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Significance of the Minor Alterations of the Axial Skeleton in Rat Foetuses. A Short Review
Author(s) -
STAZI Anna V.,
MACRI Caterina,
RICCIARDI Claudio,
MANTOVANI Alberto
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
congenital anomalies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1741-4520
pISSN - 0914-3505
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-4520.1992.tb00784.x
Subject(s) - skeleton (computer programming) , calcification , rib cage , axial skeleton , pathology , anatomy , biology , medicine , physiology
The toxicological significance of different kinds of minor alterations in the axial skeleton of foetal rat is still a matter of debate. These changes can be better evaluated by means of the double staining technique for cartilage and calcified tissue, which helps to distinguish between deficient calcification and actual structural changes. Sternebral alterations are a frequent finding in prenatal toxicity studies, while in humans they are seldom observed. However, very few data exist for the rat with regard to their persistence and/or consequences in postnatal life. Abnormalities of the vertebral bodies might be functionally important, but comparatively little attention has been given to them in prenatal toxicology. By contrast, the little significance of wavy ribs, potentially reversible alterations, has been extensively studied. The transiency of extra ribs in the rat might be a species‐specific feature, but they have been reported to cause health problems in humans. It is important to recognize a dose‐dependent trend both for specific minor changes and for general parameters (e.g., sternebral alterations). Finally, the range of prevalences in historical controls may be an insensitive parameter, due to the wide variability between different control groups. This range could be better replaced by the average prevalence ± Standard Deviation.