Quantitative sensory testing of the equine face

Background: Quantitative sensory testing methods are now standard in the evaluation of sensory function in man, while few normal equine values have been reported. Objectives: The aim of this experimental study was (a) to define the tactile sensory, mechanical nociceptive and thermal nociceptive thresholds of the equine face; (b) to assess the effect of age, sex, stimulation site and shaving; (c) to evaluate the reliability of the methods and (d) to provide reference facial quantitative sensory testing values. Study design: Method description. Methods: Thirty-four healthy Warmblood horses were used in the study. Six (tactile sensory threshold) and five (mechanical nociceptive and thermal nociceptive thresholds) areas of the left side of the face with clear anatomical landmarks were evaluated. Ten horses had two (mechanical nociceptive threshold) or three (tactile sensory and thermal nociceptive thresholds) of these areas shaved for another study. A linear Mixed model was used for data analysis. Results: All thresholds increased with age (tactile sensory threshold: by 0.90 g/y (CI = [0.12 g; 0.36 g]) P = .001; mechanical nociceptive threshold: by 0.25 N/y (CI = [0.13-0.36 N]) P = .000; thermal nociceptive threshold: by 0.2°C/y (CI = [0.055-0.361]) P = .008). Sex had no effect on thresholds (tactile sensory threshold: P = .1; mechanical nociceptive threshold: P = .09; thermal nociceptive threshold: P = .2). Stimulation site affected tactile sensory and mechanical nociceptive thresholds (P = .001 and P = .008), but not thermal nociceptive threshold (P = .9). Shaving had no significant effect on any of the thresholds (tactile sensory threshold: P = .06; mechanical nociceptive threshold: P = .08; thermal nociceptive threshold: P = .09). Main limitations: Only the left side was investigated and measurements were obtained on a single occasion. Conclusions: Handheld quantitative sensory testing does not require shaving or clipping to provide reliable measurements. Stimulation over the nostril (tactile sensory threshold), temporomandibular joint (mechanical nociceptive threshold) and supraorbital foramen (thermal nociceptive threshold) resulted in the most consistent thresholds

KINETIC ANALYSIS OF SEVERAL VARIATIONS OF PUSH-UPS

Push-ups are a common and practical exercise though the kinetic characteristics of this exercise and its variations have yet to be quantified. This study assessed the peak ground reaction forces (GRF) of push-up variations including the regular push-up and those performed with bent knee, feet elevated on a 30.48 cm box and a 60.96 cm box, hands elevated on a 30.48 cm box and a 60.96 cm box. Peak GRF and peak GRF expressed as a coefficient of subject body mass were obtained with a force platform. Push-ups with the feet elevated produced higher GRF than all other push-up variations (p ≤ 0.05). Push-ups with hands elevated and from the bent knee position produced lower GRF than all other push-up variations (p ≤ 0.05). These data can be used to progress the intensity of push-ups in a program with loads that are quantified as a percentage of body mass

Enantiospecific pharmacokinetics of intravenous dexmedetomidine in beagles

The goal of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic (PK) behaviour of dexmedetomidine in dogs administered as a pure enantiomer versus as part of a racemic mixture. Eight unmedicated intact purpose-bread beagles were included. Two intravenous treatments of either medetomidine or dexmedetomidine were administered at 10- to 14-day intervals. Atipamezole or saline solution was administered intramuscularly 45 min later. Venous blood samples were collected into EDTA collection tubes, and the quantification of dexmedetomidine and levomedetomidine was performed by chiral LC–MS/MS. All dogs appeared sedated after each treatment without complication. Plasma concentrations of levomedetomidine were measured only in the racemic group and were 51.4% (51.4%–56.1%) lower than dexmedetomidine. Non-compartmental analysis (NCA) was performed for both drugs, while dexmedetomidine data were further described using a population pharmacokinetic approach. A standard two-compartment mammillary model with linear elimination with combined additive and multiplicative error model for residual unexplained variability was established for dexmedetomidine. An exponential model was finally retained to describe inter-individual variability on parameters of clearance (Cl1) and central and peripheral volumes of distribution (V1, V2). No effect of occurrence, levomedetomidine or atipamezole could be observed on dexmedetomidine PK parameters. Dexmedetomidine did not undergo significantly different PK when administered alone or as part of the racemic mixture in otherwise unmedicated dogs

Spin-coated thin films of metal porphyrin-phthalocyanine blend for an optochemical sensor of alcohol vapours

Abstract Organic thin films based on a blend of two types of metal-co-ordinated macromolecules, i.e. Zn(II) tetra-4-(2,4-di-tert-amylphenoxy)-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and Cu(II) tetrakis(p-tert-butylphenyl)porphyrin (CuP) have been deposited by spin-coating and used as optical chemically interacting materials for the detection of methanol, ethanol and isopropanol vapours. This paper reports the use of a specific optical technique consisting of the selection of four specific spectral regions taken in the UV-Vis spectral range corresponding to the typical Q and Soret bands of the phthalocyanine and porphyrin macromolecules and their corresponding blends. The variations in the absorption peaks obtained by the exposure of the single ZnPc and CuP sensing layers to the considered vapours in controlled atmosphere have been analysed and compared with those derived from a thin film obtained by mixing the two metal complexes in an appropriate ratio. The performance of the heterogeneous sensing layer (i.e. ZnPc/CuP blend)-based sensor evaluated in term of response and selectivity is different from that of single homogeneous films

Cardiovascular changes after administration of aerosolized salbutamol in horses: five cases

Prevention and treatment of intraoperative hypoxemia in horses is difficult and both efficacy and safety of therapeutic maneuvers have to be taken into account. Inhaled salbutamol has been suggested as treatment of hypoxia in horses during general anesthesia, due to safety and ease of the technique. The present report describes the occurrence of clinically relevant unwanted cardiovascular effects (i.e. tachycardia and blood pressure modifications) in 5 horses undergoing general anesthesia in dorsal recumbency after salbutamol inhalation. Balanced anesthesia based on inhalation of isoflurane in oxygen or oxygen and air and continuous rate infusion (CRI) of lidocaine, romifidine, or combination of lidocaine and guaifenesine and ketamine was provided. Supportive measures were necessary to restore normal cardiovascular function in all horses but no long-term adverse effects were noticed in any of the cases

MAGGnet: an international network to foster mitigation of agricultural greenhouse gases.

Research networks provide a framework for review, synthesis and systematic testing of theories by multiple scientists across international borders critical for addressing global-scale issues. In 2012, a GHG research network referred to as MAGGnet (Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Network) was established within the Croplands Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). With involvement from 46 alliance member countries, MAGGnet seeks to provide a platform for the inventory and analysis of agricultural GHG mitigation research throughout the world. To date, metadata from 315 experimental studies in 20 countries have been compiled using a standardized spreadsheet. Most studies were completed (74%) and conducted within a 1-3-year duration (68%). Soil carbon and nitrous oxide emissions were measured in over 80% of the studies. Among plant variables, grain yield was assessed across studies most frequently (56%), followed by stover (35%) and root (9%) biomass. MAGGnet has contributed to modeling efforts and has spurred other research groups in the GRA to collect experimental site metadata using an adapted spreadsheet. With continued growth and investment, MAGGnet will leverage limited-resource investments by any one country to produce an inclusive, globally shared meta-database focused on the science of GHG mitigation

Probabilistic downscaling of remote sensing data with applications for multi-scale biogeochemical flux modeling

Upscaling ecological information to larger scales in space and downscaling remote sensing observations or model simulations to finer scales remain grand challenges in Earth system science. Downscaling often involves inferring subgrid information from coarse-scale data, and such ill-posed problems are classically addressed using regularization. Here, we apply two-dimensional Tikhonov Regularization (2DTR) to simulate subgrid surface patterns for ecological applications. Specifically, we test the ability of 2DTR to simulate the spatial statistics of high-resolution (4 m) remote sensing observations of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in a tundra landscape. We find that the 2DTR approach as applied here can capture the major mode of spatial variability of the high-resolution information, but not multiple modes of spatial variability, and that the Lagrange multiplier (γ) used to impose the condition of smoothness across space is related to the range of the experimental semivariogram. We used observed and 2DTR-simulated maps of NDVI to estimate landscape-level leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP). NDVI maps simulated using a γ value that approximates the range of observed NDVI result in a landscape-level GPP estimate that differs by ca 2% from those created using observed NDVI. Following findings that GPP per unit LAI is lower near vegetation patch edges, we simulated vegetation patch edges using multiple approaches and found that simulated GPP declined by up to 12% as a result. 2DTR can generate random landscapes rapidly and can be applied to disaggregate ecological information and compare of spatial observations against simulated landscapes

The banking-industry relationship in Italy: large national banks and small local banks compared (1913-1936)

Using a large dataset of Italian joint-stock companies, this article analyses the networks of corporate interlocks of the major universal banks and twenty most ‘central’ local banks in a critical period of Italian industrialisation. The networks of the two types of banks were largely independent, with universal banks being affiliated principally to larger concerns in electricity, transport and storage, and financials; and local banks to riskier, younger and smaller firms in light manufacturing. The article then explores whether the bank-industry relationship in Italy reflected the hegemony of banks and followed a bank-control model. Our analysis does not support that view. It rather indicates that interlocking directorates were driven principally by a convergence of interests between banks (monitoring customers) and industrial firms (interested in tapping capital and credit flows), with the latter exerting a slightly higher influence over the former. This significantly differentiates Italy from Germany and the USA, where banks had a more dominant position in the corporate system

Coupled transcriptome and proteome analysis of human lymphotropic tumor viruses: insights on the detection and discovery of viral genes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are related human tumor viruses that cause primary effusion lymphomas (PEL) and Burkitt's lymphomas (BL), respectively. Viral genes expressed in naturally-infected cancer cells contribute to disease pathogenesis; knowing which viral genes are expressed is critical in understanding how these viruses cause cancer. To evaluate the expression of viral genes, we used high-resolution separation and mass spectrometry coupled with custom tiling arrays to align the viral proteomes and transcriptomes of three PEL and two BL cell lines under latent and lytic culture conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of viral genes were efficiently detected at the transcript and/or protein level on manipulating the viral life cycle. Overall the correlation of expressed viral proteins and transcripts was highly complementary in both validating and providing orthogonal data with latent/lytic viral gene expression. Our approach also identified novel viral genes in both KSHV and EBV, and extends viral genome annotation. Several previously uncharacterized genes were validated at both transcript and protein levels.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This systems biology approach coupling proteome and transcriptome measurements provides a comprehensive view of viral gene expression that could not have been attained using each methodology independently. Detection of viral proteins in combination with viral transcripts is a potentially powerful method for establishing virus-disease relationships.</p