Comparison of the volume fraction values of grey matter on the cervical enlargement of the spinal cord in chicken and quail

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate and compare volume fraction values of grey matter (substantia grisea) in the
cervical enlargement (intumescentia cervicalis) using stereological methods for two different types of birds. Ten pairs of quails and
chickens were included in this study as one of them is flying and the other one is flightless bird species. The tissues cut into serial
sections of 5 µm thickness were selected according to systematic random sampling and stained with cresyl violet. Volume and volume
fractions were calculated in accordance with the Cavalieri principle. Student’s t-test was used to evaluate volume fraction differences
among the species. The volume fractions of grey matter in cervical enlargement of chicken and quail were 0.277 ± 0.005 and 0.346 ±
0.014 (Mean ± Standart Deviation), respectively (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between chicken and quail cervical
enlargements in terms of volume fraction values of grey matter. On the other hand, the Cavalieri principle was considered as an
unbiased, accurate and effective method for volume and volume fraction estimations.  

Keywords

• Cavalieri principle,cervical enlargement,chicken,quail,volume fraction

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