This study was carried out to investigate the specific anatomical features of the neurocranium of the skull of the dog, cat, badger, marten and otter. Twenty-five animals (five from each species) were used without sexual distinction. The neurocranium consists of os occipitale, os sphenoidale, os pterygoideum, os ethmoidale, vomer, os temporale, os parietale and os frontale. The processus paracondylaris is projected ventrally in the cat, dog, marten and badger, and caudally in the otter. Two foramina were found laterally on each side of the protuberantia occipitalis externa in the otter, and one foramen was found near the protuberantia occipitalis externa in the badger. Foramen was not seen in other species. Paired ossa parietalia joined each other at the midline, forming the sutura sagittalis in the badger, dog, otter and cat while it was separated by the linea temporalis in the marten. The os frontale was small in otters, narrow and long in martens, and quite wide in cats and dogs. The bulla tympanica was rounded in the marten, dog, cat and badger, dorsoventral compressed in otter, and it was very large in all species examined. These observations represented interspecies differences in the neurocranium of marten, otter, badger, cat and dog.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of different levels (1.5, 3.0, 4.5 g/kg) of organic acid mixture (OAM) (60% formic acid, 20% propionic acid, and 20% soft acid) supplementation in the diets of laying hens on egg production, egg quality parameters, and intestinal histomorphology. Seventy-two Lohman strains of layers (26-week-old) were divided into four treatment groups. The hens were fed either a control diet or the control diet supplemented with 0, 1.5, 3 or 4.5 kg/t level of OAM from 26 to 38 weeks of age. The OAM supplementation did not affect feed consumption, egg production, egg weight, feed conversion ratio and body weight. Except for yolk index none of egg quality parameters and metabolic profile were affected by the dietary treatments. Inclusion of OAM into the basal diet increased villus height (quadraticaly), villus weight (quadraticaly), and tunica mucosal width (linearly) eexcept for crypt depth. Based on the results, dietary supplementation with OAM containing 60% formic acid, 20% propionic acid, and 20% soft acid appears to exert neither positive nor negative effects on laying performance, egg quality parameters, or serum blood parameters. But the OAM supplementation into basal diet had a positive effect on the intestinal histomorphology except for crypt depth.

Irisin was first identified in muscle cells. We detected irisin immunoreactivity in various organs of the crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata). In the epidermis, irisin immunoreactivity was localized mainly in stratum basale, stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum layers; immunoreactivity was not observed in the stratum corneum. In the dermis, irisin was found in the external and internal root sheath, cortex and medulla of hair follicles, and in sebaceous glands. Irisin immunoreactivity was found in the neural retina and skeletal muscle fibers associated with the eye. The pineal and thyroid glands also exhibited irisin immunoreactivity.

Irisin was first identified in skeletal muscle cells. It is an exercise protein that is secreted into the circulation; it causes conversion of white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue. We investigated irisin immunoreactivity in mole rat (Spalax leucodon) tissues. We examined cerebellum, pituitary, heart, liver, pancreas, spleen, uterus, kidney and striated muscle in female adult mole rats. Tissues were processed, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 5 μm and stained immunohistochemically for irisin. Irisin immunostaining was detected in the cytoplasm of stained cells; the cytoplasm of Purkinje cells was unstained. We found that irisin may be synthesized in many tissues. The function of locally synthesized irisin currently is unknown.

Background: Previous researches about the effects of epididymal obstruction on the testes are contradictory, and the mechanism harmful effect of male duct system obstruction on seminiferous tubules still remains unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of epididymal obstruction in prepubertal rats on the testis. Materials and Methods: 15 days of age, the young rats were divided at random in two groups for epididymal ligation (n=25) or sham operation (n=15). Both groups were sacrificed at 21, 35, 56, 90, 120 days. The testis were removed, fixed in Bouin’s fixative and embedded in paraffin wax. The tissues were sectioned at 5 µm and stained with haematoxylin-eosin and triple stain. Results: In ligated rats the first histological alterations were detected at 56 days. These degenerative changes included increase at the seminiferous tubule diameter and basal membrane thickness, decrease at the germinal epithelium thickness, depletion of spermatids and presence of multinucleated spermatids. In 90 and 120 days ligation groups; germ cells greatly reduced in number. Conclusion: progressive degenerative alterations occurred in the seminiferous tubules after prepubertal epididymal obstruction but these degenerative alterations are not observed until puberta and in the seminiferous tubules that showed extensive degeneration, seminiferous epithelium was composed mainly of Sertoli cells.