Characterizing candidate decompression rates for hypobaric hypoxic stunning of pigs. Part 1: Reflexive behavior and physiological responses.

Alternatives to carbon dioxide (CO) stunning for the commercial slaughter of pigs are urgently needed because there is robust evidence that exposing pigs to hypercapnic environments is associated with pain, fear, and distress. Hypobaric hypoxia (via gradual decompression, also known as Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning or LAPS) has been validated in poultry as a humane option, but its potential to improve the welfare of pigs at slaughter is unknown. We investigated the potential of hypobaric hypoxia to reliably elicit a non-recovery state in anesthetized weaner-grower pigs within a commercially viable timeframe.

Characterizing candidate decompression rates for hypobaric hypoxic stunning of pigs. Part 2: Pathological consequences.

Pigs are commonly stunned pre-slaughter by exposure to carbon dioxide (CO), but this approach is associated with significant welfare concerns. Hypobaric hypoxia, achieved with gradual decompression (also known as Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning or LAPS) may be an alternative, allowing the retention of welfare friendly handling approaches and group stunning. Although validated in poultry, the feasibility and welfare consequences of gradual decompression for pigs are unknown.

Animal welfare requirements in publishing guidelines.

Descriptions of measures taken to optimize animal welfare are often absent from scientific reports of animal experiments. One reason may be that journal guidelines inadequately compel authors to provide such information. In this study, online English language versions of the 'Guidelines to authors' (GTAs) from 54 national biomedical journals were examined for neutral (unrelated to welfare) and non-neutral keywords referring to: animal welfare; the '3Rs'; the ARRIVE (2010) guidelines, and regulations pertaining to animal experimentation.

Lung injury caused by aspiration of organophosphorus insecticide and gastric contents in pigs.

Introduction: Patients who require mechanical ventilation after self-poisoning with ingested organophosphorus (OP) insecticides often die. Aspiration of stomach contents may contribute to lung injury and lethality. This study was designed to assess the severity of direct and indirect pulmonary injury created by pulmonary instillation of mixtures of OP insecticide, solvent (Solv) and porcine gastric juice (GJ) compared to controls.

In vivo application of an implantable tri-anchored methylene blue-based electrochemical pH sensor.

The development of robust implantable sensors is important in the successful advancement of personalised medicine as they have the potential to provide in situ real-time data regarding the status of health and disease and the effectiveness of treatment. Tissue pH is a key physiological parameter and herein, we report the design, fabrication, functionalisation, encapsulation and protection of a miniaturised, self-contained, electrochemical pH sensor system and characterisation of sensor performance. Notably for the first time in this environment the pH sensor was based on a methylene blue redox reporter which showed remarkable robustness, accuracy and sensitivity.

Impaired neuromuscular function by conjoint actions of organophosphorus insecticide metabolites omethoate and cyclohexanol with implications for treatment of respiratory failure.

Background: Ingestion of agricultural organophosphorus insecticides is a significant cause of death in rural Asia. Patients often show acute respiratory failure and/or delayed, unexplained signs of neuromuscular paralysis, sometimes diagnosed as "Intermediate Syndrome". We tested the hypothesis that omethoate and cyclohexanol, circulating metabolites of one agricultural formulation, cause muscle weakness and paralysis.

Noninvasive Detection of Ischemic Vascular Damage in a Pig Model of Liver Donation After Circulatory Death.

Background And Aims: Liver graft quality is evaluated by visual inspection prior to transplantation, a process highly dependent on the surgeon's experience. We present an objective, noninvasive, quantitative way of assessing liver quality in real time using Raman spectroscopy, a laser-based tool for analyzing biomolecular composition.

Approach And Results: A porcine model of donation after circulatory death (DCD) with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) allowed assessment of liver quality premortem, during warm ischemia (WI) and post-NRP.

An Anglocentric History of Anaesthetics and Analgesics in the Refinement of Animal Experiments.

Previous histories of animal experimentation, e.g., Franco (2013) have focused on ethics, the law and the personalities involved, but not on the involvement of anaesthetics or analgesics.

Development of a histopathology scoring system for the pulmonary complications of organophosphorus insecticide poisoning in a pig model.

Organophosphorus (OP) insecticide self-poisoning causes over 100,000 global deaths annually. Around a third of patients are intubated and up to half of these can die. Post-mortem analysis of OP poisoned patients' lungs reveals consolidation, edema and hemorrhage, suggesting that direct or indirect lung damage may contribute to mortality.

Feeding management before gastrointestinal studies in pigs.

Pigs are used to model humans in gastrointestinal (GI) studies because of their comparable size, physiology and behaviour: both are monogastric omnivores. A porcine surgical model for testing novel, tethered ultrasound capsule endoscopes (USCE) requires a clean, motile small intestine. Recommendations for human GI tract preparation before the mechanically similar process of video capsule endoscopy describe using oral purgatives, while high-carbohydrate drinks are recommended before colorectal surgery.

Comparative anatomy of the mammalian neuromuscular junction.

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ)-a synapse formed between lower motor neuron and skeletal muscle fibre-represents a major focus of both basic neuroscience research and clinical neuroscience research. Although the NMJ is known to play an important role in many neurodegenerative conditions affecting humans, the vast majority of anatomical and physiological data concerning the NMJ come from lower mammalian (e.g.

Efficacy of an organophosphorus hydrolase enzyme (OpdA) in human serum and minipig models of organophosphorus insecticide poisoning.

Current therapeutic options for organophosphorus (OP) insecticide self-poisoning including atropine and oximes are inadequate and case fatality may exceed 20%. An OP hydrolase enzyme, OpdA, has been used for environmental cleansing of OP insecticides and prevented death in rat and non-human primate models of OP insecticide poisoning if given very quickly after exposure. We here tested OpdA's ability to break down OP insecticides in human serum and in clinically relevant minipig models of OP insecticide poisoning.

Modest and variable efficacy of pre-exposure hydroxocobalamin and dicobalt edetate in a porcine model of acute cyanide salt poisoning.

Dicobalt edetate and hydroxocobalamin are widely used to treat hydrogen cyanide poisoning. However, comparative and quantitative efficacy data are lacking. Although post-exposure treatment is typical, it may be possible to administer these antidotes before exposure to first attenders entering a known site of cyanide release, as supplementary protection to their personal protective equipment.

Intelligent magnetic manipulation for gastrointestinal ultrasound.

Diagnostic endoscopy in the gastrointestinal tract has remained largely unchanged for decades and is limited to the visualization of the tissue surface, the collection of biopsy samples for diagnoses, and minor interventions such as clipping or tissue removal. In this work, we present the autonomous servoing of a magnetic capsule robot for , subsurface diagnostics of microanatomy. We investigated and showed the feasibility of closed-loop magnetic control using digitized microultrasound (μUS) feedback; this is crucial for obtaining robust imaging in an unknown and unconstrained environment.

A Novel Translational Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Model for Human Lung Cancer.

cell line and murine models have historically dominated pre-clinical cancer research. These models can be expensive and time consuming and lead to only a small percentage of anti-cancer drugs gaining a license for human use. Large animal models that reflect human disease have high translational value; these can be used to overcome current pre-clinical research limitations through the integration of drug development techniques with surgical procedures and anesthetic protocols, along with emerging fields such as implantable medical devices.

Transcranial bioimpedance measurement in horses: a pilot study.

Objective: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of transcranial bioimpedance (TCBI) measurement and variability of TCBI values in healthy conscious horses and to study effects of body position and time on TCBI in anaesthetized horses.

Study Design: Prospective, observational study.

Animals: A total of four research horses and 16 client-owned horses presented for surgery.

Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma: A Unique Model to Improve Lung Cancer Research.

Lung cancer represents a major worldwide health concern; although advances in patient management have improved outcomes for some patients, overall 5-year survival rates are only around 15%. studies and mouse models are commonly used to study lung cancer and their use has increased the molecular understanding of the disease. Unfortunately, mouse models are poor predictors of clinical outcome and seldom mimic advanced stages of the human disease.

Comparison of Brody's formula with respiratory gas analysis for estimating oxygen consumption in anaesthetized dogs.

Objective: To determine agreement in oxygen consumption (V˙O) values calculated using Sykes' formula V˙O = (FiO - Fe'O) * V˙ (where Fi and Fe are the inspired and end-tidal fractional concentrations of O, respectively, and V˙ is minute volume) with values derived using Brody's formula (V˙O = 10 kg). It was hypothesized that the two methods would not yield statistically significant differences in calculated values.

Study Design: Prospective, clinical, pilot study.

A comparison of two ketamine doses for field anaesthesia in horses undergoing castration.

Background: Ketamine at 2.2 mg/kg given i.v.

A review of factors affecting analgesic selection in large animals undergoing translational research.

The widespread physiological effects of pain in experimental animals are likely to reduce the validity of data except when pain itself is studied. Appropriately prescribed analgesics will limit pain and improve the welfare of animals undergoing noxious experimental procedures. However, their injudicious use may also introduce variability in data and limit study reproducibility.