BACKGROUND: The study of animal development by a dynamic perspective on gross anatomy often provides amplified pattern to reveal the more complex anatomy of the adult. This is especially helpful in understanding system whose components drastically change their relation positions during developmental growth, such as urogenital organs. OJECTIVES: The aim of present study was to study morphologic and morphometric development of sheep kidneys during fetal period. METHODS: Sixty fetal kidneys obtained from 30 sheep fetuses were divided into three groups (70-100, 100-120, 120-145 days) according to body length. Topography, dimensions, and weight of kidneys were evaluated. RESULTS: The kidneys were located totally in the lumbar region of the sides of the median plane. The position of kidneys relative to the transvers process of lumbar vertebrae was different in the age groups. The fetal kidney was not located at the same level of adult position even at the end of fetal period. The right kidney was consistently slightly cranial to left kidney. The left kidney was in contact with dorsal sac of rumen in all age groups. The right kidney was covered by ventral surface and a small part of the lateral surface of right lobe of liver, but with advancing age, the contact are of right kidney with caudate process of liver showed tangible reduction and such a contact limited eventually to the cranial pole of kidney. Means of dimensions and weight of kidneys increased with gestational age during fetal period. There were no sex and laterality differences in any parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Topography of fetal sheep kidneys relative to the lumbar vertebrate and their contact area of the kidneys with right lobe and caudate process of liver differed extremely from that of adult sheep kidney. It seems that the emergence of positional asymmetry of kidneys and changing contact area of right kidney exhibited an intimate relationship with the cranial shift and grow rate of right lobe and caudate process of liver during fetal development. The morphmetric results of fetal sheep kidneys were in agreement with the morphometric findings of humans and bovine kidneys.

Donkeys have a long history in the development of human societies. Typically referred to as a beast of burden, traditional uses for donkeys have included the transportation of goods and people, use in agricultural and forestry activities, to access water, and provide citizens in low- and middle-income countries a means of making an income for communities. However, the rise of mechanization, the development of modern farming techniques, and the increasing availability of motorized vehicles have led to donkeys and mules becoming redundant from traditional roles in many parts of the world. We provide examples of where donkeys have successfully transitioned from traditional roles to new, non-traditional roles in Europe and North America, and demonstrate that, although the roles and use of donkeys and mules are changing in a rapidly developing world, we can learn lessons from the past and apply them to current challenges. As the need for working equids declines in transport and agriculture, they still hold great value for recreational, therapeutic, and environmentally friendly methods of animal traction.

The development of thyroid glands of New-Zeland rabbits was studied in 28fetuses (10-30 days) and 28 rabbits (3 days-5 years). The thyroid premordia appeared at the 12th day of gestation as 2 masses of cords and clumps of cells. The gland assumed the bilobed form with a narrow isthmus in between at the 18th day. Small primitive follicles with narrow empty lumina appeared in 14-day-old fetuses. True follicles were recorded in 20-22 days old fetuses while colloid was seen in the lumina of the central follicles at the 24th day. Light (C- or Parafollicular) cells were seen for the first time at the 12th day. With development of the follicles, C-cells appeared between the follicular cells and some of them come in contact with colloid. The ultimobranchial body (UBB) was observed in 20 days old fetuses close to the thyroid anlage and entered into its tissue at the 22nd day. Later on, it gave thyroid-like follicles or ultimobranchial cysts. With the electron microscope (EM) follicular cells of earlydeveloping fetuses were not yet differentiated. They contained few ill-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and mitochondria. The organelles became well developed and the cells started to secrete colloid in full term fetuses. The maximum rate of secretory activity was achieved in the glands of adult rabbits. Changes in the thyroid glands during the postnatal life up to 5 years of age (age of senility) were followed up and described.

Thrombocytes in vertebrates other than mammals, inter alia in fish, are analogues of platelets in mammals. In Osteichthyes, these cells take part in haemostatic processes, including aggregation and release reactions in cases of blood vessel damage, and in the immune response development as well. This paper discusses the development of thrombocytes in Osteichthyes, taking into account the need to make changes to the concept of grouping progenitor cells as suggested in the literature. The following pages present the morphological and cytochemical properties of thrombocytes as well as their defence functions, and also point out differences between thrombocytes in fish and platelets in mammals. The paper further highlights the level of thrombocytes’ immune activity observed in fish and based on an increased proportion of these cells in response to antigenic stimulation, on morphological shifts towards forms characteristic of dendritic cells after antigenic stimulation and on the presence of surface structures and cytokines released through, inter alia, gene expression of TLR receptors, MHC class II protein-coding genes and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The study also points out the need to recognise thrombocytes in Osteichthyes as specialised immune cells conditioning non-specific immune mechanisms and playing an important role in affecting adaptive immune mechanisms.

This study was carried out to investigate the skeletal measurement of the sternum and ribs at 60-, 90-, 120-day-old fetuses and neonates of Korean native goats. The total length and width of the ossified part of the sternebrae and ribs were observed at 60-, 90-, 120-day-old fetuses and neonates. The ossification of the ribs from the 1st to the 8th rib was observed in 60-day-old fetuses, but not observed from the 9th to the last rib. In the 90-day-old fetuses, all ribs were observed having ossified parts. In the 60-day-old fetuses, all sternebrae were not observed having ossified parts.

This study was carried out to investigate the morphological development of the tongue in the 60-, 90- and 120-day-old fetuses and neonates of Korean native goats by light microscopy. In 60-day-old fetuses, the tongue tissues were differentiated into epithelium, lamina propria, and muscle layer. The primordia of filiform, conical, lentiform, fungiform, and vallate papillae appeared by this time, and rudiments of taste buds were observed in the epithelia of the primordia gustatory papillae. The dorsal lingual epithelia were PAS positive.

The male, female, nymph, and larva of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) norvali sp. n., are described and compared with other members of the H. (R.) spinulosa group. Adult H. (R.) norvali parasitize the southern African hedgehog, Erinaceus frontalis Smith, in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. Immatures were reared on a laboratory rabbit.

Sixteen primiparous sows were bred and fed either a control ration (n = 8) or a diet containing purified zearalenone (n = 8; 1 mg/kg of body weight) from days 7 to 10 after breeding. On day 7 after breeding, the jugular vein of each sow was cannulated and blood was collected at 20-minute intervals for 4 hours before feeding and 4 hour after feeding. On day 10 after breeding, blood samples were collected from 4 control sows and 4 zearalenonefed sows at 20-minute intervals for 4 hours before collection of blastocysts. A similar blood sampling schedule was followed for the remaining 4 control and 4 zearalenone sows on day 14 after breeding. On day 10 after breeding, spherical blastocysts were recovered from all control sows and from 3 of 4 zearalenone-treated sows. Average diameter of blastocysts from zearalenone-treated sows were similar to that of control sows. On day 14 after breeding, blastocysts were recovered from all control sows and 3 of 4 zearalenone-treated sows. Blastocysts from the control sows were filamentous, whereas blastocysts from zearalenone-treated sows were fragmented and contained foci of necrosis. Incidence of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretory spikes per sow was less (P less than 0.01) in zearalenone-treated sows (0.25 +/- 0.25/4 h) than control sows (1.75 +/- 0.25/4 h) on day 10 after breeding. Incidence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretory spikes was simillar (P = 0.45) among treatments on days 7, 10, and 14 after breeding. Mean serum concentrations of LH were less on day 10 (P = 0.07) and day 14 (P less than 0.01) in zearalenone-treated sows than in control sows (3.3 +/- 0.2 ng/ml vs 6.2 +/- 1.3). These data indicate that administration of zearalenone on days 7 to 10 after breeding altered secretory patterns of serum LH during days 10 and 14 after breeding, which may have contributed to the death of blastocysts by day 14 after breeding.

The aim of this study was to investigate morphological development of filiform papillae (FP) in Korean native goats by using scanning electron microscopy. Tongues were removed from goat fetuses (days 60, 90, and 120), neonates, and juveniles (days 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 after birth). During the prenatal period, primordia of FP appeared at fetal day 60 and were observed to be developed at day 90. At fetal day 120, the FP were observed like flower leaves of a double flower bud. In neonates, FP were shaped like an obliquely sectioned cylinder with secondary papillae irregularly arranged in a saw blade-like manner. In 60-day-old juvenile goats, the FP were densely distributed at the inner base of 1/3-1/2 degrees. In 90-, 120-, and 150-day-old goats, FP were compacted at the inner base of 1/2-2/3, 3/4, and 4/5 degrees, respectively. In 180-day-old goats, FP were found to be completely compacted on the inner surface with complete morphogenesis. Microridges, microplicae, and micropits were well-developed on the epithelial surface of lingual papillae from embryonic day 120 to juvenile day 180. These results indicate that FP of goats have different shapes and sizes during development both before and after birth.

The maxillary sinus appeared first among the sinuses of the skull at 92 days of prenatal stage. The early formation of frontal sinus was observed at 157 days in the cranial most part of the frontal bone while the early formation of palatine sinus was observed at 170 days. A total of five fontanelles were observed in prenatal skulls of buffalo. The largest and unpaired fontanelle was anterior fontanelle. The mastoid and sphenoidal fontanelle were paired. The ossification of anterior fontanelle was first observed at 164 days. All the fontanelles were ossified completely prenatally.