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The focus of the present study was to present a case of multilobar kidneys with smooth surface in one New Zealand white rabbit. It is well known that the kidneys of rabbits are unipyramidal. During dissection, it was found that there was an exception in one female animal which was clinically healthy and sexually matured, aged 8 months and with weight 3.2 kg. After evisceration of both kidneys, and incision in the lateral border of the fresh organs, it was found that the cortex and medulla were constructed by pyramidal-shaped lobes. The apex of the lobes formed papillae and got up into calices into the renal sinus. The renal pelvis was a concave structure. We conducted an imaging anatomical study. The anatomical preparations were studied in liquid isotonic medium, using an ultrasound device with linear transducer. Thus, we confirmed the results with these of the organs' morphological features. The cortex with the fibrous capsule were hyperechoic, compared to the relatively hypoechoic image of the pyramidal lobes. The papillae forming the apex were outlined by the hyperechoic calices. The renal pelvis and hilus were hypoechoic findings. After fixation, the kidneys in 10 % water solution of formalin the pyramidal-shaped lobes were preserved and with well-distinguished papillae. The calices protruded into the sinus. In all methods, we found seven well-defined pyramidal-shaped lobes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the research was to investigate the anatomical location of the rabbit liver. Thus, we applied a topographic algorithm, using dorsal frozen cuts and CT algorithm with coronary slices. The used animals were 13 matured, healthy clinically white New Zealand rabbits. We measured the metric CT parameters - transverse and craniocaudal sizes. At the level of the dorsal plane, located 15 mm ventrally from the spine, dorsal part of lobus hepatis sinister was found, and on the right and laterally - lobus hepatis dexter. At the level of the dorsal plane, located 30 mm ventrally from the spine, lobus hepatis dexter was located cranially relative to lobus hepatis sinister medialis and reached caudally to pars pylorica. Lobus hepatis sinister lateralis remained caudal to lobus hepatis sinister medialis and touched corpus ventriculi. Lobus hepatis sinister lateralis was found cranially to corpus ventriculi and pars pylorica. Lobus caudatus caudally touched the right kidney. At the level of the dorsal plane, located 45 mm ventrally from the spine, lobus hepatis dexter was found to be in the same dorsal plane with the left lobe of the liver. CT normodense heterogeneous anatomical image of lobus hepatis dexter was parallel to that of lobus hepatis sinister, which determined the transverse location of the organ. The obtained imaging analysis of the liver's anatomical parts and their proximity to other organ structures were interpreted depending on their attenuation profile. The transverse size of the organ at 15 mm ventrally from the spine showed a value of 76.16 mm, and at 30 mm ventrally, this parameter reached a value of 81.48 mm. The highest values were obtained at 45 mm ventrally - 85.21 mm. CT anatomical study added and confirmed the results of the topographic investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the geometry, topography and trajectory of the rabbit liver's vessels by color Doppler US. Ten sexually mature healthy clinically New Zealand white rabbits, aged 8 months and weighed from 2.8 kg to 3.2 kg have been studied. The results were related to the color geometry of the vessels, which was used to define their topography. The visualization of the rabbit liver blood and biliary vessels was real and corresponded to the variations of the color Doppler spectrum from blue to red gamma. The hemodynamic data were simultaneous to the morphological results. Both they represented anatomical information for the studied vessels. The present investigation is with practical application in the morphological science. It is summarized that the Doppler US study of the rabbit liver is suitable to obtain detail information for the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the organ. In conclusion the results could be used as a morphological base for investigation in human and rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new phylogeny of the spider family Araneidae based on five genes (28S, 18S, COI, H3 and 16S) for 158 taxa, identified and mainly sequenced by us. This includes 25 outgroups and 133 araneid ingroups representing the subfamilies Zygiellinae Simon, 1929, Nephilinae Simon, 1894, and the typical araneids, here informally named the "ARA Clade". The araneid genera analysed here include roughly 90% of all currently named araneid species. The ARA Clade is the primary focus of this analysis. In taxonomic terms, outgroups comprise 22 genera and 11 families, and the ingroup comprises three Zygiellinae and four Nephilinae genera, and 85 ARA Clade genera (ten new). Within the ARA Clade, we recognize ten informal groups that contain at least three genera each and are supported under Bayesian posterior probabilities (≥ 0.95): "Caerostrines" (Caerostris, Gnolus and Testudinaria), "Micrathenines" (Acacesia, Micrathena, Ocrepeira, Scoloderus and Verrucosa), "Eriophorines" (Acanthepeira, Alpaida, Eriophora, Parawixia and Wagneriana), "Backobourkiines" (Acroaspis, Backobourkia, Carepalxis, Novakiella, Parawixia, Plebs, Singa and three new genera), "Argiopines" (Arachnura, Acusilas, Argiope, Cyrtophora, Gea, Lariniaria and Mecynogea), "Cyrtarachnines" (Aranoethra, Cyrtarachne, Paraplectana, Pasilobus and Poecilopachys), "Mastophorines" (Celaenia, Exechocentrus and Mastophora,), "Nuctenines" (Larinia, Larinioides and Nuctenea), "Zealaraneines" (Colaranea, Cryptaranea, Paralarinia, Zealaranea and two new genera) and "Gasteracanthines" (Augusta, Acrosomoides, Austracantha, Gasteracantha, Isoxya, Macracantha, Madacantha, Parmatergus and Thelacantha). Few of these groups are currently corroborated by morphology, behaviour, natural history or biogeography. We also include the large genus Araneus, along with Aculepeira, Agalenatea, Anepsion, Araniella, Cercidia, Chorizopes, Cyclosa, Dolophones, Eriovixia, Eustala, Gibbaranea, Hingstepeira, Hypognatha, Kaira, Larinia, Mangora, Metazygia, Metepeira, Neoscona, Paraplectanoides, Perilla, Poltys, Pycnacantha, Spilasma and Telaprocera, but the placement of these genera was generally ambiguous, except for Paraplectanoides, which is strongly supported as sister to traditional Nephilinae. Araneus, Argiope, Eriophora and Larinia are polyphyletic, Araneus implying nine new taxa of genus rank, and Eriophora and Larinia two each. In Araneus and Eriophora, polyphyly was usually due to north temperate generic concepts being used as dumping grounds for species from southern hemisphere regions, e.g. South‐East Asia, Australia or New Zealand. Although Araneidae is one of the better studied spider families, too little natural history and/or morphological data are available across these terminals to draw any strong evolutionary conclusions. However, the classical orb web is reconstructed as plesiomorphic for Araneidae, with a single loss in "cyrtarachnines"–"mastophorines". Web decorations (collectively known as stabilimenta) evolved perhaps five times. Sexual dimorphism generally results from female body size increase with few exceptions; dimorphic taxa are not monophyletic and revert to monomorphism in a few cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to describe and illustrate the ramification patterns of the hepatic artery, portal vein, hepatic veins and bile ducts within the rabbit liver by means of postmortem angiography performed in 40 New Zealand white rabbits. The hepatic artery bifurcated into the left and right hepatic branches. The portal vein received a separate tributary from the caudate lobe before it separated into the right branch and the left branch. Five hepatic visceral tributaries of the caudal vena cava were identified: the left dorsal hepatic vein, left hepatic vein, right hepatic vein, middle hepatic vein and a proper vein of the caudate lobe. Postmortem cholangiography demonstrated the presence of a common hepatic duct. The anatomical nomenclature of the various intrahepatic blood vessels and bile ducts is critically reviewed and compared with the terminology used in radiographic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the morphological topographic features of the vesicular glands (gll. vesiculosae) in 10 sexually mature and clinically healthy male New Zealand White rabbits, aged 12 months, with body weights from 2.8 kg to 3.2 kg. The glands were observed by ultrasonography in 2 planes, transversal and sagittal. The approach was percutaneous transabdominal prepubic. The rabbit vesicular glands were visualized as a solid heterogeneous echoic finding. Using computed tomography, we scanned the pelvis in the transversal plane through the first sacral vertebra, at a cut thickness of 3 mm. The vesicular glands were visualized as transversally ovoid, homogeneous, and hyperdense soft tissue structures. Our observations on ex vivo frozen sagittal and transversal cuts of the pelvis showed analogous morphological and anatomic characteristics to those obtained by ultrasonography and computed tomography. The imaging features of normal domestic rabbit vesicular glands can be used as a morphological basis for the interpretation of some glandular lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate changes in real-time ultrasound imaging traits and weight of dissectible fat depots (inguinal, interscapular, and perirenal) in rabbits with different body weights and to monitor the changes in blood glucose and constituents of lipid profiles. In this study, 18 clinically healthy male New Zealand white rabbits were used. The rabbits were fed with standard diet and were divided into 3 groups according to their body weight: group 1 at 1.06 ± 0.03 kg, group 2 at 2.1 ± 0.05 kg, and group 3 at 3.06 ± 0.03 kg. Examined by ultrasonography, the inguinal and interscapular fat depots appeared as bands with weak to moderate echogenicity, whereas perirenal fat was moderate to hyperechoic. The thickness of subcutaneous fat depots measured by ultrasound increased along with body weight and differences between the groups were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). The differences in perirenal fat thickness between rabbits from group 1 and group 2 were not found to be statistically significant. Perirenal fat thickness in the rabbits from group 3 was higher (P < 0.001) than that of the other groups. Perirenal fat weight in group 3 correlated positively (r = 0.82; P < 0.05) to body weight. Blood biochemical analysis showed that blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were in the reference range for all groups regardless of the fact that TG and HDL-C in groups 2 and 3 were significantly higher than those in rabbits from group 1. The in vivo ultrasound screening of adipose tissue, together with blood lipid profile, is an indicator of good health and proper energy balance in rabbits bred for meat or as companion animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to perform comparative analysis of the metric anatomy of the spleen and pancreas in rabbit, determined by applying of transabdominal ultrasonography and convectional anatomical research. Twelve mature, clinically healthy New Zealand White rabbits 8 months of age from and weighed between 2.8 kg and 3.2 kg were looked at. The transabdominal B-mode ultrasonography was performed by Diagnostic Ultrasound System. The spleen and pancreas were imaged sagittally and transversally. The approaches w?re percutaneous transabdominal hypochondral left and percutaneous transabdominal epigastric. After euthanizing the animals a laparotomy was performed. The topography, shape and morphometry were made. In longitudinal ultrasongraphic study of the spleen has been seen its elongated shape. There were ultrasonographic metric data presented. The organ was seized to the greater curvature of the stomach in the area of the bottom and portions of the body of the stomach. The ultrasonography and postmortem study showed that the pancreas in rabbit is disseminated organ. The body of the pancreas was localized in the mesoduodenum of the duodenal sigmoid flexure, immediately behind the porta hepatic, as it has been cut through by the portal vein. From the comparative analysis of the obtained results could be conclude, that the study of some quantitative parameters of the structure of the pancreas in rabbit should contribute to the accurate diagnostics of the pancreatic lesions and the abdominal surgical practice in the animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To determine some macromorphological characteristics of the normal liver in rabbits. MATERIALS: We studied 12 mature, clinically healthy, euthanized rabbits, 8 months of age from New Zealand White breed and weighed between 2.8kg and 3.2kg. METHODS: Following laparotomy and extirpation of the rabbit liver we studied its topography and linear parameters. The results were collected and recorded. The obtained data was processed via variable statistical methods. RESULTS: The rabbit liver was situated in the epigastric region, between both costal arches. The caudate process touched the right kidney. The rabbit liver was caudally situated to the diaphragm and extended to the left and right abdominal walls. The left medial and lateral hepatic lobes were parallel to the right one. The quadrate lobe was too small. The gall bladder was cylindrical and didn't reach the ventral edge of the organ. The morphometric investigation showed that the left hepatic lobe was longer and bigger than the right one. The smallest structure in length and height was quadrate lobe. The gall bladder's three parts were with different sizes. CONCLUSION: The rabbit liver was lobated organ, composed of five lobes. The left hepatic lobe with its medial and lateral parts is with the biggest extent in the organ, while the quadrate lobe is the smallest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To determine some qualitative and quantitative characteristics of normal kidneys in rabbits and their use in diagnostics of kidney lesions in animals. MATERIALS: We used 12 mature, clinically healthy, euthanized rabbits, 8 months of age from New Zealand White breed and weight between 2.8kg and 3.2kg. METHODS: After applied laparotomy we studied the topography and the shape of the kidneys in the rabbits. The results were collected and recorded. There were also macroscopical linear measurements done after the organ's extirpiration. The obtained data was processed via variable statistical methods. RESULTS: The right kidney was situated in the margins between 13th thoracic and 2nd lumbar vertebras and the left kidney was between the margins of 3rd and 5th lumbar vertebras. The lateral edges did not reach the sides of the abdominal walls. The pelvis of the left kidney was larger in length and smaller in width compare to the right organ. The width of the cortex and the medulla of the right kidney were greater than the left one. The width of the hilus of the right kidney was greater than the left. CONCLUSION: The right kidney in rabbit is shorter and narrower and the left is longer, wider and dorsoventrally flattened. The right kidney is located craniomedially and dorsally compare to the left. Despite many authors, we used as bone landmarks only the bodies of the thoracic and lumbar vertebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Comparing results from rabbit liver's ultrasonographic, computed tomographic and anatomical topgraphic studies. Object: Nine healthy New Zealand white rabbits, aged 8 months, weighed 2.8 to 3.2 kg were studied. In the ultrasonographic investigation the animals were positioned in supine recumbency. The approach was transabdominal percutaneous hypochondrial. The abdominal cavity was transversally and sagittaly scanned by axial computer tomograph. The animals were positioned in supine recumbency. In the native anatomical investigation topographic rabbit liver's features were compared with its imaging anatomical findings. Results: The liver echogenicity was heterogeneous and lower than the close soft tissue strucrures. The gall bladder's wall was a hypoechoic finding.Cystic duct was observed in its beginning part. In the computed tomographic study, the liver was a massive, heterogeneous, normodense soft tissue finding. There wasn't visible border between lateral and medial left hepatic lobe and right hepatic lobe. In the native anatomical study the left and right hepatic lobes, quadrate lobe and gall bladder's parts were found. Conclusion: The comparative analysis of rabbit liver's imaging anatomical and native transversal study could be applied in the interpretation and diagnosis of many rabbit liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Researching of the rabbit heart by two-dimensional transthoracal ultrasonography in order to data about the heart imaging anatomy and diagnostics of this animal be given. OBJECTS: Eight sexually mature, healthy New Zealand rabbits, aged 12 months with body weight from 2.8 kg to 3.2 kg were investigated. METHODS: The animals were anesthetized and positioned in laying lateral left and right position. The trasducer was put in the places for imaging of standard planes from the heart image. RESULTS: At the imaging of the heart in right parasternal plane on its longitudinal axis, the ascending aorta was visualized as a hyperechoic finding, surrounded by the close heart structures. The image from the left parasternal plane on the longitudinal axis of the heart showed the both left heart cavities. The parasternal plane on the short axis of the heart was a transversal image, and the valvular apparatus was visualized. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that the two-dimensional transthoracal ultrasonographic study of the rabbit heart is a completely noninvasive and enough definitive method about the qualitative estimation of the normal heart structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(CT) is a contemporary non-invasive imaging technique that gains an increasing importance for in vivo investigations of subcutaneous and visceral fat. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the topography and anatomy imaging features of perirenal fat depots at the level of both kidneys in clinically healthy New Zealand White rabbits that attained slaughter weight. The CT consecutive transverse scans from the last thoracic to the fifth lumbar vertebrae showed that in rabbits, perirenal fat appeared as a homogeneous hypodense structure at the background of denser shadows of lumbar and abdominal muscles, kidneys and abdominal organs. Perirenal fat depot exhibited a soft tissue density with average attenuation of -120.97±4.73 HU. On CT scans, the largest dimensions of the perirenal fat depot were 1.3±0.01 cm at the level of the right kidney's cranial pole; 1.96 cm in the plane where the right renal hilus was visualized; 1.66±0.08 cm at the level of the right kidney's caudal pole; 1.10±0.18 cm in the plane where the left renal hilus was visualized and 1.06±0.15 cm at the level of the left kidney's caudal pole. No subcutaneous fat deposits in the abdominal area were seen. Results obtained in the present study could be used as basic information for various anatomy investigations of rabbits as well as experimental designs for study of obesity in animals and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic was to investigate the anatomical features of the rabbit liver by two- and three-dimensional ultrasonography. Eighteen sexually mature healthy clinically New Zealand rabbits aged eight months were studied. Two-dimensional ultarsonographic anatomical image of the rabbit liver presented it in the cranial abdominal region as a relatively hypoechoic finding. Its contours were regular and in close contact with the hyperechoic diaphragm. Liver parenchyma was heterogeneous. The gall bladder was visualized as an oval soft tissue structure, filled with anechoic content. Its walls were hypoechoic. Two-dimensional ultarsonographic anatomical image of left hepatic lobe was sharply distinguished to right hepatic lobe's outlines. In three-dimensional ultrasonogarphic anatomical study, the organ image was in three orthogonal planes. Its relief was regular and uninterrupted. Left hepatic lobe was found on the left and the right hepatic lobe was a soft tissue point for gall bladder position. Left and lateral was left lateral hepatic lobe. It was covered partly by left medial hepatic lobe. The right hepatic lobe was visualized as a single structure. The gall bladder was an oval finding. Its walls were hyperechoic and regular, without roughness. The results could be used as a base for modern interpretation of rabbit liver anatomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabbits develop a visceral type obesity and therefore is exceptionally suitable as a model for lipid metabolism investigation. Ten clinically healthy New Zealand White rabbits from both genders, weighing from 3.5 to 3.7 kg were used. The blood plasma concentrations of total cholesterol and triglycerides were 1.45 ± 0.15 mmol/L and 0.63 ± 0.01 mmol/L, respectively. The highest amount of pericardial adipose tissue was observed around the free surface of the right ventricle and the apex of the heart. The average mass of pericardial adipose tissue was 3.72 ± 0.24 g (0.1% of body weight and 47% of heart weight). By ultrasonography, pericardia adipose tissue was visualized as a moderately echoic homogeneous structure against the hyperechoic myocardium of the right ventricle. Its thickness was 3.2 ± 0.26 mm. The results of the present study showed that the rabbit was a suitable model for monitoring of quantitative changes in visceral fat depots in mammals, allowing their study in vivo by ultrasonography instead of utilizing dissection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]