ABSTRACT. Some young large farm animals show a laminar bone formation in the long-bone cortex. Such a laminar bone is gradually replaced by Haversian bone with osteons during their growth periods. In this preliminary study, we observed the transverse ground samples of tibia cortex in young calves, pigs, and sheep by backscattered electron imaging. The cortex bones of all the newborn (NB) animals were basically formed with laminar bone structures. The NB and 1-month-old (1-M) calves had a typical concentric structure of laminar bone, whereas the NB and 1-M pigs showed a wire-netting bone with laminar-bone units. The NB sheep was similar to the calf rather than the pig. In the growth rate of bone volume, sheep was similar to calf up to 6 months after birth (6-M). Such calf and sheep showed a more rapid ratio of bone volume than pig. A few osteons had initially appeared in the innermost layer of the 6-M calf. A 1-year-old (1-Y) calf showed scattered osteons in the bone cortex, but many laminar-bone units were still retained in the outer layer. A 6-M pig had many osteons in the entire cortex but only a few osteons in the outermost layer. In the 6-M sheep, no osteons were observed, whereas a 1-Y sheep showed a relatively small number of osteons mainly in the middle layer but a higher osteon-volume than the 1-Y calf. In the 1-Y sheep, the more widely absorbed areas by bone-remodeling with osteons were observed as compared with the 1-Y calf, and the bone volume was decreased from the 6-M into the 1-Y sheep because of the remarkable bone-absorption. Thus, calf kept on possessing many laminar-bone units for a longer time in the growth period than sheep, while pig showed the earliest bone-remodeling with osteons. These results may be caused by their different body size and withers height in calf and sheep after growing and the difference of the dependence upon mother's body during juvenile period between pig and calf with sheep. The initial region of osteon formation may be distinguishable among their animals, respectively. However, further detailed investigations of their young animals at successive stages will be necessary.
Dirofilaria immitis infection is an important parastic disease in many mammals, especially canids, but has not been reported in bird hosts. Filarial worms were isolated from the lumen of the right atrium of the heart and the connective tissue of the lung of a captive female Humboldt penguin, Spheniscus humboldti, that died at a zoo in Japan. One of these worms was observed morphologically and identified as D. immitis by features such as 4 pairs of cephalic papillae, 1 pair of cervical papillae, esophagus divided into 2 regions, 4 pairs of pre-anal papillae, 5 pairs of post-anal papillae, and unequal spicules. In addition, the partial DNA sequence (234 bp) of mitochondrial CO / gene of the filarial worm was identical to that of D. immitis. This is the first report of D. immitis infection in a bird.
We observed the gross and fine structure of gallbladder stones collected from five adult patients (cases I-V) by optical photography, radiography, scanning electron microscopy, and backscattered electron microscopy, and then measured the components by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and infrared spectroscopy. From the stones, calcium (Ca) phosphate, Ca bilirubinate, and Ca palmitate or fatty acid Ca were identified. The 3 cholesterol stones (case I) and the 2 brown pigment stones (case II) showed macroscopic homogeneity, respectively. In addition, their fine structure and components were also similar to each other. The black pigment stones (case III) showed macroscopic homogeneity, but they were divided into radiopaque (approximately 30 stones) and radiolucent types (approximately 60 stones). The former had Ca phosphate in the center surrounded with Ca bilirubinate, and the latter was dotted with minute deposits of Ca bilirubinate. The 6 cholesterol stones (case IV) were divided into two types in size. The 5 large stones, of macroscopic homogeneity, had a core region of Ca palmitate and clear concentric rings of Ca phosphate, whereas the smaller stone was almost filled with Ca phosphate deposits in the center. From the different distributions of Ca phosphate, the smaller stone may have been formed later than the 5 large stones. Case V contained 4 stones. The 3 large cholesterol stones, of more or less macroscopic homogeneity, had a core region and concentric rings of Ca phosphate, but 1 smaller stone was dotted with minute deposits mainly containing iron (Fe) and/or silicon elements (rare type). Therefore, the stones of cases III, IV, and V showed considerable heterogeneity, respectively. In many stones, the initial precipitation of Ca salts will have become the nidus, and the concentric rings and dotted deposits of Ca salts may have accelerated cholesterol stone growth. In addition, the dotted deposits of Ca bilirubinate in the black pigment stones and the dotted deposits containing Fe in the rare stone may have become also the nidi.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.