Ultrasonographic appearance and measurement of abdominal structures in healthy Capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.).

BACKGROUND: Previous ultrasonographic studies of Sapajus apella to determine the normal anatomy and physiology are incomplete. The aim of this study was to determine normal ultrasonographic appearance and measurements of all abdominal organs and structures of interest. METHODS: Twelve adult monkeys were recruited considered healthy on the basis of history, physical examination, and general blood work. To avoid additional anesthesia, the ultrasonographic examinations were performed during routine screening, annually scheduled by the Unit of Cognitive Primatology & Primate Center, CNR-Rome, where the animals were housed. Ultrasound data were processed offline by two experienced ultrasonographers. RESULTS: Topography, morphology and echostructure were described for almost all organs and descriptive statistics were provided. CONCLUSION: To the author's knowledge, this is the most complete ultrasonographic study in Capuchin monkeys.

Physical fitness evaluation of paralympic winter sports sitting athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To provide normative values of physical fitness in Paralympic winter sports athletes competing in a sitting posture and to identify the components relevant for successful performance. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with sports. SETTING: The Institute of Sports Medicine and Science of the Italian National Olympic Committee (Rome, Italy). PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen Alpine skiers (3 BP), 16 Nordic skiers (2 BP), 10 curlers (2 BP), and 34 ISH players (7 BP). INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Curling, Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, and ice sledge hockey (ISH). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical fitness components. Oxygen uptake peak (V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak; L·min and mL·kg·min), mechanical work in a high-intensity exhaustion exercise (MW-HIE; kJ and kJ·kg), upper-body strength (N and N·kg), mean explosive power (MEP; W and W·kg) in a 10-second arm cranking ergometer Wingate test, and fat mass (FM) (% body mass) were primary outcome measures when assessed in the whole sport groups and secondary outcome measures when separating the BP from the others. RESULTS: Based on 1-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test (P < 0.05), V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak and MW-HIE were highest in Nordic skiers (2.9 ± 0.53 L·min and 18.3 ± 3.98 kJ) and similar in ISH players and Alpine skiers (2.5 ± 0.42 and 2.3 ± 0.44 L·min and 17.4 ± 2.62 and 16.8 ± 7.41 kJ, respectively). Alpine skiers showed the highest absolute strength values (1210.1 ± 220.92 N). Curlers had the highest FM (26.2% ± 7.74%) and the lowest V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak (1.8 ± 0.35 L·min), MW-HIE (11.4 ± 2.40 kJ), and MEP (251.1 ± 67.16 W). Among the BP, Nordic skiers, ISH players, and Alpine skiers showed VO2peak, MW-HIE, and strength equal to 3.4 ± 0.60, 2.9 ± 0.38, and 2.8 ± 0.18 L·min⁻¹ and 22.6 ± 4.04, 19.4 ± 2.84, and 18.4 ± 7.86 kJ, and 975.4 ± 115.03, 1183.4 ± 60.43, and 1279.2 ± 279.1 N, [corrected] respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Analyzing physical fitness data of athletes competing in the last 4 winter Paralympic Games, normative values are provided. The specific components that are highly developed in the BP are considered relevant for successful performance.

Molecular, cellular and physiological characterization of the cancer cachexia-inducing C26 colon carcinoma in mouse.

BACKGROUND: The majority of cancer patients experience dramatic weight loss, due to cachexia and consisting of skeletal muscle and fat tissue wasting. Cachexia is a negative prognostic factor, interferes with therapy and worsens the patients' quality of life by affecting muscle function. Mice bearing ectopically-implanted C26 colon carcinoma are widely used as an experimental model of cancer cachexia. As part of the search for novel clinical and basic research applications for this experimental model, we characterized novel cellular and molecular features of C26-bearing mice. METHODS: A fragment of C26 tumor was subcutaneously grafted in isogenic BALB/c mice. The mass growth and proliferation rate of the tumor were analyzed. Histological and cytofluorometric analyses were used to assess cell death, ploidy and differentiation of the tumor cells. The main features of skeletal muscle atrophy, which were highlighted by immunohistochemical and electron microscopy analyses, correlated with biochemical alterations. Muscle force and resistance to fatigue were measured and analyzed as major functional deficits of the cachectic musculature. RESULTS: We found that the C26 tumor, ectopically implanted in mice, is an undifferentiated carcinoma, which should be referred to as such and not as adenocarcinoma, a common misconception. The C26 tumor displays aneuploidy and histological features typical of transformed cells, incorporates BrdU and induces severe weight loss in the host, which is largely caused by muscle wasting. The latter appears to be due to proteasome-mediated protein degradation, which disrupts the sarcomeric structure and muscle fiber-extracellular matrix interactions. A pivotal functional deficit of cachectic muscle consists in increased fatigability, while the reported loss of tetanic force is not statistically significant following normalization for decreased muscle fiber size. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude, on the basis of the definition of cachexia, that ectopically-implanted C26 carcinoma represents a well standardized experimental model for research on cancer cachexia. We wish to point out that scientists using the C26 model to study cancer and those using the same model to study cachexia may be unaware of each other's works because they use different keywords; we present strategies to eliminate this gap and discuss the benefits of such an exchange of knowledge.

Experimental model for the study of the effects of platelet-rich plasma on the early phases of muscle healing.

BACKGROUND: There is abundant evidence suggesting that growth factors may play a key role in the healing process, especially in the early stages of inflammation. Despite the reported clinical successes with the use of growth factors there is still a lack of knowledge on the biological mechanism underlying the activity of platelet-rich plasma during the process of muscle healing. The aim of this study was to analyse the early effects of platelet- rich plasma in an easily reproducible animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wistar male adult rats (n=102) were used in this study. The muscle lesion was created with a scalpel in the flexor sublimis muscles. Platelet-rich plasma was applied immediately after surgery. Treated, untreated and contralateral muscles were analysed by morphological evaluation and western blot assay. RESULTS: Leucocyte infiltration was significantly greater in muscles treated with platelet-rich plasma than in both untreated and contralateral muscles. The latter showed greater leucocyte infiltration when compared to the untreated muscles. Platelet-rich plasma treatment also modified the cellular composition of the leucocyte infiltration leading to increased expression of CD3, CD8, CD19 and CD68 and to decreased CD4 antigen expression in both platelet-rich plasma treated and contralateral muscles. Blood vessel density and blood vessel diameters were not statistically significantly different between the three groups analysed. DISCUSSION: The results of this study showed that treatment with platelet-rich plasma magnified the physiological early inflammatory response following a muscle injury, modifying the pattern of cellular recruitment. Local platelet-rich plasma treatment may exert a direct or, more plausibly, indirect systemic effect on healing processes, at least in the earliest inflammatory phase.