Effect of embedded metal fragments on urinary metal levels and kidney biomarkers in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

Background: Wounds with embedded metal fragments are an unfortunate consequence of armed conflicts. In many cases the exact identity of the metal(s) and their long-term health effects, especially on the kidney, are not known.

Aim Of Study: The aim of this study was to quantitate the urinary levels of metals solubilized from surgically implanted metal pellets and to assess the effect of these metals on the kidney using a battery of biomarker assays.

Hydrophobic Sand Versus Metabolic Cages: A Comparison of Urine Collection Methods for Rats ().

A common method for urine collection from rats requires the use of a metabolic cage, thus exposing animals to extended periods of isolation in an unfamiliar cage with a wire-mesh floor. A new method involving hydrophobic sand, a material more similar to bedding, has become available recently but has not been extensively compared with metabolic cages in regard to collection efficiency or stress. Using a within-subjects crossover design, we examined differences in stress markers, urinary markers, and urine volume of clinically healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats during 2-, 4-, and 6-h collection sessions in hydrophobic sand and metabolic cages.

Critical Role for Interleukin-25 in Host Protective Th2 Memory Response against Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri.

Infection with parasitic nematodes, especially gastrointestinal geohelminths, affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and thus poses a major risk to global health. The host mechanism of defense against enteric nematode infection remains to be fully understood, but it involves a polarized type 2 immunity leading to alterations in intestinal function that facilitate worm expulsion. We investigated the role of interleukin-25 (IL-25) in host protection against Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri infection in mice.