Positive impact of pre-stroke surgery on survival following transient focal ischemia in hypertensive rats

We describe a positive influence of pre-stroke surgery on recovery and survival in a commonly used experimental stroke model. Two groups of male, stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs) underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Group 1 underwent the procedure without any prior intervention whilst group 2 had an additional general anaesthetic 6 days prior to tMCAO for a cranial burrhole and durotomy. Post-stroke recovery was assessed using a 32 point neurological deficit score and tapered beam walk and infarct volume determined from haematoxylin–eosin stained sections. In group 2 survival was 92% (n = 12) versus 67% in group 1 (n = 18). In addition, post-tMCAO associated weight loss was significantly reduced in group 2. There was no significant difference between the two groups in experimental outcomes: infarct volume (Group 1 317 ± 18.6 mm<sup>3</sup> versus Group 2 332 ± 20.4 mm<sup>3</sup>), and serial (day 0–14 post-tMCAO) neurological deficit scores and tapered-beam walk test. Drilling a cranial burrhole under general anaesthesia prior to tMCAO in SHRSP reduced mortality and gave rise to infarct volumes and neurological deficits similar to those recorded in surviving Group 1 animals. This methodological refinement has significant implications for animal welfare and group sizes required for intervention studies

Le FORUM, Vol. 36 No. 3

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1034/thumbnail.jp

Simulating the effect of climatic variations on the long-term performance of different agroforestry systems within field trials using virtual experiments

Agroforestry systems can reduce some of the adverse effects of climate change in agriculture by e.g. serving as a windbreak or shade provider to protect crops or grazing livestock and supporting beneficial species for pest control. The prediction of the long-term performance of different agroforestry options is however difficult to obtain through field quantify experiments due to the length of time trees grow for experiments. Numerical modelling can contribute to a better understanding of a system’s performance, since the effect of different climatic alterations can be tested using virtual experiments for different periods of time. Within the Horizon 2020 AGROMIX project, we are analysing the long-term performance of eight different agroforestry trials (Figure 1), using different modelling approaches. The trials are spread over three biogeographic regions (Mediterranean, Continental, and Atlantic) and are of varying age (4 to 33 years). In total, six silvoarable and five silvopastoral farming systems are maintained at the eight field trials. Through the use of different numerical models the effect of changes in temperature and precipitation patterns or the occurrence of extreme events such as droughts or late spring frost on the different agroforestry systems will be predicted. Additionally, experimental data on crop performance as well as animal behaviour and welfare, in particular under heat stress, are being obtained and will potentially be included in the model predictions. This poster aims to give an overview on the field trials and the numerical modelling approaches that are being applied to predict long-term system performance

Bostonia. Volume 9

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

International genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new primary biliary cirrhosis risk loci and targetable pathogenic pathways.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a classical autoimmune liver disease for which effective immunomodulatory therapy is lacking. Here we perform meta-analyses of discovery data sets from genome-wide association studies of European subjects (n=2,764 cases and 10,475 controls) followed by validation genotyping in an independent cohort (n=3,716 cases and 4,261 controls). We discover and validate six previously unknown risk loci for PBC (Pcombined<5 × 10(-8)) and used pathway analysis to identify JAK-STAT/IL12/IL27 signalling and cytokine-cytokine pathways, for which relevant therapies exist