Studies were conducted on 78 preparations of head and brain arteries in four species of Bos genus, that is in domestic cattle (N 5 59), including 22 foetuses (CRL 36.5-78.5 cm), in banteng (Bos javanicus, N 5 3), yak (Bos mutus f. grunniens, N 5 2), American bison (Bison bison, N 5 4), and European bison (Bison bonasus, N 5 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. Anat Rec, 296:1677Rec, 296: -1682Rec, 296: , 2013. V C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Key words: cerebral arteries; Bovini; Bos; Bison Arteries of cerebral base in domestic cattle (Bos taurus), in taxonomy of species (Simpson 1945) included, within subfamily of Bovinae, to the Bovini were described by Jenke

The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the cerebral arterial circle, its anastomoses, its branches and the manner of blood supply in 20 individuals of the Camelidae family. The Camelidae family was represented by Camelus bactrianus (n = 8), Camelus dromedarius (n = 2), Lama guanicoe (n = 5) and Lama glama (n = 5). We performed the analyses on post-mortem material obtained from Polish zoological gardens. Arteries of the heads were injected with pigmented acetone solution of vinyl superchloride. Arteries of the brain base in Camelus and Lama species are similar. In contrast, the pattern of brain base arteries in Camelidae differs from the patterns described in other species of the Artiodactyla order. Specific traits of the base brain arterial pattern in Camelidae may prove useful as a taxonomic exponent of the animals within the Artiodactyla order.

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, Eld's deer, wapiti, sika deer, fallow deer, Pere David's deer or milu, and Reeve's or Chinese muntjac. The arteries of the animals under study were filled with acetonedissolved 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. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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FIG 2: Metaphase spread with chromosome breaks (arrows), showing (a) a single break in an autosome and (b) three breaks, one in an X chromosome and two in autosomesPOLYMELIA is a rare congenital defect characterised by the presence of a supernumerary limb at different locations on the body. Depending on the body region, polymelia has been classified as notomelia, cephalomelia, thoracomelia and pygomelia (Kim and others 2001). The phenomenon of polymelia is usually associated with other congenital defects such as polydactyly (extra fingers or toes) or the presence of additional and often underdeveloped bones (Murondoti and Busayi 2001). In most cases, the extra limb is shorter and devoid of muscle tissue. The physiological attributes of the affected animal, including temperature, pulse and respiration rate, are usually normal (Hirsbrunner and others 2002). This short communication describes polymelia in a heifer, associated with frequent chromatid/chromosome breaks observed in lymphocytes cultured in vitro.A black-and-white heifer, genetically 62·5 per cent Holstein-Friesian, was born with four normal legs and one extra limb localised in a shoulder girdle between the scapulas. The supernumerary limb was smaller than the normal legs, was bent at the carpal joint and had a terminal hoof. It hung down on the left side of the animal (Fig 1a). The extra limb was attached to an underdeveloped additional scapula, which was connected to the thoracic vertebrae. The animal underwent surgery on two occasions at three and four months of age. During the first operation the additional leg was removed at the shoulder joint. During the second operation, which was performed due to unsuccessful wound healing, only a part of the extra scapula was removed at the neck of the scapula; the whole scapula was not removed due to the risk of injury to the vertebral column.The skeleton of the additional limb, according to anatomical nomenclature (Dyce and others 1987), consisted of the stylopodium (humerus), zeugopodium (radius and ulna) and autopodium, including the basipodium (carpal bones), metapodium (metacarpal bones) and acropodium (proximal, middle and distal phalanges) (Fig 1b). The stylopodium consisted of a single long bone with distinguishable epiphysial cartilage of the proximal epiphysis and three unfused skeletal elements that made up the metaphysis. The diaphysis of the stylopodium, near the epiphysis, was laterally flattened. The appearance of this bone resembled a humerus. The zeugopodium included one long bone with a cleft in the diaphysis; however, the epiphyisis and metaphysis were jointed. It was not possible to conclude whether this bone was an element of a thoracic or pelvic limb. The basipodium consisted of carpal bones that were fused in two blocks not resembling the tarsal bones (there was no talus or calcaneus). The metapodium of the extra limb had features that were not typical of this segment of the autopodium in cattle. Two bones were partially fused together (a massive one and a very thin underdeveloped bone). ...

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.

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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.