Hieronim Frąckowiak

Arterial vascularization in the giraffe brain

The aim of this study was to analyze the system of arteries in the brain of the giraffe, including the arterial circle of the brain, its branches and junctions, as well as individual variation of the vessels. Analyses were performed on postmortem material of 12 heads of giraffes obtained from Polish zoological gardens. The age of the examined animals ranged from 1.5 to 12 years. Moreover, arteries of one fetus aged approximately 10 months were also analyzed. Arteries of the heads were injected with latex and vinyl superchloride dissolved in acetone. In the giraffe, similarly as in other ruminant species, obliteration of the intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery was observed, together with the presence in the cranial cavity of the rostral epidural rete mirabile, from which the preserved intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery exteriorizes. The rostral cerebral artery of the brain and the caudal communicating artery, participating in the formation of the arterial circle of the brain, are formed by segments of the terminal intracranial part of the internal carotid artery. In the giraffe branches of the arterial circle of the brain included: the internal ethmoidal artery, the middle cerebral artery, the rostral choroid artery, the caudal cerebral artery, the rostral cerebellar artery and the caudal cerebellar artery. It was shown that the basilar artery was thin and could not participate in the blood supply for the brain. On the basis of the conducted analysis it was found that in the giraffe the arterial circle of the brain is supplied with blood mainly by the maxillary artery.

The Arteries of Brain Base in Species of Bovini Tribe

Studies were conducted on 78 preparations of head and brain arteries in four species of Bos genus, that is in domestic cattle (N = 59), including 22 foetuses (CRL 36.5-78.5 cm), in banteng (Bos javanicus, N = 3), yak (Bos mutus f. grunniens, N = 2), American bison (Bison bison, N = 4), and European bison (Bison bonasus, N = 10). The comparative analysis permitted to demonstrate a similar pattern of brain base arteries in the studied animals. In the studied species, blood vessels of the arterial circle of the brain were found to form by bifurcation of intracranial segments of inner carotid arteries, which protruded from the paired rostral epidural rete mirabile. In Bovidae arterial circle of the brain was supplied with blood mainly by maxillary artery through the blood vessels of the paired rostral epidural rete mirabile. The unpaired caudal epidural rete mirabile was participating in blood supply to the arterial circle of the brain from vertebral and occipital arteries. It manifested character of a taxonomic trait for species of Bos and Bison genera. Basilar artery in all the examined animals manifested a variable diameter, with preliminary portion markedly narrowed, which prevented its participation in blood supply to the arterial circle of the brain. The results and taxonomic position of the species made the authors to suggest a hypothesis that a similar arterial pattern on the brain base might be present also in other species, not included in this analysis.

Navicular syndrome in sport horses as a result of the disorder of biological bone tissue turnover rhythm: a review

This review summarizes the macroanatomical changes affecting the navicular bone in terms of mechanisms of bone turnover. Many researchers associate the disorders described in this review with limb overloads occurring periodically during training. As a result of intensified and repetitive biomechanical strains, accumulation of microcracks occurs in the bone tissue. It can disrupt the natural rhythm of tissue regeneration. The rhythm comprises a short resorption stage as well as bone formation stage, which lasts several months in horses. The article also dwells on different forms of macroscopic lesions of the navicular bone, which may occur in the uncoupled Basic Multicellular Unit. They lead to the navicular syndrome, which is irreversible and most often eliminates the horse from sport competitions.

Differences in exterior conformation between primitive, Half-bred, and Thoroughbred horses: Anatomic-breeding approach

The study included 249 horses belonging to 3 horse breeds. Konik horses, comprising the first group, is an example of a breed similar to the extinct Tarpan. In our study, these horses were taken to be a primitive anatomical model of the horse body. The other groups comprised the Polish Half-bred horse and Thoroughbred horse. The biometric characteristics of the horses were compared based on 24 indices. The aim of the paper was to find a reduced set of indices that can be used to determine group membership of the horses. To do this, we used statistical methods to find the most important indices that best discriminate breeds from each other. Chi-squared statistics, linear discriminant analysis, logistic regression, and 1-way ANOVA showed that the discrimination among groups of horses is connected with these 5 indices: scapula, smaller trunk (distance between tubercle of humerus and coxal tuber), greater trunk (distance between tubercle of humerus and ischial tuberosity), metacarpus circumference, and hind autopodium-smaller trunk. Thoroughbred and Half-bred horses are clearly different in exterior conformation from Konik horses. The differences between Thoroughbred and Half-bred horses are more subtle. The conformation of Thoroughbreds is jointly determined by relatively small differences in a range of features.

The arteries of brain base in species of the cervid family.

The aim of the article was to describe the pattern of main arteries at the encephalon base, their connections, and varieties. This study included 106 specimens of the head and cerebral arteries of the following eight species of the cervid family: reindeer, chital, Elds deer, wapiti, sika deer, fallow deer, Pere Davids deer or milu, and Reeves or Chinese muntjac. The arteries of the animals under study were filled with acetone‐dissolved stained vinyl superchloride or stained latex LBS3060. The analysis of the specimens revealed that the vascular system of the species of the studied cervid family was similar to the system described in other ruminant species. A branch diverging from the condylar artery to the rostral epidural rete mirabile is present in all studied cervids, but it can be found also in giraffe and eland. The pattern of the arterial vascularization of the encephalon base, which we observed in our analysis, confirms the morphological similarity between those animals and the correct placement of the cervid family in species taxonomy. Anat Rec, 298:735–740, 2015.

Comparative analysis of the course of the facial and transverse facial arteries in selected ruminant species

The paper describes variations in patterns of origin from the main arteries as well as of branching and course demonstrated on the basis of selected facial arteries in several species of ruminants. The studies included 35 species of 27 genera, 9 subfamilies of animals belonging to families of Bovidae, Cervidae, Giraffidae and Moschidae from the suborder of Ruminantia, including species maintained by humans. Altogether, 435 preparations of head arteries were studied. Arteries of the examined animals were filled with acetone-dissolved stained vinyl superchloride or stained latex LBS3060. The facial artery was found to originate from the main arteries of the head in three different manners. In species devoid of facial arteries, the presence of a pronounced transverse facial artery could be demonstrated. Division of the animals into large and small ruminants, generally accepted by authors of animal anatomy textbooks, was found to be oversimplified and lacking in universal character, as to the patterns of origin and course of the facial artery and the transverse facial artery.

The arterial circle of the brain, its branches and connections in selected representatives of the Antilopinae.

The arterial circle of the brain, that is, the circle of Willis, and its branches in ruminants have been chiefly described in farm animals and only in selected wild species. In view of the deficit of information about this vascular region in numerous other species of the Ruminantia, the arteries of the encephalic base were analyzed in five antelope species representing different genera of the Bovidae, Antilopinae. Specimens of the following species were examined: springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis), blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), dik‐dik (Madoqua kirkii), saiga (Saiga tatarica), and oribi (Ourebia ourebi). Post‐autopsy material received from domestic zoological gardens was used to inject the bilateral common carotid arteries with a stained acetone solution of vinyl superchloride. When the material was polymerized, the specimens were macerated enzymatically. The process resulted in casts of arteries of the head and encephalic base on a skeletal scaffold. The investigations revealed that the bilateral components of the arterial circle of the brain, that is, the rostral cerebral artery and caudal communicating artery, arose from the division of the intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery, which emerges from the rostral epidural rete mirabile. The extracranial segment of the internal carotid artery was obliterated. In consequence of this process, the blood reaches the brain chiefly from the maxillary artery. The research proved that the arteries of the encephalic base in the Antilopinae are most similar to the vessels described in antelopes of Tragelaphus, Taurotragus, and Boselaphus genera and small domestic ruminants. However, they are different from the arterial pattern of the encephalic base in bovines and other species classified as the Bovini. J. Morphol. 276:766–771, 2015.

Changes in testis parameters and the weight of antlers and carcass in males of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) between 2009 and 2011

The research involved the analysis of changes in selected metrical features in the male roe deer (n = 57) during three consecutive years 2009–2011. Next, correlations between testis parameters and carcass and antler weight were presented. The research was conducted during the rut. Statistical analyses showed that in particular years the weight of carcass, antlers and testes changed. Also, differences in the thickness and circumference of testes were observed. Males presented the lowest weight in 2009 when a severe winter occurred. It was also a year when the males had the smallest and lightest testes. The highest weight of the studied males was recorded in 2011. However, the increase in carcass weight did not translate into proportional increase in testis weight. The antler weight increase was not closely related to the increase in carcass weight either. In each of the analysed years, the bucks presented the same length of testes and epididymis.

Arterial Patterns of the Face in Perissodactyla

Considerable consistency in the arterial pattern of the head has been observed in species of Artiodactyla, but few studies have examined the order Perissodactyla. Here, we describe arteries supplying the intermandibular, mental, masseteric, buccal, labial, and nasal regions in eight perissodactylans, including representing of all families comprising this order. Observations were made on a total of 45 preparations of head arteries, obtained by injection of arteries with acetone-dissolved stained vinyl superchloride or stained latex LBS3060. In the Equidae species alone it was found that the facial artery descends from the linguofacial trunk. In tapirs and rhinos the facial artery branches off directly from the main arteries of the head. In tapirs alone it was found that the inferior alveolar artery gives off the buccal and sublingual arteries, and then extends into the mental artery. In the rhino a specific feature of the arterial pattern of the head was the exit of the occipital artery from the superficial temporal artery. In all equines studied, the transverse facial artery gave off a larger blood vessel to the masseter muscle and ran along the facial crest, while in tapirs and rhinos the transverse facial artery fanned out branches in the masseteric fossa. The variations observed can be considered in future studies on the origin of Perissodactyla. In this context, we note that the most similar patterns of exit and course of the facial, mental, transverse facial and infraorbital arteries exist in tapirs and rhinos (Ceratomorpha suborder), at least among the perissodactylans studied here. Anat Rec, 300:1529-1534, 2017.

Osseous Pathological Changesin the White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)in its Central European Habitat

The aim of our research was to examine bone health in white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) that died in the years 2010-2016. The research was conducted on 37 complete skeletons of eagles that came from the territories of Poland and Germany. CT and digital radiography were used in the research, and anatomical and histological analyses were carried out. We described macroscopic bone lesions in 14 birds. The most frequently found forms of pathological changes were osteophytes, which formed mainly in pelvic limbs. They were found less frequently in certain wing bones, as well as the clavicle and the sternum. In four cases, proliferative bone lesions were accompanied by osteoarthritis. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) was diagnosed in six birds, including one in the early stages of the disease. The lesions were found in most cases in the knee joint area and affected mainly the proximal epiphysis of the tibiotarsal bone. In one bird, a macroscopic presentation typical of osteomyelitis was observed on the tarsometatarsal bone, which might have been associated with its fracture and lysis. There was also one case of lesions typical of osteosarcoma. The analysis of individual bones of each skeleton revealed that bones from pelvic limbs more often underwent pathological changes, especially the tibiotarsus and associated joints. However, it is difficult to accept this observation as a rule without research on larger material. One cannot exclude the possibility that some types of changes in bones, such as osteosarcoma and OCD, may result from poisoning with heavy metals, particularly cadmium.