The combined toxic effect of ochratoxin A (OTA) and penicillic acid (PA) on the body mass, the weight and pathomorphology of some internal organs was studied in 85 broiler chickens fed a mouldy diet containing 130, 300 or 800 ppb OTA and 1000-2000 ppb PA. The main pathomorphological changes were cloudy swelling and granular degeneration in the epithelium and mononuclear cell proliferation and activation of capillary endothelium in the kidney and liver; degenerative changes and depletion of lymphoid cells in lymphoid organs (bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen) were also seen. Protective effects of 5% total water extract of artichoke and a new natural phytosubstance Rosallsat against these pathomorphological changes were observed. A significant decrease in body mass and relative weight of lymphoid organs was found after 6 weeks of exposure and a greater decrease after 10 weeks of exposure to OTA and PA, and a protective effect of artichoke extract and a slight effect of Rosallsat against that decrease was observed. A significant increase in relative weight of liver and kidneys was also observed as well as a protective effect of artichoke extract against that increase. The quantity of OTA and the percentage of positive samples were significantly lower in tissues of chickens treated with artichoke extract or Rosallsat in addition to OTA than in those treated with only OTA.

SummaryIn this study we compare the quality of vascular casts, obtained from organs of several animal species from different sources and sacrified under different conditions. Organs from healthy animals were injected with two different polymers such as Mercox and Batson No. 17. When the specimens were observed under a scanning electron microscope structural elements such as endothelial nuclear impressions on vessels and capillaries, endothelial cell borders, venous valves, imprints of smooth muscle cells and intra-arterial cushions were identified. Organs excised post mortem from large animals can be used for microvascular corrosion casting studies with optimal results.

The literature on the vascularization of the canine prostate is reviewed and the clinical significance of prostate morphology is described. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), combined with improved corrosion casting methods, reveal new morphological details that promise better diagnostics and treatment but also require expansion of clinical nomenclature. A proposal is made for including two previously unnamed veins in Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria (NAV). The canine prostate has two lobes with independent vascularization. Each lobe is supplied through the left and right a. prostatica, respectively. The a. prostatica sprouts three small vessels (cranial, middle, and caudal) towards the prostate gland. A. prostatica is a small-size artery whose wall structure is similar to the arteries of the muscular type. V. prostatica is a small-size valved vein. The canine prostate has capsular, parenchymal, and urethral vascular zones. The surface vessels of the capsule are predominantly veins and the diameter of arterial vessels is larger than that of the veins. The trabecular vessels are of two types: direct and branched. The prostate parenchyma is supplied by branches of the trabecular vessels. The periacinary capillaries are fenestrated and form a net in a circular pattern. The processes of the myoepithelial cells embrace both the acins and the periacinar capillaries. In the prostate ductal system. there are spermatozoa. The prostatic part of the urethra is supplied by an independent branch of a. prostatica. The prostatic urethral part is drained by v. prostatica, the vein of the urethral bulb and the ventral prostate veins. M. urethralis begins as early as the urethral prostatic part. The greater part of the white muscle fibers in m. urethralis suggest an enhanced anaerobic metabolism.

Traditional Eastern medicine has had a successful existence for a long time and has provided functional paths for curing disease. However, some scientists do not accept acupuncture, primarily because the meridian system lacks a physical anatomical basis. To date, scientific theories have not been able to explain the functional paths used by traditional Eastern medicine to cure disease. According to Western medicine, no known anatomical foundation exists for the meridians and unknown nervous, circulatory, endocrine, and immune mechanisms mediate the effects of acupuncture. In the early 1960s, only one hypothesis was proposed to explain the anatomical basis of the meridians. By using different experimental approaches during the past 10 years, the number of scientific papers that report the discovery of different anatomical and physiological evidence confirming the existence of an anatomical basis for the meridian system has increased. Morphological science is greatly challenged to offer a new biomedical theory that explains the possible existence of new bodily systems such as the primo vascular system (PVS). The PVS is a previously unknown system that integrates the features of the cardiovascular, nervous, immune, and hormonal systems. It also provides a physical substrate for the acupuncture points and meridians. Announcements of the morphological architectonics and the function of the PVS fundamentally changed the basic understanding of biology and medicine because the PVS is involved in the development and the functions of living organisms. We propose a new vision of the anatomical basis for the PVS and the vital energy-called "Qi"-as an electromagnetic wave that is involved very closely with the DNA in the PVS. DNA provides genetic information and it functions as a store of information that can be obtained from the electromagnetic fields of the environment. The PVS is the communication system between living organisms and the environment, and it lies at the lowest level of life. The theory of the PVS could be a good basis for forming a new point of view of Darwin's evolutionary theory. Discoveries in morphological theory-such as discoveries with respect to the PVS-have not been made since the 18th century. For that reason, the PVS needs more attention.