Marco Canova

ABSTRACT The jejunal arteries are not profoundly studied in veterinary medicine, especially those regarding cats. Consulting the literature, it was found that most authors referred to carnivores or treated only the dog, while only few studies were specifically related to the cat. In particular, it is not well known how the jejunal vasculature is distributed along the jejunum. The purpose of this study was to clarify the number of jejunal arteries and their respective length, the correspondent number of orders of divisions, the length of the cranial mesenteric artery, the length of the jejunum and, finally, the distribution of the arteries in each respective third of the jejunum. From the present study, it was seen that the number of jejunal arteries, varied from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 11. These numbers are independent from the length of the cranial mesenteric artery as well as from the length of the jejunum. Furthermore, it was found that the shortest jejunal arteries were more represented in the first third of the jejunum. They presented the highest number of orders of divisions and of terminal branches. On the long run, both parameters, tended to decrease as they approached the terminal tract of the jejunum, and contemporarily, the number of jejunal arteries, increased. From this different distribution of jejunal arteries, it is possible to speculate a different sensitivity of the jejunal tracts against ischemia.

ABSTRACT In the past many authors have focused on the anatomical study of the wing in order to correlate anatomical details with the peculiarities of flight in different species. In spite of the limited information about the anatomy of the thoracic limb in European avian species, we decided to investigate these structures in three species presenting a different kind of flight spread throughout the Italian territory: the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), the Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo) and the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Therefore we performed a stratigraphic dissection of the wing in different subjects of the species examined. Comparing the results of this study with those found in literature for similar species, we observed many peculiarities which have not previously been described. The most relevant was that involving the Coracobrachialis caudalis muscle, the scapular and humeral anchor and the Extersor radialis carpi muscle. The Coracobrachialis caudalis muscle in the Grey Heron is composed of two different heads instead of the typical one observed by Vanden Berge (1970) in other Ciconiiformes. Regarding the scapular and the humeral anchor the different development found through the species suggests a correlation between these structures and the kind of flight. Concerning the Extersor radialis carpi muscle, the differences we found in the number of bellies could support Nair’s hypothesis (1954) about a correlation between the heads of this muscle and different type of flights such as soaring of flapping. These deductions should be confirmed by further studies in wind tunnel and electromyography.

The objective of the present study was to verify if polyurethane foam is a suitable material to make accurate casts of vessels and viscera, and to develop a method based on its use for anatomical studies. This new technique has been tested primarily on the lungs of different animals, but also on the renal, intestinal and equine digital vessels. It consisted of three steps: specimen preparation, injection of the foam and corrosion of the cast. All structures injected with foam were properly filled. The bronchial tree and the vessels could be observed up to their finer branches. The method is inexpensive, simple and requires no special equipment. The pre-casting procedure does not require perfusion of the specimens with formalin, or prolonged flushing with carbon dioxide gas or air for drying. The polyurethane foam does not need a catalyst. It is simply diluted with acetone, which does not cause shrinkage of the cast due to evaporation during hardening. The foam naturally expands into the cavities without high pressure of the inoculum, and hardens in just 2 or 3 h at room temperature. Only two drawbacks were observed. The first is the fact that multiple injections cannot be made in the same cavity since the foam solidifies quickly; the second is the slight brittleness of the cast, due to the low elasticity of polyurethane foam. In conclusion, polyurethane foam was a suitable material for producing accurate casts of vessels and viscera.