The Effect of Dietary Fat on Behavior in Mice

Purpose Obesity is linked to cognitive dysfunction in humans and rodents, and its effects can be passed on to the next generation. However, the extent of these effects is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a prenatal maternal high-fat diet and an individual high-fat diet in inbred mice. Methods We varied maternal diet and offspring diet to test the hypothesis that a high-fat diet would increase anxiety, reduce activity levels, and impair nest-building. First, we fed a high-fat (HF) or low-fat (LF) diet to genetically identical female Small (SM/J) mice and mated them with LF males. We cross-fostered all offspring to LF-fed SM/J nurses and weaned them onto an HF or LF diet. We weighed the mice weekly and we tested anxiety with the Open Field Test, activity levels with instantaneous scan sampling, and nest building using the Deacon Scale. Results Diet significantly affected weight, with HF females weighing 28.2 g (± 1.4 g SE) and LF females weighing 15.1 g (± 1.6 g SE) at 17 weeks old. The offspring’s own diet had major behavioral effects. HF mice produced more fecal boli and urinations in the Open Field Test, built lower-quality nests, and had lower activity in adulthood than LF mice. The only trait that a prenatal maternal diet significantly affected was whether the offspring built their nests inside or outside of a hut. Conclusions Offspring diet, but not prenatal maternal diet, affected a wide range of behaviors in these mice

Salvage of failed first metatarsophalangeal joint fusion utilizing custom 3D implant

Failure to achieve union and proper alignment of the first metatarsophalangeal joint after arthrodesis can result in the need for revision of the attempted fusion. If further complications arise following revisional surgery, the risk of toe amputation increases. In recent years, there has been a rise in the utilization of patient specific implants, which have shown promise especially in revisional type surgeries. The following case report details a patient seeking evaluation as a second opinion of a painful first metatarsophalangeal joint after several attempts of fusion. As the patient declined toe amputation, an additive manufactured implant was utilized where the patient recovered and was able to return to pain free ambulation with proper alignment of the hallux. These outcomes suggest that a patient specific implant can be considered as a promising alternative to toe amputation in revisional type pathologies of the forefoot