Prenatal and postnatal development of the lingual papillae in albino rat: light and scanning electron microscopic study

Adult albino rats of the Sprague- Dawley strain were caged together for 24 hours [every three estrous females with an adult male] and their resultant embryos and off springs were used in this study. The tongues of ten animals in each of the following prenatal age groups [16 and 20 days or E16- Group I and E20- Group 2 respectively] and another ten in each of the following postnatal age groups [7 and 21 days or P7- Group 3 and P21 - Group 4] were used. The lingual papillae in the tongues of the different age groups were studied using both light and scanning electron microscopy. In the prenatal group 1 [E16], the dorsal lingual epithelium was noticed to be stratified squamous epitheliumn with poorly developed vallate papillae. No evidence of keratinization, fungiform, or filiform papillae were visible a the dorsal surface of the tongue, while in group 2 [E20], few fungiform papillae and numerous rounded tips of filiform ones became visible. Also, a thin layer of keratin was clearly located at the tip of each, filiforin papilla. At later stages of development [P7 and P21], the filiformn papillae appeared longer, more slender with pointed tips, and the keratin layer increased in thickness. The primordia of the circumvallate papillae appeared as small rounded elevated areas on the dorsal surface of the tongue at E16. At E20 a solid epithelial downgrowth appeared on either side of the papilla in which future taste bud cells appeared. The glitter started to open at P7 and became well formed at P21. The taste buds were identified on both walls of the developing gutter, and they then gradually enlarged. Taste bud cells became differentiated into gustatory and supporting cells at P7 to P21 age groups

Sectional anatomy of the brain ventricles in normal and hydrocephalic individuals

The aim of this study was to investigate its related sectional anatomy of the brain ventricles using serial axial CT scans of both healthy controls and hydrocephalic patients at various age groups. The population sample included four controls and four hydrocephalic patients for each of three age groups; birth till puberty, adult and old age groups. The CT scans of the brain ventricles at different level were examined for both metric and non-metric features. In the healthy persons, Evans' calculation and the lateral ventricular ratios showed increased values of the healthy first and third age groups as compared with the second group indicating a relative increase in the volume of the ventricles. In the present CT scans of hydrocephalic brains, the first ventricle that showed expansion was the lateral ventricle. The present results revealed a sort of differential ventricular expansion specific sequence for each age group. In infantile hydrocephalus, the posterior horns were enlarged more than the anterior ones of the lateral ventricle; whereas, in adult and senile hydrocephalus, dilatation of the anterior and posterior horns were similar. Furthermore, dilatation of the third ventricle in CT brain scanning of hydrocephalic patients is indicative of the advanced stage of the disease and urgent surgical interference. However, fourth ventricular dilatation can be used to determine the type of hydrocephalus