautiful settings in recent history. The conference was well organized and of a professional caliber. Sincere appreciation was extended to Dmitry Starchik and his Institution for hosting the conference.

The Interim meeting of the Society was held in Vitoria, Brazil in 2015, under the direction of Athelson Bittencourt. On behalf of the Society, the President extended his sincere thanks for Athelson’s efforts in putting on a quality meeting and workshop, which was the first ISP meeting to be held in South America.

It was reported that the Society currently has 300 members, compared to only 30 members in 2008. Concern was expressed about how to assure members are current with membership dues. The President asked for suggestions on how to engage more people to increase an active membership. Two possible strategies were proposed and approved unanimously by the assembly:

1. Business memberships from companies and enterprises that sell equipment and supplies for plastination were approved. Dmitry Starchik offered support from his company. Support for this meeting from Biodur was also acknowledged and appreciated. 2. Student grants to support attendance and participation at future meetings were also approved. This would require students to have an ISP “sponsor” who would mentor and encourage the student to submit a proposal for either an oral or poster presentation. A maximum of 5 grants would be available.

Treasurer´s Report On behalf of the society, President Baptista thanked Joshua Lopez for his outstanding service as Treasurer of the ISP. Under his leadership the finances were well-organized and accurate reports were provided. Joshua’s move to the Caribbean has complicated financial transactions and, for this reason, he is not interested in continuing as Treasurer. The following report was provided by Joshua Lopez and presented by Carlos Baptisat in his absence:

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):39 (2016)

ISP Treasurer Report 2016

Balance Transferred from Ameed Raoof (2014) $23,309.30

Income (ISP Membership is $75. Total received after Fees is $72.52) Membership Dues (September-December 2014) $725.20 (10 Membership) Membership Dues (2015) $580.16 (8 Membership) Membership Dues (2016) $507.64 (7 Membership) Total Membership Dues $1,813.00

Conference Dues/Fees Collected $1,393.20 (Victor Cordova/Pamela Nelson, Azu) Conference Dues/Fees Paid (Check 1006) ($772.20) (Victor Cordova/Pamela Nelson) Total Conference Fees Collected $621.00

Expenses Printing & Production ($2,761.85) Bank Charges ($143.53) Bank Charges relates to Chase Bank only Total Expenses ($2,905.38)

Current Chase Account Balance $21,294.75 Current PayPal Account Balance $ 1,544.00 Total Accounts $22,838.75

The Treasurer’s report for 2016 was accepted as submitted.

Following the approval of the finance report, there was much discussion about the collection of membership dues, the timing of notices and late fees. It was agreed that notices would be sent out in December about the deadline to pay membership dues in January. If dues are not paid a late fee would be added and members would be presented with another bill in March. The amount of the late fee would be decided by the Council. Possible methods for collecting payment include automatic withdrawal and PayPal. Carlos Baptista noted that the Society needs to apply for tax exempt status for automatic payment and he will pursue this when he assumes the office of Treasurer. He will also pursue using PayPal as another alternative, since it is easier for members in some countries and it also has lower fees.

4. Journal of Plastination Report Editor-in-Chief Philip Adds was unable to attend this meeting due to a family emergency. In his absence, Carlos Baptista reiterated the long process of requesting indexing for the Journal through the National Library of Medicine. Because it is not currently indexed, if you do a search for articles on plastination you will get many listings of articles, but none are from the ISP. Philip is confident that we will be able to get the Journal indexed, which will elevate the status of this publication. Carlos also acknowledged the help of Kathy McVicker in the printed edition of the Journal. A Report was sent from Philip Adds to be included in the minutes as follows:

“2015 has seen the publication of volume 27, issues 1 and 2, maintaining our aim of producing two issues a year. It has been a challenge, and on behalf of the editorial board I apologise for the late arrival of the second issue of volume 27.

In 2015-16, ten new original submissions were received by the editorial office. Eight of these have already been published in volume 27, leaving two for possible inclusion in volume 28. One of these is still under review, and the other has been reviewed and returned to the authors for revision.

It continues to be a struggle to bring out 2 issues each year, as the number of submissions received is really well below what is necessary to maintain this publication frequency. The fact that the second issue of volume 27 (2015) has only just been published shows the difficulties we are having.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the authors who have submitted manuscripts. Without you, there would be no journal. Can I also ask everyone who presented a talk or poster at the 2016 ISP meeting to please consider writing

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):40 (2016) up your presentations and submitting them to the journal? It’s also not too late to submit papers from presentations at the 2014 meeting in St Petersburg.

Our application for PubMed listing was received by the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC) of the National Library of Medicine of the U.S. on the 8th August 2015. Unfortunately because of their backlog of applications, by the time they came to consider ours, the 2013 issues that were submitted with our application were too old to be considered in the review process, so we shall be submitting volume 27 issues 1 and 2, as soon as the print version is available. The LSTRC meets three times a year, in February, June, and October. Approximately 180 journals are examined at each meeting, and only 12-15% of the journals reviewed are recommended for inclusion in MEDLINE. I anticipate that we will be scheduled for review at the October committee meeting.

I would like to gratefully acknowledge the help of the following people in reviewing submissions to the journal in 2015- 16:

Bob Henry, Rafa Latorre, Francisco Gil Cano, Kaori Tamura, Yukiya Oba, Carlos Baptista, Scott Lozanoff, Hong-Jin Sui, David Lovell, Alaa Sawad, Dmitry Starchik, Mircea-Constantin Sora, and Slecuk Tunali: your support is very much appreciated.”

There was much discussion about the printing, mailing and online copies of the Journal. Currently only 40 copies of each issue are printed. Possibilities discussed included printing on demand from Amazon and adding fees to membership dues for mailing costs. It was unanimously agreed to keep the distribution the same: Restrict online access for members for 2 years, then open to public and distribute printed copies at the conferences and meetings. Online access will be better controlled with a revamped Web site.

5. Announcements – None

6. New business 19th International Conference on Plastination (2018) Two proposed locations were presented for the conference in 2018: Durban, South Africa (by Dr. Okpara) and Dalian, China (by Dr. Sui). Due to the last minute change in venue for the 18th International Conference from Columbia to Toledo, Ohio, USA, several questions were directed to Dr. Okpara about the resources available in South Africa and the experience needed to host a conference. After a vote it was determined that the 19th International Conference on Plastination would be held in Dalian, China. A conference committee of 2 or 3 members will be appointed by the next President to help assure the planning continues in a positive direction. This committee will be accountable to the president and ask for reports from the host periodically. It was proposed that perhaps the Interim Meeting of the ISP could be held in Durban, South Africa. Dr. Okpara will talk with his Dean about the prospect of hosting the Interim Meeting. Update of by-laws Carlos Baptista reported that the Treasurer of the ISP has always been a U.S. member, but it is not written in the Bylaws. If we get the tax exempt status approved, there are advantages to keep the Treasurer’s office in the U.S. He proposed an amendment to the Society Bylaws that states the Treasurer office should be filled by a member of the ISP who lives in the continental United States. Carlos also proposed to add a clause that students members do not pay dues, but must be sponsored by an ISP member. The amendments were approved unanimously.

7. Election Results As the head of the Nomination Committee Anthony Weinhaus could not attend the conference, ISP President Carlos Baptista presented the results of the elections of officers:

- Councilors: Nicolas Ottone, Telma Masuko, Athelson Bittencourt, Robert Henry, Ming Zhang

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):41 (2016)

- Rafael Latorre was elected as president of ISP - Dmitry Starchik was elected as vice-president of ISP - Selcuk Tunali was re-elected as secretary of ISP - Carlos A C Baptista was elected as Treasurer of ISP

On behalf of the ISP Council and membership, incoming President, Rafael Latorre, thanked Carlos Baptista for his superb leadership over the last 8 years as President of the ISP. A “Distinguished Member Award” was presented to Carlos and appreciation by the general assembly was noted in the applause that followed.

The Business Meeting closed at 11:45 a.m.

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):42 (2016)

Journal of Plastination Copyright Transfer Form may be downloaded from Instructions for Authors http://www.journal.plastination.org/downloads/copyright.pdf. (Revised January 2013) After the form is completed and signed by all the authors, it should be submitted to the Editorial Office JOURNAL OF PLASTINATION is owned and controlled by the ([email protected]) as a pdf or jpeg file via an e-mail International Society for Plastination (ISP). attachment.

Goals - The Journal of Plastination (ISSN 1090-2171) aims to Manuscript preparation provide a medium for the publication of scientific papers Cover Letter dealing with all aspects of plastination and preservation The cover letter should include a statement of authorship, of biological specimens. notification of conflicts of interest, ethical adherence, and any Submission Guidelines financial disclosures. All manuscripts must be submitted to the Editorial Office via Cover letters may be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief, Journal the e-mail: [email protected]. If you experience of Plastination. any problems or need further information, please contact Manuscript Philip J. Adds, [email protected]. The manuscript should consist of subdivisions in the following Authors must have an e-mail address at which they may be sequence: reached. Title Page Abstract with keywords Necessary Files for Submission Include: Text  Cover letter Introduction  Manuscript (including references and figure legends) Materials and methods  Table(s) (when appropriate) Results  Figure(s) (when appropriate) Discussion  Copyright Release Form (after acceptance) References Figure Legends Note: The above items should be prepared as separate files. Each file must contain a file extension (.doc, tif, jpg, eps). Title Page  File formats appropriate for text and table submissions: The first page of the manuscript should include: Microsoft Word  Title of paper  File formats appropriate for figure submissions: TIFF, JPEG  Each author’s name (JPG) and EPS  Institution from which paper emanated, with city, state, and postal code. Each affiliation should be listed as a Categories of submissions: separate entity, with a superscript number that links it to Articles published in Journal of Plastination are grouped into the individual author. general article types (listed below). Final designation of a For example: 1 2 1 manuscript’s article type is determined by the EDITOR. S. D. HOLLADAY *, B. L. BLAYLOCK and B. J. SMITH 1  Original Research – Plastination Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology,  Original Research – preservation Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary  Education Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442, USA.  Case reports 2  Technical brief notes College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, LA 71209, USA.  Review - by invitation only  Corresponding Author’s name, address, telephone and  Legacy – institutions and people telefax numbers, and e-mail address.  Correspondence For example:  Editorial *Correspondence to: Dr Shane D. Holladay, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Acceptance of a submission implies the transfer of copyright Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary from the authors to the publisher. It is the author's Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State responsibility to obtain permission to reproduce illustrations, University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0442, USA. Tel.: +001 tables and figures from other publications. 404 739 6403; Fax: +001 404 739 6492; E-mail: [email protected]

The Journal of Plastination 28(1):43 (2016)

It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to notify the  For other publications: Editorial Office of changes of address. Only the corresponding Von Hagens G. 1985: Heidelberg plastination folder: author should communicate with the Editorial office for matters Collection of technical leaflets for plastination. Heidelberg: regarding each manuscript. Anatomiches Institut 1, Universität Heidelberg, p 16-33.

Abstract & Key Words Figure legends The abstract should be no longer than 250 words. It should  Legends for all figures should be brief, specific and not be a contain a description of the objectives, materials and methods, substitute listing for the result section, and appear on a results, and conclusions. The abstract should include a section separate page at the end of the manuscript, following the on technique/technical development if the paper is list of references. significantly technical in nature. The abstract must be written in  Legends must be numbered consecutively as they first complete sentences and be intelligible without reference to the appear in the text. All symbols or abbreviations appearing rest of the paper. No references should be used in the abstract. in any figure must be defined in the legend.

On the same page, list, in alphabetical order, five Key Words Tables that reflect the content of the manuscript. Consult the Medical  All tables must be cited in the text and have titles. Table Subject Headings for appropriate key words. Key words should titles should be complete but brief. Information other than be set in lower case (except for essential capitals), separated by that defining the data should be presented as footnotes. a semicolon and bolded.  Create tables using the table creating and editing feature of Microsoft Word. Do not use Excel or comparable Text spreadsheet programs. The body of the text should be written using American English  Each table should be simple and uncomplicated, with NO spelling. vertical and as few horizontal lines as possible. Where quantities are specified, S.I. units should be used.  Each table is to appear on a separate page and must Equivalent Imperial or U.S. units, if desired, should follow in include the table title and appropriate column heads. parentheses e.g. 1 Kg (2.2 pounds).  Save each table in a separate word document file and upload individually, like figures. References  Do not embed tables within the body of the manuscript.  References to published works, abstracts and books must include all that are relevant and necessary to the Figures manuscript.  All figures must be cited in the text and must have legends.  Citations in the text should be in parentheses and listed  Each figure should be attached as a separate file and chronologically; e.g. (Bickley et al., 1981; von Hagens, labeled with the appropriate number. 1985; Henry and Haynes, 1989) except when the authors  Figures should be created, saved and submitted as either a name is part of a sentence; e.g. "…von Hagens (1985) TIFF, JPEG (JPG) or an EPS file. reported that…" When references are made to more than  Line drawings must have a resolution of at least 1200 dpi, one paper by the same author published in the same year, and electronic photographs, scanned images, radiographs, designate each citation as 1999 a, b, c, etc. CT and MRI scans must have a resolution of at least 300  Literature cited may only include the publications, which dpi. are cited in the text. References are to be listed  The size of each figure should be at least 8.25 cm / 3.25 alphabetically using abbreviated journal names according inches (one-column width) or 16 cm / 6 inches (two- to Index Medicus. Page numbers of the citation must be column width). included.  Magnification must be recorded and have a “scale bar” in  Examples of the reference style are as follows: the photo. Since reproduction of illustrations is costly,  For a journal article: authors should limit the number of figures to those which Bickley HC, von Hagens G, Townsend FM. 1981: An adequately present the findings, and add to the improved method for preserving of teaching specimens. understanding of the manuscript. Arch Pathol Lab Med 105:674-676.  Figures that are submitted in color must be published in  For a book section: color. Henry R, Haynes C. 1989: The urinary system. In: Henry R, editor. An atlas and guide to the dissection of the pony, 4th ed. Edina, MN: Alpha Editions, p 8-17.