RESUMO
Lead (Pb) is a ubiquitous, non-biodegradable heavy metal contaminant with a significant impact on both human and animal health. The adverse effect of lead on health and productivity of avian species has received little attention. Alchornea laxiflora (Benth) belongs to Euphorbiaceae family and grows naturally in the Nigerian rain forest. Decoction of the leaves is usually administered traditionally to treat inflammatory and infectious diseases. The ethanol extract of Alchornea laxiflora (EaAL) leaves was used in this study to ameliorate lead-induced neurodegeneration. Seven groups of 5-week-old cockerels (n=5) were treated for 6 weeks thus: Group A - Control (water only), Group B - (100â¯mg/kg of EaAL daily), Group C - (200â¯mg/kg of EaAL daily, p.o.), Group D - (1â¯% lead acetate in drinking water), Group E - (1â¯% lead acetate in drinking water and 100â¯mg/kg of EaAL daily), Group F - (1â¯% lead acetate and 200â¯mg/kg of EaAL daily), Group G - (1â¯% lead acetate and 100â¯mg/kg of Vitamin C). All administrations were per os birds were euthanized on day 43 by quick cervical dislocation. Histological stains (H&E and Nissl) and Black Gold II (BGII) histochemistry were used to assess alterations in the cerebrum and cerebellum. Administration of EaAL at the two concentrations resulted in a drastic reduction in the incidence of neuropathologies observed (e.g. pyknosis and multilayering of Purkinje cells, neuronal degeneration in hippocampus cerebrum and ependymal cells, distortion of meningeal epithelial cells, etc). BGII histochemistry revealed severe demyelination caused by the administration of lead acetate, while the two doses of EaAL showed significant restoration of myelin in the cerebellum. The amelioration of demyelination observed with the use of vitamin C was considerably lower than that recorded with the use of EaAL. The use of EaAL significantly ameliorated morphological alterations and demyelination caused by the administration of lead acetate, however, caution should be exercised in the administration, as individual species idiosyncrasies may arise and the tendency to pro-oxidation at 200â¯mg/kg when administered alone was observed in one subject.
RESUMO
There has been a recent increase in the use of trained dogs in animal-assisted therapy programmes. This morphological study uses the Nigerian local dog as a prototype dolichocephalic to determine rostrofacial parameters which are of clinical and anesthesiological importance in veterinary oral surgery and intervention. Sixteen Nigerian local dog skulls of both sexes (seven males and nine females) were used. The females were observed to have higher values for most of the parameters measured. Statistically significant difference (P<0.05) was only observed in one parameter, distance between the mandibular foramen and the caudal border of the mandible, with the female value being higher. The length of the mandible from the most rostral point of the dental bone to the most caudal projection of the coronoid process (MDL-1) showed a positive correlation to the parameters depicting height, width and length of the mandible. Results obtained from this study will find application in veterinary comparative anatomy and in clinical application in oral and maxillofacial surgery and anaesthesia, especially in regions where the dental x-ray is not readily available.
Se ha observado un reciente aumento en el uso de perros entrenados en los programas de terapia asistida con animales. Este estudio morfológico utiliza el perro local de Nigeria como prototipo dolicocéfalo para determinar los parámetros rostrofaciales, de importancia clínica en la intervención quirúrgica y asistencia anestesiológica oral en veterinaria. Se utilizaron 16 cráneos de perros de ambos sexos (siete machos y nueve hembras). Se observó que las hembras tenían valores más altos para la mayoría de los parámetros medidos. Una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (P<0,05 ) sólo se observó en un parámetro, la distancia entre el foramen mandibular y el margen caudal de la mandíbula, donde las hembras registraron el valor más alto. La longitud de la mandíbula desde el punto del hueso dental más rostral, a la proyección caudal del proceso coronoides mandibular mostró una correlación positiva para los parámetros de altura, ancho y longitud mandibular. Los resultados obtenidos pueden ser aplicados en anatomía veterinaria, así como en clínica para cirugía oral, maxilofacial y el uso de anestesia, especialmente en lugares o situaciones donde la radiografía dental no siempre está al alcance.
Assuntos
Animais , Masculino , Feminino , Cães , Crânio/anatomia & histologia , Cães/anatomia & histologia , Cefalometria , Anestesia por Condução , NigériaRESUMO
This study investigates the morphometry of two sense organs, the eyeball and tongue, of the Nigerian local dog (11 males, 14 females), all aged 2 years and above. The samples were grouped according to gender and weight (up to 12 kg or above that weight). The average values obtained for the weights of the left and right eyeballs and the tongue were 3.77 +/- 0.51 g, 3.68 +/- 0.74 g and 2.96 +/- 0.38 g respectively, while the length of the tongue, its thickness and width at the root and apex were 14.20 +/- 2.29 cm, 0.87 +/- 0.30 cm, and 0.21 +/- 0.05 cm respectively. The circumferences of the eyeballs (antero-posterior, mediolateral and peri-orbital) were all found to be higher in females, except the antero-posterior circumference of left eye, in spite of heavier eyeballs in males. Also, the females showed a wider rima oris and higher values for most of the tongue measurements. A positive correlation existed between the weight of the animal and that of the head and tongue, while a negative correlation was observed between the body weight and the weight of the eyeballs. This report highlights the presence of sexual dimorphism and mild lateral asymmetry in this rarely reported breed of dog. The data obtained from this study may find application in feeding physiology, ophthalmic clinical manipulations and comparative anatomy.
