22 research outputs found
Neurophysiological development of newborn pigs: effect of the sow’s parity number in eutocic farrowings
The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of sow parity on neonatal piglet health and vitality at birth. We evaluated 1505 neonate piglets, which were born of York–Landrace sows with the following parity distribution: primiparous (n = 202), second (n = 207), third (n = 211), fourth (n = 222), fifth (n = 225), sixth (n = 218) and seventh parity (n = 220). Piglets born to primiparous and seventh-parity sows had the lowest and highest birthweights respectively, and showed the most marked imbalances in blood gas exchanges, acid–base balance and energy profiles, as well as the highest percentage of severe meconium staining of the skin and the lowest vitality scores (P < 0.05). In contrast, the neonates from the fourth-parity sows had the highest vitality scores, required less time to reach the mother’s teat, and had the highest percentage of adhered umbilical cords and newborns with dyspnoea, apnoea and abnormal heartbeat (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that during eutocic farrowings, the sow’s parity number has the following effects on newborn piglets: reduced vigour and longer latencies to begin breathing, stand and take the teat. These effects are due to the presence of imbalances in gas exchanges, the acid–base balance and energy profiles that occurred when the mother was a primiparous or older sow. These signs indicate that the newborn piglet survived a process of intrapartum asphyxia.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Thermal Imaging to Assess the Health Status in Wildlife Animals under Human Care: Limitations and Perspectives
Ensuring the welfare of wildlife under human care requires tools to monitor their health and well-being. Infrared thermography is a non-invasive technique for assessing thermal states that measure the radiation emitted from the skin in distinct anatomical areas, known as thermal windows—anatomical regions with abundant capillaries and arteriovenous anastomosis that facilitate heat exchange with the environment. However, thermal windows for wildlife species have not yet been established due to the different characteristics of their skin, coats, fur, or coloring. This review discusses published information on the usefulness of the ocular, nasal, thoracic, abdominal, and podal anatomical regions as thermal windows for evaluating these animals’ thermal responses and health status and monitoring habitat design. Another aspect that must be considered for wildlife under human care is the limitations of distinct species due to differences between animals and critical factors. Future studies should focus on establishing a precise application for each thermal window according to the specific characteristics of distinct animal species
Assessment of Pain and Inflammation in Domestic Animals Using Infrared Thermography: A Narrative Review
Pain assessment in domestic animals has gained importance in recent years due to the recognition of the physiological, behavioral, and endocrine consequences of acute pain on animal production, welfare, and animal model validity. Current approaches to identifying acute pain mainly rely on behavioral-based scales, quantifying pain-related biomarkers, and the use of devices monitoring sympathetic activity. Infrared thermography is an alternative that could be used to correlate the changes in the superficial temperature with other tools and thus be an additional or alternate acute pain assessment marker. Moreover, its non-invasiveness and the objective nature of its readout make it potentially very valuable. However, at the current time, it is not in widespread use as an assessment strategy. The present review discusses scientific evidence for infrared thermography as a tool to evaluate pain, limiting its use to monitor acute pain in pathological processes and invasive procedures, as well as its use for perioperative monitoring in domestic animals.Alexandra L. Whittaker, Ramon Muns, Dehua Wang, Julio Martínez-Burnes, Ismael Hernández-Ávalos, Alejandro Casas-Alvarado, Adriana Domínguez-Oliva, and Daniel Mota-Roja
Prevalencia y factores asociados a la urticaria crónica.Análisis de la rinitis alérgica y los síntomas relacionados con el asma como factores asociados a la urticaria crónica en un área urbana del noreste de México
Antecedentes: La urticaria crónica es una enfermedad de origen desconocido difícil de tratar. Objetivos: Determinar la prevalencia, factores asociados y grado de participación de la rinitis alérgica y de los síntomas relacionados con el asma en la presentación de la urticaria crónica. Material y métodos: Se distribuyó un cuestionario a 3.000 personas de ambos sexos de 20 a 50 años de edad elegidas al azar. La muestra se dividió en dos grupos, uno con enfermos y otro con sanos. Es un estudio de casos y controles, retrospectivo, abierto y transversal. Resultados: Se obtuvo información completa de 2.613 cuestionarios con una frecuencia de respuestas del 87,1%. En esta población, 788 personas refirieron padecer o haber padecido urticaria alguna vez en su vida. La prevalencia de urticaria crónica fue del 3,4%; entre los afectados predominó el sexo femenino (67,8%; OR = 1,44, p = NS), en el 14,4% de los casos los síntomas persistían durante la noche y en el 18,9% los exacerbaba el ejercicio físico. Los posibles desencadenantes registrados fueron los alimentos (10% p = NS) y los medicamentos (8,9%, p = NS) y el 81,1% desconocían la causa. El 62,2% de los afectados tenían antecedentes familiares de alergia (OR = 2,51), el 53,3% sufrían rinitis alérgica (OR = 1,81), el 32,2% sibilancias (OR = 2,10) y el 26,7% tos seca (OR = 1,62). Conclusiones: Los resultados demuestran que la prevalencia de urticaria crónica en más elevada que la publicada por otros autores. Además se observó que los antecedentes familiares de alergia o personales de rinitis alérgica o de síntomas relacionados con el asma pueden tener relación con la presentación de urticaria crónica en el noreste de México
Microscopic changes induced by the intratracheal inoculation of amniotic fluid and meconium in the lung of neonatal rats
Meconium aspiration syndrome is a major
contributor to neonatal respiratory distress in infants and
it has been sporadically recognized in neonatal animals.
This investigation was designed to study the short and
long term effects of meconium and amniotic fluid in the
lungs of neonatal rats. Seven-day-old rats (n=123)
divided in three groups were intratracheally inoculated
with saline solution, amniotic fluid or meconium. Rats
were euthanatized on 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 112
postinoculation days (PID) and the lungs were examined
by light microscopy. Saline solution did not induce any
change while amniotic fluid elicited only a mild foreign
body response which disappeared by PID 14. In contrast,
meconium induced an exudative alveolitis characterized
by recruitment of neutrophilsn in the bronchoalveolar
spaces. Meconium also induced atelectasis,
hyperinflation and thickening of alveolar septa all of
which had disappeared by PID 14. Starting at PID 7,
neutrophils were progressively replaced by
macrophages, giant cells, and some fibroblasts. There
were sporadic foci of mineralization starting at PID 14
and lasting up to PID 112. Some mineralized foci
became lined with cuboidal epithelial cells at PID 28.
Meconium was slowly degraded but still evident by PID
112. It was concluded that inoculation of meconium in
neonatal rats induces acute microscopic changes typical
of meconium aspiration syndrome. The long term lesions
induced by meconium consisted of persistent multifocal
histiocytic alveolitis and bronchiolitis reaction with
occasional foci of calcification
Ultrastructural changes in the lungs of neonatal rats intratracheally inoculated with meconium
Meconium aspiration syndrome has been for
many years an important cause of neonatal respiratory
distress in newborn babies and sporadically reported in
animals. This investigation was designed to study the
ultrastructural and morphometric changes in the lungs of
neonatal rats following the intratracheal inoculation of
meconium. Seven-day-old Fischer-344 rats (n = 24)
were randomly allocated in two groups. One group was
intratracheally inoculated with saline solution and the
second group received homologous meconium. Neonates
were euthanatized at 1, 3 and 7 postinoculation days
(PID) and lungs were examined by light and electron
microscopy. Saline solution did not induce any
ultrastructural changes in the lung. In contrast,
meconium induced deciliation, recruitment of
neutrophils and pulmonary alveolar macrophages to the
bronchoalveolar space, intravascular sequestration of
neutrophils and aggregation of platelets at PID 1 and 3.
Other ultrastructural changes at PID 1 and 3 included
interstitial edema and escape of red cells and fibrin into
the alveolar space and interstitium. Interstitial edema and
sequestration of neutrophils were responsible for the
significant increase in thickness of alveolar septa. At
PID 7 there was hyperplasia and enlargement of type II
pneumocytes as well as interstitial proliferation of
mesenchymal cells with intra-alveolar fibrosis. It was
concluded that intratracheal inoculation of meconium in
neonatal rats induces acute ultrastructural changes
followed by a reparative response