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Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Oct 2023Refinement of experimental procedures in animal research has the objective of preventing and minimizing pain/distress in animals, including the euthanasia period. This...
Refinement of experimental procedures in animal research has the objective of preventing and minimizing pain/distress in animals, including the euthanasia period. This study aimed to evaluate pain associated with six methods of euthanasia in Wistar rats (injectable, inhalational, and physical), by applying the Rat Grimace Scale (RGS), comparing the scores, and determining the method with the highest score that might indicate pain for laboratory rodents. Sixty adult male and female Wistar rats were used and assigned to six treatments: pentobarbital, CO, decapitation, isoflurane, ketamine + xylazine, and ketamine + CO. Video recording to assess the RGS scores was performed in four events: basal: 24 h before the procedure; Ti: three minutes before the procedure; Ti: during the application of the euthanasia method; and Ti: immediately after the application until LORR. The main findings of this study showed that, during Ti, decapitation and ketamine + xylazine had the highest scores (0.6 ± 0.26 and 0.6 ± 0.16, respectively) ( < 0.0001), while at Ti, CO (0.9 ± 0.18) and isoflurane (1.2 ± 0.20) recorded the highest scores ( < 0.0001). According to the present results, decapitation and ketamine + xylazine elicited short-term acute pain, possibly due to tissue damage caused by both methods (injection and guillotine). In contrast, isoflurane's RGS scores recorded during Ti might be associated with nociception/pain due to the pungency of the drug or to the pharmacological muscle relaxant effect of isoflurane. Further research is needed to establish a comprehensive study of pain during euthanasia, where RGS could be used minding the limitations that anesthetics might have on facial expression.
PubMed: 37893885
DOI: 10.3390/ani13203161 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Oct 2023: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease in the supporting tissues of the teeth caused by specific microorganisms or groups of microorganisms. bacterium is the...
: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease in the supporting tissues of the teeth caused by specific microorganisms or groups of microorganisms. bacterium is the keystone pathogen in periodontitis, so even at low concentrations, it has a considerable influence on the oral community. Antimicrobials and antiplaque agents can be used as adjunctive therapy for periodontitis treatment. Konjac glucomannan (KGM), as a natural polysaccharide, has flavonoid (3,5-diacetyltambulin) and triterpenoids (ambylon) compounds that show antibacterial activity. This research aims to analyze the antibacterial activity of KGM on animal and in vitro periodontitis models. : The animal study divided 48 mice into four groups (control, KGM, periodontitis, KGM + periodontitis). Mice were given an intervention substance by oral gavage from day 1 to day 14, periodontitis was induced on day 7, and decapitation was performed on day 14. Samples from the right maxillary jaw of mice were used for histological preparations and morphometrics analysis. In vitro studies were carried out by adding several concentrations of KGM (25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) into a planktonic and biofilm. : In the animal model, KGM could prevent alveolar bone loss in the periodontitis mice model, both in histologic and morphometrics assessments. In vitro, KGM had antibacterial activity against with better bacteriostatic (15-23%) than bactericidal (11-20%) ability, proven by its ability to inhibit proliferation. : KGM can be considered to have the potential as an antibacterial agent to prevent periodontitis. The prevention of periodontitis may improve patient well-being and human quality of life.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Quality of Life; Periodontitis; Disease Models, Animal; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37893496
DOI: 10.3390/medicina59101778 -
Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi Aug 2023To explore the potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary brain stem injury (PBSI) by using metabonomics method to observe the changes of metabolites in rats with...
OBJECTIVES
To explore the potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary brain stem injury (PBSI) by using metabonomics method to observe the changes of metabolites in rats with PBSI caused death.
METHODS
PBSI, non-brain stem brain injury and decapitation rat models were established, and metabolic maps of brain stem were obtained by LC-MS metabonomics method and annotated to the HMDB database. Partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and random forest methods were used to screen potential biomarkers associated with PBSI diagnosis.
RESULTS
Eighty-six potential metabolic markers associated with PBSI were screened by PLS-DA. They were modeled and predicted by random forest algorithm with an accuracy rate of 83.3%. The 818 metabolic markers annotated to HMDB database were used for random forest modeling and prediction, and the accuracy rate was 88.9%. According to the importance in the identification of cause of death, the most important metabolic markers that were significantly up-regulated in PBSI group were HMDB0038126 (genipinic acid, GA), HMDB0013272 (-lauroylglycine), HMDB0005199 [()-salsolinol] and HMDB0013645 (,-dimethylsphingosine).
CONCLUSIONS
GA, -lauroylglycine, ()-salsolinol and ,-dimethylsphingosine are expected to be important metabolite indicators in the diagnosis of PBSI caused death, thus providing clues for forensic medicine practice.
Topics: Rats; Animals; Metabolomics; Brain Injuries; Biomarkers; Brain Stem
PubMed: 37859476
DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2022.420510 -
European Review For Medical and... Sep 2023The objective of our study was to evaluate whether ovarian suppression by two different hormonal methods may spare the ovary the cytotoxic effects of isotretinoin in a...
The protective effects of hormonal suppression by a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or an oral contraceptive on the decreased ovarian reserve in female rats exposed to isotretinoin.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to evaluate whether ovarian suppression by two different hormonal methods may spare the ovary the cytotoxic effects of isotretinoin in a rat model.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four groups (n=8 Sprague-Dawley albino rats per group) were studied: control (Group I), 7.5 mg/kg/day isotretinoin (Group II), isotretinoin plus the combination of 0.030 mg ethinyl estradiol/0.15 mg levonorgestrel (combined oral contraceptive, COC), and isotretinoin plus 100 μg (microgram) leuprolide acetate (GnRHa) (Group III and IV, respectively). Four rats from each group were decapitated on the 30th day of treatment, and the remaining rats were decapitated on the 30th day of untreated follow-up. Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) concentrations, healthy and atretic follicle numbers, and apoptotic activity of follicles in oophorectomy specimens were compared between the groups.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences in AMH levels among the study groups before, immediately after (first month), and one month after their last medication (second month) (p=0.08, 0.47, and 0.08, respectively). At the end of the first month, the control group had a higher median count of healthy primordial follicles compared to the study groups: 13.5 (8-22), 5.5 (3-11), 6 (2-13), and 1 (0-1) in control, isotretinoin, isotretinoin+COC, and isotretinoin+GnRHa groups, respectively (p=0.02). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of healthy primordial follicles between the groups one month after the last medication (p=0.33). The median atretic antral follicle counts in the first month were 2 (1-4), 3.5 (1-4), 0 (0-2), and 0 (0-0) in the control, isotretinoin, isotretinoin+COC, and isotretinoin+GnRHa groups, respectively (p=0.02). Otherwise, there were no significant differences in other types of follicles among the control and treated groups (p>0.05). There was also no statistical difference between the groups regarding immunostaining intensity for active caspase-3 evaluated in the first or second month of treatment (p=0.8 and 0.2, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that GnRH agonists or COC have no protective effects on ovarian reserve when co-administered with isotretinoin in the rat model.
Topics: Female; Rats; Animals; Humans; Contraceptives, Oral; Isotretinoin; Ovarian Reserve; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Anti-Mullerian Hormone; Immunologic Factors; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
PubMed: 37782196
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202309_33808 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023Sweet sorghum has emerged as a promising source of bioenergy mainly due to its high biomass and high soluble sugar yield in stems. Studies have shown that...
Sweet sorghum has emerged as a promising source of bioenergy mainly due to its high biomass and high soluble sugar yield in stems. Studies have shown that loss-of-function locus alleles have been selected during sweet sorghum domestication, and decapitation can further boost sugar accumulation in sweet sorghum, indicating that the potential for improving sugar yields is yet to be fully realized. To maximize sugar accumulation, it is essential to gain a better understanding of the mechanism underlying the massive accumulation of soluble sugars in sweet sorghum stems in addition to the locus. We performed a transcriptomic analysis upon decapitation of near-isogenic lines for mutant (, juicy stems, and green leaf midrib) and functional (, dry stems and white leaf midrib) alleles at the locus. Our analysis revealed that decapitation suppressed photosynthesis in leaves, but accelerated starch metabolic processes in stems. negatively correlates with sugar levels supported by genotypes ( vs. ), treatments (control vs. decapitation), and developmental stages post anthesis (3d vs.10d). locus gene and other programmed cell death-related genes were downregulated by decapitation, while sugar transporter-encoding gene was induced. Both and were detected in phloem companion cells by RNA assay. Loss of the homolog, in led to a sugar accumulation increase. This study provides new insights into sugar accumulation enhancement in bioenergy crops, which can be potentially achieved by reducing reproductive sink strength and enhancing phloem unloading.
PubMed: 37767289
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1233813 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Sep 2023Refinement is one of the principles aiming to promote welfare in research animals. The techniques used during an experimental protocol, including euthanasia selection,...
Refinement is one of the principles aiming to promote welfare in research animals. The techniques used during an experimental protocol, including euthanasia selection, must prevent and minimize suffering. Although the current euthanasia methods applied to laboratory rodents are accepted, the controversial findings regarding the potential stress/distress they can cause is a field of research. The objective was to assess the thermal response of Wistar rats during various euthanasia methods using infrared thermography (IRT) to determine the method that prevents or diminishes the stress response and prolonged suffering. Pentobarbital (G), CO (G), decapitation (G), isoflurane (G), ketamine + xylazine (G), and ketamine + CO (G) were evaluated at five evaluation times with IRT to identify changes in the surface temperature of four anatomical regions: ocular (T°), auricular (T°), interscapular (T°), and caudal (T°). Significant differences ( < 0.05) were found in G and G, registering temperature increases from the administration of the drug to the cessation of respiratory rate and heart rate. Particularly, isoflurane showed a marked thermal response in T°, T°, T°, and T°, suggesting that, in general, inhalant euthanasia methods induce stress in rats and that isoflurane might potentially cause distress, an effect that must be considered when deciding humane euthanasia methods in laboratory rodents.
PubMed: 37760220
DOI: 10.3390/ani13182820 -
Horticulture Research Sep 2023Jujube witches' broom (JWB) phytoplasmas parasitize the sieve tubes of diseased phloem and cause an excessive proliferation of axillary shoots from dormant lateral buds...
Jujube witches' broom (JWB) phytoplasmas parasitize the sieve tubes of diseased phloem and cause an excessive proliferation of axillary shoots from dormant lateral buds to favour their transmission. In previous research, two JWB effectors, SJP1 and SJP2, were identified to induce lateral bud outgrowth by disrupting ZjBRC1-mediated auxin flux. However, the pathogenesis of JWB disease remains largely unknown. Here, tissue-specific transcriptional reprogramming was examined to gain insight into the genetic mechanisms acting inside jujube lateral buds under JWB phytoplasma infection. JWB phytoplasmas modulated a series of plant signalling networks involved in lateral bud development and defence, including auxin, abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid. JWB-induced bud outgrowth was accompanied by downregulation of ABA synthesis within lateral buds. ABA application rescued the bushy appearances of transgenic overexpressing and in Col-0 and in the mutant. Furthermore, the expression of and ABA-related genes and was negatively correlated with lateral main bud outgrowth in decapitated healthy jujube. Molecular evidence showed that ZjBRC1 interacted with ZjBRC2 via its N-terminus to activate and expression and ABA accumulation in transgenic jujube calli. In addition, widely regulated differentially expressed genes related to ABA homeostasis and ABA signalling, especially by binding to and suppressing ABA receptors. Therefore, these results suggest that JWB phytoplasmas hijack the -mediated ABA pathways to stimulate lateral bud outgrowth and expansion, providing a strategy to engineer plants resistant to JWB phytoplasma disease and regulate woody plant architecture to promote crop yield and quality.
PubMed: 37691966
DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad148 -
La Clinica Terapeutica 2023Each year, there are billions of agricultural work accidents involving the operation of tractors, grain augers, harvest combines, power take-off devices, or balers and...
BACKGROUND
Each year, there are billions of agricultural work accidents involving the operation of tractors, grain augers, harvest combines, power take-off devices, or balers and thrashers. Field accidents of this nature seem more common on afternoons, just as road accidents tend to skew toward nighttime. The lesions can vary widely and depends strictly on the operation of the machinery analyzed.
AIMS
This paper aims to present a peculiar case of decapitation by a combine harvester, showing how, in cases of injury due to agricultural machinery, it is fundamental a correct execution of a scene investigation, autoptic examination, and cooperation with a specialist in engineering.
CASE REPORT
A 54-year-old man was found decapitated on the header of a combine harvester; his extremities were also dismembered. At autopsy, a clean oblique cut across the first cervical vertebra had severed the head at the neck. Although the right arm remained intact, both lower extremities were mutilated, showing numerous exposed and open fractures. A bleeding, penetrating wound to the back was additionally noted. In the days that followed, missing parts (head and left leg) were discovered in other machine components (grain tank and straw walker, respectively). All observed injuries were compatible with the mechanics of the cochlea, its rotating movement inflicting the damages above. Collaboration between pathologists and engineers was fundamental to recreating the dynamics of this rare decapitation accident by a combine harvester.
Topics: Male; Humans; Middle Aged; Decapitation; Farmers; Neck; Autopsy
PubMed: 37674446
DOI: 10.7417/CT.2023.2454 -
Pharmaceutics Jul 2023Djeya1 (RKLAFRYRRIKELYNSYR) is a very effective cell penetrating peptide (CPP) that mimics the α5 helix of the highly conserved Eya domain (ED) of eyes absent (Eya)...
Djeya1 (RKLAFRYRRIKELYNSYR) is a very effective cell penetrating peptide (CPP) that mimics the α5 helix of the highly conserved Eya domain (ED) of eyes absent (Eya) proteins. The objective of this study was to bioengineer analogues of Djeya1 that, following effective translocation into planarian tissues, would reduce the ability of neoblasts (totipotent stem cells) and their progeny to regenerate the anterior pole in decapitated . As a strategy to increase the propensity for helix formation, molecular bioengineering of Djeya1 was achieved by the mono-substitution of the helicogenic aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) at three species-variable sites: 10, 13, and 16. CD analyses indicated that Djeya1 is highly helical, and that Aib-substitution had subtle influences upon the secondary structures of bioengineered analogues. Aib-substituted Djeya1 analogues are highly efficient CPPs, devoid of influence upon cell viability or proliferation. All three peptides increase the migration of PC-3 cells, a prostate cancer line that expresses high concentrations of Eya. Two peptides, [Aib]Djeya1 and [Aib]Djeya1, are bioportides which delay planarian head regeneration. As neoblasts are the only cell population capable of division in planaria, these data indicate that bioportide technologies could be utilised to directly manipulate other stem cells in situ, thus negating any requirement for genetic manipulation.
PubMed: 37631231
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15082018 -
Radiography (London, England : 1995) Oct 2023The porcine model shows structural features comparable to that of humans and are routinely used within research, due to the ethical, legal, and practical use of...
INTRODUCTION
The porcine model shows structural features comparable to that of humans and are routinely used within research, due to the ethical, legal, and practical use of post-mortem human samples. Methods for obtaining high quality and comparable reference data using standardised acquisition protocols are essential.
METHODS
The decapitated heads of three adult white sows were subjected to radiographic imaging before and after cranial trauma (9 mm, Heckler and Koch MP5). Digital radiographs were generated using a Siemens MULTIX TOP system with an Agfa digital detector, with foam blocks and sandbags as ancillary equipment. An iterative approach was adopted by the authors to generate reproducible radiographic views from two perpendicular angles. Specimens were kept at 5 °C and wrapped in polythene bags to reduce the impact of putrefaction.
RESULTS
Standardised head radiography technique was developed for superior-inferior and lateral views demonstrating porcine anatomy. Key parameters included: automatic exposure control for tube current (∼4 mAs), tube voltage of 73 kVp, 100 cm source to image receptor distance, and an anti-scatter grid. Slight variances in specimen morphology, developmental status, and soft tissue changes did not affect imaging outcomes.
CONCLUSION
The technique and positioning proposed in this study allows for the acquisition of high quality and reproducible radiographic images for comparable ballistic research datasets. Specimen positioning and centring of the primary beam may be applied across porcine breeds, although individual radiographic parameters may differ according to equipment specifications and specimen size.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Development of a reproducible radiographic technique of porcine heads in forensic and veterinary research.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Swine; Animals; Female; Radiographic Image Enhancement; Phantoms, Imaging; Radiography
PubMed: 37595528
DOI: 10.1016/j.radi.2023.08.001