This study assessed the micro anatomical differences in the tongue of rat, bat and pangolin with a view to establishing the functional anatomical differences of these mammalian tongues on their dietary pattern. Ten rats, ten bats and ten pangolins were used for this study. The animals were sacrificed and the tongue excised and processed for light microscopical study adopting the following stains: Haematoxylin Eosin, Verhoeff Gieson and Masson trichrome. The results showed non papillation of the keratinized stratified epithelium of pangolin tongue unlike the papillation seen in the tongue of the rat and bat. While the filiform papillation seen in the rat was bristle like, the filiform papillae in the bat were crown-like. There was also an unusual dense collagenous ring in the proximal portion of the pangolin tongue which was absent in other mammals. There were taste buds along the lateral walls of the vallate papillae in the distal portion of the tongue of rats and bats but none was found in the pangolins. In conclusion, the morphology of the tongues of these mammals showed a relationship between their feeding pattern and the adaptive changes in the microanatomy of their tongue.

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The microarchitecture of the pangolin's stomach favouring the high chitinous diet has been less waived into, despite extensive morphological investigations. Histological analysis of the microanatomy will provide powerful tools for interpretation to yield reliable insights. We investigated this by fixing the tissues in 10% formol saline for histological analysis. Serial sections at 5 µ m thickness were subjected to general staining methods for light microscopic study (Haematoxylin and eosin, Van Gieson's and Verhoeff's). The results revealed basic structural arrangements in their coats, with a modification of the epithelial lining of cardia and fundus into stratified squamous keratinized epithelium. These modifications were also reflected in the distribution of collagen and elastic fibers in the various layers (coats) of the stomach. The present study has shown that there was an adaptation of the stomach of African tree pangolin to its diet as reflected in the microarchitectural configuration.

and pedicle length (PL) were measured while ratio of MSD to APD was calculated. Results showed gradual increase from L1 to L5 for mean APD and IPD, and a decrease for mean PL from L1 to L5. Mean MSD was observed to present a "U" curve pattern from L1 to L5, while MSD/APD ratio decreased from L2 downwards. We report that certain lumbar dimensions also showed significant correlation with age at distinct lumbar levels. The present data provides a baseline of lumbar vertebral morphology for the South African adult cohort and requires further investigations with larger cohort.

Background: The effects of vasectomy on spermatogenesis and reproductive parameters are recognized to be speciedependent with marked differences in levels of perturbations observed. Objectives: To assess the impact of unilateral vasectomy on testosterone level and other testicular parameters in the male African giant rat (AGR) (Cricetomys gambianus). Methods: Sixteen adult male AGRs weighing 500-1300 g were recruited for the experiment. Animals were randomly divided into three experimental groups (1-3) and one control (sham operated) group with four rats per group. Experimental vasectomy was done by carefully ligating the vas deferens of the right testis of all the experimental groups (1, 2, and 3) and animals were allowed either 8, 6 and 2 weeks respectively before sacrifice. Sham-operated animals served as the control. Blood samples were collected and assayed for testosterone while testicular tissue was further processed for seminal fluid and histo-pathological analyses. Results: Spermatogenic parameters indicate a pattern of decline in sperm count and motility between the experimental groups and the control and azoospermia in the eight-week group. Histological alterations were marked by atrophy of seminiferous tubules which was proportional to the duration of vasectomy. Serum testosterone levels were significantly reduced at eight weeks. There was no statistically significant difference between sperm counts of right and left testes except for group 3. Results suggest that unilateral vasectomy of the AGR may have negative impact on the contralateral testis in the male African giant rat. Conclusion: These preliminary results reveal that unilateral vasectomy in the AGR may result in perturbations of the histoarchitecture of the testes with possible decline in function.

A Comparative Study of the Ileum in Rat (Rattus norvegicus), Bat (Eidolon helvum) and Pangolin (Manis tricuspis) as Investigated Using Histological Method Estudio Comparativo del Íleon en Rata (Rattus norvegicus), Murciélago (Eidolon helvum) y Pangolín (Manis tricuspis) Utilizando como Investigación el Método Histológico A.; ADEEYO, O. A.; AJAYI, S. A.; OLUWAYINKA, P. O.; ADELAKUN, E. A.; KEJI, S. T. & ADESANYA, O. A. A comparative study of the ileum in rat (Rattus norvegicus), bat (Eidolon helvum) and pangolin (Manis tricuspis) as investigated using histological method. Int. J. Morphol., 26(1):137-141, 2008. SUMMARY:The histological and morphometric differences in some parts of the gastrointestinal tracts of rat, bat and pangolin have been well established. This investigation aims at comparatively elucidating any adaptational changes the ileum of the three mammals must have adopted to meet its dietary requirements and also cope with their morphological differences. The investigation was carried out using ten rats, ten bats and ten pangolins of both sexes. The animals were slightly anaesthetized under chloroform inhalation. The intestines were harvested and the ileum excised and fixed in 10% formol saline. The tissues were processed for light microscopic study. The following stains were employed: Haematoxylin and eosin (H & E), Van Gieson and Verhoeff's haematoxylin elastic tissue stain. Stained slides were also analysed morphometrically. The results revealed microstructural modifications which characterized the mucosa as well as the pattern of distribution of the conjuntive tissue fibers in the ileum of the three mammals. These modifications are means of successfully coping with their respective diets and morphological differences. A.; ADEEYO, O. A.; AJAYI, S. A.; OLUWAYINKA, P. O.; ADELAKUN, E. A.; KEJI, S. T. & ADESANYA, O. A. A comparative study of the ileum in rat (Rattus norvegicus), bat (Eidolon helvum) and pangolin (Manis tricuspis) as investigated using histological method. Int. J. Morphol., 26(1):137-141, 2008. PALABRAS CLAVE: Pangolin; Murciélago; Rata; Íleon; Microanatomía, Tejido Conjuntivo. OFUSORI, D. A; CAXTON-MARTINS, E. A.; KOMOLAFE, O. O.; OLUYEMI, K. A.; ADEEYO, O. A.; AJAYI, S. A.; OLUWAYINKA, P. O.; ADELAKUN, E. A.; KEJI, S. T. & ADESANYA, O. A. A comparative study of the ileum in rat (Rattus norvegicus), bat (Eidolon helvum) and pangolin (Manis tricuspis) as investigated using histological method. OFUSORI, D. A; CAXTON-MARTINS, E. A.; KOMOLAFE, O. O.; OLUYEMI, K. A.; ADEEYO, O. A.; AJAYI, S. A.; OLUWAYINKA, P. O.; ADELAKUN, E. A.; KEJI, S. T. & ADESANYA, O. A. A comparative study of the ileum in rat (Rattus norvegicus), bat (Eidolon helvum) and pangolin (Manis tricuspis) as investigated using histological method.

The study investigated the microanatomical effects of the extracts of Cola nitida on the stomach mucosa of adult male Wistar rats. Twenty adult male wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups of A, B, C and D (n=5). Animals in experimental groups B, C and D were given 600mg/kg body weight of crude extract of Cola nitida each by oral intubation for five, seven and nine consecutive days respectively, while group A (control) received equivalent volume of distilled water. Twenty four hrs after the last administration, the animals were sacrificed; tissues were harvested and fixed in 10% formol saline for histological analysis. The study revealed necrotized surface epithelium, degenerated gastric mucosa, and loss of glandular elements in the stomachs of experimental groups' vis-à-vis the control group. These observations were days-dependent; as those groups which received the extract for higher number of days were seen to be adversely affected. In conclusion, Cola nitida at 600mg/kg body weight can cause gastric lesion in animals. This lesion may be pronounced if the administration continued for days. Cola nitida should, therefore, be taken with caution to avoid gastric complications.

The morphological characteristics of the humeral bone has been investigated in recent times with studies showing varying degrees of sexual dimorphism. Osteologists and forensic scientists have shown that sex determination methods based on skeletal measurements are population specific, and these population-specific variations are present in many body dimensions. The present study aims to establish sex identification using osteometric standards for the humerus in a contemporary KwaZulu-Natal population. A total of 11 parameters were measured in a sample of n=211 humeri (males, 113; females, 98) from the osteological collection in the Discipline of Clinical Anatomy, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. The difference in means for nearly all variables were found to be significantly higher in males compared to females (P<0.01) with the most effective single parameter for predicting sex being the vertical head diameter having an accuracy of 82.5%. Stepwise discriminant analysis increased the overall accuracy rate to 87.7% when all measurements were jointly applied. We conclude that the humerus is an important bone which can be reliably used for sex determination based on standard metric methods despite minor tribal or ancestral differences amongst an otherwise homogenous population.