A Comparison of Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Techniques for Kinematic Analysis of the Sagittal Motion of Sheep Hindlimbs During Walking on a Treadmill.

Compared to rodents, sheep offer several attractive features as an experimental model for testing different medical and surgical interventions related to pathological gait caused by neurological diseases and injuries. To use sheep for development of novel treatment strategies in the field of neuroscience, it is key to establish the relevant kinematic features of locomotion in this species. To use sheep for development of novel treatment strategies in the field of neuroscience, it is crucial to understand fundamental baseline characteristics of locomotion in this species.

Kinematic and kinetic gait analysis to evaluate functional recovery in thoracic spinal cord injured rats.

The recovery of walking function following spinal cord injury (SCI) is of major importance to patients and clinicians. In experimental SCI studies, a rat model is widely used to assess walking function, following thoracic spinal cord lesion. In an effort to provide a resource which investigators can refer to when seeking the most appropriate functional assay, the authors have compiled and categorized the behavioral assessments used to measure the deficits and recovery of the gait in thoracic SCI rats.

Kinematic patterns for hindlimb obstacle avoidance during sheep locomotion.

Functional recovery following general nerve reconstruction is often associated with poor results. Comparing to rat and mice experimental studies, there are much fewer investigations on nerve regeneration and repair in the sheep, and there are no studies on this subject using gait analysis in the sheep model as an assessment tool. Additionally, this is the first study evaluating obstacle negotiation and the compensatory strategies that take place at each joint in response to the obstacle during locomotion in the sheep model.

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphate as biomarker of bone turnover over the lifespan and different physiologic stages in sheep.

Background: Currently, the best resources for assessment of bone tissue using imaging techniques are expensive and available in few medical facilities, thus serum or urinary bone turnover biomarkers could be useful as early indicators of prognosis. However, there is a wide range of variability in bone turnover markers due to several factors, such as different ages and metabolic stages, thus it is important to have as much data published on the subject as possible. The aim of this study was therefore to generate a reference range for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and validate the already published data.

Dynamic feet distance: A new functional assessment during treadmill locomotion in normal and thoracic spinal cord injured rats.

Of all the detrimental effects of spinal cord injury (SCI), one of the most devastating is the disruption of the ability to perform functional movement. Very little is known on the recovery of hindlimb joint kinematics after clinically-relevant contusive thoracic lesion in experimental animal models. A new functional assessment instrument, the dynamic feet distance (DFD) was used to describe the distance between the two feet throughout the gait cycle in normal and affected rodents.

The use of sheep as a model for studying peripheral nerve regeneration following nerve injury: review of the literature.

Peripheral nerve injury and regeneration is a challenging scientific field with relevant clinical implications. Most peripheral nerve regeneration studies have been mainly carried out on rodents. However, it is important to note that the validity of the rodent as a model to study nerve injury and regeneration and translate these results into clinical practice has been questioned by several researchers.

Bone turnover markers in sheep and goat: A review of the scientific literature.

Bone turnover markers (BTMs) are product of bone cell activity and are generally divided in bone formation and bone resorption markers. The purpose of this review was to structure the available information on the use of BTMs in studies on small ruminants, especially for monitoring their variations related to diet, exercise, gestation and metabolic lactation state, circadian and seasonal variations, and also during skeletal growth. Pre-clinical and translational studies using BTMs with sheep and goats as animal models in orthopaedic research studies to help in the evaluation of the fracture healing process and osteoporosis research are also described in this review.

Evaluation of cranial tibial and extensor carpi radialis reflexes before and after anesthetic block in cats.

Objectives This study aimed to test the extensor carpi radialis and cranial tibial reflexes in cats before and after anesthetic block of the brachial and lumbosacral plexus, respectively, to determine whether they depend on a myotatic reflex arc. Methods Fifty-five cats with a normal neurologic examination that were referred for elective gonadectomy were divided into group 1 (29 cats) for testing the extensor carpi radialis reflex, and group 2 (26 cats) for testing the cranial tibial reflex. In group 1, the extensor carpi radialis reflex was tested after anesthetic induction and 15 mins after brachial plexus block with lidocaine.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Erythrocytosis in a Dog: A Case Report.

Primary erythrocytosis, or polycythemia vera, is a myeloproliferative disease caused by the exaggerated increase of erythroid precursor cells in the bone marrow. We report the case of an 11-year-old male mixed-breed dog that had tachypnea and spastic tetraplegia. There was a significant increase in hematocrit.