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Response of broilers to feeding low-calcium and phosphorus diets plus phytase under different environmental conditions: body weight and tibiotarsus mineralization.

Three experiments on Ross broiler chickens were conducted in 3 locations: cages (Experiment 1), floor pens (Experiment 2), and commercial farms (Experiment 3). The effect of low-total P (TP) wheat-soybean based diets plus microbial phytase (Natuphos) was evaluated. Four experimental starter and finisher diets were used in a 2-phase feeding program, as follows: control diet (SC until 21 d, FC from 22 to 42 d); 2 diets (SL400 and SL600 until 21 d, FL400 and FL600 from 22 to 42 d) with low TP (0.61% for starter and 0.54% for finisher), including 400 and 600 U/kg of phytase, respectively; and a very low-TP (0.52% for starter and 0.44% for finisher) diet (SVL600 until 21 d, FVL600 from 22 to 42 d) with 600 U/kg of phytase. In Experiment 1 (broilers in cages had movement limitation and no access to litter), no differences in BW, tibiotarsus mineralization, or mineral metabolism were observed among diets. In Experiment 2 (broilers in floor pens had movement limitation and access to litter), at 21 d of age, the lowest tibiotarsus ash percentage and BW were shown by birds fed the SVL600 diet. At 42 d of age, broilers fed the FC diet were the lightest. For the rest of the parameters of tibiotarsus mineralization and mineral metabolism measured in Experiment 2, no differences were shown. In Experiment 3 (broilers in commercial farms had access to litter without movement limitation), the BW of broilers fed the SC diet was the highest at 21 d of age. At 42 d of age, the broilers fed FL400 and FL600 diets were the heaviest. At the end of Experiment 3, broilers fed the FC diet had the highest dry litter Ca and P, whereas broilers fed the FVL600 diet had the lowest values. In conclusion, the very low-TP wheat-soybean based diet supplemented with 600 U/kg of phytase was sufficient to optimize all the parameters measured in Experiment 1 but not in Experiments 2 and 3. Therefore, when evaluating Ca and P in phytase-supplemented diets for broilers, it is necessary to bear in mind the environmental conditions of experimentation.

6-Phytase↗

Do dorsal root reflexes augment peripheral inflammation?

Efferent activity was recorded in knee joint afferents in response to mechanical stimulation of the hindlimb following induction of acute arthritis. The activity was abolished by application of lidocaine or crushing the nerve proximally and by dorsal rhizotomy but not by sympathectomy. It was concluded that this activity represents dorsal root reflexes in response to natural stimulation of the hindlimb. We propose that increased activity of articular afferents and of dorsal horn neurons during arthritis results in the pathological activation of the central terminals of primary afferents by enhancing primary afferent depolarization. Dorsal root reflexes could then release substances in the knee joint and thus contribute to the acute inflammatory response.

Action Potentials↗

Evaluation of isometric antagonist coactivation strategies of electrically stimulated muscles.

The performance of various coactivation strategies to control agonist-antagonist muscles in functional electrical stimulation (FES) applications was examined in a cat model using the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles to produce ankle isometric dorsiflexion and plantarflexion torques, respectively. Three types of coactivation strategies were implemented and tested. The first strategy was based on coactivation maps described in the literature as consisting of decreasing antagonistic activity as the input command to the agonist was increased. The second type of strategy was based on the physiologic coactivation data collected from normal subjects exhibiting joint stabilization during the full range of contractions. These strategies included scaled increasing antagonist activity and therefore joint stiffness with increasing agonist input command. A third strategy was devised which at low force levels mimicked the strategies described in the literature and at high force levels resembled strategies exhibited by normal subjects. The three strategies were evaluated based on their ability to track a linear or sinusoidal input command and their efficiency of torque transmission across the joint. Coactivation strategies using increasing antagonist activity resulted in decreased maximal joint torque and efficiency, decreased signal tracking capability for linear inputs, and increased harmonic distortion for sinusoidal inputs. Peak efficiency and tracking ability appeared when a moderate degree of antagonist activity was engaged near the neutral joint position. Signal tracking quality improved with earlier engagement of the antagonist muscles. Our results suggest that strategies combining low-level coactivation as described in the physiological literature and previous FES studies could satisfactorily address the issues of controllability, efficiency, and long-term joint integrity.

Animals↗

The effect of stimulus pulse duration on selectivity of neural stimulation.

Choice of stimulus parameters is an important consideration in the design of neural prosthetic systems. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of rectangular stimulus pulsewidth (PW) on the selectivity of peripheral nerve stimulation. Computer simulations using a cable model of a mammalian myelinated nerve fiber indicated that shorter PW's increased the difference between the threshold currents of fibers lying at different distances from an electrode. Experimental measurements of joint torque generated by peripheral nerve stimulation demonstrated that shorter PW's generated larger torques before spillover and created a larger dynamic range of currents between threshold and spillover. Thus, shorter PW's allowed more spatially selective stimulation of nerve fibers. Analysis of the response of a passive cable model to different duration stimuli indicated that PW dependent contributions of distributed sources to membrane polarization accounted for the observed differences in selectivity.

Animals↗

Closed-loop control of ankle position using muscle afferent feedback with functional neuromuscular stimulation.

This paper describes a closed-loop functional neuromuscular stimulation system that uses afferent neural activity from muscle spindle fibers as feedback for controlling position of the ankle joint. Ankle extension against a load was effected by neural stimulation through a dual channel intrafascicular electrode of a fascicle of the tibial nerve that innervated the gastrocnemius muscle. Ankle joint angle was estimated from recordings of tibialis anterior and lateral gastrocnemius spindle fiber activity made with dual channel intrafascicular electrodes. Experiments were conducted in neurally intact anesthetized cats and in unanesthetized decerebrate cats to demonstrate the feasibility of this system. The system was able to reach and maintain a fixed target ankle position in the presence of a varying external moment ranging in magnitude between 7.3 and 22 N-cm opposing the action of the ankle extensor, as well as track a sinusoidal target ankle position up to a frequency of 1 Hz in the presence of a constant magnitude 22- or 37-N-cm external moment.

Anesthesia, General↗

Evaluation of selection on cliff swallows.

Estimates of the intensity of selection based on measurements of the living and the dead require knowledge of the fraction of the original population dying. We apply recently developed methods (Blanckenhorn et al. 1999) to estimate the intensity of selection in a population of cliff swallows. In this population the fraction of individuals dying was unknown, but certainly high. The inferred selection is very strong and impossible to achieve if the original population is assumed to have followed a normal distribution. We consider several alternative explanations for this result including measurement biases, undetected immigration, and sampling biases. Of these, sampling biases are perhaps the most likely. We conclude that the intensity of selection on the swallows was probably strong, but its absolute magnitude is unknown.

Animals↗

An analysis of pre- and post-hatching maternal effects mediated by carotenoids in the blue tit.

Maternal effects increase phenotypic plasticity in offspring traits and may therefore facilitate adaptation to environmental variability. Carotenoids have been hypothesized to mediate costs of reproduction in females as well as maternal effects. However, assessing potential transgenerational and population consequences of environmental availability of carotenoids requires a better understanding of mechanisms of maternal effects mediated by these antioxidant pigments. Manipulating dietary availability of carotenoids to egg-laying female blue tits and subsequently cross-fostering nestlings between female treatments allowed us to specifically investigate the relative importance of maternal effects through egg carotenoids and through post-hatching care mediated by antioxidants in females. Nestling body size and mass and plasma antioxidants were not significantly affected by pre- or post-hatching maternal effects mediated by antioxidants, although both types of maternal effects in interaction explained the variation in growth, as measured by wing length. Development of the ability to mount a cell-mediated immune response as well as its temporal dynamics was influenced by both pre- and post-hatching maternal effects, with an advantage to nestlings originating from, or reared by, carotenoid-supplemented females. In addition, nestlings reared by carotenoid-fed females had a lower blood sedimentation rate, indicating that they may have been less infected than nestlings from controls. Finally, prehatching maternal effects in interaction with nestling plasma carotenoid levels affected the development of carotenoid-based plumage. Maternal effects mediated by carotenoids may thus act as a proximate factor in development and phenotypic plasticity in traits associated with nestling fitness, such as immune response and ability to metabolize and use antioxidants, and ultimately participate in the evolution of phenotypic traits.

Animals↗

[The synovial organization of the M. fibularis longus in cats, dogs, swine, cattle, sheep and goats].

The synovial structures of the M. fibularis longus were studied by dissection on 23 cat, 28 dog, 20 pig, 17 ox, 15 sheep and 17 goat limbs. Five injections with Technovit into the tarsometatarsal joint were made for each species. The dog had two tendon sheaths while all other species had only one lateral one. The mesotendon approached the tendon from the medial aspect and was fenestrated in the dog (here only in the proximal segment), pig, sheep, and goat, but in the cat and ox the fenestration was inconstant. In the area of the lateral malleolus the lateral tendon sheath narrowed (in the dog only in the proximal segment). The synovial structures on the plantar aspect in the cat, dog, pig, and sheep were formed by a recess of the tarsometatarsal joint; while in the ox and goat they formed a tendon sheath that took its origin from the same joint. The plantar recess surrounded the tendon three quarters of the way in the dog, and in cat, pig, and sheep only half way. Nomenclaturial consequences for the NAV are discussed.

Animals↗

[Observations of the development of the equine distal interphalangeal joint cavity concerning the pelvic limb of fetuses, fillies and adult horses].

Ten horses, younger than 1 year, were used to investigate the articulatio interphalangea distalis of the pelvic limb. The expansion of the dorsal recess was compared to those of adult horses. The recessus dorsalis always formed a shape like the letter 'm' or like a triangle with oblique angles. Consequently the great proximo-distal expansion on the medial side of the dorsal recess very probably has nothing to do with the age of horses.

Animals↗

Estimation of genetic parameters for the prevalence of osseous fragments in limb joints of Hanoverian Warmblood horses.

Genetic parameters were estimated for the prevalence of osseous fragments in distal (DIJ) and proximal interphalangeal (PIJ), fetlock (FJ) and hock joints (HJ) of Hanoverian Warmblood horses by using residual maximum likelihood (REML) with linear animal models. The analyses were based on the results of 10 standardized radiographs of all four limbs of 3725 young riding horses selected for sale at auction. Transformation factors onto the underlying liability scale were verified by a simulation study. The heritability estimates of osseous fragments on the liability scale were in the range of h2 = 0.19-0.60. Further analyses of osseous fragments in FJ and HJ were performed separately in males and females. In both sexes, the heritabilities of osseous fragments in HJ were higher (h2 = 0.41 in males, h2 = 0.25 in females) than those of osseous fragments in FJ (h2 = 0.21 in males, h2 = 0.23 in females). Osseous fragments in the phalangeal joints (DIJ, PIJ, FJ) were genetically correlated moderately positive (r(g) = 0.19-0.41). The genetic correlations between osseous fragments in the phalangeal joints and in HJ were negative (r(g) = -0.27 to -0.67). Particularly, this applied to osseous fragments in FJ in both sexes, to those in front FJ in males and to osseous fragments in front and hind FJ of females (up to r(g) = -1). The heritability of height at withers was estimated at h2 = 0.27-0.28. Genetic correlations between height at withers and osseous fragments in equine limb joints were mostly moderately positive (up to r(g) = 0.75). We conclude from our results that osseous fragments in phalangeal and hock joints are genetically different traits but sex-specific expression of osseous fragments was unlikely.

Animals↗

Prevalence of osseous fragments in distal and proximal interphalangeal, metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal and tarsocrural joints of Hanoverian Warmblood horses.

The prevalence of osseous fragments in different limb joints was analysed in 3749 young Warmblood riding horses, which were pre-selected for sale at auction from 1991 to 1998 by the Association of Hanoverian Warmblood Breeders (Verband hannoverscher Warmblutzüchter e.V.) in Verden (Aller), Germany. The evaluation of these horses was based on a standardized radiological examination, including the distal interphalangeal (DIJ), the proximal interphalangeal (PIJ), the metacarpo- and metatarsophalangeal (MC/MTJ) and the tarsocrural joints (TCJ). In 32% of all horses at least one osseous fragment was found on these radiographs. TCJ were affected in 9.6% of the horses and MC/MTJ in 20.7%. The percentage of horses affected in the MTJ was significantly higher (13.7%) than that of horses affected in the MCJ (9.5%). The prevalences of osseous fragments were considerably lower in DIJ (4.5%) and PIJ (0.9%). Osseous fragments only occurred either in DIJ or PIJ or MC/MTJ or TCJ in 87% of the affected horses. Depending on the joint type, osseous fragments were found in analogous joints in the front and the hind limbs in up to 26% of the affected horses, whilst bilateral affection occurred in between 10% and 46% of the horses. Distribution of osseous fragments in the limb joints investigated here did not differ significantly between male and female horses. There was a significant increase in the percentage of horses with osseous fragments in MC/MTJ during the study period. The results of this study indicate the need to act against the high prevalences of osseous fragments in the limb joints of young Warmblood riding horses.

Animals↗

Acute and chronic phases of unilateral inflammation in rat's ankle are associated with an increase in the proportion of calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive dorsal root ganglion cells.

Using immunocytochemical methods, the proportion of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive perikarya was determined in dorsal root ganglia L4-L6 in four control rats and in ten rats with a unilateral inflammation in the ankle region of the left hindlimb. The inflammation was induced by subdermal injection of Freund's complete adjuvant at the ankle. Swelling and cellular infiltration of the ankle region developed within 2 days, and were stable and restricted to the injected ankle for the duration of the 3-week study. In control rats approximately 24% of 20,419 perikarya showed calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-like immunoreactivity. In rats with unilateral inflammation the proportion of CGRP-positive neurons was increased on the inflamed side to approximately 32% of 11,454 cells at day 2 (P < 0.001 with respect to ganglia in normal rats) and approximately 29% of 10,739 perikarya at day 20 post inoculation (P < 0.01). By contrast, no significant changes were found between ganglia in the non-injected side (approximately 25% at day 2 and approximately 24% at day 20). These results demonstrate that peripheral inflammation is associated with an increase in the proportion of neurons in the dorsal root ganglia that synthetize CGRP. This up-regulation is already present at an early stage of inflammation but also at later stages, suggesting that the increased synthesis of CGRP is an important neurobiological reaction associated with the acute and chronic phases of inflammation.

Acute Disease↗

Early postnatal changes in the somatodendritic morphology of ankle flexor motoneurons in the rat.

The development of locomotor function in the rat spans the first 3 postnatal weeks. We have studied morphological features of the soma and dendrites of motoneurons innervating the physiological flexor muscles of the ankle, tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus, by intracellular injection in vitro between the first and ninth postnatal days. We obtained serial optical sections of 96 adequately filled motoneurons in whole-mounted hemisected spinal cords by confocal microscopy, projected them onto a single plane and analysed them morphometrically. On the day after birth, the somatodendritic surfaces of most such motoneurons were covered in growth-associated spiny, thorny or hair-like appendages. These had disappeared from the soma by the fourth postnatal day and from most proximal dendrites by day 7, but were still common distally on day 9. During this period there was little or no net growth of either the soma (which was still much smaller than in the adult) or the dendritic tree. A dorsal dendritic bias was present and 'sprays' of long, loosely bundled dorsal dendrites were often seen. The mean number of primary dendrites remained constant at about eight, and their combined diameter was already significantly correlated with mean soma diameter, as in the adult cat. Thus, the critical neonatal period during which these ankle flexor motoneurons are known to change their electrophysiological properties and to be particularly sensitive to interference with neuromuscular interaction is characterized by major changes in the neuronal surface, presumably linked to synaptogenesis.

Animals↗

Functional role of muscle reflexes for force generation in the decerebrate walking cat.

To quantify the importance of reflexes due to muscle length changes in generating force during walking, we studied high decerebrate cats that walked on a treadmill. One leg was denervated except for the triceps surae and a few other selected muscles. The triceps surae muscles are ankle extensor muscles that attach to the Achilles' tendon which was cut and connected to a muscle puller. In some steps the EMG activity triggered the puller to move the muscle through the pattern of length changes that are normally produced by ankle movements in intact cats walking over ground (simulated walking). In other steps the muscles were held isometrically. The EMG and force produced during the two types of steps were compared. On average about 50 % more EMG was generated during the E2 part of the simulated stance phase in the triceps surae muscles, but not in other muscles studied. Force was increased significantly over the entire stance phase by about 20 %, when muscle stretches simulating walking were applied. However, during much of the stance phase the triceps surae muscles are shortening and so would produce less force. The effect of shortening was assessed in control experiments in which these muscles were stimulated at a constant frequency, either isometrically or during simulated walking movements. By combining data from the walking and control experiments, we estimate that about 35 % of the force produced in the cat ankle extensors during stance is produced by reflexes due to muscle length changes. Other sensory inputs may also contribute to force production, but the total reflex contribution will vary under different conditions of speed, length, loading, task difficulty, etc. Since a substantial percentage of the force in the stance phase of walking is normally produced by muscle reflexes, this force can be continuously adjusted up or down, if the muscles receive extra stretch or unloading during a particular step cycle.

Animals↗

Effects of paracetamol and aspirin on neural activity of joint mechanonociceptors in adjuvant arthritis.

1. The effects of paracetamol and lysine acetylsalicylate (L-AS) on high-threshold mechanonociceptors have been investigated by recording neural activity from the inflamed ankle joint in anaesthetized rats with mild adjuvant-induced monoarthritis. 2. Paracetamol (50 mg kg-1, i.v.) and L-AS (100 mg kg-1, i.v., equivalent to 50 mg kg-1 aspirin) both caused a maximal reduction of about 40% in mechanically-evoked discharge and of 30% in ongoing (spontaneous) activity by about 15 min after the injection: a second dose of either drug did not have any significant additional effect on discharge. 3. The prostanoid IP receptor agonist, cicaprost (0.1-0.5 micrograms), increased both mechanically-evoked and ongoing discharge to pre-paracetamol levels when injected close-arterially 30-50 min after paracetamol, whereas prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was relatively ineffective at restoring activity. 4. The results suggest that prostacyclin (PGI2) contributes to the sensitization of high-threshold joint mechanonociceptors in adjuvant-induced monoarthritis, and that paracetamol and L-AS both act to reduce discharge by inhibiting the synthesis of prostacyclin in the joint capsule. 5. Paracetamol has a direct peripheral action affecting joint capsule mechanonociceptors in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis which is very similar to that of the soluble aspirin preparation, L-AS. These findings, together with the existing literature concerning the anti-arthritic effects of paracetamol, are relevant to the treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Acetaminophen↗

Fractures of the calcaneus in racing greyhounds.

Fifty-one calcaneus fractures associated with (41) or without (10) central tarsal bone (Tc) fractures in racing greyhounds were evaluated and categorized. All calcaneal fractures with no Tc fractures had a plantar proximal intertarsal subluxation. No subluxations were found in dogs with both calcaneal and central tarsal fractures. The calcaneal fractures were treated either with coaptation splints or surgical repair. Surgical techniques included a Steinmann pin with a figure eight tension band device or screw or plate fixation as primary techniques supplemented by Kirschner wires and cerclage wires. In all calcaneal fractures associated with plantar proximal intertarsal subluxation, an arthrodesis of the calcaneoquartal joint was performed. All 22 surgically repaired fractures in dogs available for physical and radiographic reexamination had healed within 1 to 6 months. Eight dogs with fractures of the calcaneus associated with fractures of Tc returned to a racing career. None of the dogs with plantar proximal intertarsal subluxation raced again. Based on the orientation of the fracture lines and on dissection of two tarsi with calcaneal fractures, a hypothesis on the pathogenesis of calcaneal fractures in racing greyhounds was formulated.

Animals↗

Osteochondral fragments within the dorsal pouch or dorsal joint capsule of the proximal intertarsal joint of the horse.

The anatomy of the dorsal pouch of the proximal intertarsal joint (PIJ) and its communication with the tarsocrural joint (TCJ) was studied in 15 pairs of hocks from young and mature horses. The mediolateral length of the TCJ-PIJ fenestration was 14 to 29 mm. The potential volume of the dorsal pouch of the PIJ was 3 to 5 ml, and a recess extended 10 to 28 mm medial to the medial commissure of the TCJ-PIJ fenestration. In a correlated clinical study, osteochondral fragments were identified radiographically within the dorsal pouch (category 1) or dorsal joint capsule (category 2) of the PIJ in 17 horses undergoing arthroscopic surgery of the TCJ. In six horses with category 1 lesions, osteochondral fragments were found free within the dorsal pouch and were removed. In five horses, category 1 fragments were not located. All 11 horses were reported by owners to be sound after surgery. In seven horses, a minimally displaced fragment was identified at the distal aspect of the medial trochlear ridge, within the insertion of the synovium separating TCJ and PIJ (one horse had both types of lesions in the same hock). Five of the seven category 2 fragments were removed at surgery. Of the seven horses with category 2 lesions, four were training or racing, two were unsound, and one was still convalescing at the time of follow-up.

Animals↗