Preslaughter diet management in sheep and goats: effects on physiological responses and microbial loads on skin and carcass

Sixteen crossbred buck goats (Kiko x Spanish; BW = 32.8 kg) and wether sheep (Dorset x Suffolk; BW = 39.9 kg) were used to determine the effect of preslaughter diet and feed deprivation time (FDT) on physiological responses and microbial loads on skin and carcasses. Experimental animals were fed either a concentrate (CD) or a hay diet (HD) for 4 d and then deprived of feed for either 12-h or 24-h before slaughter. Blood samples were collected for plasma cortisol and blood metabolite analyses. Longisimus muscle (LM) pH was measured. Skin and carcass swabs were obtained to assess microbial loads. Plasma creatine kinase activity (863.9 and 571.7 ± 95.21 IU) and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations (1,056.1 and 589.8 ± 105.01 mEq/L) were different (P < 0.05) between sheep and goats. Species and diet treatments had significant effects on the ultimate pH of LM. Pre-holding total coliform (TCC) and aerobic plate counts (APC) of skin were significantly different between species. Goats had lower (P < 0.05) TCC (2.1 vs. 3.0 log(10) CFU/cm(2)) and APC (8.2 vs. 8.5 log(10) CFU/cm(2)) counts in the skin compared to sheep. Preslaughter skin E. coli counts and TCC were different (P < 0.05) between species. Goats had lower (P < 0.05) counts of E. coli (2.2 vs. 2.9 log(10) CFU/cm(2)) and TCC (2.3 vs. 3.0 log(10) CFU/cm(2)) in the skin compared with those in sheep. Diet, species, and FDT had no effect (P > 0.05) on E. coli and TCC in carcass swab samples. The APC of carcass swab samples were only affected (P < 0.05) by the FDT. The results indicated that preslaughter dietary management had no significant changes on hormone and blood metabolite concentrations and sheep might be more prone for fecal contamination than goats in the holding pens at abattoir

Acetaminophen prevents aging-associated hyperglycemia in aged rats: effect of aging-associated hyperactivation of p38-MAPK and ERK1/2

Background Aging-related hyperglycemia is associated with increased oxidative stress and diminished muscle glucose transporter-4 (Glut4) that may be regulated, at least in part, by the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Methods To test the possibility that aging-related hyperglycemia can be prevented by pharmacological manipulation of MAPK hyperactivation, aged (27-month old) Fischer 344/NNiaHSD × Brown Norway/BiNia F1 (F344BN) rats were administered acetaminophen (30 mg/kg body weight/day) for 6 months in drinking water. Results Hepatic histopathology, serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase analyses suggested that chronic acetaminophen did not cause hepatotoxicity. Compared with adult (6-month) and aged (27-month) rats, very aged rats (33-month) had higher levels of blood glucose, phosphorylation of soleus p38-MAPK and extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), superoxide and oxidatively modified proteins (p \u3c 0.05), and these changes were associated with decreased soleus Glut4 protein abundance (p \u3c 0.05). Chronic acetaminophen treatment attenuated age-associated increase in blood glucose by 61.3% (p \u3c 0.05) and increased soleus Glut4 protein by 157.2% (p \u3c 0.05). These changes were accompanied by diminished superoxide levels, decrease in oxidatively modified proteins (−60.8%; p \u3c 0.05) and reduced p38-MAPK and ERK1/2 hyperactivation (−50.4% and − 35.4%, respectively; p \u3c 0.05). Conclusions These results suggest that acetaminophen may be useful for the treatment of age-associated hyperglycemia

Implants in the severely resorbed mandibles: whether or not to augment? What is the clinician’s preference?

Contains fulltext : 96000.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to inventory in the Netherlands which therapy is the clinician's first choice when restoring the edentulous mandible. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all Dutch Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons. As part of this, the surgeons were invited to treat five virtual edentulous patients, differing only in mandibular residual height. RESULTS: In cases of a sufficient residual height of 15 mm, all surgeons were in favour to insert solely two implants to anchor an overdenture. In case of a residual height of 12 mm, 10% of the surgeons choose for an augmentation procedure. If a patient was presented with a mandibular height of 10 mm, already 40% of the OMF surgeons executed an augmentation procedure. Most (80%) surgeons prefer the (anterior) iliac crest as donor site. The choice of 'whether or not to augment' was not influenced by the surgeon's age; however, the hospital, where he was trained, did. Surgeons trained in Groningen were more in favour of installing short implants in mandibles with reduced vertical height. DISCUSSION: As the option overdenture supported on two interforaminal implants is reimbursed by the Dutch health assurance, this treatment modality is very popular in the Netherlands. From a point of costs and to minimize bypass comorbidity, surgeons should be more reluctant in executing augmentation procedures to restore the resorbed edentulous mandible as it is dated in literature that also in mandibles with a residual height of 10 mm or less, solely placing implants, thus without an augmentation procedure in advance, is a reliable treatment option