Guinea pigs are frequently used as experimental models in studies of ischemic spinal cord injury. The aim of this study was to describe the arterial blood supply to the thoracolumbar spinal cord in 20 adult English self guinea pigs using the corrosion and dissection techniques. The dorsal intercostal arteries arising from the dorsal surface of the thoracic aorta were found as follows: in eight pairs in 70% of cases, in seven pairs in 20% of cases and in nine pairs in 10% of cases. Paired lumbar arteries were present as seven pairs in all the cases. The occurrence of the ventral and dorsal branches of the spinal rami observed in the thoracic and lumbar region was higher on the left than on the right. The artery of Adamkiewicz was present in 60% of cases as a single vessel and in 40% of cases as a double vessel. On the dorsal surface of the spinal cord, we found two dorsal spinal arteries in 60% of cases and three in 40% of cases. The presence of the artery of Adamkiewicz and nearly regular segmental blood supplying the thoracolumbar part of the spinal cord in all our studied animals is the reason for using guinea pigs as a simple model of ischemic damage to the thoracolumbar part of the spinal cord.

Atherosclerosis and cancer are ranked among the most serious health problems in human medicine. Various predictive and etiological factors, biomarkers and molecular pathways of disease development and progression common to atherosclerosis and cancer suggest that the two most common diseases in worldwide dimension are far more closely aligned than previously believed. It is hypothesized that atherosclerosis and cancer are variants of a similar disease process. Shared disease progression in atherosclerosis and cancer is the emergence of similar novel approaches to therapy. On previous knowledge, it may be hypothesized that not only common approaches to therapy but also preventive strategies could be efficacious in both diseases. The results of in vitro and in vivo animal experiments, clinical and epidemiological studies and also the results of our experiments using animal experimental models of atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis indicate that probiotics, prebiotics, plants and their extracts and poly-unsaturated fatty acids could be effectively used in prevention of both atherosclerosis and colorectal cancer and decrease the disease risk. Future research should answer the question whether probiotic microorganisms and natural bioactive substances could effectively influence the molecular mechanisms in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cancer.

The aim of this study was to describe origin, localisation and variations of renal arteries and veins in the rabbit. The study was carried out on 40 adult European rabbits. We prepared corrosion casts of the rabbit arterial and venous system. Spofacryl was used as the casting medium. In 75% of cases the origin of arteriae renales was located at the level of the third lumbar vertebra and in remaining 25% of cases arteria renalis dextra branched off at the level of the second lumbar vertebra. In 10% of cases we observed that the number of arteria renalis sinistra was doubled. We recorded also in one case the presence of arteria renalis accessoria for ren dexter. In 10% of cases we observed that the number of vena renalis sinistra was doubled. In 5% of cases two venae renales sinistrae arose from the kidney and subsequently, about 1 cm from opening to vena cava caudalis, they united to form a single vein. In 5% of cases two venae renales sinistrae arose from the kidney and subsequently, approximately 1 cm away from hilus renalis, they united. The obtained variations of the number of renal arteries were partially homologous to the human, but variations of renal veins were localized on the other side as in human.

The aim of this study was to describe the arterial arrangement of the cervical spinal cord in the guinea pig. The study was carried out on 20 adult English self guinea pigs using corrosion and dissection technique. Batson's corrosion casting kit no. 17(©) was used as a casting medium. The origin of the ventral spinal artery from the left vertebral artery was found on average in 35% of the cases and from the right vertebral artery on average in 40% of the cases. The ventral spinal artery with origin from the anastomosis of two medial branches was found on average in 25% of the cases. The presence of ventral radicular branches of rami spinales entering the ventral spinal artery in the cervical region was observed in 42% of the cases on the right side and in 58% of the cases on the left side. The presence of dorsal radicular branches of rami spinales that reached the spinal cord was observed in 63% of the cases on the left side and in 37% of the cases on the right side. The number of radicular branches supplying the spinal cord is greater in guinea pig than in humans.

The aim of our study was to determine the effects of supplementation of agrimony extract (Agrimonia eupatoria L.) and a combination of agrimony with sage extract (Salvia officinalis L.) to water during the fattening period of broiler chickens on selected biochemical and antioxidant indicators in blood, and on the nutritional composition and oxidative stability of meat. A total of 117 Cobb 500 chicks were randomly divided on the day of hatching into three groups (n = 39 in each) and fattened for 42 days. All groups were fed the same diets. In experimental group A water was supplemented with agrimony extract (0.2%). In experimental group AS water was supplemented with a combination of agrimony (0.1%) and sage (0.1%) extracts. Group C was control without supplementation. The total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins and malondialdehyde in serum were decreased (P < 0.05), dry matter and fat content in meat were increased (P < 0.05) in group A. The activity of superoxide dismutase in blood and the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in thigh meat on days 1 and 8 of storage under chilling conditions were lower (P < 0.05) in both experimental groups compared to control. Our results indicate that supplementation of agrimony and sage extract to water can beneficially influence the antioxidant status as well as oxidative stability of thigh meat and thus improve meat quality. This is a first similar study comparing addition of plant extracts to water in broiler nutrition.