Characterization of the uterus and mammary glands of the female African giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse) in Nigeria / Caracterización del útero y glándulas mamarias de la rata africana gigante hembra (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse) en Nigeria

Morphology of the uterus and mammary glands were studied in sexually matured female African giant rat. The uterus was identified as being duplex, having two separate uterine horns and two cervices. The two cervices were partially fused and separated by a mid-saggital septum. Their thick musculatures projected caudally into the vagina as the portio vaginalis uteri. The results also showed that eight mammary glands, distributed along the lateral aspects of thoracic and inguinal regions, were present. The thoracic and the inguinal regions had four mammary glands each and were arranged in two pairs of cranial and caudal rows. These findings fill some gaps created by the dearth of information on the reproductive biology of the female African giant rat.

La morfología del útero y las glándulas mamarias fueron estudiadas en ratas Africanas gigantes sexualmente maduras. El útero fue identificado como doble, teniendo dos cuernos uterinos separados y dos cervix. Los dos cervix estaban parcialmente fusionados y separados por un tabique mediano sagital. Su grosor muscular se proyecta caudalmente en la vagina como la porción vaginal del cuello uterino. Los resultados también mostraron que ocho glándulas mamarias, distribuidas a lo largo de las zonas laterales de tórax y la región inguinal estaban presentes. La región torácica e inguinal tenía cuatro glándulas mamarias en cada lado y se organizaron en dos pares de filas craneales y caudales. Estos hallazgos completan algunas lagunas creadas por la escasez de información sobre la biología reproductiva de la rata gigante Africana hembra.

Anatomical, histological and histochemical studies on some organs of true desert rodents in the Egyptian habitats

The present study aimed to compare between the anatomy, histology and histochemistry of two species belonging to two different families namely Muridae and Dipodidae. Muridae is the largest family of rodents in the world; it is represented in this work by fat sand rat Psammomys obesus. Four-toed jerboa Allactaga tetradactyla represents the other family, Dipodidae. Psammomys obesus lives in coastal presaharan region; the preferred habitat is saline marshes ,and wadis where halophytic plants were abundant. However, Allactaga tetradactyla, inhabites the salt marshes and clay desert areas of coastal plains. The investigated animals were collected from desert, weighed and transferred alive to the laboratory in separate cages then anaesthetized with ether, after which they were carefully dissected, organs are taken out and prepared for the histological and histochemical studies. The nucleocytoplasmic index of liver cells was calculated, kidney weighed and the relative thickness of cortex,, outer and inner medulla was measured and total glomerular number was recorded. The liver, as in mammalian species, is consists of five separate lobes. The mitotic index of Psammomys obesus is smaller than that found in Allactaga tetradactyla. This may he due to the increased activity of'Allactaga tetradactyla. In the kidney, the cortex is classified into three regions namely superficial, midcortical and juxtamedullary zones. Both number and diameter of glomeruli, glomerular volume and relative glomerular blood volume is greater in Psammomys obesus than that in Allactaga tetradactyla. These observations indicate the ability of Psammomys obesus to produce highly concentrated urine than that of'Allactaga tetradactyla

Effect of carbon tetrachloride on rat liver, following parathyroidectomy: histopathological observations.

Absence of centrilobular necrosis, cirrhosis and giant hepatic cells with a large nucleus were significant observations in the liver of CCl4 treated rats following unilateral parathyroidectomy. Increased number of mitochondria and presence of binucleated cells indicated hepatic regeneration in unilaterally parathyroidectomized and CCl4 treated rats. Focal necrosis, giant cells and presence of smooth endoplasmic reticulum around the nucleus reflect a slight impairment in regeneration of the liver following bilateral parathyroidectomy and CCl4 administration. The results show that parathyroidectomy interferes in the pathogenesis of necrosis and associated lesions in the liver of CCl4 treated rats. Overall results indicate that unilateral parathyroidectomy afforded better protection than bilateral parathyroidectomy.

Vascularizaçäo arterial do epidídimo do camundongo negro isogênico (Rodentia-Muridae) / Arterial vascularization of the black isogenic mouse epididymis

A vascularizaçäo arterial do epidídimo do camundongo negro isogênico é feita pelas artérias epididimárias cranial e caudal, que säo ramos da artéria testicular, e pela artéria deferencial, que é colateral à artéria vesical cranial. O comportamento anatômico destes vasos, em termos de origem,disposiçäo e distribuiçäo, é aqui descrito. Todos os resultados säo discutidos com aqueles existentes na literatura especializada

Estudo morfológico do órgäo pineal do rato-espinho Proechimys iheringi Thomas, 1911 / Morphological study of the pineal organ in the spined rat proechimys iheringi Thomas, 1911

O órgäo pineal do rato-espinho está situado profundamente próximo ao terceiro ventrículo. Possui um padräo de organizaçäo compacto, com pinealócitos e astrócitos formando cordöes ou rosetas. Numerosas concreçöes hematoxilina alúmen-crômica positivas estäo presentes no tecido adjacente à pineal e às veias que drenam este órgäo. Neste trabalho é discutida a provável origem destas concreçöes