Effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy on elasticity and microstructure of equine cortical bone

OBJECTIVE: To measure changes in the modulus of elasticity (E) and describe histologic findings after extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy on equine cortical bone specimens. SAMPLE POPULATION: 16 bone specimens from the proximodorsal cortex of an equine third metacarpal or metatarsal bone. PROCEDURE: Baseline E was determined by the density (p) and unidirectional ultrasound transmission velocity (C) of each specimen according to the equation E = pC2. Eight specimens were treated with 500 pulses of 0.15 mJ/mm2 of extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and 8 specimens were treated with 500 pulses of 0.16 mJ/mm2of radial pressure wave therapy. After treatment, C was determined again. Four treatment sessions resulted in 2,000 pulses and 5 C measurements. The p of each sample was measured again. Mean post-treatment E was calculated for each group. Nondecalcified sections of all specimens were stained with toluidine blue or basic fuchsin for histologic evaluation. RESULTS: Overall treatment group effect was not significant for C or E. Final E was not different from baseline values for extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy. No histologic changes could be attributed to either treatment modality. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy and radial pressure wave therapy did not affect the material properties of equine bone at the energy and pulse values used in this study.     

Evaluation of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of saffron, Crocus sativus L., and its constituents, safranal and crocin in allodynia and hyperalgesia induced by chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain in rats

The current study was designed to evaluate therapeutic potential of systemically administered ethanolic and aqueous extracts of saffron as well as its bioactive ingredients, safranal and crocin, in chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in rats. The von Frey filaments, acetone drop, and radiant heat test were performed to assess the degree of mechanical allodynia, thermal allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia respectively, at different time intervals, i.e., one day before surgery and 3, 5, 7 and 10 days post surgery. The ambulatory behavior was evaluated using the open field test. A 7-day treatment with the ethanolic and aqueous extracts (50,100 and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) and safranal (0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), attenuated the behavioral symptoms of neuropathic pain in a dose dependent manner. Crocin even at the high dose (50 mg/kg) failed to produce any protective role. However, gabapentine (100 mg/kg) as a reference drug significantly alleviated all behavioral manifestations of neuropathic pain compared to control group. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that ethanolic and aqueous extracts of saffron as well as safranal could be useful in treatment of different kinds of neuropathic pains and as an adjuvant to conventional medicines.     

Trichomonas gallinae, in comparison to Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, induces distinctive cytopathogenic effects in tissue cultures

In the present study the interaction of three genetically different clonal cultures of Trichomonas gallinae and Tetratrichomonas gallinarum with a permanent chicken liver (LMH) and a permanent quail fibroblast (QT35) cell culture was studied. Proliferation of T. gallinae cells was associated with a disintegration of the cell monolayer. The initial lesions on the LMH monolayer consisted of a progressive accumulation of the flagellate, forming clumps attached to the monolayer. A prolonged incubation time was characterized by appearance of holes in the cell monolayer with accumulation of trichomonads at their periphery. According to the severeness of the monolayer disruption differences among three tested T. gallinae clones were noticed. Furthermore, filtrates obtained either from axenic cultures of T. gallinae or from infected cell cultures produced a cytopathogenic effect similar to the protozoal cells, on both types of cell cultures. However, the destructive effect of the flagellates and their cell-free filtrates was much more pronounced on the LMH monolayer in comparison with the QT35 cells. Furthermore, freshly seeded LMH and QT35 cells suspended in cell-free filtrates of T. gallinae were unable to form a confluent monolayer. In comparison to T. gallinae, clonal cultures of T. gallinarum or their cell-free filtrates produced no effect on both types of monolayers. Interestingly, the cell-free filtrates obtained from both trichomonad species had an effect on the viability of both cell cultures. However, the cytotoxic effect of T. gallinarum filtrates was less severe than that recorded by T. gallinae. Consequently, for the first time a destruction of specified monolayers induced by T. gallinae-free filtrates could be demonstrated.     

Determination of reference values for intraocular pressure and Schirmer tear test in clinically normal ostriches (Struthio camelus)

The purpose of this study was to establish normal physiologic reference values for intraocular pressure (IOP) and Schirmer tear test (STT) results in clinically normal ostriches (Struthio camelus). Twenty ostriches of both sexes, 10 juveniles (1.5-2 yr of age) and 10 adults, were included in this study. Complete ophthalmic examination was performed prior to this investigation. STT was performed by inserting a standard sterile STT strip over the ventral lid margin into the ventral conjunctival sac for 60 sec. Following the STT, IOP was measured using applanation tonometry with the Tono-Pen Vet tonometer after topical instillation of one drop of 0.5% proparacaine ophthalmic solution. The mean +/- SD and range of Tono-Pen readings of IOP for all birds was 18.8 +/- 3.5, with a range of 12-24. Mean IOP in juvenile ostriches was 19.7 +/- 3.6. Mean IOP in adult ostriches was 16.9 +/- 2.9. There was no statistically significant difference between young and adult birds (P = 0.07). The mean STT values in the present study were 16.3 +/- 2.5 mm/1 min when measurements from both eyes were averaged. Mean STT in juvenile and adult ostriches was 15.4 +/- 1.8 and 17.2 +/- 2.9 mm/1 min, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between young and adult birds (P = 0.11). No statistically significant differences between genders were found for any of the results (P > or = 0.41). In conclusion, this study provides normal reference range values for STT and IOP in clinically healthy ostriches.     

Coping with imbalanced data problem in digital mapping of soil classes

An unsolved problem in the digital mapping of categorical soil variables and soil types is the imbalanced number of observations, which leads to reduced accuracy and the loss of the minority class (the class with a significantly lower number of observations compared to other classes) in the final map. So far, synthetic over- and under-sampling techniques have been explored in soil science; however, more efficient approaches that do not have the drawbacks of these techniques and guarantee retention of the minority classes in the produced map are essentially required. Such approaches suggested in the present study for digital mapping of soil classes include machine learning models of ensemble gradient boosting, cost-sensitive learning and one-class classification (OCC) of the minority class combined with multi-class classification. In this regard, extreme gradient boosting (XGB) as an ensemble gradient learner, a cost-sensitive decision tree (CSDT) within the C5.0 algorithm, and a one-class support vector machine combined with multi-class classification (OCCM) were investigated to map eight soil great groups with a naturally imbalanced frequency of observations in northwest Iran. A total of 453 profile data points were used for mapping the soil great groups of the study area. A data split was done manually for each class separately, which resulted in an overall 70% of the data for calibration and 30% for validation. The bootstrapping approach of calibration (with 10 runs) was performed to produce multiple maps for each model. The 10 bootstraps were evaluated against the hold-out validation dataset. The average values of accuracy measures, including Kappa (K), overall accuracy (OA), producer's accuracy (PA) and user's accuracy (UA), were explored. In addition, the results of this study were compared with a previous study in the same area, in which resampling techniques were used to deal with imbalanced data for digital soil class mapping. The findings show that all three suggested methods can deal well with the imbalanced classification problem, with OCCM showing the highest K (= 0.76) and OA (= 82) in the validation stage. Also, this model can guarantee the retention of the minority classes in the final map. Comparing the present approaches with the previous study approach demonstrates that the three newly suggested methods can remarkably increase both overall and individual class accuracy for mapping.     

Evaluation of bone healing in canine tibial defects filled with cortical autograft,commercial-DBM,calf fetal DBM,omentum and omentum-calf fetal DBM

The present study was conducted to compare the effects of xenogenic bovine fetal demineralized bone matrix (DBM), commercial DBM, omentum, omentum-calf fetal DBM, cortical autograft and xenogenic cartilage powder on the healing of tibial defects in a dog model to determine the best material for bone healing. Seven male adult mongrel dogs, weighing 26.2 ± 2.5 kg, were used in this study. Seven holes with a diameter of 4-mm were created and then filled with several biomaterials. Radiographs were taken postoperatively on day 1 and weeks 2, 4, 6, 8. The operated tibias were removed on the 56th postoperative day and histopathologically evaluated. On postoperative days 14, 42 and 56, the lesions of the control group were significantly inferior to those in the other group (p < 0.05). On the 28th postoperative day, the autograft group was significantly superior to the control and omentum groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, calf fetal DBM was significantly superior to the control group. There was no significant difference between the histopathological sections of all groups. Overall, the omentum and omentum-DBM groups were superior to the control group, but inferior to the autograft, commercial-DBM, calf fetal DBM and calf fetal cartilage groups.     

The effect of fertility control on the transmission of bovine tuberculosis in wild brushtail possums

AIM: To determine the effect of fertility control on the rate of transmission of bovine tuberculosis (Tb), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, in brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula).

METHODS: At two study sites with a history of Tb infection in the resident possum population, a sample of adult male and female possums (n=50), determined by palpation to be Tb-free, was surgically sterilised by gonadectomy. A sample of untreated Tb-free male and female possums (n=54) served as controls. Each study site was trapped every 2 months over a 3-year period, and the Tb status of the individuals in the trial assessed. At the conclusion of the trial, all remaining experimental individuals were killed, necropsied and examined for characteristic lesions typical of Tb. The rate of transmission of Tb infection was estimated using the incidence of tuberculous cases in the experimental animals and comparing it between sites, sex and sterilisation treatment.

RESULTS: Sterilisation by gonadectomy resulted in a reduction in the rate of transmission of Tb in male possums by 53%, but a corresponding increase in sterilised females for reasons that are still unclear. However, this interaction was statistically weak (p=0.10). When the sexes were combined, there was no overall effect of sterilisation on the rate of transmission of Tb (p=0.43). Sterility treatment notwithstanding, there was a highly significant difference in the rate of transmission between the sexes (p=0.01), being almost one order of magnitude higher in untreated males compared with untreated females.

CONCLUSIONS: Although lacking strong statistical support, these results suggest that fertility control that targets endocrine control of fertility may provide some additional benefits for disease control over that achieved by reductions in population density, by reducing the rate of transmission of M. bovis in male possums. However, additional studies are needed to confirm the validity of these results. The large difference in the rate of transmission of M. bovis in untreated males compared with untreated females suggests that transmission of Tb among males may be an important driver of the dynamics of Tb infection in possums.