Identifying tinnitus in mice by tracking the motion of body markers in response to an acoustic startle.

Rodent models of tinnitus are commonly used to study its mechanisms and potential treatments. Tinnitus can be identified by changes in the gap-induced prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS), most commonly by using pressure detectors to measure the whole-body startle (WBS). Unfortunately, the WBS habituates quickly, the measuring system can introduce mechanical oscillations and the response shows considerable variability. We have instead used a motion tracking system to measure the localized motion of small reflective markers in response to an acoustic startle reflex in guinea pigs and mice. For guinea pigs, the pinna had the largest responses both in terms of displacement between pairs of markers and in terms of the speed of the reflex movement. Smaller, but still reliable responses were observed with markers on the thorax, abdomen and back. The peak speed of the pinna reflex was the most sensitive measure for calculating GPIAS in the guinea pig. Recording the pinna reflex in mice proved impractical due to removal of the markers during grooming. However, recordings from their back and tail allowed us to measure the peak speed and the twitch amplitude (area under curve) of reflex responses and both analysis methods showed robust GPIAS. When mice were administered high doses of sodium salicylate, which induces tinnitus in humans, there was a significant reduction in GPIAS, consistent with the presence of tinnitus. Thus, measurement of the peak speed or twitch amplitude of pinna, back and tail markers provides a reliable assessment of tinnitus in rodents.

Intracerebral inoculation of healthy non-transgenic rats with a single aliquot of oligomeric amyloid-ß (1-42) profoundly and progressively alters brain function throughout life.

One of the puzzling aspects of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) is how it commences. Changes in one key brain peptide, amyloid-beta (Aß), accompany disease progression, but whether this comprises a trigger or a consequence of AD is still a topic of debate. It is clear however that the cerebral presence of oligomeric Aß (1-42) is a key factor in early AD-pathogenesis. Furthermore, treatment of rodent brains with oligomeric Aß (1-42) either in vitro or in vivo, acutely impairs hippocampal synaptic plasticity, creating a link between Aß-pathology and learning impairments. Here, we show that a once-off inoculation of the brains of healthy adult rats with oligomeric Aß (1-42) exerts debilitating effects on the long-term viability of the hippocampus, one of the primary targets of AD. Changes are progressive: months after treatment, synaptic plasticity, neuronal firing and spatial learning are impaired and expression of plasticity-related proteins are changed, in the absence of amyloid plaques. Early changes relate to activation of microglia, whereas later changes are associated with a reconstruction of astroglial morphology. These data suggest that a disruption of Aß homeostasis may suffice to trigger an irreversible cascade, underlying progressive loss of hippocampal function, that parallels the early stages of AD.

Gastrointestinal Helminthic Infection among the Population in Northern Thailand.

PURPOSE: Gastrointestinal (GI) helminthic infections pose substantial public health threat, particularly in northern Thailand, with a heightened concern in Nan province. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of GI helminthic infections in Nan province and identify associated risk factors in local population. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2022. Fecal specimens were collected and examined using Kato-Katz technique and Formalin Ethyl-Acetate Concentration Technique (FECT). Univariate analysis employed the Chi-square test to explore correlations, while logistic regression was defined risk factors associated with parasite infections. RESULTS: Among 739 individuals surveyed, 14.34% were revealed GI helminthic infections. Notably, infection rates were higher in males (20.40%) compared to females (8.95%), with a notable prevalence among individuals aged ≥ 60 (17.78%) and high infection rate was demonstrated in Kiew Chan village (21.67%). The most commonly detected helminths were minute intestinal flukes (MIFs) (10.01%) and Capillaria spp. (3.11%). Males were significantly associated with GI helminthic infections, while individuals aged 40-49 and aged 50-59 commonly displayed of parasite infections. Additionally, Kiew Chan village exhibited a significant association with GI helminthic infections, followed by Sop Puen village. Furthermore, fecal specimens of 13 rodent specimens were frequency revealed Strongyloides spp. (92.30%) and mostly exposed Ancylostoma caninum (41.93%) among 93 canines. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the imperative for immediate public health interventions in Nan province and analogous areas in northern Thailand. Implementing strategies to enhance sanitation infrastructure and promote hygiene education can significantly contribute for reducing the prevalence of GI helminthic infections and improve overall community health.

RS2-Net: An end-to-end deep learning framework for rodent skull stripping in multi-center brain MRI.

Skull stripping is a crucial preprocessing step in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), where experts manually create brain masks. This labor-intensive process heavily relies on the annotator's expertise, as automation faces challenges such as low tissue contrast, significant variations in image resolution, and blurred boundaries between the brain and surrounding tissues, particularly in rodents. In this study, we have developed a lightweight framework based on Swin-UNETR to automate the skull stripping process in MRI scans of mice and rats. The primary objective of this framework is to eliminate the need for preprocessing, reduce the workload, and provide an out-of-the-box solution capable of adapting to various MRI image resolutions. By employing a lightweight neural network, we aim to lower the performance requirements of the framework. To validate the effectiveness of our approach, we trained and evaluated the network using publicly available multi-center data, encompassing 1,037 rodents and 1,142 images from 89 centers, resulting in a preliminary mean Dice coefficient of 0.9914. The framework, data, and pre-trained models can be found on the following link: https://github.com/VitoLin21/Rodent-Skull-Stripping.

A Comprehensive Review on Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease Models: Evaluating their Clinical Relevance.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that increases with age and must be treated immediately by worldwide healthcare systems. Internal neurofibrillary tau tangles and extracellular amyloid accumulation have been widely recognized as the primary causes of Alzheimer's disease. These degenerative age-related ailments are expected to proliferate exponentially as life expectancy rises. Experimental models of AD are essential for acquiring a deep knowledge of its pathogenesis and determining the viability of novel therapy options. Although there isn't a model that encompasses all the characteristics of real AD, these models are nonetheless highly helpful for the research of various modifications associated with it, even though they are only partially indicative of the disease circumstances being studied. Better knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the different models, as well as the use of more than one model to evaluate potential medications, would increase the effectiveness of therapy translation from preclinical research to patients. We outline the pathogenic characteristics and limitations of the main experimental models of AD in this review, including transgenic mice, transgenic rats, primates and non-primate models along with in-vitro cell culture models in humans. Additionally, it highlights the possible future of experimental modeling of AD and includes the co-morbid models.

Construction of ThermoMaze.

Physiological changes during awake immobility-related brain states remain one of the great unexplored behavioral states. Controlling periods of awake immobility is challenging because restraining the animal is stressful and is accompanied by altered physiological states. Here, we describe the ThermoMaze, a behavioral paradigm that allows for the collection of large amounts of physiological data while the animal rests at distinct experimenter-determined locations. We found that the paradigm generated long periods of immobility and did not alter the brain temperature. We combined the ThermoMaze with electrophysiology recordings in the CA1 region of the hippocampus and found a location-specific distribution of sharp-wave ripple events. We describe the construction of the ThermoMaze with the intention that it helps enable large-scale data recordings on immobility-related brain states. Key features • Controlling periods of awake immobility in rodents. • Electronic-friendly analog of the Morris water maze.

In Vitro and In Vivo Analysis of Neuronal Polarity.

Neuronal development is characterized by the unidirectional flow of signal from the axon to the dendrites via synapses. Neuronal polarization is a critical step during development that allows the specification of the different neuronal processes as a single axon and multiple dendrites both structurally and functionally, allowing the unidirectional flow of information. Along with extrinsic and intrinsic signaling, a whole network of molecular complexes involved in positive and negative feedback loops play a major role in this critical distinction of neuronal processes. As a result, neuronal morphology is drastically altered during establishment of polarity. In this chapter, we discuss how we can analyze the morphological alterations of neurons in vitro in culture to assess the development and polarity status of the neuron. We also discuss how these studies can be conducted in vivo, where polarity studies pose a greater challenge with promising results for addressing multiple pathological conditions. Our experimental model is limited to rodent hippocampal/cortical neurons in culture and cortical neurons in brain tissues, which are well-characterized model systems for understanding neuronal polarization.

Multimodal and serial MRI monitors brain peri-hematomal injury and repair mechanisms after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage.

The peri-hematomal area (PHA) emerges as a key but puzzling interface where edematous and neuroinflammatory events co-occur after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), while being considered either as deleterious or protective. We aimed at unraveling the pathogeny and natural history of PHA over time after experimental ICH. Male and female rats were longitudinally followed up to day 7 using multimodal brain MRI. MRI measures were compared to neuropathological and behavioural results. While the peak of PHA volume at day 3 was predictive for spontaneous locomotor deficit without sex-effect, its drop at day 7 fitted with locomotor recovery and hematoma resorption. The PHA highest water density was observed at onset despite microvascular hypoperfusion, taken over by blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage at day 3. Water density dropped at day 7, when vascular integrity was normalized, and the highest number of reactive astrocytes, microglial cells, and siderophages found. This study shows that the PHA with edematous component is hematoma-driven at onset and BBB-driven at day 3, but this excess neuroinflammation enabled PHA volume reduction and significant hematoma resorption as soon as day 7. Therapeutic interventions should consider this pathogeny, and be monitored by multimodal MRI in preclinical ICH models.

Mammary and reproductive tract tumours and tumour-like lesions of 286 small pet mammals: a retrospective study.

Small mammals are very popular companion animals, and the incidence of particular tumour types in these animals is the subject of extensive research. We carried out a retrospective and comparative analysis of the incidence of reproductive tract and mammary tumours and tumour-like lesions collected from 103 pet rabbits, 75 pet rats, 71 guinea pigs, 12 mice, 11 hamsters, eight African pygmy hedgehogs, four ferrets and two chinchillas. The results indicate that uterine tumours and tumour-like lesions are common in pet rabbits, guinea pigs and African pygmy hedgehogs. In pet rabbits, the most common uterine tumour was endometrial adenocarcinoma, while in guinea pigs benign lesions predominated (ie, leiomyoma, endometrial adenoma, cystic endometrial hyperplasia and deciduoma). Uterine tumours in African pygmy hedgehogs included adenosarcomas and endometrial polyps. Ovarian lesions were found only in guinea pigs (ovarian rete adenomas, rete cysts) and African pygmy hedgehogs (mostly granulosa cell tumours), while testicular tumours were diagnosed in pet rabbits, one pet rat and one guinea pig. Mammary tumours were common in pet rabbits, pet rats, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters and African pygmy hedgehogs. In pet rats, the most common mammary tumour was fibroadenoma, while in other animals carcinomas predominated. In guinea pigs and, to a lesser extent, in pet rats, a significant percentage of mammary tumours occurred in males. Guinea pigs seem to be predisposed to mammary tumours of ductal origin. This study describes for the first time uterine angioleiomyoma in the pet rabbit and mammary spindle cell carcinoma in the Djungarian hamster and chinchilla.

Human Orthohantavirus disease prevalence and genotype distribution in the U.S., 2008-2020: a retrospective observational study.

Background: In the United States (U.S.), hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and non-HPS hantavirus infection are nationally notifiable diseases. Criteria for identifying human cases are based on clinical symptoms (HPS or non-HPS) and acute diagnostic results (IgM+, rising IgG+ titers, RT-PCR+, or immunohistochemistry (IHC)+). Here we provide an overview of diagnostic testing and summarize human Hantavirus disease occurrence and genotype distribution in the U.S. from 2008 to 2020. Methods: Epidemiological data from the national hantavirus registry was merged with laboratory diagnostic testing results performed at the CDC. Residual hantavirus-positive specimens were sequenced, and the available epidemiological and genetic data sets were linked to conduct a genomic epidemiological study of hantavirus disease in the U.S. Findings: From 1993 to 2020, 833 human hantavirus cases have been identified, and from 2008 to 2020, 335 human cases have occurred. Among New World (NW) hantavirus cases detected at the CDC diagnostic laboratory (representing 29.2% of total cases), most (85.0%) were detected during acute disease, however, some convalescent cases were detected in states not traditionally associated with hantavirus infections (Connecticut, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont). From 1993 to 2020, 94.9% (745/785) of U.S. hantaviruses cases were detected west of the Mississippi with 45.7% (359/785) in the Four Corners region of the U.S. From 2008 to 2020, 67.7% of NW hantavirus cases were detected between the months of March and August. Sequencing of RT-PCR-positive cases demonstrates a geographic separation of Orthohantavirus sinnombreense species [Sin Nombre virus (SNV), New York virus, and Monongahela virus]; however, there is a large gap in viral sequence data from the Northwestern and Central U.S. Finally, these data indicate that commercial IgM assays are not concordant with CDC-developed assays, and that "concordant positive" (i.e., commercial IgM+ and CDC IgM+ results) specimens exhibit clinical characteristics of hantavirus disease. Interpretation: Hantaviral disease is broadly distributed in the contiguous U.S, viral variants are localised to specific geographic regions, and hantaviral disease infrequently detected in most Southeastern states. Discordant results between two diagnostic detection methods highlight the need for an improved standardised testing plan in the U.S. Hantavirus surveillance and detection will continue to improve with clearly defined, systematic reporting methods, as well as explicit guidelines for clinical characterization and diagnostic criteria. Funding: This work was funded by core funds provided to the Viral Special Pathogens Branch at CDC.

Characterization of the gastrointestinal microbiome of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) and comparison to data from mice.

Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) have been increasingly used as rodent models in recent years, especially for SARS-CoV-2 since the pandemic. However, the physiology of this animal model is not yet well-understood, even less when considering the digestive tract. Generally, the gastrointestinal microbiome influences the immune system, drug metabolism, and vaccination efficacy. However, a detailed understanding of the gastrointestinal microbiome of hamsters is missing. Therefore, we analyzed 10 healthy 11-week-old RjHan:AURA hamsters fed a pelleted standard diet. Their gastrointestinal content was sampled (i.e., forestomach, glandular stomach, ileum, cecum, and colon) and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results displayed a distinct difference in the bacterial community before and after the cecum, possibly due to the available nutrients and digestive functions. Next, we compared hamsters with the literature data of young-adult C57BL/6J mice, another important animal model. We sampled the same gastrointestinal regions and analyzed the differences in the microbiome between both rodents. Surprisingly, we found strong differences in their specific gastrointestinal bacterial communities. For instance, Lactobacillaceae were more abundant in hamsters' forestomach and ileum, while Muribaculaceae dominated in the mouse forestomach and ileum. Similarly, in mouse cecum and colon, Muribaculaceae were dominant, while in hamsters, Lachnospiraceae and Erysipelotrichaceae dominated the bacterial community. Molecular strains of Muribaculaceae in both rodent species displayed some species specificity. This comparison allows a better understanding of the suitability of the Syrian hamster as an animal model, especially regarding its comparability to other rodent models. Thereby, this work contributes to the characterization of the hamster model and allows better experimental planning.

Changes in hippocampal volume, synaptic plasticity and amylin sensitivity in an animal model of type 2 diabetes are associated with increased vulnerability to amyloid-beta in advancing age.

Type-2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder that is considered a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cognitive impairment can arise due to hypoglycemia associated with T2D, and hyperamylinemia associated with insulin resistance can enhance AD pathology. We explored whether changes occur in the hippocampus in aging (6-12 months old) female V-Lep○b-/- transgenic (tg) mice, comprising an animal model of T2D. We also investigated whether an increase in vulnerability to Aß (1-42), a known pathological hallmark of AD, is evident. Using magnetic resonance imaging we detected significant decreases in hippocampal brain volume in female tg-mice compared to wild-type (wt) littermates. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was impaired in tg compared to wt mice. Treatment of the hippocampus with Aß (1-42) elicited a stronger debilitation of LTP in tg compared to wt mice. Treatment with an amylin antagonist (AC187) significantly enhanced LTP in wt and tg mice, and rescued LTP in Aß (1-42)-treated tg mice. Taken together our data indicate that a T2D-like state results in an increased vulnerability of the hippocampus to the debilitating effects of Aß (1-42) and that effects are mediated in part by changes in amylin receptor signaling.

Host specificity and zoonotic Enterocytozoon bieneusi genotypes in wild rodents from the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Liaoning Province of China.

Introduction: Wild rodents can serve as reservoirs or carriers of E. bieneusi, thereby enabling parasite transmission to domestic animals and humans. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of E. bieneusi in wild rodents from the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Liaoning Province of China. Moreover, to evaluate the potential for zoonotic transmission at the genotype level, a genetic analysis of the isolates was performed. Methods: A total of 486 wild rodents were captured from two provinces in China. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify the vertebrate cytochrome b (cytb) gene in the fecal DNA of the rodents to detect their species. The genotype of E. bieneusi was determined via PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA. The examination of genetic characteristics and zoonotic potential requires the application of similarity and phylogenetic analysis. Results: The infection rates of E. bieneusi in the four identified rodent species were 5.2% for Apodemus agrarius (n = 89), 4.5% for Cricetulus barabensis (n = 96), 11.3% for Mus musculus (n = 106), and 38.5% for Rattus norvegicus (n = 195). Infection was detected at an average rate of 17.4% among 486 rodents. Of the 11 identified genotypes, nine were known: SHR1 (detected in 32 samples), D (30 samples), EbpA (9 samples), PigEbITS7 (8 samples), HNR-IV (6 samples), Type IV (5 samples), HNR-VII (2 samples), HNH7 (1 sample), and HNPL-V (1 sample). Two novel genotypes were also discovered, NMR-I and NMR-II, each comprising one sample. The genotypes were classified into group 1 and group 13 via phylogenetic analysis. Discussion: Based on the initial report, E. bieneusi is highly prevalent and genetically diverse in wild rodents residing in the respective province and region. This indicates that these animals are crucial for the dissemination of E. bieneusi. Zoonotic E. bieneusi-carrying animals present a significant hazard to local inhabitants. Therefore, it is necessary to increase awareness regarding the dangers presented by these rodents and reduce their population to prevent environmental contamination.

Molecular prevalence, subtype distribution, and zoonotic potential of Blastocystis sp. in wild rodents and shrews inhabiting Zhejiang province of China.

Introduction: Globally, rodents and shrew populations constitute crucial elements of diverse environments and animal communities. It is imperative to study their population dynamics to mitigate any potential negative impact on humans, as they can be involved in the transmission of critical zoonotic agents, such as Blastocystis. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence and genetic composition of Blastocystis in wild rodents and shrews residing in the Zhejiang provinces of China. Methods: A total of 652 wild rodents and and shrews were captured from three different regions in Zhejiang Province from April 1st to October 31, 2023. The DNA was isolated by collecting fresh feces from the intestines of each rodent or and shrew. Rodent and shrew species were examined by vertebrate cytochrome b (cytb) analysis and PCR amplification. Blastocystis was also found in all fecal samples using PCR analysis and sequencing of the partial small subunit of ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. Results: Among all the samples, 6.6% (43/652) showed a positive result for Blastocystis. In the results, 6 species of rodent and shrew were identified with Blastocystis, including Apodemus agrarius (n = 36) (2.8%), Niviventer confucianus (n = 75) (17.3%), Rattus losea (n = 18) (5.6%), R. norvegicus (n = 155) (2.6%), R. tanezumi (n = 86) (3.5%), and Suncus murinus (n = 282) (7.4%). The existence of 6 Blastocystis subtypes, ST4 (n = 33), ST1 (4), ST7 (n = 3), ST2 (n = 1), ST3 (n = 1), and ST5 (n = 1), were confirmed by sequence analysis. Discussion: Based on the molecular data obtained, the wild rodents and shrews under investigation were found to be concurrently infected with zoonotic subtypes of Blastocystis, including ST1 to ST5 and ST7. This suggests that these animals could potentially pose a zoonotic threat to humans and other animals susceptible to Blastocystis infection.

Coexistence of roof rats and carnivores in barns on a livestock farm in Japan.

Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), roof rats (Rattus rattus), and house mice (Mus musculus) are considered to be important pests on livestock farms. Although the diel activity patterns of rodents are key to their control, information on this aspect of their ecology is limited. Furthermore, the effect of carnivores on rodent activity patterns as well as the carnivore species present on livestock farms is unclear. Here, we set camera traps in an open-type cow barn and in an enclosed pig barn on the same livestock farm in Japan from August through October 2021. The only rodents observed in both barns were roof rats, and the carnivore species observed were dogs (Canis familiaris), cats (Felis catus), and Japanese weasels (Mustela itatsi). Roof rats showed different patterns of activity and behavior between the barns. However, because the pattern in both barns was nocturnal, the activity patterns of roof rats and carnivores showed a moderate to high degree of overlap. Therefore, roof rats did not appear to shift their activity patterns to avoid nocturnal carnivores. Taken together, the present study provides valuable information for rodent control on livestock farms in Japan.

Development of neuronal timescales in human cortical organoids and rat hippocampus dissociated cultures.

To support complex cognition, neuronal circuits must integrate information across multiple temporal scales, ranging from milliseconds to decades. Neuronal timescales describe the duration over which activity within a network persists, posing a putative explanatory mechanism for how information might be integrated over multiple temporal scales. Little is known about how timescales develop in human neural circuits or other model systems, limiting insight into how the functional dynamics necessary for cognition emerge. In our work, we show that neuronal timescales develop in a non-linear fashion in both human cortical organoids and dissociated rat hippocampus cultures. We use spectral parameterization of spiking activity to extract an estimate of neuronal timescale that is unbiased by co-evolving oscillations. Cortical organoid timescales begin to increase around month 6 post-differentiation. We complement these findings with an analysis of timescales in rodent hippocampal dissociated cultures over development and see that timescales decrease from in vitro days 13-23 before stabilizing. We speculate that cortical organoid development over the duration studied here reflects an earlier stage of a generalized developmental timeline in contrast to the rodent hippocampal cultures, potentially accounting for differences in timescale developmental trajectories. The fluctuation of timescales might be an important developmental feature that reflects the changing complexity and information capacity in developing neuronal circuits.

Maternal immune activation affects female offspring whisker movements during object exploration in a rat model of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Poly I:C rat offspring are used to investigate the effects of in utero exposure to maternal immune activation (MIA) and have been suggested as a model of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). The behavioural symptoms of this model are diverse and can vary with external factors, including the choice of background strain and husbandry practices. Measuring whisker movements provides quantitative, robust measurements of sensory, motor and cognitive behaviours in rodents. In this study, whisker movements were investigated in 50-day-old male and female offspring of MIA-exposed rat dams and compared to age-matched offspring of control (vehicle) dams. Rat offspring were filmed using high-speed videography in a sequential object exploration task with smooth and textured objects. Poly I:C treatment effects were found in female offspring that did not increase whisker mean angular position during object exploration, especially for the smooth object, indicating an attentional deficit. Whisker tracking during object exploration is demonstrated here, for the first time, as a useful, quick and non-invasive tool to identify both treatment effects and sex differences in a model of MIA-induced NDDs.

Fetal dystocia in guinea pigs: A case report.

Dystocia is a common complication in guinea pig pregnancies, presenting significant challenges in clinical management. The present case report describes the presentation, diagnosis, and surgical intervention in an 8 months old female guinea pig with dystocia. The subject is a primiparous guinea pig originating from a commercial breeder, exhibited prolonged labor with two pups, one of which was stillborn. Physical examination revealed a distended abdomen, lack of uterine contractions, signs of distress, and vulvar discharge. Radiographic and ultrasound tests confirmed obstruction due to large fetal size and mineralization of the pubic symphysis. Surgical intervention proceeded with a ventral midline approach, ovariohysterectomy and removal of three fetuses. The guinea pig recovered well from the procedure, being discharged with postoperative care, and the use of anti-inflammatory, analgesics, prokinetics, antibiotics as well as scopolamine. The objective of the present work is to discuss and emphasize the importance of veterinary intervention, diagnostic evaluation and therapeutics for the multifactorial nature of dystocia management. Despite the surgical treatment, the prognosis for both dam and offspring remains guarded, highlighting the need for early detection and intervention to optimize outcomes in guinea pig dystocia cases.

A distocia é uma complicação comum em gestações de porquinhas-da-índia, apresentando desafios significativos no manejo clínico. Este relato de caso descreve a apresentação, diagnóstico e intervenção cirúrgica em uma porca-da-índia fêmea de oito meses que estava experimentando distocia. A porquinha-da-índia, primípara e proveniente de um criador comercial, apresentou trabalho de parto prolongado com dois filhotes, um dos quais nasceu natimorto. O exame físico revelou abdome distendido, falta de contrações uterinas, sinais de angústia e secreção vulvar. Exames radiográficos e de ultrassom confirmaram obstrução devido ao tamanho fetal grande e mineralização da sínfise púbica. A intervenção cirúrgica prosseguiu com uma abordagem ventral na linha média, ovariohisterectomia e remoção de três fetos. A paciente se recuperou bem do procedimento e recebeu alta com cuidados pós-operatórios, incluindo o uso de anti-inflamatórios, analgésicos, pró-cinéticos, antibióticos e escopolamina. O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir e destacar a importância da intervenção veterinária, avaliação diagnóstica e terapêutica na natureza multifatorial do manejo da distocia. Apesar do tratamento cirúrgico, o prognóstico tanto para a mãe quanto para a prole permanece reservado, ressaltando a necessidade de detecção e intervenção precoces para otimizar os resultados em casos de distocia em porquinhas-da-índia.

Stereotaxic Surgery as a Method to Deliver Epigenetic Editing Constructs in Rodent Brain.

Modern neuroscience research is increasingly discovering that alterations in epigenetic states within key brain cells is correlated with brain diseases. These epigenetic alterations may include changes in histone post-translational modifications and/or DNA modifications, all of which affect transcription and other gene expression programs within the brain cells that comprise central brain regions. However, the exact causal contribution of these epigenome changes to brain disease cannot be elucidated in the absence of direct in vivo manipulations in the implicated brain areas. Combining the design and creation of epigenetic editing constructs, gene delivery strategies, and stereotaxic surgery enables neuroscience researchers to target and manipulate the epigenetic state of the brain cells of laboratory rodents in a locus-specific manner and test its causal contribution to disease-related pathology and behaviors. Here, we describe the surgical protocol utilized by our group and others, which is optimized for herpes simplex virus delivery into the mouse brain, although the protocol outlined herein could be applied for delivery of adeno-associated viruses, lentiviruses, or nonviral gene-delivery methods in both mice and rats. The method allows for the overexpression of engineered DNA-binding proteins for direct and targeted epigenome editing in rodent brain with excellent spatiotemporal control. Nearly any brain region of interest can be targeted in rodents at every stage of postnatal life. Owing to the versatility, reproducibility, and utility of this technique, it is an important method for any laboratory interested in studying the cellular, circuit, and behavioral consequences of manipulating the brain epigenome in laboratory rodents.

Evaluating climate-dependent distribution of orthohantaviruses with monitoring wild rodents: One Health Perspective†.

Orthohantaviruses, cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, nephropathia epidemica, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, are major public health problems all over the world. Wild rodent surveillance for orthohantaviruses is of great importance for the preparedness against these human infections and the prediction of possible outbreak regions. Thus, we aimed to screen orthohantaviruses in wild rodents in Southern Anatolia, where the area has some of the glacial period refugia in the Mediterranean Basin, and interpret their current epidemiology with climatic biovariables in comparison with previously positive regions.We trapped muroid rodents between 2015 and 2017, and screened for orthohantaviruses. Then, we evaluated the relationship between orthohantavirus infections and bioclimatic variables. In spite of the long-term and seasonal sampling, we found no evidence for Orthohantavirus infections. The probable absence of orthohantaviruses in the sampling area was further evaluated from the climatic perspective, and results led us suggest that Orthohantavirus epidemiology might be relatively dependent on precipitation levels in driest and warmest quarters, and temperature fluctuations.These initial data might provide necessary perspective on wild rodent surveillance for orthohantaviruses in other regions, and help to collect lacking data for a such habitat suitability study in a bigger scale in the future.