Gross anatomy of the oropharyngeal cavity in the ostrich [Struthio camelus]

There are significant structural differences between the mouth and pharyngeal cavity of birds and mammals. It is usual to refer to a common oropharyngeal cavity of birds because the soft palate, which forms such an obvious delineation between the mouth and pharyngeal cavity, is absent. Six male adult ostriches were used to study the oropharyngeal cavity and its components including the beak, hard palate, pharynx, tongue and the larynx macroscopically. This study revealed that these components in ostrich have different features from other birds. In the ostrich, the beaks are spoon-shaped and the tongue is characterized by a short, broad and semicircular form. The hard palate is concave with a prominent median mucosal fold in its 2/3 rostral area and two oblique choanal slits in its caudal third area. The roof of pharynx presents infundibular slit in midline, a deep concave notch in caudal border and pharyngeal tonsils on its dorsal surface. The larynx protrudes from the floor of pharynx and consists of the unpaired cricoid cartilage and the paired arytenoid cartilages

Histomorphologic and morphometric study of pancreas in mehraban male sheep

Histomorphologic and histomorphometric studies on the pancreas of Mehraban male sheep were done in four age groups: fetus, neonate, young adult and old age In this respect, we used special stainings, light microscope and ocular micrometer. The results showed that the smooth muscles were absent in capsule. The tubular portion of exocrine pancreas was more prominent. Neuroinsular complex and beta unicellular islets were observed. The islet diameters were found between 51.01 to 96.09 microns. The capsule had not role in the secretion of pancreatic juice, the islet diameters increased by age

Intrahepatic ramifications of the portal vein in the horse

The ramifications of the portal vein in the liver of horses were studied by using corrosion casting and gross dissection. The portal vein in the horse supplies the hepatic lobes by six major branches. The right lobe is supplied by three main branches, namely the dorsal diaphragmatic, the right caudodorsal and the right intermediate branches. The left branch supplies the left lateral and medial lobes and parts of the quadrate lobe adjacent to the left medial lobe. The caudate branch supplies caudate process of the caudate lobe. The right common trunk supplies also a part of right lobe and quadrate lobe. Therefore, the pattern of blood distribution in portal vein of horse differs from that of other species

Histomorphometrical study on pancreas in pre- and postnatal Mehraban male sheep

In the present study, different structures of the stroma and parenchyma of pancreas in Mehraban breed of male sheep were histomorphometrically studied. Animals were collected from different age groups including fetus, neonate, young and old adults. In each group, 3 animals and total of 12 animals were used. Histomorphometric studies consisted of the determination of volume density of stromal and parenchyma! structures and the percentages of islet cells in different age groups. The results indicated that volume density of endocrine portion and connective tissue elements of pancreas between fetus and neonate and also between neonate and adult were significantly different. There was an apparent significant difference in volume density of blood vessels between neonate and old adult. A significant difference was also seen in volume density of ducts in the right lobe of neonate pancreas compared to the left lobe and body of pancreas, but no significant differences were seen in the other age groups. There was a significant difference in the mean number of beta cells in old adult compared to others, which indicated that this endocrine cell increased at this age. The percentages of endocrine cells varied in different age groups, but the predominant cell type of islets was beta and then alpha cells. There was low number of delta cells. The highest percentages of beta, alpha and delta cells were found in neonate, young adult and fetus, respectively. The lowest percentages of these cells were observed in fetus, [neonate] and neonate, respectively

Scanning electron-microscopic study of the lingual papillae in newborn lambs

The tongue papillae of the newborn lamb were studied by scanning electron-microscopy. The rose bud- shaped filiform papillae had a primary papillae and 6 to 8 slender secondary papillae. The convex surfaced fungiform papillae were raised above the lingual mucosa. The conical papillae had a sharp tip and were arranged regularly. Lenticular papillae revealed a hemisphere protrusion appearance. The circumvallate papillae were round to oval shaped and were characterized by a papillary groove and a thick annular pad or vallium of lingual mucosa