Prenatal over- and undernutrition differentially program small intestinal growth, angiogenesis, absorptive capacity, and endocrine function in sheep.

The aim was to test the hypothesis that prenatal under- and overnutrition in late gestation can program small intestinal (SI) growth, angiogenesis, and endocrine function to predispose for a hyperabsorptive state, thereby increasing the susceptibility to the adverse effects of an early postnatal obesogenic diet. Twin-pregnant ewes were exposed to adequate (NORM), LOW (50% of NORM), or HIGH (150% energy and 110% protein of NORM) diets through the last trimester (term ~147 days). From 3 days to 6 months of age, their lambs were fed either a moderate (CONV) or a high-carbohydrate high-fat (HCHF) diet.

Differential impacts of late gestational over-and undernutrition on adipose tissue traits and associated visceral obesity risk upon exposure to a postnatal high-fat diet in adolescent sheep.

We hypothesized that late gestation malnutrition differentially affects expandability of adipose tissues to predispose for early postnatal visceral adiposity. Twin-lambs born to dams fed HIGH (150%/110% of required energy/protein, respectively), NORM (100% of requirements) or LOW (50% of NORM) diets during the last trimester were used. Postnatally, lambs were raised on moderate (CONV) or high-carbohydrate-high-fat (HCHF) diets.

Ovine model of neuropathic pain for assessing mechanisms of spinal cord stimulation therapy via dorsal horn recordings, von Frey filaments, and gait analysis.

Background: It is becoming increasingly important to understand the mechanisms of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in alleviating neuropathic pain as novel stimulation paradigms arise.

Purpose: Additionally, the small anatomic scale of current SCS animal models is a barrier to more translational research.

Methods: Using chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the common peroneal nerve (CPN) in sheep (ovine), we have created a chronic model of neuropathic pain that avoids motor deficits present in prior large animal models.

When neuroscience met clinical pathology: partitioning experimental variation to aid data interpretation in neuroscience.

In animal experiments, neuroscientists typically assess the effectiveness of interventions by comparing the average response of groups of treated and untreated animals. While providing useful insights, focusing only on group effects risks overemphasis of small, statistically significant but physiologically unimportant, differences. Such differences can be created by analytical variability or physiological within-individual variation, especially if the number of animals in each group is small enough that one or two outlier values can have considerable impact on the summary measures for the group.

An ovine model of spinal cord injury.

Objective: To develop a large animal model of spinal cord injury (SCI), for use in translational studies of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in the treatment of spasticity. We seek to establish thresholds for the SCS parameters associated with reduction of post-SCI spasticity in the pelvic limbs, with implications for patients.

Study Design: The weight-drop method was used to create a moderate SCI in adult sheep, leading to mild spasticity in the pelvic limbs.

Kinematic analysis of the gait of adult sheep during treadmill locomotion: Parameter values, allowable total error, and potential for use in evaluating spinal cord injury.

We are developing a novel intradural spinal cord (SC) stimulator designed to improve the treatment of intractable pain and the sequelae of SC injury. In-vivo ovine models of neuropathic pain and moderate SC injury are being implemented for pre-clinical evaluations of this device, to be carried out via gait analysis before and after induction of the relevant condition. We extend previous studies on other quadrupeds to extract the three-dimensional kinematics of the limbs over the gait cycle of sheep walking on a treadmill.

The effects of topical oxygen therapy on equine distal limb dermal wound healing.

Topical oxygen therapy (TOT) has been used in human medicine to promote healing in chronic wounds. To test the efficacy and safety of TOT in horses, an experimental wound model was created by making 1 standardized dermal wound on each limb of 4 healthy horses (n = 16). Each wound was fitted with an oxygen delivery cannula and covered with a bandage.

Expression of acute phase proteins and inflammatory cytokines in mouse mammary gland following Staphylococcus aureus challenge and in response to milk accumulation.

We used a mouse model of pathogenic (Staphylococcus aureus) and non-pathogenic (teat sealing) mammary inflammation to investigate mRNA expression of several inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins (APP) in mammary tissue and liver, and the appearance of some of these factors in plasma and milk. The expression levels of IL1β and TNFα were markedly up-regulated in Staph. aureus-inoculated mammary tissue at 72 h, whilst IL6 was up-regulated to a lesser extent in a way which was not confined to the inoculated glands.