Evaluación de sistemas de alojamiento para ratones inmunodeficientes bajo experiencia

Immunodeficient mice strains maintenance requires special and standarized equipments in order to assure their quality and to obtain reliable experimental results. The development of new technologies and equipments used to control the animal macro and microenvironment in facilities with no barrier systems allow to house small number of rodents along the experiment. Flexible isolators (FI) and individual ventilated cages (IVC) represents two equipments that are able to control environmental factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate FI and IVC efficiency when they are used to keep immunodeficient mice. Two SPF CBA/N-xid mice groups were housed one year in a FI and in an IVC respectively. Environmental and animals microbiological monitoring was performed. The cost, construction, durability, space requirements, maintenance processes, monitoring and technical procedures were evaluated and compared. The results show that although differences among these equipments, both are suitable for the maintenance of immunodeficient mice. However, the results also show that the IVC, though expensive, have advantages over flexible isolators.Las investigaciones que utilizan ratones inmunodeficientes requieren el uso de una infraestructura adecuada y estandarizada, que debe garantizar el mantenimiento correcto de estas cepas y asegurar la obtención de resultados confiables. El desarrollo y uso de equipamientos con tecnología destinada a controlar el macro y microambiente permite mantener pequeños grupos de animales en instalaciones en las que no se cuenta con barreras sanitarias absolutas. Uno es el aislador flexible (AF); y otro las estanterías con cajas individualmente ventiladas (CIV), ambos equipos independizan el microambiente del macroambiente. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar las ventajas y desventajas de cada uno de estos sistemas de alojamiento para ratones inmunodeficientes. Durante un año se mantuvieron dos grupos de ratones de la cepa CBA/N-xid libres de patógenos específicos en un AF y en una ECIV respectivamente. Se realizaron controles microbiológicos del ambiente y de los animales. Se evaluó comparativamente el costo del equipamiento, montaje, mantenimiento, procedimientos de manejo, cuidados, capacidad, controles, durabilidad y espacio requerido. Los resultados demostraron que si bien existen diferencias entre los sistemas y en ambos se puede mantener adecuadamente roedores inmunodeficientes, las ECIV son más ventajosas a pesar de su costo elevado

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Antidepressants in Pregnancy and Congenital Anomalies: Analysis of Linked Databases in Wales, Norway and Funen, Denmark

Background: Hypothesised associations between in utero exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and congenital anomalies, particularly congenital heart defects (CHD), remain controversial. We investigated the putative teratogenicity of SSRI prescription in the 91 days either side of first day of last menstrual period (LMP). Methods and Findings: Three population-based EUROCAT congenital anomaly registries- Norway (2004–2010), Wales (2000–2010) and Funen, Denmark (2000–2010)—were linked to the electronic healthcare databases holding prospectively collected prescription information for all pregnancies in the timeframes available. We included 519,117 deliveries, including foetuses terminated for congenital anomalies, with data covering pregnancy and the preceding quarter, including 462,641 with data covering pregnancy and one year either side. For SSRI exposures 91 days either side of LMP, separately and together, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (ORs, 95%CI) for all major anomalies were estimated. We also explored: pausing or discontinuing SSRIs preconception, confounding, high dose regimens, and, in Wales, diagnosis of depression. Results were combined in meta-analyses. SSRI prescription 91 days either side of LMP was associated with increased prevalence of severe congenital heart defects (CHD) (as defined by EUROCAT guide 1.3, 2005) (34/12,962 [0.26%] vs. 865/506,155 [0.17%] OR 1.50, 1.06–2.11), and the composite adverse outcome of 'anomaly or stillbirth' (473/12962, 3.65% vs. 15829/506,155, 3.13%, OR 1.13, 1.03–1.24). The increased prevalence of all major anomalies combined did not reach statistical significance (3.09% [400/12,962] vs. 2.67% [13,536/506,155] OR 1.09, 0.99–1.21). Adjusting for socio-economic status left ORs largely unchanged. The prevalence of anomalies and severe CHD was reduced when SSRI prescriptions were stopped or paused preconception, and increased when >1 prescription was recorded, but differences were not statistically significant. The dose-response relationship between severe CHD and SSRI dose (meta-regression OR 1.49, 1.12–1.97) was consistent with SSRI-exposure related risk. Analyses in Wales suggested no associations between anomalies and diagnosed depression. Conclusion: The additional absolute risk of teratogenesis associated with SSRIs, if causal, is small. However, the high prevalence of SSRI use augments its public health importance, justifying modifications to preconception care

Environmental enrichment in laboratory rodents: How different materials for nest building and the number of females per box affect the productivity

El enriquecimiento ambiental (EA) en roedores de experimentación contribuye a mejorar su bienestar y permite a los animales modificar su entorno de acuerdo con sus necesidades. Una manera de realizar EA en la etapa reproductiva, es colocándoles materiales para la formación de nidos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar en cuatro líneas de ratones la preferencia por el material para formar el nido como parte del EA y el efecto que tiene este factor en la productividad con distinta relación entre hembras y machos por caja. Se determinó el número de crías nacidas, destetadas y su mortalidad. Se concluyó que si bien ninguno de los materiales empleados tuvo influencia sobre los parámetros de productividad seleccionados, todos los grupos de animales utilizaron en distinta forma los materiales suministrados adaptándolos a sus necesidades.Environmental enrichment (EE) in experimental rodents contributes to improve their well-being and allows animals to modify their environment according to their needs. EE in the reproductive live of mice can be produced by placing materials for nests building in their cage. The objective of this work was to study, the preference for the material for nests as part of the EE and the effect of this factor in productivity with different relationship between females and males per box in four lines of mice. The number of newborn, weaned pups and their mortality was established. It was concluded that while none of the materials used for the nests had influence on the selected parameters of productivity, all groups of animals used the materials supplied in different ways in accordance with their needs.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Re-Arrest Among Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth: An Examination Of The Static And Dynamic Risk Factors

The purpose of this study is to investigate the static and dynamic risk factors for re-arrest among detained youth by examining gender, race/ethnicity, age, special education and mental health variables (i.e., anger/irritability, depression/anxiety, somatic complaints, suicide ideation, thought disturbances, and traumatic experiences). The demographic profiles of detained youth with one admit were also compared with those with multiple admits to the juvenile detention center. With regards to static risk factors, older, white, and special education were significantly at risk of re-arrest. Concerning dynamic risk factors, only anger/irritability predicted re-arrest. Practice implications are also discussed

Data Summarization in the Node by Parameters (DSNP): Local Data Fusion in an IoT Environment

With the advent of the Internet of Things, billions of objects or devices are inserted into the global computer network, generating and processing data at a volume never imagined before. This paper proposes a way to collect and process local data through a data fusion technology called summarization. The main feature of the proposal is the local data fusion, through parameters provided by the application, ensuring the quality of data collected by the sensor node. In the evaluation, the sensor node was compared when performing the data summary with another that performed a continuous recording of the collected data. Two sets of nodes were created, one with a sensor node that analyzed the luminosity of the room, which in this case obtained a reduction of 97% in the volume of data generated, and another set that analyzed the temperature of the room, obtaining a reduction of 80% in the data volume. Through these tests, it has been proven that the local data fusion at the node can be used to reduce the volume of data generated, consequently decreasing the volume of messages generated by IoT environments