Upregulated 5-HT Receptors Regulate Lower Urinary Tract Function in Rats after Complete Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) above the lumbosacral level often leads to dysfunction of the lower urinary tract (LUT) including detrusor hyper-reflexia, wherein bladder compliance is low, baseline pressures are increased, and filling is accompanied by numerous non-voiding contractions (NVCs) referred to as neurogenic detrusor overactivity. Here, we investigate the expression levels of the serotonin 1A (5-HT) receptor in segments both rostral and caudal to the injured site, as well as the effects on micturition of blocking 5-HT receptor using pharmacological interventions in spinally intact rats or T8 complete SCI rats. The activities of detrusor and external urethral sphincter (EUS) were assessed with the rats in a conscious condition.

Ontogeny of effective mechanical advantage in eastern cottontail rabbits ().

Juvenile animals must survive in the same environment as adults despite smaller sizes, immature musculoskeletal tissues, general ecological naïveté and other limits of performance. Developmental changes in muscle leverage could constitute one mechanism to promote increased performance in juveniles despite ontogenetic limitations. We tested this hypothesis using a holistic dataset on growth and locomotor development in wild eastern cottontail rabbits () to examine ontogenetic changes in hindlimb muscle effective mechanical advantage (EMA).