Striving for humane deaths for laboratory mice: hypobaric hypoxia provides a potential alternative to carbon dioxide exposure.

Killing is often an unavoidable and necessary procedure for laboratory mice involved in scientific research, and providing a humane death is vital for public acceptance. Exposure to carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is the most widely used methodology despite well proven welfare concerns. Consequently, the continued use of CO2 and its globally permitted status in legislation and guidelines presents an ethical dilemma for users. We investigated whether killing with hypobaric hypoxia via gradual decompression was associated with better welfare outcomes for killing laboratory mice. We compared the spontaneous behaviour of mice exposed to CO2, decompression or sham conditions, and used analgesic or anxiolytic interventions to determine their relative welfare impact. Gradual decompression resulted in longer times to unconsciousness and death and the pharmacological interventions support the notion of a minimally negative animal experience, while providing further evidence for pain and anxiety associated with exposure to CO2. Decompression resulted in moderate ear haemorrhage, but our welfare assessment suggests this may happen when mice are unconscious. Hence, gradual decompression could be the basis of significant refinement for killing laboratory mice. Future work should corroborate behaviour with neurobiological markers of loss of consciousness to verify the conscious phase of concern for animal welfare.

Occurrence, prevalence, and explanatory environmental variables of Spirocerca vulpis infestation in the foxes of western Spain.

The main aim of this study was to not only establish the prevalence of the recently described Spirocerca vulpis parasite in the wild-life cycle of carnivores in western Spain but to also elaborate a model to explain the risk of infestation based on 16 topo-climatic and habitat variables. During the period from June 2016 to November 2017, 1644 carcasses of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and another 105 wild mammals, legally hunted or killed in car accidents, were analyzed. Parasitic nodules of Spirocerca were found in 6% of the foxes, and the molecular analyses established a homology of our samples with the species S. vulpis. There were no differences in the occurrence of the infestation between sexes, but there were differences in terms of age, such that infestation was proportionally more frequent among young individuals. In terms of temporality, a higher percentage of positive cases was observed during the late-autumn and winter months, especially between December and February. This study provides new data on the factors that predispose S. vulpis infection in the red fox. Model results indicate that a spatial pattern exists in the occurrence and prevalence of this species in the studied area (higher probabilities to the west), and that this pattern seems to mainly be associated with topo-climatic variables.

Calcium isotopes offer clues on resource partitioning among Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs.

Large predators are overabundant in mid-Cretaceous continental dinosaur assemblages of North Africa. Such unbalanced ecosystem structure involves, among predatory dinosaurs, typical abelisaurid or carcharodontosaurid theropods co-occurring with long-snouted spinosaurids of debated ecology. Here, we report calcium (Ca) isotope values from tooth enamel (expressed as δ44/42Ca) to investigate resource partitioning in mid-Cretaceous assemblages from Niger (Gadoufaoua) and Morocco (Kem Kem Beds). In both assemblages, spinosaurids display a distinct isotopic signature, the most negative in our dataset. This distinct taxonomic clustering in Ca isotope values observed between spinosaurids and other predators provides unambiguous evidence for niche partitioning at the top of the trophic chains: spinosaurids foraged on aquatic environments while abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods relied almost exclusively on terrestrial resources.

Evaluation of the potential killing performance of novel percussive and cervical dislocation tools in chicken cadavers.

1. Four mechanical poultry killing devices; modified Armadillo (MARM), modified Rabbit Zinger (MZIN), modified pliers (MPLI) and a novel mechanical cervical dislocation (NMCD) gloved device, were assessed for their killing potential in the cadavers of euthanised birds. 2. A 4 × 4 × 4 factorial design (batch × device × bird type + age) was employed. Ten bird cadavers per bird type and age were tested with each of the 4 devices (N = 160 birds). All cadavers were examined post-mortem to establish the anatomical damage caused. 3. NMCD, MARM and MZIN demonstrated killing potential, as well as consistency in their anatomical effects. NMCD had the highest killing potential, with 100% of birds sustaining the required physical trauma to have caused rapid death. 4. The MPLI was inconsistent, and only performed optimally for 27.5% of birds. Severe crushing injury was seen in >50% of MPLI birds, suggesting that birds would die of asphyxia rather than cerebral ischaemia, a major welfare concern. As a result, the MPLI are not recommended as a humane on-farm killing device for chickens. 5. This experiment provides important data on the killing potential of untried novel percussive and mechanical cervical dislocation methods, informing future studies.

Effects of light on responses to low atmospheric pressure stunning in broilers.

Low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS) is a novel approach to poultry stunning involving the application of gradual decompression lasting 280 s according to a prescribed pressure curve. The aim of this study was to determine how behavioural, electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) responses to LAPS are influenced by illumination of the decompression chamber. A secondary aim was to examine responses to the decompression chamber without LAPS being applied, as such a "sham" control has been absent in previous studies. A two by two factorial design was employed, with LAPS/light, LAPS/dark, sham/light and sham/dark treatments (N = 20 per treatment). Broilers were exposed to each treatment in pairs, in each of which one bird was instrumented for recording EEG and ECG. Illumination was applied at 500 lx, and in sham treatments, birds were identically handled but remained undisturbed in the LAPS chamber without decompression for 280 s. Birds which underwent the sham treatment exhibited behaviours which were also observed in LAPS (e.g. sitting) while those exposed to LAPS exhibited hypoxia-related behaviours (e.g. ataxia, loss of posture). Behavioural latencies and durations were increased in the sham treatments, since the whole cycle time was available (in LAPS; birds were motionless by 186 s). Within the sham treatments, illumination increased active behaviour and darkness induced sleep, but slow-wave EEG was seen in both. The pattern of EEG response to LAPS (steep reduction in median frequency in the first 60 s and increased total power) was similar, irrespective of illumination, though birds in darkness had shorter latencies to loss of consciousness and isoelectric EEG. Cardiac responses to LAPS (pronounced bradycardia) closely matched those reported previously and were not affected by illumination. The effects of LAPS/sham treatment primarily reflected the presence/absence of hypoxia, while illumination affected activity/sleep levels in sham-treated birds and slowed time to unconsciousness in birds undergoing LAPS. Therefore, it is recommended that LAPS be conducted in darkness for poultry.

A mouse Mecp2-null mutation causes neurological symptoms that mimic Rett syndrome.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is an inherited neurodevelopmental disorder of females that occurs once in 10,000-15,000 births. Affected females develop normally for 6-18 months, but then lose voluntary movements, including speech and hand skills. Most RTT patients are heterozygous for mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2 (refs. 3-12), encoding a protein that binds to methylated sites in genomic DNA and facilitates gene silencing. Previous work with Mecp2-null embryonic stem cells indicated that MeCP2 is essential for mouse embryogenesis. Here we generate mice lacking Mecp2 using Cre-loxP technology. Both Mecp2-null mice and mice in which Mecp2 was deleted in brain showed severe neurological symptoms at approximately six weeks of age. Compensation for absence of MeCP2 in other tissues by MeCP1 (refs. 19,20) was not apparent in genetic or biochemical tests. After several months, heterozygous female mice also showed behavioral symptoms. The overlapping delay before symptom onset in humans and mice, despite their profoundly different rates of development, raises the possibility that stability of brain function, not brain development per se, is compromised by the absence of MeCP2.

The autoimmune disease-associated IL2RA locus is involved in the clinical manifestations of systemic sclerosis.

Regulatory T cells (T(regs)) are crucial in the maintenance of the immune tolerance and seem to have an important role in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The interleukin 2 receptor α (IL2RA) is an important T(reg) marker, and polymorphisms of IL2RA gene are associated with a number of autoimmune diseases. Therefore, we aimed to investigate for the first time the association of the IL2RA locus in SSc. For this purpose, a total of 3023 SSc patients and 2735 matched healthy controls, from six European Caucasian cohorts, were genotyped for the IL2RA gene variants rs11594656, rs2104286 and rs12722495 using the TaqMan allelic discrimination technology. The overall meta-analysis reached statistical significance when the three polymorphisms were tested for association with SSc, the limited subtype (lcSSc) and anti-centromere auto-antibodies (ACAs). However, no significant P-values were obtained when the ACA-positive patients were removed from the SSc and lcSSc groups, suggesting that these associations rely on ACA positivity. The strongest association signal with ACA production was detected for rs2104286 (P(FDR)=2.07 × 10(-4), odds ratio=1.30 (1.14-1.47)). The associations of rs11594656 and rs12722495 were lost after conditioning to rs2104286, and allelic combination tests did not evidence a combined effect, indicating that rs2104286 best described the association between IL2RA and ACA presence in SSc.

Fetal haemopoiesis marking low-grade urinary bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: The immunohistochemical features of fetal haemoglobin cells and their distribution patterns in solid tumours, such as colorectal cancer and blastomas, suggest that fetal haemopoiesis may take place in these tumour tissues. These locally highly concentrated fetal haemoglobin (HbF) cells may promote tumour growth by providing a more efficient oxygen supply. METHODS AND RESULTS: Biomarkers of HbF were checked in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder, assessing this as a new parameter for disease management. Fetal haemoglobin was immunohistochemically examined in tumours from 60 patients with TCC of the bladder. Fetal haemoglobin erythrocytes and erythroblasts were mainly clonally distributed in proliferating blood vessels and not mixed with normal haemoglobin erythrocytes. The proportion of such HbF blood vessels could reach more than half of the total number of vessels. There were often many HbF erythroblasts distributed in one-cell or two-cell capillaries and present as 5-15% of cells in multi-cell vessels. This suggests a local proliferation of HbF-cell progenitors. Fetal haemoglobin cells were prominently marking lower grades of tumours, as 76% (n=21) of the patients with G1pTa were HbF+, whereas only 6.7% (n=30) of the patients with G3pT1-pT2a were HbF+. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that HbF, besides being a potential new marker for early tumour detection, might be an essential factor of early tumour development, as in fetal life. Inhibiting HbF upregulation may provide a therapeutic target for the inhibition of tumour growth.

Lack of association of ACP1 gene with inflammatory bowel disease: a case-control study.

The red cell acid phosphatease (ACP1) gene, which encodes a low molecular weight phosphotyrosine phosphatase (LMW-PTP), has been suggested as a common genetic factor of autoimmunity. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the possible influence of ACP1 polymorphisms in the susceptibility of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A total of 1271 IBD Spanish patients [720 Crohn's disease (CD) and 551 ulcerative colitis (UC)] and 1877 healthy subjects were included. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs10167992, rs11553742, rs7576247 and rs3828329, were genotyped using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Common ACP1 alleles (i.e. ACP1*A, ACP1*B and ACP1*C) were determined by two of these SNPs. After the analysis, no evidence of association of the ACP1 genetic variants was found with CD or UC. Therefore, our results suggest that the ACP1 gene may not play a relevant role in the development of IBD.

Radon transport events associated with the impact of a NORM repository in the SW of Europe.

Two radon measurement stations located to the north and south of a NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) repository of phosphogypsum (southwest of Europe) were used to monitor radon behavior during 2018. The stations are located at opposing sides of the repository, one in Huelva City to the north and other one in a rural area to the south. This setup aimed to identify the influence of the NORM repository on each station and use radon levels as a marker of atmospheric transport in the local area. To achieve this, a comparison was carried out with other coastal stations in the south of Spain, finding higher average concentrations in Huelva City, ~3.3 Bq m-3. Hierarchical clustering was applied to identify days with different radon patterns at each Huelva station, detecting possible local radon transport events from the repository. Three events were investigated with WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) and FLEXPART-WRF (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model). It was found that both sampling sites required atmospheric stagnant conditions to reach high radon concentration. However, under these conditions the urban station showed high radon regardless of wind direction while the rural station also required radon transport from the repository, either directly or indirectly.

Full-thickness biopsy findings in chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and enteric dysmotility.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Small bowel manometry is increasingly used in the clinical investigation of patients with symptoms of intestinal motor dysfunction. Enteric dysmotility (ED) has been suggested as a new diagnostic term for patients with abnormal intestinal motor activity but no radiological signs of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP). Histopathological features of adult patients with ED and CIP have been compared in a large case series to study differences and similarities between the two diagnostic groups. METHODS: Routine staining and an extensive panel of immunohistochemical stains on transversal and tangential cuts from full-thickness biopsies of the small bowel were used. RESULTS: 39 females and 11 males with CIP and 58 females and 7 males with ED were investigated. The underlying lesion was more often a visceral myopathy (22% vs 5%) or neuromyopathy (30% vs 12%) in patients with CIP than in those with ED, whereas the predominant lesion in ED was neuropathy with inflammation. CONCLUSION: CIP in adults is associated with very different underlying pathology, whereas ED is more homogeneously associated with neuropathy in the enteric nervous system. Neuropathy of enteric ganglia with inflammation seems to be the most common cause for measurable disturbances of intestinal motor function.

Influence of the accumulation chamber insertion depth to measure surface radon exhalation rates.

A common method to measure radon exhalation rates relies on the accumulation chamber technique. Usually, this approach only considers one-dimensional gas transport within the soil that neglects lateral diffusion. However, this lateral transport could reduce the reliability of the method. In this work, several cylindrical-shaped accumulation chambers were built with different heights to test if the insertion depth of the chamber into the soil improves the reliability of the method and, in that case, if it could limit the radon lateral diffusion effects. To check this hypothesis in laboratory, two reference exhalation boxes were manufactured using phosphogypsum from a repository located nearby the city of Huelva, in the southwest of Spain. Laboratory experiments showed that insertion depth had a deep impact in reducing the effective decay constant of the system, extending the interval where the linear fitting can be applied, and consistently obtaining reliable exhalation measurements once a minimum insertion depth is employed. Field experiments carried out in the phosphogypsum repository showed that increasing the insertion depth could reduce the influence of external effects, increasing the repeatability of the method. These experiments provided a method to obtain consistent radon exhalation measurements over the phosphogypsum repository.

Pathological consequences of low atmospheric pressure stunning in broiler chickens.

Low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS) is a novel approach to pre-slaughter stunning of chickens using progressive hypobaric hypoxia by the application of gradual decompression (280s cycle) according to a set of prescribed pressure curves. Low atmospheric pressure stunning produces a non-recovery state. Concerns have been raised relating to the possible pathological and welfare consequences of expansion of air in the body during LAPS. In a randomised trial, we compared the gross pathology of broilers exposed to LAPS with a control group euthanised by intravenous injection of pentobarbital sodium (60 mixed sex broilers per treatment). The birds were exposed to each treatment in triplets and all birds were subject to necropsy examination to detect and score (1 to 5, minimal to severe) haemorrhagic lesions or congestion for all major organs and cavities (e.g. air sacs, joints, ears and heart) as well as external assessment for product quality (e.g. wing tips). Behavioural data (latency to loss of posture and motionless) and chamber cycle data (temperature, humidity, pressure and oxygen availability) confirmed that LAPS had been applied in a manner representative of the commercial process. All of the organs observed were structurally intact for both treatment groups. No lesions were observed in the external ears, oral cavity, tracheal lumen, crop and air sacs of birds from either treatment group. There was no difference between treatments in the wingtips, nasal turbinates, thymus, biceps femoralis and colon. Haemorrhagic lesions were observed in the calvaria, brains, hearts and lungs of both treatment groups, but lesions in these areas were more severe in the LAPS treatment group. It was not possible to distinguish between pathological changes induced by decompression or recompression. In the barbiturate group, more severe haemorrhagic lesions were observed in the superficial pectoral muscles as well as greater congestion of the infraorbital sinuses, liver, spleens, duodenum, kidneys and gonads. These findings provide evidence that LAPS did not result in distension of the intestines and air sacs sufficient to cause changes, which were grossly visible on postmortem examination. There was also no evidence of barotrauma in the ears and sinuses. The pathological changes observed in the barbiturate treatment were as expected based on barbiturate toxicity. Low atmospheric pressure stunning appears to produce pathological changes by a variety of well-established mechanisms, and while these pathological data have limited value as welfare indicators, the results confirm that organ integrity was not compromised by the process.

Melatonin inhibition of the neonatal pituitary response to luteinizing hormone-releasing factor.

Neonatal rat anterior pituitary glands treated in organ culture with 1 nanomolar luteinzing hormone-releasing factor (LRF) showed a tenfold increase in medium luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations over control values. Simultaneous treatment of the glands with 1 nanomolar melatonin significantly reduced the stimulatory effect of LRF on release of LH. This finding indicates that melatonin can act directly on the neonatal pituitary to inhibit the LH response to LRF.

Rapid, single-subject genotyping to predict red blood cell antigen expression.

Genotyping is useful to predict the expression of those RBC antigens for which antisera are difficult to obtain and to determine the probable phenotype of highly transfused patients, and it can be used to test stored DNA when a blood sample is not available. This study assessed a sequence-specific primer (SSP)-based genotyping system for blood group alleles suitable for the rapid testing of a small number of samples and assessed the use of stored whole blood. Genomic DNA was isolated from fresh and 1- and 2-week-old stored blood from 20 donors with known ABO and Rh phenotypes and was used for ABO, RHD, and RHCE genotyping using SSPs. The amplicons were analyzed using gel electrophoresis and a novel microfluidic on-chip electrophoresis system. Analysis of DNA from fresh and 1- and 2-week-old blood by SSP and gel electrophoresis yielded the correct ABO, RHD, and RHCE type in all samples, but with DNA from 2-week-old stored blood the amplicons were more difficult to visualize. Analysis of the same samples with the SSP on-chip electrophoresis assay correctly typed all samples except for one RHCE typing discrepancy of a fresh sample and one RHCE typing discrepancy of a 2-week-old sample. Analysis of amplicons by on-chip electrophoresis required one tenth the DNA that gel electrophoresis did and could be completed within 30 minutes compared with 2 hours with gel electrophoresis. Amplicons were also more readily visualized with on-chip electrophoresis. Fresh and 1- and 2-week-old samples could be ABO and RH genotyped with SSP. Analysis using on-chip electrophoresis was easier and more rapid than that using gel electrophoresis, but test reliability was slightly more variable.

Rare but evolutionarily consequential outcrossing in a highly inbred zoonotic parasite.

Recurrent self-mating can result in nearly clonal propagation of biological lineages, but even occasional outcrossing can serve to redistribute variation in future generations, providing cohesion among regional populations. The zoonotic parasite Trichinella spiralis has been suspected to undergo frequent inbreeding, resulting in genetically uniform larval cohorts which differ markedly from one another. Here, we explored the extent of inbreeding for this parasite by determining how genetic variation (at variable microsatellite markers) is distributed among 1379 larvae derived from 41 wild boars in Extremadura, Spain. In particular, we sought to determine how much of the genetic variation in this region's parasites occurs among the larvae of any given wild boar, and whether each derives from one, or more, parental lineages. We found strong evidence for inbreeding, resulting in genetically distinct parasite subpopulations among the parasites derived from many pairs of wild boar. Fully two-thirds of these parasite cohorts appear to derive from inbred parents; in 10% of the wild boars, parasites were so inbred as to become absolutely fixed in all of the assayed genetic loci. In spite of this, more than one pair of parents appear to have given rise to the infections in one-third of the sampled wild boars, resulting in mixed infections. These mixed infections should slow losses of heterozygosity and multi-locus polymorphism in any given parasite lineage. Such outcrossing should limit distinctions that would otherwise accumulate among transmission chains, thereby enforcing cohesion through the region's population in spite of its marked departure from panmixia. Conditions of transmission may differ in other regions, where such epidemiological features may engender different evolutionary outcomes.

Levofloxacin vs. azithromycin pharmacodynamic activity against S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae with decreased susceptibility to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid.

Resistant clones/phenotypes are putting into question the activity of commonly used beta-lactams, thus prompting the need for alternative options. A 500 mg levofloxacin vs. azithromycin once daily pharmacodynamic simulation was performed against 10(8) cfu/ml of four Streptococcus pneumoniae strains (exhibiting higher amoxicillin than penicillin MIC) and four Haemophilus influenzae strains: beta-lactamase producing, BLNAR (beta-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant) and BLPACR (beta-lactamase-positive amoxicillin/clavulanate-resistant). High levofloxacin AUC/MIC values for H. influenzae, and values of 50-100 for S. pneumoniae produced a >5 log(10) reduction at 24h for all strains. Azithromycin AUC/MIC values of approximately 10 were needed to obtain a 2-3 log(10) reduction of S. pneumoniae initial inocula, but lower AUC/MIC values (of approximately 6) obtained > or =3 log(10) reduction against all strains of H. influenzae. While in vitro simulated serum concentrations of levofloxacin were bactericidal at the end of the dosing interval against all S. pneumoniae strains and azithromycin against the susceptible ones, both antimicrobials achieved this endpoint against the BLNAR and BLPACR strains.

Radioactivity levels in aerosol particles surrounding a large TENORM waste repository after application of preliminary restoration work.

In this paper, (238)U-series radionuclides have been analysed in particulate matter samples collected at a phosphogypsum stack system located near the city of Huelva (SW Spain) during the course of 1 year. The results have been compared to those collected at a reference (background) site located a few km away, in order to establish if the stack system provokes an increase in radionuclide exposure due to inhalation with particulate matter. The (222)Rn progeny, which is considered a very important contributor to the internal dose rate received by the population, was collected for 6 months. The results indicate that for several types of radionuclides there is a significant increase in the radioactivity adsorbed by the aerosol particles collected at phosphogypsum stacks. The isotope analysis indicates that this increment could be affected by the water vapour emissions from the factory, which contain high concentrations of these radionuclides. However, the majority of these radionuclides could not be detected at the background location. The corresponding dose increment estimated at the sampling point is, however, negligible. This fact is a consequence of the very small radionuclide concentration increment, together with relatively conservative nature of the occupational factor applied. Regarding the Rn progeny, no significant differences between either the collecting sites has been registered due to of the dominant wind regime at the sampling locations.

Developing a new Bayesian Risk Index for risk evaluation of soil contamination.

Industrial and agricultural activities heavily constrain soil quality. Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) are a threat to public health and the environment alike. In this regard, the identification of areas that require remediation is crucial. In the herein research a geochemical dataset (230 samples) comprising 14 elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag, Ni, Mn, Fe, As, Cd, V, Cr, Ti, Al and S) was gathered throughout eight different zones distinguished by their main activity, namely, recreational, agriculture/livestock and heavy industry in the Avilés Estuary (North of Spain). Then a stratified systematic sampling method was used at short, medium, and long distances from each zone to obtain a representative picture of the total variability of the selected attributes. The information was then combined in four risk classes (Low, Moderate, High, Remediation) following reference values from several sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). A Bayesian analysis, inferred for each zone, allowed the characterization of PTEs correlations, the unsupervised learning network technique proving to be the best fit. Based on the Bayesian network structure obtained, Pb, As and Mn were selected as key contamination parameters. For these 3 elements, the conditional probability obtained was allocated to each observed point, and a simple, direct index (Bayesian Risk Index-BRI) was constructed as a linear rating of the pre-defined risk classes weighted by the previously obtained probability. Finally, the BRI underwent geostatistical modeling. One hundred Sequential Gaussian Simulations (SGS) were computed. The Mean Image and the Standard Deviation maps were obtained, allowing the definition of High/Low risk clusters (Local G clustering) and the computation of spatial uncertainty. High-risk clusters are mainly distributed within the area with the highest altitude (agriculture/livestock) showing an associated low spatial uncertainty, clearly indicating the need for remediation. Atmospheric emissions, mainly derived from the metallurgical industry, contribute to soil contamination by PTEs.