Retinal and metabolic changes in a high-fat diet (HFD)+STZ model of Type II diabetes.

While the high-dose streptozotocin (STZ; 100 mg/kg) rodent model is the gold standard in modeling Type I diabetes, models for Type II diabetes are needed for this more common form of diabetes. We investigated the retinal, cognitive, and metabolic alterations in a Type II diabetic model induced by high-fat diet (HFD) and low-dose STZ (30 mg/kg). Long Evans rats were assigned to naïve control, HFD, or HFD+STZ groups.

Dependence of visual and cognitive outcomes on animal holder configuration in a rodent model of blast overpressure exposure.

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of modern military conflicts. To more fully understand the effects of blast exposure, we placed rats in different holder configurations, exposed them to blast overpressure, and assessed the degree of eye and brain injury. Anesthetized Long-Evans rats received blast exposures directed at the head (63 kPa, 195 dB-SPL) in either an "open holder" (head and neck exposed; n = 7), or an "enclosed holder" (window for blast exposure to eye; n = 15) and were compared to non-blast exposed (control) rats (n = 22).