Application of a novel bone osteotomy plate leads to reduction in heat-induced bone tissue necrosis in sheep.

Previous studies have shown substantial effect thermal damage can have on new bone formation following osteotomy. In this study we evaluated the extent of thermal damage which occurs in four different methods of osteotomy and the effects it can have on bone healing. We further wanted to test whether a special osteotomy plate we constructed can lead to diminished heat generation during osteotomy and enhanced bone healing. The four methods evaluated included osteotomy performed by chisel, a newly constructed osteotomy plate, Gigly and oscillating saw. Twelve adult sheep underwent osteotomy performed on both tibiae. Bone fragments were stabilized using a fixation plate. Callus size was assessed using standard radiographs. Densitometry and histological evaluation were performed at 8 weeks following osteotomy. Temperature measurements were performed both in vivo during the operation, and ex vivo on explanted tibiae. The defects healed without complications and showed typical course of secondary fracture healing with callus ingrowth into the osteotomy gap. Radiographic examination of bone healing showed a tendency towards more callus formation in bones osteotomized using Gigly and oscillating saw, but this difference lacked significance. Use of Gigly and oscillating saw elicited much higher temperatures at the bone cortex surface, which subsequently lead to slightly impaired bone healing according to histological analysis. BMD was equal among all bones. In conclusion, the time required for complete healing of the defect differed depended greatly on the instruments used. The newly constructed osteotomy plate showed best results based on histological findings of capillary and osteoblast density.

Effect of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene nonionic block copolymers on performance and recruitment of immune cell subsets in weaned pigs.

BACKGROUND: Because European-wide directives are restricting the non-clinical use of antibiotics as in-feed growth promotors in swine production, there is an intensive search for alternative strategies for control and prevention of losses among young pigs. With the growing knowledge of the porcine immune system and its endogenous modulation, it has been clearly established that exogenous immunomodulation using adjuvants and immune response modifiers (IRMs) represents an important prophylactic/therapeutic approach in the prevention/treatment of both stress- and microbial-induced disorders that accompaning weaning. However, it is essential to select a fully evaluated agent which may act either as a nonspecific IRM or synergistically as an adjuvant with vaccines. The synthetic macromolecules with a long history as adjuvant and IRM are nonionic block copolymers which consist of polyoxyethylene (POE) and polyoxypropylene (POP) molecules. METHODS: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of POE-POP given as a single peroral dose on productivity parameters such as body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio, and systemic and intestinal immune parameters by assessing the proportions of CD45+ lymphoid cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and CD21+ B cells in the peripheral blood as well as the number of CD45RA+ naive lymphoid cells residing in the ileal mucosa in weaned pigs during a follow-up study 5 weeks after the treatment. RESULTS: Pigs treated with POE-POP had better feed intake (+ 14.57%), higher average body mass at the end of the experiment (20.91 kg vs. 17.61 kg), and higher body weight gain in relation to Day 0 (191.63% vs. 144.58%) as well as in relation to nontreated pigs (+ 18.74%), with a lower feed conversion ratio (- 30.26%) in comparison to the control pigs. A much lower diarrhea severity score (5 vs. 54) was recorded in pigs treated with POE-POP (- 90.74%) than in the control pigs. A higher average diarrhea severity (ADS) was recorded in the control pigs (1.54 vs. 0.14), whereas the treatmant group had much a lower ADS ratio (- 90.91%) after 35 days of the experiment. The pigs that were treated with POE-POP had an increased proportion of CD45+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells at Day 21 (at p < 0.05, p < 0.05 or p < 0.01, respectively), Day 28 (at p < 0.01, respectively) and Day 35 (at p < 0.01, p < 0.05 or p < 0.01, respectively) as well as of CD21+ cells at Day 28 (p < 0.05) and Day 35 of the experiment (p < 0.01). Also, these pigs had more numerous CD45RA+ cells in interfollicular (p < 0.05) and follicular areas (p < 0.01) of the ileal Peyer's patches than did control pigs. CONCLUSION: This property of POE-POP to induce recruitment of circulating and intestinal immune cell subsets in weaned pigs may allow the use of IRM-active block copolymers as adjuvants for vaccines, particularly those orally delivered and targeted to the gut-associated lymphoid tissues that are well known to promote rather tolerogenic than protective immune responses.