76 FR 20004 - Endangered Species Recovery Permit Applications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-11

... salamander (Ambystoma californiense), the Tipton kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides nitratoides), giant... biological samples, and release) the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) in conjunction... (survey, capture, handle, identify, measure, and release) the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma...

MITES ON KANGAROO RATS AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goates, M.A.

1963-10-01

A systematic study of parasitic mites on kangaroo rats of two species at the Nevada Test Site was conducted from August 1959 to December 1961. The intent was to determine the kinds, numbers, seasonal occurrences, and ecological repations of mites in nuclear disturbed and contiguous undisturbed areas. A total of 1,256 rats from nine plant communities was examined. Data are summarized. (C.H.)

Rapid genetic restoration of a keystone species exhibiting delayed demographic response

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genetic founder effects are often expected when animals colonize restored habitat in fragmented landscapes, but empirical data on genetic responses to restoration are limited. We examined the genetic response of banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) to landscape-scale grassland restor...

Food habits of rodents inhabiting arid and semi-arid ecosystems of central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hope, Andrew G.; Parmenter, Robert R.

2007-01-01

In this study, we describe seasonal dietary composition for 15 species of rodents collected in all major habitats on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (Socorro County) in central New Mexico. A comprehensive literature review of food habits for these species from throughout their distribution also is provided. We collected rodents in the field during winter, spring and late summer in 1998 from six communities: riparian cottonwood forest; piñon-juniper woodland; juniper-oak savanna; mesquite savanna; short-grass steppe; and Chihuahuan Desert scrubland. Rodents included Spermophilus spilosoma (Spotted Ground Squirrel), Perognathus flavescens (Plains Pocket Mouse), Perognathus flavus (Silky Pocket Mouse), Dipodomys merriami (Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat), Dipodomys ordii (Ord’s Kangaroo Rat), Dipodomys spectabilis (Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat), Reithrodontomys megalotis (Western Harvest Mouse), Peromyscus boylii (Brush Mouse), Peromyscus eremicus (Cactus Mouse), Peromyscus leucopus (White-footed Mouse), Peromyscus truei (Piñon Mouse), Onychomys arenicola (Mearn’s Grasshopper Mouse), Onychomys leucogaster (Northern Grasshopper Mouse), Neotoma albigula/leucodon (White-throated Woodrats), and Neotoma micropus (Southern Plains Woodrat). We collected stomach contents of all species, and cheek-pouch contents of heteromyids, and quantified them in the laboratory. We determined seasonal diets in each habitat by calculating mean percentage volumes of seeds, arthropods and green vegetation (plant leaves and stems) for each species of rodent. Seeds consumed by each rodent were identified to genus, and often species, and quantified by frequency counts. Comparisons of diets between and among species of rodents, seasons, and ecosystems were also examined. We provide an appendix of all plant taxa documented.

Elevated surface temperature depresses survival of banner-tailed kangaroo rats: will climate change cook a desert icon?

PubMed

Moses, Martin R; Frey, Jennifer K; Roemer, Gary W

2012-01-01

Modest increases in global temperature have been implicated in causing population extirpations and range shifts in taxa inhabiting colder environs and in ectotherms whose thermoregulation is more closely tied to environmental conditions. Many arid-adapted endotherms already experience conditions at their physiological limits, so it is conceivable that they could be similarly affected by warming temperatures. We explored how climatic variables might influence the apparent survival of the banner-tailed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis), a rodent endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert of North America and renowned for its behavioral and physiological adaptations to arid environments. Relative variable weight, strength of variable relationships, and other criteria indicated that summer, diurnal land surface temperature (SD_LST) was the primary environmental driver of apparent survival in these arid-adapted rodents. Higher temperatures had a negative effect on apparent survival, which ranged from 0.15 (SE = 0.04) for subadults to 0.50 (SE = 0.07) for adults. Elevated SD_LST may negatively influence survival through multiple pathways, including increased water loss and energy expenditure that could lead to chronic stress and/or hyperthermia that could cause direct mortality. Land surface temperatures are predicted to increase by as much 6.5°C by 2099, reducing apparent survival of adults to ~0.15 in some regions of the species' range, possibly causing a shift in their distribution. The relationship between SD_LST and survival suggests a mechanism whereby physiological tolerances are exceeded resulting in a reduction to individual fitness that may ultimately cause a shift in the species' range over time.

Effects of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene on wild rodents at Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spring, Sarah E.; Miles, A. Keith; Anderson, Michael J.

2004-01-01

Effects of inhalation of volatilized trichloroethylene (TCE) or perchloroethylene (PCE) were assessed based on the health and population size of wild, burrowing mammals at Edwards Air Force Base (CA, USA). Organic soil-vapor concentrations were measured at three sites with aquifer contamination of TCE or PCE of 5.5 to 77 mg/L and at two uncontaminated reference sites. Population estimates of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami and D. panamintinus) as well as hematology, blood chemistry, and histopathology of kangaroo rats and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were compared between contaminated and uncontaminated populations. Maximum soil-gas concentrations associated with groundwater contamination were less than 1.5 μl/L of TCE and 0.07 μl/L of PCE. Population estimates of kangaroo rats were similar at contaminated and reference sites. Hematology, blood chemistry, and histopathology of kangaroo rats and deer mice indicated no evidence of health effects caused by exposure. Trichloroethylene or PCE in groundwater and in related soil gas did not appear to reduce the size of small mammal populations or impair the health of individuals.

Radionuclide transport from soil to air, native vegetation, kangaroo rats and grazing cattle on the Nevada test site.

PubMed

Gilbert, R O; Shinn, J H; Essington, E H; Tamura, T; Romney, E M; Moor, K S; O'Farrell, T P

1988-12-01

Between 1970 and 1986 the Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG), U.S. Department of Energy, conducted environmental radionuclide studies at weapons-testing sites on or adjacent to the Nevada Test Site. In this paper, NAEG studies conducted at two nuclear (fission) sites (NS201, NS219) and two nonnuclear (nonfission) sites (Area 13 [Project 57] and Clean Slate 2) are reviewed, synthesized and compared regarding (1) soil particle-size distribution and physical-chemical characteristics of 239 + 240Pu-bearing radioactive particles, (2) 239 + 240Pu resuspension rates and (3) transuranic and fission-product radionuclide transfers from soil to native vegetation, kangaroo rats and grazing cattle. The data indicate that transuranic radionuclides were transferred more readily on the average from soil to air, the external surfaces of native vegetation and to tissues of kangaroo rats at Area 13 than at NS201 or NS219. The 239 + 240Pu resuspension factor for undisturbed soil at Area 13 was three to four orders-of-magnitude larger than at NS201 and NS219, the geometric mean (GM) vegetation-over-soil 239 + 240Pu concentration ratio was from ten to 100 times larger than at NS201, and the GM GI-over-soil, carcass-over-soil and pelt-over-soil 239 + 240Pu ratios for kangaroo rats were about ten times larger than at NS201. These results are consistent with the finding that Area 13, compared with NS201 or NS219, has a higher percentage of radioactivity associated with smaller soil particles and a larger percentage of resuspendable and respirable soil. However, the resuspension factor increased by a factor of 27 at NS201 when the surface soil was disturbed, and by a factor of 12 at NS219 following a wildfire. The average (GM) concentration of 239 + 240Pu for the GI (and contents) of Area 13 kangaroo rats and for the rumen contents of beef cattle that grazed Area 13 were very similar (400 vs. 440 Bq kg-1 dry wt, respectively) although the variability between individuals was very large. The

Regional and Seasonal Diet of the Western Burrowing Owl in South-Central Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Derek B. Hall, Paul D. Greger, Jeffrey R. Rosier

2009-04-01

We examined diets of Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) based on contents of pellets and large prey remains collected year-round at burrows in each of the 3 regions in south central Nevada (Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Transition region). The most common prey items, based on percent frequency of occurrence, were crickets and grasshoppers, beetles, rodents, sun spiders, and scorpions. The most common vertebrate prey was kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.). True bugs (Hemiptera), scorpions, and western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) occurred most frequently in pellets from the Great Basin Desert region. Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) and pocket micemore » (Perognathinae) were the most important vertebrate prey items in the Transition and Mojave Desert regions, respectively. Frequency of occurrence of any invertebrate prey was high (>80%) in samples year-round but dropped in winter samples, with scorpions and sun spiders exhibiting the steepest declines. Frequency of occurrence of any vertebrate prey peaked in spring samples, was intermediate for winter and summer samples, and was lowest in fall samples. With the possible exception of selecting for western harvest mice in the Great Basin Desert region, Western Burrowing Owls in our study appeared to be opportunistic foragers with a generalist feeding strategy.« less

Kangaroo vs. porcine aortic valves: calcification potential after glutaraldehyde fixation.

PubMed

Narine, K; Chéry, Cyrille C; Goetghebeur, Els; Forsyth, R; Claeys, E; Cornelissen, Maria; Moens, L; Van Nooten, G

2005-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the calcification potential of kangaroo and porcine aortic valves after glutaraldehyde fixation at both low (0.6%) and high (2.0%) concentrations of glutaraldehyde in the rat subcutaneous model. To our knowledge this is the first report comparing the time-related, progressive calcification of these two species in the rat subcutaneous model. Twenty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were each implanted with two aortic valve leaflets (porcine and kangaroo) after fixation in 0.6% glutaraldehyde and two aortic valve leaflets (porcine and kangaroo) after fixation in 2% glutaraldehyde respectively. Animals were sacrificed after 24 h and thereafter weekly for up to 10 weeks after implantation. Calcium content was determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and confirmed histologically. Mean calcium content per milligram of tissue (dry weight) treated with 0.6 and 2% glutaraldehyde was 116.2 and 110.4 microg/mg tissue for kangaroo and 95.0 and 106.8 microg/mg tissue for porcine valves. Calcium content increased significantly over time (8.8 microg/mg tissue per week) and was not significantly different between groups. Regression analysis of calcification over time showed no significant difference in calcification of valves treated with 0.6 or 2% glutaraldehyde within and between the two species. Using the subcutaneous model, we did not detect a difference in calcification potential between kangaroo and porcine aortic valves treated with either high or low concentrations of glutaraldehyde. Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Radionuclide transport from soil to air, native vegetation, kangaroo rats and grazing cattle on the Nevada test site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbert, R.O.; Shinn, J.H.; Essington, E.H.

Between 1970 and 1986 the Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG), U.S. Department of Energy, conducted environmental radionuclide studies at weapons-testing sites on or adjacent to the Nevada Test Site. In this paper, NAEG studies conducted at two nuclear (fission) sites (NS201, NS219) and two nonnuclear (nonfission) sites (Area 13 (Project 57) and Clean Slate 2) are reviewed, synthesized and compared regarding (1) soil particle-size distribution and physical-chemical characteristics of 239 + 240Pu-bearing radioactive particles, (2) 239 + 240Pu resuspension rates and (3) transuranic and fission-product radionuclide transfers from soil to native vegetation, kangaroo rats and grazing cattle. The data indicatemore » that transuranic radionuclides were transferred more readily on the average from soil to air, the external surfaces of native vegetation and to tissues of kangaroo rats at Area 13 than at NS201 or NS219. The 239 + 240Pu resuspension factor for undisturbed soil at Area 13 was three to four orders-of-magnitude larger than at NS201 and NS219, the geometric mean (GM) vegetation-over-soil 239 + 240Pu concentration ratio was from ten to 100 times larger than at NS201, and the GM GI-over-soil, carcass-over-soil and pelt-over-soil 239 + 240Pu ratios for kangaroo rats were about ten times larger than at NS201. These results are consistent with the finding that Area 13, compared with NS201 or NS219, has a higher percentage of radioactivity associated with smaller soil particles and a larger percentage of resuspendable and respirable soil. However, the resuspension factor increased by a factor of 27 at NS201 when the surface soil was disturbed, and by a factor of 12 at NS219 following a wildfire.« less

Purification, amino acid sequence and characterisation of kangaroo IGF-I.

PubMed

Yandell, C A; Francis, G L; Wheldrake, J F; Upton, Z

1998-01-01

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-II have been purified to homogeneity from kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) serum, thus this represents the first report of the purification, sequencing and characterisation of marsupial IGFs. N-Terminal protein sequencing reveals that there are six amino acid differences between kangaroo and human IGF-I. Kangaroo IGF-II has been partially sequenced and no differences were found between human and kangaroo IGF-II in the 53 residues identified. Thus the IGFs appear to be remarkably structurally conserved during mammalian radiation. In addition, in vitro characterisation of kangaroo IGF-I demonstrated that the functional properties of human, kangaroo and chicken IGF-I are very similar. In an assay measuring the ability of the proteins to stimulate protein synthesis in rat L6 myoblasts, all IGF-I proteins were found to be equally potent. The ability of all three proteins to compete for binding with radiolabelled human IGF-I to type-1 IGF receptors in L6 myoblasts and in Sminthopsis crassicaudata transformed lung fibroblasts, a marsupial cell line, was comparable. Furthermore, kangaroo and human IGF-I react equally in a human IGF-I RIA using a human reference standard, radiolabelled human IGF-I and a polyclonal antibody raised against recombinant human IGF-I. This study indicates that not only is the primary structure of eutherian and metatherian IGF-I conserved, but also the proteins appear to be functionally similar.

Locomotion in Extinct Giant Kangaroos: Were Sthenurines Hop-Less Monsters?

PubMed Central

Janis, Christine M.; Buttrill, Karalyn; Figueirido, Borja

2014-01-01

Sthenurine kangaroos (Marsupialia, Diprotodontia, Macropodoidea) were an extinct subfamily within the family Macropodidae (kangaroos and rat-kangaroos). These “short-faced browsers” first appeared in the middle Miocene, and radiated in the Plio-Pleistocene into a diversity of mostly large-bodied forms, more robust than extant forms in their build. The largest (Procoptodon goliah) had an estimated body mass of 240 kg, almost three times the size of the largest living kangaroos, and there is speculation whether a kangaroo of this size would be biomechanically capable of hopping locomotion. Previously described aspects of sthenurine anatomy (specialized forelimbs, rigid lumbar spine) would limit their ability to perform the characteristic kangaroo pentapedal walking (using the tail as a fifth limb), an essential gait at slower speeds as slow hopping is energetically unfeasible. Analysis of limb bone measurements of sthenurines in comparison with extant macropodoids shows a number of anatomical differences, especially in the large species. The scaling of long bone robusticity indicates that sthenurines are following the “normal” allometric trend for macropodoids, while the large extant kangaroos are relatively gracile. Other morphological differences are indicative of adaptations for a novel type of locomotor behavior in sthenurines: they lacked many specialized features for rapid hopping, and they also had anatomy indicative of supporting their body with an upright trunk (e.g., dorsally tipped ischiae), and of supporting their weight on one leg at a time (e.g., larger hips and knees, stabilized ankle joint). We propose that sthenurines adopted a bipedal striding gait (a gait occasionally observed in extant tree-kangaroos): in the smaller and earlier forms, this gait may have been employed as an alternative to pentapedal locomotion at slower speeds, while in the larger Pleistocene forms this gait may have enabled them to evolve to body sizes where hopping was

Evaluation of kangaroo pericardium as an alternative substitute for reconstructive cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Neethling, W M L; Cooper, S; Van Den Heever, J J; Hough, J; Hodge, A J

2002-06-01

Bioprosthetic materials (human, bovine and porcine) are used in various cardio-thoracic repair and replacement procedures because of excellent performance and low thrombogenicity. These bioprosthetic substitutes fail due to degeneration and calcification. This study examines the morphology, tensile properties and calcification potential of kangaroo pericardium in vitro and in vivo. Bovine (control tissue) and kangaroo pericardium, fixed in 0.625% buffered glutaraldehyde, were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. A standard method was used for biaxial testing. Pericardial strips (10 x 5 mm) were implanted subcutaneously into male Wistar rats and retrieved after 4, 6 and 8 weeks and examined by Von Kossa's stain technique and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Histology revealed serosa and fibrosa cell layers in both tissues. Electron microscopy showed a densely arranged collagen matrix in kangaroo pericardium. Kangaroo pericardium calcified significantly less than bovine pericardium at 4 weeks (0.80+/-0.28 versus 21.60+/-4.80 microg/mg) at 6 weeks (0.48+/-0.08 versus 32.80+/-14.4 microg/mg) and at 8 weeks (2.40+/-1.20 versus 30.40+/-17.20 microg/mg), respectively. Kangaroo pericardium has a densely arranged collagen matrix with a higher extensibility and significantly lower calcification potential. Therefore, kangaroo pericardium could be used as an alternative substitute in cardiac surgery because of its low calcification potential.

Extrasystoles: side effect of kangaroo care?

PubMed

Kluthe, Christof; Wauer, Roland R; Rüdiger, Mario

2004-09-01

To present an unpublished reason for an arrhythmic electrocardiogram (ECG) recording during kangaroo care in a preterm infant. Case report. Preterm infant. A preterm infant exhibited cardiac arrhythmia on the ECG monitor during kangaroo care, leading to interruption of kangarooing. Arrhythmia disappeared after placing the baby back into the incubator. The most likely reasons for arrhythmia were excluded. However, arrhythmia reappeared upon continuation of kangaroo care. ECG monitoring revealed the reason for the monitoring error. ECG monitoring during kangaroo care should cause error because of superimposed electric activity from the parent. Oxygen saturation represents a more reliable method of monitoring during kangaroo care.

Plasma cholinesterase activity of rats, western grey kangaroos, alpacas, sheep, cattle, and horses.

PubMed

Mayberry, Chris; Mawson, Peter; Maloney, Shane K

2015-01-01

Plasma cholinesterase activity levels of various species may be of interest to toxicologists or pathologists working with chemicals that interfere with the activity of plasma cholinesterase. We used a pH titration method to measure the plasma cholinesterase activity of six mammalian species. Plasma cholinesterase activity varied up to 50-fold between species: sheep (88 ± 45 nM acetylcholine degraded per ml of test plasma per minute), cattle (94 ± 35), western grey kangaroos (126 ± 92), alpaca (364 ± 70), rats (390 ± 118) and horses (4539 ± 721). We present a simple, effective technique for the assay of plasma cholinesterase activity levels from a range of species. Although labour-intensive, it requires only basic laboratory equipment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ventilatory accommodation of oxygen demand and respiratory water loss in kangaroos from mesic and arid environments, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

PubMed

Dawson, T J; Munn, A J; Blaney, C E; Krockenberger, A; Maloney, S K

2000-01-01

We studied ventilation in kangaroos from mesic and arid environments, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), respectively, within the range of ambient temperatures (T(a)) from -5 degrees to 45 degrees C. At thermoneutral temperatures (Ta=25 degrees C), there were no differences between the species in respiratory frequency, tidal volume, total ventilation, or oxygen extraction. The ventilatory patterns of the kangaroos were markedly different from those predicted from the allometric equation derived for placentals. The kangaroos had low respiratory frequencies and higher tidal volumes, even when adjustment was made for their lower basal metabolism. At Ta>25 degrees C, ventilation was increased in the kangaroos to facilitate respiratory water loss, with percent oxygen extraction being markedly lowered. Ventilation was via the nares; the mouth was closed. Differences in ventilation between the two species occurred at higher temperatures, and at 45 degrees C were associated with differences in respiratory evaporative heat loss, with that of M. giganteus being higher. Panting in kangaroos occurred as a graded increase in respiratory frequency, during which tidal volume was lowered. When panting, the desert red kangaroo had larger tidal volumes and lower respiratory frequencies at equivalent T(a) than the eastern grey kangaroo, which generally inhabits mesic forests. The inference made from this pattern is that the red kangaroo has the potential to increase respiratory evaporative heat loss to a greater level.

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) of the Geomyoidea superfamily rodents.

PubMed

Gogolevsky, Konstantin P; Kramerov, Dmitri A

2006-05-24

A new short interspersed element (SINE) was isolated from the genome of desert kangaroo rat (Dipodomys deserti) using single-primer PCR. This SINE consists of two monomers: the left monomer (IDL) resembles rodent ID element and other tRNAAla(CGC)-derived SINEs, whereas the right one (Geo) shows no similarity with known SINE sequences. PCR and hybridization analyses demonstrated that IDL-Geo SINE is restricted to the rodent superfamily Geomyoidea (families Geomyidea and Heteromyidea). Isolation and analysis of IDL-Geo from California pocket mouse (Chaetodipus californicus) and Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) revealed some species-specific features of this SINE family. The structure and evolution of known dimeric SINEs are discussed.

Kangaroo versus porcine aortic valve tissue--valve geometry morphology, tensile strength and calcification potential.

PubMed

Neethling, W M; Papadimitriou, J M; Swarts, E; Hodge, A J

2000-06-01

Valve related factors and patient related factors are responsible for calcification of valvular bioprostheses. Recent studies showed different donor and recipient species have different influences on the total calcification rate of bioprostheses. This study was performed to evaluate and compare Kangaroo aortic valve leaflets with porcine aortic valve leaflets. Experimental design. Prospective study. Setting. Cardio-thoracic experimental research of a university department. Glutaraldehyde-fixed Kangaroo and porcine valve leaflets were evaluated in vitro according to valve geometry (internal diameter and leaflet thickness), morphology (light and electron microscopy) and tensile strength. In vivo evaluation consisted of implantation in a rat model for 8 weeks, Von Kossa stain for calcium and atomic absorption spectrophotometry for total extractable calcium content. Kangaroo valves indicated a smaller internal valve diameter as well as a thinner valve leaflet (p<0.01, ANOVA) at corresponding body weight, less proteoglycan spicules in the fibrosa, increased elasticity (p<0.05) and low calcification potential (p<0.01, confidence interval 95%). Kangaroo aortic valve leaflets have different valvular qualities compared to porcine valve tissue. Kangaroo valve leaflets are significantly superior to porcine valve leaflets as far as calcification is concerned. These results are encouraging and suggest further in vivo evaluation in a larger animal model before clinical application can be considered.

About Skin-to-Skin Care (Kangaroo Care)

MedlinePlus

... Size Email Print Share About Skin-to-Skin Care Page Content Article Body You may be able ... care, also called kangaroo care. What is Kangaroo Care? Kangaroo care was developed in South America as ...

The occurrence and status of candidate species listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, Kern County, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1988-11-01

The distribution and status of four plant and nine animal species being considered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for protection under the Endangered Species Act and one animal species recently listed in the Act as endangered was determined for the Naval Petroleum Reserves in California (NPR-1 and 2). Hoover's woolly-star (Eriastrum hooveri), a Category 2 plant species, was located at 28 sites on NPR-1. The California jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus), Kern mallow (Eremalche kernensis), and San Joaquin woolly-threads (Lembertia congdonii) were not observed. Of these, the Kern mallow is most likely to occur based on habitat utilization andmore » autecology. No evidence was gathered that suggests the Buena Vista Lake shrew (Sorex ornatus relictus) was present on either of the Reserves. Nelson's antelope ground squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni) and the short-nosed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides brevinasus) are both Category 2 mammals that were relatively abundant on NPR-1 and 2. The San Joaquin pocket mouse (Perognathus inornatus) was also captured on NPR-1 and 2, but was less numerous. The Tipton kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides nitratoides), a recently listed endangered species, was found in Section 23S of NPR-1 and Section 18H of NPR-2. No evidence was found that Morrison's blister beetle (Lytta morrisoni), Moestan blister beetle (Lytta moesta), Hopping's blister beetle (Lytta hoppingi), and the Molestan blister beetle (Lytta molesta) exist on either of the Reserves. Similarly, a survey conducted for the striped-skinned snail (Helminthoglypta callistoderma) found no evidence that the snail exists on either of the Reserves. No additional surveys for candidate species that were undetected are needed unless new evidence is collected that suggests the species are or may be present. 17 figs., 7 tabs.« less

Kangaroo IGF-II is structurally and functionally similar to the human [Ser29]-IGF-II variant.

PubMed

Yandell, C A; Francis, G L; Wheldrake, J F; Upton, Z

1999-06-01

Kangaroo IGF-II has been purified from western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) serum and characterised in a number of in vitro assays. In addition, the complete cDNA sequence of mature IGF-II has been obtained by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Comparison of the kangaroo IGF-II cDNA sequence with known IGF-II sequences from other species revealed that it is very similar to the human variant, [Ser29]-hIGF-II. Both the variant and kangaroo IGF-II contain an insert of nine nucleotides that encode the amino acids Leu-Pro-Gly at the junction of the B and C domains of the mature protein. The deduced kangaroo IGF-II protein sequence also contains three other amino acid changes that are not observed in human IGF-II. These amino acid differences share similarities with the changes described in many of the IGF-IIs reported for non-mammalian species. Characterisation of human IGF-II, kangaroo IGF-II, chicken IGF-II and [Ser29]-hIGF-II in a number of in vitro assays revealed that all four proteins are functionally very similar. No significant differences were observed in the ability of the IGF-IIs to bind to the bovine IGF-II/cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor or to stimulate protein synthesis in rat L6 myoblasts. However, differences were observed in their abilities to bind to IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) present in human serum. Kangaroo, chicken and [Ser29]-hIGF-II had lower apparent affinities for human IGFBPs than did human IGF-II. Thus, it appears that the major circulating form of IGF-II in the kangaroo and a minor form of IGF-II found in human serum are structurally and functionally very similar. This suggests that the splice site that generates both the variant and major form of human IGF-II must have evolved after the divergence of marsupials from placental mammals.

Kangaroo transport instead of incubator transport.

PubMed

Sontheimer, Dieter; Fischer, Christine B; Buch, Kerstin E

2004-04-01

Compared with in utero transport, incubator transport for preterm infants has several disadvantages including instability during transport with increased mortality and morbidity, lack of adequate systems for securing the infant in the event of an accident, and separation of mother and infant. As a new kind of postnatal transportation that bears some analogy to in utero transport and may be safer than incubator transport, we investigated kangaroo transport, transporting the infant on the mother's or other caregiver's chest. This article presents a description and preliminary data for kangaroo transport. We conducted kangaroo transports of 31 stable preterm and term infants in different settings and recorded data regarding transport conditions and cardiorespiratory stability. Eighteen transports were back transfers, and 13 were transfers in. Twenty-seven transports were conducted by the mother, 1 by the father, 2 by nurses, and 1 by a doctor. Transport distance was 2 to 400 km. Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and rectal temperature remained stable during all kangaroo transports lasting 10 to 300 minutes. Weight at transport was 1220 to 3720 g. Parents felt very comfortable and safe and appreciated this method of transport. Kangaroo transport promotes mother-infant closeness and might ameliorate several of the risks associated with incubator transport.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild kangaroos using an ELISA

PubMed Central

Parameswaran, N.; O'Handley, RM.; Grigg, ME.; Fenwick, SG.; Thompson, RCA.

2009-01-01

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is a significant problem in Australian marsupials, and can lead to devastating disease and predispose animals to predation. T. gondii infection in kangaroos is also of public health significance due to the kangaroo meat trade. A moderate seroprevalence of T. gondii was observed in a study of western grey kangaroos located in the Perth metropolitan area in Western Australia. Of 219 kangaroos tested, 15.5% (95%CI: 10.7-20.3) were positive for T. gondii antibodies using an ELISA developed to detect T. gondii IgG in macropod marsupials. When compared with the commercially available MAT (modified agglutination test), the ELISA developed was in absolute agreement and yielded a κ coefficient of 1.00. Of 18 kangaroos tested for the presence of T. gondii DNA by PCR, the 9 ELISA positive kangaroos tested PCR positive and the 9 ELISA negative kangaroos tested PCR negative indicating the ELISA protocol was both highly specific and sensitive and correlated 100% with the more labour intensive PCR assay. PMID:19567231

How Does a Hopping Kangaroo Breathe?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giuliodori, Mauricio J.; Lujan, Heidi L.; Janbaih, Hussein; DiCarlo, Stephen E.

2010-01-01

We developed a model to demonstrate how a hopping kangaroo breathes. Interestingly, a kangaroo uses less energy to breathe while hopping than while standing still. This occurs, in part, because rather than using muscle power to move air into and out of the lungs, air is pulled into (inspiration) and pushed out of (expiration) the lungs as the…

Getting to know you: mothers' experiences of kangaroo care.

PubMed

Roller, Cyndi Gale

2005-01-01

To reveal mothers' experiences of providing kangaroo care for their preterm newborns while still in the hospital. Transcendental phenomenology was used to analyze the experiences of mothers providing kangaroo care for their preterm newborns. Tape recorded, semistructured interviews were conducted 1 to 4 weeks postpartum. Mothers were asked one grand tour question, "What was it like for you to provide kangaroo care for your preterm infant while in the hospital?" This study was the qualitative component of a randomized clinical trial. Ten women who provided kangaroo care for their preterm newborns, 32-36 completed weeks, weighing 1500-3000 grams, with APGAR scores 6 or greater at 1 minute, 7 or greater at 5 minutes. Four dominant themes emerged. The themes were reduced to one essential structure of knowing. The two essential elements of the structure of knowing were mothers kept from knowing their preterm newborn and mothers getting to know their preterm newborn. Kangaroo care facilitates bonding and enhances maternal-infant acquaintance, even in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment. Mothers found that kangaroo care calmed them and their newborns.

Kangaroo mother care: a systematic review of barriers and enablers.

PubMed

Chan, Grace J; Labar, Amy S; Wall, Stephen; Atun, Rifat

2016-02-01

To investigate factors influencing the adoption of kangaroo mother care in different contexts. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and the World Health Organization's regional databases, for studies on "kangaroo mother care" or "kangaroo care" or "skin-to-skin care" from 1 January 1960 to 19 August 2015, without language restrictions. We included programmatic reports and hand-searched references of published reviews and articles. Two independent reviewers screened articles and extracted data on carers, health system characteristics and contextual factors. We developed a conceptual model to analyse the integration of kangaroo mother care in health systems. We screened 2875 studies and included 112 studies that contained qualitative data on implementation. Kangaroo mother care was applied in different ways in different contexts. The studies show that there are several barriers to implementing kangaroo mother care, including the need for time, social support, medical care and family acceptance. Barriers within health systems included organization, financing and service delivery. In the broad context, cultural norms influenced perceptions and the success of adoption. Kangaroo mother care is a complex intervention that is behaviour driven and includes multiple elements. Success of implementation requires high user engagement and stakeholder involvement. Future research includes designing and testing models of specific interventions to improve uptake.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Kangaroo Mother Care.

PubMed

Shah, Rakesh Kumar; Sainju, Nayan Kamal; Joshi, Sunil Kumar

2018-01-01

Kangaroo mother care is an effective and low cost technique which prevents neonate from hypothermia, a leading cause of preventable neonatal mortality. Knowledge and practice of Kangaroo mother care is of utmost importance in developing countries such as Nepal. Purpose of this study was to find out knowledge, attitude and practice of kangaroo mother care among health workers in tertiary health centres in Nepal. This cross sectional study was carried out in three teaching hospitals in Nepal during the period from January 2016 to April 2016. Doctors and nurses working in Paediatrics/Neonatal and Obstetrics/Gynaecology wards were surveyed using pretested questionnaire. Responses from the doctors and the nurses were compared. Response rate of the survey was 65%. All of the doctors and 95.3% of the nurses who participated in the survey had knowledge about kangaroo mother care.37.7%of the doctors and 48.8% of the nurses thought that this method is only used for neonates with low birth weight (<2500grams) (p= 0.013).Three fourth of the doctors and half of the nurses agreed that KMC is practiced regularly in their ward (p = 0.016). 22.2% participants informed that main reasons for not practicing kangaroo care regularly could be lack of skill and knowledge. We found that general knowledge and attitude of majority of doctors and nurses towards kangaroo mother care was good, however, its practise was not uniform.

Implications of kangaroo care for growth and development in preterm infants.

PubMed

Dodd, Virginia L

2005-01-01

To review research on kangaroo care with implications for growth and development in preterm infants. Nursing, medical, and child development research literature was searched through PubMed through 2003 using the search terms kangaroo Care, skin-to-skin, growth/development, and premature infants. Randomized controlled trials, pretest-posttest designs, and other comparative studies of kangaroo care were reviewed. Reports exploring parent perspectives were examined for attachment and parent-infant interaction findings. Theory and research regarding growth in preterm infants were explored. Research on topics of kangaroo care, skin-to-skin contact, preterm infant growth, preterm infant weight gain, and failure to thrive was evaluated. Research on kangaroo care reports physiologic safety for preterm infants and increased attachment for parents. Attachment promotes nurturing behaviors that support growth and development. Weight gain as a benefit of kangaroo care remains in question. Kangaroo care is safe for preterm infants and may have important benefits for growth and development. Suggestions are made for future research on effects of KC on preterm infants.

Effects of rodent species, seed species, and predator cues on seed fate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivy, Kelly J.; Ostoja, Steven M.; Schupp, Eugene W.; Durham, Susan

2011-07-01

Seed selection, removal and subsequent management by granivorous animals is thought to be a complex interaction of factors including qualities of the seeds themselves (e.g., seed size, nutritional quality) and features of the local habitat (e.g. perceived predator risk). At the same time, differential seed selection and dispersal is thought to have profound effects on seed fate and potentially vegetation dynamics. In a feeding arena, we tested whether rodent species, seed species, and indirect and direct predation cues influence seed selection and handling behaviors (e.g., scatter hoarding versus larder hoarding) of two heteromyid rodents, Ord's kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys ordii) and the Great Basin pocket mouse ( Perognathus parvus). The indirect cue was shrub cover, a feature of the environment. Direct cues, presented individually, were (1) control, (2) coyote ( Canis latrans) vocalization, (3) coyote scent, (4) red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) scent, or (5) short-eared owl ( Asio flammeus) vocalization. We offered seeds of three sizes: two native grasses, Indian ricegrass ( Achnatherum hymenoides) and bluebunch wheatgrass ( Pseudoroegneria spicata), and the non-native cereal rye ( Secale cereale), each in separate trays. Kangaroo rats preferentially harvested Indian ricegrass while pocket mice predominately harvested Indian ricegrass and cereal rye. Pocket mice were more likely to scatter hoard preferred seeds, whereas kangaroo rats mostly consumed and/or larder hoarded preferred seeds. No predator cue significantly affected seed preferences. However, both species altered seed handling behavior in response to direct predation cues by leaving more seeds available in the seed pool, though they responded to different predator cues. If these results translate to natural dynamics on the landscape, the two rodents are expected to have different impacts on seed survival and plant recruitment via their different seed selection and seed handling behaviors.

Effects of rodent species, seed species, and predator cues on seed fate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sivy, Kelly J.; Ostoja, Steven M.; Schupp, Eugene W.; Durham, Susan

2011-01-01

Seed selection, removal and subsequent management by granivorous animals is thought to be a complex interaction of factors including qualities of the seeds themselves (e.g., seed size, nutritional quality) and features of the local habitat (e.g. perceived predator risk). At the same time, differential seed selection and dispersal is thought to have profound effects on seed fate and potentially vegetation dynamics. In a feeding arena, we tested whether rodent species, seed species, and indirect and direct predation cues influence seed selection and handling behaviors (e.g., scatter hoarding versus larder hoarding) of two heteromyid rodents, Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) and the Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus). The indirect cue was shrub cover, a feature of the environment. Direct cues, presented individually, were (1) control, (2) coyote (Canis latrans) vocalization, (3) coyote scent, (4) red fox (Vulpes vulpes) scent, or (5) short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) vocalization. We offered seeds of three sizes: two native grasses, Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) and bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and the non-native cereal rye (Secale cereale), each in separate trays. Kangaroo rats preferentially harvested Indian ricegrass while pocket mice predominately harvested Indian ricegrass and cereal rye. Pocket mice were more likely to scatter hoard preferred seeds, whereas kangaroo rats mostly consumed and/or larder hoarded preferred seeds. No predator cue significantly affected seed preferences. However, both species altered seed handling behavior in response to direct predation cues by leaving more seeds available in the seed pool, though they responded to different predator cues. If these results translate to natural dynamics on the landscape, the two rodents are expected to have different impacts on seed survival and plant recruitment via their different seed selection and seed handling behaviors.

Impacts of visitor number on Kangaroos housed in free-range exhibits.

PubMed

Sherwen, Sally L; Hemsworth, Paul H; Butler, Kym L; Fanson, Kerry V; Magrath, Michael J L

2015-01-01

Free range exhibits are becoming increasingly popular in zoos as a means to enhance interaction between visitors and animals. However very little research exists on the impacts of visitors on animal behaviour and stress in free range exhibits. We investigated the effects of visitor number on the behaviour and stress physiology of Kangaroo Island (KI) Kangaroos, Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus, and Red Kangaroos, Macropus rufus, housed in two free range exhibits in Australian zoos. Behavioural observations were conducted on individual kangaroos at each site using instantaneous scan sampling to record activity (e.g., vigilance, foraging, resting) and distance from the visitor pathway. Individually identifiable faecal samples were collected at the end of each study day and analysed for faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentration. When visitor number increased, both KI Kangaroos and Red Kangaroos increased the time spent engaged in visitor-directed vigilance and KI Kangaroos also increased the time spent engaged in locomotion and decreased the time spent resting. There was no effect of visitor number on the distance kangaroos positioned themselves from the visitor pathway or FGM concentration in either species. While there are limitations in interpreting these results in terms of fear of visitors, there was no evidence of adverse effects animal welfare in these study groups based on avoidance behaviour or stress physiology under the range of visitor numbers that we studied. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Kangaroo mother care: a systematic review of barriers and enablers

PubMed Central

Labar, Amy S; Wall, Stephen; Atun, Rifat

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective To investigate factors influencing the adoption of kangaroo mother care in different contexts. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and the World Health Organization’s regional databases, for studies on “kangaroo mother care” or “kangaroo care” or “skin-to-skin care” from 1 January 1960 to 19 August 2015, without language restrictions. We included programmatic reports and hand-searched references of published reviews and articles. Two independent reviewers screened articles and extracted data on carers, health system characteristics and contextual factors. We developed a conceptual model to analyse the integration of kangaroo mother care in health systems. Findings We screened 2875 studies and included 112 studies that contained qualitative data on implementation. Kangaroo mother care was applied in different ways in different contexts. The studies show that there are several barriers to implementing kangaroo mother care, including the need for time, social support, medical care and family acceptance. Barriers within health systems included organization, financing and service delivery. In the broad context, cultural norms influenced perceptions and the success of adoption. Conclusion Kangaroo mother care is a complex intervention that is behaviour driven and includes multiple elements. Success of implementation requires high user engagement and stakeholder involvement. Future research includes designing and testing models of specific interventions to improve uptake. PMID:26908962

Features of Heart Rate Variability Capture Regulatory Changes During Kangaroo Care in Preterm Infants.

PubMed

Kommers, Deedee R; Joshi, Rohan; van Pul, Carola; Atallah, Louis; Feijs, Loe; Oei, Guid; Bambang Oetomo, Sidarto; Andriessen, Peter

2017-03-01

To determine whether heart rate variability (HRV) can serve as a surrogate measure to track regulatory changes during kangaroo care, a period of parental coregulation distinct from regulation within the incubator. Nurses annotated the starting and ending times of kangaroo care for 3 months. The pre-kangaroo care, during-kangaroo care, and post-kangaroo care data were retrieved in infants with at least 10 accurately annotated kangaroo care sessions. Eight HRV features (5 in the time domain and 3 in the frequency domain) were used to visually and statistically compare the pre-kangaroo care and during-kangaroo care periods. Two of these features, capturing the percentage of heart rate decelerations and the extent of heart rate decelerations, were newly developed for preterm infants. A total of 191 kangaroo care sessions were investigated in 11 preterm infants. Despite clinically irrelevant changes in vital signs, 6 of the 8 HRV features (SD of normal-to-normal intervals, root mean square of the SD, percentage of consecutive normal-to-normal intervals that differ by >50 ms, SD of heart rate decelerations, high-frequency power, and low-frequency/high-frequency ratio) showed a visible and statistically significant difference (P <.01) between stable periods of kangaroo care and pre-kangaroo care. HRV was reduced during kangaroo care owing to a decrease in the extent of transient heart rate decelerations. HRV-based features may be clinically useful for capturing the dynamic changes in autonomic regulation in response to kangaroo care and other changes in environment and state. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The high aerobic capacity of a small, marsupial rat-kangaroo (Bettongia penicillata) is matched by the mitochondrial and capillary morphology of its skeletal muscles.

PubMed

Webster, Koa N; Dawson, Terence J

2012-09-15

We examined the structure-function relationships that underlie the aerobic capacities of marsupial mammals that hop. Marsupials have relatively low basal metabolic rates (BMR) and historically were seen as 'low energy' mammals. However, the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus (family Macropodidae), has aerobic capacities equivalent to athletic placentals. It has an extreme aerobic scope (fAS) and its large locomotor muscles feature high mitochondrial and capillary volumes. M. rufus belongs to a modern group of kangaroos and its high fAS is not general for marsupials. However, other hopping marsupials may have elevated aerobic capacities. Bettongia penicillata, a rat-kangaroo (family Potoroidae), is a small (1 kg), active hopper whose fAS is somewhat elevated. We examined the oxygen delivery system in its muscles to ascertain links with hopping. An elevated fAS of 23 provided a relatively high maximal aerobic oxygen consumption ( ) in B. penicillata; associated with this is a skeletal muscle mass of 44% of body mass. Ten muscles were sampled to estimate the total mitochondrial and capillary volume of the locomotor muscles. Values in B. penicillata were similar to those in M. rufus and in athletic placentals. This small hopper had high muscle mitochondrial volume densities (7.1-11.9%) and both a large total capillary volume (6 ml kg(-1) body mass) and total capillary erythrocyte volume (3.2 ml kg(-1)). Apparently, a considerable aerobic capacity is required to achieve the benefits of the extended stride in fast hopping. Of note, the ratio of to total muscle mitochondrial volume in B. penicillata was 4.9 ml O(2) min(-1) ml(-1). Similar values occur in M. rufus and also placental mammals generally, not only athletic species. If such relationships occur in other marsupials, a fundamental structure-function relationship for oxygen delivery to muscles likely originated with or before the earliest mammals.

Kangaroo Care Education Effects on Nurses' Knowledge and Skills Confidence.

PubMed

Almutairi, Wedad Matar; Ludington-Hoe, Susan M

2016-11-01

Less than 20% of the 996 NICUs in the United States routinely practice kangaroo care, due in part to the inadequate knowledge and skills confidence of nurses. Continuing education improves knowledge and skills acquisition, but the effects of a kangaroo care certification course on nurses' knowledge and skills confidence are unknown. A pretest-posttest quasi-experiment was conducted. The Kangaroo Care Knowledge and Skills Confidence Tool was administered to 68 RNs at a 2.5-day course about kangaroo care evidence and skills. Measures of central tendency, dispersion, and paired t tests were conducted on 57 questionnaires. The nurses' characteristics were varied. The mean posttest Knowledge score (M = 88.54, SD = 6.13) was significantly higher than the pretest score (M = 78.7, SD = 8.30), t [54] = -9.1, p = .000), as was the posttest Skills Confidence score (pretest M = 32.06, SD = 3.49; posttest M = 26.80, SD = 5.22), t [53] = -8.459, p = .000). The nurses' knowledge and skills confidence of kangaroo care improved following continuing education, suggesting a need for continuing education in this area. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(11):518-524. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

CLINICOPATHOLOGIC CORRELATES OF FASCIOLIASIS IN TWO EASTERN GREY KANGAROOS (MACROPUS GIGANTEUS).

PubMed

Portas, Timothy J; Taylor, David

2015-12-01

Infection with the introduced trematode Fasciola hepatica was associated with anemia, mild to moderate azotemia, hypoalbuminemia, and elevated liver enzymes and creatine kinase values in two free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). Both kangaroos were euthanized because of the severity of clinical signs associated with infection. Histopathologic changes included severe cholangiohepatitis, biliary hyperplasia, and fibrosis. Hepatic, splenic, and intestinal amyloidosis was present in one kangaroo and hepatic abscessation in the other; neither histologic change has been reported in macropodids with fascioliasis previously.

Borrelia bissettiae sp. nov. and Borrelia californiensis sp. nov. prevail in diverse enzootic transmission cycles.

PubMed

Margos, Gabriele; Lane, Robert S; Fedorova, Natalia; Koloczek, Johannes; Piesman, Joseph; Hojgaard, Andrias; Sing, Andreas; Fingerle, Volker

2016-03-01

Two species of the genus Borrelia , Borrelia bissettiae sp. nov. and Borrelia californiensis sp. nov., were first described by Postic and co-workers on the basis of genetic analyses of several loci. Multilocus sequence analysis of eight housekeeping loci confirmed that these two Borrelia genomospecies are distinct members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. B. bissettiae sp. nov. was initially described in transmission cycles involving Neotoma fuscipes wood rats and Ixodes pacificus ticks in California, and Neotoma mexicana and Ixodes spinipalpis in Colorado. The preferred host of B. californiensis sp. nov. appears to be the California kangaroo rat, Dipodomys californicus ; Ixodes jellisoni , I. spinipalipis and I. pacificus ticks are naturally infected with it. Thus, the ecological associations of the two genomospecies and their genetic distance from all other known Borrelia genomospecies species justify their description as separate genomospecies: B. bissettiae sp. nov. (type strain DN127 T  = DSM 17990 T  =  CIP 109136 T ) and B. californiensis (type strain CA446 T  = DSM 17989 T  = ATCC BAA-2689 T ).

Assessment of impacts and evaluation of restoration methods on areas affected by a well blowout, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warrick, G.D.; Kato, T.T.; Phillips, M.V.

1996-12-01

In June 1994, an oil well on Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 blew-out and crude oil was deposited downwind. After the well was capped, information was collected to characterize the release and to assess effects to wildlife and plants. Oil residue was found up to 13.7 km from the well site, but deposition was relatively light and the oil quickly dried to form a thin crust on the soil surface. Elevated levels of hydrocarbons were found in livers collected from Heermann`s kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) from the oiled area but polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (known carcinogens or mutagens) were not detectedmore » in the livers. Restoration techniques (surface modification and bioremediation) and natural recovery were evaluated within three portions of the oiled area. Herbaceous cover and production, and survival and vigor of desert saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa) were also monitored within each trapping grid.« less

Nurses' adherence to the Kangaroo Care Method: support for nursing care management1

PubMed Central

da Silva, Laura Johanson; Leite, Josete Luzia; Scochi, Carmen Gracinda Silvan; da Silva, Leila Rangel; da Silva, Thiago Privado

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: construct an explanatory theoretical model about nurses' adherence to the Kangaroo Care Method at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, based on the meanings and interactions for care management. METHOD: qualitative research, based on the reference framework of the Grounded Theory. Eight nurses were interviewed at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The comparative analysis of the data comprised the phases of open, axial and selective coding. A theoretical conditional-causal model was constructed. RESULTS: four main categories emerged that composed the analytic paradigm: Giving one's best to the Kangaroo Method; Working with the complexity of the Kangaroo Method; Finding (de)motivation to apply the Kangaroo Method; and Facing the challenges for the adherence to and application of the Kangaroo Method. CONCLUSIONS: the central phenomenon revealed that each nurse and team professional has a role of multiplying values and practices that may or may not be constructive, potentially influencing the (dis)continuity of the Kangaroo Method at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The findings can be used to outline management strategies that go beyond the courses and training and guarantee the strengthening of the care model. PMID:26155013

Energetics and biomechanics of locomotion by red kangaroos (Macropus rufus).

PubMed

Kram, R; Dawson, T J

1998-05-01

As red kangaroos hop faster over level ground, their rate of oxygen consumption (indicating metabolic energy consumption) remains nearly the same. This phenomenon has been attributed to exceptional elastic energy storage and recovery via long compliant tendons in the legs. Alternatively, red kangaroos may have exceptionally efficient muscles. To estimate efficiency, we measured the metabolic cost of uphill hopping, where muscle fibers must perform mechanical work against gravity. We found that uphill hopping was much more expensive than level hopping. The maximal rate of oxygen consumption measured (3 ml O2 kg-1 s-1) exceeds all but a few vertebrate species. However, efficiency values were normal, approximately 30%. At faster level hopping speeds the effective mechanical advantage of the extensor muscles of the ankle joint remained the same. Thus, kangaroos generate the same muscular force at all speeds but do so more rapidly at faster hopping speeds. This contradicts a recent hypothesis for what sets the cost of locomotion. The cost of transport (J kg-1 m-1) decreases at faster hopping speeds, yet red kangaroos prefer to use relatively slow speeds that avoid high levels of tendon stress.

Applying the plan-do-study-act model to increase the use of kangaroo care.

PubMed

Stikes, Reetta; Barbier, Denise

2013-01-01

To increase the rate of participation in kangaroo care within a level III neonatal intensive care unit. Preterm birth typically results in initial separation of mother and infant which may disrupt the bonding process. Nurses within the neonatal intensive care unit can introduce strategies that will assist parents in overcoming fears and developing relationships with their infants. Kangaroo care is a method of skin-to-skin holding that has been shown to enhance the mother-infant relationship while also improving infant outcomes. However, kangaroo care has been used inconsistently within neonatal intensive care unit settings. The Plan-Do-Study-Act Model was used as a framework for this project. Plan-Do-Study-Act Model uses four cyclical steps for continuous quality improvement. Based upon Plan-Do-Study-Act Model, education was planned, surveys were developed and strategies implemented to overcome barriers. Four months post-implementation, the use of kangaroo care increased by 31%. Staff surveys demonstrated a decrease in the perceived barriers to kangaroo care as well as an increase in kangaroo care. Application of Plan-Do-Study-Act Model was successful in meeting the goal of increasing the use of kangaroo care. The use of the Plan-Do-Study-Act Model framework encourages learning, reflection and validation throughout implementation. Plan-Do-Study-Act Model is a strategy that can promote the effective use of innovative practices in nursing. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Towards universal Kangaroo Mother Care: recommendations and report from the First European conference and Seventh International Workshop on Kangaroo Mother Care.

PubMed

Nyqvist, K H; Anderson, G C; Bergman, N; Cattaneo, A; Charpak, N; Davanzo, R; Ewald, U; Ibe, O; Ludington-Hoe, S; Mendoza, S; Pallás-Allonso, C; Ruiz Peláez, J G; Sizun, J; Widström, A-M

2010-06-01

The hallmark of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is the kangaroo position: the infant is cared for skin-to-skin vertically between the mother's breasts and below her clothes, 24 h/day, with father/substitute(s) participating as KMC providers. Intermittent KMC (for short periods once or a few times per day, for a variable number of days) is commonly employed in high-tech neonatal intensive care units. These two modalities should be regarded as a progressive adaptation of the mother-infant dyad, ideally towards continuous KMC, starting gradually and progressively with intermittent KMC. The other components in KMC are exclusive breastfeeding (ideally) and early discharge in kangaroo position with strict follow-up. Current evidence allows the following general statements about KMC in affluent and low-income settings: KMC enhances bonding and attachment; reduces maternal postpartum depression symptoms; enhances infant physiologic stability and reduces pain, increases parental sensitivity to infant cues; contributes to the establishment and longer duration of breastfeeding and has positive effects on infant development and infant/parent interaction. Therefore, intrapartum and postnatal care in all types of settings should adhere to a paradigm of nonseparation of infants and their mothers/families. Preterm/low-birth-weight infants should be regarded as extero-gestational foetuses needing skin-to-skin contact to promote maturation. Kangaroo Mother Care should begin as soon as possible after birth, be applied as continuous skin-to-skin contact to the extent that this is possible and appropriate and continue for as long as appropriate.

Implementing facility-based kangaroo mother care services: lessons from a multi-country study in Africa

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Some countries have undertaken programs that included scaling up kangaroo mother care. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the implementation status of facility-based kangaroo mother care services in four African countries: Malawi, Mali, Rwanda and Uganda. Methods A cross-sectional, mixed-method research design was used. Stakeholders provided background information at national meetings and in individual interviews. Facilities were assessed by means of a standardized tool previously applied in other settings, employing semi-structured key-informant interviews and observations in 39 health care facilities in the four countries. Each facility received a score out of a total of 30 according to six stages of implementation progress. Results Across the four countries 95 per cent of health facilities assessed demonstrated some evidence of kangaroo mother care practice. Institutions that fared better had a longer history of kangaroo mother care implementation or had been developed as centres of excellence or had strong leaders championing the implementation process. Variation existed in the quality of implementation between facilities and across countries. Important factors identified in implementation are: training and orientation; supportive supervision; integrating kangaroo mother care into quality improvement; continuity of care; high-level buy in and support for kangaroo mother care implementation; and client-oriented care. Conclusion The integration of kangaroo mother care into routine newborn care services should be part of all maternal and newborn care initiatives and packages. Engaging ministries of health and other implementing partners from the outset may promote buy in and assist with the mobilization of resources for scaling up kangaroo mother care services. Mechanisms for monitoring these services should be integrated into existing health management information systems. PMID:25001366

Prenylated cinnamate and stilbenes from Kangaroo Island propolis and their antioxidant activity.

PubMed

Abu-Mellal, Abdallah; Koolaji, Nooshin; Duke, Rujee K; Tran, Van H; Duke, Colin C

2012-05-01

A prenylated cinnamic acid derivative as well as six prenylated tetrahydroxystilbenes were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of propolis that originated from Kangaroo Island, Australia. Furthermore, six known stilbenes and two known flavanones were also identified from the same sample. Stilbenes are not common in propolis; therefore, Kangaroo Island propolis is considered a unique type of propolis that is rich in prenylated stilbenes. Stilbene propolis from Kangaroo Island showed a stronger scavenging activity towards DPPH free radical than Brazilian green propolis. This strong activity can be explained by the presence of large number of stilbenes, most of them showed strong free radical scavenging activity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resolving kangaroo phylogeny and overcoming retrotransposon ascertainment bias.

PubMed

Dodt, William G; Gallus, Susanne; Phillips, Matthew J; Nilsson, Maria A

2017-12-01

Reconstructing phylogeny from retrotransposon insertions is often limited by access to only a single reference genome, whereby support for clades that do not include the reference taxon cannot be directly observed. Here we have developed a new statistical framework that accounts for this ascertainment bias, allowing us to employ phylogenetically powerful retrotransposon markers to explore the radiation of the largest living marsupials, the kangaroos and wallabies of the genera Macropus and Wallabia. An exhaustive in silico screening of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) reference genome followed by experimental screening revealed 29 phylogenetically informative retrotransposon markers belonging to a family of endogenous retroviruses. We identified robust support for the enigmatic swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) falling within a paraphyletic genus, Macropus. Our statistical approach provides a means to test for incomplete lineage sorting and introgression/hybridization in the presence of the ascertainment bias. Using retrotransposons as "molecular fossils", we reveal one of the most complex patterns of hemiplasy yet identified, during the rapid diversification of kangaroos and wallabies. Ancestral state reconstruction incorporating the new retrotransposon phylogenetic information reveals multiple independent ecological shifts among kangaroos into more open habitats, coinciding with the Pliocene onset of increased aridification in Australia from ~3.6 million years ago.

Stress assessment using hair cortisol of kangaroos affected by the lumpy jaw disease.

PubMed

Sotohira, Yukari; Suzuki, Kazuyuki; Sano, Tadashi; Arai, Chigusa; Asakawa, Mitsuhiko; Hayashi, Hideaki

2017-05-03

The aim of this study was to objectively assess stress of kangaroos affected by lumpy jaw disease (LJD) using plasma and hair cortisol concentrations. The plasma and hair samples were collected from kangaroos with LJD and healthy controls. Collected hair samples were extracted with methanol after washing with isopropanol, following which they were processed with the cortisol enzyme immunoassay kit. The plasma cortisol concentration of LJD animals tended to be higher than that of the control. Ventral hair cortisol, but not dorsal hair, of LJD animals was significantly higher than that of the control. In conclusion, stress in kangaroos infected with LJD could be assessed by measuring ventral hair cortisol.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) with otitis.

PubMed

Okeson, Danelle M; Coke, Rob L; Kochunov, Peter; Davis, M Duff

2008-12-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on an adult, male Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) with a history of nonspecific neurologic signs and acute discharge from the left ear. MRI revealed findings consistent with otitis and possible osteomyelitis of the temporal and mastoid bones. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of otitis and MRI findings in a kangaroo.

Decreasing methane yield with increasing food intake keeps daily methane emissions constant in two foregut fermenting marsupials, the western grey kangaroo and red kangaroo.

PubMed

Vendl, Catharina; Clauss, Marcus; Stewart, Mathew; Leggett, Keith; Hummel, Jürgen; Kreuzer, Michael; Munn, Adam

2015-11-01

Fundamental differences in methane (CH4) production between macropods (kangaroos) and ruminants have been suggested and linked to differences in the composition of the forestomach microbiome. Using six western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) and four red kangaroos (Macropus rufus), we measured daily absolute CH4 production in vivo as well as CH4 yield (CH4 per unit of intake of dry matter, gross energy or digestible fibre) by open-circuit respirometry. Two food intake levels were tested using a chopped lucerne hay (alfalfa) diet. Body mass-specific absolute CH4 production resembled values previously reported in wallabies and non-ruminant herbivores such as horses, and did not differ with food intake level, although there was no concomitant proportionate decrease in fibre digestibility with higher food intake. In contrast, CH4 yield decreased with increasing intake, and was intermediate between values reported for ruminants and non-ruminant herbivores. These results correspond to those in ruminants and other non-ruminant species where increased intake (and hence a shorter digesta retention in the gut) leads to a lower CH4 yield. We hypothesize that rather than harbouring a fundamentally different microbiome in their foregut, the microbiome of macropods is in a particular metabolic state more tuned towards growth (i.e. biomass production) rather than CH4 production. This is due to the short digesta retention time in macropods and the known distinct 'digesta washing' in the gut of macropods, where fluids move faster than particles and hence most likely wash out microbes from the forestomach. Although our data suggest that kangaroos only produce about 27% of the body mass-specific volume of CH4 of ruminants, it remains to be modelled with species-specific growth rates and production conditions whether or not significantly lower CH4 amounts are emitted per kg of meat in kangaroo than in beef or mutton production. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

State of the art and recommendations. Kangaroo mother care: application in a high-tech environment.

PubMed

Nyqvist, K H; Anderson, G C; Bergman, N; Cattaneo, A; Charpak, N; Davanzo, R; Ewald, U; Ludington-Hoe, S; Mendoza, S; Pallás-Allonso, C; Peláez, J G; Sizun, J; Wiström, A M

2010-11-01

Since Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) was developed in Colombia in the 1970s, two trends in clinical application emerged. In low-income settings, the original KMC modelis implemented. This consists of continuous (24 h/day; 7 days/week) and prolonged mother/parent-infant skin-to-skin contact; early discharge with the infant in the kangaroo position; (ideally) exclusive breastfeeding and, adequate follow up. In affluent settings, intermittent KMC with sessions of one or a few hours skin-to-skin contact for a limited period is common. As a result of the increasing evidence of the benefits of KMC for both infants and families in all intensive care settings, KMC in a high-tech environment was chosen as the topic for the first European Conference on KMC, and the clinical implementation of the KMC modelin all types of settings was discussed at the 7th International Workshop on KMC Kangaroo Mother Care protocols in high-tech Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) should specify criteria for initiation, kangaroo position, transfer to/from KMC, transport in kangaroo position, kangaroo nutrition, parents'role, modification of the NICU environment, performance of care in KMC, and KMCin case of infant instability. Implementation of the original KMC method, with continuous skin-to-skin contact whenever possible, is recommended for application in high-tech environments, although scientific evaluation should continue.

State of the art and recommendations. Kangaroo mother care: application in a high-tech environment.

PubMed

Nyqvist, K H; Anderson, G C; Bergman, N; Cattaneo, A; Charpak, N; Davanzo, R; Ewald, U; Ludington-Hoe, S; Mendoza, S; Pallás-Allonso, C; Peláez, J G; Sizun, J; Widström, A-M

2010-06-01

Since Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) was developed in Colombia in the 1970s, two trends in clinical application emerged. In low income settings, the original KMC model is implemented. This consists of continuous (24 h/day, 7 days/week) and prolonged mother/parent-infant skin-to-skin contact; early discharge with the infant in the kangaroo position; (ideally) exclusive breastfeeding; and, adequate follow-up. In affluent settings, intermittent KMC with sessions of one or a few hours skin-to-skin contact for a limited period is common. As a result of the increasing evidence of the benefits of KMC for both infants and families in all intensive care settings, KMC in a high-tech environment was chosen as the topic for the first European Conference on KMC, and the clinical implementation of the KMC model in all types of settings was discussed at the 7th International Workshop on KMC. Kangaroo Mother Care protocols in high-tech Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) should specify criteria for initiation, kangaroo position, transfer to/from KMC, transport in kangaroo position, kangaroo nutrition, parents' role, modification of the NICU environment, performance of care in KMC, and KMC in case of infant instability. Implementation of the original KMC method, with continuous skin-to-skin contact whenever possible, is recommended for application in high-tech environments, although scientific evaluation should continue.

Intermittent kangaroo mother care: a NICU protocol.

PubMed

Davanzo, Riccardo; Brovedani, Pierpaolo; Travan, Laura; Kennedy, Jacqueline; Crocetta, Anna; Sanesi, Cecilia; Strajn, Tamara; De Cunto, Angela

2013-08-01

The practice of kangaroo mother care (KMC) is steadily increasing in high-tech settings due to its proven benefits for both infants and parents. In spite of that, clear guidelines about how to implement this method of care are lacking, and as a consequence, some restrictions are applied in many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), preventing its practice. Based on recommendations from the Expert Group of the International Network on Kangaroo Mother Care, we developed a hospital protocol in the neonatal unit of the Institute for Maternal and Child Health in Trieste, Italy, a level 3 unit, aimed to facilitate and promote KMC implementation in high-tech settings. Our guideline is therefore proposed, based both on current scientific literature and on practical considerations and experience. Future adjustments and improvements would be considered based on increasing clinical KMC use and further knowledge.

Diagnosis and treatment of mesenteric volvulus in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

PubMed

Knafo, S Emmanuelle; Rosenblatt, Alana J; Morrisey, James K; Flanders, James A; Thompson, Margret S; Knapp-Hoch, Heather M

2014-04-01

An 8-year-old male red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) was evaluated with a 2-week history of vomiting and anorexia. Four days prior, the patient became refractory to medical management. The kangaroo was admitted for diagnostic testing and treatment including whole body CT, blood work, and emergency laparotomy. CT findings of a severely enlarged stomach, splenic displacement, and a whirl sign were indicative of mesenteric volvulus with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Contrast enhancement of abdominal viscera suggested intact arterial blood supply; however, compression of the caudal vena cava and portal vein indicated venous obstruction. Results of preoperative blood work suggested biliary stasis without evidence of inflammation. Additionally, a tooth root abscess was diagnosed on the basis of results of CT. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of mesenteric volvulus and GDV. The volvuli were corrected by clockwise derotation, and a gastropexy was performed. Tissue samples were obtained from the spleen and liver for evaluation. The kangaroo recovered from surgery, and the abscessed tooth was extracted 6 days later. Eight days after initial evaluation, the kangaroo was discharged. In the present report, the CT whirl sign was used to diagnose volvulus of the abdominal viscera, which suggests that this diagnostic indicator has utility in veterinary patients. Mesenteric volvulus with GDV was successfully treated in a nondomestic species. The tooth root abscess, a common condition in macropods, may explain the historic episodes of anorexia reported by the owner and may have contributed to the development of mesenteric volvulus and GDV in this kangaroo.

Effective Vehicle-Based Kangaroo Detection for Collision Warning Systems Using Region-Based Convolutional Networks.

PubMed

Saleh, Khaled; Hossny, Mohammed; Nahavandi, Saeid

2018-06-12

Traffic collisions between kangaroos and motorists are on the rise on Australian roads. According to a recent report, it was estimated that there were more than 20,000 kangaroo vehicle collisions that occurred only during the year 2015 in Australia. In this work, we are proposing a vehicle-based framework for kangaroo detection in urban and highway traffic environment that could be used for collision warning systems. Our proposed framework is based on region-based convolutional neural networks (RCNN). Given the scarcity of labeled data of kangaroos in traffic environments, we utilized our state-of-the-art data generation pipeline to generate 17,000 synthetic depth images of traffic scenes with kangaroo instances annotated in them. We trained our proposed RCNN-based framework on a subset of the generated synthetic depth images dataset. The proposed framework achieved a higher average precision (AP) score of 92% over all the testing synthetic depth image datasets. We compared our proposed framework against other baseline approaches and we outperformed it with more than 37% in AP score over all the testing datasets. Additionally, we evaluated the generalization performance of the proposed framework on real live data and we achieved a resilient detection accuracy without any further fine-tuning of our proposed RCNN-based framework.

The seroprevalence and factors associated with Ross river virus infection in western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) in Western Australia.

PubMed

Potter, Abbey; Johansen, Cheryl A; Fenwick, Stan; Reid, Simon A; Lindsay, Michael D A

2014-10-01

A serosurvey was undertaken in 15 locations in the midwest to southwest of Western Australia (WA) to investigate the seroprevalence of Ross River virus (RRV) neutralizing antibodies and factors associated with infection in western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus). The estimated seroprevalence in 2632 kangaroo samples, using a serum neutralization test, was 43.9% (95% CI 42.0, 45.8). Location was significantly associated with seroprevalence (p<0.001). There was a strong positive correlation between seroprevalence and the average log-transformed neutralizing antibody titer (r=0.98, p<0.001). The seroprevalence among adult kangaroos was significantly higher than in subadult kangaroos (p<0.05). No significant association was observed between seroprevalence and the sex of kangaroos (p>0.05). The results of this study indicate that kangaroos in WA are regularly infected with RRV and may be involved in the maintenance and transmission of RRV.

Rapid genetic restoration of a keystone species exhibiting delayed demographic response.

PubMed

Cosentino, Bradley J; Schooley, Robert L; Bestelmeyer, Brandon T; McCarthy, Alison J; Sierzega, Kevin

2015-12-01

Genetic founder effects are often expected when animals colonize restored habitat in fragmented landscapes, but empirical data on genetic responses to restoration are limited. We examined the genetic response of banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) to landscape-scale grassland restoration in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico, USA. Dipodomys spectabilis is a grassland specialist and keystone species. At sites treated with herbicide to remove shrubs, colonization by D. spectabilis is slow and populations persist at low density for ≥10 years (≥6 generations). Persistence at low density and low gene flow may cause strong founder effects. We compared genetic structure of D. spectabilis populations between treated sites and remnant grasslands, and we examined how the genetic response to restoration depended on treatment age, area, and connectivity to source populations. Allelic richness and heterozygosity were similar between treated sites and remnant grasslands. Allelic richness at treated sites was greatest early in the restoration trajectory, and genetic divergence did not differ between recently colonized and established populations. These results indicated that founder effects during colonization of treated sites were weak or absent. Moreover, our results suggested founder effects were not mitigated by treatment area or connectivity. Dispersal is negatively density-dependent in D. spectabilis, and we hypothesize that high gene flow may occur early in the restoration trajectory when density is low. Our study shows genetic diversity can be recovered more rapidly than demographic components of populations after habitat restoration and that founder effects are not inevitable for animals colonizing restored habitat in fragmented landscapes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Investigation of the microbial metabolism of carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the kangaroo foregut by stable isotope probing

PubMed Central

Godwin, Scott; Kang, Alicia; Gulino, Lisa-Maree; Manefield, Mike; Gutierrez-Zamora, Maria-Luisa; Kienzle, Marco; Ouwerkerk, Diane; Dawson, Kerri; Klieve, Athol V

2014-01-01

Kangaroos ferment forage material in an enlarged forestomach analogous to the rumen, but in contrast to ruminants, they produce little or no methane. The objective of this study was to identify the dominant organisms and pathways involved in hydrogenotrophy in the kangaroo forestomach, with the broader aim of understanding how these processes are able to predominate over methanogenesis. Stable isotope analysis of fermentation end products and RNA stable isotope probing (RNA-SIP) were used to investigate the organisms and biochemical pathways involved in the metabolism of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the kangaroo forestomach. Our results clearly demonstrate that the activity of bacterial reductive acetogens is a key factor in the reduced methane output of kangaroos. In in vitro fermentations, the microbial community of the kangaroo foregut produced very little methane, but produced a significantly greater proportion of acetate derived from carbon dioxide than the microbial community of the bovine rumen. A bacterial operational taxonomic unit closely related to the known reductive acetogen Blautia coccoides was found to be associated with carbon dioxide and hydrogen metabolism in the kangaroo foregut. Other bacterial taxa including members of the genera Prevotella, Oscillibacter and Streptococcus that have not previously been reported as containing hydrogenotrophic organisms were also significantly associated with metabolism of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the kangaroo forestomach. PMID:24621520

Investigation of the microbial metabolism of carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the kangaroo foregut by stable isotope probing.

PubMed

Godwin, Scott; Kang, Alicia; Gulino, Lisa-Maree; Manefield, Mike; Gutierrez-Zamora, Maria-Luisa; Kienzle, Marco; Ouwerkerk, Diane; Dawson, Kerri; Klieve, Athol V

2014-09-01

Kangaroos ferment forage material in an enlarged forestomach analogous to the rumen, but in contrast to ruminants, they produce little or no methane. The objective of this study was to identify the dominant organisms and pathways involved in hydrogenotrophy in the kangaroo forestomach, with the broader aim of understanding how these processes are able to predominate over methanogenesis. Stable isotope analysis of fermentation end products and RNA stable isotope probing (RNA-SIP) were used to investigate the organisms and biochemical pathways involved in the metabolism of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the kangaroo forestomach. Our results clearly demonstrate that the activity of bacterial reductive acetogens is a key factor in the reduced methane output of kangaroos. In in vitro fermentations, the microbial community of the kangaroo foregut produced very little methane, but produced a significantly greater proportion of acetate derived from carbon dioxide than the microbial community of the bovine rumen. A bacterial operational taxonomic unit closely related to the known reductive acetogen Blautia coccoides was found to be associated with carbon dioxide and hydrogen metabolism in the kangaroo foregut. Other bacterial taxa including members of the genera Prevotella, Oscillibacter and Streptococcus that have not previously been reported as containing hydrogenotrophic organisms were also significantly associated with metabolism of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the kangaroo forestomach.

Mechanism design and optimization of a bionic kangaroo jumping robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. H.; Zheng, L.; Ge, W. J.; Zou, Z. H.

2018-03-01

Hopping robots have broad application prospects in the fields of military reconnaissance, field search or life rescue. However, current hopping robots still face the problems of weak jumping ability and load bearing. Inspired by the jumping of kangaroo, we design a Kangaroo hopping robot “Zbot”, which has two degrees of freedom and three joints. The geared five-bar mechanism is used to decouple the knee and ankle joints of the robot. In order to get a bionic performance, the coupling mechanism parameters are optimized. The simulation and experiments show that the robot has an excellent jumping ability and load capacity.

Kangaroo Mother Care, home environment and father involvement in the first year of life: a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Tessier, R; Charpak, N; Giron, M; Cristo, M; de Calume, Z F; Ruiz-Peláez, J G

2009-09-01

This study tested the hypothesis that Kangaroo Mother Care creates a climate in the family, which enhances infants' performance on the developmental quotient scale. The largest social security hospital in Colombia with a neonatal intensive care unit. At 12 months of corrected age, 194 families in the Kangaroo Mother Care group and 144 families in the Traditional Care group were available for analysis. Infants were kept 24 h/day in an upright position, in skin-to-skin contact until it was no longer tolerated by the infants. Babies in the Traditional Care were kept in incubators on the Minimal Care Unit until they satisfied the usual discharge criteria. The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), Father Involvement and Developmental Quotient (Griffiths) scores. 1) Kangaroo mothers created a more stimulating context and a better caregiving environment than mothers in the Traditional Care group; 2) this environment was positively correlated to father involvement and 3) the family environment of male infants was most improved by Kangaroo Mother Care. Kangaroo Mother Care has a positive impact on home environment. The results also suggest, first, that both parents should be involved as direct caregivers in the Kangaroo Mother Care procedure and secondly, that this intervention should be directed more specifically at infants who are more at risk at birth. The Kangaroo Mother Care intervention could be an excellent means to ensure parents' mature involvement in the future of their children.

Kangaroo mother care: a randomized controlled trial on effectiveness of early kangaroo mother care for the low birthweight infants in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Worku, Bogale; Kassie, Assaye

2005-04-01

A randomized controlled trial was conducted over a 1-year period (November 2001-November 2002) in Addis Ababa to study the effectiveness of early Kangaroo mother care before stabilization of low birthweight infants as compared with the conventional method of care. There were 259 babies weighing less than 2000 g during the study period and a total of 123 (47.5 per cent) low birthweight infants were included in to the study. Sixty-two infants were enrolled as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and the remaining 61 were Conventional Method of Care (CMC) cases. The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics for both groups were comparable. The mean age at the time of enrollment was 10 and 9.8 h for KMC and CMC, respectively (p>0.05 with 95 per cent confidence interval). The mean birthweight was 1514.8 g (range 1000-1900 g) for KMC and 1471.8 g (range 930-1900 g) for CMC (p>0.05 with 95 per cent CI) and the mean gestational age was 32.42 and 31.59 weeks for KMC and CMC cases, respectively. Fifty-eight per cent of KMC and 52 per cent of CMC cases were on i.v. fluid. Twenty-one of 62 (34 per cent) of KMC and 23/61 (37 per cent) of CMC babies were on oxygen through nasopharyngeal catheter. The mean age at exit from the study was 4.6 days for KMC and 5.4 days for CMC. Ninety-one per cent and 88 per cent of babies in KMC and CMC were discharged from the study in the first 7 days of life, respectively. The study showed that 14/62 (22.5 per cent) of KMC vs. 24/63 (38 per cent) CMC babies died during the study (p<0.05 and CI of 95 per cent.) The majority of deaths occurred during the first 12 h of life. Survival for the preterm low birthweight infants was remarkably better for the early kangaroo mother care group than the babies in the conventional method of care in the first 12 h and there after. More than 95 per cent of mothers reported that they were happy to care for their low birthweight babies using the early Kangaroo mother method. It was recommended to study the feasibility

Cytochrome P450 CYP3A in marsupials: cloning and identification of the first CYP3A subfamily member, isoform 3A70 from Eastern gray kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).

PubMed

El-Merhibi, Adaweyah; Ngo, Suong N T; Marchant, Ceilidh L; Height, Tamara A; Stupans, Ieva; McKinnon, Ross A

2012-09-15

Australian marsupials are unique fauna that have evolved and adapted to unique environments and thus it is likely that their detoxification systems differ considerably from those of well-studied eutherian mammals. Knowledge of these processes in marsupials is therefore vital to understanding the consequences of exposure to xenobiotics. Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are critically important in the oxidative metabolism of a diverse array of both xenobiotics and endogenous substrates. In this study we have cloned and characterized CYP3A70, the first identified member of the CYP3A gene subfamily from Eastern gray kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). A 1665 base pair kangaroo hepatic CYP3A complete cDNA, designated CYP3A70, was cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction approaches, which encodes a protein of 506 amino acids. The CYP3A70 cDNA shares approximately 71% nucleotide and 65% amino acid sequence homology to human CYP3A4 and displays high sequence similarity to other published mammalian CYP3As from human, monkey, cow, pig, dog, rat, rabbit, mouse, hamster, and guinea pig. Transfection of the CYP3A70 cDNAs into 293T cells resulted in stable cell lines expressing a CYP3A immuno-reactive protein that was recognized by a goat anti-human CYP3A4 polyclonal antibody. The anti-human CYP3A4 antibody also detected immunoreactive proteins in liver microsomes from all test marsupials, including the kangaroo, koala, wallaby, and wombat, with multiple CYP3A immunoreactive bands observed in kangaroo and wallaby tissues. Relatively, very low CYP catalytic activity was detected for the kangaroo CYP3A70 cDNA-expressed proteins (19.6 relative luminescent units/μg protein), which may be due to low protein expression levels. Collectively, this study provides primary molecular data regarding the Eastern kangaroo hepatic CYP3A70 gene and enables further functional analyses of CYP3A enzymes in marsupials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diet and trophic characteristics of great horned owls in southwestern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marti, C.D.; Kochert, Michael N.

1996-01-01

We studied the diet of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in southwestern Idaho for 14 breeding seasons. The diet included 89.2% mammals by number and 91.2% by mass. Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) were the most common prey overall, but montane voles (Microtus montanus), Peromyscus spp., Great Basin pocket mice (Perognathus parvus) and Townsend's pocket gophers (Thomomys towsendii) were most common at some collection sites. Estimated mean mass of prey was 44.5 g (range 20.5-82.6 g at individual nests), and food-niche breadth (dietary diversity estimated by $1/\\Sigma p_{{\\rm i}}{}^{2}$) was 7.32 (range 1.55-6.85 at individual nests). Lower mean overlap in diet occurred between nests in the same year than between years at the same nest. Species of prey taken were significantly correlated with the general habitat types in which the nest was located. Diets of owls in areas of intensive agriculture overlapped little (42%) with those in rangeland habitats.

Effect of kangaroo mother care on postpartum depression.

PubMed

de Alencar, Andréa Echeverria Martins Arraes; Arraes, Luis Cláudio; de Albuquerque, Emídio Cavalcanti; Alves, João Guilherme Bezerra

2009-02-01

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious public health issue. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is widely considered to be the most feasible, readily available and preferred intervention for decreasing neonatal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. We conducted a prospective study to assess the effect of KMC on PPD. The study population included 177 low-income mothers with their preterm infants. We used the validated Portuguese version of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale for the assessment of maternal depression. The mothers were evaluated twice, at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admission and at KMC discharge. We found 66 mothers (37.3%) with depression and it decreased to 30 (16.9%) after KMC intervention; p < 0.0001. None developed PPD during the Kangaroo stay. We concluded that KMC may lessen maternal depression. Further studies, may be required to clarify these preliminary findings.

The kangaroo cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor binds insulin-like growth factor II with low affinity.

PubMed

Yandell, C A; Dunbar, A J; Wheldrake, J F; Upton, Z

1999-09-17

The mammalian cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) binds mannose 6-phosphate-bearing glycoproteins and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II. However, the CI-MPR from the opossum has been reported to bind bovine IGF-II with low affinity (Dahms, N. M., Brzycki-Wessell, M. A., Ramanujam, K. S., and Seetharam, B. (1993) Endocrinology 133, 440-446). This may reflect the use of a heterologous ligand, or it may represent the intrinsic binding affinity of this receptor. To examine the binding of IGF-II to a marsupial CI-MPR in a homologous system, we have previously purified kangaroo IGF-II (Yandell, C. A., Francis, G. L., Wheldrake, J. F., and Upton, Z. (1998) J. Endocrinol. 156, 195-204), and we now report the purification and characterization of the CI-MPR from kangaroo liver. The interaction of the kangaroo CI-MPR with IGF-II has been examined by ligand blotting, radioreceptor assay, and real-time biomolecular interaction analysis. Using both a heterologous and homologous approach, we have demonstrated that the kangaroo CI-MPR has a lower binding affinity for IGF-II than its eutherian (placental mammal) counterparts. Furthermore, real-time biomolecular interaction analysis revealed that the kangaroo CI-MPR has a higher affinity for kangaroo IGF-II than for human IGF-II. The cDNA sequence of the kangaroo CI-MPR indicates that there is considerable divergence in the area corresponding to the IGF-II binding site of the eutherian receptor. Thus, the acquisition of a high-affinity binding site for regulating IGF-II appears to be a recent event specific to the eutherian lineage.

Kangaroo care: research results, and practice implications and guidelines.

PubMed

Ludington-Hoe, S M; Thompson, C; Swinth, J; Hadeed, A J; Anderson, G C

1994-02-01

Results of two studies of the effects of 2 to 3 hours of kangaroo care (KC), one a randomized trial of 25 premature infants in open-air cribs and the other a pilot of 6 premature infants who were at least 24 hours postextubation, who were cared for in incubators are reviewed. Both studies incorporated a pretest/posttest control group design. Heart rate and abdominal skin temperature rose for KC infants during KC. Heat loss did not occur during KC, and infants slept more during KC. Kangaroo care had a comforting effect on infants and their mothers. Apnea and periodic breathing episodes dropped during KC for incubator infants. Suggestions and guidelines for selection of infants and practice based on these studies are presented.

Experimental manipulation reveals few subclinical impacts of a parasite community in juvenile kangaroos

PubMed Central

Cripps, Jemma; Beveridge, Ian; Ploeg, Richard; Coulson, Graeme

2014-01-01

Large mammalian herbivores are commonly infected with gastrointestinal helminths. In many host species, these helminths cause clinical disease and may trigger conspicuous mortality events. However, they may also have subclinical impacts, reducing fitness as well as causing complex changes to host growth patterns and body condition. Theoretically, juveniles should experience significantly greater costs from parasites, being immunologically naive and undergoing a significant growth phase. The aims of our study were to quantify the subclinical effects of helminths in juvenile eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), which commonly harbour large burdens of gastrointestinal nematodes and are susceptible to associated mass mortality during cold, wet conditions. We conducted a field experiment on a population of free-ranging kangaroos, removing nematodes from one group of juveniles using an anthelmintic treatment. We then compared growth parameters (body condition and growth rates) and haematological parameters of this group with an age-matched, parasitised (untreated) control group. Treated juvenile kangaroos had significantly higher levels of plasma protein (albumin) but, contrary to our predictions, showed negligible changes in all the other parameters measured. Our results suggest that juvenile kangaroos are largely unaffected by their gastrointestinal helminth burdens, and may be able to compensate for the costs of parasites. PMID:25161906

Kangaroo – A pattern-matching program for biological sequences

PubMed Central

2002-01-01

Background Biologists are often interested in performing a simple database search to identify proteins or genes that contain a well-defined sequence pattern. Many databases do not provide straightforward or readily available query tools to perform simple searches, such as identifying transcription binding sites, protein motifs, or repetitive DNA sequences. However, in many cases simple pattern-matching searches can reveal a wealth of information. We present in this paper a regular expression pattern-matching tool that was used to identify short repetitive DNA sequences in human coding regions for the purpose of identifying potential mutation sites in mismatch repair deficient cells. Results Kangaroo is a web-based regular expression pattern-matching program that can search for patterns in DNA, protein, or coding region sequences in ten different organisms. The program is implemented to facilitate a wide range of queries with no restriction on the length or complexity of the query expression. The program is accessible on the web at http://bioinfo.mshri.on.ca/kangaroo/ and the source code is freely distributed at http://sourceforge.net/projects/slritools/. Conclusion A low-level simple pattern-matching application can prove to be a useful tool in many research settings. For example, Kangaroo was used to identify potential genetic targets in a human colorectal cancer variant that is characterized by a high frequency of mutations in coding regions containing mononucleotide repeats. PMID:12150718

Recent Amplification of the Kangaroo Endogenous Retrovirus, KERV, Limited to the Centromere▿

PubMed Central

Ferreri, Gianni C.; Brown, Judith D.; Obergfell, Craig; Jue, Nathaniel; Finn, Caitlin E.; O'Neill, Michael J.; O'Neill, Rachel J.

2011-01-01

Mammalian retrotransposons, transposable elements that are processed through an RNA intermediate, are categorized as short interspersed elements (SINEs), long interspersed elements (LINEs), and long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements, which include endogenous retroviruses. The ability of transposable elements to autonomously amplify led to their initial characterization as selfish or junk DNA; however, it is now known that they may acquire specific cellular functions in a genome and are implicated in host defense mechanisms as well as in genome evolution. Interactions between classes of transposable elements may exert a markedly different and potentially more significant effect on a genome than interactions between members of a single class of transposable elements. We examined the genomic structure and evolution of the kangaroo endogenous retrovirus (KERV) in the marsupial genus Macropus. The complete proviral structure of the kangaroo endogenous retrovirus, phylogenetic relationship among relative retroviruses, and expression of this virus in both Macropus rufogriseus and M. eugenii are presented for the first time. In addition, we show the relative copy number and distribution of the kangaroo endogenous retrovirus in the Macropus genus. Our data indicate that amplification of the kangaroo endogenous retrovirus occurred in a lineage-specific fashion, is restricted to the centromeres, and is not correlated with LINE depletion. Finally, analysis of KERV long terminal repeat sequences using massively parallel sequencing indicates that the recent amplification in M. rufogriseus is likely due to duplications and concerted evolution rather than a high number of independent insertion events. PMID:21389136

Energy requirements of the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus): impacts of age, growth and body size in a large desert-dwelling herbivore.

PubMed

Munn, A J; Dawson, T J

2003-09-01

Generally, young growing mammals have resting metabolic rates (RMRs) that are proportionally greater than those of adult animals. This is seen in the red kangaroo ( Macropus rufus), a large (>20 kg) herbivorous marsupial common to arid and semi-arid inland Australia. Juvenile red kangaroos have RMRs 1.5-1.6 times those expected for adult marsupials of an equivalent body mass. When fed high-quality chopped lucerne hay, young-at-foot (YAF) kangaroos, which have permanently left the mother's pouch but are still sucking, and recently weaned red kangaroos had digestible energy intakes of 641+/-27 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) and 677+/-26 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1), respectively, significantly higher than the 385+/-37 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) ingested by mature, non-lactating females. However, YAF and weaned red kangaroos had maintenance energy requirements (MERs) that were not significantly higher than those of mature, non-lactating females, the values ranging between 384 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) and 390 kJ kg(-0.75) day(-1) digestible energy. Importantly, the MER of mature female red kangaroos was 84% of that previously reported for similarly sized, but still growing, male red kangaroos. Growth was the main factor affecting the proportionally higher energy requirements of the juvenile red kangaroos relative to non-reproductive mature females. On a good quality diet, juvenile red kangaroos from permanent pouch exit until shortly after weaning (ca. 220-400 days) had average growth rates of 55 g body mass day(-1). At this level of growth, juveniles had total daily digestible energy requirements (i.e. MER plus growth energy requirements) that were 1.7-1.8 times the MER of mature, non-reproductive females. Our data suggest that the proportionally higher RMR of juvenile red kangaroos is largely explained by the additional energy needed for growth. Energy contents of the tissue gained by the YAF and weaned red kangaroos during growth were estimated to be 5.3 kJ g(-1), within the range found for

Scaling of left ventricle cardiomyocyte ultrastructure across development in the kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus.

PubMed

Snelling, Edward P; Taggart, David A; Maloney, Shane K; Farrell, Anthony P; Leigh, Christopher M; Waterhouse, Lyn; Williams, Ruth; Seymour, Roger S

2015-06-01

The heart and left ventricle of the marsupial western grey kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus exhibit biphasic allometric growth, whereby a negative shift in the trajectory of cardiac growth occurs at pouch exit. In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy to examine the scaling of left ventricle cardiomyocyte ultrastructure across development in the western grey kangaroo over a 190-fold body mass range (0.355-67.5 kg). The volume-density (%) of myofibrils, mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticuli and T-tubules increase significantly during in-pouch growth, such that the absolute volume (ml) of these organelles scales with body mass (Mb; kg) with steep hyperallometry: 1.41Mb (1.38), 0.64Mb (1.29), 0.066Mb (1.45) and 0.035Mb (1.87), respectively. Maturation of the left ventricle ultrastructure coincides with pouch vacation, as organelle volume-densities scale independent of body mass across post-pouch development, such that absolute organelle volumes scale in parallel and with relatively shallow hypoallometry: 4.65Mb (0.79), 1.75Mb (0.77), 0.21Mb (0.79) and 0.35Mb (0.79), respectively. The steep hyperallometry of organelle volumes and volume-densities across in-pouch growth is consistent with the improved contractile performance of isolated cardiac muscle during fetal development in placental mammals, and is probably critical in augmenting cardiac output to levels necessary for endothermy and independent locomotion in the young kangaroo as it prepares for pouch exit. The shallow hypoallometry of organelle volumes during post-pouch growth suggests a decrease in relative cardiac requirements as body mass increases in free-roaming kangaroos, which is possibly because the energy required for hopping is independent of speed, and the capacity for energy storage during hopping could increase as the kangaroo grows. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

A survey of Western Australian sheep, cattle and kangaroos to determine the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii.

PubMed

Banazis, Michael Janis; Bestall, Abbey Simone; Reid, Simon Andrew; Fenwick, Stan Gordon

2010-07-14

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in two domestic ruminant species (cattle and sheep) and the western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) in Western Australia (WA). The IDEXX CHEKiT Q Fever ELISA and CFT were used to test sera from 50 sheep and 329 head of cattle for anti-C. burnetii antibodies and 343 kangaroo sera were tested using an indirect ELISA developed specifically for this study. Faecal or urine samples collected from the same animals were tested with two PCR assays to identify active shedding of C. burnetii in excreta. Only two of the 379 ruminant sera had detectable levels of anti-C. burnetii antibodies according to the ELISA while the CFT did not detect any positive samples. In contrast 115 of the 343 western grey kangaroo serum samples were positive when tested with the antibody-ELISA. The first qPCR assay, targeting the IS1111a element, identified 41 of 379 ruminant and 42 of 343 kangaroo DNA samples as positive for C. burnetii DNA. The second qPCR, targeting the JB153-3 gene, identified nine C. burnetii DNA-positive ruminant samples and six positive kangaroo samples. Sequence comparisons showed high degrees of identity with C. burnetii. Isolation of C. burnetii from faeces was also attempted but was not successful. From the results presented here it appears that domestic ruminants may not be the most significant reservoir of C. burnetii in WA and that kangaroos may pose a significant threat for zoonotic transfer of this pathogen. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Permeability of roads to movement of scrubland lizards and small mammals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brehme, Cheryl S.; Tracey, Jeff A.; McClenaghan, Leroy R.; Fisher, Robert N.

2013-01-01

A primary objective of road ecology is to understand and predict how roads affect connectivity of wildlife populations. Road avoidance behavior can fragment populations, whereas lack of road avoidance can result in high mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions. Many small animal species focus their activities to particular microhabitats within their larger habitat. We sought to assess how different types of roads affect the movement of small vertebrates and to explore whether responses to roads may be predictable on the basis of animal life history or microhabitat preferences preferences. We tracked the movements of fluorescently marked animals at 24 sites distributed among 3 road types: low-use dirt, low-use secondary paved, and rural 2-lane highway. Most data we collected were on the San Diego pocket mouse (Chaetodipus fallax), cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus), western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra), Dulzura kangaroo rat (Dipodomys simulans) (dirt, secondary paved), and deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) (highway only). San Diego pocket mice and cactus mice moved onto dirt roads but not onto a low-use paved road of similar width or onto the highway, indicating they avoidpaved road substrate. Both lizard species moved onto the dirt and secondary paved roads but avoided the rural 2-lane rural highway, indicating they may avoid noise, vibration, or visual disturbance from a steady flow of traffic. Kangaroo rats did not avoid the dirt or secondary paved roads. Overall, dirt and secondary roads were more permeable to species that prefer to forage or bask in open areas of their habitat, rather than under the cover of rocks or shrubs. However, all study species avoided the rural 2-lane highway. Our results suggest that microhabitat use preferences and road substrate help predict species responses to low-use roads,but roads with heavy traffic may deter movement of a much wider range of small animal

The effect of cryoprotectant on kangaroo sperm ultrastructure and mitochondrial function.

PubMed

McClean, Rhett; Holt, William V; Zee, Yeng Peng; Lisle, Allan; Johnston, Stephen D

2008-12-01

This study examined the effect of cryoprotectants (20% DMSO, a 10% DMSO/10% glycerol mixture, 20% glycerol and 1M sucrose solution) on kangaroo sperm structure and function, along with the effect of varying concentrations of glycerol on sperm mitochondrial function. Eastern grey kangaroo cauda epididymidal spermatozoa were incubated for 10 min at 35 degrees C in each cryoprotectant and the plasma membrane integrity (PMI) and motility assessed using light microscopy. The same samples were fixed for TEM and the ultrastructural integrity of the spermatozoa examined. To investigate the effect of glycerol on the kangaroo sperm mitochondrial function, epididymidal spermatozoa were incubated with JC-1 in Tris-citrate media at 35 degrees C for 20 min in a range of glycerol concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and plasma membrane integrity determined. As expected, incubation of spermatozoa in 20% glycerol for 10 min resulted in a significant reduction in motility, PMI and ultrastructural integrity. Interestingly, incubation in 20% DMSO resulted in no significant reduction in motility or PMI but a significant loss of structural integrity when compared to the control spermatozoa (0% cryoprotectant). However, 20% DMSO was overall less damaging to sperm ultrastructure than glycerol, a combination of 10% glycerol and 10% DMSO, and sucrose. While all glycerol concentrations had an adverse effect on mitochondrial function, the statistical models presented for the relationship between MMP and glycerol predicted that spermatozoa, when added to 20% glycerol, would lose half of their initial MMP immediately at 35 degrees C and MMP would halve after 19.4 min at 4 degrees C. Models for the relationship between PMI and glycerol predicted that spermatozoa would lose half of their initial PMI after 1.8 min at 35 degrees C and PMI would halve after 21.1 min at 4 degrees C. These results suggest that if glycerol is to be used as a

Latin American Clinical Epidemiology Network Series - Paper 9: The Kangaroo Mother Care Method: from scientific evidence generated in Colombia to worldwide practice.

PubMed

Charpak, Nathalie; Ruiz, Juan Gabriel

2017-06-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a human-based care intervention devised to complement neonatal care for low birth weight and premature infants. Kangaroo position (skin-to-skin contact on the mother's chest) offers thermal regulation, physiological stability, appropriate stimulation, and enhances bonding and breastfeeding. Kangaroo nutrition is based on breastfeeding, and kangaroo discharge policy relies on family empowerment and early discharge in kangaroo position with close ambulatory follow-up. We describe how the evidence has been developed and how it has been put into practice by means of direct preterm infants care and dissemination of the method, including training of KMC excellence centers in many countries not only in Latin America but worldwide. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A continent-wide analysis of the shade requirements of red and western grey kangaroos

PubMed Central

Roberts, J. A.; Coulson, G.; Munn, A. J.; Kearney, M. R.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Foraging time may be constrained by a suite of phenomena including weather, which can restrict a species' activity and energy intake. This is recognized as pivotal for many species whose distributions are known to correlate with climate, including kangaroos, although such impacts are rarely quantified. We explore how differences in shade seeking, a thermoregulatory behavior, of 2 closely-related kangaroo species, Macropus rufus (red kangaroos) and M. fuliginosus (western grey kangaroos), might reflect differences in their distributions across Australia. We observed foraging and shade-seeking behavior in the field and, together with local weather observations, calculated threshold radiant temperatures (based on solar and infrared radiant heat loads) over which the kangaroos retreated to shade. We apply these calculated tolerance thresholds to hourly microclimatic estimates derived from daily-gridded weather data to predict activity constraints across the Australian continent over a 10-year period. M. fuliginosus spent more time than M. rufus in the shade (7.6 ± 0.7 h versus 6.4 ± 0.9 h) and more time foraging (11.8 ± 0.5 h vs. 10.0 ± 0.6 h), although total time resting was equivalent (∼8.2 h). M. rufus tolerated 19°C higher radiant temperatures than M. fuliginosus (89°C versus 70°C radiant temperature). Across Australia, we predicted M. fuliginosus to be more restricted to shade than M. rufus, with higher absolute shade requirements farther north. These results corroborate previous findings that M. rufus is more adept at dealing with heat than M. fuliginosus and indicate that M. rufus is less dependent on shade on a continental scale. PMID:27857963

Kangaroo care by fathers and mothers: comparison of physiological and stress responses in preterm infants.

PubMed

Srinath, B K; Shah, J; Kumar, P; Shah, P S

2016-05-01

To compare physiological and biochemical responses in stable preterm neonates and their parents following kangaroo mother care (KMC) and kangaroo father care (KFC). We conducted a prospective cross-over design study of stable preterm neonates of <35 weeks gestation in a tertiary Neonatal Unit in Toronto. All neonates received KMC and KFC for 1 h on consecutive days in a random order. Heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and salivary cortisol in infants before and after kangaroo care and heart rate, temperature and salivary cortisol in parents before and after kangaroo care were measured. Pairwise comparisons of changes in these measures were analyzed. Twenty-six sets of neonates and their parents were studied for physiological parameters, of which 19 had adequate samples for salivary cortisol assessment. The infants had a mean birth weight of 1096 g (s.d.=217) and a mean postmenstrual age at study of 32 weeks (s.d.=2). There were no significant differences in the changes in mean heart rate (P=0.51), temperature (P=0.37), oxygen saturation (P=0.50), systolic blood pressure (P=0.32), mean blood pressure (0.10) and salivary cortisol (P=0.50) before and after KMC or KFC in the neonates. The changes in mean heart rate (P=0.62), temperature (P=0.28) and salivary cortisol (P=0.59) before and after kangaroo care were similar between mothers and fathers. No significant differences in physiological and stress responses were identified following KMC or KFC in preterm neonates. KFC may be as safe and as effective as KMC.

Preterm newborns at Kangaroo Mother Care: a cohort follow-up from birth to six months

PubMed Central

Menezes, Maria Alexsandra da S.; Garcia, Daniela Cavalcante; de Melo, Enaldo Vieira; Cipolotti, Rosana

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical outcomes, growth and exclusive breastfeeding rates in premature infants assisted by Kangaroo Mother Care at birth, at discharge and at six months of life. METHODS: Prospective study of a premature infants cohort assisted by Kangaroo Mother Care in a tertiary public maternity in Northeast Brazil with birth weight ≤1750g and with clinical conditions for Kangaroo care. RESULTS: The sample was composed by 137 premature infants, being 62.8% female, with average birth weight of 1365±283g, average gestational age of 32±3 weeks and 26.2% were adequate for gestational age. They have been admitted in the Kangaroo Ward with a median of 13 days of life, weighing 1430±167g and, at this time, 57.7% were classified as small for corrected gestational age. They were discharged with 36.8±21.8 days of chronological age, weighing 1780±165g and 67.9% were small for corrected gestational age. At six months of life (n=76), they had an average weight of 5954±971g, and 68.4% presented corrected weight for gestational age between percentiles 15 and 85 of the World Health Organization (WHO) weight curve. Exclusive breastfeeding rate at discharge was 56.2% and, at six months of life, 14.4%. CONCLUSIONS: In the studied sample, almost two thirds of the children assisted by Kangaroo Mother Care were, at six months of life, between percentiles 15 and 85 of the WHO weight curves. The frequency of exclusive breastfeeding at six months was low. PMID:25119747

Energy, water and space use by free-living red kangaroos Macropus rufus and domestic sheep Ovis aries in an Australian rangeland.

PubMed

Munn, A J; Dawson, T J; McLeod, S R; Dennis, T; Maloney, S K

2013-08-01

We used doubly labelled water to measure field metabolic rates (FMR) and water turnover rates (WTR) in one of Australia's largest native herbivores, the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and one of Australia's dominant livestock species, the wool-breed Merino sheep, under free-living conditions in a typical Australian rangeland. Also, we used GPS technology to examine animal space use, along with the comparisons of urine concentration, diet, diet digestibility, and subsequent grazing pressures. We found smaller space-use patterns than previously reported for kangaroos, which were between 14 and 25 % those of sheep. The FMR of a 25-kg kangaroo was 30 % that of a 45-kg sheep, while WTR was 15 % and both were associated with smaller travel distances, lower salt intakes, and higher urine concentration in kangaroos than sheep. After accounting for differences in dry matter digestibility of food eaten by kangaroos (51 %) and sheep (58 %), the relative grazing pressure of a standard (mature, non-reproductive) 25-kg kangaroo was 35 % that of a 45-kg sheep. Even for animals of the same body mass (35 kg), the relative grazing pressure of the kangaroo was estimated to be only 44 % that of the sheep. After accounting for the energetic costs of wool growth by sheep, the FMRs of our sheep and kangaroos were 2-3 times their expected BMRs, which is typical for mammalian FMR:BMRs generally. Notably, data collected from our free-living animals were practically identical to those from animals confined to a semi-natural enclosure (collected in an earlier study under comparable environmental conditions), supporting the idea that FMRs are relatively constrained within species.

To kill a kangaroo: understanding the decision to pursue high-risk/high-gain resources.

PubMed

Jones, James Holland; Bird, Rebecca Bliege; Bird, Douglas W

2013-09-22

In this paper, we attempt to understand hunter-gatherer foraging decisions about prey that vary in both the mean and variance of energy return using an expected utility framework. We show that for skewed distributions of energetic returns, the standard linear variance discounting (LVD) model for risk-sensitive foraging can produce quite misleading results. In addition to creating difficulties for the LVD model, the skewed distributions characteristic of hunting returns create challenges for estimating probability distribution functions required for expected utility. We present a solution using a two-component finite mixture model for foraging returns. We then use detailed foraging returns data based on focal follows of individual hunters in Western Australia hunting for high-risk/high-gain (hill kangaroo) and relatively low-risk/low-gain (sand monitor) prey. Using probability densities for the two resources estimated from the mixture models, combined with theoretically sensible utility curves characterized by diminishing marginal utility for the highest returns, we find that the expected utility of the sand monitors greatly exceeds that of kangaroos despite the fact that the mean energy return for kangaroos is nearly twice as large as that for sand monitors. We conclude that the decision to hunt hill kangaroos does not arise simply as part of an energetic utility-maximization strategy and that additional social, political or symbolic benefits must accrue to hunters of this highly variable prey.

Kangaroo mother care may help oral growth and development in premature infants.

PubMed

Zhang, Feng; Liu, Shoutao

2012-08-01

Premature infants have a shorter prenatal development period and are prone to many serious medical problems during neonatal period. This may impact the development of oral tissues, as manifested by enamel hypoplasia, palatal distortion, malocclusion, or delay in tooth eruption and maturation. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a standardized and protocol-based care system for premature infants, based on skin-to-skin contact between the infant and their mother. Kangaroo mother care has been demonstrated to greatly improve the nurturing of premature infants and comparatively reduce the risk factors of oral defects. We hypothesize that KMC also facilitates oral growth and development in premature infants.

Comparison of Various Kangaroo Mother Care Carriers on Maternal Comfort: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Amaliya, Sholihatul; Rustina, Yeni; Agustini, Nur

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an evidence-based approach that has been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on mothers and infants. One of the barriers to performing KMC at home is the absence of a special KMC carrier. The most widely used KMC carriers in Indonesia are kangaroo pouch, thari, wrap and traditional wraps in the form of a long strip of fabric. This study's aim was to compare the level of maternal comfort when performing KMC with three different KMC carriers. The study used crossover design involving 20 mothers with low birth weight (LBW) infants as responders, selected through a consecutive sampling method. Data were collected using a maternal comfort questionnaire, maternal anxiety questionnaire, and KMC observation sheet. The results of repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there was no significant difference in maternal comfort when performing KMC with any of three KMC carriers (maternal comfort p = .366, α = .05). Therefore, KMC can be implemented using any of the types of carriers including kangaroo pouch, thari wrap, and traditional wrap.

Plasma endotoxin activity in Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) with lumpy jaw disease

PubMed Central

SOTOHIRA, Yukari; SUZUKI, Kazuyuki; OTSUKA, Marina; TSUCHIYA, Masakazu; SHIMAMORI, Toshio; NISHI, Yasunobu; TSUKANO, Kenji; ASAKAWA, Mitsuhiko

2017-01-01

Progressive pyogranulomatous osteomyelitis involving the mandible or maxilla of captive macropods, referred to as “Lumpy jaw disease (LJD)”, is one of the most significant causes of illness and death in captive macropods. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the severity of LJD and plasma endotoxin activity in kangaroos. Plasma samples obtained from moderate (n=24) and severe LJD (n=12), and healthy kangaroos (n=46), were diluted 1:20 in endotoxin-free water and heated to 80°C for 10 min. Plasma endotoxin activity was measured using the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL)-kinetic turbidimetric (KT) assay. Plasma endotoxin activity was higher in kangaroos with severe LJD (0.199 ± 0.157 EU/ml) than in those with moderate LJD (0.051 ± 0.012 EU/ml, P<0.001) and healthy controls (0.057 ± 0.028 EU/ml, P<0.001). Our results suggest that the severity of LJD in captive macropods may be related to the plasma endotoxin activity. PMID:28484148

Plasma endotoxin activity in Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) with lumpy jaw disease.

PubMed

Sotohira, Yukari; Suzuki, Kazuyuki; Otsuka, Marina; Tsuchiya, Masakazu; Shimamori, Toshio; Nishi, Yasunobu; Tsukano, Kenji; Asakawa, Mitsuhiko

2017-06-29

Progressive pyogranulomatous osteomyelitis involving the mandible or maxilla of captive macropods, referred to as "Lumpy jaw disease (LJD)", is one of the most significant causes of illness and death in captive macropods. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the severity of LJD and plasma endotoxin activity in kangaroos. Plasma samples obtained from moderate (n=24) and severe LJD (n=12), and healthy kangaroos (n=46), were diluted 1:20 in endotoxin-free water and heated to 80°C for 10 min. Plasma endotoxin activity was measured using the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL)-kinetic turbidimetric (KT) assay. Plasma endotoxin activity was higher in kangaroos with severe LJD (0.199 ± 0.157 EU/ml) than in those with moderate LJD (0.051 ± 0.012 EU/ml, P<0.001) and healthy controls (0.057 ± 0.028 EU/ml, P<0.001). Our results suggest that the severity of LJD in captive macropods may be related to the plasma endotoxin activity.

Observations on kangaroo baby care.

PubMed

Mukasa, G K

1992-01-01

The author's visit to "kangaroo care" programs in Guatemala and Colombia has led Uganda's University of Kampala to consider the introduction of this innovation in its neonatal special care unit. Such programs, which place premature infants in direct contact with their mother's skin during breastfeeding, represents a simple, inexpensive strategy for infant survival in developing countries and eliminates the need for mechanical incubators. Research conducted at the Hospital Universitario de Valle in Cali, Colombia, found that falls in the infant's body temperature. In the Latin American programs, premature infants are entered into the breastfeeding program immediately after delivery.

Phylogeography of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, Suggests a Mesic Refugium in Eastern Australia.

PubMed

Coghlan, Brett A; Goldizen, Anne W; Thomson, Vicki A; Seddon, Jennifer M

2015-01-01

Phylogeographic studies around the world have identified refugia where fauna were able to persist during unsuitable climatic periods, particularly during times of glaciation. In Australia the effects of Pleistocene climate oscillations on rainforest taxa have been well studied but less is known about the effects on mesic-habitat fauna, such as the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). The eastern grey kangaroo is a large mammal that is common and widespread throughout eastern Australia, preferring dry mesic habitat, rather than rainforest. As pollen evidence suggests that the central-eastern part of Australia (southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales) experienced cycles of expansion in mesic habitat with contraction in rainforests, and vice versa during glacial and interglacial periods, respectively, we hypothesise that the distribution of the eastern grey kangaroo was affected by these climate oscillations and may have contracted to mesic habitat refugia. From 375 mitochondrial DNA control region sequences from across the distribution of eastern grey kangaroos we obtained 108 unique haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis identified two clades in Queensland, one of which is newly identified and restricted to a small coastal region in southern Queensland north of Brisbane, known as the Sunshine Coast. The relatively limited geographic range of this genetically isolated clade suggests the possibility of a mesic habitat refugium forming during rainforest expansion during wetter climate cycles. Other potential, although less likely, reasons for the genetic isolation of the highly distinct clade include geographic barriers, separate northward expansions, and strong local adaptation.

[The influence of immobilized fibronectin on karyotypic variability of two rat kangaroo kidney cell lines].

PubMed

Polianskaia, G G; Goriachaia, T S; Pinaev, G P

2007-01-01

The numerical and structural karyotypic variability has been investigated in "markerless" Rat kangaroo kidney cell lines NBL-3-17 and NBL-3-11 when cultivating on a fibronectin-coated surface. In cell line NBL-3-17, cultivated on the fibronectin-coated surface for 1, 2, 4 and 8 days, the character of cell distribution for the chromosome number has changed. These changes involve a significant decrease in frequency of cells with modal number of chromosomes, and an increase in frequency of cells with lower chromosomal number. Many new additional structural variants of the karyotype (SVK) appear. The observed alterations seem to be due preference adhesion of cells with lower chromosome number, disturbances of mitotic apparatus and selection of SVK, which are more adopted to changes in culture conditions. Detachment of cells from the fibronectin-coated surface, followed by 5 days cultivation on a hydrophilic surface restored control distribution. In cell line NBL-3-11, cultivated on the fibronectin-coated surface for 1, 2, 4 and 8 days, the character of numerical karyotypic variability did not change compared to control variants. In cell line NBL-3-17 the frequency of chromosomal aberrations under cultivation on the fibronectin-coated surface for 1, 2, 4 and 8 days did not change relative to control variants. In cell line NBL-3-11 the frequency of chromosomal aberrations under the same conditions significantly increases, mainly at the expence of chromosomal, chromatid breaks and dicentrics (telomeric association) relative to control variants. We discuss possible reasons of differences in the character of numerical and structural karyotypic variability between cell lines NBL-3-17 (hypotriploid) and NBL-3-11 (hypodiploid) under cultivation on fibronectin. The reasons of the observed interline karyotypic differences possibly consist in peculiarity of karyotypic structure of cell line NBL-3-11 and in the change of gene expression, namely in a dose of certain functioning

Kangaroo Mother Care: A review of mothers׳'experiences at Bwaila hospital and Zomba Central hospital (Malawi).

PubMed

Chisenga, Jayne Z; Chalanda, Marcia; Ngwale, Mathews

2015-02-01

Kangaroo Mother Care is an intervention that can help reduce neonatal mortality rate in Malawi but it has not been rolled out to all health facilities. Understanding the mothers׳ experience would help strategise when scaling-up this intervention. to review experiences of mothers Kangaroo Mother Care at two hospitals of Bwaila and Zomba. quantitative, descriptive using open interviews. two central hospitals in Malawi. 113 mothers that were in the Kangaroo Mother Care unit and those that had come for follow-up two weeks after discharge before the study took place. mothers had high level of knowledge about the significant benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care but 84% were not aware of the services prior to their hospitalisation. 18.6% (n=19) were not counselled prior to KMC practice. Mothers preferred KMC to incubator care. There were factors affecting compliance and continuation of KMC, which were lack of support, culture, lack of assistance with skin-to-skin contact, multiple roles of the mother and stigma. mothers had a positive attitude towards KMC once fully aware of its benefits. there is need for awareness campaigns on KMC services, provision of counselling, support and assistance which can help motivate mothers and their families to comply with the guidelines of KMC services. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Circulating levels of prolactin and progesterone in a wild population of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) Marsupialia: Macropodidae

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muths, E.; Hinds, L. A.

1996-01-01

Circulating progesterone and prolactin levels were measured in shot and live-caught wild red kangaroos using radioimmunoassays validated for the red kangaroo. The objective of the study was to correlate hormone profiles with reproductive status and determine if red kangaroos follow the general pattern elucidated for other macropodids. During Phase 2a lactation (<70 days) plasma progesterone concentrations were <189 pg/ml (n= 41). This value increased to >600 pg/ml (n= 32) during the transition to Phase 3 lactation (181 to 235 days) when the quiescent corpus luteum and embryo were reactivated. Progesterone concentrations then decreased to <300 pg/ml (n= 29) during dual lactation when females were suckling a neonate and a young at foot. Concentrations of prolactin during Phase 2a were <6 ng/ml (n= 17). Coincident with the period of reactivation of the diapausing blastocyst (181 to 235 days), plasma prolactin concentrations increased to 15 ng/ml (n= 32), then decreased and remained low through the subsequent stage of dual lactation. These results indicate that progesterone and prolactin profiles in wild red kangaroos follow patterns found previously in other macropodid species, the tammar and Bennett's wallabies.

An ecological comparison of the two arid-zone kangaroos of Australia, and their anomalous prosperity since the introduction of ruminant stock to their environment.

PubMed

Newsome, A E

1975-12-01

This paper discusses the interactions between the large and medium-sized marsupials, the introduced ruminant domestic stock, and the environment in the arid zone of Australia. The grazing of sheep and cattle has produced suitable subclimax pastures which today favor two sympatric kangaroos but not the smaller bandicoots and wallabies. Tall grass tussocks used as shelter by the latter have been grazed down by the ruminants, and replaced by "marsupial lawns" or xeric spinifex, depending on locality, thereby improving the food supplies for the plains kangaroo and the hill kangaroo, respectively. It is argued, however, that even these smaller marsupials benefited originally from the new grazing regime. Patchy grazing of the grasslands probably created edge effects and other early seral changes which improved the food supplies while leaving adequate shelter. Continued grazing by increasingly large numbers of sheep and cattle ultimately and critically removed the shelter and, therefore, eliminated the bandicoots and wallabies. There is evidence that the plains kangaroo, though generally abundant at the present time, is vulnerable to competitive displacement by sheep, cattle, rabbits, and, in one region, by the hill kangaroo when it invades the plains. The plains kangaroo with its diet of green herbage is most threatened during droughts because the other herbivores have finer-grained diets. Like the bandicoots and wallabies the plains kangaroo in at least two localities appears to have first increased in numbers and then decreased. Sheep and cattle numbers have generally done the same. It is postulated, therefore, that there may not be two opposing response curves for the large and medium-sized marsupials to the ruminant invasion of the inland plains, but, in the long run, only one: an initial numerical increase and then decline. Only the time-scale is different, taking 50 years or more for the plains kangaroo, but perhaps half that time or less for the bandicoots and

Immunocontraception of Eastern Grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) with recombinant brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) ZP3 protein.

PubMed

Kitchener, Anne L; Harman, Amanda; Kay, David J; McCartney, Carmen A; Mate, Karen E; Rodger, John C

2009-01-01

This study examined the potential of a recombinant marsupial zona pellucida 3 protein as a contraceptive vaccine for the Eastern Grey kangaroo, a marsupial that is locally overabundant in several regions of eastern Australia. First, a pilot study using porcine zona pellucidae (PZP) demonstrated that ZP proteins, primarily the ZP3 component of PZP, are highly immunogenic in the grey kangaroo and produce a long-lasting humoral response to a single immunisation, as found in other marsupials. Immunisation with 300 microg of a non-glycosylated recombinant brushtail possum ZP3 (recBP-ZP3) protein in complete Freund's adjuvant produced a similar, significant and sustained antibody response, and none of the immunised kangaroos (n=7) produced offspring during the following breeding season compared with four out of the six control animals. An epitope analysis of the B-cell response to recBP-ZP3 using a brushtail possum ZP3 identified numerous B-cell epitope regions clustered around the N- and C-terminal regions of the protein. Two regions of interest for further fertility vaccine development based on their immunogenicity and fertility trials and functional studies in other species were found to be immunogenic. These results suggest that immunocontraception based on targeting the ZP3 protein within the zona pellucida may be an effective strategy for fertility reduction in Eastern Grey kangaroos.

Kangaroo mother care for low birth weight infants: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Suman, Rao P N; Udani, Rekha; Nanavati, Ruchi

2008-01-01

To compare the effect of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) and conventional methods of care (CMC) on growth in LBW babies (> 2000 g). Randomized controlled trial. Level III NICU of a teaching institution in western India. 206 neonates with birth weight < 2000 g. The subjects were randomized into two groups: the intervention group (KMC-103) received Kangaroo mother care. The control group (CMC: 103) received conventional care. Growth, as measured by average daily weight gain and by other anthropometrical parameters at 40 weeks postmenstrual age in preterm babies and at 2500 g in term SGA infants was assessed. The KMC babies had better average weight gain per day (KMC: 23.99 g vs CMC: 15.58 g, P< 0.0001). The weekly increments in head circumference (KMC: 0.75 cm vs CMC: 0.49 cm, P = 0.02) and length (KMC: 0.99 cm vs CMC: 0.7 cm, P = 0.008) were higher in the KMC group. A significantly higher number of babies in the CMC group suffered from hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and sepsis. There was no effect on time to discharge. More KMC babies were exclusively breastfed at the end of the study (98% vs 76%). KMC was acceptable to most mothers and families at home. Kangaroo mother care improves growth and reduces morbidities in low birth weight infants. It is simple, acceptable to mothers and can be continued at home.

Water use and the thermoregulatory behaviour of kangaroos in arid regions: insights into the colonisation of arid rangelands in Australia by the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).

PubMed

Dawson, Terence J; McTavish, Kirsten J; Munn, Adam J; Holloway, Joanne

2006-01-01

The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) occurs mostly in the wetter regions of eastern Australia. However, in the past 30-40 years it has moved into more arid regions (rainfall < 250 mm), thus increasing its overlap zone with the xeric adapted Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus). An increased access to water (supplied for domestic stock) may explain this range extension, but changes in the availability of preferred feed could also be involved. The water use, drinking patterns and thermoregulatory behaviour of these two species of kangaroo have been examined in a semi-free range study, during summer at an arid rangeland site. Foraging was largely nocturnal in both species and during the day they behaved to reduce heat loads. This was especially so for M. giganteus, which showed greater shade seeking. However, it still used more water (72 +/- 2.6 mL kg(-1) day(-1), mean +/- SE) than M. rufus (56 +/- 7.6 mL kg(-1) day(-1)) and drank twice as frequently. Although M. giganteus produced a less concentrated urine (1422 +/- 36 mosmol kg(-1)) than M. rufus (1843 +/- 28 mosmol kg(-1)), kidney physiology did not explain all of the differences in water metabolism between the species. Water from the feed and faecal water retention also appear to be involved. Broadly, a better access to reliable water and the utilisation of mesic microhabitats has enabled M. giganteus to make inroads into the changing rangelands of eastern Australia. However, changes in the vegetation, due to stock grazing, have also favoured M. giganteus, which is a grass eating specialist.

Feasibility of kangaroo mother care in Mumbai.

PubMed

Kadam, Sandeep; Binoy, S; Kanbur, Wasundhara; Mondkar, J A; Fernandez, Armida

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of kangaroo care in a tertiary care hospital in India. A randomized controlled trial was performed over one year period in which 89 neonates were randomized into two groups kangaroo mother care (KMC) and conventional method of care (CMC). Forty-four babies were randomized into KMC group and 45 to CMC. There was significant reduction in KMC vs CMC group of hypothermia (10/44 vs 21/45, p-value < 0.01), higher oxygen saturations (95.7 vs 94.8%, p-value < 0.01) and decrease in respiratory rates (36.2 vs 40.7, p-value < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of hyperthermia, sepsis, apnea, onset of breastfeeding and hospital stay in two groups. 79% of mothers felt comfortable during the KMC and 73% felt they would be able to give KMC at home. KMC is feasible, as mothers are already admitted in hospitals and are involved in the care of newborn. KMC is a simple and feasible intervention; acceptable to most mothers admitted in hospitals. There may be benefits in terms of reducing the incidence of hypothermia with no adverse effects of KMC demonstrated in the study. The present study has important implications in the care of LBW infants in the developing countries, where expensive facilities for conventional care may not be available at all place.

What is kangaroo mother care? Systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Chan, Grace J; Valsangkar, Bina; Kajeepeta, Sandhya; Boundy, Ellen O; Wall, Stephen

2016-06-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), often defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent or exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from the hospital has been effective in reducing the risk of mortality among preterm and low birth weight infants. Research studies and program implementation of KMC have used various definitions. To describe the current definitions of KMC in various settings, analyze the presence or absence of KMC components in each definition, and present a core definition of KMC based on common components that are present in KMC literature. We conducted a systematic review and searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the World Health Organization Regional Databases for studies with key words "kangaroo mother care", "kangaroo care" or "skin to skin care" from 1 January 1960 to 24 April 2014. Two independent reviewers screened articles and abstracted data. We screened 1035 articles and reports; 299 contained data on KMC and neonatal outcomes or qualitative information on KMC implementation. Eighty-eight of the studies (29%) did not define KMC. Two hundred and eleven studies (71%) included skin-to-skin contact (SSC) in their KMC definition, 49 (16%) included exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, 22 (7%) included early discharge criteria, and 36 (12%) included follow-up after discharge. One hundred and sixty-seven studies (56%) described the duration of SSC. There exists significant heterogeneity in the definition of KMC. A large number of studies did not report definitions of KMC. Skin-to-skin contact is the core component of KMC, whereas components such as breastfeeding, early discharge, and follow-up care are context specific. To implement KMC effectively development of a global standardized definition of KMC is needed.

What is kangaroo mother care? Systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

Chan, Grace J; Valsangkar, Bina; Kajeepeta, Sandhya; Boundy, Ellen O; Wall, Stephen

2016-01-01

Background Kangaroo mother care (KMC), often defined as skin–to–skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent or exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from the hospital has been effective in reducing the risk of mortality among preterm and low birth weight infants. Research studies and program implementation of KMC have used various definitions. Objectives To describe the current definitions of KMC in various settings, analyze the presence or absence of KMC components in each definition, and present a core definition of KMC based on common components that are present in KMC literature. Methods We conducted a systematic review and searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the World Health Organization Regional Databases for studies with key words “kangaroo mother care”, “kangaroo care” or “skin to skin care” from 1 January 1960 to 24 April 2014. Two independent reviewers screened articles and abstracted data. Findings We screened 1035 articles and reports; 299 contained data on KMC and neonatal outcomes or qualitative information on KMC implementation. Eighty–eight of the studies (29%) did not define KMC. Two hundred and eleven studies (71%) included skin–to–skin contact (SSC) in their KMC definition, 49 (16%) included exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, 22 (7%) included early discharge criteria, and 36 (12%) included follow–up after discharge. One hundred and sixty–seven studies (56%) described the duration of SSC. Conclusions There exists significant heterogeneity in the definition of KMC. A large number of studies did not report definitions of KMC. Skin–to–skin contact is the core component of KMC, whereas components such as breastfeeding, early discharge, and follow–up care are context specific. To implement KMC effectively development of a global standardized definition of KMC is needed. PMID:27231546

Complete genomic characterisation of two novel poxviruses (WKPV and EKPV) from western and eastern grey kangaroos.

PubMed

Bennett, Mark; Tu, Shin-Lin; Upton, Chris; McArtor, Cassie; Gillett, Amber; Laird, Tanya; O'Dea, Mark

2017-10-15

Poxviruses have previously been detected in macropods with cutaneous papillomatous lesions, however to date, no comprehensive analysis of a poxvirus from kangaroos has been performed. Here we report the genome sequences of a western grey kangaroo poxvirus (WKPV) and an eastern grey kangaroo poxvirus (EKPV), named for the host species from which they were isolated, western grey (Macropus fuliginosus) and eastern grey (Macropus giganteus) kangaroos. Poxvirus DNA from WKPV and EKPV was isolated and entire coding genome regions determined through Roche GS Junior and Illumina Miseq sequencing, respectively. Viral genomes were assembled using MIRA and SPAdes, and annotations performed using tools available from the Viral Bioinformatics Resource Centre. Histopathology and transmission electron microscopy analysis was also performed on WKPV and its associated lesions. The WKPV and EKPV genomes show 96% identity (nucleotide) to each other and phylogenetic analysis places them on a distinct branch between the established Molluscipoxvirus and Avipoxvirus genera. WKPV and EKPV are 170 kbp and 167 kbp long, containing 165 and 162 putative genes, respectively. Together, their genomes encode up to 47 novel unique hypothetical proteins, and possess virulence proteins including a major histocompatibility complex class II inhibitor, a semaphorin-like protein, a serpin, a 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/δ 5→4 isomerase, and a CD200-like protein. These viruses also encode a large putative protein (WKPV-WA-039 and EKPV-SC-038) with a C-terminal domain that is structurally similar to the C-terminal domain of a cullin, suggestive of a role in the control of host ubiquitination. The relationship of these viruses to members of the Molluscipoxvirus and Avipoxvirus genera is discussed in terms of sequence similarity, gene content and nucleotide composition. A novel genus within subfamily Chordopoxvirinae is proposed to accommodate these two poxvirus species from kangaroos; we suggest

Characterization of the estrous cycle and assessment of reproductive status in Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) with fecal progestin profiles.

PubMed

North, Lindsay A; Harder, John D

2008-03-01

The population of Matschie's tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matschiei) held in North American zoos has declined to critically low numbers, and information on the reproductive biology of tree kangaroos is limited. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the temporal features of the estrous cycle through the measurement of fecal progesterone metabolite (i.e., progestin) concentrations and (2) determine the reproductive status of female tree kangaroos in the captive population of North America through the identification of estrous cyclicity. Fecal pellets and observations of estrous behaviors were collected from 16 captive female tree kangaroos. Fecal pellets were sampled and extracted with methanol, and progestin concentrations were quantified using a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for progesterone and its metabolites. A progestin profile was obtained for each female by plotting fecal progestin concentrations for every third day over a 120-day period. Profiles for 12 of 16 females showed evidence of estrous cyclicity (P<0.01). The mean length of the estrous cycle was estimated at 58.9+/-2.4 days (n=11). Progestin concentrations were low during the first 15-20 days of the luteal phase and remained elevated above baseline only during the last 30.2+/-3.2 days of the luteal phase, which averaged 46.6+/-2.5 days in duration. The progestin profile observed in the estrous cycle of Matschie's tree kangaroos in this study is very similar to that seen in the non-pregnant cycle of several other species in the family Macropodidae.

Permeability of roads to movement of scrubland lizards and small mammals.

PubMed

Brehme, Cheryl S; Tracey, Jeff A; McClenaghan, Leroy R; Fisher, Robert N

2013-08-01

A primary objective of road ecology is to understand and predict how roads affect connectivity of wildlife populations. Road avoidance behavior can fragment populations, whereas lack of road avoidance can result in high mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions. Many small animal species focus their activities to particular microhabitats within their larger habitat. We sought to assess how different types of roads affect the movement of small vertebrates and to explore whether responses to roads may be predictable on the basis of animal life history or microhabitat preferences preferences. We tracked the movements of fluorescently marked animals at 24 sites distributed among 3 road types: low-use dirt, low-use secondary paved, and rural 2-lane highway. Most data we collected were on the San Diego pocket mouse (Chaetodipus fallax), cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus), western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra), Dulzura kangaroo rat (Dipodomys simulans) (dirt, secondary paved), and deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) (highway only). San Diego pocket mice and cactus mice moved onto dirt roads but not onto a low-use paved road of similar width or onto the highway, indicating they avoid paved road substrate. Both lizard species moved onto the dirt and secondary paved roads but avoided the rural 2-lane rural highway, indicating they may avoid noise, vibration, or visual disturbance from a steady flow of traffic. Kangaroo rats did not avoid the dirt or secondary paved roads. Overall, dirt and secondary roads were more permeable to species that prefer to forage or bask in open areas of their habitat, rather than under the cover of rocks or shrubs. However, all study species avoided the rural 2-lane highway. Our results suggest that microhabitat use preferences and road substrate help predict species responses to low-use roads, but roads with heavy traffic may deter movement of a much wider range of small animal

Lens growth and protein changes in the eastern grey kangaroo

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Purpose Development in marsupials takes place predominantly ex utero while the young is attached to a nipple in the mother’s pouch, very different from that in other species. This study was undertaken to examine whether this affects lens growth and the production of lens proteins in kangaroos. Methods Fresh lenses were obtained at official culls from eastern gray kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). Wet weights were recorded for all and protein contents were determined for one lens from each animal. Dry weights, after fixation were obtained for 20 lenses. Ages were determined using both molar progression and total lens protein content. Lenses were divided into concentric layers by controlled dissolution using phosphate buffered saline. Samples were taken for determination of protein contents and dry weights, which were then used to determine the age of the layer removed. Soluble crystallin distributions were determined by fractionation of the centrifuged extracts using HPLC-GPC and the polypeptide contents of both soluble and insoluble proteins were assessed by SDS–PAGE. Results Lens growth is continuous from birth throughout adulthood and the increases in wet weight and fixed dry weight can be described with a single logistic growth functions for the whole life span. Three major crystallin classes, α-, β-, and γ-crystallins, were identified in the immature pouch-young animals aged around 60 days after birth. Adult lenses contain, in addition, the taxon-specific μ-crystallin. The proportions of these vary with the age of the lens tissue due to age related insolubilization as well as changes in the synthesis patterns. During early lactation (birth to 190 days), the α-, β-, and γ-crystallins represent 25, 53, and 20% of the total protein, respectively. After the pouch-young first releases the nipple (190 days), there is a rapid decrease in the production of γ-crystallins to around 5% of the total and a corresponding increase in μ-crystallin, from 0.5% to 15

Lens growth and protein changes in the eastern grey kangaroo.

PubMed

Augusteyn, Robert C

2011-01-01

Development in marsupials takes place predominantly ex utero while the young is attached to a nipple in the mother's pouch, very different from that in other species. This study was undertaken to examine whether this affects lens growth and the production of lens proteins in kangaroos. Fresh lenses were obtained at official culls from eastern gray kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). Wet weights were recorded for all and protein contents were determined for one lens from each animal. Dry weights, after fixation were obtained for 20 lenses. Ages were determined using both molar progression and total lens protein content. Lenses were divided into concentric layers by controlled dissolution using phosphate buffered saline. Samples were taken for determination of protein contents and dry weights, which were then used to determine the age of the layer removed. Soluble crystallin distributions were determined by fractionation of the centrifuged extracts using HPLC-GPC and the polypeptide contents of both soluble and insoluble proteins were assessed by SDS-PAGE. Lens growth is continuous from birth throughout adulthood and the increases in wet weight and fixed dry weight can be described with a single logistic growth functions for the whole life span. Three major crystallin classes, α-, β-, and γ-crystallins, were identified in the immature pouch-young animals aged around 60 days after birth. Adult lenses contain, in addition, the taxon-specific μ-crystallin. The proportions of these vary with the age of the lens tissue due to age related insolubilization as well as changes in the synthesis patterns. During early lactation (birth to 190 days), the α-, β-, and γ-crystallins represent 25, 53, and 20% of the total protein, respectively. After the pouch-young first releases the nipple (190 days), there is a rapid decrease in the production of γ-crystallins to around 5% of the total and a corresponding increase in μ-crystallin, from 0.5% to 15%. These changes were complete

Breast-Infant Temperature with Twins during Shared Kangaroo Care

PubMed Central

Ludington-Hoe, Susan M.; Lewis, Tina; Cong, Xiaomei; Anderson, Laurie; Morgan, Kathy; Reese, Stacey

2006-01-01

In a case study, two sets of premature twins were held in Shared Kangaroo Care (KC) while maternal breast and infant body temperatures were recorded. Infant temperatures remained warm and increased during KC and each breast appeared to respond to the thermal needs of the infant on that breast. Physiologic explanations for thermal synchrony exist. The data suggests that twins can be simultaneously held in KC without physiologic compromise. PMID:16620248

Plasma endotoxin activity in kangaroos with oral necrobacillosis (lumpy jaw disease) using an automated handheld testing system

PubMed Central

SOTOHIRA, Yukari; SUZUKI, Kazuyuki; SASAKI, Haruka; SANO, Tadashi; TSUCHIYA, Masakazu; SUZUKI, Yohko; SHIMAMORI, Toshio; TSUKANO, Kenji; SATO, Ayano; YOKOTA, Hiroshi; ASAKAWA, Mitsuhiko

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and effectiveness of directly determining endotoxin activity in plasma samples from kangaroos with lumpy jaw disease (LJD, n=15) and healthy controls (n=12). Prior to the present study, the ability of the commercially available automated handheld portable test system (PTSTM) to detect endotoxin activity in kangaroo plasma was compared with that of the traditional LAL-kinetic turbidimetric (KT) assay. Plasma samples, which were obtained from endotoxin-challenged cattle, were diluted 1:20 in endotoxin-free water and heated to 80°C for 10 min. The performance of the PTSTM was not significantly different from that of the traditional LAL-based assay. The data obtained using PTSTM correlated with those using KT (r2=0.963, P<0.001). These findings indicated that the PTSTM is applicable as a simplified system to assess endotoxin activity in macropods. In the present study, we demonstrated the diagnostic value of plasma endotoxin activity in kangaroos with systemic inflammation caused by oral necrobacillosis and identified plasma endotoxin activity as a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation in kangaroos with LJD. Based on ROC curves, we proposed a diagnostic cut-off point for endotoxin activity of >0.22 EU/ml for the identification of LJD. Our results indicate that the assessment of plasma endotoxin activity is a promising diagnostic tool for determining the outcome of LJD in captive macropods. PMID:26902804

Plasma endotoxin activity in kangaroos with oral necrobacillosis (lumpy jaw disease) using an automated handheld testing system.

PubMed

Sotohira, Yukari; Suzuki, Kazuyuki; Sasaki, Haruka; Sano, Tadashi; Tsuchiya, Masakazu; Suzuki, Yohko; Shimamori, Toshio; Tsukano, Kenji; Sato, Ayano; Yokota, Hiroshi; Asakawa, Mitsuhiko

2016-07-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and effectiveness of directly determining endotoxin activity in plasma samples from kangaroos with lumpy jaw disease (LJD, n=15) and healthy controls (n=12). Prior to the present study, the ability of the commercially available automated handheld portable test system (PTS(TM)) to detect endotoxin activity in kangaroo plasma was compared with that of the traditional LAL-kinetic turbidimetric (KT) assay. Plasma samples, which were obtained from endotoxin-challenged cattle, were diluted 1:20 in endotoxin-free water and heated to 80°C for 10 min. The performance of the PTS(TM) was not significantly different from that of the traditional LAL-based assay. The data obtained using PTS(TM) correlated with those using KT (r(2)=0.963, P<0.001). These findings indicated that the PTS(TM) is applicable as a simplified system to assess endotoxin activity in macropods. In the present study, we demonstrated the diagnostic value of plasma endotoxin activity in kangaroos with systemic inflammation caused by oral necrobacillosis and identified plasma endotoxin activity as a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation in kangaroos with LJD. Based on ROC curves, we proposed a diagnostic cut-off point for endotoxin activity of >0.22 EU/ml for the identification of LJD. Our results indicate that the assessment of plasma endotoxin activity is a promising diagnostic tool for determining the outcome of LJD in captive macropods.

The Effects of Kangaroo Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the Physiological Functions of Preterm Infants, Maternal-Infant Attachment, and Maternal Stress.

PubMed

Cho, Eun-Sook; Kim, Shin-Jeong; Kwon, Myung Soon; Cho, Haeryun; Kim, Eun Hye; Jun, Eun Mi; Lee, Sunhee

2016-01-01

This study was conducted to identify the effects of kangaroo care on the physiological functions of preterm infants, maternal-infant attachment, and maternal stress. For this study, a quasi-experiment design was used with a nonequivalent control group, and a pre- and post-test. Data were collected from preterm infants with corrected gestational ages of ≥33weeks who were hospitalized between May and October 2011. Twenty infants were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control group. As an intervention, kangaroo care was provided in 30-min sessions conducted thrice a week for a total of 10 times. The collected data were analyzed by using the t test, repeated-measures ANOVA, and the ANCOVA test. After kangaroo care, the respiration rate significantly differed between the two groups (F=5.701, p=.020). The experimental group had higher maternal-infant attachment scores (F=25.881, p<.001) and lower maternal stress scores (F=47.320, p<.001) than the control group after the test. In other words, kangaroo care showed significantly positive effects on stabilizing infant physiological functions such as respiration rate, increasing maternal-infant attachment, and reducing maternal stress. This study suggests that kangaroo care can be used to promote emotional bonding and support between mothers and their babies, and to stabilize the physiological functions of premature babies. Kangaroo care may be one of the most effective nursing interventions in the neonatal intensive care unit for the care of preterm infants and their mothers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Barriers and enablers of kangaroo mother care implementation from a health systems perspective: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Chan, Grace; Bergelson, Ilana; Smith, Emily R; Skotnes, Tobi; Wall, Stephen

2017-01-01

Abstract Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an evidence-based intervention that reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, adoption among health systems has varied. Understanding the interaction between health system functions—leadership, financing, healthcare workers (HCWs), technologies, information and research, and service delivery—and KMC is essential to understanding KMC adoption. We present a systematic review of the barriers and enablers of KMC implementation from the perspective of health systems, with a focus on HCWs and health facilities. Using the search terms ‘kangaroo mother care’, ‘skin to skin (STS) care’ and ‘kangaroo care’, we searched Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and World Health Organization Regional Databases. Reports and hand searched references from publications were also included. Screening and data abstraction were conducted by two independent reviewers using standardized forms. A conceptual model to assess KMC adoption themes was developed using NVivo software. Our search strategy yielded 2875 studies. We included 86 studies with qualitative data on KMC implementation from the perspective of HCWs and/or facilities. Six themes emerged on barriers and enablers to KMC adoption: buy-in and bonding; social support; time; medical concerns; training; and cultural norms. Analysis of interactions between HCWs and facilities yielded further barriers and enablers in the areas of training, communication, and support. HCWs and health facilities serve as two important adopters of Kangaroo Mother Care within a health system. The complex components of KMC lead to multifaceted barriers and enablers to integration, which inform facility, regional, and country-level recommendations for increasing adoption. Further research of methods to promote context-specific adoption of KMC at the health systems level is needed. PMID:28973515

Using faecal DNA to determine consumption by kangaroos of plants considered palatable to sheep.

PubMed

Ho, K W; Krebs, G L; McCafferty, P; van Wyngaarden, S P; Addison, J

2010-02-01

Disagreement exists within the scientific community with regards to the level of competition for feed between sheep and kangaroos in the Australian rangelands. The greatest challenge to solving this debate is finding effective means of determining the composition of the diets of these potential grazing competitors. An option is to adopt a non-invasive approach that combines faecal collection and molecular techniques that focus on faecal DNA as the primary source of dietary information. As proof-of-concept, we show that a DNA reference data bank on plant species can be established. This DNA reference data bank was then used as a library to identify plant species in kangaroo faeces collected in the southern rangelands of Western Australia. To enhance the method development and to begin the investigation of competitive grazing between sheep and kangaroos, 16 plant species known to be palatable to sheep were initially targeted for collection. To ensure that only plant sequences were studied, PCR amplification was performed using a universal primer pair previously shown to be specific to the chloroplast transfer RNA leucine (trnL) UAA gene intron. Overall, genus-specific, single and differently sized amplicons were reliably and reproducibly generated; enabling the differentiation of reference plants by PCR product length heterogeneity. However, there were a few plants that could not be clearly differentiated on the basis of size alone. This prompted the adoption of a post-PCR step that enabled further differentiation according to base sequence variation. Restriction endonucleases make sequence-specific cleavages on DNA to produce discrete and reproducible fragments having unique sizes and base compositions. Their availability, affordability and simplicity-of-use put restriction enzyme sequence (RES) profiling as a logical post-PCR step for confirming plant species identity. We demonstrate that PCR-RES profiling of plant and faecal matter is useful for the identification

Kangaroo supported diagonal flexion positioning: New insights into skin-to-skin contact for communication between mothers and very preterm infants.

PubMed

Buil, A; Carchon, I; Apter, G; Laborne, F X; Granier, M; Devouche, E

2016-09-01

Skin-to-skin contact shows benefits in the relationship developed between a mother and her premature infant. In the skin-to-skin session, face-to-face exchanges are impossible in vertical infant positioning. We therefore undertook an observational, prospective, single-center study using kangaroo "supported diagonal flexion" (SDF) positioning. The first aim was to evaluate the safety of kangaroo SDF positioning compared to the usual vertical positioning. The second aim was to evaluate SDF positioning on early communication between the mother and her infant and to improve their well-being. Fifteen mothers and their very premature infants (birth 26<32 weeks' gestation) were assigned to one of the two kangaroo positioning modes, either the current vertical positioning (n=7) or SDF positioning (n=8). Physiological variables and critical events were recorded before, during, and after ten successive skin-to-skin contact sessions. The first and last sessions were videotaped to allow later behavioral measurements. Mothers' risk for depression and feelings about the way they experienced communication with their infant were assessed through questionnaires. In terms of the infant's physiology, no negative effects were associated with SDF positioning in comparison with the usual vertical positioning. SDF positioning led to fewer disorganized gestures, negative vocalizations, and drowsiness, in favor of more deep sleep. SDF led to more mother-infant eye-to-eye contact as well as maternal vocalizations, smiles, and caressing, although these differences did not reach significance. The score for the risk of postnatal depression decreased significantly between the first and the last session in the SDF group, whereas it did not change in the vertical positioning group. These results support the idea that the kangaroo SDF positioning technique is physiologically safe, has obvious immediate benefits on mothers' infant-directed communicative behaviors, and respects the baby's naturally

Barriers and enablers of kangaroo mother care implementation from a health systems perspective: a systematic review.

PubMed

Chan, Grace; Bergelson, Ilana; Smith, Emily R; Skotnes, Tobi; Wall, Stephen

2017-12-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an evidence-based intervention that reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, adoption among health systems has varied. Understanding the interaction between health system functions-leadership, financing, healthcare workers (HCWs), technologies, information and research, and service delivery-and KMC is essential to understanding KMC adoption. We present a systematic review of the barriers and enablers of KMC implementation from the perspective of health systems, with a focus on HCWs and health facilities. Using the search terms 'kangaroo mother care', 'skin to skin (STS) care' and 'kangaroo care', we searched Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and World Health Organization Regional Databases. Reports and hand searched references from publications were also included. Screening and data abstraction were conducted by two independent reviewers using standardized forms. A conceptual model to assess KMC adoption themes was developed using NVivo software. Our search strategy yielded 2875 studies. We included 86 studies with qualitative data on KMC implementation from the perspective of HCWs and/or facilities. Six themes emerged on barriers and enablers to KMC adoption: buy-in and bonding; social support; time; medical concerns; training; and cultural norms. Analysis of interactions between HCWs and facilities yielded further barriers and enablers in the areas of training, communication, and support. HCWs and health facilities serve as two important adopters of Kangaroo Mother Care within a health system. The complex components of KMC lead to multifaceted barriers and enablers to integration, which inform facility, regional, and country-level recommendations for increasing adoption. Further research of methods to promote context-specific adoption of KMC at the health systems level is needed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Aerobic characteristics of red kangaroo skeletal muscles: is a high aerobic capacity matched by muscle mitochondrial and capillary morphology as in placental mammals?

PubMed

Dawson, Terence J; Mifsud, Brock; Raad, Matthew C; Webster, Koa N

2004-07-01

Marsupials and placentals together comprise the Theria, the advanced mammals, but they have had long independent evolutionary histories, with the last common ancestor occurring more than 125 million years ago. Although in the past the marsupials were considered to be metabolically 'primitive', the red kangaroo Macropus rufus has been reported to have an aerobic capacity (VO2max) comparable to that of the most 'athletic' of placentals such as dogs. However, kangaroos travel at moderate speeds with lower relative cost than quadrupedal placentals. Given the long independent evolution of the two therian groups, and their unusual locomotor energetics, do kangaroos achieve their high aerobic capacity using the same structural and functional mechanisms used by (athletic) placentals? Red kangaroo skeletal muscle morphometry matched closely the general aerobic characteristics of placental mammals. The relationship between total mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle and VO2max during exercise was identical to that in quadrupedal placentals, and differed from that in bipedal humans. As for placentals generally, red kangaroo mitochondrial oxygen consumption at VO2max was 4.7 ml O2 min(-1) ml(-1) of mitochondria. Also, the inner mitochondrial membrane densities were 35.8 +/- 0.7 m2 ml(-1) of mitochondria, which is the same as for placental mammals, and the same pattern of similarity was seen for capillary densities and volumes. The overall data for kangaroos was equivalent to that seen in athletic placentals such as dogs and pronghorns. Total skeletal muscle mass was high, being around 50% of body mass, and was concentrated around the pelvis and lower back. The majority of the muscles sampled had relatively high mitochondrial volume densities, in the range 8.8-10.6% in the major locomotor muscles. Again, capillary densities and capillary blood volumes followed the pattern seen for mitochondria. Our results indicate that the red kangaroo, despite its locomotion and extreme

Studies on the in vitro cultivation of ciliate protozoa from the kangaroo forestomach.

PubMed

Dehority, Burk A; Wright, André-Denis G

2014-08-01

The methods used for culturing rumen protozoa were found to be unsatisfactory for growth of ciliate protozoa from the kangaroo forestomach. Based on published measurements of physical parameters in the marsupial forestomach, several modifications were incorporated into the procedure, i.e., an increase in % hydrogen in the gas phase, adjustment of initial pH of the medium to 6.9-7.0 range, feed only forage as a substrate and incubate at a lower temperature (33-36 °C). Only incubation at the lower temperature increased survival time of the kangaroo protozoa. Two species of Bitricha were still viable after 28 d in culture. Cultures had to be terminated at that time. One of the species differed considerably in size and shape from previously described species and based on 18S rRNA data, may represent a new species of Bitricha. The second species, present in low numbers was identified as Bitricha oblata. In a separate trial, Macropodinium yalanbense survived for 11 d, at which time these cultures also had to be terminated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Augmenting superpopulation capture-recapture models with population assignment data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wen, Zhi; Pollock, Kenneth; Nichols, James; Waser, Peter

2011-01-01

Ecologists applying capture-recapture models to animal populations sometimes have access to additional information about individuals' populations of origin (e.g., information about genetics, stable isotopes, etc.). Tests that assign an individual's genotype to its most likely source population are increasingly used. Here we show how to augment a superpopulation capture-recapture model with such information. We consider a single superpopulation model without age structure, and split each entry probability into separate components due to births in situ and immigration. We show that it is possible to estimate these two probabilities separately. We first consider the case of perfect information about population of origin, where we can distinguish individuals born in situ from immigrants with certainty. Then we consider the more realistic case of imperfect information, where we use genetic or other information to assign probabilities to each individual's origin as in situ or outside the population. We use a resampling approach to impute the true population of origin from imperfect assignment information. The integration of data on population of origin with capture-recapture data allows us to determine the contributions of immigration and in situ reproduction to the growth of the population, an issue of importance to ecologists. We illustrate our new models with capture-recapture and genetic assignment data from a population of banner-tailed kangaroo rats Dipodomys spectabilis in Arizona.

A Reproductive Management Program for an Urban Population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus).

PubMed

Tribe, Andrew; Hanger, Jon; McDonald, Ian J; Loader, Jo; Nottidge, Ben J; McKee, Jeff J; Phillips, Clive J C

2014-09-15

Traditionally, culling has been the expedient, most common, and in many cases, the only tool used to control free-ranging kangaroo populations. We applied a reproductive control program to a population of eastern grey kangaroos confined to a golf course in South East Queensland. The program aimed to reduce fecundity sufficiently for the population to decrease over time so that overgrazing of the fairways and the frequency of human-animal conflict situations were minimised. In 2003, 92% of the female kangaroos above 5 kg bodyweight were implanted with the GnRH agonist deslorelin after darting with a dissociative anaesthetic. In 2007, 86% of the females above 5 kg were implanted with deslorelin and also 87% of the males above 5 kg were sterilised by either orchidectomy or vasectomy. In 2005, 2008 and 2009, the population was censused to assess the effect of each treatment. The 2003 deslorelin program resulted in effective zero population growth for approximately 2.5 years. The combined deslorelin-surgery program in 2007 reduced the birth rate from 0.3 to 0.06%/year for 16 months, resulting in a 27% population reduction by November 2009. The results were consistent with implants conferring contraception to 100% of implanted females for at least 12 months. The iatrogenic mortality rates for each program were 10.5% and 4.9%, respectively, with 50% of all mortalities due to darting-related injuries, exertional myopathy/hyperthermia or recovery misadventure. The short term sexual and agonistic behaviour of the males was assessed for the 2007 program: no significant changes were seen in adult males given the vasectomy procedure, while sexual behaviours' were decreased in adult males given the orchidectomy procedure. It is concluded that female reproduction was effectively controlled by implantation with deslorrelin and male reproductive behaviour was reduced by orchidectomy, which together achieved population control.

To compare growth outcomes and cost-effectiveness of "Kangaroo ward care" with "intermediate intensive care" in stable extremely low birth weight infants: randomized control trial.

PubMed

Sharma, Deepak; Murki, Srinivas; Pratap, Oleti Tejo

2017-07-01

To compare growth outcome and cost-effectiveness of "Kangaroo ward care" (KWC) with "Intermediate intensive care" (IIC) in stable extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. This is secondary analysis of the study and we analyzed 62 ELBW infants, 33 were randomized to KWC and 29 to IIC once the infant reached a weight of 1150 g. Infants in the KWC group were shifted to the Kangaroo ward immediately after randomization and in the IIC group received IIC care till they attain a weight of 1250 g before shifting to Kangaroo ward. The gain in weight (g/day), length (cm/week), and head circumference (cm/week) were comparable between the two groups. The mean weight, length, and head circumference were comparable at term gestational age. The infants in KWC group were shifted five days earlier to Kangaroo ward when compared to IIC group. The cost-effective analysis using "top-down" and "bottom-up" accounting method showed that there was significant reduction of hospital and parents expenditure in KWC group (p < 0.001) with approximate saving of 452 USD for each patient in the KWC group. Early shifting of ELBW infants for KWC is very efficacious and cost-effective intervention when compared to IIC. (CTRI/2014/05/004625).

Heart Rate Variability Responses of a Preterm Infant to Kangaroo Care

PubMed Central

McCain, Gail C.; Ludington-Hoe, Susan M.; Swinth, Joan Y.; Hadeed, Anthony J.

2006-01-01

A 35-week old preterm infant's behavior was fussy and restless in the open crib, but he calmed and fell asleep immediately on being placed skin-to-skin on his mother's chest. Heart rate variability (HRV), a noninvasive method to assess the autonomic nervous system's influence on heart rate, was increased with fussy behavior in the open crib and decreased with sleep during kangaroo care (KC). KC produced changes in behavior and HRV that are illustrative of decreasing stress. PMID:16282226

Isolation and characterization of a novel herpesvirus from a free-ranging eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).

PubMed

Vaz, Paola Karinna; Motha, Julian; McCowan, Christina; Ficorilli, Nino; Whiteley, Pam Lizette; Wilks, Colin Reginald; Hartley, Carol Anne; Gilkerson, James Rudkin; Browning, Glenn Francis; Devlin, Joanne Maree

2013-01-01

We isolated a macropodid herpesvirus from a free-ranging eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteous) displaying clinical signs of respiratory disease and possibly neurologic disease. Sequence analysis of the herpesvirus glycoprotein G (gG) and glycoprotein B (gB) genes revealed that the virus was an alphaherpesvirus most closely related to macropodid herpesvirus 2 (MaHV-2) with 82.7% gG and 94.6% gB amino acid sequence identity. Serologic analyses showed similar cross-neutralization patterns to those of MaHV-2. The two viruses had different growth characteristics in cell culture. Most notably, this virus formed significantly larger plaques and extensive syncytia when compared with MaHV-2. No syncytia were observed for MaHV-2. Restriction endonuclease analysis of whole viral genomes demonstrated distinct restriction endonuclease cleavage patterns for all three macropodid herpesviruses. These studies suggest that a distinct macropodid alphaherpesvirus may be capable of infecting and causing disease in eastern grey kangaroos.

Kangaroo-mother care method and neurobehavior of preterm infants.

PubMed

Silva, Margareth Gurgel de Castro; Barros, Marina Carvalho de Moraes; Pessoa, Úrsula Maria Lima; Guinsburg, Ruth

2016-04-01

To evaluate the effect of kangaroo-mother care (KMC) in preterm (PT) neurobehavior between 36 and 41 weeks post-conceptual age (PCA). A prospective cohort of 61 preterm infants with gestational age (GA) of 28-32 w evaluated by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS), with 36-41 w PCA. Infants with clinical instability were excluded. They were analyzed in 2 groups: - Kangaroo (KAN): KMC for 7 or more days; Conventional (CON): did not receive KMC. Scores of the 13 NNNS variables were compared between groups and the effect of KMC in the scores of the variables of NNNS were evaluated by multiple linear regression, controlling for confounders. The KAN groups (n=24) and CON (n=37) were similar regarding main demographic and clinical maternal and neonatal characteristics. Mean GA was 30.3 w; and birth weight was 1170 g for both groups. PT of KAN group were admitted in KMC with PCA of 35.8 w (38.5 days of life) and remained with this care for 14.3 days. The NNNS was applied 13 days after the start of KMC. PT submitted to KMC showed higher quality of movements (KAN: 4.98 ± 0.53 vs CON: 4.53 ± 0.47; p=0.001) and lower scores on Signs of stress and abstinence (KAN: 0.03 ± 0.03 vs CON: 0.05 ± 0.03; p=0.001). Controlling for confounders, the KMC was associated with higher scores on the variables Attention, Quality of movements, and lower scores on Asymmetry and Signs of stress and abstinence. PT submitted to the KMC, compared to those non-submitted, have better neurobehavior performance between 36 and 41 weeks of post-conceptual age. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Vertical leaping mechanics of the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa reveal specialization for maneuverability rather than elastic energy storage.

PubMed

Moore, Talia Y; Rivera, Alberto M; Biewener, Andrew A

2017-01-01

Numerous historical descriptions of the Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Jaculus jaculus , a small bipedal mammal with elongate hindlimbs, make special note of their extraordinary leaping ability. We observed jerboa locomotion in a laboratory setting and performed inverse dynamics analysis to understand how this small rodent generates such impressive leaps. We combined kinematic data from video, kinetic data from a force platform, and morphometric data from dissections to calculate the relative contributions of each hindlimb muscle and tendon to the total movement. Jerboas leapt in excess of 10 times their hip height. At the maximum recorded leap height (not the maximum observed leap height), peak moments for metatarso-phalangeal, ankle, knee, and hip joints were 13.1, 58.4, 65.1, and 66.9 Nmm, respectively. Muscles acting at the ankle joint contributed the most work (mean 231.6 mJ / kg Body Mass) to produce the energy of vertical leaping, while muscles acting at the metatarso-phalangeal joint produced the most stress (peak 317.1 kPa). The plantaris, digital flexors, and gastrocnemius tendons encountered peak stresses of 25.6, 19.1, and 6.0 MPa, respectively, transmitting the forces of their corresponding muscles (peak force 3.3, 2.0, and 3.8 N, respectively). Notably, we found that the mean elastic energy recovered in the primary tendons of both hindlimbs comprised on average only 4.4% of the energy of the associated leap. The limited use of tendon elastic energy storage in the jerboa parallels the morphologically similar heteromyid kangaroo rat, Dipodomys spectabilis . When compared to larger saltatory kangaroos and wallabies that sustain hopping over longer periods of time, these small saltatory rodents store and recover less elastic strain energy in their tendons. The large contribution of muscle work, rather than elastic strain energy, to the vertical leap suggests that the fitness benefit of rapid acceleration for predator avoidance dominated over the need to enhance

Characterization of culturable anaerobic bacteria from the forestomach of an eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus.

PubMed

Ouwerkerk, D; Klieve, A V; Forster, R J; Templeton, J M; Maguire, A J

2005-01-01

To determine the culturable biodiversity of anaerobic bacteria isolated from the forestomach contents of an eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, using phenotypic characterization and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Bacteria from forestomach contents of an eastern grey kangaroo were isolated using anaerobic media containing milled curly Mitchell grass (Astrebla lappacea). DNA was extracted and the 16S rDNA sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. Forty bacterial isolates were obtained and placed in 17 groups based on phenotypic characteristics and restriction enzyme digestion of 16S rDNA PCR products. DNA sequencing revealed that the 17 groups comprised five known species (Clostridium butyricum, Streptococcus bovis, Clostridium sporogenes, Clostridium paraputrificum and Enterococcus avium) and 12 groups apparently representing new species, all within the phylum Firmicutes. Foregut contents from Australian macropod marsupials contain a microbial ecosystem with a novel bacterial biodiversity comprising a high percentage of previously unrecognized species. This study adds to knowledge of Australia's unique biodiversity, which may provide a future bioresource of genetic information and bacterial species of benefit to agriculture.

Reproductive implications of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus ocydromus).

PubMed

Mayberry, Chris; Maloney, Shane K; Mitchell, Jeff; Mawson, Peter R; Bencini, Roberta

2014-04-01

Australian marsupials are thought to be particularly vulnerable to pathologic impacts of Toxoplasma gondii, and they may be similarly affected by Neospora caninum. Pathology due to either organism could be expressed as reduced female reproductive performance. We studied adult female western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus ocydromus) from suburban Perth, Western Australia, between May 2006 and October 2008. We used indirect fluorescent antibody tests to look for evidence of exposure to T. gondii and N. caninum in M. fuliginosus ocydromus and tested the association between their reproductive performance and a positive test result. Although 20% of plasma samples collected from 102 female kangaroos were positive for T. gondii and 18% were positive for N. caninum, we found no association between positive results and reproductive performance. Further study will be required to clarify if, and under what circumstances, T. gondii and N. caninum are pathogenic to macropod marsupials.

Seasonal variation in kangaroo tooth enamel oxygen and carbon isotopes in southern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brookman, Tom H.; Ambrose, Stanley H.

2012-09-01

Serial sampling of tooth enamel growth increments for carbon and oxygen isotopic analyses of Macropus (kangaroo) teeth was performed to assess the potential for reconstructing paleoseasonality. The carbon isotope composition of tooth enamel apatite carbonate reflects the proportional intake of C3 and C4 vegetation. The oxygen isotopic composition of enamel reflects that of ingested and metabolic water. Tooth enamel forms sequentially from the tip of the crown to the base, so dietary and environmental changes during the tooth's formation can be detected. δ13C and δ18O values were determined for a series of enamel samples drilled from the 3rd and 4th molars of kangaroos that were collected along a 900 km north-south transect in southern Australia. The serial sampling method did not yield pronounced seasonal isotopic variation patterns in Macropus enamel. The full extent of dietary isotopic variation may be obscured by attenuation of the isotopic signal during enamel mineralisation. Brachydont (low-crowned) Macropus teeth may be less sensitive to seasonal variation in isotopic composition due to time-averaging during mineralisation. However, geographic variations observed suggest that there may be potential for tracking latitudinal shifts in vegetation zones and seasonal environmental patterns in response to climate change.

CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS VAR. GRUBII-ASSOCIATED RENAL AMYLOIDOSIS CAUSING PROTEIN-LOSING NEPHROPATHY IN A RED KANGAROO (MACROPUS RUFUS).

PubMed

Thurber, Mary Irene; Gjeltema, Jenessa; Sheley, Matthew; Wack, Ray F

2017-09-01

A 10-year-old male castrated red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) presented with mandibular swelling. Examination findings included pitting edema with no dental disease evident on examination or radiographs. The results of blood work were moderate azotemia, hypoalbuminemia, and severely elevated urine protein:creatinine ratio (9.9). Radiographs showed an interstitial pattern of the caudal right lung, and an abdominal ultrasound demonstrated scant effusion. Symptomatic and empirical therapy with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor did not resolve clinical signs. Due to poor prognosis and declining quality of life, euthanasia was elected. Necropsy revealed chronic granulomatous pneumonia of the caudal right lung lobe with intralesional Cryptococcus, identified as C. neoformans var. grubii by DNA sequencing. Severe bilateral glomerular and tubulointerstitial amyloidosis induced protein-losing nephropathy, leading to tri-cavitary effusion, subcutaneous edema, and cachexia. The authors speculate that renal amyloidosis was associated with chronic cryptococcal pneumonia in this red kangaroo.

Phylogeography of the dark kangaroo mouse, Microdipodops megacephalus: cryptic lineages and dispersal routes in North America's Great Basin.

PubMed

Hafner, John C; Upham, Nathan S

2011-06-01

AIM: The rodent genus Microdipodops (kangaroo mice) includes two sand-obligate endemics of the Great Basin Desert: M. megacephalus and M. pallidus. The dark kangaroo mouse, M. megacephalus, is distributed throughout the Great Basin and our principal aims were to formulate phylogenetic hypotheses for this taxon and make phylogeographical comparisons with its congener. LOCATION: The Great Basin Desert of western North America. METHODS: DNA sequence data from three mitochondrial genes were examined from 186 individuals of M. megacephalus, representing 47 general localities. Phylogenetic inference was used to analyse the sequence data. Directional analysis of phylogeographical patterns was used to examine haplotype sharing patterns and recover routes of gene exchange. Haplotype-area curves were constructed to evaluate the relationship between genetic variation and distributional island size for M. megacephalus and M. pallidus. RESULTS: Microdipodops megacephalus is a rare desert rodent (trapping success was 2.67%). Temporal comparison of trapping data shows that kangaroo mice are becoming less abundant in the study area. The distribution has changed slightly since the 1930s but many northern populations now appear to be small, fragmented, or locally extinct. Four principal phylogroups (the Idaho isolate and the western, central and eastern clades) are evident; mean sequence divergence between phylogroups for cytochrome b is c. 8%. Data from haplotype sharing show two trends: a north-south trend and a web-shaped trend. Analyses of haplotype-area curves reveal significant positive relationships. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: The four phylogroups of M. megacephalus appear to represent morphologically cryptic species; in comparison, a companion study revealed two cryptic lineages in M. pallidus. Estimated divergence times of the principal clades of M. megacephalus (c. 2-4 Ma) indicate that these kangaroo mice were Pleistocene invaders into the Great Basin coincident with the formation

Effects of Simultaneous Radiofrequency Radiation and Chemical Exposure of Mammalian Cells. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-01

chromosome - - - - - - -I aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE). Yao (1982) exposed rat kangaroo RH5 and RH1l6 cells to 2.45 GHz radiation, and...control was reported in chromosome aberrations. Yac (1982) investigated the cytogenetic consequences of chronic microwave exposure on rat kangaroo RH5...was said to be 280C. The cells were exposed both as conidia, which are "rather inactive metabolically ," and also after DNA replication had been

Litigation Technical Support and Services, Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Biota Remedial Investigation, Version 3.2. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-01

significantly. while isodrin is an analog of endrtr and is converted metabolically to that compound. Analyses were also performed for I *l.-dichloro-2,2-bis...abundant are the deer mouse, prairie and meadow voles, and Ord’s kangaroo rat. Larger, more conspicuous rodents include the black-tailed prairie dog...meadow vole, Ord’s kangaroo rat, hispid pocket mouse, and silky pocket mouse(MKE, 1988). Tall weedy forb$, yucca, sand sagebrush, and cattails are

Parental involvement and kangaroo care in European neonatal intensive care units: a policy survey in eight countries.

PubMed

Pallás-Alonso, Carmen R; Losacco, Valentina; Maraschini, Alice; Greisen, Gorm; Pierrat, Veronique; Warren, Inga; Haumont, Dominique; Westrup, Björn; Smit, Bert J; Sizun, Jacques; Cuttini, Marina

2012-09-01

To compare, in a large representative sample of European neonatal intensive care units, the policies and practices regarding parental involvement and holding babies in the kangaroo care position as well as differences in the tasks mothers and fathers are allowed to carry out. Prospective multicenter survey. Neonatal intensive care units in eight European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Patients were not involved in this study. None. A structured questionnaire was mailed to 362 units (response rate 78%); only units with ≥50 very-low-birth-weight annual admissions were considered for this study. Facilities for parents such as reclining chairs near the babies' cots, beds, and a dedicated room were common, but less so in Italy and Spain. All units in Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Belgium reported encouraging parental participation in the care of the babies, whereas policies were more restrictive in Italy (80% of units), France (73%), and Spain (41%). Holding babies in the kangaroo care position was widespread. However, in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain, many units applied restrictions regarding its frequency (sometimes or on parents request only, rather than routinely), method (conventional rather than skin-to-skin), and clinical conditions (especially mechanical ventilation and presence of umbilical lines) that would prevent its practice. In these countries, fathers were routinely offered kangaroo care less frequently than mothers (p < .001) and less often it was skin-to-skin (p < .0001). This study showed that, although the majority of units in all countries reported a policy of encouraging both parents to take part in the care of their babies, the intensity and ways of involvement as well as the role played by mothers and fathers varied within and between countries.

Changing patterns of meat consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Australia: Will kangaroo meat make a difference?

PubMed Central

Ratnasiri, Shyama; Bandara, Jayatilleke

2017-01-01

The Australian per capita consumption of ruminant meat such as beef and lamb has declined over the last two decades. Over the same period, however, per capita consumption of non-ruminant meat such as chicken and pork has continued to increase. Furthermore, it is now observed that the human consumption of kangaroo meat is on the rise. This study investigates the implications of these changes in meat consumption patterns on Green House Gases (GHGs) emission mitigation in Australia using a Vector Auto Regression (VAR) forecasting approach. Our results suggest that the increase will continue in non-ruminant meat consumption and this will not only offset the decline in ruminant meat consumption, but will also raise the overall per capita meat consumption by approximately 1% annually. The per capita GHGs emissions will likely decrease by approximately 2.3% per annum, due to the inclusion of non-ruminant meat in Australian diets. The GHGs emissions can further be reduced if the average Australian consumer partially replaces ruminant meat with kangaroo meat. PMID:28196141

Changing patterns of meat consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Australia: Will kangaroo meat make a difference?

PubMed

Ratnasiri, Shyama; Bandara, Jayatilleke

2017-01-01

The Australian per capita consumption of ruminant meat such as beef and lamb has declined over the last two decades. Over the same period, however, per capita consumption of non-ruminant meat such as chicken and pork has continued to increase. Furthermore, it is now observed that the human consumption of kangaroo meat is on the rise. This study investigates the implications of these changes in meat consumption patterns on Green House Gases (GHGs) emission mitigation in Australia using a Vector Auto Regression (VAR) forecasting approach. Our results suggest that the increase will continue in non-ruminant meat consumption and this will not only offset the decline in ruminant meat consumption, but will also raise the overall per capita meat consumption by approximately 1% annually. The per capita GHGs emissions will likely decrease by approximately 2.3% per annum, due to the inclusion of non-ruminant meat in Australian diets. The GHGs emissions can further be reduced if the average Australian consumer partially replaces ruminant meat with kangaroo meat.

Populations at risk: conservation genetics of kangaroo mice (Microdipodops) of the Great Basin Desert.

PubMed

Andersen, John J; Portnoy, David S; Hafner, John C; Light, Jessica E

2013-08-01

The Great Basin Desert of western North America has experienced frequent habitat alterations due to a complex biogeographic history and recent anthropogenic impacts, with the more recent alterations likely resulting in the decline of native fauna and flora. Dark (Microdipodops megacephalus) and pallid (M. pallidus) kangaroo mice are ecological specialists found within the Great Basin Desert and are potentially ideal organisms for assessing ecosystem health and inferring the biogeographic history of this vulnerable region. Herein, newly acquired nuclear-encoded microsatellite loci were utilized to assess patterns of variation within and among spatially discrete groups of kangaroo mice and to evaluate gene flow, demographic trends, and genetic integrity. Results confirm that there are at least three genetically distinct units within M. megacephalus and two such units within M. pallidus. The three units of M. megacephalus appear to have different demographic histories, with effectively no gene flow among them since their divergence. Similarly, the two units of M. pallidus also appear to have experienced different demographic histories, with effectively no gene exchange. Contemporary effective population sizes of all groups within Microdipodops appear to be low (<500), suggesting that each genetic lineage may have difficulty coping with changing environmental pressures and hence may be at risk of extirpation. Results of this study indicate that each Microdipodops group should be recognized, and therefore managed, as a separate unit in an effort to conserve these highly specialized taxa that contribute to the diversity of the Great Basin Desert ecosystem. The Great Basin Desert of western North America has experienced frequent habitat alterations due to a complex biogeographic history and recent anthropogenic impacts, with the more recent alterations likely resulting in the decline of native fauna and flora. Herein, newly acquired nuclear-encoded microsatellite

Kangaroo care for adoptive parents and their critically ill preterm infant.

PubMed

Parker, Leslie; Anderson, Gene Cranston

2002-01-01

In this case study kangaroo care (KC) was facilitated for an adoptive mother and father who were planning to attend the birth of the infant they had arranged to adopt. Unexpectedly, the birth mother delivered at 27 weeks gestation. The infant was critically ill and required mechanical ventilation. However, in this neonatal intensive care unit where all adoptive parents and parents of mechanically ventilated infants are offered KC, these adoptive parents began KC on Day 3 while their infant daughter was still mechanically ventilated. She thrived thereafter and the entire experience was profoundly beneficial for this beginning family both at the hospital and after discharge home.

Does daily kangaroo care provide sustained pain and stress relief in preterm infants?

PubMed

Mitchell, A J; Yates, C C; Williams, D K; Chang, J Y; Hall, R Whit

2013-01-01

1. Determine whether stress in preterm infants, measured with salivary cortisol, decreases after five days of Kangaroo Care (KC) compared to five days of Standard Care (SC). 2. To determine whether kangaroo care provides sustainable pain relief beyond the period of skin-to-skin holding. Preterm infants (n = 38) born at 27-30 weeks gestational age were randomized to either the KC or the SC group and received the allocated intervention starting on day of life (DOL) five and continuing for five days. Salivary cortisol was collected on DOL five and again on DOL ten. Differences were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and t tests. Pain during nasal suctioning over five days was assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). 1. Adequate saliva samples for salivary cortisol were collected for 13 KC infants and 11 SC infants. There was no main effect of group (p = 0.49), but there was a significant main effect of age (DOL five versus DOL ten), with salivary cortisol levels decreasing in both groups (p = 0.02). 2. Pain scores for both groups (n = 38) indicted mild to moderate pain during suctioning, with no significant difference in pain scores between groups. 1. KC did not affect salivary cortisol levels in preterm neonates, but levels in both the KC and SC groups decreased over time from DOL five to ten. Salivary cortisol may vary with age of infant. 2. Infants experience pain during routine suctioning and may require pain management.

Spatial dynamics of the bacterial community structure in the gastrointestinal tract of red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

PubMed

Li, Meirong; Jin, Wei; Li, Yuanfei; Zhao, Lingling; Cheng, Yanfen; Zhu, Weiyun

2016-06-01

The quantification and community of bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (stomach, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon and rectum) of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) were examined by using real-time PCR and paired-end Illumina sequencing. The quantification of bacteria showed that the number of bacteria in jejunum and rectum was significantly lower than that in colon and cecum (P < 0.05). A total of 1,872,590 sequences was remained after quality-filtering and 50,948 OTUs were identified at the 97 % similarity level. The dominant phyla in the GI tract of red kangaroos were identified as Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. At the level of genus, the samples from different parts of GI tract clustered into three groups: stomach, small intestine (jejunum and ileum) and large intestine (cecum and rectum). Prevotella (29.81 %) was the most dominant genus in the stomach and significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that in other parts of GI tract. In the small intestine, Bifidobacterium (33.04, 12.14 %) and Streptococcus (22.90, 19.16 %) were dominant genera. Unclassified Ruminococcaceae was the most dominant family in large intestine and the total relative abundance of unclassified bacteria was above 50 %. In identified genera, Dorea was the most important variable to discriminate large intestine and it was significantly higher in cecum than in stomach, small intestine and colon (P < 0.05). Bifidobacterium (21.89 %) was the only dominant genus in colon. Future work on culture in vitro and genome sequencing of those unidentified bacteria might give us insight into the function of these microorganisms in the GI tract. In addition, the comparison of the bacterial community in the foregut of kangaroos and other herbivores and the rumen might give us insight into the mechanism of fiber degradation and help us exploit approaches to improve the feed efficiency and subsequently, reduce the methane emission from herbivores.

The Differentiated Impact of Kangaroo Class Programmes in Quebec Primary Schools: Examining Behavioural Improvements in Relation to Student Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavoie, Christine; Couture, Caroline; Bégin, Jean-Yves; Massé, Line

2017-01-01

Inspired by Nurture Groups, Kangaroo Class (KC) programmes have been gradually expanding in francophone schools throughout the Canadian Province of Quebec. These classes are designed for primary students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBDs) and aim to provide children with a nurturing and predictable environment. To date, KC…

Biphasic Allometry of Cardiac Growth in the Developing Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus.

PubMed

Snelling, Edward P; Taggart, David A; Maloney, Shane K; Farrell, Anthony P; Seymour, Roger S

2015-01-01

Interspecific studies of adult mammals show that heart mass (M(h), g) increases in direct proportion to body mass (M(b), kg), such that M(h) ∝ M(b)(1.00). However, intraspecific studies on heart mass in mammals at different stages of development reveal considerable variation between species, M(h) ∝ M(b)(0.70-1.00). Part of this variation may arise as a result of the narrow body size range of growing placental mammals, from birth to adulthood. Marsupial mammals are born relatively small and offer an opportunity to examine the ontogeny of heart mass over a much broader body size range. Data from 29 western grey kangaroos Macropus fuliginosus spanning 800-fold in body mass (0.084-67.5 kg) reveal the exponent for heart mass decreases significantly when the joey leaves the pouch (ca. 5-6 kg body mass). In the pouch, the heart mass of joeys scales with hyperallometry, M(h(in-pouch)) = 6.39 M(b)(1.10 ± 0.05), whereas in free-roaming juveniles and adults, heart mass scales with hypoallometry, M(h(postpouch)) = 14.2 Mb(0.77 ± 0.08). Measurements of heart height, width, and depth support this finding. The relatively steep heart growth allometry during in-pouch development is consistent with the increase in relative cardiac demands as joeys develop endothermy and the capacity for hopping locomotion. Once out of the pouch, the exponent decreases sharply, possibly because the energy required for hopping is independent of speed, and the efficiency of energy storage during hopping increases as the kangaroo grows. The right:left ventricular mass ratios (0.30-0.35) do not change over the body mass range and are similar to those of other mammals, reflecting the principle of Laplace for the heart.

Postnatal development of orexin-A and orexin-B like immunoreactivities in the Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) hypothalamus.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Yukiyo; McKinley, Michael J; Nakazato, Masamitsu; Yamashita, Hiroshi; Shirahata, Akira; Ueta, Yoichi

2006-01-09

The Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is a marsupial, which is born in an extremely undeveloped state and has a long suckling period in the mother's pouch. In the present study, we examined the immunoreactivities of orexin-A (OXA) and orexin-B (OXB) in the hypothalamus of the Eastern grey kangaroo during the preweaning period, postweaning period and adulthood. In the preweaning period, only a few OXA- and OXB-like immunoreactive (LI) neurons and fibers were present and the intensity of staining was very weak. In the postweaning period, there was a pronounced increase in the numbers of OXA- and OXB-LI neurons and fibers and the intensity of the immunoreactivity was considerably stronger in comparison to the preweaning period. In the adult, the numbers of OXA- and OXB-LI neurons and fibers appeared to be slightly increased and the intensity was slightly stronger in comparison to the postweaning period. At all time periods, the distributions of OXA- and OXB-LI neurons was similar. The postnatal development of hypothalamic orexin neurons may be associated with developmental changes, including feeding behavior.

Microstructural and Compositional Features of the Fibrous and Hyaline Cartilage on the Medial Tibial Plateau Imply a Unique Role for the Hopping Locomotion of Kangaroo

PubMed Central

He, Bo; Wu, Jian Ping; Xu, Jiake; Day, Robert E.; Kirk, Thomas Brett

2013-01-01

Hopping provides efficient and energy saving locomotion for kangaroos, but it results in great forces in the knee joints. A previous study has suggested that a unique fibrous cartilage in the central region of the tibial cartilage could serve to decrease the peak stresses generated within kangaroo tibiofemoral joints. However, the influences of the microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of the central fibrous and peripheral hyaline cartilage on the function of the knee joints are still to be defined. The present study showed that the fibrous cartilage was thicker and had a lower chondrocyte density than the hyaline cartilage. Despite having a higher PG content in the middle and deep zones, the fibrous cartilage had an inferior compressive strength compared to the peripheral hyaline cartilage. The fibrous cartilage had a complex three dimensional collagen meshwork with collagen bundles parallel to the surface in the superficial zone, and with collagen bundles both parallel and perpendicular to the surface in the middle and deep zones. The collagen in the hyaline cartilage displayed a typical Benninghoff structure, with collagen fibres parallel to the surface in the superficial zone and collagen fibres perpendicular to the surface in the deep zone. Elastin fibres were found throughout the entire tissue depth of the fibrous cartilage and displayed a similar alignment to the adjacent collagen bundles. In comparison, the elastin fibres in the hyaline cartilage were confined within the superficial zone. This study examined for the first time the fibrillary structure, PG content and compressive properties of the central fibrous cartilage pad and peripheral hyaline cartilage within the kangaroo medial tibial plateau. It provided insights into the microstructure and composition of the fibrous and peripheral hyaline cartilage in relation to the unique mechanical properties of the tissues to provide for the normal activities of kangaroos. PMID:24058543

Microstructural and compositional features of the fibrous and hyaline cartilage on the medial tibial plateau imply a unique role for the hopping locomotion of kangaroo.

PubMed

He, Bo; Wu, Jian Ping; Xu, Jiake; Day, Robert E; Kirk, Thomas Brett

2013-01-01

Hopping provides efficient and energy saving locomotion for kangaroos, but it results in great forces in the knee joints. A previous study has suggested that a unique fibrous cartilage in the central region of the tibial cartilage could serve to decrease the peak stresses generated within kangaroo tibiofemoral joints. However, the influences of the microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of the central fibrous and peripheral hyaline cartilage on the function of the knee joints are still to be defined. The present study showed that the fibrous cartilage was thicker and had a lower chondrocyte density than the hyaline cartilage. Despite having a higher PG content in the middle and deep zones, the fibrous cartilage had an inferior compressive strength compared to the peripheral hyaline cartilage. The fibrous cartilage had a complex three dimensional collagen meshwork with collagen bundles parallel to the surface in the superficial zone, and with collagen bundles both parallel and perpendicular to the surface in the middle and deep zones. The collagen in the hyaline cartilage displayed a typical Benninghoff structure, with collagen fibres parallel to the surface in the superficial zone and collagen fibres perpendicular to the surface in the deep zone. Elastin fibres were found throughout the entire tissue depth of the fibrous cartilage and displayed a similar alignment to the adjacent collagen bundles. In comparison, the elastin fibres in the hyaline cartilage were confined within the superficial zone. This study examined for the first time the fibrillary structure, PG content and compressive properties of the central fibrous cartilage pad and peripheral hyaline cartilage within the kangaroo medial tibial plateau. It provided insights into the microstructure and composition of the fibrous and peripheral hyaline cartilage in relation to the unique mechanical properties of the tissues to provide for the normal activities of kangaroos.

Practical application of kangaroo mother care in preterm infants: clinical characteristics and safety of kangaroo mother care.

PubMed

Park, Hyun-kyung; Choi, Byeong Seon; Lee, Seung Jin; Son, In-A; Seol, In-Joon; Lee, Hyun Ju

2014-03-01

To determine the clinical characteristics and safety of kangaroo mother care (KMC) according to the gestational age (GA) or postmenstrual age (PMA). We conducted a prospective clinical study in 31 infants between 25 and 32 weeks' GA. The subjects were categorized into two groups (25-28 weeks' and 29-32 weeks' GA groups) to compare the clinical characteristics associated with KMC. Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and body temperature (BT) were longitudinally assessed for 60 min with respect to the PMA group (29-32 weeks' and 33-36 weeks' PMA groups). The authors analyzed 70 sessions with 31 infants (25-32 weeks' GA, birth weight 760-1740 g, 29-36 weeks' PMA). All infants had statistically significant higher temperatures during KMC than before KMC within clinically acceptable limits (P<0.001). We found a significantly lower variation of BT in the 25-28 weeks' GA group compared with the 29-32 weeks' GA group at 33-36 weeks' PMA, suggesting accelerated skin maturation in more premature infants (P<0.001). Our intermittent KMC was a safe and feasible method for preterm infants. Notably, at the same PMA, preterm infants in the lower at-birth GA group showed an advanced maturation of thermoregulation compared with those in the higher GA group.

Helping small babies survive: an evaluation of facility-based Kangaroo Mother Care implementation progress in Uganda

PubMed Central

Aliganyira, Patrick; Kerber, Kate; Davy, Karen; Gamache, Nathalie; Sengendo, Namaala Hanifah; Bergh, Anne-Marie

2014-01-01

Introduction Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death in Uganda, accounting for 38% of the nation's 39,000 annual newborn deaths. Kangaroo mother care is a high-impact; cost-effective intervention that has been prioritized in policy in Uganda but implementation has been limited. Methods A standardised, cross-sectional, mixed-method evaluation design was used, employing semi-structured key-informant interviews and observations in 11 health care facilities implementing kangaroo mother care in Uganda. Results The facilities visited scored between 8.28 and 21.72 out of the possible 30 points with a median score of 14.71. Two of the 3 highest scoring hospitals were private, not-for-profit hospitals whereas the second highest scoring hospital was a central teaching hospital. Facilities with KMC services are not equally distributed throughout the country. Only 4 regions (Central 1, Central 2, East-Central and Southwest) plus the City of Kampala were identified as having facilities providing KMC services. Conclusion KMC services are not instituted with consistent levels of quality and are often dependent on private partner support. With increasing attention globally and in country, Uganda is in a unique position to accelerate access to and quality of health services for small babies across the country. PMID:25667699

Helping small babies survive: an evaluation of facility-based Kangaroo Mother Care implementation progress in Uganda.

PubMed

Aliganyira, Patrick; Kerber, Kate; Davy, Karen; Gamache, Nathalie; Sengendo, Namaala Hanifah; Bergh, Anne-Marie

2014-01-01

Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death in Uganda, accounting for 38% of the nation's 39,000 annual newborn deaths. Kangaroo mother care is a high-impact; cost-effective intervention that has been prioritized in policy in Uganda but implementation has been limited. A standardised, cross-sectional, mixed-method evaluation design was used, employing semi-structured key-informant interviews and observations in 11 health care facilities implementing kangaroo mother care in Uganda. The facilities visited scored between 8.28 and 21.72 out of the possible 30 points with a median score of 14.71. Two of the 3 highest scoring hospitals were private, not-for-profit hospitals whereas the second highest scoring hospital was a central teaching hospital. Facilities with KMC services are not equally distributed throughout the country. Only 4 regions (Central 1, Central 2, East-Central and Southwest) plus the City of Kampala were identified as having facilities providing KMC services. KMC services are not instituted with consistent levels of quality and are often dependent on private partner support. With increasing attention globally and in country, Uganda is in a unique position to accelerate access to and quality of health services for small babies across the country.

A micro case study of the legal and administrative arrangements for river health in the Kangaroo River (NSW).

PubMed

Mooney, C; Farrier, D

2002-01-01

Kangaroo Valley is a drinking water supply catchment for Kangaroo Valley village, parts of the Southern Highlands and Sydney. It is also a popular recreation area both for swimming and canoeing. Land use has traditionally been dominated by dairy farming but there has been significant and continuing development of land for hobby farms and rural residential subdivision. Dairy industry restructuring has affected the viability of some farms in the Valley and created additional pressure for subdivision. River health is a function of flows, water quality, riparian vegetation, geomorphology and aquatic habitat and riverine biota. River flows in the Kangaroo River are affected by water extraction and storage for urban water supply and extraction by commercial irrigators and riparian land holders which have a significant impact at low flows. Current water quality often does not meet ANZECC Guidelines for primary contact and recreation and the river is a poor source of raw drinking water. Key sources of contaminants are wastewater runoff from agriculture, and poorly performing on-site sewage management systems. Riparian vegetation, which is critical to the maintenance of in-stream ecosystems suffers from uncontrolled stock access and weed infestation. The management of land use and resulting diffuse pollution sources is critical to the long term health of the river. The Healthy Rivers Commission of New South Wales Independent Inquiry into the Shoalhaven River System Final Report July, 1999 found that the longer term protection of the health of the Kangaroo River is contingent upon achievement of patterns of land use that have regard to land capability and also to the capability of the river to withstand the impacts of inappropriate or poorly managed land uses. This micro case study of Kangaroo Valley examines the complex legal and administrative arrangements with particular reference to the management of diffuse pollution for river health. In the past, diffuse pollution has

Ecosystem services from keystone species: diversionary seeding and seed-caching desert rodents can enhance Indian ricegrass seedling establishment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Longland, William; Ostoja, Steven M.

2013-01-01

Seeds of Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), a native bunchgrass common to sandy soils on arid western rangelands, are naturally dispersed by seed-caching rodent species, particularly Dipodomys spp. (kangaroo rats). These animals cache large quantities of seeds when mature seeds are available on or beneath plants and recover most of their caches for consumption during the remainder of the year. Unrecovered seeds in caches account for the vast majority of Indian ricegrass seedling recruitment. We applied three different densities of white millet (Panicum miliaceum) seeds as “diversionary foods” to plots at three Great Basin study sites in an attempt to reduce rodents' over-winter cache recovery so that more Indian ricegrass seeds would remain in soil seedbanks and potentially establish new seedlings. One year after diversionary seed application, a moderate level of Indian ricegrass seedling recruitment occurred at two of our study sites in western Nevada, although there was no recruitment at the third site in eastern California. At both Nevada sites, the number of Indian ricegrass seedlings sampled along transects was significantly greater on all plots treated with diversionary seeds than on non-seeded control plots. However, the density of diversionary seeds applied to plots had a marginally non-significant effect on seedling recruitment, and it was not correlated with recruitment patterns among plots. Results suggest that application of a diversionary seed type that is preferred by seed-caching rodents provides a promising passive restoration strategy for target plant species that are dispersed by these rodents.

Calcium carbonate obstructive urolithiasis in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

PubMed

Lindemann, Dana M; Gamble, Kathryn C; Corner, Sarah

2013-03-01

A 6-yr-old male red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) presented for a history of inappetance, abnormal behavior, and unconfirmed elimination for 6 hr prior to presentation. Based on abdominal ultrasound, abdominocentesis, and cystocentesis, a presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract obstruction with uroabdomen and hydronephrosis was reached. Abdominal radiographs did not assist in reaching an antemortem diagnosis. Postmortem examination confirmed a urinary bladder rupture secondary to urethral obstruction by a single urethrolith. Bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureter were identified and determined to be a result of bilateral ureteroliths. Urolith analysis revealed a composition of 100% calcium carbonate. A dietary analysis was performed, implicating an increased Ca:P ratio from a food preparation miscommunication as a contributing factor. Appropriate husbandry changes were made, and mob surveillance procedures were performed, which resolved the urolithiasis risk for the remaining five animals.

Kangaroo Mother Care: four years of experience in very low birth weight and preterm infants.

PubMed

Tuoni, C; Scaramuzzo, R T; Ghirri, P; Boldrini, A; Bartalena, L

2012-08-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a method of providing care for preterm infants through skin-to-skin contact with the mother and, preferably, exclusive breastfeeding. The growing interest in KMC at the Neonatology Unit of Pisa has provided the occasion for a retrospective analysis of the last four years, comparing the clinical effects of the kangaroo method vs. those obtained with conventional care (CNC) with respect to indicators of the general health of the infants (indices of growth, and duration of breastfeeding and hospitalization). A total of 213 infants, aged <37 gestational weeks and weighing ≤1500 g were enrolled for the study; these were divided into two groups for the purpose of comparison (91 in KMC vs. 71 in CNC). The indices of growth and the duration of the infants in hospital were not significantly different in the two groups. Nevertheless, it is worth noting how KMC is more efficacious in the very tiny VLBW infants, and that the means of the growth parameters in the KMC infants are greater than those referring to the CNC subjects, body temperatures taken at the beginning and end of a KMC session are higher, and that the mother-child relationship facilitates better sucking-feeding. While KMC is equivalent to CNC in terms of safety, thermal protection, morbidity and auxologic development, it appears to promote humanisation of infant care and mother-child bond more quickly.

Minimum daily core body temperature in western grey kangaroos decreases as summer advances: a seasonal pattern, or a direct response to water, heat or energy supply?

PubMed

Maloney, Shane K; Fuller, Andrea; Meyer, Leith C R; Kamerman, Peter R; Mitchell, Graham; Mitchell, Duncan

2011-06-01

Using implanted temperature loggers, we measured core body temperature in nine western grey kangaroos every 5 min for 24 to 98 days in spring and summer. Body temperature was highest at night and decreased rapidly early in the morning, reaching a nadir at 10:00 h, after ambient temperature and solar radiation had begun to increase. On hotter days, the minimum morning body temperature was lower than on cooler days, decreasing from a mean of 36.2°C in the spring to 34.0°C in the summer. This effect correlated better with the time of the year than with proximate thermal stressors, suggesting that either season itself or some factor correlated with season, such as food availability, caused the change. Water saving has been proposed as a selective advantage of heterothermy in other large mammals, but in kangaroos the water savings would have been small and not required in a reserve with permanent standing water. We calculate that the lower core temperature could provide energy savings of nearly 7%. It is likely that the heterothermy that we observed on hot days results either from decreased energy intake during the dry season or from a seasonal pattern entrained in the kangaroos that presumably has been selected for because of decreased energy availability during the dry season.

Cerebral motor function in very premature-at-birth adolescents: a brain stimulation exploration of kangaroo mother care effects.

PubMed

Schneider, Cyril; Charpak, Nathalie; Ruiz-Peláez, Juan G; Tessier, Réjean

2012-10-01

  Given that prematurity has deleterious effects on brain networking development beyond childhood, the study explored whether an early intervention such as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in very preterm preemies could have influenced brain motor function up to adolescence.   Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) of 39 adolescents born very prematurely (<33 weeks' gestational age, 21 having received KMC after birth, 18 Controls with no KMC) and nine adolescents born at term (>37 weeks' gestational age, >2500 g) to assess the functional integrity of motor circuits in each hemisphere (motor planning) and between hemispheres (callosal function).   All TMS outcomes were similar between KMC and term adolescents, with typical values as in healthy adults, and better than in Controls. KMC adolescents presented faster conduction times revealing more efficient M1 cell synchronization (p < 0.05) and interhemispheric transfer time (p < 0.0001), more frequent inhibitory processes with a better control between hemispheres (p < 0.0001).   The enhanced synchronization, conduction times and connectivity of cerebral motor pathways in the KMC group suggests that the Kangaroo Mother Care positively influenced the premature brain networks and synaptic efficacy up to adolescence. © 2012 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2012 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Hind limb scaling of kangaroos and wallabies (superfamily Macropodoidea): implications for hopping performance, safety factor and elastic savings

PubMed Central

McGowan, C P; Skinner, J; Biewener, A A

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine hind limb scaling of the musculoskeletal system in the Macropodoidea, the superfamily containing wallabies and kangaroos, to re-examine the effect of size on the locomotor mechanics and physiology of marsupial hopping. Morphometric musculoskeletal analyses were conducted of 15 species and skeletal specimens of 21 species spanning a size range from 0.8 to 80 kg that included representatives of 12 of the 16 extant genera of macropodoids. We found that unlike other groups, macropodoids are able to match force demands associated with increasing body size primarily through a combination of positive allometry in muscle area and muscle moment arms. Isometric scaling of primary hind limb bones suggests, however, that larger species experience relatively greater bone stresses. Muscle to tendon area ratios of the ankle extensors scale with strong positive allometry, indicating that peak tendon stresses also increase with increasing body size but to a lesser degree than previously reported. Consistent with previous morphological and experimental studies, large macropodoids are therefore better suited for elastic strain energy recovery but operate at lower safety factors, which likely poses an upper limit to body size. Scaling patterns for extant macropodoids suggest that extinct giant kangaroos (∼250 kg) were likely limited in locomotor capacity. PMID:18086129

The Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on Breast Feeding at the Time of NICU Discharge.

PubMed

Heidarzadeh, Mohammad; Hosseini, Mohammad Bagher; Ershadmanesh, Mashallah; Gholamitabar Tabari, Maryam; Khazaee, Soheila

2013-04-01

Exclusive breastfeeding is one of the most important essential components of Kangaroo Mother Care. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of KMC on exclusive breastfeeding just at the time of discharge. In this cross sectional study, 251 consecutive premature newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between May 2008 and May 2009 in Alzahra University Hospital in Tabriz were evaluated. All of candidate mothers were educated for KMC method by scheduled program. Standard questionnaire was prepared by focus group discussion, and mothers filled it prior to infant hospital discharge. In this study 157(62.5%) mothers performed kangaroo mother care (KMC group) versus 94 (37.5%) in conventional method care (CMC group). In KMC group exclusive breast feeding was 98 (62.5%) vs. 34 (37.5%), and P =.00 in CMC group, at the time of hospital discharge. Receiving KMC, and gestational age were the only effective factors predicting exclusive breastfeeding. Our result indicated that there was a 4.1 time increase in exclusive breastfeeding by KMC, and also weekly increase in gestational age increased it 1.2 times, but maternal age, birth weight, mode of delivery, and 5 minute Apgar score had no influence on it. KMC is more effective, and increases exclusive breast feeding successfully. It can be a good substitution for CMC (conventional methods of care). It is a safe, effective, and feasible method of care for LBWI even in the NICU settings.

Chromosome evolution in kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodidae): cross species chromosome painting between the tammar wallaby and rock wallaby spp. with the 2n = 22 ancestral macropodid karyotype.

PubMed

O'Neill, R J; Eldridge, M D; Toder, R; Ferguson-Smith, M A; O'Brien, P C; Graves, J A

1999-06-01

Marsupial mammals show extraordinary karyotype stability, with 2n = 14 considered ancestral. However, macropodid marsupials (kangaroos and wallabies) exhibit a considerable variety of karyotypes, with a hypothesised ancestral karyotype of 2n = 22. Speciation and karyotypic diversity in rock wallabies (Petrogale) is exceptional. We used cross species chromosome painting to examine the chromosome evolution between the tammar wallaby (2n = 16) and three 2n = 22 rock wallaby species groups with the putative ancestral karyotype. Hybridization of chromosome paints prepared from flow sorted chromosomes of the tammar wallaby to Petrogale spp., showed that this ancestral karyotype is largely conserved among 2n = 22 rock wallaby species, and confirmed the identity of ancestral chromosomes which fused to produce the bi-armed chromosomes of the 2n = 16 tammar wallaby. These results illustrate the fission-fusion process of karyotype evolution characteristic of the kangaroo group.

Multi-proxy monitoring approaches at Kangaroo Island, South Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixon, Bronwyn; Drysdale, Russell; Tyler, Jonathan; Goodwin, Ian

2017-04-01

Interpretations of geochemical signals preserved in young speleothems are greatly enhanced by comprehensive cave-site monitoring. In the light of this, a cave monitoring project is being conducted concurrently with the development of a new palaeoclimate record from Kelly Hill Cave (Kangaroo Island, South Australia). The site is strategically located because it is situated between longer-lived monitoring sites in southeastern and southwestern Australia, as well as being climatically 'upstream' from major population and agricultural centres. This study aims to understand possible controls on speleothem δ18O in Kelly Hill Cave through i. identification of local and regional δ18O drivers in precipitation; and ii. preservation and modification of climatic signals within the epikarst as indicated by dripwater δ18O. These aims are achieved through analysis of a five-year daily rainfall (amount and δ18O) dataset in conjunction with in-cave drip monitoring. Drivers of precipitation δ18O were identified through linear regression between δ18O values and local meteorological variables, air-parcel back trajectories, and synoptic-typing. Synoptically driven moisture sources were identified through the use of NCEP/NCAR climate reanalysis sea-level pressure, precipitable moisture, and outgoing longwave radiation data in order to trace moisture sources and travel mechanisms from surrounding ocean basins. Local controls on δ18O at Kelly Hill Cave are consistent with published interpretations of southern Australia sites, with oxygen isotopes primarily controlled by rainfall amount on both daily and monthly time scales. Back-trajectory analysis also supports previous observations that the Southern Ocean is the major source for moisture-bearing cold-front systems. However, synoptic typing of daily rainfall δ18O and amount extremes reveals a previously unreported tropical connection and moisture source. This tropical connection appears to be strongest in summer and autumn, but

Wildfires alter rodent community structure across four vegetation types in southern California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brehme, Cheryl S.; Clark, Denise R.; Rochester, Carlton J.; Fisher, Robert N.

2011-01-01

We surveyed burned and unburned plots across four habitat reserves in San Diego County, California, USA, in 2005 and 2006, to assess the effects of the 2003 wildfires on the community structure and relative abundance of rodent species. The reserves each contained multiple vegetation types (coastal sage scrub, chaparral, woodland, and grassland) and spanned from 250 m to 1078 m in elevation. Multivariate analyses revealed a more simplified rodent community structure in all burned habitats in comparison to unburned habitats. Reduction in shrub and tree cover was highly predictive of changes in post-fire rodent community structure in the burned coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats. Reduction in cover was not predictive for the less substantially burned woodlands and grasslands, for which we hypothesized that interspecific competition played a greater role in post-fire community structure. Across vegetation types, generalists and open habitat specialists typically increased in relative abundance, whereas closed habitat specialists decreased. We documented significant increases in relative abundance of the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus Wagner) and Dulzura kangaroo rat (Dipodomys simulans Merriam). In contrast, we found significant decreases in relative abundance for the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus Gambel), San Diego pocket mouse (Chaetodipus fallax Merriam), desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida Thomas), and brush mouse (Peromyscus boylii Baird). Currently, our research program involves assessment of whether habitat conservation plans (HCPs) in southern California provide long-term protection to HCP covered species, as well as preserve ecosystem function. The scenario of increased wildfires needs to be incorporated into this assessment. We discuss our results in relation to management and conservation planning under a future scenario of larger and more frequent wildfires in southern California.

Barriers and enablers of health system adoption of kangaroo mother care: a systematic review of caregiver perspectives.

PubMed

Smith, Emily R; Bergelson, Ilana; Constantian, Stacie; Valsangkar, Bina; Chan, Grace J

2017-01-25

Despite improvements in child survival in the past four decades, an estimated 6.3 million children under the age of five die each year, and more than 40% of these deaths occur in the neonatal period. Interventions to reduce neonatal mortality are needed. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is one such life-saving intervention; however it has not yet been fully integrated into health systems around the world. Utilizing a conceptual framework for integration of targeted health interventions into health systems, we hypothesize that caregivers play a critical role in the adoption, diffusion, and assimilation of KMC. The objective of this research was to identify barriers and enablers of implementation and scale up of KMC from caregivers' perspective. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and WHO regional databases using search terms 'kangaroo mother care' or 'kangaroo care' or 'skin to skin care'. Studies published between January 1, 1960 and August 19, 2015 were included. To be eligible, published work had to be based on primary data collection regarding barriers or enablers of KMC implementation from the family perspective. Abstracted data were linked to the conceptual framework using a deductive approach, and themes were identified within each of the five framework areas using Nvivo software. We identified a total of 2875 abstracts. After removing duplicates and ineligible studies, 98 were included in the analysis. The majority of publications were published within the past 5 years, had a sample size less than 50, and recruited participants from health facilities. Approximately one-third of the studies were conducted in the Americas, and 26.5% were conducted in Africa. We identified four themes surrounding the interaction between families and the KMC intervention: buy in and bonding (i.e. benefits of KMC to mothers and infants and perceptions of bonding between mother and infant), social support (i.e. assistance from other people to perform KMC), sufficient

The Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on Breast Feeding at the Time of NICU Discharge

PubMed Central

Heidarzadeh, Mohammad; Hosseini, Mohammad Bagher; Ershadmanesh, Mashallah; Gholamitabar Tabari, Maryam; Khazaee, Soheila

2013-01-01

Background Exclusive breastfeeding is one of the most important essential components of Kangaroo Mother Care. Objective This study was performed to evaluate the effects of KMC on exclusive breastfeeding just at the time of discharge. Patients and Methods In this cross sectional study, 251 consecutive premature newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between May 2008 and May 2009 in Alzahra University Hospital in Tabriz were evaluated. All of candidate mothers were educated for KMC method by scheduled program. Standard questionnaire was prepared by focus group discussion, and mothers filled it prior to infant hospital discharge. Results In this study 157(62.5%) mothers performed kangaroo mother care (KMC group) versus 94 (37.5%) in conventional method care (CMC group). In KMC group exclusive breast feeding was 98 (62.5%) vs. 34 (37.5%), and P =.00 in CMC group, at the time of hospital discharge. Receiving KMC, and gestational age were the only effective factors predicting exclusive breastfeeding. Our result indicated that there was a 4.1 time increase in exclusive breastfeeding by KMC, and also weekly increase in gestational age increased it 1.2 times, but maternal age, birth weight, mode of delivery, and 5 minute Apgar score had no influence on it. Conclusions KMC is more effective, and increases exclusive breast feeding successfully. It can be a good substitution for CMC (conventional methods of care). It is a safe, effective, and feasible method of care for LBWI even in the NICU settings. PMID:24083002

Influence of maternal factors on the successful outcome of kangaroo mother care in low birth-weight infants: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Lumbanraja, S N

2016-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is associated with positive neonatal outcomes. Studies demonstrated significant influence of maternal factors on the success of applying KMC. To determine maternal factors that influence on anthropometric parameters in low birth weight babies that received kangaroo mother care. This is a randomized controlled study that involved low birth weight newborns. We randomly assigned newborns into two groups; a group who received KMC and a group who received conventional care. Maternal factors were recorded. We followed weight, length, and head circumferences of newborns for thirty days. A total of 40 newborns were included. Weight parameters were significantly higher in the KMC group than the conventional group. From maternal characteristics, only gestational age was found to influence increased head circumference in KMC group (p = 0.035); however, it did not affect the increase in weight or length. Maternal age, parity, education, mode of delivery, fetal sex, and initial Apgar score did not influence growth parameters in either groups. KMC was associated with increased weight gain in LBW infants. Gestational age influences head growth in infants who received KMC.

Does kangaroo mother care save lives?

PubMed

Pattinson, R C; Bergh, A-M; Malan, A F; Prinsloo, R

2006-12-01

To assess the impact of the introduction of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in hospitals using the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme (PPIP) in South Africa, a survey was conducted of the PPIP sentinel sites in South Africa requesting information on the practice of KMC in the hospital and if practised, when it had been initiated. Data on live births and the neonatal deaths of infants weighing between 1000 and 1999 g for each institution were obtained from the national PPIP database and, where applicable, divided into two periods, before and after the introduction of KMC. The practice of KMC and PPIP data could be combined for 40 of the hospitals that had responded to the survey. Of these, eight hospitals had not initiated KMC by January 2005, 21 had PPIP data for a period after KMC had commenced and 11 had PPIP data for periods before and after the introduction of KMC. The neonatal death rate (NNDR) for all hospitals with no KMC or before the introduction of KMC was 88.14/1000 live births, whereas the NNDR for hospitals with KMC or after the introduction of KMC was 71.43/1000 live births [relative risk (RR) 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.91]. For the 11 hospitals that had reliable PPIP data for periods before and after the initiation of KMC, the NNDR was 87.72/1000 live births before KMC and 60.76/1000 live births after KMC had been introduced (RR 0.62; 95% CI 0.53-0.73). The large and significant reduction in the NNDR of neonates weighing between 1000 and 1999 g was associated with the introduction of KMC.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Kangaroos Persistently Avoid Areas with Experimentally Deployed Dingo Scents

PubMed Central

Parsons, Michael H.; Blumstein, Daniel T.

2010-01-01

Background Whether or not animals habituate to repeated exposure to predator scents may depend upon whether there are predators associated with the cues. Understanding the contexts of habituation is theoretically important and has profound implication for the application of predator-based herbivore deterrents. We repeatedly exposed a mixed mob of macropod marsupials to olfactory scents (urine, feces) from a sympatric predator (Canis lupus dingo), along with a control (water). If these predator cues were alarming, we expected that over time, some red kangaroos (Macropus rufous), western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) would elect to not participate in cafeteria trials because the scents provided information about the riskiness of the area. Methodology/Principal Findings We evaluated the effects of urine and feces independently and expected that urine would elicit a stronger reaction because it contains a broader class of infochemicals (pheromones, kairomones). Finally, we scored non-invasive indicators (flight and alarm stomps) to determine whether fear or altered palatability was responsible for the response. Repeated exposure reduced macropodid foraging on food associated with 40 ml of dingo urine, X = 986.75±3.97 g food remained as compared to the tap water control, X = 209.0±107.0 g (P<0.001). Macropodids fled more when encountering a urine treatment, X = 4.50±2.08 flights, as compared to the control, X = 0 flights (P<0.001). There was no difference in effect between urine or feces treatments (P>0.5). Macropodids did not habituate to repeated exposure to predator scents, rather they avoided the entire experimental area after 10 days of trials (R 2 = 83.8; P<0.001). Conclusions/Significance Responses to urine and feces were indistinguishable; both elicited fear-based responses and deterred foraging. Despite repeated exposure to predator-related cues in the absence of a predator, macropodids

Familiarity breeds contempt: kangaroos persistently avoid areas with experimentally deployed dingo scents.

PubMed

Parsons, Michael H; Blumstein, Daniel T

2010-05-05

Whether or not animals habituate to repeated exposure to predator scents may depend upon whether there are predators associated with the cues. Understanding the contexts of habituation is theoretically important and has profound implication for the application of predator-based herbivore deterrents. We repeatedly exposed a mixed mob of macropod marsupials to olfactory scents (urine, feces) from a sympatric predator (Canis lupus dingo), along with a control (water). If these predator cues were alarming, we expected that over time, some red kangaroos (Macropus rufous), western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) would elect to not participate in cafeteria trials because the scents provided information about the riskiness of the area. We evaluated the effects of urine and feces independently and expected that urine would elicit a stronger reaction because it contains a broader class of infochemicals (pheromones, kairomones). Finally, we scored non-invasive indicators (flight and alarm stomps) to determine whether fear or altered palatability was responsible for the response. Repeated exposure reduced macropodid foraging on food associated with 40 ml of dingo urine, X = 986.75+/-3.97 g food remained as compared to the tap water control, X = 209.0+/-107.0 g (P<0.001). Macropodids fled more when encountering a urine treatment, X = 4.50+/-2.08 flights, as compared to the control, X = 0 flights (P<0.001). There was no difference in effect between urine or feces treatments (P>0.5). Macropodids did not habituate to repeated exposure to predator scents, rather they avoided the entire experimental area after 10 days of trials (R(2) = 83.8; P<0.001). Responses to urine and feces were indistinguishable; both elicited fear-based responses and deterred foraging. Despite repeated exposure to predator-related cues in the absence of a predator, macropodids persistently avoided an area of highly palatable food. Area avoidance is consistent with

Parasitic nematode communities of the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus: richness and structuring in captive systems.

PubMed

Lott, M J; Hose, G C; Power, M L

2015-08-01

Captive management practices have the potential to drastically alter pre-existing host-parasite relationships. This can have profound implications for the health and productivity of threatened species in captivity, even in the absence of clinical symptoms of disease. Maximising the success of captive breeding programmes requires a detailed knowledge of anthropogenic influences on the structure of parasite assemblages in captive systems. In this study, we employed two high-throughput molecular techniques to characterise the parasitic nematode (suborder Strongylida) communities of the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus, across seven captive sites. The first was terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of a region of rDNA encompassing the internal transcribed spacers 1 (ITS1), the 5.8S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). The second was Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing of the ITS2 region. The prevalence, intensity of infection, taxonomic composition and comparative structure of strongylid nematode assemblages was assessed at each location. Prevalence (P = <0.001) and mean infection intensity (df = 6, F = 17.494, P = <0.001) differed significantly between the seven captive sites. Significant levels of parasite community structure were observed (ANOSIM, P = 0.01), with most of the variation being distributed within, rather than between, captive sites. The range of nematode taxa that occurred in captive red kangaroos appeared to differ from that of wild conspecifics, with representatives of the genus Cloacina, a dominant nematode parasite of the macropodid forestomach, being detected at only two of the seven study sites. This study also provides the first evidence for the presence of the genus Trichostrongylus in a macropodid marsupial. Our results demonstrate that contemporary species management practices may exert a profound influence on the structure of parasite communities in captive systems.

Genetic evaluation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) captive breeding program.

PubMed

McGreevy, Thomas J; Dabek, Lisa; Husband, Thomas P

2011-01-01

Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is an endangered species that has been bred in captivity since the 1970s. In 1992, the Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan(®) (TKSSP) was established to coordinate the captive management of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) D. matschiei. The TKSSP makes annual breeding recommendations primarily based on the mean kinship (MK) strategy. Captive breeding programs often use the MK strategy to preserve genetic diversity in small populations-to avoid the negative consequences of inbreeding and retain their adaptive potential. The ability of a captive breeding program to retain the population's genetic diversity over time can be evaluated by comparing the genetic diversity of the captive population to wild populations. We analyzed DNA extracted from blood and fecal samples from AZA (n = 71), captive (n = 28), and wild (n = 22) D. matschiei using eight microsatellite markers and sequenced the partial mitochondrial DNA control region gene. AZA D. matschiei had a similar expected heterozygosity (H(e) = 0.595 ± 0.184) compared with wild D. matschiei (H(e) = 0.628 ± 0.143), but they had different allelic frequencies (F(ST) = 0.126; P < 0.001). AZA D. matschiei haplotype diversity was almost two times lower than wild D. matschiei Ĥ = 0.740 ± 0.063. These data will assist management of AZA D. matschiei and serve as a baseline for AZA and wild D. matschiei genetic diversity values that could be used to monitor future changes in their genetic diversity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Actin localisation and the effect of cytochalasin D on the osmotic tolerance of cauda epididymidal kangaroo spermatozoa.

PubMed

McClean, R; MacCallum, C; Blyde, D; Holt, W; Johnston, S

2006-01-01

This study examined the hypothesis that filamentous actin associated with the complex cytoskeleton of the kangaroo sperm head and tail may be contributing to lack of plasma membrane plasticity and a consequent loss of membrane integrity during cryopreservation. In the first study, the distribution of G and F actin within Eastern Grey Kangaroo (EGK, Macropus giganteus) cauda epididymidal spermatozoa was successfully detected using DNAse-FITC and a monoclonal F-actin antibody (ab205, Abcam), respectively. G-actin staining was most intense in the acrosome but was also observed with less intensity over the nucleus and mid-piece. F-actin was located in the sperm nucleus but was not discernable in the acrosome or sperm tail. To investigate whether cytochalasin D (a known F-actin depolymerising agent) was capable of improving the osmotic tolerance of EGK cauda epididymal spermatozoa, sperm were incubated in hypo-osmotic media (61 and 104 mOsm) containing a range of cytochalasin D concentrations (0-200 microM). Cytochalasin D had no beneficial effect on plasma membrane integrity of sperm incubated in hypo-osmotic media. However, when EGK cauda epididymidal sperm were incubated in isosmotic media, there was a progressive loss of sperm motility with increasing cytochalasin D concentration. The results of this study indicated that the F-actin distribution in cauda epididymidal spermatozoa of the EGK was surprisingly different from that of the Tammar Wallaby (M. eugenii) and that cytochalasin-D does not appear to improve the tolerance of EGK cauda epididymidal sperm to osmotically induced injury.

The long-term effects of the Kangaroo Mother Care intervention on cognitive functioning: Results from a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Ropars, Stéphanie; Tessier, Réjean; Charpak, Nathalie; Uriza, Luis Felipe

2018-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) intervention on the intellectual and attentional functioning of young adults born with low birth weight. Three hundred infants were randomly assigned at birth in one of two interventions, KMC or traditional care (TC), and completed cognitive tests at adulthood (19-21 years after recruitment). The main results show that participants with a neurological vulnerability at 6 months had higher IQ and sustained attention scores at adulthood if they had received KMC than if they had received TC.

Effect of beta-antagonists on isoprenaline-induced secretion of fluid, amylase and protein by the parotid gland of the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus.

PubMed

Beal, A M

2000-02-01

Selective and non-selective beta-adrenoceptor antagonists were used to block the increases in fluid, protein and amylase secretion caused by sympathomimetic stimulation of the parotid gland of red kangaroos during intracarotid infusion of isoprenaline. ICI118551 at antagonist/agonist ratios up to 300:1 caused increasing but incomplete blockade of fluid secretion, and protein/amylase release. Atenolol at antagonist/agonist ratios up to 300:1 was only marginally more potent than ICI118551 at blocking the fluid, protein and amylase responses. Propranolol at antagonist/agonist ratios of 30:1 was as effective at blocking fluid and protein secretion as the highest ratios of either atenolol or ICI118551. Simultaneous administration of atenolol (30:1) with ICI118551 (30:1) was not as potent as propranolol (30:1). Thus, the beta-adrenoceptor/s in the acini of the kangaroo parotid gland appear to have antagonist-binding affinities atypical of those found for eutherian tissues. The data are consistent with the gland possessing either a single anomalous beta-adrenoceptor or functional beta(2)-receptors in addition to the beta(1)-receptors which are characteristic of eutherian salivary glands.

Understanding kangaroo care and its benefits to preterm infants

PubMed Central

Campbell-Yeo, Marsha L; Disher, Timothy C; Benoit, Britney L; Johnston, C Celeste

2015-01-01

The holding of an infant with ventral skin-to-skin contact typically in an upright position with the swaddled infant on the chest of the parent, is commonly referred to as kangaroo care (KC), due to its simulation of marsupial care. It is recommended that KC, as a feasible, natural, and cost-effective intervention, should be standard of care in the delivery of quality health care for all infants, regardless of geographic location or economic status. Numerous benefits of its use have been reported related to mortality, physiological (thermoregulation, cardiorespiratory stability), behavioral (sleep, breastfeeding duration, and degree of exclusivity) domains, as an effective therapy to relieve procedural pain, and improved neurodevelopment. Yet despite these recommendations and a lack of negative research findings, adoption of KC as a routine clinical practice remains variable and underutilized. Furthermore, uncertainty remains as to whether continuous KC should be recommended in all settings or if there is a critical period of initiation, dose, or duration that is optimal. This review synthesizes current knowledge about the benefits of KC for infants born preterm, highlighting differences and similarities across low and higher resource countries and in a non-pain and pain context. Additionally, implementation considerations and unanswered questions for future research are addressed. PMID:29388613

When alternative female Kangaroo care is provided by other immediate postpartum mothers, it reduces postprocedural pain in preterm babies more than swaddling.

PubMed

Murmu, Jitendranath; Venkatnarayan, Kannan; Thapar, Rajeev Kumar; Shaw, Subhash Chandra; Dalal, Shamsher Singh

2017-03-01

Research on alternative female Kangaroo care (KC) has been hampered by high maternal refusal rates. We assessed the efficacy of Kangaroo mother care (KMC), alternative KC provided by other postpartum mothers and swaddling for postprocedural pain relief in preterm babies. The study was carried out in a tertiary armed forces hospital, where mothers did not have support from other female relatives and other postpartum mothers agreed to act as alternative female KC providers. We exposed 51 stable preterm neonates, with a gestational age of 30-36 weeks, to KMC, alternative female KC and swaddling for 30 minutes before heel lancing. The outcome measures included the Preterm Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) scores at 30 seconds and the time taken for the heart rate to return to baseline. The mean PIPP scores were lower with KMC (10.59) and alternative female KC (11.24) than swaddling (12.96) and heart rate normalisation took 111, 117 and 149 seconds respectively. The p values were <0.001 for individual groups and outcomes. KMC fared better than alternative female KC for both pain (p = 0.045) and heart rate (p = 0.013). Providing KMC and alternative female KC before heel lancing resulted in better pain relief than swaddling. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Design of a breathing mattress based on the respiratory movement of kangaroo mother care for the development of neonates.

PubMed

Schets, M W M; Chen, W; Bambang Oetomo, S

2015-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) benefits the development of neonates. This paper focuses on the design and implementing the extension of KMC for infants at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). A breathing mattress is proposed to comfort infants and stimulate them to breathe regularly by mimicking the movement of the parent's chest during KMC. The incubator mattress simulates the breathing of the parent's chest with embedded electronics and pneumatic technology for mattress motion actuating systems. The stakeholders, including the child, parents and NICU staff, were directly involved during the concept development, prototyping and evaluation.

Genomics and museum specimens.

PubMed

Nachman, Michael W

2013-12-01

Nearly 25 years ago, Allan Wilson and colleagues isolated DNA sequences from museum specimens of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys panamintinus) and compared these sequences with those from freshly collected animals (Thomas et al. 1990). The museum specimens had been collected up to 78 years earlier, so the two samples provided a direct temporal comparison of patterns of genetic variation. This was not the first time DNA sequences had been isolated from preserved material, but it was the first time it had been carried out with a population sample. Population geneticists often try to make inferences about the influence of historical processes such as selection, drift, mutation and migration on patterns of genetic variation in the present. The work of Wilson and colleagues was important in part because it suggested a way in which population geneticists could actually study genetic change in natural populations through time, much the same way that experimentalists can do with artificial populations in the laboratory. Indeed, the work of Thomas et al. (1990) spawned dozens of studies in which museum specimens were used to compare historical and present-day genetic diversity (reviewed in Wandeler et al. 2007). All of these studies, however, were limited by the same fundamental problem: old DNA is degraded into short fragments. As a consequence, these studies mostly involved PCR amplification of short templates, usually short stretches of mitochondrial DNA or microsatellites. In this issue, Bi et al. (2013) report a breakthrough that should open the door to studies of genomic variation in museum specimens. They used target enrichment (exon capture) and next-generation (Illumina) sequencing to compare patterns of genetic variation in historic and present-day population samples of alpine chipmunks (Tamias alpinus) (Fig. 1). The historic samples came from specimens collected in 1915, so the temporal span of this comparison is nearly 100 years. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ecological baseline studies at the site of the Barstow 10 MWe pilot solar thermal power system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Turner, F.B.

1979-11-01

Baseline ecological measurements and observations were made in 1978 and 1979 at the site of the Barstow pilot 10 MWe solar thermal power system. The station will be constructed on Southern California Edison's Coolwater property. The climate of the area is typical of the Mojave Desert, with high summer temperatures (monthly means of up to 31/sup 0/C), and low rainfall (annual mean of 94 mm). About 66% of the rain falls in winter and spring. About 75% of winds are from the west-southwest to northwest, and mean monthly wind velocities during spring and summer are around 15 to 20 kmmore » hr/sup -1/. Surface soils of the site are sandy, but soils below 3 m are generally well graded sand with some silt and gravel. Some of the soils are highly saline, to an extent precluding plant growth. All soils are alkaline, with pH values as high as 9. Over 130 species of plants have been identified on the site, 18 of which are non-native. Estimated aggregate densities of annual plants range from around 600 to almost 9000 m/sup -2/, depending on sampling locale. Aggregate densities of perennials (including herbaceous species) range from as low as 0.2 to 4.4 m/sup -2/. Creosotebush supports a varied assemblage of sap-feeding and defoliating insects, principally homopterans and orthopterans. Other shrubs are populated with hemipterans, mealybugs, thrips, phytophagous beetles and moth larvae. Common ground-dwelling species are ants, tenebrionid beetles, weevils, various orthopterans, and predatory arachnids. Some 300 different kinds of arthropods were distinguished in samples from the site. The most commonly trapped rodents were kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami, D. deserti), pocket mice (Perognathus formosus) and ground squirrels (Spermophilus tereticaudus). Over 60 kinds of birds were observed around the site, many associated with evaporating ponds adjoining the Coolwater Generating Station.« less

Progress in the implementation of kangaroo mother care in 10 hospitals in Indonesia.

PubMed

Bergh, Anne-Marie; Rogers-Bloch, Quail; Pratomo, Hadi; Uhudiyah, Uut; Sidi, Ieda Poernomo Sigit; Rustina, Yeni; Suradi, Rulina; Gipson, Reginald

2012-10-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an effective and safe method of caring for low-birthweight infants. This article describes the results of a health systems strengthening intervention in KMC involving 10 hospitals in Java, Indonesia. Implementation progress was measured with an instrument scoring hospitals out of 100. Hospital scores ranged from 28 to 85, with a mean score of 62.1. One hospital had not reached the level of 'evidence of practice'; five hospitals had reached the expected level of 'evidence of practice' and two hospitals already scored on the level of 'evidence of routine and integration'. The two training hospitals were on the border of 'evidence of sustainable practice'. The implementation of KMC is a long-term process that requires dedication and support for a number of years. Some items in the progress-monitoring tool could be used to set standards for KMC that hospitals must meet for accreditation purposes.

Impact of kangaroo mother care on cerebral blood flow of preterm infants.

PubMed

Korraa, Afaf A; El Nagger, Alyaa A I; Mohamed, Ragaa Abd El-Salam; Helmy, Noha M

2014-11-13

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been widely used to improve the care of preterms and low birth weight infants. However, very little is known about cerebral hemodynamics responses in preterm infants during KMC intervention. The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in middle cerebral artery, before and after a 30 minute application of KMC in stable preterm infants. It is a prospective, pre-post test without a control group study. CBF flow paremeters were measured with Doppler ultrasonography in one middle cerebral artery. Sixty preterm stable infants were assessed before and after 30 min KMC. CBF indices were assessed in different positions before KMC, forty neonates in supine position and 20 in vertical suspension (baby is held vertically away from the skin of his mother). Other dependent variables heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure and Spo2 were also studied before and after KMC. The mean gestational age of the infants was (32 ± 2 weeks), and mean birth weight was (2080 ± 270 gm). Comparing CBF indices (Pulsatility index and Resistive index) before and after KMC has shown a significant decrease in both Pulsatility index (PI) and Resistive index (RI) after 30 min. KMC, the mean values were (2.0 ± 0.43 vs 1.68 ± 0.33 & 0.81 ± 0.05 vs 0.76 ± 0.06 respectively P < 0.05*) with mean difference (0.32 & 95% CI 0.042-0.41 & 0.05 & 95% CI 0.04 to 0.06 respectively P < 0.05*) and increase in end diastolic velocity & mean velocity 30 min of KMC (10.97 ± 4.63 vs. 15.39 ± 5.66 P < 0.05*& 25.66 ± 10.74 vs. 32.86 ± 11.47 P < 0.05* ) with mean difference (- 4.42 & 95% CI -5.67 to -3.18 and -7.21 & 95% CI - 9.41 to 5.00 respectively). These changes indicate improvement in CBF. No correlation has been found between CBF parameters and studied vital signs or SpO2. Kangaroo mother care improves cerebral blood flow, thus it might influence the structure and promote

Sperm membrane fatty acid composition in the Eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), and common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) and its relationship to cold shock injury and cryopreservation success.

PubMed

Miller, R R; Sheffer, C J; Cornett, C L; McClean, R; MacCallum, C; Johnston, S D

2004-10-01

Marsupial spermatozoa tolerate cold shock well, but differ in cryopreservation tolerance. In an attempt to explain these phenomena, the fatty acid composition of the sperm membrane from caput and cauda epididymides of the Eastern grey kangaroo, koala, and common wombat was measured and membrane sterol levels were measured in cauda epididymidal spermatozoa. While species-related differences in the levels of linolenic acid (18:3, n-6) and arachidonic acid (20:4, n-6) were observed in caput epididymal spermatozoa, these differences failed to significantly alter the ratio of unsaturated/saturated membrane fatty acids. However in cauda epididymidal spermatozoa, the ratio of unsaturated/saturated membrane fatty acids in koala and kangaroo spermatozoa was approximately 7.6 and 5.2, respectively; substantially higher than any other mammalian species so far described. Koala spermatozoal membranes had a higher ratio of unsaturated/saturated membrane fatty acids than that of wombat spermatozoa (t = 3.81; df = 4; p < or = 0.02); however, there was no significant difference between wombat and kangaroo spermatozoa. The highest proportions of DHA (22:6, n-3), the predominant membrane fatty acid in cauda epididymidal spermatozoa, were found in wombat and koala spermatozoa. While species-related differences in membrane sterol levels (cholesterol and desmosterol) were observed in cauda epididymidal spermatozoa, marsupial membrane sterol levels are very low. Marsupial spermatozoal membrane analyses do not support the hypothesis that a high ratio of saturated/unsaturated membrane fatty acids and low membrane sterol levels predisposes spermatozoa to cold shock damage. Instead, cryogenic tolerance appears related to DHA levels.

Scaling up kangaroo mother care in South Africa: 'on-site' versus 'off-site' educational facilitation

PubMed Central

Bergh, Anne-Marie; van Rooyen, Elise; Pattinson, Robert C

2008-01-01

Background Scaling up the implementation of new health care interventions can be challenging and demand intensive training or retraining of health workers. This paper reports on the results of testing the effectiveness of two different kinds of face-to-face facilitation used in conjunction with a well-designed educational package in the scaling up of kangaroo mother care. Methods Thirty-six hospitals in the Provinces of Gauteng and Mpumalanga in South Africa were targeted to implement kangaroo mother care and participated in the trial. The hospitals were paired with respect to their geographical location and annual number of births. One hospital in each pair was randomly allocated to receive either 'on-site' facilitation (Group A) or 'off-site' facilitation (Group B). Hospitals in Group A received two on-site visits, whereas delegates from hospitals in Group B attended one off-site, 'hands-on' workshop at a training hospital. All hospitals were evaluated during a site visit six to eight months after attending an introductory workshop and were scored by means of an existing progress-monitoring tool with a scoring scale of 0–30. Successful implementation was regarded as demonstrating evidence of practice (score >10) during the site visit. Results There was no significant difference between the scores of Groups A and B (p = 0.633). Fifteen hospitals in Group A and 16 in Group B demonstrated evidence of practice. The median score for Group A was 16.52 (range 00.00–23.79) and that for Group B 14.76 (range 07.50–23.29). Conclusion A previous trial illustrated that the implementation of a new health care intervention could be scaled up by using a carefully designed educational package, combined with face-to-face facilitation by respected resource persons. This study demonstrated that the site of facilitation, either on site or at a centre of excellence, did not influence the ability of a hospital to implement KMC. The choice of outreach strategy should be guided by

76 FR 12683 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on a Petition To List the Texas...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-08

... determinations under the Act that required nearly all of our listing and critical habitat funding for fiscal year... and preservation of Texas kangaroo rat specimens may have had an impact on its range contraction (Wild...

Kangaroo Mother Care in Colombia: A Subaltern Health Innovation against For-profit Biomedicine.

PubMed

Abadía-Barrero, César Ernesto

2018-01-24

This ethnographic study presents the origins, growth, and collapse of the first Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) program, a well-established practice for neonatal care created in 1978 in Colombia. The WHO and UNICEF praised this zero-cost revolutionary technique for its promotion of skin-to-skin contact between premature and low-birth-weight newborns and family members. KMC facilitates early hospital discharge, brings many clinical and psychological benefits, and constitutes an excellent alternative to placing babies in incubators. However, these benefits and political potential against biomedical interventions were undermined after being relabeled as a "reverse innovation," a business concept that encourages corporate investments in low-income countries to develop technologies that can both solve global health problems and boost multinational corporations profits. In response, I propose "subaltern health innovations" as a label for KMC that accounts for the power dynamics in global health between health care initiatives that originate in the Global South and neoliberal configurations of for-profit biomedicine. © 2018 by the American Anthropological Association.

Effect of intermittent kangaroo mother care on weight gain of low birth weight neonates with delayed weight gain.

PubMed

Samra, Nashwa M; Taweel, Amal El; Cadwell, Karin

2013-01-01

To evaluate intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) with additional opportunities to breastfeed on weight gain of low birth weight (LBW) neonates with delayed weight gain. 40 LBW neonates were followed to see whether KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed improved weight gain. In the KMC group, the mean age of regaining birth weight was significantly less (15.68 vs. 24.56 days) and the average daily weight gain was significantly higher (22.09 vs. 10.39 g, p < .001) than controls. KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed was found to be an effective intervention for LBWs with delayed weight gain and should be considered to be an effective strategy.

Effects of daily kangaroo care on cardiorespiratory parameters in preterm infants.

PubMed

Mitchell, A J; Yates, C; Williams, K; Hall, R W

2013-01-01

Kangaroo care (KC) has possible benefits for promoting physiological stability and positive developmental outcomes in preterm infants. The purpose of this study was to compare bradycardia and oxygen desaturation events in preterm infants in standard incubator care versus KC. Thirty-eight infants 27 to 30 weeks gestational age were randomly assigned to 2 hours of KC daily between days of life 5 to 10 or to standard incubator care. Infants were monitored for bradycardia (heart rate <80) or oxygen desaturation (<80%). Analysis of hourly events was based on three sets of data: standard care group 24 hours daily, KC group during incubator time 22 hours daily, and KC group during holding time 2 hours daily. The KC group had fewer bradycardia events per hour while being held compared to time spent in an incubator (p = 0.048). The KC group also had significantly fewer oxygen desaturation events while being held than while in the incubator (p = 0.017) and significantly fewer desaturation events than infants in standard care (p = 0.02). KC reduces bradycardia and oxygen desaturation events in preterm infants, providing physiological stability and possible benefits for neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants.

PubMed

Conde-Agudelo, Agustin; Belizán, José M; Diaz-Rossello, Jose

2011-03-16

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), originally defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent and exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from hospital, has been proposed as an alternative to conventional neonatal care for low birthweight (LBW) infants. To determine whether there is evidence to support the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care. The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Group was used. This included searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, POPLINE, CINAHL databases (from inception to January 31, 2011), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2011). In addition, we searched the web page of the Kangaroo Foundation, conference and symposia proceedings on KMC, and Google scholar. Randomized controlled trials comparing KMC versus conventional neonatal care, or early onset KMC (starting within 24 hours after birth) versus late onset KMC (starting after 24 hours after birth) in LBW infants. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Sixteen studies, including 2518 infants, fulfilled inclusion criteria. Fourteen studies evaluated KMC in LBW infants after stabilization, one evaluated KMC in LBW infants before stabilization, and one compared early onset KMC with late onset KMC in relatively stable LBW infants. Eleven studies evaluated intermittent KMC and five evaluated continuous KMC. At discharge or 40 - 41 weeks' postmenstrual age, KMC was associated with a reduction in the risk of mortality (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.93; seven trials, 1614 infants), nosocomial infection/sepsis (typical RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.73), hypothermia (typical RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.55), and length of hospital stay (typical mean difference 2.4 days, 95% CI 0.7 to 4.1). At latest follow up, KMC was associated with a decreased risk of

Are ovine fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) staggers and kangaroo gait of lactating ewes two clinically and pathologically similar nervous disorders?

PubMed

Bourke, Ca

2009-03-01

Fenugreek staggers has occurred in sheep in Victoria, as both an acute and a chronic syndrome. Signs included quadraparesis, a high stepping fore limb gait and a 'bunny-hopping' hind limb gait. Changes consistent with acute oedema were found in the brain and spinal cord of acute cases, and Wallerian degeneration in the peripheral nerves of chronic cases. Kangaroo gait occurred in ewes in New South Wales, and the clinical signs and microscopic changes were remarkably similar to those of fenugreek staggers. Although the diet associated with each is different the causal agent may be the same.

Femoral bone perfusion through the nutrient foramen during growth and locomotor development of western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus).

PubMed

Hu, Qiaohui; Nelson, Thomas J; Snelling, Edward P; Seymour, Roger S

2018-02-20

The nutrient artery passes through the nutrient foramen on the shaft of the femur and supplies more than half of the total blood flow to the bone. Assuming that the size of the nutrient foramen correlates with the size of the nutrient artery, an index of blood flow rate ( Q i ) can be calculated from nutrient foramen dimensions. Interspecific Q i is proportional to locomotor activity levels in adult mammals, birds and reptiles. However, no studies have yet estimated intraspecific Q i to test for the effects of growth and locomotor development on bone blood flow requirements. In this study, we used micro-CT and medical CT scanning to measure femoral dimensions and foramen radius to calculate femoral Q i during the in-pouch and post-pouch life stages of western grey kangaroos ( Macropus fuliginosus ) weighing 5.7 g to 70.5 kg and representing a 12,350-fold range in body mass. A biphasic scaling relationship between Q i and body mass was observed (breakpoint at ca. 1-5 kg body mass right before permanent pouch exit), with a steep exponent of 0.96±0.09 (95% CI) during the in-pouch life stage and a statistically independent exponent of -0.59±0.90 during the post-pouch life stage. In-pouch joeys showed Q i values that were 50-100 times higher than those of adult diprotodont marsupials of the same body mass, but gradually converged with them as post-pouch adults. Bone modelling during growth appears to be the main determinant of femoral bone blood flow during in-pouch development, whereas bone remodelling for micro-fracture repair due to locomotion gradually becomes the main determinant when kangaroos leave the pouch and become more active. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Effect of Intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care on Weight Gain of Low Birth Weight Neonates With Delayed Weight Gain

PubMed Central

Samra, Nashwa M.; Taweel, Amal El; Cadwell, Karin

2013-01-01

Objective: To evaluate intermittent Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) with additional opportunities to breastfeed on weight gain of low birth weight (LBW) neonates with delayed weight gain. Methods: 40 LBW neonates were followed to see whether KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed improved weight gain. Results: In the KMC group, the mean age of regaining birth weight was significantly less (15.68 vs. 24.56 days) and the average daily weight gain was significantly higher (22.09 vs. 10.39 g, p < .001) than controls. Conclusion: KMC with additional opportunities to breastfeed was found to be an effective intervention for LBWs with delayed weight gain and should be considered to be an effective strategy. PMID:24868132

A retrospective study of Babesia macropus associated with morbidity and mortality in eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis)

PubMed Central

Donahoe, Shannon L.; Peacock, Christopher S.; Choo, Ace Y.L.; Cook, Roger W.; O'Donoghue, Peter; Crameri, Sandra; Vogelnest, Larry; Gordon, Anita N.; Scott, Jenni L.; Rose, Karrie

2015-01-01

This is a retrospective study of 38 cases of infection by Babesia macropus, associated with a syndrome of anaemia and debility in hand-reared or free-ranging juvenile eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) from coastal New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland between 1995 and 2013. Infection with B. macropus is recorded for the first time in agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) from far north Queensland. Animals in which B. macropus infection was considered to be the primary cause of morbidity had marked anaemia, lethargy and neurological signs, and often died. In these cases, parasitised erythrocytes were few or undetectable in peripheral blood samples but were sequestered in large numbers within small vessels of visceral organs, particularly in the kidney and brain, associated with distinctive clusters of extraerythrocytic organisms. Initial identification of this piroplasm in peripheral blood smears and in tissue impression smears and histological sections was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy and molecular analysis. Samples of kidney, brain or blood were tested using PCR and DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA and heat shock protein 70 gene using primers specific for piroplasms. The piroplasm detected in these samples had 100% sequence identity in the 18S rRNA region with the recently described Babesia macropus in two eastern grey kangaroos from New South Wales and Queensland, and a high degree of similarity to an unnamed Babesia sp. recently detected in three woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) in Western Australia. PMID:26106576

A retrospective study of Babesia macropus associated with morbidity and mortality in eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis).

PubMed

Donahoe, Shannon L; Peacock, Christopher S; Choo, Ace Y L; Cook, Roger W; O'Donoghue, Peter; Crameri, Sandra; Vogelnest, Larry; Gordon, Anita N; Scott, Jenni L; Rose, Karrie

2015-08-01

This is a retrospective study of 38 cases of infection by Babesia macropus, associated with a syndrome of anaemia and debility in hand-reared or free-ranging juvenile eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) from coastal New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland between 1995 and 2013. Infection with B. macropus is recorded for the first time in agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) from far north Queensland. Animals in which B. macropus infection was considered to be the primary cause of morbidity had marked anaemia, lethargy and neurological signs, and often died. In these cases, parasitised erythrocytes were few or undetectable in peripheral blood samples but were sequestered in large numbers within small vessels of visceral organs, particularly in the kidney and brain, associated with distinctive clusters of extraerythrocytic organisms. Initial identification of this piroplasm in peripheral blood smears and in tissue impression smears and histological sections was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy and molecular analysis. Samples of kidney, brain or blood were tested using PCR and DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA and heat shock protein 70 gene using primers specific for piroplasms. The piroplasm detected in these samples had 100% sequence identity in the 18S rRNA region with the recently described Babesia macropus in two eastern grey kangaroos from New South Wales and Queensland, and a high degree of similarity to an unnamed Babesia sp. recently detected in three woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) in Western Australia.

Alighting and feeding behaviour of tabanid flies on horses, kangaroos and pigs.

PubMed

Muzari, M O; Skerratt, L F; Jones, R E; Duran, T L

2010-05-28

Successful mechanical transmission of surra between animals by tabanid flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) depends to a large extent on the blood-feeding behaviour of the tabanid species prevalent in the area. We studied tabanid-host interactions in Australia to better predict risk of surra transmission and design intervention strategies. At least six tabanid species were observed alighting on horses, pigs and kangaroos, but the most abundant were Tabanus pallipennis Macquart, Pseudotabanus silvester Bergroth and T. townsvilli Ricardo. The behaviour of tabanids in terms of landing location on the host body, duration of feeding and the proportion completing the blood-meal varied with fly species and host species. The findings predict that some species of tabanid such as T. pallipennis should be better vectors and some species of host such as pigs should be better reservoirs of surra based on the inability of flies to feed to repletion and longer feeding durations. This will result in multiple feeds and increased risk of exposure to the infectious agent, respectively, which increases the risk of transmission. Insecticide treatments should target preferred feeding sites on the host's body. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental Assessment for the Orbital Reentry Corridor for Generic Unmanned Lifting Entry Vehicle Landing at Edwards Air Force Base

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

mouse (Onychomys torridus), little pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris), Merriam’s kangaroo rat (Dipodymus merriami), and desert woodrat (Neotoma...mild, such as an increase in heart rate, to more severe, such as effects on metabolism and hormone balance. Behavioral responses can also be mild

Taking kangaroo mother care forward in South Africa: The role of district clinical specialist teams.

PubMed

Feucht, Ute Dagmar; van Rooyen, Elise; Skhosana, Rinah; Bergh, Anne-Marie

2015-11-20

The global agenda for improved neonatal care includes the scale-up of kangaroo mother care (KMC) services. The establishment of district clinical specialist teams (DCSTs) in South Africa (SA) provides an excellent opportunity to enhance neonatal care at district level and ensure translation of policies, including the requirement for KMC implementation, into everyday clinical practice. Tshwane District in Gauteng Province, SA, has been experiencing an increasing strain on obstetric and neonatal services at central, tertiary and regional hospitals in recent years as a result of growing population numbers and rapid up-referral of patients, with limited down-referral of low-risk patients to district-level services. We describe a successful multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative under the leadership of the Tshwane DCST, in conjunction with experienced local KMC implementers, aimed at expanding the district's KMC services. The project subsequently served as a platform for improvement of other areas of neonatal care by means of a systematic approach.

Comparative jaw muscle anatomy in kangaroos, wallabies, and rat-kangaroos (marsupialia: macropodoidea).

PubMed

Warburton, Natalie Marina

2009-06-01

The jaw muscles were studied in seven genera of macropodoid marsupials with diets ranging from mainly fungi in Potorous to grass in Macropus. Relative size, attachments, and lamination within the jaw adductor muscles varied between macropodoid species. Among macropodine species, the jaw adductor muscle proportions vary with feeding type. The relative mass of the masseter is roughly consistent, but grazers and mixed-feeders (Macropus and Lagostrophus) had relatively larger medial pterygoids and smaller temporalis muscles than the browsers (Dendrolagus, Dorcopsulus, and Setonix). Grazing macropods show similar jaw muscle proportions to "ungulate-grinding" type placental mammals. The internal architecture of the jaw muscles also varies between grazing and browsing macropods, most significantly, the anatomy of the medial pterygoid muscle. Potoroines have distinctly different jaw muscle proportions to macropodines. The masseter muscle group, in particular, the superficial masseter is enlarged, while the temporalis group is relatively reduced. Lagostrophus fasciatus is anatomically distinct from other macropods with respect to its masticatory muscle anatomy, including enlarged superficial medial pterygoid and deep temporalis muscles, an anteriorly inflected masseteric process, and the shape of the mandibular condyle. The enlarged triangular pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone, in particular, is distinctive of Lagsotrophus. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Passage marker excretion in red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) and colobine monkeys (Colobus angolensis, C. polykomos, Trachypithecus johnii).

PubMed

Schwarm, Angela; Ortmann, Sylvia; Wolf, Christian; Streich, W Jürgen; Clauss, Marcus

2009-11-01

Ruminants are characterized by an efficient particle-sorting mechanism in the forestomach (FRST) followed by selective rechewing of large food particles. For the nonruminating foregut fermenter pygmy hippo it was demonstrated that large particles are excreted as fast as, or faster than, the small particles. The same has been suggested for other nonruminating foregut fermenters. We determined the mean retention time of fluids and different-sized particles in six red kangaroos (Macropus rufus), seven collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) and three colobine monkeys (Colobus angolensis, C. polykomos, Trachypithecus johnii). We fed Co-EDTA as fluid and mordanted fiber as particle markers (Cr, Ce). Mean (+ or - SD) total tract retention time for fluids, small and large particles was 14 + or - 2, 29 + or - 10 and 30 + or - 9 hr in red kangaroos, 26 + or - 2, 34 + or - 5 and 32 + or - 3 hr in collared peccaries and 57 + or - 17, 55 + or - 19 and 54 + or - 19 hr in colobine monkeys, respectively. Large and small particles were excreted simultaneously in all species. There was no difference in the excretion of fluids and particles in the colobine monkeys, in contrast to the other foregut fermenters. In the nonprimate, nonruminant foregut fermenters, the difference in the excretion of fluids and small particles decreases with increasing food intake. On the contrary, ruminants keep this differential excretion constant at different intake levels. This may be a prerequisite for the sorting of particles in their FRST and enable them to achieve higher food intake rates. The functional significance of differential excretion of fluids and particles from the FRST requires further investigations.

Reconstructing temporal variation of fluoride uptake in eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) from a high-fluoride area by analysis of fluoride distribution in dentine.

PubMed

Kierdorf, Horst; Rhede, Dieter; Death, Clare; Hufschmid, Jasmin; Kierdorf, Uwe

2016-04-01

Trace element profiling in the incrementally formed dentine of mammalian teeth can be applied to reconstruct temporal variation of incorporation of these elements into the tissue. Using an electron microprobe, this study analysed fluoride distribution in dentine of first and third mandibular molars of free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos inhabiting a high-fluoride area, to assess temporal variation in fluoride uptake of the animals. Fluoride content in the early-formed dentine of first molars was significantly lower than in the late-formed dentine of these teeth, and was also lower than in both, the early and the late-formed dentine of third molars. As early dentine formation in M1 takes place prior to weaning, this finding indicates a lower dentinal fluoride uptake during the pre-weaning compared to the post-weaning period. This is hypothetically attributed to the action of a partial barrier to fluoride transfer from blood to milk in lactating females and a low bioavailability of fluoride ingested together with milk. Another factor contributing to lower plasma fluoride levels in juveniles compared to adults is the rapid clearance of fluoride from blood plasma in the former due to their intense skeletal growth. The combined action of these mechanisms is considered to explain why in kangaroos from high-fluoride areas, the (early-formed) first molars are not affected by dental fluorosis while the (later-formed) third and fourth molars regularly exhibit marked to severe fluorotic lesions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maternal perceptions and factors affecting Kangaroo mother care continuum at home: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Raajashri, R; Adhisivam, B; Vishnu Bhat, B; Palanivel, C

2018-03-01

To estimate the proportion of mothers who continued to practice Kangaroo mother care (KMC) at home and evaluate potential factors influencing this practice. This descriptive study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital in south India. Mothers of preterm and low birth weight infants were trained in KMC during hospital stay. During follow up after 45 days, data regarding their perceptions and the practice of KMC at home and the factors influencing them were collected using questionnaires. Among 200 mothers interviewed, 82.5% continued to practice KMC at home after discharge. The mean total duration of KMC was 30.2 days and average duration per day was 1.3 h. Support of family members was facilitatory in 70% and lack of privacy at home was hindering in 25%. After KMC training in hospital, majority of the post natal mothers were able to continue the practice satisfactorily at home despite hindering factors including lack of privacy. KMC training modules should emphasize continuing the practice at home after discharge and address the potential barriers for KMC continuum in the community.

Whey proteins protect more than red meat against azoxymethane induced ACF in Wistar rats.

PubMed

Belobrajdic, D P; McIntosh, G H; Owens, J A

2003-07-30

Protein type and density have been shown to influence colon cancer risk using a carcinogen-induced rat model. It is suggested that red meat may promote colon cancer risk more than whey proteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of red meat, whey protein and their density in the diet on the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), preneoplastic markers in Wistar rats. The sources of protein, red meat as barbecued kangaroo muscle meat, and whey protein concentrate were fed to rats to provide 8, 16 and 32% protein by weight in a modified AIN-93 diet with low fiber, low calcium and high polyunsaturated fat. Adult Wistar rats (13 weeks of age) were fed these diets for 4 weeks and then two s.c. injections of azoxymethane, 15 mg/kg BW, were administered 1 week apart. Diets were fed for a further 8 weeks, rats were then killed, their colons fixed in formalin saline and stained with methylene blue to quantify ACF number. Fecal samples were collected and the fecal water was isolated for quantification of heme and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Increasing red meat density correlated positively, while increasing dairy protein density correlated negatively with rate of weight gain (p<0.05). Dietary intake was not significantly affected by protein type or density. The 32% whey protein group had significantly less ACF in the proximal colon in comparison to the 16 and 32% red meat groups (p<0.05). This reduction in ACF number in the whey protein group may be caused by hormones associated with the reduction in weight gain, and/or by components of whey protein concentrate such as cysteine, lactose and conjugated linoleic acid which have been shown to have anti-cancer effects. Using ACF number as an index, whey protein appeared to be more protective than red meat.

78 FR 53777 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Visual Resource Management and Areas of Critical...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-30

... species, a unique sand dune community and habitat, the desert kangaroo rat, and for scenic quality. The... criteria: McCarty Canyon; for scenic quality and wildlife habitat; Seminoe and Pathfinder Reservoirs; for sensitive plant species, scenic quality, and wildlife habitat; Flattop Mountain; for sensitive plant species...

Environmental Assessment for Armed Munitions Integration Testing on the Precision Impact Range Area

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-01

Perognathus 11 longimembris), Merriam’s kangaroo rat (Dipodymus merriami), and desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida). 12 Common bats include the western pipistrelle...or behavioral. Physiological effects can be mild, such as 3 an increase in heart rate, to more severe, such as effects on metabolism and hormone

A Test of Kangaroo Care on Preterm Infant Breastfeeding

PubMed Central

Tully, Kristin P.; Holditch-Davis, Diane; White-Traut, Rosemary C.; David, Richard; O’Shea, T. Michael; Geraldo, Victoria

2015-01-01

Objective To test the effects of kangaroo care (KC) on breastfeeding outcomes in preterm infants compared to two control groups and to explore whether maternal-infant characteristics and the mother’s choice to use KC were related to breastfeeding measures. Design Secondary analysis of a multisite, stratified, and randomized 3-arm trial. The treatment groups used KC, auditory-tactile-visual-vestibular (ATVV) intervention, or preterm infant care information. Setting Neonatal intensive care units from 4 hospitals in the United States from 2006–2011. Participants Racially diverse mothers (N=231) and their preterm infants born weighing < 1750 grams. Methods Mothers and their infants were enrolled once the infants were no longer critically ill, weighed at least 1000 grams, and could be safely held outside of the incubator by parents. Participants were instructed by study nurses; those allocated to either KC or ATVV were asked to engage in these interactions for a minimum of 3 times a week in the hospital and at home until 2 months adjusted age. Results Feeding at the breast during hospitalization, the duration of post-discharge breastfeeding, and breastfeeding exclusivity after hospital discharge did not differ statistically among the treatment groups. Regardless of group assignment, married, older, and more educated women were more likely to feed at the breast during hospitalization. Mothers who practiced KC, regardless of randomly allocated group, were more likely to provide their milk than those who did not practice KC. Breastfeeding duration was greatest among more educated women. Conclusion As implemented in this study, assignment to KC did not appear to influence the measured breastfeeding outcomes. PMID:26815798

Developmental and Post-Eruptive Defects in Molar Enamel of Free-Ranging Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) Exposed to High Environmental Levels of Fluoride

PubMed Central

Kierdorf, Uwe; Death, Clare; Hufschmid, Jasmin; Witzel, Carsten; Kierdorf, Horst

2016-01-01

Dental fluorosis has recently been diagnosed in wild marsupials inhabiting a high-fluoride area in Victoria, Australia. Information on the histopathology of fluorotic marsupial enamel has thus far not been available. This study analyzed the developmental and post-eruptive defects in fluorotic molar enamel of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) from the same high-fluoride area using light microscopy and backscattered electron imaging in the scanning electron microscope. The fluorotic enamel exhibited a brownish to blackish discolouration due to post-eruptive infiltration of stains from the oral cavity and was less resistant to wear than normally mineralized enamel of kangaroos from low-fluoride areas. Developmental defects of enamel included enamel hypoplasia and a pronounced hypomineralization of the outer (sub-surface) enamel underneath a thin rim of well-mineralized surface enamel. While the hypoplastic defects denote a disturbance of ameloblast function during the secretory stage of amelogenesis, the hypomineralization is attributed to an impairment of enamel maturation. In addition to hypoplastic defects, the fluorotic molars also exhibited numerous post-eruptive enamel defects due to the flaking-off of portions of the outer, hypomineralized enamel layer during mastication. The macroscopic and histopathological lesions in fluorotic enamel of M. giganteus match those previously described for placental mammals. It is therefore concluded that there exist no principal differences in the pathogenic mechanisms of dental fluorosis between marsupial and placental mammals. The regular occurrence of hypomineralized, opaque outer enamel in the teeth of M. giganteus and other macropodids must be considered in the differential diagnosis of dental fluorosis in these species. PMID:26895178

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants.

PubMed

Conde-Agudelo, Agustin; Díaz-Rossello, José L

2014-04-22

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), originally defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent and exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from hospital, has been proposed as an alternative to conventional neonatal care for low birthweight (LBW) infants. To determine whether there is evidence to support the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care. The standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Group was used. This included searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, POPLINE, CINAHL databases (all from inception to March 31, 2014) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2014) In addition, we searched the web page of the Kangaroo Foundation, conference and symposia proceedings on KMC, and Google scholar. Randomized controlled trials comparing KMC versus conventional neonatal care, or early onset KMC (starting within 24 hours after birth) versus late onset KMC (starting after 24 hours after birth) in LBW infants. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Eighteen studies, including 2751 infants, fulfilled inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies evaluated KMC in LBW infants after stabilization, one evaluated KMC in LBW infants before stabilization, and one compared early onset KMC with late onset KMC in relatively stable LBW infants. Thirteen studies evaluated intermittent KMC and five evaluated continuous KMC. At discharge or 40-41 weeks' postmenstrual age, KMC was associated with a reduction in the risk of mortality (typical risk ratio (RR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.92; eight trials, 1736 infants), nosocomial infection/sepsis (typical RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.76), hypothermia (typical RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.67), and length of hospital stay (typical mean difference 2.2 days, 95% CI 0.6 to 3.7). At latest follow up, KMC was associated with a decreased risk of

Kangaroo care with twins: a case study in which one infant did not respond as expected.

PubMed

Jarrell, Julia R; Ludington-Hoe, Susan M; Abouelfettoh, Amel

2009-01-01

The purposes were to relate responses (including unacceptable ones) of twins to shared kangaroo care (KC), to provide explanations for the unexpected responses, and to offer suggestions for safe nursing practice. A descriptive, evaluative case study was conducted. Both twins received KC while their vital signs and maternal breast temperatures were manually recorded every 30 seconds. Descriptive statistics were computed. Identical twins, born to a 19-year-old African-American primigravada, were 34 3/7 weeks postconceptional age with weights of 1,760 and 1,480 g, respectively, when tested. Preterm labor resulted in spontaneous vaginal birth at 30 weeks gestation. Infant heart and respiratory rates, oxygen saturations, abdominal temperatures, and maternal breast temperatures. Infant A's vital signs exceeded acceptable clinical limits during shared KC; vital signs returned to normal range once Infant A was returned to the incubator. Infant B's vital signs approximated clinically acceptable ranges throughout the session. Breast temperatures did not differ. Individuality mandates vigilant assessment of infant responses to shared KC.

Species' traits help predict small mammal responses to habitat homogenization by an invasive grass.

PubMed

Ceradini, Joseph P; Chalfoun, Anna D

2017-07-01

Invasive plants can negatively affect native species, however, the strength, direction, and shape of responses may vary depending on the type of habitat alteration and the natural history of native species. To prioritize conservation of vulnerable species, it is therefore critical to effectively predict species' responses to invasive plants, which may be facilitated by a framework based on species' traits. We studied the population and community responses of small mammals and changes in habitat heterogeneity across a gradient of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover, a widespread invasive plant in North America. We live-trapped small mammals over two summers and assessed the effect of cheatgrass on native small mammal abundance, richness, and species-specific and trait-based occupancy, while accounting for detection probability and other key habitat elements. Abundance was only estimated for the most common species, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). All species were pooled for the trait-based occupancy analysis to quantify the ability of small mammal traits (habitat association, mode of locomotion, and diet) to predict responses to cheatgrass invasion. Habitat heterogeneity decreased with cheatgrass cover. Deer mouse abundance increased marginally with cheatgrass. Species richness did not vary with cheatgrass, however, pocket mouse (Perognathus spp.) and harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys spp.) occupancy tended to decrease and increase, respectively, with cheatgrass cover, suggesting a shift in community composition. Cheatgrass had little effect on occupancy for deer mice, 13-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii). Species' responses to cheatgrass primarily corresponded with our a priori predictions based on species' traits. The probability of occupancy varied significantly with a species' habitat association but not with diet or mode of locomotion. When considered within the context of a rapid habitat change

Sin Nombre Virus and Rodent Species Diversity: A Test of the Dilution and Amplification Hypotheses

PubMed Central

Clay, Christine A.; Lehmer, Erin M.; Jeor, Stephen St.; Dearing, M. Denise

2009-01-01

Background Species diversity is proposed to greatly impact the prevalence of pathogens. Two predominant hypotheses, the “Dilution Effect” and the “Amplification Effect”, predict divergent outcomes with respect to the impact of species diversity. The Dilution Effect predicts that pathogen prevalence will be negatively correlated with increased species diversity, while the Amplification Effect predicts that pathogen prevalence will be positively correlated with diversity. For many host-pathogen systems, the relationship between diversity and pathogen prevalence has not be empirically examined. Methodology/Principal Findings We tested the Dilution and Amplification Effect hypotheses by examining the prevalence of Sin Nombre virus (SNV) with respect to diversity of the nocturnal rodent community. SNV is directly transmitted primarily between deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Using mark-recapture sampling in the Spring and Fall of 2003–2005, we measured SNV prevalence in deer mice at 16 landscape level sites (3.1 hectares each) that varied in rodent species diversity. We explored several mechanisms by which species diversity may affect SNV prevalence, including reduced host density, reduced host persistence, the presence of secondary reservoirs and community composition. We found a negative relationship between species diversity and SNV prevalence in deer mice, thereby supporting the Dilution Effect hypothesis. Deer mouse density and persistence were lower at sites with greater species diversity; however, only deer mouse persistence was positively correlated with SNV prevalence. Pinyon mice (P. truei) may serve as dilution agents, having a negative effect on prevalence, while kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii), may have a positive effect on the prevalence of SNV, perhaps through effects on deer mouse behavior. Conclusions/Significance While previous studies on host-pathogen systems have found patterns of diversity consistent with either the Dilution or

Species’ traits help predict small mammal responses to habitat homogenization by an invasive grass

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ceradini, Joseph P.; Chalfoun, Anna D.

2017-01-01

Invasive plants can negatively affect native species, however, the strength, direction, and shape of responses may vary depending on the type of habitat alteration and the natural history of native species. To prioritize conservation of vulnerable species, it is therefore critical to effectively predict species’ responses to invasive plants, which may be facilitated by a framework based on species’ traits. We studied the population and community responses of small mammals and changes in habitat heterogeneity across a gradient of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover, a widespread invasive plant in North America. We live-trapped small mammals over two summers and assessed the effect of cheatgrass on native small mammal abundance, richness, and species-specific and trait-based occupancy, while accounting for detection probability and other key habitat elements. Abundance was only estimated for the most common species, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). All species were pooled for the trait-based occupancy analysis to quantify the ability of small mammal traits (habitat association, mode of locomotion, and diet) to predict responses to cheatgrass invasion. Habitat heterogeneity decreased with cheatgrass cover. Deer mouse abundance increased marginally with cheatgrass. Species richness did not vary with cheatgrass, however, pocket mouse (Perognathus spp.) and harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys spp.) occupancy tended to decrease and increase, respectively, with cheatgrass cover, suggesting a shift in community composition. Cheatgrass had little effect on occupancy for deer mice, 13-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii). Species’ responses to cheatgrass primarily corresponded with our a priori predictions based on species’ traits. The probability of occupancy varied significantly with a species’ habitat association but not with diet or mode of locomotion. When considered within the context of a rapid

Effect of Kangaroo mother care in reducing pain due to heel prick among preterm neonates: a crossover trial.

PubMed

Chidambaram, Ambika Gnanam; Manjula, S; Adhisivam, B; Bhat, B Vishnu

2014-03-01

Preterm neonates undergo several painful procedures in NICU including heel prick for blood sugar monitoring. Nonpharmacological interventions have been tried to decrease this procedural pain. There are only few studies on Kangaroo mother care (KMC) in reducing pain among preterm neonates. This crossover trial was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in south India. Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) related to heel prick was assessed in 50 preterm neonates undergoing KMC and compared with 50 preterm babies without KMC. PIPP scores at 15 minutes and 30 minutes after heel prick were significantly less in KMC group compared to control group. Mean PIPP difference between baseline and 30 minutes after heel prick was also significantly low in KMC group compared to control group. KMC is effective in reducing pain due to heel prick among preterm babies.

Kangaroo Mother Care and Neonatal Outcomes: A Meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Dastjerdi, Roya; Spiegelman, Donna; Fawzi, Wafaie W.; Missmer, Stacey A.; Lieberman, Ellice; Kajeepeta, Sandhya; Wall, Stephen; Chan, Grace J.

2016-01-01

CONTEXT: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an intervention aimed at improving outcomes among preterm and low birth weight newborns. OBJECTIVE: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the association between KMC and neonatal outcomes. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, African Index Medicus (AIM), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Information System (LILACS), Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR), Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR), and Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM). STUDY SELECTION: We included randomized trials and observational studies through April 2014 examining the relationship between KMC and neonatal outcomes among infants of any birth weight or gestational age. Studies with <10 participants, lack of a comparison group without KMC, and those not reporting a quantitative association were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers extracted data on study design, risk of bias, KMC intervention, neonatal outcomes, relative risk (RR) or mean difference measures. RESULTS: 1035 studies were screened; 124 met inclusion criteria. Among LBW newborns, KMC compared to conventional care was associated with 36% lower mortality(RR 0.64; 95% [CI] 0.46, 0.89). KMC decreased risk of neonatal sepsis (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.34, 0.83), hypothermia (RR 0.22; 95% CI 0.12, 0.41), hypoglycemia (RR 0.12; 95% CI 0.05, 0.32), and hospital readmission (RR 0.42; 95% CI 0.23, 0.76) and increased exclusive breastfeeding (RR 1.50; 95% CI 1.26, 1.78). Newborns receiving KMC had lower mean respiratory rate and pain measures, and higher oxygen saturation, temperature, and head circumference growth. LIMITATIONS: Lack of data on KMC limited the ability to assess dose-response. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to scale up KMC implementation are warranted. PMID:26702029

Knowledge and awareness about benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care.

PubMed

Muddu, Gopi Krishna; Boju, Sangeetha Lakshmi; Chodavarapu, Ravikumar

2013-10-01

To determine mothers' prior knowledge of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and awareness about benefits of KMC for preterm babies. Mothers of a consecutive sample of 46 preterm babies, eligible for KMC admitted to a teaching hospital, from June through August 2009, were studied to determine the attitude and knowledge about KMC. A structured questionnaire was prepared. Mothers were asked questions to determine their baseline knowledge about KMC. Then each mother was explained about KMC and instructed to do KMC. After one hour of KMC, mothers were asked questions again to know their feelings and difficulties regarding KMC and feasibility of breast feeding during KMC. Most of the mothers could understand what was explained to them (97.8 %; 95 % CI 88.5-99.9 %) in a single session. Positive feelings like closeness to baby (93.5 %) and sense of goodness (97.8 %) were noted amongst mothers. Though statistically not significant, the proportion of mothers who felt it impracticable to give breast feeding while doing KMC was considerable (39.1 %; 95 % CI 25.1-54.6 %) compared to those who felt no difficulty in breast feeding (60.9 %; 95 % CI 45.4-74.9 %). Practicable duration of KMC is 1, 2 and 12 h as felt by 52 %, 19.6 % and 6.5 % of mothers respectively. All the mothers expressed their willingness to continue KMC at home. Mothers can understand and implement KMC with simple and clear oral instructions in local language. Positive feelings arise in mothers even with 1 h of KMC. KMC of 24 h is not practicable to almost all of the mothers. There is a need for special emphasis on breast feeding the child while doing the KMC.

Kangaroo Mother Care and Neonatal Outcomes: A Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Boundy, Ellen O; Dastjerdi, Roya; Spiegelman, Donna; Fawzi, Wafaie W; Missmer, Stacey A; Lieberman, Ellice; Kajeepeta, Sandhya; Wall, Stephen; Chan, Grace J

2016-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an intervention aimed at improving outcomes among preterm and low birth weight newborns. Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the association between KMC and neonatal outcomes. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, African Index Medicus (AIM), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Information System (LILACS), Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR), Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR), and Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM). We included randomized trials and observational studies through April 2014 examining the relationship between KMC and neonatal outcomes among infants of any birth weight or gestational age. Studies with <10 participants, lack of a comparison group without KMC, and those not reporting a quantitative association were excluded. Two reviewers extracted data on study design, risk of bias, KMC intervention, neonatal outcomes, relative risk (RR) or mean difference measures. 1035 studies were screened; 124 met inclusion criteria. Among LBW newborns, KMC compared to conventional care was associated with 36% lower mortality(RR 0.64; 95% [CI] 0.46, 0.89). KMC decreased risk of neonatal sepsis (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.34, 0.83), hypothermia (RR 0.22; 95% CI 0.12, 0.41), hypoglycemia (RR 0.12; 95% CI 0.05, 0.32), and hospital readmission (RR 0.42; 95% CI 0.23, 0.76) and increased exclusive breastfeeding (RR 1.50; 95% CI 1.26, 1.78). Newborns receiving KMC had lower mean respiratory rate and pain measures, and higher oxygen saturation, temperature, and head circumference growth. Lack of data on KMC limited the ability to assess dose-response. Interventions to scale up KMC implementation are warranted. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A Test of Kangaroo Care on Preterm Infant Breastfeeding.

PubMed

Tully, Kristin P; Holditch-Davis, Diane; White-Traut, Rosemary C; David, Richard; O'Shea, T Michael; Geraldo, Victoria

2016-01-01

To test the effects of kangaroo care (KC) on breastfeeding outcomes in preterm infants compared with two control groups and to explore whether maternal-infant characteristics and the mother's choice to use KC were related to breastfeeding measures. Secondary analysis of a multisite, stratified, randomized three-arm trial. The treatment groups used KC, auditory-tactile-visual-vestibular (ATVV) intervention, or received preterm infant care information. Neonatal intensive care units from 4 hospitals in the United States from 2006 to 2011. Racially diverse mothers (N = 231) and their preterm infants born weighing less than 1,750 g. Mothers and their infants were enrolled once the infants were no longer critically ill, weighed at least 1,000 g, and could be safely held outside the incubator by parents. Participants were instructed by study nurses; those allocated to the KC or ATVV groups were asked to engage in these interactions with their infants for a minimum of 3 times a week in the hospital and at home until their infants reached age 2 months adjusted for prematurity. Feeding at the breast during hospitalization, the duration of postdischarge breastfeeding, and breastfeeding exclusivity after hospital discharge did not differ statistically among the treatment groups. Regardless of group assignment, married, older, and more educated women were more likely to feed at the breast during hospitalization. Mothers who practiced KC, regardless of randomly allocated group, were more likely to provide their milk than those who did not practice KC. Breastfeeding duration was greatest among more educated women. As implemented in this study, assignment to the KC group did not appear to influence the measured breastfeeding outcomes. Copyright © 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A descriptive study of 'kangaroo gait' in sheep in northern Britain.

PubMed

Clements, A C A; Mellor, D J; Innocent, G T; Fitzpatrick, J L

2003-10-15

Two questionnaires were undertaken to obtain improved knowledge of the signalment, incidence and risk factors of the condition termed 'kangaroo gait' (KG; a forelimb locomotor disorder of adult female sheep). The first survey was mailed to 221 veterinary surgeons in practices in northern Britain which provided veterinary care for sheep, and the second was mailed to 438 sheep-flock owners and managers located in the Scottish Borders, who were recruited via their veterinary surgeons. Responses of 84.7 and 30.7% were achieved, respectively. In total, 29.7% of veterinary practices and 24.1% of flock owners and managers had identified one or more cases of KG in their practice area or flocks since the first case was reported in 1976. Almost all respondents indicated that adult females were affected-usually during lactation (and less commonly during late gestation). KG was more common among commercial crossbreeds and less common among sheep grazing hill pasture (than sheep grazing upland or lowland pasture). Cases usually occurred between March and June while sheep were at grass, although it was unclear whether the temporal pattern was associated with grazing or lambing patterns. Stocking densities were significantly higher among affected flocks than among non-affected flocks. The annual number of individuals and flocks identified as being affected had increased since the condition first was identified. Most cases of locomotor disorders resembling KG were not reported to veterinary surgeons.

Implementing Kangaroo mother care in a resource-limited setting in rural Bangladesh.

PubMed

Pervin, Jesmin; Gustafsson, Frida E; Moran, Allisyn C; Roy, Suchismita; Persson, Lars Åke; Rahman, Anisur

2015-05-01

This study evaluated stable and unstable low birthweight infants admitted to a Kangaroo mother care (KMC) unit at a resource-limited rural hospital in Bangladesh. This was a descriptive consecutive patient series study of 423 low birthweight neonates <2500 g enrolled from July 2007 to December 2010. KMC was initiated as soon as possible after birth, regardless of health, and we monitored skin-to-skin contact, weight gain, exclusive breastfeeding, length of hospital stay and death rates. Mean birthweight was 1796 g, and mean gestational age was 34.9 weeks. Mean (median, 90th percentile) time of skin-to-skin initiation for stable and unstable neonates was 1.1 h (0.3-2.5) and 1.7 h (0.3-3.0), respectively. Adjusted mean daily skin-to-skin contact duration was significantly higher for unstable infants. About 99% of neonates were exclusively breastfed. The death rate was 8.3% (stable 1.9%, unstable 19%) at discharge. Neonatal mortality rate was 90 per 1000 live births (stable: 23 per 1000; unstable: 203 per 1000). Skin-to-skin duration was higher for unstable than stable low birthweight infants, and exclusive breastfeeding was almost universal at discharge. KMC was suitable for unstable infants and may be successfully implemented in resource-limited hospitals. ©2015 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The effect of formal, neonatal communication-intervention training on mothers in kangaroo care.

PubMed

Kritzinger, Alta; van Rooyen, Elise

2014-11-06

Due to low-birth-weight, preterm birth, HIV and/or AIDS and poverty-related factors, South Africa presents with an increased prevalence of infants at risk of language delay. A Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) unit offers unique opportunities for training. The aim of the present study was to determine if formal, neonatal communication-intervention training had an effect on mothers' knowledge and communication interaction with their high-risk infants. Three groups of mothers participated: Group 1 was trained whilst practicing KMC; Group 2 was not trained but practiced KMC; and Group 3 was also not trained but practiced sporadic KMC. Ten mothers per group were matched for age, education level and birth order of their infants. The individual training was based on graded sensory stimulation and responsive mother-infant communication interaction, which emphasised talking and singing by the mother. Significant differences were found in mother-infant communication interaction between all three groups, which indicated a positive effect on Group 1 with training. Group 2, KMC without training, also had a positive effect on interaction. However, Group 1 mothers with training demonstrated better knowledge of their infants and were more responsive during interaction than the other two groups. The present study suggests that neonatal communication-intervention training adds value to a KMC programme.

The presence of physician champions improved Kangaroo mother care in rural western India

PubMed Central

Soni, Apurv; Amin, Amee; Patel, Dipen V; Fahey, Nisha; Shah, Nikhil; Phatak, Ajay G; Allison, Jeroan; Nimbalkar, Somashekhar M

2016-01-01

Aim This study determined the effect of physician champions on the two main components of Kangaroo mother care (KMC): skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding. Methods KMC practices among a retrospective cohort of 648 infants admitted to a rural Indian neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between 5 January 2011 and 7 October 2014 were studied. KMC champions were identified based on their performance evaluation. We examined the effect of withdrawing physician champions on overall use, time to initiation and intensity of skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding, using separate models. Results In comparison to when KMC champions were present, their absence was associated with a 45% decrease in the odds of receiving skin-to-skin care, with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) of 64% to 17%, a 38% decrease in the rate of initiation skin-to-skin care (95% CI 53% to 82%) and an average of 1.47 less hours of skin-to-skin care (95% CI −2.07 to −0.86). Breastfeeding practices were similar across the different champion environments. Conclusion Withdrawing physician champions from the NICU setting was associated with a decline in skin-to-skin care, but not breastfeeding. Training healthcare workers and community stakeholders to become champions could help to scale up and maintain KMC practices. PMID:27111097

The cost-savings of implementing kangaroo mother care in Nicaragua.

PubMed

Broughton, Edward I; Gomez, Ivonne; Sanchez, Nieves; Vindell, Concepción

2013-09-01

To examine the costs of implementing kangaroo mother care (KMC) in a referral hospital in Nicaragua, including training, implementation, and ongoing operating costs, and to estimate the economic impact on the Nicaraguan health system if KMC were implemented in other maternity hospitals in the country. After receiving clinical training in KMC, the implementation team trained their colleagues, wrote guidelines for clinicians and education material for parents, and ensured adherence to the new guidelines. The intervention began September 2010 The study compared data on infant weight, medication use, formula consumption, incubator use, and hospitalization for six months before and after implementation. Cost data were collected from accounting records of the implementers and health ministry formularies. A total of 46 randomly selected infants before implementation were compared to 52 after implementation. Controlling for confounders, neonates after implementation had lower lengths of hospitalization by 4.64 days (P = 0.017) and 71% were exclusively breastfed (P < 0.001). The intervention cost US$ 23 113 but the money saved with shorter hospitalization, elimination of incubator use, and lower antibiotic and infant formula costs made up for this expense in 1 - 2 months. Extending KMC to 12 other facilities in Nicaragua is projected to save approximately US$ 166 000 (based on the referral hospital incubator use estimate) or US$ 233 000 after one year (based on the more conservative incubator use estimate). Treating premature and low-birth-weight infants in Nicaragua with KMC implemented as a quality improvement program saves money within a short period even without considering the beneficial health effects of KMC. Implementation in more facilities is strongly recommended.

Comparative NMR studies of diffusional water permeability of red blood cells from different species: XV. Agile wallaby (Macropus agilis), red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) and Goodfellow's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi).

PubMed

Benga, Gheorghe; Chapman, Bogdan E; Kuchel, Philip W

2009-09-01

The water diffusional permeability (P(d)) of red blood cells (RBC) from agile wallaby (Macropus agilis), red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) and Goodfellow's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) was monitored using an Mn(2+)-doping (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique at 400 MHz. The P(d) (cm s(-1)) values of agile wallaby RBCs were 7.5 x 10(-3) at 25 degrees C, 9 x 10(-3) at 30 degrees C, 11 x 10(-3) at 37 degrees C, and 13 x 10(-3) at 42 degrees C. The inhibitory effect of a mercury-containing sulfhydryl (SH)-modifying reagent p-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB) on agile wallaby RBCs was investigated. The maximal inhibition was reached in 90 min at 37 degrees C with 2 mmol L(-1) PCMB. The value of maximal inhibition was approximately 63% when measured at 25 degrees C, approximately 52% at 37 degrees C and approximately 45% at 42 degrees C. The lowest value of P(d) (corresponding to the basal permeability to water) was approximately 3 x 10(-3) cm s(-1) at 25 degrees C. For the RBCs from red-necked wallaby (M. rufogriseus) the values of P(d) (cm s(-1)) were 7 x 10(-3) at 25 degrees C, 8 x 10(-3) at 30 degrees C, 10 x 10(-3) at 37 degrees C, and 12 x 10(-3) at 42 degrees C. Higher values of P(d) (cm s(-1)) were found for the RBCs from Goodfellow's tree kangaroo (D. goodfellowi): 8.5 x 10(-3) at 25 degrees C, 10 x 10(-3) at 30 degrees C, 13 x 10(-3) at 37 degrees C, and 15 x 10(-3) at 42 degrees C. The mean values of the activation energy of water diffusion (E(a,d)) were approximately 25 kJ mol(-1) for RBCs from the agile wallaby and tree kangaroo, respectively, and approximately 23 kJ mol(-1) for RBCs from red-necked wallaby. The values of E(a,d) increased after exposure of agile wallaby RBCs to PCMB, reaching a value of approximately 43-46 kJ mol(-1) when the maximal inhibition of P(d) was achieved.

A Multi-Scale Distribution Model for Non-Equilibrium Populations Suggests Resource Limitation in an Endangered Rodent

PubMed Central

Bean, William T.; Stafford, Robert; Butterfield, H. Scott; Brashares, Justin S.

2014-01-01

Species distributions are known to be limited by biotic and abiotic factors at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Species distribution models, however, frequently assume a population at equilibrium in both time and space. Studies of habitat selection have repeatedly shown the difficulty of estimating resource selection if the scale or extent of analysis is incorrect. Here, we present a multi-step approach to estimate the realized and potential distribution of the endangered giant kangaroo rat. First, we estimate the potential distribution by modeling suitability at a range-wide scale using static bioclimatic variables. We then examine annual changes in extent at a population-level. We define “available” habitat based on the total suitable potential distribution at the range-wide scale. Then, within the available habitat, model changes in population extent driven by multiple measures of resource availability. By modeling distributions for a population with robust estimates of population extent through time, and ecologically relevant predictor variables, we improved the predictive ability of SDMs, as well as revealed an unanticipated relationship between population extent and precipitation at multiple scales. At a range-wide scale, the best model indicated the giant kangaroo rat was limited to areas that received little to no precipitation in the summer months. In contrast, the best model for shorter time scales showed a positive relation with resource abundance, driven by precipitation, in the current and previous year. These results suggest that the distribution of the giant kangaroo rat was limited to the wettest parts of the drier areas within the study region. This multi-step approach reinforces the differing relationship species may have with environmental variables at different scales, provides a novel method for defining “available” habitat in habitat selection studies, and suggests a way to create distribution models at spatial and temporal scales

Twenty-year Follow-up of Kangaroo Mother Care Versus Traditional Care.

PubMed

Charpak, Nathalie; Tessier, Rejean; Ruiz, Juan G; Hernandez, Jose Tiberio; Uriza, Felipe; Villegas, Julieta; Nadeau, Line; Mercier, Catherine; Maheu, Francoise; Marin, Jorge; Cortes, Darwin; Gallego, Juan Miguel; Maldonado, Dario

2017-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a multifaceted intervention for preterm and low birth weight infants and their parents. Short- and mid-term benefits of KMC on survival, neurodevelopment, breastfeeding, and the quality of mother-infant bonding were documented in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Colombia from 1993 to 1996. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the persistence of these results in young adulthood. From 2012 to 2014, a total of 494 (69%) of the 716 participants of the original RCT known to be alive were identified; 441 (62% of the participants in the original RCT) were re-enrolled, and results for the 264 participants weighing ≤1800 g at birth were analyzed. The KMC and control groups were compared for health status and neurologic, cognitive, and social functioning with the use of neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and behavioral tests. The effects of KMC at 1 year on IQ and home environment were still present 20 years later in the most fragile individuals, and KMC parents were more protective and nurturing, reflected by reduced school absenteeism and reduced hyperactivity, aggressiveness, externalization, and socio-deviant conduct of young adults. Neuroimaging showed larger volume of the left caudate nucleus in the KMC group. This study indicates that KMC had significant, long-lasting social and behavioral protective effects 20 years after the intervention. Coverage with this efficient and scientifically based health care intervention should be extended to the 18 million infants born each year who are candidates for the method. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Multi-species Management Using Modeling and Decision Theory Applications to Integrated Natural Resources Management Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

or just habitat area . They used linear interpolation to derive maps for each time step in the population model and population dynamics were...Metapopulation Map ............................................................................................................... 20  Figure 12. Habitat...Stephen’s kangaroo rat (SKR). In some areas of coastal sage scrub habitat short fire return intervals make the habitat suitable for the SKR while

Short spell kangaroo mother care and its differential physiological influence in subgroups of preterm babies.

PubMed

Boju, Sangeetha Lakshmi; Gopi Krishna, Muddu; Uppala, Rajani; Chodavarapu, Praneeta; Chodavarapu, Ravikumar

2012-06-01

In routine practice, 4-6 h of kangaroo mother care (KMC) is adopted. Many mothers feel the duration impracticable. In 86 preterm babies, pre and post 1 h KMC changes in heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), axillary temperature and SpO(2) are measured, in each baby. Postnatal age at the time of the study is 7.7 ± 5.2 days. Significant changes observed are decrease in mean HR by 3 bpm, RR by 3 min(-1) and increase in mean axillary temperature by 0.4 F and SpO(2) by 1.1%. In SGA babies, post KMC decrease in mean HR by 5 bpm, increase in mean axillary temperature by 0.6 F and SpO(2) by 2.1% are significant. In female babies, post KMC decrease in mean RR by 6 min(-1) and increase mean axillary temperature by 0.3 F and SpO(2) by 1.5% are significant. We conclude that preterm babies are benefited by 1 h KMC. SGA and female preterm babies showed different and greater response.

The presence of physician champions improved Kangaroo Mother Care in rural western India.

PubMed

Soni, Apurv; Amin, Amee; Patel, Dipen V; Fahey, Nisha; Shah, Nikhil; Phatak, Ajay G; Allison, Jeroan; Nimbalkar, Somashekhar M

2016-09-01

This study determined the effect of physician champions on the two main components of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC): skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding. KMC practices among a retrospective cohort of 648 infants admitted to a rural Indian neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) between January 5, 2011 and October 7, 2014 were studied. KMC champions were identified based on their performance evaluation. We examined the effect of withdrawing physician champions on overall use, time to initiation and intensity of skin-to-skin care and breastfeeding, using separate models. In comparison with when KMC champions were present, their absence was associated with a 45% decrease in the odds of receiving skin-to-skin care, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 64% to 17%, a 38% decrease in the rate of initiation skin-to-skin care (95% CI 53-82%) and an average of 1.47 less hours of skin-to-skin care (95% CI -2.07 to -0.86). Breastfeeding practices were similar across the different champion environments. Withdrawing physician champions from the NICU setting was associated with a decline in skin-to-skin care, but not breastfeeding. Training health care workers and community stakeholders to become champions could help to scale up and maintain KMC practices. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Progress with the implementation of kangaroo mother care in four regions in Ghana.

PubMed

Bergh, A-M; Manu, R; Davy, K; Van Rooyen, E; Quansah Asare, G; Awoonor-Williams, Jk; Dedzo, M; Twumasi, A; Nang-Beifubah, A

2013-06-01

To measure progress with the implementation of kangaroo mother care (KMC) for low birth-weight (LBW) infants at a health systems level. Action research design, with district and regional hospitals as the unit of analysis. Four regions in Ghana, identified by the Ghana Health Service and UNICEF. Health workers and officials, health care facilities and districts in the four regions. A one-year implementation programme with three phases: (1) introduction to KMC, skills development in KMC practice and the management of implementation; (2) advanced skills development for regional steering committee members; and (3) an assessment of progress at the end of the intervention. Description of practices, services and facilities for KMC and the identification of strengths and challenges. Twenty-six of 38 hospitals (68%) demonstrated sufficient progress with KMC implementation. Half of the hospitals had designated a special ward for KMC. 66% of hospitals used a special record for infants receiving KMC. Two of the main challenges were lack of support for mothers who had to remain with their LBW infants in hospital and no follow-up review services for LBW infants in 39% of hospitals. It was possible to roll out KMC in Ghana, but further support for the regions is needed to maintain the momentum. Lessons learned from this project could inform further scale-up of KMC and other projects in Ghana.

The effect of formal, neonatal communication-intervention training on mothers in kangaroo care

PubMed Central

van Rooyen, Elise

2014-01-01

Abstract Background Due to low-birth-weight, preterm birth, HIV and/or AIDS and poverty-related factors, South Africa presents with an increased prevalence of infants at risk of language delay. A Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) unit offers unique opportunities for training. Aim The aim of the present study was to determine if formal, neonatal communication-intervention training had an effect on mothers’ knowledge and communication interaction with their high-risk infants. Methods Three groups of mothers participated: Group 1 was trained whilst practicing KMC; Group 2 was not trained but practiced KMC; and Group 3 was also not trained but practiced sporadic KMC. Ten mothers per group were matched for age, education level and birth order of their infants. The individual training was based on graded sensory stimulation and responsive mother-infant communication interaction, which emphasised talking and singing by the mother. Results Significant differences were found in mother-infant communication interaction between all three groups, which indicated a positive effect on Group 1 with training. Group 2, KMC without training, also had a positive effect on interaction. However, Group 1 mothers with training demonstrated better knowledge of their infants and were more responsive during interaction than the other two groups. Conclusion The present study suggests that neonatal communication-intervention training adds value to a KMC programme. PMID:26245414

Positive effect of kangaroo mother care on long-term breastfeeding in very preterm infants.

PubMed

Flacking, Renée; Ewald, Uwe; Wallin, Lars

2011-01-01

To investigate the use of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and its association with breastfeeding at 1 to 6 months of corrected age in mothers of very preterm (VPT) and preterm (PT) infants. Prospective longitudinal study. Neonatal Intensive Care Units in four counties in Sweden. The study included 103 VPT (< 32 gestational weeks) and 197 PT (32-36 gestational weeks) singleton infants and their mothers. Data on KMC, measured in duration of skin-to-skin contact/day during all days admitted to a neonatal unit, were collected using self-reports from the parents. Data on breastfeeding were obtained by telephone interviews. VPT dyads that breastfed at 1, 2, 5, and 6 months had spent more time in KMC per day than those not breastfeeding at these times. A trend toward significance was noted at 3 and 4 months. In the PT dyads no statistically significant differences were found in the amount of KMC per day between those dyads that breastfed and those that did not. This study shows the importance of KMC during hospital stay for breastfeeding duration in VPT dyads. Hence, KMC has empowering effects on the process of breastfeeding, especially in those dyads with the smallest and most vulnerable infants. © 2011 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

[Effects of Kangaroo Care on anxiety, maternal role confidence, and maternal infant attachment of mothers who delivered preterm infants].

PubMed

Lee, Sang Bok; Shin, Hye Sook

2007-10-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Kangaroo Care(KC) on anxiety, maternal role confidence, and maternal infant attachment of mothers who delivered preterm infants. The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest. Data was collected from September 1. 2006 to June 20. 2007. The participants were 22 mothers in the experimental group and 21 in the control group. KC was applied three times per day, for a total of ten times in 4 days to the experimental group. The degree of anxiety was statistically significantly different between the two groups but maternal role confidence and maternal infant attachment was statistically insignificant. This data suggests that KC was effective for mothers anxiety relief but it was not effective for maternal role confidence and maternal infant attachment of mothers. The implications for nursing practice and directions for future research need to be discussed.

Breastfeeding Characteristics of Late-Preterm Infants in a Kangaroo Mother Care Unit.

PubMed

Pike, Melissa; Kritzinger, Alta; Krüger, Esedra

2017-12-01

To describe the breastfeeding characteristics of late-preterm infants (LPIs) in a kangaroo mother care (KMC) unit. In a 20-bed KMC unit, the breastfeeding of 73 purposively-selected LPIs' (mean gestational age: 34.8 weeks) was observed once-off, using the Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale. Participants' mean age was 9.5 days, mean number of days in the unit was 3.1 days, and mean number of days breastfeeding was 7.5 on observation. Only 13.7% of participants were directly breastfeeding without supplementary naso- or orogastric feeding/cup-feeding and 86.3% received supplementary cup-feeding of expressed breast milk. Most participants did not exhibit obvious rooting (83.5%) and although most latched-on (97.3%), those who did, latched shallowly (93%). The mean longest sucking burst was 18.8 (standard deviation: 10.5) and approximately half the participants swallowed repeatedly (53.4%). The mean breastfeeding session duration was 17.8 minutes, but most participants breastfed for less than 10 minutes (76.7%). No statistically significant differences in breastfeeding characteristics were detected between participants of different chronological ages. A general trend toward more mature behaviors in participants' breastfeeding for more days was present for many breastfeeding characteristics. More infants exhibited the most mature behavior for each breastfeeding characteristic when the environment was quiet, rather than noisy and disturbing, except for depth of latching (quiet: 0%, disturbance: 15.2%). LPIs in this sample presented with subtle breastfeeding difficulties, highlighting their need for breastfeeding support. Further research is required to examine the effect of KMC on breastfeeding in LPIs.

Histology and immunohistochemistry of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue of the eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus.

PubMed

Old, J M; Deane, E M

2001-12-01

Mesenteric lymph nodes and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) from juvenile eastern grey kangaroos were investigated. The mesenteric nodes had a similar structure to that described for eutherian mammals. They contained distinct regions of medulla and cortex, with prominent follicles and germinal centres. Gut associated lymphoid tissue consisted of areas of submucosal follicles. These varied from areas of densely packed lymphocytes with darkly staining, prominent coronas to areas with no defined follicles. The distribution of T cells in these tissues was documented by use of species-crossreactive antibodies to the surface markers CD3 and CD5; B cells were identified by antibodies to CD79b. Within the lymph nodes T cells were located mainly in the paracortex and cortex, with limited numbers observed in the follicles; B cells were located on the marginal zone of the follicles. In GALT, T cells were located in the peripheral regions of the germinal centres of secondary follicles, while B cells were abundant in primary follicles. These observations are consistent with those made in a range of other marsupials (metatherian) and eutherian mammals and are indicative of the capacity to respond to antigens entering via the mouth.

Barriers and enablers of kangaroo mother care practice: a systematic review.

PubMed

Seidman, Gabriel; Unnikrishnan, Shalini; Kenny, Emma; Myslinski, Scott; Cairns-Smith, Sarah; Mulligan, Brian; Engmann, Cyril

2015-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an evidence-based approach to reducing mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. Although KMC is a key intervention package in newborn health initiatives, there is limited systematic information available on the barriers to KMC practice that mothers and other stakeholders face while practicing KMC. This systematic review sought to identify the most frequently reported barriers to KMC practice for mothers, fathers, and health practitioners, as well as the most frequently reported enablers to practice for mothers. We searched nine electronic databases and relevant reference lists for publications reporting barriers or enablers to KMC practice. We identified 1,264 unique publications, of which 103 were included based on pre-specified criteria. Publications were scanned for all barriers / enablers. Each publication was also categorized based on its approach to identification of barriers / enablers, and more weight was assigned to publications which had systematically sought to understand factors influencing KMC practice. Four of the top five ranked barriers to KMC practice for mothers were resource-related: "Issues with the facility environment / resources," "negative impressions of staff attitudes or interactions with staff," "lack of help with KMC practice or other obligations," and "low awareness of KMC / infant health." Considering only publications from low- and middle-income countries, "pain / fatigue" was ranked higher than when considering all publications. Top enablers to practice were included "mother-infant attachment" and "support from family, friends, and other mentors." Our findings suggest that mother can understand and enjoy KMC, and it has benefits for mothers, infants, and families. However, continuous KMC may be physically and emotionally difficult, and often requires support from family members, health practitioners, or other mothers. These findings can serve as a starting point for researchers and program

Barriers and Enablers of Kangaroo Mother Care Practice: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Seidman, Gabriel; Unnikrishnan, Shalini; Kenny, Emma; Myslinski, Scott; Cairns-Smith, Sarah; Mulligan, Brian; Engmann, Cyril

2015-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an evidence-based approach to reducing mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. Although KMC is a key intervention package in newborn health initiatives, there is limited systematic information available on the barriers to KMC practice that mothers and other stakeholders face while practicing KMC. This systematic review sought to identify the most frequently reported barriers to KMC practice for mothers, fathers, and health practitioners, as well as the most frequently reported enablers to practice for mothers. We searched nine electronic databases and relevant reference lists for publications reporting barriers or enablers to KMC practice. We identified 1,264 unique publications, of which 103 were included based on pre-specified criteria. Publications were scanned for all barriers / enablers. Each publication was also categorized based on its approach to identification of barriers / enablers, and more weight was assigned to publications which had systematically sought to understand factors influencing KMC practice. Four of the top five ranked barriers to KMC practice for mothers were resource-related: “Issues with the facility environment / resources,” “negative impressions of staff attitudes or interactions with staff,” “lack of help with KMC practice or other obligations,” and “low awareness of KMC / infant health.” Considering only publications from low- and middle-income countries, “pain / fatigue” was ranked higher than when considering all publications. Top enablers to practice were included “mother-infant attachment” and “support from family, friends, and other mentors.” Our findings suggest that mother can understand and enjoy KMC, and it has benefits for mothers, infants, and families. However, continuous KMC may be physically and emotionally difficult, and often requires support from family members, health practitioners, or other mothers. These findings can serve as a starting point for

Effects of kangaroo mother care on maternal mood and interaction patterns between parents and their preterm, low birth weight infants: a systematic review.

PubMed

Athanasopoulou, Eirini; Fox, John R E

2014-01-01

The birth of a premature infant can have adverse effects on the mood of mothers and on the interaction patterns between parents and their preterm babies. The aim of the present systematic review was to examine whether the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) intervention can attenuate these adverse psychological effects of a premature birth by ameliorating negative maternal mood and/or promoting more positive interactions between preterm infants and their parents. The results showed that although findings of studies were inconclusive, there is some evidence to suggest that KMC can make a positive difference on these areas. Specifically, it was found that KMC can improve negative maternal mood (e.g., anxiety or depression) and promote more positive parent-child interactions. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. © 2014 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Lysine and glutamate transport in the erythrocytes of common brushtail possum, Tammar Wallaby and eastern grey, kangaroo.

PubMed

Ogawa, E; Kuchel, P W; Agar, N S

1998-04-01

It was recently coincidentally discovered, using 1H NMR spectroscopy, that the erythrocytes of two species of Australian marsupials, Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii) and Bettong (Bettongia penicillata), contain relatively high concentrations of the essential amino acid lysine (Agar NS, Rae CD, Chapman BE, Kuchel PW. Comp Biochem Physiol 1991;99B:575-97). Hence, in the present work the rates of transport of lysine into the erythrocytes from the Common Brushtail Possum (Dactylopsilia trivirgata) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) (which both have low lysine concentrations), and Tammar Wallaby were studied, to explore the mechanistic basis of this finding. The concentration-dependence of the uptake was studied with lysine alone and in the presence of arginine, which may be a competitor of the transport in some species. In relation to GSH metabolism, glutamate uptake was determined in the presence and absence of Na+. The data was analysed to yield estimates of the maximal velocity (Vmax) and the Km in each of the species. Erythrocytes from Tammar Wallaby lacked saturable lysine transport in contrast to the other two species. The glutamate uptake was normal in all three animals for adequate GSH biosynthesis.

The implementation of kangaroo mother care and nurses' perspective of barriers in Iranian' NICUs.

PubMed

Namnabati, Mahboobeh; Talakoub, Sedigheh; Mohammadizadeh, Majid; Mousaviasl, Fatemesadat

2016-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is the most implementation intervention in caring of the infants, as in this method, both the mothers and infants are cared. The World Health Organization recommends implementation of KMC for all infants. However, there are some barriers in the way of its application. The purpose of this study was evaluation of the practical application of KMC and nurses' perspective about its implantation barriers in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Iran. The descriptive study was conducted on 96 infants and 80 nurses working in the NICUs of two university hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected by a two-section questionnaire and analyzed by t-test through SPSS 14. Study findings indicated that mean weight and age of the infants with KMC were 1510 g and 32 weeks, respectively. KMC was implantation for 32 min in a day. From nurses' perspective, mother-related barriers were the main barriers in the implantation of KMC as mothers were not present by their infants. Another barrier was the mothers' fear of touching their infants. In the domain of organizational barriers, physician's order was found to be the most important barrier in application of KMC. Identifying barriers in implantation of KMC is essential to support the mothers. Regarding mother-related barriers, organizational barriers, and the need for a physician's order for implementation of KMC, policy makers must provide facilities and equipment for applying KMC practice for mothers and improve the protocol of KMC in the NICU.

Testing a family intervention hypothesis: the contribution of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care) to family interaction, proximity, and touch.

PubMed

Feldman, Ruth; Weller, Aron; Sirota, Lea; Eidelman, Arthur I

2003-03-01

The provision of maternal-infant body contact during a period of maternal separation was examined for its effects on parent-infant and triadic interactions. Participants were 146 three-month-old preterm infants and their parents, half of whom received skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo care (KC), in the neonatal nursery. Global relational style and micro-patterns of proximity and touch were coded. Following KC, mothers and fathers were more sensitive and less intrusive, infants showed less negative affect, and family style was more cohesive. Among KC families, maternal and paternal affectionate touch of infant and spouse was more frequent, spouses remained in closer proximity, and infant proximity position was conducive to mutual gaze and touch during triadic play. The role of touch as a constituent of the co-regulatory parent-infant and triadic systems and the effects of maternal contact on mothering, co-parenting, and family processes are discussed.

Provision of Kangaroo Mother Care: supportive factors and barriers perceived by parents.

PubMed

Blomqvist, Ylva Thernström; Frölund, Lovisa; Rubertsson, Christine; Nyqvist, Kerstin Hedberg

2013-06-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) supports parents' role at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). To enhance parents' provision of KMC, it is essential to obtain knowledge of what parents perceive as supportive factors and barriers regarding their opportunities to perform KMC. To identify factors that parents of preterm infants perceived as supportive factors or barriers for their performance of KMC and to explore the timing of and reasons for parents' discontinuation of KMC. A descriptive study performed at two NICUs in Sweden with 76 mothers and 74 fathers of preterm infants born at gestational ages ranging from 28 to 33 weeks. Data on infant characteristics were obtained from the infants' medical records. A questionnaire, based on scientific literature and the researchers' clinical experience, was completed by the mothers and the fathers separately, shortly after the infant's discharge from the hospital. The data were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistic. Four categories were identified in parents' responses regarding support and barriers for their performance of KMC: Parent related factors, Time, Infants related factors and The NICU and home environment. The hospital staff and environment were described by the parents as both supportive and barriers for their application of KMC. Some mothers described the infants' feeding process as an obstacle to KMC. Sleeping with the infant skin-to-skin in the same position throughout the night could be difficult, as an uncomfortable sleeping position caused insufficient sleep. A majority of both mothers and fathers continued providing their infant with KMC to some extent after discharge. Interventions for enhancing parents' opportunities for performing KMC should address both hospital staff attitudes and practices and the NICU environment. © 2012 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Environmental Assessment: Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Management Cannon Air Force Base and Melrose Air Force Range, New Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

requirements are met by metabolizing grazed vegetation. Prairie dogs dig burrows to an average depth of 2-3 meters with some tunnels interconnecting with...the potential to impact non- target species such as mice, kangaroo rats, and some songbirds. Establishing control zones at CAFB and MAFR could not be...Gutierrezia sarothrae), and Russian thistle (Salsola iberica). Water requirements are met by metabolizing grazed vegetation. Prairie dogs dig burrows

Remedial Investigation Report. Volume 6: Southern Study Area, Sections 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 Text, Version 3.3

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

plains harvest mice, western harvest mice, northern grasshopper mice, prairie voles, meadow voles, Ord’s kangaroo rats, hispid pocket mice, and...both metabolically and from a manufacturing perspective. DDT and DDE are two of the more persistent OCPs (Edwards, 1972). This may be due in part to...DBPC, although toxic, does not bioaccumulate significantly, while isodrin, an analog of endrin, is converted to endrin by metabolic processes. Two

Community based kangaroo mother care for low birth weight babies: A pilot study

PubMed Central

Rasaily, Reeta; Ganguly, K. K.; Roy, M.; Vani, S. N.; Kharood, N.; Kulkarni, R.; Chauhan, S.; Swain, S.; Kanugo, L.

2017-01-01

Background & objectives: Kangaroo mother care (KMC - early continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and infants) has been recommended as an alternative care for low birth weight infants. There is limited evidence in our country on KMC initiated at home. The present study was undertaken to study acceptability of KMC in different community settings. Methods: A community-based pilot study was carried out at three sites in the States of Odisha, Gujarat and Maharashtra covering rural, urban and rural tribal population, respectively. Trained health workers provided IEC (information, education and communication) on KMC during antenatal period along with essential newborn care messages. These messages were reinforced during the postnatal period. Outcome measures were the proportion of women accepting KMC, duration of KMC/day and total number of days continuing KMC. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were also carried out. Results: KMC was provided to 101 infants weighing 1500-2000 g; 57.4 per cent were preterm. Overall, 80.2 per cent mothers received health education on KMC during antenatal period, family members (68.3%) also attended KMC sessions along with pregnant women and 55.4 per cent of the women initiated KMC within 72 h of birth. KMC was provided on an average for five hours per day. Qualitative survey data indicated that the method was acceptable to mothers and family members; living in nuclear family, household work, twin pregnancy, hot weather, etc., were cited as reasons for not being able to practice KMC for a longer duration. Interpretation & conclusions: It was feasible to provide KMC using existing infrastructure, and the method was acceptable to most mothers of low birth infants. PMID:28574014

Community based kangaroo mother care for low birth weight babies: A pilot study.

PubMed

Rasaily, Reeta; Ganguly, K K; Roy, M; Vani, S N; Kharood, N; Kulkarni, R; Chauhan, S; Swain, S; Kanugo, L

2017-01-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC - early continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and infants) has been recommended as an alternative care for low birth weight infants. There is limited evidence in our country on KMC initiated at home. The present study was undertaken to study acceptability of KMC in different community settings. A community-based pilot study was carried out at three sites in the States of Odisha, Gujarat and Maharashtra covering rural, urban and rural tribal population, respectively. Trained health workers provided IEC (information, education and communication) on KMC during antenatal period along with essential newborn care messages. These messages were reinforced during the postnatal period. Outcome measures were the proportion of women accepting KMC, duration of KMC/day and total number of days continuing KMC. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were also carried out. KMC was provided to 101 infants weighing 1500-2000 g; 57.4 per cent were preterm. Overall, 80.2 per cent mothers received health education on KMC during antenatal period, family members (68.3%) also attended KMC sessions along with pregnant women and 55.4 per cent of the women initiated KMC within 72 h of birth. KMC was provided on an average for five hours per day. Qualitative survey data indicated that the method was acceptable to mothers and family members; living in nuclear family, household work, twin pregnancy, hot weather, etc., were cited as reasons for not being able to practice KMC for a longer duration. It was feasible to provide KMC using existing infrastructure, and the method was acceptable to most mothers of low birth infants.

Trial of repeated analgesia with Kangaroo Mother Care (TRAKC Trial).

PubMed

Campbell-Yeo, Marsha; Johnston, Celeste; Benoit, Britney; Latimer, Margot; Vincer, Michael; Walker, Claire-Dominique; Streiner, David; Inglis, Darlene; Caddell, Kim

2013-11-09

Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mother and infant, commonly referred to as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), is recommended as an intervention for procedural pain. Evidence demonstrates its consistent efficacy in reducing pain for a single painful procedure. The purpose of this study is to examine the sustained efficacy of KMC, provided during all routine painful procedures for the duration of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization, in diminishing behavioral pain response in preterm neonates. The efficacy of KMC alone will be compared to standard care of 24% oral sucrose, as well as the combination of KMC and 24% oral sucrose. Infants admitted to the NICU who are less than 36 6/7 weeks gestational age (according to early ultrasound), that are stable enough to be held in KMC, will be considered eligible (N = 258). Using a single-blinded randomized parallel group design, participants will be assigned to one of three possible interventions: 1) KMC, 2) combined KMC and sucrose, and 3) sucrose alone, when they undergo any routine painful procedure (heel lance, venipuncture, intravenous, oro/nasogastric insertion). The primary outcome is infant's pain intensity, which will be assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). The secondary outcome will be maturity of neurobehavioral functioning, as measured by the Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI). Gestational age, cumulative exposure to KMC provided during non-pain contexts, and maternal cortisol levels will be considered in the analysis. Clinical feasibility will be accounted for from nurse and maternal questionnaires. This will be the first study to examine the repeated use of KMC for managing procedural pain in preterm neonates. It is also the first to compare KMC to sucrose, or the interventions in combination, across time. Based on the theoretical framework of the brain opioid theory of attachment, it is expected that KMC will be a preferred standard of care. However

Trial of Repeated Analgesia with Kangaroo Mother Care (TRAKC Trial)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mother and infant, commonly referred to as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), is recommended as an intervention for procedural pain. Evidence demonstrates its consistent efficacy in reducing pain for a single painful procedure. The purpose of this study is to examine the sustained efficacy of KMC, provided during all routine painful procedures for the duration of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization, in diminishing behavioral pain response in preterm neonates. The efficacy of KMC alone will be compared to standard care of 24% oral sucrose, as well as the combination of KMC and 24% oral sucrose. Methods/design Infants admitted to the NICU who are less than 36 6/7 weeks gestational age (according to early ultrasound), that are stable enough to be held in KMC, will be considered eligible (N = 258). Using a single-blinded randomized parallel group design, participants will be assigned to one of three possible interventions: 1) KMC, 2) combined KMC and sucrose, and 3) sucrose alone, when they undergo any routine painful procedure (heel lance, venipuncture, intravenous, oro/nasogastric insertion). The primary outcome is infant’s pain intensity, which will be assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). The secondary outcome will be maturity of neurobehavioral functioning, as measured by the Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI). Gestational age, cumulative exposure to KMC provided during non-pain contexts, and maternal cortisol levels will be considered in the analysis. Clinical feasibility will be accounted for from nurse and maternal questionnaires. Discussion This will be the first study to examine the repeated use of KMC for managing procedural pain in preterm neonates. It is also the first to compare KMC to sucrose, or the interventions in combination, across time. Based on the theoretical framework of the brain opioid theory of attachment, it is expected that KMC will be a

Kangaroo mother care in the neonatal intensive care unit: staff attitudes and beliefs and opportunities for parents.

PubMed

Strand, H; Blomqvist, Y T; Gradin, M; Nyqvist, K H

2014-04-01

To compare attitudes towards Kangaroo mother care (KMC) among staff in two high-tech neonatal intensive care units, which provided parents with different opportunities to get involved in their infants' care. Questionnaires were completed by healthcare staff in Unit A, which provided parents with unrestricted access so that they could provide continuous KMC, and Unit B, where parents could only practice KMC intermittently. Unit A staff were more positive about the benefits and use of KMC, including its use in unstable infants, and rated their knowledge and practical skills more highly than staff in the other unit. Unit B staff also appreciated the method, but expressed more hesitation in using it with unstable infants. In particular, they stressed the need to adapt the physical environment of the NICU to enable parents to stay with their infants and practice the method. Staff working in the NICU that gave parents unrestricted access were more positive about KMC than staff in the NICU that offered limited opportunities for parents to stay with their children. This finding suggests that it is important to eliminate unjustifiable obstacles to the presence of parents in the NICU, so that they can provide KMC. ©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of retinopathy of prematurity screening in reverse Kangaroo Mother Care: a pilot study.

PubMed

Padhi, T R; Sareen, D; Pradhan, L; Jalali, S; Sutar, S; Das, T; Modi, R R; Behera, U C

2015-04-01

To evaluate retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening practice in reverse Kangaroo Mother Care (R-KMC) with respect to stress and pain to the infant. In a pilot study we evaluated ROP screening practice in R-KMC in 20 babies at risk of ROP. The R-KMC differed from the conventional KMC with respect to the baby position where the baby lay supine on mother's chest. With the mother lying supine and the baby in R-KMC position, screening examinations were done with indirect ophthalmoscope. The outcome measures included stress (quantified by pulse, respiration, and oxygen saturation) and pain to the baby by observing facial expression (eye squeezing, crying, and brow bulge). The heart rate, respiratory rate, and SpO2 (%) were compared before and immediately after the procedure using paired t-test. Mean (±SD) gestational age and birth weight were 30.8±2.3 weeks and 1362.5±253.9 g, respectively. During examination in R- KMC position 8 babies (40%) were completely relaxed (no eye squeezing and crying), 10 (50%) were partially relaxed (no brow bulge) and 2 babies (10%) were not relaxed. A change in heart and respiration rate both by 10 per minute was recorded in 12 (60%) and 10 (50%) babies, respectively. Five babies (25%) had reduction in blood oxygen concentration below 92%. The majority of the mothers (19 of 20) were relaxed. ROP screening in R-KMC can be a baby friendly screening practice with respect to stress and pain to the infant and needs further evaluation in a larger cohort.

The implementation of kangaroo mother care and nurses’ perspective of barriers in Iranian’ NICUs

PubMed Central

Namnabati, Mahboobeh; Talakoub, Sedigheh; Mohammadizadeh, Majid; Mousaviasl, Fatemesadat

2016-01-01

Background: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is the most implementation intervention in caring of the infants, as in this method, both the mothers and infants are cared. The World Health Organization recommends implementation of KMC for all infants. However, there are some barriers in the way of its application. The purpose of this study was evaluation of the practical application of KMC and nurses’ perspective about its implantation barriers in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Iran. Materials and Methods: The descriptive study was conducted on 96 infants and 80 nurses working in the NICUs of two university hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected by a two-section questionnaire and analyzed by t-test through SPSS 14. Results: Study findings indicated that mean weight and age of the infants with KMC were 1510 g and 32 weeks, respectively. KMC was implantation for 32 min in a day. From nurses’ perspective, mother-related barriers were the main barriers in the implantation of KMC as mothers were not present by their infants. Another barrier was the mothers’ fear of touching their infants. In the domain of organizational barriers, physician's order was found to be the most important barrier in application of KMC. Conclusions: Identifying barriers in implantation of KMC is essential to support the mothers. Regarding mother-related barriers, organizational barriers, and the need for a physician's order for implementation of KMC, policy makers must provide facilities and equipment for applying KMC practice for mothers and improve the protocol of KMC in the NICU. PMID:26985227

The effect of kangaroo mother care on mental health of mothers with low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Badiee, Zohreh; Faramarzi, Salar; MiriZadeh, Tahereh

2014-01-01

The mothers of premature infants are at risk of psychological stress because of separation from their infants. One of the methods influencing the maternal mental health in the postpartum period is kangaroo mother care (KMC). This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of KMC of low birth weight infants on their maternal mental health. The study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Premature infants were randomly allocated into two groups. The control group received standard caring in the incubator. In the experimental group, caring with three sessions of 60 min KMC daily for 1 week was practiced. Mental health scores of the mothers were evaluated by using the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by the analysis of covariance using SPSS. The scores of 50 infant-mother pairs were analyzed totally (25 in KMC group and 25 in standard care group). Results of covariance analysis showed the positive effects of KMC on the rate of maternal mental health scores. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and control subjects in the posttest period (P < 0.001). KMC for low birth weight infants is a safe way to improve maternal mental health. Therefore, it is suggested as a useful method that can be recommended for improving the mental health of mothers.

Maternal singing during kangaroo care led to autonomic stability in preterm infants and reduced maternal anxiety.

PubMed

Arnon, Shmuel; Diamant, Chagit; Bauer, Sofia; Regev, Rivka; Sirota, Gisela; Litmanovitz, Ita

2014-10-01

Kangaroo care (KC) and maternal singing benefit preterm infants, and we investigated whether combining these benefitted infants and mothers. A prospective randomised, within-subject, crossover, repeated-measures study design was used, with participants acting as their own controls. We evaluated the heart rate variability (HRV) of stable preterm infants receiving KC, with and without maternal singing. This included low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) and the LF/HF ratio during baseline (10 min), singing or quiet phases (20 min) and recovery (10 min). Physiological parameters, maternal anxiety and the infants' behavioural state were measured. We included 86 stable preterm infants, with a postmenstrual age of 32-36 weeks. A significant change in LF and HF, and lower LF/HF ratio, was observed during KC with maternal singing during the intervention and recovery phases, compared with just KC and baseline (all p-values <0.05). Maternal anxiety was lower during singing than just KC (p = 0.04). No differences in the infants' behavioural states or physiological parameters were found, with or without singing. Maternal singing during KC reduces maternal anxiety and leads to autonomic stability in stable preterm infants. This effect is not detected in behavioural state or physiological parameters commonly used to monitor preterm infants. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Increasing Confidence and Ability in Implementing Kangaroo Mother Care Method Among Young Mothers.

PubMed

Kenanga Purbasary, Eleni; Rustina, Yeni; Budiarti, Tri

Mothers giving birth to low birth weight babies (LBWBs) have low confidence in caring for their babies because they are often still young and may lack the knowledge, experience, and ability to care for the baby. This research aims to determine the effect of education about kangaroo mother care (KMC) on the confidence and ability of young mothers to implement KMC. The research methodology used was a controlled-random experimental approach with pre- and post-test equivalent groups of 13 mothers and their LBWBs in the intervention group and 13 mothers and their LBWBs in the control group. Data were collected via an instrument measuring young mothers' confidence, the validity and reliability of which have been tested with a resulting r value of .941, and an observation sheet on KMC implementation. After conducting the education, the confidence score of young mothers and their ability to perform KMC increased meaningfully. The score of confidence of young mothers before education was 37 (p = .1555: and the ability score for KMC Implementation before education was 9 (p = .1555). The median score of confidence of young mothers after education in the intervention group was 87 and in the control group was 50 (p = .001, 95% CI 60.36-75.56), and ability median score for KMC implementation after education in the intervention group was 16 and in the control group was 12 (p = .001, 95% CI 1.50-1.88). KMC education should be conducted gradually, and it is necessary to involve the family, in order for KMC implementation to continue at home. A family visit can be done for LBWBs to evaluate the ability of the young mothers to implement KMC.

‘Kangaroo mother care’ to prevent neonatal deaths due to preterm birth complications

PubMed Central

Lawn, Joy E; Mwansa-Kambafwile, Judith; Horta, Bernardo L; Barros, Fernando C; Cousens, Simon

2010-01-01

Background ‘Kangaroo mother care’ (KMC) includes thermal care through continuous skin-to-skin contact, support for exclusive breastfeeding or other appropriate feeding, and early recognition/response to illness. Whilst increasingly accepted in both high- and low-income countries, a Cochrane review (2003) did not find evidence of KMC’s mortality benefit, and did not report neonatal-specific data. Objectives The objectives of this study were to review the evidence, and estimate the effect of KMC on neonatal mortality due to complications of preterm birth. Methods We conducted systematic reviews. Standardized abstraction tables were used and study quality assessed by adapted GRADE methodology. Meta-analyses were undertaken. Results We identified 15 studies reporting mortality and/or morbidity outcomes including nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and six observational studies all from low- or middle-income settings. Except one, all were hospital-based and included only babies of birth-weight <2000 g (assumed preterm). The one community-based trial had missing birthweight data, as well as other limitations and was excluded. Neonatal-specific data were supplied by two authors. Meta-analysis of three RCTs commencing KMC in the first week of life showed a significant reduction in neonatal mortality [relative risk (RR) 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29–0.82] compared with standard care. A meta-analysis of three observational studies also suggested significant mortality benefit (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.58–0.79). Five RCTs suggested significant reductions in serious morbidity for babies <2000 g (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.17–0.65). Conclusion This is the first published meta-analysis showing that KMC substantially reduces neonatal mortality amongst preterm babies (birth weight <2000 g) in hospital, and is highly effective in reducing severe morbidity, particularly from infection. However, KMC remains unavailable at-scale in most low-income countries. PMID:20348117

Rolling out of kangaroo mother care in secondary level facilities in Bihar-Some experiences.

PubMed

Neogi, Sutapa B; Chauhan, Monika; Sharma, Jyoti; Negandhi, Preeti; Sethy, Ghanshyam

2016-01-01

Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of under-five child deaths worldwide and in India. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a powerful and easy-to-use method to promote health and well-being and reduce morbidity and mortality in preterm/low birth weight (LBW) babies. As the part of the roll-out of India Newborn Action Plan interventions, we implemented KMC in select facilities with an objective to assess the responsiveness of public health system to roll out KMC. KMC intervention was implemented in two select high priority districts, Gaya and Purnea in Bihar over the duration of 8 months from August 2015 to March 2016. The implementation of intervention was phased out into; situation analysis, implementation of intervention, and interim assessment. KMC model, as envisaged keeping in mind the building blocks of health system, was established in 6 identified health-care facilities. A pretested simple checklist was used to assess the awareness, knowledge, skills, and practice of KMC during baseline situational analysis and interim assessment phases for comparison. The intervention clearly seemed to improve the awareness among auxiliary nurse midwives/nurses about KMC. Improvements were also observed in the availability of infrastructure required for KMC and support logistics like facility for manual expression of breast milk, cups/suitable devices such as paladi cups for feeding small babies and digital weighing scale. Although the recording of information regarding LBW babies and KMC practice improved, still there is scope for much improvement. There is a commitment at the national level to promote KMC in every facility. The present experience shows the possibility of rolling out KMC in secondary level facilities with support from government functionaries.

Kangaroo care and behavioral and physiologic pain responses in very-low-birth-weight twins: a case study.

PubMed

Cong, Xiaomei; Cusson, Regina M; Hussain, Naveed; Zhang, Di; Kelly, Sharon P

2012-09-01

The purpose of this case study was to describe pain responses in three study conditions: longer (30 minutes) kangaroo care (KC) before and throughout heel stick (KC30), shorter (15 minutes) KC before and throughout heel stick (KC15), and incubator care throughout heel stick (IC) in 28-week gestational age twins. Pain responses were measured by crying time, Preterm Infant Pain Profile (PIPP), and heart rate variability indexes, including low-frequency power (LF, representing sympathetic activity), high-frequency power (HF, parasympathetic activity), and LF/HF ratio (sympathetic-parasympathetic balance). Both twins cried more and had higher PIPP pain scores and tachycardia during heel stick in the IC condition. Infant B had an incident of apnea and tachycardia by the end of the heel stick and a bradycardia episode during recovery in the IC condition. The twins had lower LF/HF ratios (better autonomic nervous system balance) during recovery in both longer and shorter KC conditions compared with the IC condition. Infant B had difficulty returning to LF/HF ratio baseline level after the painful procedure in the IC condition. These data suggest that both longer and shorter KC before and throughout painful procedures can be helpful in reducing behavioral and physiologic pain responses in preterm infants. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experience with Kangaroo mother care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Chandigarh, India.

PubMed

Parmar, Veena Rani; Kumar, Ajay; Kaur, Rupinder; Parmar, Siddharth; Kaur, D; Basu, Srikant; Jain, Suksham; Narula, Sunny

2009-01-01

To study the feasibility and acceptability of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) on the low birth weight infants (LBWI) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by the mothers, family members and health care workers (HCW) and to observe its effect on the vital parameters of the babies. A observation in the NICU. A total of 135 babies (74 boys and 61 girls) who completed minimum of 4 hrs of KMC/day, were included. The mean birth weight and gestation were 1460 gm and 30 week respectively. 47% babies started KMC within first week of age. Mean duration of KMC was 7 days (3-48) days. The O(2) saturation improved by 2-3%, temperature ( degrees C) rose from 36.75 +/- 0.19 to 37.23 +/- 0.25, respiration stabilized (p<0.05 for all) and heart rate dropped by 3-5 beats. No episodes of hypothermia or apnea were observed during KMC. KMC was accepted by 96 % mothers, 82% fathers and 84% other family members. 94% HCW considered it to be safe and conservative method of care of LBWI. Benefits of KMC on the babies' behavior and on maternal confidence and lactation were reported by 57%, 94% and 80% respectively. A decline in use of heating devices in the NICU was reported by 85% and 79% said it did not increase their work load. KMC was found to be safe, effective and feasible method of care of LBWI even in the NICU settings. Positive attitudes were observed in mothers, families and HCW.

Effect of kangaroo mother care on vital physiological parameters of the low birth weight newborn.

PubMed

Bera, Alpanamayi; Ghosh, Jagabandhu; Singh, Arun Kumarendu; Hazra, Avijit; Som, Tapas; Munian, Dinesh

2014-10-01

Low birth weight (LBW; <2500 g), which is often associated with preterm birth, is a common problem in India. Both are recognized risk factors for neonatal mortality. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a non-conventional, low-cost method for newborn care based upon intimate skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby. Our objective was to assess physiological state of LBW babies before and after KMC in a teaching hospital setting. Study cohort comprised in-born LBW babies and their mothers - 300 mother-baby pairs were selected through purposive sampling. Initially, KMC was started for 1 hour duration (at a stretch) on first day and then increased by 1 hour each day for next 2 days. Axillary temperature, respiration rate (RR/ min), heart rate (HR/ min), and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were assessed for 3 consecutive days, immediately before and after KMC. Data from 265 mother-baby pairs were analyzed. Improvements occurred in all 4 recorded physiological parameters during the KMC sessions. Mean temperature rose by about 0.4°C, RR by 3 per minute, HR by 5 bpm, and SpO2 by 5% following KMC sessions. Although modest, these changes were statistically significant on all 3 days. Individual abnormalities (e.g. hypothermia, bradycardia, tachycardia, low SpO2) were often corrected during the KMC sessions. Babies receiving KMC showed modest but statistically significant improvement in vital physiological parameters on all 3 days. Thus, without using special equipment, the KMC strategy can offer improved care to LBW babies. These findings support wider implementation of this strategy.

The effect of kangaroo mother care on mental health of mothers with low birth weight infants

PubMed Central

Badiee, Zohreh; Faramarzi, Salar; MiriZadeh, Tahereh

2014-01-01

Background: The mothers of premature infants are at risk of psychological stress because of separation from their infants. One of the methods influencing the maternal mental health in the postpartum period is kangaroo mother care (KMC). This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of KMC of low birth weight infants on their maternal mental health. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Premature infants were randomly allocated into two groups. The control group received standard caring in the incubator. In the experimental group, caring with three sessions of 60 min KMC daily for 1 week was practiced. Mental health scores of the mothers were evaluated by using the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by the analysis of covariance using SPSS. Results: The scores of 50 infant-mother pairs were analyzed totally (25 in KMC group and 25 in standard care group). Results of covariance analysis showed the positive effects of KMC on the rate of maternal mental health scores. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and control subjects in the posttest period (P < 0.001). Conclusion: KMC for low birth weight infants is a safe way to improve maternal mental health. Therefore, it is suggested as a useful method that can be recommended for improving the mental health of mothers. PMID:25371871

Evolution of ribonuclease in relation to polypeptide folding mechanisms.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnard, E. A.; Cohen, M. S.; Gold, M. H.; Kim, J.-K.

1972-01-01

Comparisons of the N-terminal region of pancreatic RNAase in seven species are presented, taking into account cow, bison, deer, rat, pig, kangaroo, and turtle. The available limited evidence on hypervariable regions indicates that there is still an evolutionary constraint on them. It is proposed that there is a selection pressure acting on all regions of a protein sequence in evolution. Mutations that tend to obstruct the folding process can lead to various intensities of selection pressure.

IMPACT OF PARTIAL KANGAROO MOTHER CARE ON GROWTH RATES AND DURATION OF HOSPITAL STAY OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS AT THE KENYATTA NATIONAL HOSPITAL, NAIROBI.

PubMed

Mwendwa, A C; Musoke, R N; Wamalwa, D C

2012-02-01

To determine the effect of partial Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on growth rates and duration of hospital stay of Low Birth Weight (LBW) infants. Unblinded, randomised clinical controlled trial. Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Over a nine month period, consecutive recruitment of eligible LBW infants weighing 1000 g to 1750 g was done until a sample of 166 infants was reached. Kangaroo mother care was practised over an eight hour period per day for the intervention group while the controls remained in incubators or cots. Weight, head circumference, and mid upper arm circumference were monitored for all infants till discharge at 1800 g. Of the 166 infants recruited 157 were followed up to discharge. Baseline characteristics were similar for the two groups except for mother's age, with the KMC group mothers having a mean age of 26.5 years while the control group mothers had a mean age of 24 years, (p = 0.04). The KMC group had significantly higher growth rates as shown by the higher mean weight gain of 22.5 g/kg/day compared with 16.7g/kg/day for the control group, (p < 0.001); higher mean head circumference gain of 0.91 cm/week compared with 0.54 cm/week for the control group, (p < 0.001) and higher mean mid upper arm circumference gain of 0.76 cm/week compared with 0.48 cm/week for the control group, (p = 0.002). Although overall duration of stay was similar between study arms, when infants were stratified into those above or below 1500 g KMC infants' duration of stay was significantly shorter than those in regular care. Using logistic regression, KMCwas the strongest predictor formeanweight, meanhead circumference and mean MUAC gain while mother's age (older) was the strongest predictor for mean duration of stay with KMC being an independent predictor of duration of stay. Low birth weight infants in this cohort achieved rates of growth within the recommended intrauterine growth but babies managed using partial KMC grew faster and were thus discharged

[The kangaroo mothers' programme: a simple and cost-effective alternative for protecting the premature newborn or low-birth-weight babies].

PubMed

Lizarazo-Medina, Jenny P; Ospina-Diaz, Juan M; Ariza-Riaño, Nelly E

2012-06-01

Describing the efficacy and achievements of the kangaroo mothers' programme (KMP) regarding preterm or low-birth-weight babies' health and development in Hospital San Rafael in Tunja from November 2007 to December 2009. This was a retrospective observational cohort study; 374 infants born prematurely or having low-birth-weight were included to assess household socio-demographic factors, maternal and obstetric history, delivery characteristics and complications and follow-up until 40 weeks post-conception age. There was a high prevalence of teenage pregnancy (17.5 %) and in women older than 35 years (12.6 %), unwanted pregnancy (40.6 %), low quality and poor availability of food in families, complications such as preeclampsia, infection and premature rupture of membranes, 1,969 grams average birth weight, 2,742.9 grams average weight on discharge and 22 grams average weight gain per day. It was found that KMP methodology substantially improved the mothers' psychological aspects and health status and the newborns' prognosis and led to stabilising body temperature and weight gain rate while decreasing risks of complications and nosocomial infection. It also lowered health care costs and shortened hospital stay.

Archaea in the foregut of macropod marsupials: PCR and amplicon sequence-based observations.

PubMed

Klieve, A V; Ouwerkerk, D; Maguire, A J

2012-11-01

To investigate, using culture-independent techniques, the presence and diversity of methanogenic archaea in the foregut of kangaroos. DNA was extracted from forestomach contents of 42 kangaroos (three species), three sheep and three cattle. Four qualitative and quantitative PCR assays targeting the archaeal domain (16S rRNA gene) or the functional methanogenesis gene, mcrA, were used to determine the presence and population density of archaea in kangaroos and whether they were likely to be methanogens. All ruminal samples were positive for archaea, produced PCR product of expected size, contained high numbers of archaea and high numbers of cells with mcrA genes. Kangaroos were much more diverse and contradictory. Fourteen kangaroos had detectable archaea with numbers 10- to 1000-fold fewer than sheep and cattle. Many kangaroos that did not possess archaea were positive for the mcrA gene and had detectable numbers of cells with this gene and vice versa. DNA sequence analysis of kangaroos' archaeal 16S rRNA gene clones show that many methanogens were related to Methanosphaera stadmanae. Other sequences were related to non-methanogenic archaea (Thermoplasma sp.), and a number of kangaroos had mcrA gene sequences related to methane oxidising archaea (ANME). Discrepancies between qualitative and quantitative PCR assays for archaea and the mcrA gene suggest that the archaeal communities are very diverse and it is possible that novel species exist. Archaea (in general) were below detectable limits in many kangaroos, especially Red kangaroos; when present they are in lower numbers than in ruminants, and the archaea are not necessarily methanogenic. The determination of why this is the case in the kangaroo foregut could assist in reducing emissions from other ecosystems in the future. © 2012 The Authors Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Secretion of whey acidic protein and cystatin is down regulated at mid-lactation in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholas, K.R.; Fisher, J.A.; Muths, E.; Trott, J.; Janssens, P.A.; Reich, C.; Shaw, D.C.

2001-01-01

Milk collected from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) between day 100 and 260 of lactation showed major changes in milk composition at around day 200 of lactation, the time at which the pouch young begins to temporarily exit the pouch and eat herbage. The carbohydrate content of milk declined abruptly at this time and although there was only a small increase in total protein content, SDS PAGE analysis of milk revealed asynchrony in the secretory pattern of individual proteins. The levels of α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and transferrin remain unchanged during lactation. In contrast, the protease inhibitor cystatin, and the putative protease inhibitor whey acidic protein (WAP) first appeared in milk at elevated concentrations after approximately 150 days of lactation and then ceased to be secreted at approximately 200 days. In addition, a major whey protein, late lactation protein, was first detected in milk around the time whey acidic protein and cystatin cease to be secreted and was present at least until day 260 of lactation. The co-ordinated, but asynchronous secretion of putative protease inhibitors in milk may have several roles during lactation including tissue remodelling in the mammary gland and protecting specific proteins in milk required for physiological development of the dependent young.

Secretion of whey acidic protein and cystatin is down regulated at mid-lactation in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholas, K.R.; Fisher, J.A.; Muths, E.; Trott, J.; Janssens, P.A.; Reich, C.; Shaw, D.C.

2001-01-01

Milk collected from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) between day 100 and 260 of lactation showed major changes in milk composition at around day 200 of lactation, the time at which the pouch young begins to temporarily exit the pouch and eat herbage. The carbohydrate content of milk declined abruptly at this time and although there was only a small increase in total protein content, SDS PAGE analysis of milk revealed asynchrony in the secretory pattern of individual proteins. The levels of ??-lactalbumin, ??-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and transferrin remain unchanged during lactation. In contrast, the protease inhibitor cystatin, and the putative protease inhibitor whey acidic protein (WAP) first appeared in milk at elevated concentrations after approximately 150 days of lactation and then ceased to be secreted at approximately 200 days. In addition, a major whey protein, late lactation protein, was first detected in milk around the time whey acidic protein and cystatin cease to be secreted and was present at least until day 260 of lactation. The co-ordinated, but asynchronous secretion of putative protease inhibitors in milk may have several roles during lactation including tissue remodelling in the mammary gland and protecting specific proteins in milk required for physiological development of the dependent young. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.

The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) with Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC): Comprehensive Care for Preterm Infants.

PubMed

Als, Heidelise; McAnulty, Gloria B

2011-08-01

State-of-the-art Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICUs), instrumental in the survival of high-risk and ever-earlier-born preterm infants, often have costly human repercussions. The developmental sequelae of newborn intensive care are largely misunderstood. Developed countries eager to export their technologies must also transfer the knowledge-base that encompasses all high-risk and preterm infants' personhood as well as the neuro-essential importance of their parents. Without such understanding, the best medical care, while assuring survival jeopardizes infants' long-term potential and deprives parents of their critical role. Exchanging the womb for the NICU environment at a time of rapid brain growth compromises preterm infants' early development, which results in long-term physical and mental health problems and developmental disabilities. The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) aims to prevent the iatrogenic sequelae of intensive care and to maintain the intimate connection between parent and infant, one expression of which is Kangaroo Mother Care. NIDCAP embeds the infant in the natural parent niche, avoids over-stimulation, stress, pain, and isolation while it supports self-regulation, competence, and goal orientation. Research demonstrates that NIDCAP improves brain development, functional competence, health, and life quality. It is cost effective, humane, and ethical, and promises to become the standard for all NICU care.

Pilot study demonstrates that salivary oxytocin can be measured unobtrusively in preterm infants.

PubMed

Kommers, D R; Broeren, Mac; Andriessen, P; Oei, S G; Feijs, L; Bambang Oetomo, S

2017-01-01

This study assessed the feasibility and obtrusiveness of measuring salivary oxytocin in preterm infants receiving Kangaroo care, because this is a period of maximal bonding or co-regulation. We also analysed possible influential determinants, including maternal oxytocin. The saliva of preterm infants and their mothers was collected prior to, and during, Kangaroo care using cotton swabs and pooled into vials until sufficient volumes were obtained to measure oxytocin levels using a radioimmunoassay. The obtrusiveness of the infants' collections was measured with a Likert scale. Saliva was collected unobtrusively prior to, and during, 30 Kangaroo care sessions in 21 preterm infants. This resulted in three vials with sufficient volumes of before-Kangaroo care saliva and three with during-Kangaroo care saliva. Oxytocin was detectable in all six vials. The Kangaroo care duration and the intensity of the mother-infant interaction before and during Kangaroo care seemed to be the most important determinants, and these should preferably be standardised in any future trials. Oxytocin was measured unobtrusively in the pooled saliva of preterm infants both before and during Kangaroo care and could therefore be investigated as a biomarker in future studies. ©2016 The Authors. Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Earlier versus later continuous Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for stable low-birth-weight infants: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Nagai, S; Andrianarimanana, D; Rabesandratana, N; Yonemoto, N; Nakayama, T; Mori, R

2010-06-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of earlier continuous Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for relatively stable low-birth-weight (LBW) infants in a resource-limited country. A randomized controlled trial was performed in LBW infants at a referral hospital in Madagascar. Earlier continuous KMC (intervention) was begun as soon as possible, within 24 h postbirth, and later continuous KMC (control: conventional care) was begun after complete stabilization (generally after 24 h postbirth). Main outcome measure was mortality during the first 28 days postbirth. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00531492. A total of 73 infants (intervention 37, control 36) were included. Earlier continuous KMC had higher but no statistically different mortality in the first 28 days postbirth (1 vs. 2; risk ratio, 1.95; 95% CIs, 0.18-20.53; p = 1.00). There were no differences in incidence of morbidities. Body weight loss from birth to 24 h postbirth was significantly less in earlier KMC infants compared with later KMC infants. (-34.81 g vs. -73.97 g; mean difference, 39.16 g; 95% CIs, 10.30-68.03; p = 0.01; adjusted p = 0.02). Adverse events and duration of hospitalization were not different between the two groups. Further evaluations of earlier continuous KMC including measurement of KMC dose, are needed in resource-limited countries.

The Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care and Swaddling on Venipuncture Pain in Premature Neonates: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Dezhdar, Shahin; Jahanpour, Faezeh; Firouz Bakht, Saeedeh; Ostovar, Afshin

2016-04-01

Hospitalized premature babies often undergo various painful procedures. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) and swaddling are two pain reduction methods. This study was undertaken to compare the effects of swaddling and KMC on pain during venous sampling in premature neonates. This study was performed as a randomized clinical trial on 90 premature neonates. The neonates were divided into three groups using a random allocation block. The three groups were group A (swaddling), group B (KMC), and group C (control). In all three groups, the heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation were measured and recorded in time intervals of 30 seconds before, during, and 30, 60, 90, and 120 seconds after blood sampling. The neonate's face was video recorded and assessed using the premature infant pain profile (PIPP) at time intervals of 30 seconds. The data was analyzed using the t-test, chi-square test, Repeated Measure analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis, Post-hoc, and Bonferroni test. The findings revealed that pain was reduced to a great extent in the swaddling and KMC methods compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference between KMC and swaddling (P ≥ 0.05). The results of this study indicate that there is no meaningful difference between swaddling and KMC on physiological indexes and pain in neonates. Therefore, the swaddling method may be a good substitute for KMC.

Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on Vital Physiological Parameters of The Low Birth Weight Newborn

PubMed Central

Bera, Alpanamayi; Ghosh, Jagabandhu; Singh, Arun Kumarendu; Hazra, Avijit; Som, Tapas; Munian, Dinesh

2014-01-01

Objectives: Low birth weight (LBW; <2500 g), which is often associated with preterm birth, is a common problem in India. Both are recognized risk factors for neonatal mortality. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a non-conventional, low-cost method for newborn care based upon intimate skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby. Our objective was to assess physiological state of LBW babies before and after KMC in a teaching hospital setting. Materials and Methods: Study cohort comprised in-born LBW babies and their mothers - 300 mother-baby pairs were selected through purposive sampling. Initially, KMC was started for 1 hour duration (at a stretch) on first day and then increased by 1 hour each day for next 2 days. Axillary temperature, respiration rate (RR/ min), heart rate (HR/ min), and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were assessed for 3 consecutive days, immediately before and after KMC. Results: Data from 265 mother-baby pairs were analyzed. Improvements occurred in all 4 recorded physiological parameters during the KMC sessions. Mean temperature rose by about 0.4°C, RR by 3 per minute, HR by 5 bpm, and SpO2 by 5% following KMC sessions. Although modest, these changes were statistically significant on all 3 days. Individual abnormalities (e.g. hypothermia, bradycardia, tachycardia, low SpO2) were often corrected during the KMC sessions. Conclusions: Babies receiving KMC showed modest but statistically significant improvement in vital physiological parameters on all 3 days. Thus, without using special equipment, the KMC strategy can offer improved care to LBW babies. These findings support wider implementation of this strategy. PMID:25364150

The mood variation in mothers of preterm infants in Kangaroo mother care and conventional incubator care.

PubMed

de Macedo, Elizeu Coutinho; Cruvinel, Fernando; Lukasova, Katerina; D'Antino, Maria Eloisa Famá

2007-10-01

Preterm babies are more prone to develop disorders and so require immediate intensive care. In the conventional neonatal intensive care, the baby is kept in the incubator, separated from the mother. Some actions have been taken in order to make this mother-child separation less traumatic. One of these actions is the Kangaroo mother care (KMC) characterized by skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn. The objective of this study was to compare the mood variation of mothers enrolled in the KMC program to those in the conventional incubator care. In one general hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 90 mothers were evaluated before and after contact with the baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The participants were divided into three groups: 30 mothers of term newborns (TG), 30 mothers of preterm infants included in KMC program (PGK) and 30 preterms with incubator placement (PGI). The Brazilian version of the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) was used for the assessment before and after the infant's visit. Results showed that TG mothers reported fewer occurrences of depressive states than PGK and PGI mothers. A significant mood variation was observed for PGK and PGI after the infant's visit. PGK mothers reported feeling calmer, stronger, well-coordinated, energetic, contented, tranquil, quick-witted, relaxed, proficient, happy, friendly and clear-headed. The only variation showed by PGI mothers was an increase in feeling clumsy. This study shows a positive effect of the KMC on the mood variation of preterm mothers and points to the need of a more humane experience during the incubator care.

Maternal mood and concordant maternal and infant salivary cortisol during heel lance while in kangaroo care.

PubMed

Castral, T C; Warnock, F; Dos Santos, C B; Daré, M F; Moreira, A C; Antonini, S R R; Scochi, C G S

2015-03-01

Maternal kangaroo care (MKC) is a naturalistic intervention that alleviates neonatal pain, and mothers are assumed to play a stress regulatory role in MKC. Yet, no MKC infant pain study has examined relationship between maternal and infant stress reactivity concurrently, or whether post-partum depression and/or anxiety (PPDA) alters maternal and neonatal stress response and the regulatory effects of MKC. To examine the concordance of salivary cortisol reactivity between 42 mothers and their stable preterm infants during routine infant heel lance (HL) while in MKC and to compare salivary cortisol between groups of mothers with and without PPDA and their infants. Maternal and infant salivary cortisol samples were collected pre-HL and 20 min post-HL with two additional maternal samples at night and in the morning. Mothers and infants were allocated to with PPDA versus without PPDA study groups on the basis of maternal post-natal mental health assessment scores. Higher mothers' cortisol pre-HL was weakly associated with higher infants' salivary cortisol in response to the HL procedure. Maternal depression and/or anxiety were not associated with infants' cortisol. During HL, both groups of mothers and infants showed no change in salivary cortisol. Concordance between mother and infant salivary cortisol supports the maternal stress regulatory role in MKC. MKC may have stress regulatory benefits for mothers and their preterm infants during HL independent of PPDA. Future MKC studies that target mothers with altered mood will help to build on these findings. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants.

PubMed

Conde-Agudelo, Agustin; Díaz-Rossello, José L

2016-08-23

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), originally defined as skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn, frequent and exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge from hospital, has been proposed as an alternative to conventional neonatal care for low birthweight (LBW) infants. To determine whether evidence is available to support the use of KMC in LBW infants as an alternative to conventional neonatal care before or after the initial period of stabilization with conventional care, and to assess beneficial and adverse effects. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included searches in CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; 2016, Issue 6), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information database), and POPLINE (Population Information Online) databases (all from inception to June 30, 2016), as well as the WHO (World Health Organization) Trial Registration Data Set (up to June 30, 2016). In addition, we searched the web page of the Kangaroo Foundation, conference and symposia proceedings on KMC, and Google Scholar. Randomized controlled trials comparing KMC versus conventional neonatal care, or early-onset KMC versus late-onset KMC, in LBW infants. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. Twenty-one studies, including 3042 infants, fulfilled inclusion criteria. Nineteen studies evaluated KMC in LBW infants after stabilization, one evaluated KMC in LBW infants before stabilization, and one compared early-onset KMC with late-onset KMC in relatively stable LBW infants. Sixteen studies evaluated intermittent KMC, and five evaluated continuous KMC. KMC versus conventional neonatal care: At discharge or 40 to 41 weeks' postmenstrual age, KMC was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of mortality (risk

Translating research findings into practice--the implementation of kangaroo mother care in Ghana.

PubMed

Bergh, Anne-Marie; Manu, Rhoda; Davy, Karen; van Rooyen, Elise; Asare, Gloria Quansah; Williams, J Koku Awoonor; Dedzo, McDamien; Twumasi, Akwasi; Nang-Beifubah, Alexis

2012-08-13

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a safe and effective method of caring for low birth weight infants and is promoted for its potential to improve newborn survival. Many countries find it difficult to take KMC to scale in healthcare facilities providing newborn care. KMC Ghana was an initiative to scale up KMC in four regions in Ghana. Research findings from two outreach trials in South Africa informed the design of the initiative. Two key points of departure were to equip healthcare facilities that conduct deliveries with the necessary skills for KMC practice and to single out KMC for special attention instead of embedding it in other newborn care initiatives. This paper describes the contextualisation and practical application of previous research findings and the results of monitoring the progress of the implementation of KMC in Ghana. A three-phase outreach intervention was adapted from previous research findings to suit the local setting. A more structured system of KMC regional steering committees was introduced to drive the process and take the initiative forward. During Phase I, health workers in regions and districts were oriented in KMC and received basic support for the management of the outreach. Phase II entailed the strengthening of the regional steering committees. Phase III comprised a more formal assessment, utilising a previously validated KMC progress-monitoring instrument. Twenty-six out of 38 hospitals (68 %) scored over 10 out of 30 and had reached the level of 'evidence of practice' by the end of Phase III. Seven hospitals exceeded expected performance by scoring at the level of 'evidence of routine and institutionalised practice.' The collective mean score for all participating hospitals was 12.07. Hospitals that had attained baby-friendly status or had been re-accredited in the five years before the intervention scored significantly better than the rest, with a mean score of 14.64. The KMC Ghana initiative demonstrated how research findings

Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on physical growth, breastfeeding and its acceptability.

PubMed

Gathwala, Geeta; Singh, Bir; Singh, Jagjit

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether the implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) to low birth weight infants would improve physical growth, breastfeeding and its acceptability. A randomized controlled trial was performed over 16 months in which 110 neonates were randomized into a KMC group and a control group using a random number table. The KMC group was subjected to KMC for at least 6 h per day. The babies also received KMC after moving from the neonatal intensive care unit and at home. The control group received standard care (incubator or open care system). Weight, length and occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) were measured weekly for three months. The acceptability of KMC by mothers and nursing staff was assessed on day 7 after the start of KMC using a questionnaire incorporating the Likert scale. Breastfeeding rates were calculated based on history at end of three months. The mean gestational age was 35.48 ± 1.20 weeks in the KMC group and 35.04 ± 1.09 weeks in the control group (P > 0.05). KMC was initiated at a mean age of 1.72 ± 0.45 days and the duration of KMC was 9.74 ± 1.48 h/day. The mean birth weight was 1.69 ± 0.11 kg in the KMC group compared to 1.69 ± 0.12 kg in the control group (P > 0.05). The mean weight gain in gm/day in the KMC group was 21.92 ± 1.44 compared to 18.61 ± 1.28 in the control group (P < 0.05). The mean length gain in cm/week was 1.03 ± 0.5 in the KMC group compared to 0.74 ± 0.05 in the control group (P < 0.05). The mean OFC gain in cm/week was 0.59 ± 0.04 in the KMC group compared to 0.47 ± 0.03 in the control group (P < 0.05). The exclusive breast-feeding rate at end of three months was 88% in the KMC group compared to 72% in the control group (P < 0.05). KMC improved physical growth, breastfeeding rates and was well accepted by both mothers and nursing staff.

Kangaroo mother care: using formative research to design an acceptable community intervention.

PubMed

Mazumder, Sarmila; Upadhyay, Ravi Prakash; Hill, Zelee; Taneja, Sunita; Dube, Brinda; Kaur, Jasmine; Shekhar, Medha; Ghosh, Runa; Bisht, Shruti; Martines, Jose Carlos; Bahl, Rajiv; Sommerfelt, Halvor; Bhandari, Nita

2018-03-02

Low and middle income countries (LMICs), including India, contribute to a major proportion of low birth weight (LBW) infants globally. These infants require special care. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in hospitals is a cost effective and efficacious intervention. In institutional deliveries, the duration of facility stay is often short. In LMICs, a substantial proportion of deliveries still occur at home and access to health care services is limited. In these circumstances, a pragmatic choice may be to initiate KMC at home for LBW babies. However, evidence is lacking on benefits of community-initiated KMC (cKMC). Promoting KMC at home without an understanding of its acceptability may lead to limited success. We conducted formative research to assess the feasibility, acceptability and adoption of cKMC with the aim of designing an intervention package for a randomised controlled trial in LBW infants in Haryana, India. Qualitative methods included 40 in-depth interviews with recently delivered women and 6 focus group discussions, two each with fathers and grandfathers, grandmothers, and community health workers. A prototype intervention package to promote cKMC was developed and tested in 28 mother-infant pairs (of them, one mother had twins), using Household (HH) trials. We found that most mothers in the community recognized that babies born small required special care. In spite of not being aware of the practice of KMC, respondents felt that creating awareness of KMC benefits will promote practice. They expressed concerns about doing KMC for long periods because mothers needed rest after delivery. However, the cultural practice of recently delivered women not expected to be doing household chores and availability of other family members were identified as enablers. HH trials provided an opportunity to test the intervention package and showed high acceptability for KMC. Most mothers perceived benefits such as weight gain and increased activity in the infant. Community

Seed harvesting is influenced by associational effects in mixed seed neighbourhoods, not just by seed density

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ostoja, Steven M.; Schupp, Eugene W.; Durham, Susan; Klinger, Robert C.

2013-01-01

Rodents frequently forage in a density-dependent manner, increasing harvesting in patches with greater seed densities. Although seldom considered, seed harvesting may also depend on the species identities of other individuals in the seed neighbourhood. When the seed harvest of a focal species increases in association with another seed species, the focal species suffers from Associational Susceptibility. In contrast, if seeds of the focal species are harvested less when in association with a second species, the focal species benefits from Associational Resistance.To evaluate density dependence and associational effects among seeds in mixtures, we conducted seed removal experiments using a completely additive design patterned after a two-species competition experiment using seeds of either Achnatherum hymenoides(Indian ricegrass), Leymus cinereus (basin wildrye) or Pseudoroegneria spicata (bluebunch wheatgrass), all native perennial grasses, combined with seeds of Bromus tectorum(cheatgrass), a non-native annual grass. The experiment involved placing five fixed quantities of the native seeds mixed with five fixed quantities of B. tectorum seeds in a factorial design, resulting in 35 seed mixture combinations. The seed-eating rodent community at our study sites, in order of abundance, is composed of Peromyscus maniculatus (North American deer mouse), Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat) and Perognathus parvus (Great Basin pocket mouse).Native seed harvesting was density dependent, with a greater proportion of seeds being harvested as density increased. In the mixed density model, the presence of B. tectorumdid not affect harvest of any of the native species' seeds when analysed individually. However, when all three native species were analysed together, increasing quantities of B. tectorum resulted in reduced harvest of native seeds, demonstrating weak but significant Associational Resistance. In contrast, harvest of B. tectorum seeds increased

The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) with Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC): Comprehensive Care for Preterm Infants

PubMed Central

Als, Heidelise; McAnulty, Gloria B.

2014-01-01

State-of-the-art Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICUs), instrumental in the survival of high-risk and ever-earlier-born preterm infants, often have costly human repercussions. The developmental sequelae of newborn intensive care are largely misunderstood. Developed countries eager to export their technologies must also transfer the knowledge-base that encompasses all high-risk and preterm infants’ personhood as well as the neuro-essential importance of their parents. Without such understanding, the best medical care, while assuring survival jeopardizes infants’ long-term potential and deprives parents of their critical role. Exchanging the womb for the NICU environment at a time of rapid brain growth compromises preterm infants’ early development, which results in long-term physical and mental health problems and developmental disabilities. The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) aims to prevent the iatrogenic sequelae of intensive care and to maintain the intimate connection between parent and infant, one expression of which is Kangaroo Mother Care. NIDCAP embeds the infant in the natural parent niche, avoids over-stimulation, stress, pain, and isolation while it supports self-regulation, competence, and goal orientation. Research demonstrates that NIDCAP improves brain development, functional competence, health, and life quality. It is cost effective, humane, and ethical, and promises to become the standard for all NICU care. PMID:25473384

Kangaroo mother care for low birthweight infants: a randomized controlled trial in different settings.

PubMed

Cattaneo, A; Davanzo, R; Worku, B; Surjono, A; Echeverria, M; Bedri, A; Haksari, E; Osorno, L; Gudetta, B; Setyowireni, D; Quintero, S; Tamburlini, G

1998-09-01

A randomized controlled trial was carried out for 1 y in three tertiary and teaching hospitals, in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Yogyakarta (Indonesia) and Merida (Mexico), to study the effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability and cost of kangaroo mother care (KMC) when compared to conventional methods of care (CMC). About 29% of 649 low birthweight infants (LBWI; 1000-1999 g) died before eligibility. Of the survivors, 38% were excluded for various reasons, 149 were randomly assigned to KMC (almost exclusive skin-to-skin care after stabilization), and 136 to CMC (warm room or incubator care). There were three deaths in each group and no difference in the incidence of severe disease. Hypothermia was significantly less common in KMC infants in Merida (13.5 vs 31.5 episodes/100 infants/d) and overall (10.8 vs 14.6). Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was more common in KMC infants in Merida (80% vs 16%) and overall (88% vs 70%). KMC infants had a higher mean daily weight gain (21.3 g vs 17.7 g) and were discharged earlier (13.4 vs 16.3 d after enrolment). KMC was considered feasible and presented advantages over CMC in terms of maintenance of equipment. Mothers expressed a clear preference for KMC and health workers found it safe and convenient. KMC was cheaper than CMC in terms of salaries (US$ 11,788 vs US$ 29,888) and other running costs (US$ 7501 vs US$ 9876). This study confirms that hospital KMC for stabilized LBWI 1000-1999 g is at least as effective and safe as CMC, and shows that it is feasible in different settings, acceptable to mothers of different cultures, and less expensive. Where exclusive breastfeeding is uncommon among LBWI, KMC may bring about an increase in its prevalence and duration, with consequent benefits for health and growth. For hospitals in low-income countries KMC may represent an appropriate use of scarce resources.

Single nucleotide primer extension (SNuPE) analysis of the G6PD gene in somatic cells and oocytes of a kangaroo (Macropus robustus).

PubMed

Watson, D; Jacombs, A S; Loebel, D A; Robinson, E S; Johnston, P G

2000-06-01

cDNA sequence analysis of the X-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene has shown a base difference between two subspecies of the kangaroo, Macropus robustus robustus (wallaroo) and M. r. erubescens (euro). A thymine residue in the wallaroo at position 358 in exon 5 has been replaced by a cytosine residue in the euro, which accounts for the previously reported electrophoretic difference between the two subspecies. This base difference allowed use of the Single Nucleotide Primer Extension (SNuPE) technique to study allele-specific expression of G6PD at the transcriptional level. We began by examining G6PD expression in somatic cells and observed complete paternal X inactivation in all somatic tissues of adult female heterozygotes, whereas we found partial paternal allele activity in cultured fibroblasts, thus confirming previous allozyme electrophoresis studies. In late dictyate oocytes from an adult heterozygote, the assay also detected expression of both the maternal and paternal alleles at the G6PD locus, with the maternal allele showing preferential expression. Thus reactivation of the inactive paternally derived X chromosome occurs during oogenesis in M. robustus, although the exact timing of reactivation remains to be determined.

Maternal and neonatal nurse perceived value of kangaroo mother care and maternal care partnership in the neonatal intensive care unit.

PubMed

Hendricks-Muñoz, Karen D; Li, Yihong; Kim, Yang S; Prendergast, Carol C; Mayers, Roslyn; Louie, Moi

2013-11-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) enhances infant and maternal well-being and requires maternal-care partnerships (MCP) for implementation. To examine maternal and neonatal nurse provider perspectives on the value of KMC and MCP. Prospective cohort design of neonatal nurses and mothers of preterm infants self-report anonymous questionnaire. Analyses of categorical independent variables and continuous variables were calculated. In all, 82.3% of nurses (42) and 100% (143) of mothers participated in the survey. compared with 18% of nurses, 63% of mothers believed "KMC should be provided daily" and 90% of mothers compared with 40% of nurses strongly believed "mothers should be partners in care." In addition, 61% of nonwhite mothers identified that "KMC was not something they were told they could do for their infant" compared with 39% of white mothers. Nonwhite and foreign-born nurses were 2.8 and 3.1 times more likely to encourage MCP and KMC. Mothers held strong positive perceptions of KMC and MCP value compared with nurses. Nonwhite mothers perceived they received less education and access to KMC. Barriers to KMC and MCP exist among nurses, though less in nonwhite, foreign-born, and/or nurses with their own children, identifying important provider educational opportunities to improve maternal KMC access in the NICU. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Maternal and Neonatal Nurse Perceived Value of Kangaroo Mother Care and Maternal Care Partnership in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Hendricks-Muñoz, Karen D.; Li, Yihong; Kim, Yang S.; Prendergast, Carol C.; Mayers, Roslyn; Louie, Moi

2015-01-01

Background Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) enhances infant and maternal well-being and requires maternal-care partnerships (MCP) for implementation. Objective To examine maternal and neonatal nurse provider perspectives on the value of KMC and MCP. Study Design Prospective cohort design of neonatal nurses and mothers of preterm infants self-report anonymous questionnaire. Analyses of categorical independent variables and continuous variables were calculated. Results In all, 82.3% of nurses (42) and 100% (143) of mothers participated in the survey. compared with 18% of nurses, 63% of mothers believed “KMC should be provided daily” and 90% of mothers compared with 40% of nurses strongly believed “mothers should be partners in care.” In addition, 61% of nonwhite mothers identified that “KMC was not something they were told they could do for their infant” compared with 39% of white mothers. Nonwhite and foreign-born nurses were 2.8 and 3.1 times more likely to encourage MCP and KMC. Conclusion Mothers held strong positive perceptions of KMC and MCP value compared with nurses. Nonwhite mothers perceived they received less education and access to KMC. Barriers to KMC and MCP exist among nurses, though less in nonwhite, foreign-born, and/or nurses with their own children, identifying important provider educational opportunities to improve maternal KMC access in the NICU. PMID:23359231

Long Term Outcomes of Kangaroo Mother Care in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

PubMed

Gavhane, Sunil; Eklare, Deepak; Mohammad, Haseeb

2016-12-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) has been gaining acceptance as an effective alternative to incubator based Conventional Medical Care (CMC) in preterm or Low Birth Weight (LBW) infants especially in resource scarce developing countries. To report and analyse the long-term effects of KMC for relatively stable Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants on nutritional indicators and feeding conditions at 6-12 months of corrected age. This randomized controlled trial was done at a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a teaching institution in southern India. One hundred and forty neonates with birth weight <1500gm were enrolled. Inborn singleton, VLBW (birth weight <1500gm) infants, tolerating spoon feeds of 150mL/kg/day and haemodynamically stable (not on oxygen or respiratory support, no apnea for 72 hours, not on any intravenous fluids) were eligible. Infants with major malformation were excluded. Babies were randomized to KMC group or CMC group. At 6 to 12 months corrected age, the assessment included the measurement of growth parameters in terms of malnutrition, wasting, stunting and having small head. Feeding information was collected in relation to duration of exclusive or partial breastfeeding (months of chronological age and of corrected age), the age (chronological age and corrected age) at which weaning diet was started and the type of weaning diet. Comparisons between study groups for primary outcomes and secondary outcomes were performed with Odds Ratio (OR) calculator using Medcalc online statistical software. A total of 91 infants were followed at 6-12 months of corrected age. There was no difference between two groups in the incidence of malnutrition, wasting, stunting and having small head (47.7% vs 31.9%, p-0.13), (34.1% vs. 31.9%, p-0.83), (22.7% vs 12.8%, p-0.22) and (18.2% vs.31.9%, p-0.14). Although KMC group babies had better head growth and lesser weight and length compared to the CMC group, it was not statistically significant. The breast

Long-term effects of earlier initiated continuous Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for low-birth-weight (LBW) infants in Madagascar.

PubMed

Nagai, Shuko; Yonemoto, Naohiro; Rabesandratana, Norotiana; Andrianarimanana, Diavolana; Nakayama, Takeo; Mori, Rintaro

2011-12-01

To examine the long-term effects of earlier initiated continuous Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for relatively stable low-birth-weight (LBW) infants in a resource-limited country. A randomized controlled trial with long-term follow-up was performed in LBW infants in Madagascar. Earlier continuous KMC (intervention group) was initiated as soon as possible within 24 h postbirth, and later continuous KMC (control group: conventional care) was initiated after complete stabilization. Outcome measures were mortality or readmission, nutritional indicators at 6-12 months postbirth and feeding condition at 6 months postbirth (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00531492). A total of 72 infants were followed for mortality or readmission at 6-12 months postbirth. There was no difference between the two groups (7/36 vs. 7/36, Risk ratio (RR), 1.00; 95% CIs, 0.39-2.56; p = 1.00). The proportion of exclusive breast feeding (EBF) at 6 months postbirth was significantly higher with earlier KMC than later KMC (12/29 vs. 4/26; RR 2.69; 95% CIs, 1.00-7.31; p = 0.04). There were no differences in nutritional indicators between the two groups at 6-12 months postbirth. Earlier initiated continuous KMC results in a significantly higher proportion of EBF at 6 months postbirth. Further larger-scale long-term evaluations of earlier initiated continuous KMC for LBW infants are needed. © 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Kangaroo mother care for the prevention of neonatal hypothermia: a randomised controlled trial in term neonates.

PubMed

Ramani, Manimaran; Choe, Eunjoo A; Major, Meggin; Newton, Rebecca; Mwenechanya, Musaku; Travers, Colm P; Chomba, Elwyn; Ambalavanan, Namasivayam; Carlo, Waldemar A

2018-05-01

To test the hypothesis that kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiated either at birth or at 1 hour after birth reduces moderate or severe hypothermia in term neonates at (A) 1 hour after birth and (B) at discharge when compared with standard thermoregulation care. Term neonates born at a tertiary delivery centre in Zambia were randomised in two phases (phase 1: birth to 1 hour, phase 2: 1 hour to discharge) to either as much KMC as possible in combination with standard thermoregulation care (KMC group) or to standard thermoregulation care (control group). The primary outcomes were moderate or severe hypothermia (axillary temperature <36.0°C) at (A) 1 hour after birth and (B) at discharge. The proportion of neonates with moderate or severe hypothermia did not differ between the KMC and control groups at 1 hour after birth (25% vs 27%, relative risk (RR)=0.93, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.4, P=0.78) or at discharge (7% vs 2%, RR=2.8, 95% CI 0.6 to 13.9, P=0.16). Hypothermia was not found among the infants who had KMC for at least 9 hours or 80% of the hospital stay. KMC practised as much as possible in combination with standard thermoregulation care initiated either at birth or at 1 hour after birth did not reduce moderate or severe hypothermia in term infants compared with standard thermoregulation care. The current study also shows that duration of KMC either for at least 80% of the time or at least 9 hours during the day of birth was effective in preventing hypothermia in term infants. NCT02189759. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Genome sequence of an Australian kangaroo, Macropus eugenii, provides insight into the evolution of mammalian reproduction and development

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background We present the genome sequence of the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, which is a member of the kangaroo family and the first representative of the iconic hopping mammals that symbolize Australia to be sequenced. The tammar has many unusual biological characteristics, including the longest period of embryonic diapause of any mammal, extremely synchronized seasonal breeding and prolonged and sophisticated lactation within a well-defined pouch. Like other marsupials, it gives birth to highly altricial young, and has a small number of very large chromosomes, making it a valuable model for genomics, reproduction and development. Results The genome has been sequenced to 2 × coverage using Sanger sequencing, enhanced with additional next generation sequencing and the integration of extensive physical and linkage maps to build the genome assembly. We also sequenced the tammar transcriptome across many tissues and developmental time points. Our analyses of these data shed light on mammalian reproduction, development and genome evolution: there is innovation in reproductive and lactational genes, rapid evolution of germ cell genes, and incomplete, locus-specific X inactivation. We also observe novel retrotransposons and a highly rearranged major histocompatibility complex, with many class I genes located outside the complex. Novel microRNAs in the tammar HOX clusters uncover new potential mammalian HOX regulatory elements. Conclusions Analyses of these resources enhance our understanding of marsupial gene evolution, identify marsupial-specific conserved non-coding elements and critical genes across a range of biological systems, including reproduction, development and immunity, and provide new insight into marsupial and mammalian biology and genome evolution. PMID:21854559

Selective stimulation and blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors in the mandibular gland of the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus.

PubMed

Beal, A M

2000-12-01

Intracarotid infusions of noradrenaline (0.15 nmol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) either alone or accompanied by phentolamine (1.5 nmol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) caused similar-sized increases in salivary protein, magnesium and bicarbonate, and decreases in osmolality, sodium, potassium and chloride whereas intravenous noradrenaline stimulated much smaller responses. Concurrent infusions of the beta1-antagonist, CGP20712A, blocked these noradrenaline-induced changes in salivary composition more effectively than equimolar infusions of the beta2-antagonist, ICI118551, thereby confirming the presence of beta1-adrenoceptors. Intracarotid infusion of salbutamol at 0.15, 0.3 and 1.5 nmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) caused increasing but qualitatively similar changes in salivary composition, sodium excepted, to intracarotid noradrenaline with 0.3 nmol being most similar quantitatively. Intravenous infusion of salbutamol caused larger changes in salivary composition than equimolar intravenous noradrenaline thereby indicating that the response to salbutamol may, in part, be mediated by reflex increases in general sympathetic tone triggered by lowered blood pressure. Eliminating this hypotensive effect by concurrent intravenous and intracarotid infusions of beta1-(CGP or atenolol) and beta2-(ICII18551) antagonists with intracarotid salbutamol showed that IC1118551 was more potent than the beta1-antagonists thereby demonstrating the presence of beta2-receptors. It was concluded that the kangaroo mandibular has functional beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptor subtypes in both endpieces and excurrent ducts and that the duct system has two populations of cells, each expressing one receptor subtype.

Genome sequence of an Australian kangaroo, Macropus eugenii, provides insight into the evolution of mammalian reproduction and development.

PubMed

Renfree, Marilyn B; Papenfuss, Anthony T; Deakin, Janine E; Lindsay, James; Heider, Thomas; Belov, Katherine; Rens, Willem; Waters, Paul D; Pharo, Elizabeth A; Shaw, Geoff; Wong, Emily S W; Lefèvre, Christophe M; Nicholas, Kevin R; Kuroki, Yoko; Wakefield, Matthew J; Zenger, Kyall R; Wang, Chenwei; Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm; Nicholas, Frank W; Hickford, Danielle; Yu, Hongshi; Short, Kirsty R; Siddle, Hannah V; Frankenberg, Stephen R; Chew, Keng Yih; Menzies, Brandon R; Stringer, Jessica M; Suzuki, Shunsuke; Hore, Timothy A; Delbridge, Margaret L; Patel, Hardip R; Mohammadi, Amir; Schneider, Nanette Y; Hu, Yanqiu; O'Hara, William; Al Nadaf, Shafagh; Wu, Chen; Feng, Zhi-Ping; Cocks, Benjamin G; Wang, Jianghui; Flicek, Paul; Searle, Stephen M J; Fairley, Susan; Beal, Kathryn; Herrero, Javier; Carone, Dawn M; Suzuki, Yutaka; Sugano, Sumio; Toyoda, Atsushi; Sakaki, Yoshiyuki; Kondo, Shinji; Nishida, Yuichiro; Tatsumoto, Shoji; Mandiou, Ion; Hsu, Arthur; McColl, Kaighin A; Lansdell, Benjamin; Weinstock, George; Kuczek, Elizabeth; McGrath, Annette; Wilson, Peter; Men, Artem; Hazar-Rethinam, Mehlika; Hall, Allison; Davis, John; Wood, David; Williams, Sarah; Sundaravadanam, Yogi; Muzny, Donna M; Jhangiani, Shalini N; Lewis, Lora R; Morgan, Margaret B; Okwuonu, Geoffrey O; Ruiz, San Juana; Santibanez, Jireh; Nazareth, Lynne; Cree, Andrew; Fowler, Gerald; Kovar, Christie L; Dinh, Huyen H; Joshi, Vandita; Jing, Chyn; Lara, Fremiet; Thornton, Rebecca; Chen, Lei; Deng, Jixin; Liu, Yue; Shen, Joshua Y; Song, Xing-Zhi; Edson, Janette; Troon, Carmen; Thomas, Daniel; Stephens, Amber; Yapa, Lankesha; Levchenko, Tanya; Gibbs, Richard A; Cooper, Desmond W; Speed, Terence P; Fujiyama, Asao; Graves, Jennifer A M; O'Neill, Rachel J; Pask, Andrew J; Forrest, Susan M; Worley, Kim C

2011-08-29

We present the genome sequence of the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii, which is a member of the kangaroo family and the first representative of the iconic hopping mammals that symbolize Australia to be sequenced. The tammar has many unusual biological characteristics, including the longest period of embryonic diapause of any mammal, extremely synchronized seasonal breeding and prolonged and sophisticated lactation within a well-defined pouch. Like other marsupials, it gives birth to highly altricial young, and has a small number of very large chromosomes, making it a valuable model for genomics, reproduction and development. The genome has been sequenced to 2 × coverage using Sanger sequencing, enhanced with additional next generation sequencing and the integration of extensive physical and linkage maps to build the genome assembly. We also sequenced the tammar transcriptome across many tissues and developmental time points. Our analyses of these data shed light on mammalian reproduction, development and genome evolution: there is innovation in reproductive and lactational genes, rapid evolution of germ cell genes, and incomplete, locus-specific X inactivation. We also observe novel retrotransposons and a highly rearranged major histocompatibility complex, with many class I genes located outside the complex. Novel microRNAs in the tammar HOX clusters uncover new potential mammalian HOX regulatory elements. Analyses of these resources enhance our understanding of marsupial gene evolution, identify marsupial-specific conserved non-coding elements and critical genes across a range of biological systems, including reproduction, development and immunity, and provide new insight into marsupial and mammalian biology and genome evolution.

Role of kangaroo mother care in growth and breast feeding rates in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates: a systematic review.

PubMed

Sharma, Deepak; Farahbakhsh, Nazanin; Sharma, Sweta; Sharma, Pradeep; Sharma, Akash

2017-03-27

To evaluate the role of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on growth and breast feeding rates in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. A literature search was done to identify eligible studies using various electronic database searches including PubMed and EMBASE, various Web of Science including Scopus, Index Copernicus, African Index Medicus (AIM), Thomson Reuters (ESCI), Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), SCIWIN (Scientific World Index), Google Scholar, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Information System (LILACS), Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR), Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR), and Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) and various clinical trial registries. Thirteen studies that evaluated the role of KMC in VLBW infants in improvement of growth outcome (weight/length/head circumference) or breast feeding rates as their primary or secondary outcome, were included in this systematic review. Seven studies evaluated both growth and breast feeding rates, four studies evaluated breast feeding rates and two studies evaluated growth outcome. All included studies except one either showed positive effect or no effect on growth and breast feeding rates. KMC has a positive effect on growth of the VLBW infants and also leads to increase in the breast-feeding rates. KMC should be an integral part of neonatal care and should be promoted as an essential newborn care component.

Comparison of effect of kangaroo mother care, breastfeeding and swaddling on Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination pain score in healthy term neonates by a clinical trial.

PubMed

Fallah, Razieh; Naserzadeh, Naeimah; Ferdosian, Farzad; Binesh, Fariba

2017-05-01

The purpose of this research was to compare the analgesic effect of kangaroo mother care (KMC), breastfeeding and swaddling in Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination in term neonates. In a randomized 120 healthy term neonates who received routine BCG vaccination in the first day of their life are distributed into three groups. In group 1, neonates breastfed two minutes before, during and one minute after BCG vaccination. In group 2, neonates received KMC 10 minutes before, during and one minute after vaccination and in group 3, they were swaddled 10 minutes before, during and one minute after vaccination. Primary outcomes included pain score during, one minute and two minutes after BCG vaccination and obtaining pain score of less than three during vaccination . Pain scores during, one minute and two minutes after vaccination in group 1 were lower than in groups 2 and 3. Group 1 had higher success rate in painless vaccination and had lower crying duration in comparison to another groups (p < 0.05) Conclusion: Breastfeeding was more effective than KMC and swaddling in reduction of BCG vaccination pain in healthy term neonates.

RatMap--rat genome tools and data.

PubMed

Petersen, Greta; Johnson, Per; Andersson, Lars; Klinga-Levan, Karin; Gómez-Fabre, Pedro M; Ståhl, Fredrik

2005-01-01

The rat genome database RatMap (http://ratmap.org or http://ratmap.gen.gu.se) has been one of the main resources for rat genome information since 1994. The database is maintained by CMB-Genetics at Goteborg University in Sweden and provides information on rat genes, polymorphic rat DNA-markers and rat quantitative trait loci (QTLs), all curated at RatMap. The database is under the supervision of the Rat Gene and Nomenclature Committee (RGNC); thus much attention is paid to rat gene nomenclature. RatMap presents information on rat idiograms, karyotypes and provides a unified presentation of the rat genome sequence and integrated rat linkage maps. A set of tools is also available to facilitate the identification and characterization of rat QTLs, as well as the estimation of exon/intron number and sizes in individual rat genes. Furthermore, comparative gene maps of rat in regard to mouse and human are provided.

RatMap—rat genome tools and data

PubMed Central

Petersen, Greta; Johnson, Per; Andersson, Lars; Klinga-Levan, Karin; Gómez-Fabre, Pedro M.; Ståhl, Fredrik

2005-01-01

The rat genome database RatMap (http://ratmap.org or http://ratmap.gen.gu.se) has been one of the main resources for rat genome information since 1994. The database is maintained by CMB–Genetics at Göteborg University in Sweden and provides information on rat genes, polymorphic rat DNA-markers and rat quantitative trait loci (QTLs), all curated at RatMap. The database is under the supervision of the Rat Gene and Nomenclature Committee (RGNC); thus much attention is paid to rat gene nomenclature. RatMap presents information on rat idiograms, karyotypes and provides a unified presentation of the rat genome sequence and integrated rat linkage maps. A set of tools is also available to facilitate the identification and characterization of rat QTLs, as well as the estimation of exon/intron number and sizes in individual rat genes. Furthermore, comparative gene maps of rat in regard to mouse and human are provided. PMID:15608244

Real-time image-guided nasogastric feeding tube placement: A case series using Kangaroo with IRIS Technology in an ICU.

PubMed

Mizzi, Anna; Cozzi, Silvano; Beretta, Luigi; Greco, Massimiliano; Braga, Marco

2017-05-01

Pulmonary misplacement during the blind insertion of enteral feeding tubes is frequent, particularly in ventilated and neurologically impaired patients. This is probably the first clinical study using the Kangaroo Feeding Tube with IRIS technology (IRIS) which incorporates a camera designed to provide anatomic landmark visualization during insertion. The study aim was to evaluate IRIS performance during bedside gastric placement. This is the first prospective study to collect data on the use of IRIS. Twenty consecutive unconscious patients requiring enteral nutrition were recruited at a single center. IRIS placement was considered complete when a clear image of the gastric mucosa appeared. Correct placement was confirmed using a contrast-enhanced abdominal X-ray. To evaluate the device performance over time, the camera was activated every other day up to 17 d postplacement. In 7 (35%) patients, the trachea was initially visualized, requiring a second placement attempt with the same tube. The IRIS camera allowed recognition of the gastric mucosa in 18 (90%) patients. The esophagogastric junction was identified in one patient, while in a second patient the quality of visualization was poor. Contrast-enhanced X-ray confirmed the gastric placement of IRIS in all patients. IRIS allowed identification of gastric mucosa in 14 (70%) patients 3 d after placement. Performance progressively declined with time (P = 0.006, chi-square for trend). IRIS placement could have spared X-ray confirmation in almost all patients and prevented misplacement into the airway in about one third. Visualization quality needs to be improved, particularly after the first week. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Translating research findings into practice – the implementation of kangaroo mother care in Ghana

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a safe and effective method of caring for low birth weight infants and is promoted for its potential to improve newborn survival. Many countries find it difficult to take KMC to scale in healthcare facilities providing newborn care. KMC Ghana was an initiative to scale up KMC in four regions in Ghana. Research findings from two outreach trials in South Africa informed the design of the initiative. Two key points of departure were to equip healthcare facilities that conduct deliveries with the necessary skills for KMC practice and to single out KMC for special attention instead of embedding it in other newborn care initiatives. This paper describes the contextualisation and practical application of previous research findings and the results of monitoring the progress of the implementation of KMC in Ghana. Methods A three-phase outreach intervention was adapted from previous research findings to suit the local setting. A more structured system of KMC regional steering committees was introduced to drive the process and take the initiative forward. During Phase I, health workers in regions and districts were oriented in KMC and received basic support for the management of the outreach. Phase II entailed the strengthening of the regional steering committees. Phase III comprised a more formal assessment, utilising a previously validated KMC progress-monitoring instrument. Results Twenty-six out of 38 hospitals (68 %) scored over 10 out of 30 and had reached the level of ‘evidence of practice’ by the end of Phase III. Seven hospitals exceeded expected performance by scoring at the level of ‘evidence of routine and institutionalised practice.’ The collective mean score for all participating hospitals was 12.07. Hospitals that had attained baby-friendly status or had been re-accredited in the five years before the intervention scored significantly better than the rest, with a mean score of 14.64. Conclusion The KMC Ghana

Kangaroo mother care: a multi-country analysis of health system bottlenecks and potential solutions.

PubMed

Vesel, Linda; Bergh, Anne-Marie; Kerber, Kate J; Valsangkar, Bina; Mazia, Goldy; Moxon, Sarah G; Blencowe, Hannah; Darmstadt, Gary L; de Graft Johnson, Joseph; Dickson, Kim E; Ruiz Peláez, Juan; von Xylander, Severin; Lawn, Joy E

2015-01-01

Preterm birth is now the leading cause of under-five child deaths worldwide with one million direct deaths plus approximately another million where preterm is a risk factor for neonatal deaths due to other causes. There is strong evidence that kangaroo mother care (KMC) reduces mortality among babies with birth weight <2000 g (mostly preterm). KMC involves continuous skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding support, and promotion of early hospital discharge with follow-up. The World Health Organization has endorsed KMC for stabilised newborns in health facilities in both high-income and low-resource settings. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) use a 12-country analysis to explore health system bottlenecks affecting the scale-up of KMC; (2) propose solutions to the most significant bottlenecks; and (3) outline priority actions for scale-up. The bottleneck analysis tool was applied in 12 countries in Africa and Asia as part of the Every Newborn Action Plan process. Country workshops involved technical experts to complete the survey tool, which is designed to synthesise and grade health system "bottlenecks", factors that hinder the scale-up, of maternal-newborn intervention packages. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the bottleneck data, combined with literature review, to present priority bottlenecks and actions relevant to different health system building blocks for KMC. Marked differences were found in the perceived severity of health system bottlenecks between Asian and African countries, with the former reporting more significant or very major bottlenecks for KMC with respect to all the health system building blocks. Community ownership and health financing bottlenecks were significant or very major bottlenecks for KMC in both low and high mortality contexts, particularly in South Asia. Significant bottlenecks were also reported for leadership and governance and health workforce building blocks. There are at least a dozen countries

Kangaroo mother care: a multi-country analysis of health system bottlenecks and potential solutions

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Preterm birth is now the leading cause of under-five child deaths worldwide with one million direct deaths plus approximately another million where preterm is a risk factor for neonatal deaths due to other causes. There is strong evidence that kangaroo mother care (KMC) reduces mortality among babies with birth weight <2000 g (mostly preterm). KMC involves continuous skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding support, and promotion of early hospital discharge with follow-up. The World Health Organization has endorsed KMC for stabilised newborns in health facilities in both high-income and low-resource settings. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) use a 12-country analysis to explore health system bottlenecks affecting the scale-up of KMC; (2) propose solutions to the most significant bottlenecks; and (3) outline priority actions for scale-up. Methods The bottleneck analysis tool was applied in 12 countries in Africa and Asia as part of the Every Newborn Action Plan process. Country workshops involved technical experts to complete the survey tool, which is designed to synthesise and grade health system "bottlenecks", factors that hinder the scale-up, of maternal-newborn intervention packages. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the bottleneck data, combined with literature review, to present priority bottlenecks and actions relevant to different health system building blocks for KMC. Results Marked differences were found in the perceived severity of health system bottlenecks between Asian and African countries, with the former reporting more significant or very major bottlenecks for KMC with respect to all the health system building blocks. Community ownership and health financing bottlenecks were significant or very major bottlenecks for KMC in both low and high mortality contexts, particularly in South Asia. Significant bottlenecks were also reported for leadership and governance and health workforce building blocks. Conclusions There

A neonatal nurse training program in kangaroo mother care (KMC) decreases barriers to KMC utilization in the NICU.

PubMed

Hendricks-Munoz, Karen D; Mayers, Roslyn M

2014-11-01

This study assessed the impact of a nurse simulation training program on perception of kangaroo mother care (KMC) value and transfer skill competency. An 8-item Likert scale skill survey tool and a 24-item Likert developmental care survey tool were used in a prospective cohort study to analyze perceptions of 30 neonatal nurses who underwent a comprehensive KMC simulation-based training program. Competency skills were evaluated pretraining and tracked by direct observation for 6 months posttraining. Pre- and postsurvey data were analyzed and KMC utilization for preterm infants born at ≤ 34 weeks' gestation was determined. Nurses' competency in infant transfer improved, especially in infants receiving nasal continuous positive airway pressure or ventilator support, from 30 to 93% or 10 to 50%, respectively, p < 0.0001. Neonatal nurses' perceived KMC value increased from 50 to 100%, p < 0.001, and parent KMC utilization increased from 26.5 to 85.9%, p < 0.0001. Nurses' support for parental visitation improved from 38 to 73%, p < 0.001; discussion of KMC with parents on the 1st day increased from 5 to 45%, p < 0.001; and initial day of KMC provision improved from 18.0 ± 2.7 to 5.6 ± 1.2 days, p < 0.001. A comprehensive simulation-based KMC education program improved nurses' perception of KMC value, their competency and comfort in infant transfer for KMC care, and successfully promoted KMC parent utilization for the preterm infant in the neonatal intensive care unit. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

A sedge plant as the source of Kangaroo Island propolis rich in prenylated p-coumarate ester and stilbenes.

PubMed

Duke, Colin C; Tran, Van H; Duke, Rujee K; Abu-Mellal, Abdallah; Plunkett, George T; King, Douglas I; Hamid, Kaiser; Wilson, Karen L; Barrett, Russell L; Bruhl, Jeremy J

2017-02-01

Propolis samples from Kangaroo Island, South Australia, were investigated for chemical constituents using high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectral profiling. A type of propolis was found containing a high proportion of prenylated hydroxystilbenes. Subsequently, the botanical origin of this type of propolis was identified using a beehive propolis depletion method and analysis of flora. Ligurian honey bees, Apis mellifera ligustica Spinola, were found to produce propolis from resin exuded by the Australian native sedge plant Lepidosperma sp. Montebello (Cyperaceae). The plants, commonly known as sword sedge, were found to have resin that matched with the propolis samples identified as the most abundant propolis type on the island containing C- and O-prenylated tetrahydroxystilbenes (pTHOS) in addition to a small amount of prenylated p-coumarate. The isolation of five pTHOS not previously characterized are reported: (E)-4-(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-3,4',5-trihydroxy-3'-methoxystilbene, (E)-2,4-bis(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-3,3',4',5-tetrahydroxystilbene, (E)-2-(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)-3',4',5-trihydroxystilbene, (E)-2,6-bis(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-3,3',5,5'-tetrahydroxystilbene and (E)-2,6-bis(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-3,4',5-trihydroxy-3'-methoxystilbene. A National Cancer Institute 60 human cell line anticancer screen of three of these compounds showed growth inhibitory activity. The large Australasian genus Lepidosperma is identified as a valuable resource for the isolation of substances with medicinal potential. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Comparison of conventional phototherapy and phototherapy along with Kangaroo mother care on cutaneous bilirubin of neonates with physiological jaundice.

PubMed

Goudarzvand, Laleh; Dabirian, Akram; Nourian, Manijeh; Jafarimanesh, Hadi; Ranjbaran, Mehdi

2017-11-27

One of the adjuvant and desirable therapies is skin contact between mother and baby or Kangaroo mother care (KMC) that is a cheap, accessible, relaxing, noninvasive and easy method. This study aimed to compare the effect of conventional phototherapy method and phototherapy along with KMC on cutaneous bilirubin in neonates with physiological jaundice. In this randomized clinical trial, all infants with physiological jaundice who referred for phototherapy to Mofid Hospital of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran were selected by convenience sampling based on inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned into two groups of conventional phototherapy (n = 35) and phototherapy along with KMC (n = 35). The results showed that there was a significant difference in the average volume of skin bilirubin before treatment with cutaneous bilirubin every 24 h after treatment (p < .001). This significant difference was present in both intervention and control groups. Although the average volume of skin bilirubin every 24 h after treatment was lower in the intervention group than the control group, this difference was not statistically significant (p = .236). Mean duration of hospitalization of infants in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group (2.09 versus 3.03 d, p < .001). Although KMC along with phototherapy has a favorable effect on the reduction of cutaneous bilirubin in neonates with physiological jaundice, there are not significant differences in routine care. This may need to do KMC for a longer time (more than 1 h) which must be surveyed in the future studies. KMC was effective in reduction of the duration of hospitalization in jaundiced infants.

Newborn care practices in rural Bangladesh: Implications for the adaptation of kangaroo mother care for community-based interventions.

PubMed

Hunter, Erin C; Callaghan-Koru, Jennifer A; Al Mahmud, Abdullah; Shah, Rashed; Farzin, Azadeh; Cristofalo, Elizabeth A; Akhter, Sadika; Baqui, Abdullah H

2014-12-01

Bangladesh has one of the world's highest rates of low birth weight along with prevalent traditional care practices that leave newborns highly vulnerable to hypothermia, infection, and early death. We conducted formative research to explore existing newborn care practices in rural Bangladesh with an emphasis on thermal protection, and to identify potential facilitators, barriers, and recommendations for the community level delivery of kangaroo mother care (CKMC). Forty in-depth interviews and 14 focus group discussions were conducted between September and December 2012. Participants included pregnant women and mothers, husbands, maternal and paternal grandmothers, traditional birth attendants, village doctors, traditional healers, pharmacy men, religious leaders, community leaders, and formal healthcare providers. Audio recordings were transcribed and translated into English, and the textual data were analyzed using the Framework Approach. We find that harmful newborn care practices, such as delayed wrapping and early initiation of bathing, are changing as more biomedical advice from formal healthcare providers is reaching the community through word-of-mouth and television campaigns. While the goal of CKMC was relatively easily understood and accepted by many of the participants, logistical and to a lesser extent ideological barriers exist that may keep the practice from being adopted easily. Women feel a sense of inevitable responsibility for household duties despite the desire to provide the best care for their new babies. Our findings showed that participants appreciated CKMC as an appropriate treatment method for ill babies, but were less accepting of it as a protective method of caring for seemingly healthy newborns during the first few days of life. Participants highlighted the necessity of receiving help from family members and witnessing other women performing CKMC with positive outcomes if they are to adopt the behavior themselves. Focusing intervention

Comparative Effect of Massage Therapy versus Kangaroo Mother Care on Body Weight and Length of Hospital Stay in Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants.

PubMed

Rangey, Priya Singh; Sheth, Megha

2014-01-01

Background. Massage therapy (MT) and kangaroo mother care (KMC) are both effective in increasing the weight and reducing length of hospital stay in low birth weight preterm infants but they have not been compared. Aim. Comparison of effectiveness of MT and KMC on body weight and length of hospital stay in low birth weight preterm (LBWPT) infants. Method. 30 LBWPT infants using convenience sampling from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, V.S. hospital, were randomly divided into 2 equal groups. Group 1 received MT and Group 2 received KMC for 15 minutes, thrice daily for 5 days. Medically stable babies with gestational age < 37 weeks and birth weight < 2500 g were included. Those on ventilators and with congenital, orthopedic, or genetic abnormality were excluded. Outcome measures, body weight and length of hospital stay, were taken before intervention day 1 and after intervention day 5. Level of significance was 5%. Result. Data was analyzed using SPSS16. Both MT and KMC were found to be effective in improving body weight (P = 0.001, P = 0.001). Both were found to be equally effective for improving body weight (P = 0.328) and reducing length of hospital stay (P = 0.868). Conclusion. MT and KMC were found to be equally effective in improving body weight and reducing length of hospital stay. Limitation. Long term follow-up was not taken.

Starting the conversation: community perspectives on preterm birth and kangaroo mother care in southern Malawi.

PubMed

Lydon, Megan; Longwe, Monica; Likomwa, Dyson; Lwesha, Victoria; Chimtembo, Lydia; Donohue, Pamela; Guenther, Tanya; Valsangar, Bina

2018-06-01

Despite introduction of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in Malawi over a decade ago, preterm birth remains the leading cause of neonatal mortality. Although KMC is initiated in the health care facility, robust community follow-up is critical for survival and optimal development of preterm and low birth weight infants post-discharge. The objective of this qualitative study was to gain insight into community and health worker understanding, attitudes, beliefs and practices around preterm and low birth weight babies and KMC in Malawi. A total of 152 participants were interviewed in two districts in southern Malawi, Machinga and Thyolo, in April 2015. Focus group discussions (groups = 11, n = 132) were conducted with pregnant women, community members and women who have practiced KMC. In-depth interviews (n = 20) were conducted with fathers who have practiced KMC, community and religious leaders, and health workers. Purposive and snowball sampling were employed to identify participants. Thematic content analysis was conducted. KMC mothers and fathers only learned about KMC and care for preterm newborns after delivery of a child in need of this care. Men typically were not included in KMC counseling due to societal gender roles. Health facilities were the main source of information on KMC, however informal networks among women provided some degree of knowledge exchange. Community leaders were regarded as major facilitators of health information, conveners, key influencers, and policy-makers. Religious leaders were regarded as advocates and emotional support for families with preterm infants. Finally, while many participants initially had negative feelings towards preterm births and KMC, the large majority saw a shift in their perceptions through health counseling, peer modeling, and personal success with KMC. The findings offer several opportunities to improve KMC implementation including 1) earlier introduction of KMC to pregnant women and their families that are

Kangaroo mother care diminishes pain from heel lance in very preterm neonates: a crossover trial.

PubMed

Johnston, C Celeste; Filion, Francoise; Campbell-Yeo, Marsha; Goulet, Celine; Bell, Linda; McNaughton, Kathryn; Byron, Jasmine; Aita, Marilyn; Finley, G Allen; Walker, Claire-Dominique

2008-04-24

Skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been shown to be efficacious in diminishing pain response to heel lance in full term and moderately preterm neonates. The purpose of this study was to determine if KMC would also be efficacious in very preterm neonates. Preterm neonates (n = 61) between 28 0/7 and 31 6/7 weeks gestational age in three Level III NICU's in Canada comprised the sample. A single-blind randomized crossover design was employed. In the experimental condition, the infant was held in KMC for 15 minutes prior to and throughout heel lance procedure. In the control condition, the infant was in prone position swaddled in a blanket in the incubator. The primary outcome was the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP), which is comprised of three facial actions, maximum heart rate, minimum oxygen saturation levels from baseline in 30-second blocks from heel lance. The secondary outcome was time to recover, defined as heart rate return to baseline. Continuous video, heart rate and oxygen saturation monitoring were recorded with event markers during the procedure and were subsequently analyzed. Repeated measures analysis-of-variance was employed to generate results. PIPP scores at 90 seconds post lance were significantly lower in the KMC condition (8.871 (95%CI 7.852-9.889) versus 10.677 (95%CI 9.563-11.792) p < .001) and non-significant mean differences ranging from 1.2 to1.8. favoring KMC condition at 30, 60 and 120 seconds. Time to recovery was significantly shorter, by a minute(123 seconds (95%CI 103-142) versus 193 seconds (95%CI 158-227). Facial actions were highly significantly lower across all points in time reaching a two-fold difference by 120 seconds post-lance and heart rate was significantly lower across the first 90 seconds in the KMC condition. Very preterm neonates appear to have endogenous mechanisms elicited through skin-to-skin maternal contact that decrease pain response, but not as powerfully as in older preterm neonates. The

Modelling digestive constraints in non-ruminant and ruminant foregut-fermenting mammals.

PubMed

Munn, Adam J; Streich, W Jürgen; Hummel, Jürgen; Clauss, Marcus

2008-09-01

It has been suggested that large foregut-fermenting marsupial herbivores, the kangaroos and their relatives, may be less constrained by food intake limitations as compared with ruminants, due mainly to differences in their digestive morphology and management of ingesta particles through the gut. In particular, as the quality of forage declines with increasing contents of plant fibre (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin; measured as neutral-detergent fibre, NDF), the tubiform foregut of kangaroos may allow these animals to maintain food intakes more so than ruminants like sheep, which appear to be limited by fibrous bulk filling the foregut and truncating further ingestion. Using available data on dry matter intake (DMI, g kg(-0.75) d(-1)), ingesta mean retention time (MRT, h), and apparent digestibility, we modelled digestible dry matter intake (DDMI) and digestible energy intake (DEI) by ruminant sheep (Ovis aries) and by the largest marsupial herbivore, the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus). Sheep achieved higher MRTs on similar DMIs, and hence sheep achieved higher DDMIs for any given level of DMI as compared with kangaroos. Interestingly, MRT declined in response to increasing DMI in a similar pattern for both species, and the association between DMI and plant NDF contents did not support the hypothesis that kangaroos are less affected by increasing fibre relative to sheep. However, when DEI was modelled according to DDMIs and dietary energy contents, we show that the kangaroos could meet their daily maintenance energy requirements (MER) at lower levels of DMI and on diets with higher fibre contents compared with sheep, due largely to the kangaroos' lower absolute maintenance and basal energy metabolisms compared with eutherians. These results suggest that differences in the metabolic set-point of different species can have profound effects on their nutritional niche, even when their digestive constraints are similar, as was the case for these ruminant and non

Effect of kangaroo mother care on growth and development of low birthweight babies up to 12 months of age: a controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Bera, Alpanamayi; Ghosh, Jagabandhu; Singh, Arun K; Hazra, Avijit; Mukherjee, Suchandra; Mukherjee, Ranajit

2014-06-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a nonconventional low-cost method of newborn care. Our aim was to assess the effect of sustained KMC on the growth and development of low birthweight Indian babies up to the age of 12 months. We enrolled 500 mother and baby pairs, in groups of five, in a parallel group controlled clinical trial. The three infants with the lowest birthweight in each group received KMC, while the other two received conventional care. All babies were exclusively breastfed for 6 months. Babies in the intervention group were provided KMC until the infant was 40 weeks of corrected gestation or weighed 2500 g. Weight, length and head, chest and arm circumferences were evaluated at birth and at the corrected ages of 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Development was assessed using the Developmental Assessment Scales for Indian Infants (DASII) at 12 months. The KMC babies rapidly achieved physical growth parameters similar to the control babies at 40 weeks of corrected age. But after that, they surpassed them, despite being smaller at birth. DASII motor and mental development quotients were also significantly better for KMC babies. The infants in the KMC group showed better physical growth and development than the conventional control group. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessing plague risk and presence through surveys of small mammal flea communities

Treesearch

M. M. Friggens; P. L. Ford; R. R. Parmenter; M. Boyden; K. Gage

2011-01-01

Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, remains a threat to human and wildlife populations in the Western United States (Gage and Kosoy 2005). Several rodent species have been implicated as important maintenance hosts in the U.S., including Peromyscus maniculatus and Dipodomys spp. Fleas are a critical component of plague foci (Gage and Kosoy 2005)....

Randomized Controlled Trial on Effect of Intermittent Early Versus Late Kangaroo Mother Care on Human Milk Feeding in Low-Birth-Weight Neonates.

PubMed

Jayaraman, Dhaarani; Mukhopadhyay, Kanya; Bhalla, Anil Kumar; Dhaliwal, Lakhbir Kaur

2017-08-01

Breastfeeding at discharge among sick low-birth-weight (LBW) infants is low despite counseling and intervention like kangaroo mother care (KMC). Research aim: The aim was to study the effects of early initiation of KMC on exclusive human milk feeding, growth, mortality, and morbidities in LBW neonates compared with late initiation of KMC during the hospital stay and postdischarge. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in level 2 and 3 areas of a tertiary care neonatal unit over 15 months. Inborn neonates weighing 1 to 1.8 kg and hemodynamically stable were randomized to receive either early KMC, initiated within the first 4 days of life, or late KMC (off respiratory support and intravenous fluids). Follow-up was until 1 month postdischarge. Outcomes were proportion of infants achieving exclusive human milk feeding and direct breastfeeding, growth, mortality and morbidities during hospital stay, and postdischarge feeding and KMC practices until 1 month. The early KMC group ( n = 80) achieved significantly higher exclusive human milk feeding (86% vs. 45%, p < .001) and direct breastfeeding (49% vs. 30%, p = .021) in hospital and almost exclusive human milk feeding (73% vs. 36%, p < .001) until 1 month postdischarge than the late KMC group ( n = 80). The incidence of apnea (11.9% vs. 20%, p = .027) and recurrent apnea requiring ventilation (8.8% vs. 15%, p = .02) were significantly reduced in the early KMC group. There was no significant difference in mortality, morbidities, and growth during the hospital stay and postdischarge. Early KMC significantly increased exclusive human milk feeding and direct breastfeeding in LBW infants.

Starting the conversation: community perspectives on preterm birth and kangaroo mother care in southern Malawi

PubMed Central

Lydon, Megan; Longwe, Monica; Likomwa, Dyson; Lwesha, Victoria; Chimtembo, Lydia; Donohue, Pamela; Guenther, Tanya; Valsangar, Bina

2018-01-01

Background Despite introduction of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in Malawi over a decade ago, preterm birth remains the leading cause of neonatal mortality. Although KMC is initiated in the health care facility, robust community follow-up is critical for survival and optimal development of preterm and low birth weight infants post-discharge. The objective of this qualitative study was to gain insight into community and health worker understanding, attitudes, beliefs and practices around preterm and low birth weight babies and KMC in Malawi. Methods A total of 152 participants were interviewed in two districts in southern Malawi, Machinga and Thyolo, in April 2015. Focus group discussions (groups = 11, n = 132) were conducted with pregnant women, community members and women who have practiced KMC. In-depth interviews (n = 20) were conducted with fathers who have practiced KMC, community and religious leaders, and health workers. Purposive and snowball sampling were employed to identify participants. Thematic content analysis was conducted. Findings KMC mothers and fathers only learned about KMC and care for preterm newborns after delivery of a child in need of this care. Men typically were not included in KMC counseling due to societal gender roles. Health facilities were the main source of information on KMC, however informal networks among women provided some degree of knowledge exchange. Community leaders were regarded as major facilitators of health information, conveners, key influencers, and policy-makers. Religious leaders were regarded as advocates and emotional support for families with preterm infants. Finally, while many participants initially had negative feelings towards preterm births and KMC, the large majority saw a shift in their perceptions through health counseling, peer modeling, and personal success with KMC. Conclusions The findings offer several opportunities to improve KMC implementation including 1) earlier introduction of KMC to

The three waves in implementation of facility-based kangaroo mother care: a multi-country case study from Asia.

PubMed

Bergh, Anne-Marie; de Graft-Johnson, Joseph; Khadka, Neena; Om'Iniabohs, Alyssa; Udani, Rekha; Pratomo, Hadi; De Leon-Mendoza, Socorro

2016-01-27

Kangaroo mother care has been highlighted as an effective intervention package to address high neonatal mortality pertaining to preterm births and low birth weight. However, KMC uptake and service coverage have not progressed well in many countries. The aim of this case study was to understand the institutionalisation processes of facility-based KMC services in three Asian countries (India, Indonesia and the Philippines) and the reasons for the slow uptake of KMC in these countries. Three main data sources were available: background documents providing insight in the state of implementation of KMC in the three countries; visits to a selection of health facilities to gauge their progress with KMC implementation; and data from interviews and meetings with key stakeholders. The establishment of KMC services at individual facilities began many years before official prioritisation for scale-up. Three major themes were identified: pioneers of facility-based KMC; patterns of KMC knowledge and skills dissemination; and uptake and expansion of KMC services in relation to global trends and national policies. Pioneers of facility-based KMC were introduced to the concept in the 1990s and established the practice in a few individual tertiary or teaching hospitals, without further spread. A training method beneficial to the initial establishment of KMC services in a country was to send institutional health-professional teams to learn abroad, notably in Colombia. Further in-country cascading took place afterwards and still later on KMC was integrated into newborn and obstetric care programs. The patchy uptake and expansion of KMC services took place in three phases aligned with global trends of the time: the pioneer phase with individual champions while the global focus was on child survival (1998-2006); the newborn-care phase (2007-2012); and lastly the current phase where small babies are also included in action plans. This paper illustrates the complexities of implementing a

Radionuclide concentration ratios in Australian terrestrial wildlife and livestock: data compilation and analysis.

PubMed

Johansen, M P; Twining, J R

2010-11-01

Radionuclide concentrations in Australian terrestrial fauna, including indigenous kangaroos and lizards, as well as introduced sheep and water buffalo, are of interest when considering doses to human receptors and doses to the biota itself. Here, concentration ratio (CR) values for a variety of endemic and introduced Australian animals with a focus on wildlife and livestock inhabiting open rangeland are derived and reported. The CR values are based on U- and Th-series concentration data obtained from previous studies at mining sites and (241)Am and (239/240)Pu data from a former weapons testing site. Soil-to-muscle CR values of key natural-series radionuclides for grazing Australian kangaroo and sheep are one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of grazing cattle in North and South America, and for (210)Po, (230)Th, and (238)U are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the ERICA tool reference values. When comparing paired kangaroo and sheep CR values, results are linearly correlated (r = 0.81) for all tissue types. However, kidney and liver CR values for kangaroo are typically higher than those of sheep, particularly for (210)Pb, and (210)Po, with values in kangaroo liver more than an order of magnitude higher than those in sheep liver. Concentration ratios for organs are typically higher than those for muscle including those for (241)Am and (239/240)Pu in cooked kangaroo and rabbit samples. This study provides CR values for Australian terrestrial wildlife and livestock and suggests higher accumulation rates for select radionuclides in semi-arid Australian conditions compared with those associated with temperate conditions.

Evaluation of depleted uranium in the environment at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland and Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kennedy, P.L.; Clements, W.H.; Myers, O.B.

1995-01-01

This report represents an evaluation of depleted uranium (DU) introduced into the environment at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG), Maryland and Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG) Arizona. This was a cooperative project between the Environmental Sciences and Statistical Analyses Groups at LANL and with the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University. The project represents a unique approach to assessing the environmental impact of DU in two dissimilar ecosystems. Ecological exposure models were created for each ecosystem and sensitivity/uncertainty analyses were conducted to identify exposure pathways which were most influential in the fate and transport of DU inmore » the environment. Research included field sampling, field exposure experiment, and laboratory experiments. The first section addresses DU at the APG site. Chapter topics include bioenergetics-based food web model; field exposure experiments; bioconcentration by phytoplankton and the toxicity of U to zooplankton; physical processes governing the desorption of uranium from sediment to water; transfer of uranium from sediment to benthic invertebrates; spead of adsorpion by benthic invertebrates; uptake of uranium by fish. The final section of the report addresses DU at the YPG site. Chapters include the following information: Du transport processes and pathway model; field studies of performance of exposure model; uptake and elimination rates for kangaroo rates; chemical toxicity in kangaroo rat kidneys.« less

Effect of kangaroo mother care vs expressed breast milk administration on pain associated with removal of adhesive tape in very low birth weight neonates: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Nanavati, Ruchi N; Balan, Rajiv; Kabra, Nandkishor S

2013-11-08

To compare the pain relief effect of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and Expressed Breast Milk (EBM) on the pain associated with adhesive tape removal in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. Randomized Controlled Trial. Neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. 15 VLBW neonates who needed adhesive tape removal for the first part and 50 VLBW neonates needing adhesive tape removal for the second part. In first stage of the study, we studied whether adhesive tape removal in VLBW neonates was painful. In the second stage, eligible VLBW neonates were randomised to compare the efficacy of KMC and EBM in reducing the pain during the procedure of adhesive tape removal. Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) Score, heart rate, oxygen saturation. There was significant increase in pain associated with the removal of adhesive tape (Mean pre-procedure PIPP score 3.47 ± 0.74; post-procedure mean PIPP score 12.13 ± 2.59; P<0.0001). The post intervention mean PIPP pain score was not significantly different between the KMC and EBM groups (P= 0.62). Removal of adhesive tape is a painful procedure for VLBW neonates. There was no difference between KMC and EBM in relieving pain associated with adhesive tape removal.

Report on an international workshop on kangaroo mother care: lessons learned and a vision for the future.

PubMed

Cattaneo, Adriano; Amani, Adidja; Charpak, Nathalie; De Leon-Mendoza, Socorro; Moxon, Sarah; Nimbalkar, Somashekhar; Tamburlini, Giorgio; Villegas, Julieta; Bergh, Anne-Marie

2018-05-16

Globally, complications of prematurity are the leading cause of death in children under five. Preterm infants who survive their first month of life are at greater risk for various diseases and impairments in infancy, childhood and later life, representing a heavy social and economic burden for families, communities and health and social systems. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is recommended as a beneficial and effective intervention for improving short- and long-term preterm birth outcomes in low- and high-income settings. Nevertheless, KMC is not as widely used as it should be. The International Network on KMC runs biennial workshops and congresses to help improve the coverage and quality of KMC worldwide. This paper reports the results of the two-day workshop held in November 2016, where 92 participants from 33 countries shared experiences in a series of round tables, group work sessions and plenaries. Barriers to and enablers of KMC are discussed with regard to parents, health workers and the health system. Key factors for effective implementation and uptake relate to appropriate training for health staff, adherence to protocols and the creation of a welcoming environment for families. Recommendations for planning for national programmes are made according to a six-stage change model. Resources and the cost of making progress are discussed in terms of investment, maintenance, and acceleration and scaling-up costs. KMC training requirements are presented according to three levels of care. To ensure quality KMC, key requisites are proposed for the different KMC components and for sensitive communication with caregivers. The group attending to the monitoring and evaluation of KMC at a national and subnational level highlight the lack of standard indicator definitions. Key priorities for investment include health services research, harmonisation of indicators, development of a costing tool, programming and scaling up, and the follow-up of preterm infants. It is hoped

Kangaroo mother method: randomised controlled trial of an alternative method of care for stabilised low-birthweight infants. Maternidad Isidro Ayora Study Team.

PubMed

Sloan, N L; Camacho, L W; Rojas, E P; Stern, C

1994-09-17

Because resources for care of low-birthweight (LBW) infants in developing countries are scarce, the Kangaroo mother method (KMM) was developed. The infant is kept upright in skin-to-skin contact with the mother's breast. Previous studies reported several benefits with the KMM but interpretation of their findings is limited by small size and design weaknesses. We have done a longitudinal, randomised, controlled trial at the Isidro Ayora Maternity Hospital in Quito, Ecuador. Infants with LBW (< 2000 g) who satisfied out-of-risk criteria of tolerance of food and weight stabilisation were randomly assigned to KMM and control (standard incubator care) groups (n = 128 and 147, respectively). During 6 months of follow-up the KMM group had a significantly lower rate than the control group of serious illness (lower-respiratory-tract disorders, apnoea, aspiration, pneumonia, septicaemia, general infections; 7 [5%] vs 27 [18%], p < 0.002), although differences between the groups in less severe morbidity were not significant. There was no significant difference in growth or in the proportion of women breastfeeding, perhaps because the proportion breastfeeding was high in both groups owing to strong promotion. Mortality was the same in both groups; most deaths occurred during the stabilisation period before randomisation. KMM mothers made more unscheduled clinic visits than control mothers but their infants had fewer re-admissions and so the cost of care was lower with the KMM. Since the eligibility criteria excluded nearly 50% of LBW infants from the study, the KMM is not universally applicable to these infants. The benefits might be greater in populations where breastfeeding is not so common.

A comparison of kangaroo mother care and conventional incubator care for thermal regulation of infants < 2000 g in Nigeria using continuous ambulatory temperature monitoring.

PubMed

Ibe, O E; Austin, T; Sullivan, K; Fabanwo, O; Disu, E; Costello, A M de L

2004-09-01

Although skin-to-skin contact (or kangaroo mother care, KMC) for preterm infants is a practical alternative to incubator care, no studies have compared these methods using continuous ambulatory temperature monitoring. To compare thermal regulation in low birthweight infants (< 2000 g) managed by KMC alternating with conventional care (CC) and to determine the acceptability to mothers of KMC, an experimental study with a crossover design with observational and qualitative data collected on temperature patterns and mothers attitudes to skin-to-skin care was conducted in the neonatal wards of three hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. Thirteen eligible infants were nursed by their mothers or surrogates in 38 4-hour sessions of KMC and the results compared with 38 sessions of incubator care. The risk of hypothermia was reduced by > 90% when nursed by KMC rather than conventional care, relative risk (RR) 0.09 (0.03-0.25). More cases of hyperthermia (> 37.5 degrees C) occurred with KMC, and coreperiphery temperature differences were widened, but the risk of hyperthermia > 37.9 degrees C (RR 1.3, 0.9-1.7) was not significant. Micro-ambient temperatures were higher during KMC, although the average room temperatures during both procedures did not differ significantly. Mothers felt that KMC was safe, and preferred the method to CC because it did not separate them from their infants, although some had problems adjusting to this method of care. Where equipment for thermal regulation is lacking or unreliable, KMC is a preferable method for managing stable low birthweight infants. Copyright 2004 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Aortic reactivity and electrophysiology in normotensive rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats and rats made hypertensive with desoxycorticosterone plus salt

PubMed Central

Massingham, R.; Shevde, S.

1971-01-01

The mechanical and electrophysiological activity of rings and strips of thoracic aortic smooth muscle taken from normotensive, DOCA-hypertensive and New Zealand spontaneously hypertensive (A.S. strain) rats have been compared. Aortae from A.S.-hypertensive rats developed less tension in the presence of noradrenaline and K+ than those isolated from normotensive and DOCA-hypertensive rats. Aortae from DOCA-hypertensive rats developed the same tension in response to K+ as normotensive rats but were less reactive to noradrenaline. Measurements of resting membrane potentials from the three groups of rats demonstrated that whereas normotensive and DOCA-hypertensive rats had similar resting membrane potentials, those from A.S.-hypertensive rats were significantly lower (P<0.001). It is suggested that the enhanced responsiveness of intact vascular beds in A.S.-hypertensive rats is a consequence of a change in the geometry of the blood vessels rather than an increase in the contractor response of the smooth muscle cells. PMID:5152033

Differential susceptibility of SD and CD rats to a novel rat theilovirus.

PubMed

Drake, Michael T; Riley, Lela K; Livingston, Robert S

2008-10-01

Antibodies to rat theilovirus (RTV) have been detected in rats for many years because of their serologic crossreactivity with strains of Theiler murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) of mice. Little information exists regarding this pathogen, yet it is among the most common viruses detected in serologic surveys of rats used in research. In the study reported here, a novel isolate of RTV, designated RTV1, was cultured from the feces of infected rats. The RTV1 genome contained 8094 nucleotides and had approximately 95% identity with another rat theilovirus, NSG910, and 73% identity with TMEV strains. In addition, the genome size of RTV1 was similar to those of TMEV strains but larger than that reported for NSG910. Oral inoculation of Sprague-Dawley (SD) and CD male rats (n = 10 each group) with RTV1 revealed that SD rats were more susceptible than CD rats to RTV1 infection. At 14 d postinoculation, 100% of SD rats shed virus in the feces, and 70% were positive for RTV serum antibodies. By 56 d postinoculation 30% of SD rats continued to have detectable virus in the feces, and 90% had seroconverted. In contrast, in inoculated CD rats RTV was detected only in the feces at 14 d postinoculation, at which time 40% of CD rats were fecal positive. By 56 d postinoculation only 20% of CD rats had detectable RTV serum antibodies. Our data provide additional sequence information regarding a rat-specific Cardiovirus and indicate that SD rats are more susceptible than CD rats to RTV1 infection.

Detection of rat hepatitis E virus in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and Black rats (Rattus rattus) from 11 European countries.

PubMed

Ryll, René; Bernstein, Samuel; Heuser, Elisa; Schlegel, Mathias; Dremsek, Paul; Zumpe, Maxi; Wolf, Sandro; Pépin, Michel; Bajomi, Daniel; Müller, Gabi; Heiberg, Ann-Charlotte; Spahr, Carina; Lang, Johannes; Groschup, Martin H; Ansorge, Hermann; Freise, Jona; Guenther, Sebastian; Baert, Kristof; Ruiz-Fons, Francisco; Pikula, Jiri; Knap, Nataša; Tsakmakidis, Ιoannis; Dovas, Chrysostomos; Zanet, Stefania; Imholt, Christian; Heckel, Gerald; Johne, Reimar; Ulrich, Rainer G

2017-09-01

Rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) is genetically only distantly related to hepeviruses found in other mammalian reservoirs and in humans. It was initially detected in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Germany, and subsequently in rats from Vietnam, the USA, Indonesia, China, Denmark and France. Here, we report on a molecular survey of Norway rats and Black rats (Rattus rattus) from 12 European countries for ratHEV and human pathogenic hepeviruses. RatHEV-specific real-time and conventional RT-PCR investigations revealed the presence of ratHEV in 63 of 508 (12.4%) rats at the majority of sites in 11 of 12 countries. In contrast, a real-time RT-PCR specific for human pathogenic HEV genotypes 1-4 and a nested broad-spectrum (NBS) RT-PCR with subsequent sequence determination did not detect any infections with these genotypes. Only in a single Norway rat from Belgium a rabbit HEV-like genotype 3 sequence was detected. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a clustering of all other novel Norway and Black rat-derived sequences with ratHEV sequences from Europe, the USA and a Black rat-derived sequence from Indonesia within the proposed ratHEV genotype 1. No difference in infection status was detected related to age, sex, rat species or density of human settlements and zoological gardens. In conclusion, our investigation shows a broad geographical distribution of ratHEV in Norway and Black rats from Europe and its presence in all settlement types investigated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rat Bite Fever

MedlinePlus

... Rat Bite Fever Health Issues Listen Español Text Size Email Print Share Rat Bite Fever Page Content Article Body Rat-bite fever is a disease that occurs in humans who have been bitten by an infected rat ...

Latin American Clinical Epidemiology Network Series - Paper 4: Economic evaluation of Kangaroo Mother Care: cost utility analysis of results from a randomized controlled trial conducted in Bogotá.

PubMed

Ruiz, Juan Gabriel; Charpak, Nathalie; Castillo, Mario; Bernal, Astrid; Ríos, John; Trujillo, Tammy; Córdoba, María Adelaida

2017-06-01

Although kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been shown to be safe and effective in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), there are no published complete economic evaluations including the three components of the full intervention. A cost utility analysis performed on the results of an RCT conducted in Bogotá, Colombia between 1993 and 1996. Hospital and ambulatory costs were estimated by microcosting in a sample of preterm infants from a University Hospital in Bogotá in 2011 and at a KMC clinic in the same period. Utility scores were assigned by experts by means of (1) direct ordering and scoring discrete health states and (2) constructing a multi-attribute utility function. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (CIs) for the incremental cost-utility ratios (ICURs) were computed by the Fiellers theorem method. One-way sensitivity analysis on price estimates for valuing costs was performed. ICUR at 1 year of corrected age was $ -1,546 per extra quality-adjusted life year gained using the KMC method (95% CI $ -7,963 to $ 4,910). In Bogotá, the use of KMC is dominant: more effective and cost-saving. Although results from an economic analysis should not be extrapolated to different systems and communities, this dominant result suggests that KMC could be cost-effective in similar low and middle income countries settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perception and practice of Kangaroo Mother Care after discharge from hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Nguah, Samuel B; Wobil, Priscilla N L; Obeng, Regina; Yakubu, Ayi; Kerber, Kate J; Lawn, Joy E; Plange-Rhule, Gyikua

2011-12-01

The practice of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is life saving in babies weighing less than 2000 g. Little is known about mothers' continued unsupervised practice after discharge from hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate its in-hospital and continued practice in the community among mothers of low birth weight (LBW) infants discharged from two hospitals in Kumasi, Ghana. A longitudinal study of 202 mothers and their inpatient LBW neonates was conducted from November 2009 to May 2010. Mothers were interviewed at recruitment to ascertain their knowledge of KMC, and then oriented on its practice. After discharge, the mothers reported at weekly intervals for four follow up visits where data about their perceptions, attitudes and practices of KMC were recorded. A repeated measure logistic regression analysis was done to assess variability in the binary responses at the various reviews visits. At recruitment 23 (11.4%, 95%CI: 7.4 to 16.6%) mothers knew about KMC. At discharge 95.5% were willing to continue KMC at home with 93.1% willing to practice at night. 95.5% thought KMC was beneficial to them and 96.0% beneficial to their babies. 98.0% would recommend KMC to other mothers with 71.8% willing to practice KMC outdoors.At first follow up visit 99.5% (181) were still practicing either intermittent or continuous KMC. This proportion did not change significantly over the four weeks (OR: 1.4, 95%CI: 0.6 to 3.3, p-value: 0.333). Over the four weeks, increasingly more mothers practiced KMC at night (OR: 1.7, 95%CI: 1.2 to 2.6, p = 0.005), outside their homes (OR: 2.4, 95%CI: 1.7 to 3.3, p < 0.001) and received spousal help (OR: 1.6, 95%CI: 1.1 to 2.4, p = 0.007). Household chores and potentially negative community perceptions of KMC did not affect its practice with odds of 0.8 (95%CI: 0.5 to 1.2, p = 0.282) and 1.0 (95%CI: 0.6 to 1.7, p = 0.934) respectively. During the follow-up period the neonates gained 23.7 sg (95%CI: 22.6 g to 24.7 g) per day. Maternal knowledge of KMC was

Translating Neurodevelopmental Care Policies Into Practice: The Experience of Neonatal ICUs in France-The EPIPAGE-2 Cohort Study.

PubMed

Pierrat, Veronique; Coquelin, Anaëlle; Cuttini, Marina; Khoshnood, Babak; Glorieux, Isabelle; Claris, Olivier; Durox, Mélanie; Kaminski, Monique; Ancel, Pierre-Yves; Arnaud, Catherine

2016-10-01

To describe the implementation of neurodevelopmental care for newborn preterm infants in neonatal ICUs in France in 2011, analyze changes since 2004, and investigate factors associated with practice. Prospective national cohort study of all births before 32 weeks of gestation. Twenty-five French regions. All neonatal ICUs (n = 66); neonates surviving at discharge (n = 3,005). None. Neurodevelopmental care policies and practices were assessed by structured questionnaires. Proportions of neonates initiating kangaroo care during the first week of life and those whose mothers expressed breast milk were measured as neurodevelopmental care practices. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to investigate relationships between kangaroo care or breast-feeding practices and unit policies, taking into account potential confounders. Free visiting policies, bed availability for parents, and kangaroo care encouragement significantly improved between 2004 and 2011 but with large variabilities between units. Kangaroo care initiation varied from 39% for neonates in the most restrictive units to 68% in less restrictive ones (p < 0.001). Individual factors associated with kangaroo care initiation were gestational age (odds ratio, 5.79; 95% CI, 4.49-7.48 for babies born at 27-31 wk compared with babies born at 23-26 wk) and, to a lesser extent, single pregnancy, birthweight above the 10th centile, and mother's employment before pregnancy. At unit level, policies and training in neurodevelopmental care significantly influenced kangaroo care initiation (odds ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.8-7.0 for Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program implementation compared with no training). Breast milk expression by mothers was greater in units with full-time availability professionals trained for breast-feeding support (60% vs 73%; p < 0.0001). Dissemination of neurodevelopmental practices occurred between 2004 and 2011, but large variabilities between units persist

Translating Neurodevelopmental Care Policies Into Practice: The Experience of Neonatal ICUs in France—The EPIPAGE-2 Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Coquelin, Anaëlle; Cuttini, Marina; Khoshnood, Babak; Glorieux, Isabelle; Claris, Olivier; Durox, Mélanie; Kaminski, Monique; Ancel, Pierre-Yves; Arnaud, Catherine

2016-01-01

Objectives: To describe the implementation of neurodevelopmental care for newborn preterm infants in neonatal ICUs in France in 2011, analyze changes since 2004, and investigate factors associated with practice. Design: Prospective national cohort study of all births before 32 weeks of gestation. Setting: Twenty-five French regions. Participants: All neonatal ICUs (n = 66); neonates surviving at discharge (n = 3,005). Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Neurodevelopmental care policies and practices were assessed by structured questionnaires. Proportions of neonates initiating kangaroo care during the first week of life and those whose mothers expressed breast milk were measured as neurodevelopmental care practices. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to investigate relationships between kangaroo care or breast-feeding practices and unit policies, taking into account potential confounders. Free visiting policies, bed availability for parents, and kangaroo care encouragement significantly improved between 2004 and 2011 but with large variabilities between units. Kangaroo care initiation varied from 39% for neonates in the most restrictive units to 68% in less restrictive ones (p < 0.001). Individual factors associated with kangaroo care initiation were gestational age (odds ratio, 5.79; 95% CI, 4.49–7.48 for babies born at 27–31 wk compared with babies born at 23–26 wk) and, to a lesser extent, single pregnancy, birthweight above the 10th centile, and mother’s employment before pregnancy. At unit level, policies and training in neurodevelopmental care significantly influenced kangaroo care initiation (odds ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.8–7.0 for Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program implementation compared with no training). Breast milk expression by mothers was greater in units with full-time availability professionals trained for breast-feeding support (60% vs 73%; p < 0.0001). Conclusions

Kangaroo mother care for clinically unstable neonates weighing ≤2000 g: Is it feasible at a hospital in Uganda?

PubMed

Morgan, Melissa C; Nambuya, Harriet; Waiswa, Peter; Tann, Cally; Elbourne, Diana; Seeley, Janet; Allen, Elizabeth; Lawn, Joy E

2018-06-01

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) for stable neonates ≤2000 g (g) is associated with decreased mortality, sepsis, hypothermia, and length of stay compared to conventional care. The World Health Organization states that KMC "should be initiated… as soon as newborns are clinically stable " [12]. However, the majority of deaths occur in unstable neonates. We aimed to determine the proportion of admitted neonates meeting proposed instability criteria, assess the feasibility of providing KMC to unstable neonates, and evaluate the acceptability of this intervention to parents and providers at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda. This was a mixed-methods study. We recorded data including birthweight, chronological age, and treatments administered from medical charts, and calculated the percentage of clinically unstable neonates, defined as the need for ≥2 medical therapies in the first 48 hours of admission. We enrolled a sample of neonates meeting pre-defined instability criteria. Mothers were counselled to provide KMC as close to continuously as possible. We calculated the median duration of KMC per episode and per day. To explore acceptability, we conducted semi-structured interviews with parents and newborn unit care providers, and analysed data using the thematic content approach. We included 254 neonates in the audit, 10 neonates in the feasibility sub-study, and 20 participants in the acceptability sub-study. Instability criteria were easily implementable, identifying 89% of neonates as unstable in the audit. The median duration of individual KMC episodes ranged from 115 to 134 minutes. The median daily duration ranged from 4.5 to 9.7 hours. Seventy-five percent of interviewees felt KMC could be used in neonates concurrently receiving other medical therapies. Barriers included lack of resources (beds/space, monitoring devices), privacy issues, inadequate education, and difficulties motivating mothers to devote time to KMC. Recommendations included staff

Kangaroo mother care for clinically unstable neonates weighing ≤2000 g: Is it feasible at a hospital in Uganda?

PubMed Central

Morgan, Melissa C; Nambuya, Harriet; Waiswa, Peter; Tann, Cally; Elbourne, Diana; Seeley, Janet; Allen, Elizabeth; Lawn, Joy E

2018-01-01

Background Kangaroo mother care (KMC) for stable neonates ≤2000 g (g) is associated with decreased mortality, sepsis, hypothermia, and length of stay compared to conventional care. The World Health Organization states that KMC “should be initiated… as soon as newborns are clinically stable” [12]. However, the majority of deaths occur in unstable neonates. We aimed to determine the proportion of admitted neonates meeting proposed instability criteria, assess the feasibility of providing KMC to unstable neonates, and evaluate the acceptability of this intervention to parents and providers at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda. Methods This was a mixed-methods study. We recorded data including birthweight, chronological age, and treatments administered from medical charts, and calculated the percentage of clinically unstable neonates, defined as the need for ≥2 medical therapies in the first 48 hours of admission. We enrolled a sample of neonates meeting pre-defined instability criteria. Mothers were counselled to provide KMC as close to continuously as possible. We calculated the median duration of KMC per episode and per day. To explore acceptability, we conducted semi-structured interviews with parents and newborn unit care providers, and analysed data using the thematic content approach. Findings We included 254 neonates in the audit, 10 neonates in the feasibility sub-study, and 20 participants in the acceptability sub-study. Instability criteria were easily implementable, identifying 89% of neonates as unstable in the audit. The median duration of individual KMC episodes ranged from 115 to 134 minutes. The median daily duration ranged from 4.5 to 9.7 hours. Seventy-five percent of interviewees felt KMC could be used in neonates concurrently receiving other medical therapies. Barriers included lack of resources (beds/space, monitoring devices), privacy issues, inadequate education, and difficulties motivating mothers to devote time to KMC

Prevention of 3-methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcomas in rats pre-inoculated with endogenous rat retrovirus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fish, D.C.; Demarais, J.T.; Djurickovic, D.B.

1981-04-01

Weanling Fischer 344 rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of a 1000-fold concentrated preparation of endogenous nontransforming rat retrovirus. Ten days later, the rats were each given a single subcutaneous injection of 3-methylcholanthrene. The rats inoculated with the endogenous rat retrovirus were significantly protected against the development of cancer, whereas uninoculated rats and rats given one of several murine tetroviruses or baboon retrovirus were not protected.

High prevalence of rat hepatitis E virus in wild rats in China.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Guan, Dawei; Su, Juan; Takeda, Naokazu; Wakita, Takaji; Li, Tian-Cheng; Ke, Chang Wen

2013-08-30

Serum samples from a total of 713 wild rats captured in Zhanjiang city in China from December 2011 to September 2012 were investigated for the prevalence of rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) by exploring rat HEV-specific antibodies and RNA. By an ELISA based on recombinant rat HEV-like particles (HEV-LPs), 23.3% (166/713) of the rats were positive for anti-HEV IgG, and 8.3% (59/713) were positive for anti-HEV IgM. The IgG-positive rates in Rattus norvegicus, Bandicota indica, Rattus flavipectus, Rattus rattoides losea, and Rattus rattus hainanus, were 27.8% (64/230), 23.0% (40/174), 19.9% (34/171), 21.5% (26/121), and 11.8% (2/17), while the IgM-positive rates were 8.3% (19/230), 6.9% (12/174), 8.2% (14/171), 10.7% (13/121), and 5.9% (1/17), respectively. The IgG-positive rate of the rats captured in rural areas, 24.1% (84/348), was higher than that in the central area of Zhanjiang city, 15.1% (32/212). The highest IgG-positive rates, as high as 45.3% (39/86), were detected in wild rats trapped in the garbage dump. Twelve of the 59 IgM-positive serum samples were positive for HEV RNA, which was detected in all of the wild rat species except R. rattus hainanus. A phylogenetic analysis of the partial genome of rat HEV ORF1 indicated that all of the 12 HEV strains belong to rat HEV, and no other genotype HEV were detected. The rat HEV from Zhangjiang city could be classified into three separated clusters, suggesting that the infection due to rat HEV with a variety of genome entities occurs extensively among wild rats in China. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Possible effects of drilling operations in Section 6D, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 2, Kern County, California on the endangered San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and other sensitive species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Farrell, T.P.; Kato, T.

1982-12-01

Getty Oil Company requested permission from the US Department of Energy to drill 10 petroleum wells and one water disposal well in Section 6D, Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 2, Kern County, California, which is thought to provide habitat for the endangered San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and two sensitive species: the giant kangaroo rat and San Joaquin antelope ground squirrel. The objective of this study was to assess the possible impacts of development drilling on these species and their essential habitats. Most of the proposed wells will be located on or near existing well pads; therefore, onlymore » 2 hectares of potential habitat will be disturbed. Although 21 kit fox dens were found, none were closer than 10 m from proposed well pads, and most were more than 40 m away. No evidence of either the blunt-nosed leopard lizard or giant kangaroo rat was gathered. Ten San Joaquin antelope ground squirrels were observed. Although 2 hectares of habitat will be disturbed, there is no evidence to indicate that any of the species has burrows that will be lost during landclearing. Loss of vegetation may have some small, unknown impacts on food supplies for species preyed upon by kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizards, but the disturbed vegetation represents a small fraction of the food supplies available in the surrounding habitat. Because the project poses few threats to individuals of the endangered or sensitive species surveyed, it was concluded that completion of the drilling is unlikely to jeopardize the continued existence of any of the species or their essential habitats if: (1) present kit fox dens are protected during construction activities, (2) topsoil removed during land-levelling is used to reclaim past disturbances of the habitat, and (3) artificial kit fox dens are installed to compensate for the possible loss of denning sites.« less

Perception and practice of Kangaroo Mother Care after discharge from hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: A longitudinal study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The practice of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is life saving in babies weighing less than 2000 g. Little is known about mothers' continued unsupervised practice after discharge from hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate its in-hospital and continued practice in the community among mothers of low birth weight (LBW) infants discharged from two hospitals in Kumasi, Ghana. Methods A longitudinal study of 202 mothers and their inpatient LBW neonates was conducted from November 2009 to May 2010. Mothers were interviewed at recruitment to ascertain their knowledge of KMC, and then oriented on its practice. After discharge, the mothers reported at weekly intervals for four follow up visits where data about their perceptions, attitudes and practices of KMC were recorded. A repeated measure logistic regression analysis was done to assess variability in the binary responses at the various reviews visits. Results At recruitment 23 (11.4%, 95%CI: 7.4 to 16.6%) mothers knew about KMC. At discharge 95.5% were willing to continue KMC at home with 93.1% willing to practice at night. 95.5% thought KMC was beneficial to them and 96.0% beneficial to their babies. 98.0% would recommend KMC to other mothers with 71.8% willing to practice KMC outdoors. At first follow up visit 99.5% (181) were still practicing either intermittent or continuous KMC. This proportion did not change significantly over the four weeks (OR: 1.4, 95%CI: 0.6 to 3.3, p-value: 0.333). Over the four weeks, increasingly more mothers practiced KMC at night (OR: 1.7, 95%CI: 1.2 to 2.6, p = 0.005), outside their homes (OR: 2.4, 95%CI: 1.7 to 3.3, p < 0.001) and received spousal help (OR: 1.6, 95%CI: 1.1 to 2.4, p = 0.007). Household chores and potentially negative community perceptions of KMC did not affect its practice with odds of 0.8 (95%CI: 0.5 to 1.2, p = 0.282) and 1.0 (95%CI: 0.6 to 1.7, p = 0.934) respectively. During the follow-up period the neonates gained 23.7 sg (95%CI: 22.6 g to 24.7 g) per day

Establishment of a novel dwarf rat strain: cartilage calcification insufficient (CCI) rats

PubMed Central

TANAKA, Masami; WATANABE, Minoru; YOKOMI, Izuru; MATSUMOTO, Naoki; SUDO, Katsuko; SATOH, Hitoshi; IGARASHI, Tsuneo; SEKI, Azusa; AMANO, Hitoshi; OHURA, Kiyoshi; RYU, Kakei; SHIBATA, Shunichi; NAGAYAMA, Motohiko; TANUMA, Jun-ichi

2014-01-01

Rats with dwarfism accompanied by skeletal abnormalities, such as shortness of the limbs, tail, and body (dwarf rats), emerged in a Jcl-derived Sprague-Dawley rat colony maintained at the Institute for Animal Experimentation, St. Marianna University Graduate School of Medicine. Since the dwarfism was assumed to be due to a genetic mutation based on its frequency, we bred the dwarf rats and investigated their characteristics in order to identify the causative factors of their phenotypes and whether they could be used as a human disease model. One male and female that produced dwarf progeny were selected, and reproduction was initiated by mating the pair. The incidence of dwarfism was 25.8% among the resultant litter, and dwarfism occurred in both genders, suggesting that it was inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. At 12 weeks of age, the body weights of the male and female dwarf rats were 40% and 57% of those of the normal rats, respectively. In soft X-ray radiographic and histological examinations, shortening and hypoplasia of the long bones, such as the tibia and femur, were observed, which were suggestive of endochondral ossification abnormalities. An immunohistochemical examination detected an aggrecan synthesis disorder, which might have led to delayed calcification and increased growth plate thickening in the dwarf rats. We hypothesized that the principal characteristics of the dwarf rats were systemically induced by insufficient cartilage calcification in their long bones; thus, we named them cartilage calcification insufficient (CCI) rats. PMID:25736479

Load Lugging Locomotion: Lessons from Indigenous People, Rhino Beetles, and Wallabies

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-01

they consume metabolic energy at the same rate! Even hopping at a 4-minute mile pace, kangaroos are only at about a third of their aerobic capacity...carried for free. However, there is not a clear link between the mechanical work performed in walking and the metabolic cost. Rhinoceros beetles are...more cheaply. But kangaroos and wallabies can use internal springs to save energy during their hopping gait and to carry loads in their pouches. These

Adult rats are more sensitive to the vascular effects induced by hyperhomocysteinemia than young rats.

PubMed

de Andrade, Claudia Roberta; de Campos, Glenda Andréa Déstro; Tirapelli, Carlos Renato; Laurindo, Francisco R M; Haddad, Renato; Eberlin, Marcos N; de Oliveira, Ana Maria

2010-01-01

We aimed to investigate the vascular effects of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) on carotid arteries from young and adult rats. With this purpose young and adult rats received a solution of DL-homocysteine-thiolactone (1 g/kg body weight/day) in the drinking water for 7, 14 and 28 days. Increase on plasma homocysteine occurred in young and adult rats treated with DL-homocysteine-thiolactone in all periods. Vascular reactivity experiments using standard muscle bath procedures showed that HHcy enhanced the contractile response of endothelium-intact, carotid rings to phenylephrine in both young and adult rats. However, in young rats, the increased phenylephrine-induced contraction was observed after hyperhomocysteinemia for 14 and 28 days, whereas in adult rats this response was already apparent after 7 day treatment. HHcy impaired acetylcholine-induced relaxation in arteries from adult but not young rats. The contraction induced by phenylephrine in carotid arteries in the presence of Y-27632 was reversed to control values in arteries from young but not adult rats with hyperhomocysteinemia. HHcy did not alter the contraction induced by CaCl(2) in carotid arteries from young rats, but enhanced CaCl(2)-induced contraction in the arteries from adult rats. HHcy increased the basal levels of superoxide anion in arteries from both groups. Finally, HHcy decreased the basal levels of nitrite in arteries from adult but not young rats. The major new finding of the present work is that arteries from young rats are more resistant to vascular changes evoked by HHcy than arteries from adult rats. Also, we verified that the enhanced vascular response to phenylephrine observed in carotid arteries of DL-homocysteine thiolactone-treated rats is mediated by different mechanisms in young and adult rats. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Gravitational Biology: The Rat Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

In this session, Session JP3, the discussion focuses on the following topics: Morphology of brain, pituitary and thyroid in the rats exposed to altered gravity; Biochemical Properties of B Adrenoceptors After Spaceflight (LMS-STS78) or Hindlimb Suspension in Rats; Influence of Hypergravity on the Development of Monoaminergic Systems in the Rat Spinal Cord; A Vestibular Evoked Potentials (VsEPs) Study of the Function of the Otolith Organs in Different Head Orientations with respect to Earth Gravity Vector in the Rat; Quantitative Observations on the Structure of Selected Proprioceptive Components in Adult Rats that Underwent About Half of their Fetal Development in Space; Effects of a Nine-Day Shuttle Mission on the Development of the Neonatal Rat Nervous System, A Behavioral Study; Muscle Atrophy Associated to Microgravity in Rat, Basic Data For Countermeasures; Simulated Weightlessness by Unloading in the Rat, Results of a Time Course Study of Biochemical Events Occurring During Unloading and Lack of Effect of a rhBNP-2 Treatment on Bone Formation and Bone Mineral Content in Unloading Rats; and Cytological Mechanism of the Osteogenesis Under Microgravity Conditions.

Soccer players' fitting perception of different upper boot materials.

PubMed

Olaso Melis, J C; Priego Quesada, J I; Lucas-Cuevas, A G; González García, J C; Puigcerver Palau, S

2016-07-01

The present study assessed the influence of upper boot materials on fitting perception. Twenty players tested three soccer boots only differing in the upper boot material (natural calf leather, natural kangaroo leather and synthetic leather). Players reported fitting perception and preference on specific foot areas using a perceived fitting scale. Ratings were averaged for every foot area. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the differences between boots. The kangaroo leather boots were perceived tighter and closer to the preferred fitting in general fitting, metatarsals area and instep area. The synthetic leather boots were perceived as the loosest and as the most distant boot from the preferred fitting in medial front area and instep area. In conclusion, the type of upper boot material influences the fitting perception of soccer players. The kangaroo leather was the material whose fitting was perceived closest to the players fitting preference. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Nucleolar changes after microinjection of antibodies to RNA polymerase I into the nucleus of mammalian cells.

PubMed

Benavente, R; Reimer, G; Rose, K M; Hügle-Dörr, B; Scheer, U

1988-01-01

After microinjection of antibodies against RNA polymerase I into the nuclei of cultured rat kangaroo (PtK2) and rat (RVF-SMC) cells alterations in nucleolar structure and composition were observed. These were detected by electron microscopy and double-label immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to proteins representative of the three major components of the nucleolus. The microinjected antibodies produced a progressive loss of the material of the dense fibrillar component (DFC) from the nucleoli which, at 4 h after injection, were transformed into bodies with purely granular component (GC) structure with attached fibrillar centers (FCs). Concomitantly, numerous extranucleolar aggregates appeared in the nucleoplasm which morphologically resembled fragments of the DFC and contained a protein (fibrillarin) diagnostic for this nucleolar structure. These observations indicate that the topological distribution of the material constituting the DFC can be experimentally influenced in interphase cells, apparently by modulating the transcriptional activity of the rRNA genes. These effects are different from nucleolar lesions induced by inhibitory drugs such as actinomycin D-dependent "nucleolar segregation". The structural alterations induced by antibodies to RNA polymerase I resemble, however, the initial events of nucleolar disintegration during mitotic prophase.

The Petit Rat (pet/pet), a New Semilethal Mutant Dwarf Rat with Thymic and Testicular Anomalies

PubMed Central

Chiba, Junko; Suzuki, Katsushi; Suzuki, Hiroetsu

2008-01-01

The petit rat (pet/pet) is a recently discovered semilethal mutant dwarf. The neonatal pet/pet rats had a low body weight and small thymus and testis. During the first 3 d after birth, 50% of the male and 80% of the female pet/pet pups were lost or found dead. Surviving pet/pet rats showed marked retardation of postnatal growth, and their body weights were 41% (female rats) and 32% (male rats) of those of normal rats at the adult stage. The pet/pet rats exhibited proportional dwarfism, and their longitudinal bones were shorter than those of controls without skeletal malformations. Most organs of male pet/pet rats, especially the thymus, testis, adipose tissue surrounding the kidney, and accessory sex organs, weighed markedly less at 140 d of age than did those of their normal counterparts. The thymus of pet/pet rats was small with abnormal thymic follicles. Testes from pet/pet rats exhibited 2 patterns of abnormal histology. Spermatogenesis was present in testes that were only slightly anomalous, but the seminiferous tubules were reduced in diameter. In severely affected testes, most of the seminiferous tubules showed degeneration, and interstitial tissue was increased. Plasma growth hormone concentrations did not differ between pet/pet and normal male rats. The dwarf phenotype of pet/pet rats was inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. These results indicate that the pet/pet rat has a semilethal growth-hormone-independent dwarf phenotype that is accompanied by thymic and testicular anomalies and low birth weight. PMID:19149412

The petit rat (pet/pet), a new semilethal mutant dwarf rat with thymic and testicular anomalies.

PubMed

Chiba, Junko; Suzuki, Katsushi; Suzuki, Hiroetsu

2008-12-01

The petit rat (pet/pet) is a recently discovered semilethal mutant dwarf. The neonatal pet/pet rats had a low body weight and small thymus and testis. During the first 3 d after birth, 50% of the male and 80% of the female pet/pet pups were lost or found dead. Surviving pet/pet rats showed marked retardation of postnatal growth, and their body weights were 41% (female rats) and 32% (male rats) of those of normal rats at the adult stage. The pet/pet rats exhibited proportional dwarfism, and their longitudinal bones were shorter than those of controls without skeletal malformations. Most organs of male pet/pet rats, especially the thymus, testis, adipose tissue surrounding the kidney, and accessory sex organs, weighed markedly less at 140 d of age than did those of their normal counterparts. The thymus of pet/pet rats was small with abnormal thymic follicles. Testes from pet/pet rats exhibited 2 patterns of abnormal histology. Spermatogenesis was present in testes that were only slightly anomalous, but the seminiferous tubules were reduced in diameter. In severely affected testes, most of the seminiferous tubules showed degeneration, and interstitial tissue was increased. Plasma growth hormone concentrations did not differ between pet/pet and normal male rats. The dwarf phenotype of pet/pet rats was inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. These results indicate that the pet/pet rat has a semilethal growth-hormone-independent dwarf phenotype that is accompanied by thymic and testicular anomalies and low birth weight.

Rat Genome and Model Resources.

PubMed

Shimoyama, Mary; Smith, Jennifer R; Bryda, Elizabeth; Kuramoto, Takashi; Saba, Laura; Dwinell, Melinda

2017-07-01

Rats remain a major model for studying disease mechanisms and discovery, validation, and testing of new compounds to improve human health. The rat's value continues to grow as indicated by the more than 1.4 million publications (second to human) at PubMed documenting important discoveries using this model. Advanced sequencing technologies, genome modification techniques, and the development of embryonic stem cell protocols ensure the rat remains an important mammalian model for disease studies. The 2004 release of the reference genome has been followed by the production of complete genomes for more than two dozen individual strains utilizing NextGen sequencing technologies; their analyses have identified over 80 million variants. This explosion in genomic data has been accompanied by the ability to selectively edit the rat genome, leading to hundreds of new strains through multiple technologies. A number of resources have been developed to provide investigators with access to precision rat models, comprehensive datasets, and sophisticated software tools necessary for their research. Those profiled here include the Rat Genome Database, PhenoGen, Gene Editing Rat Resource Center, Rat Resource and Research Center, and the National BioResource Project for the Rat in Japan. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Rats do not eat alone in public: Food-deprived rats socialize rather than competing for baits

PubMed Central

Ram, Tamar; Zadicario, Pazit; Eilam, David

2017-01-01

Limited resources result in competition among social animals. Nevertheless, social animals also have innate preferences for cooperative behavior. In the present study, 12 dyads of food-deprived rats were tested in four successive trials, and then re-tested as eight triads of food-deprived rats that were unfamiliar to each other. We found that the food-deprived dyads or triads of rats did not compete for the food available to them at regular spatially-marked locations that they had previously learnt. Rather, these rats traveled together to collect the baits. One rat, or two rats in some triads, lead (ran ahead) to collect most of the baits, but "leaders" differed across trials so that, on average, each rat ultimately collected similar amounts of baits. Regardless of which rat collected the baits, the rats traveled together with no substantial difference among them in terms of their total activity. We suggest that rats, which are a social species that has been found to display reciprocity, have evolved to travel and forage together and to share limited resources. Consequently, they displayed a sort of 'peace economy' that on average resulted in equal access to the baits across trials. For social animals, this type of dynamics is more relaxed, tolerant, and effective in the management of conflicts. Rather than competing for the limited available food, the food-deprived rats socialized and coexisted peacefully. PMID:28278246

Rat hepatitis E virus: geographical clustering within Germany and serological detection in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus).

PubMed

Johne, Reimar; Dremsek, Paul; Kindler, Eveline; Schielke, Anika; Plenge-Bönig, Anita; Gregersen, Henrike; Wessels, Ute; Schmidt, Katja; Rietschel, Wolfram; Groschup, Martin H; Guenther, Sebastian; Heckel, Gerald; Ulrich, Rainer G

2012-07-01

Zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in industrialised countries is thought to be caused by transmission from wild boar, domestic pig and deer as reservoir hosts. The detection of HEV-specific antibodies in rats and other rodents has suggested that these animals may represent an additional source for HEV transmission to human. Recently, a novel HEV (ratHEV) was detected in Norway rats from Hamburg, Germany, showing the typical genome organisation but a high nucleotide and amino acid sequence divergence to other mammalian and to avian HEV strains. Here we describe the multiple detection of ratHEV RNA and HEV-specific antibodies in Norway rats from additional cities in north-east and south-west Germany. The complete genome analysis of two novel strains from Berlin and Stuttgart confirmed the association of ratHEV to Norway rats. The present data indicated a continuing existence of this virus in the rat populations from Berlin and Hamburg. The phylogenetic analysis of a short segment of the open reading frame 1 confirmed a geographical clustering of the corresponding sequences. Serological investigations using recombinant ratHEV and genotype 3 capsid protein derivatives demonstrated antigenic differences which might be caused by the high amino acid sequence divergence in the immunodominant region. The high amount of animals showing exclusively ratHEV RNA or anti-ratHEV antibodies suggested a non-persistent infection in the Norway rat. Future studies have to prove the transmission routes of the virus in rat populations and its zoonotic potential. The recombinant ratHEV antigen generated here will allow future seroepidemiological studies to differentiate ratHEV and genotype 3 infections in humans and animals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deficient prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in Hooded-Wistar rats compared with Sprague-Dawley rats.

PubMed

van den Buuse, Maarten

2003-04-01

1. Prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle has been suggested as a model of sensorimotor gating and central sensory information processing. Prepulse inhibition is impaired in patients with schizophrenia and responses can be restored by antipsychotic drug treatment. In the present study, startle and prepulse inhibition of startle were compared in different rat strains. 2. Sprague-Dawley rats showed robust inhibition of startle responses by increasing intensities of prepulse delivered just before the startle stimulus. In contrast, at both 4 and 10 weeks of age, rats of the Hooded-Wistar line had markedly reduced prepulse inhibition, although startle responses were not different. 3. Treatment with the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine (0.1 mg/kg) or the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) caused disruption of prepulse inhibition in Sprague-Dawley rats. In Hooded-Wistar rats, apomorphine further reduced the already low level of prepulse inhibition, but MK-801 treatment had no significant effect. This suggests that the impaired prepulse inhibition in Hooded-Wistar rats could be caused by changes in glutamatergic activity and/or NMDA receptors in these rats. 4. In photocell cages, spontaneous exploratory activity and inner zone activity were significantly lower in Hooded-Wistar rats than in Sprague-Dawley rats. Similarly, on the elevated plus-maze, Hooded-Wistar rats showed a lower propensity to visit the open arms. In contrast, amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg)-induced locomotor hyperactivity, an animal model of psychosis, was enhanced in Hooded-Wistar rats. 5. These data suggest that the Hooded-Wistar line could be a useful genetic animal model to study the interaction of glutamatergic and dopaminergic mechanisms in anxiety and schizophrenia.

Environmental Statement on the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center (TFWC) Range Complex, Nellis Air Force Base

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-03-10

rKanqaQoo P4OSe 7-T -PALLID KANGAROO MOLUS IM p rVf ,CtojI8. - PALLID KANGAROO MOUSE WM 1)Pu * -of the Fali~ Kaniaaroo Mice FISH (Figures D-13, D-14...and sudden noises. Conclusive data on effects of booms on production are not available, but no change in milk production by one dairy herd was noted...press). Parker, J. B. and N. D. Bayley. 1960. Investigations on effects of aircraft sound on milk production of dairy cattle, 1957-1958. U.S. Dept. of

Neutrophil dysfunction in rats with natural gingivitis.

PubMed

Isogai, E; Wakizaka, H; Miura, H; Isogai, H; Hayashi, M

1993-01-01

The functions of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from SUS rats with naturally occurring gingivitis were examined by the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL), adherence and bactericidal tests. SUS rats with pre-gingivitis showed lower CL responses of isolated PMNs and whole blood than control rats (RES rats). After plague formation and progression of gingivitis, the CL response gradually increased in SUS rats. RES rats had healthy gingiva and showed no increase in CL responses. Impaired PMN adherence was observed in SUS rats with pre-gingivitis but not in RES rats. PMNs from SUS rats with pre-gingivitis also showed lower bactericidal activity than those from RES rats. Dysfunction of PMNs might induce gingivitis as a result of decreased protection against periodontal pathogens and an elevated level of CL response can be recognized with progression of gingivitis.

KMC facilitates mother baby attachment in low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Gathwala, Geeta; Singh, Bir; Balhara, Bharti

2008-01-01

To determine whether Kangaroo mother care (KMC) facilitates mother baby attachment in low birth weight infants. Over 16 month period 110 neonates were randomized into kangaroo mother care group and control group using a random number table. The kangaroo group was subjected to Kangaroo mother care for at least 6 hours per day. The babies also received kangaroo care after shifting out from NICU and at home. The control group received standard care (incubator or open care system). After 3 months followup, structured maternal interview was conducted to assess attachment between mothers and their babies. Mean birth weight was 1.69 +/- 0.11 Kg in KMC group compared to 1.690 +/- 0.12 Kg in control group (p>0.05). Mean gestational age was 35.48 +/- 1.20 week in KMC group and 35.04+/-1.09 week in the control group (p>0.05). KMC was initiated at a mean age of 1.72+/-0.45 days. The duration of KMC in first month was 10.21+/-1.50 hour, in the 2nd month was 10.03+/-1.57 hour and in the 3rd month was 8.97+/-1.37 hours. The duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the KMC group (3.56+/-0.57 days) compared to control group (6.80+/-1.30 days). The total attachment score (24.46+/-1.64) in the KMC group was significantly higher than that obtained in control group (18.22+/-1.79, p< 0.001). In KMC group, mother was more often the main caretaker of the baby. Mothers were significantly more involved in care taking activities like bathing, diapering, sleeping with their babies and spent more time beyond usual care taking. They went out without their babies less often and only for unavoidable reasons. They derived greater pleasure from their babies. KMC facilitates mother baby attachment in low birth weight infants.

Differential hippocampal protein expression between normal aged rats and aged rats with postoperative cognitive dysfunction: A proteomic analysis.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Wang, Saiying; Ran, Ke; Hu, Zhonghua; Liu, Zhaoqian; Duan, Kaiming

2015-08-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in the expression of hippocampal proteins between normal control aged rats and aged rats with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). A total of 24 aged rats were randomly divided into a surgery group (n=12) and a control group (n=12). The rats in the surgery group were treated with 2 h isoflurane anesthesia and splenectomy, while the rats in the control group received 40% oxygen for 2 h without surgery. The cognitive functions of the two groups were examined using a Y-maze test. The protein expression profiles of the hippocampus of six aged rats (three rats with POCD and three from the normal control group) were assessed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. A total of three differential proteins were further confirmed between the POCD rats and normal rats using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The expression levels of 21 proteins in the rats with POCD were significantly different compared with the normal control rats. These proteins were functionally clustered to synaptic plasticity (three proteins), oxidative stress (four proteins), energy production (six proteins), neuroinflammation (three proteins) and glutamate metabolism (two proteins). In addition, three proteins (fatty acid binding protein 7, brain, glutamate dehydrogenase 1 and glutamine synthetase), associated with astrocytic function, were significantly different in the rats with POCD compared with those in the normal control (P<0.05). Similar changes in the mRNA expression levels of the three proteins in the hippocampi of POCD rats were also detected using RT-qPCR. Neuroinflammation, glutamate toxicity and oxidative stress were possibly involved in the pathological mechanism underlying POCD in aged rats. In addition, astrocytes may also be important in POCD in aged rats.

False context fear memory in rats.

PubMed

Bae, Sarah E; Holmes, Nathan M; Westbrook, R Frederick

2015-10-01

Four experiments used rats to study false context fear memories. In Experiment 1, rats were pre-exposed to a distinctive chamber (context A) or to a control environment (context C), shocked after a delay in a second chamber (context B) and tested either in B or A. Rats pre-exposed to A froze just as much as control rats in B but more than control rats in A. In Experiment 2, rats were pre-exposed to A or C, subjected to an immediate shock in B and tested in B or A. Rats pre-exposed to A froze when tested in A but did not freeze when tested in B and control rats did not freeze in either A or B. The false fear memory to the pre-exposed A was contingent on its similarity with the shocked B. In Experiment 3, rats pre-exposed to A and subjected to immediate shock in B froze when tested in A but did not freeze when tested in C and rats pre-exposed to C did not freeze when tested either in A or C. In Experiment 4, rats pre-exposed to A and subjected to immediate shock in B froze more when tested in A than rats whose pre-exposure to A began with an immediate shock. The results were discussed in terms of a dual systems explanation of context fear conditioning: a hippocampal-dependent process that forms a unitary representation of context and an amygdala-based process which associates this representation with shock. © 2015 Bae et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Juvenile female rats, but not male rats, show renewal, reinstatement, and spontaneous recovery following extinction of conditioned fear.

PubMed

Park, Chun Hui J; Ganella, Despina E; Kim, Jee Hyun

2017-12-01

Anxiety disorders emerge early, and girls are significantly more likely to develop anxiety compared to boys. However, sex differences in fear during development are poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated juvenile male and female rats in the relapse behaviors following extinction of conditioned fear. In all experiments, 18-d-old rats first received three white-noise-footshock pairings on day 1. On day 2, extinction involved 60 white-noise alone trials. In experiment 1, we examined renewal by testing the rats in either the same or different context as extinction on day 3. Male rats did not show renewal, however, female rats showed renewal. Experiment 2 investigated reinstatement by giving rats either a mild reminder footshock or context exposure on day 3. When tested the next day, male rats did not show reinstatement, whereas female rats showed reinstatement. Experiment 3 investigated spontaneous recovery by testing the rats either 1 or 5 d following extinction. Male rats did not show any spontaneous recovery whereas female rats did. Taken together, fear regulation appear to be different in males versus females from early in development, which may explain why girls are more prone to suffer from anxiety disorders compared to boys. © 2017 Park et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

To study the effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on pain response in preterm neonates and to determine the behavioral and physiological responses to painful stimuli in preterm neonates: a study from western Rajasthan.

PubMed

Choudhary, Mukesh; Dogiyal, Hemaram; Sharma, Deepak; Datt Gupta, Brahma; Madabhavi, Irappa; Choudhary, Jagveer Singh; Choudhary, Sushil Kumar

2016-03-01

To study the effect of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on pain response in preterm neonates and to determine the behavioral and physiological responses to painful stimuli in preterm neonates. This was a single-blind cross over study in which total 140 neonates were enrolled. Pain stimulus was given in the form of heel-lance before and after giving KMC and data were recorded. The effect of KMC on heart rate variability was statistically significant in preterm (30-34 wks) and very low birth weight (1.0-1.5 kg) neonates. The mean fall in SpO2 from base line was less in KMC group as compared to without KMC group at 60 s (1.63% versus 2.22%) and 120 s (0.45% versus 2.22%). The mean duration of cry was less in the KMC group (15.05 s) as compared to without KMC group (24.82 s) and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The mean duration of cry was reduced by 36% in KMC group as compared to the without KMC group. The effect of KMC on pain scores (premature infant pain profile (PIPP)) were significantly lower after heel-lance in KMC at 60 s (p < 0.01). KMC is a most physiological, non-pharmacological and easy intervention that involves parents: to manage procedural pain that can be implemented for physiological or behavioral stability in their premature infants.

Treatment of diabetic rats with encapsulated islets.

PubMed

Sweet, Ian R; Yanay, Ofer; Waldron, Lanaya; Gilbert, Merle; Fuller, Jessica M; Tupling, Terry; Lernmark, Ake; Osborne, William R A

2008-12-01

Immunoprotection of islets using bioisolator systems permits introduction of allogeneic cells to diabetic patients without the need for immunosuppression. Using TheraCyte immunoisolation devices, we investigated two rat models of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), BB rats and rats made diabetic by streptozotocin (STZ) treatment. We chose to implant islets after the onset of diabetes to mimic the probable treatment of children with T1DM as they are usually diagnosed after disease onset. We encapsulated 1000 rat islets and implanted them subcutaneously (SQ) into diabetic biobreeding (BB) rats and STZ-induced diabetic rats, defined as two or more consecutive days of blood glucose>350 mg/dl. Rats were monitored for weight and blood glucose. Untreated BB rats rapidly lost weight and were euthanized at >20% weight loss that occurred between 4 and 10 days from implantation. For period of 30-40 days following islet implantation weights of treated rats remained steady or increased. Rapid weight loss occurred after surgical removal of devices that contained insulin positive islets. STZ-treated rats that received encapsulated islets showed steady weight gain for up to 130 days, whereas untreated control rats showed steady weight loss that achieved >20% at around 55 days. Although islet implants did not normalize blood glucose, treated rats were apparently healthy and groomed normally. Autologous or allogeneic islets were equally effective in providing treatment. TheraCyte devices can sustain islets, protect allogeneic cells from immune attack and provide treatment for diabetic-mediated weight loss in both BB rats and STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Treatment of diabetic rats with encapsulated islets

PubMed Central

Sweet, Ian R; Yanay, Ofer; Waldron, Lanaya; Gilbert, Merle; Fuller, Jessica M; Tupling, Terry; Lernmark, Ake; Osborne, William R A

2008-01-01

Immunoprotection of islets using bioisolator systems permits introduction of allogeneic cells to diabetic patients without the need for immunosuppression. Using TheraCyte™ immunoisolation devices, we investigated two rat models of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), BB rats and rats made diabetic by streptozotocin (STZ) treatment. We chose to implant islets after the onset of diabetes to mimic the probable treatment of children with T1DM as they are usually diagnosed after disease onset. We encapsulated 1000 rat islets and implanted them subcutaneously (SQ) into diabetic biobreeding (BB) rats and STZ-induced diabetic rats, defined as two or more consecutive days of blood glucose >350 mg/dl. Rats were monitored for weight and blood glucose. Untreated BB rats rapidly lost weight and were euthanized at >20% weight loss that occurred between 4 and 10 days from implantation. For period of 30–40 days following islet implantation weights of treated rats remained steady or increased. Rapid weight loss occurred after surgical removal of devices that contained insulin positive islets. STZ-treated rats that received encapsulated islets showed steady weight gain for up to 130 days, whereas untreated control rats showed steady weight loss that achieved >20% at around 55 days. Although islet implants did not normalize blood glucose, treated rats were apparently healthy and groomed normally. Autologous or allogeneic islets were equally effective in providing treatment. TheraCyte™ devices can sustain islets, protect allogeneic cells from immune attack and provide treatment for diabetic-mediated weight loss in both BB rats and STZ-induced diabetic rats. PMID:18373735

Identification of rat Rosa26 locus enables generation of knock-in rat lines ubiquitously expressing tdTomato.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Toshihiro; Kato-Itoh, Megumi; Yamaguchi, Tomoyuki; Tamura, Chihiro; Sanbo, Makoto; Hirabayashi, Masumi; Nakauchi, Hiromitsu

2012-11-01

Recent discovery of a method for derivation and culture of germline-competent rat pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) enables generation of transgenic rats or knock-out rats via genetic modification of such PSCs. This opens the way to use rats, as is routine in mice, for analyses of gene functions or physiological features. In mouse or human, one widely used technique to express a gene of interest stably and ubiquitously is to insert that gene into the Rosa26 locus via gene targeting of PSCs. Rosa26 knock-in mice conditionally expressing a reporter or a toxin gene have contributed to tracing or ablation of specific cell lineages. We successfully identified a rat orthologue of the mouse Rosa26 locus. Insertion of tdTomato, a variant of red fluorescent protein, into the Rosa26 locus of PSCs of various rat strains allows ubiquitous expression of tdTomato. Through germline transmission of one Rosa26-tdTomato knock-in embryonic stem cell line, we also obtained tdTomato knock-in rats. These expressed tdTomato ubiquitously throughout their bodies, which indicates that the rat Rosa26 locus conserves functions of its orthologues in mouse and human. The new tools described here (targeting vectors, knock-in PSCs, and rats) should be useful for a variety of research using rats.

Seroprevalence of retrovirus in North American captive macropodidae.

PubMed

Georoff, Timothy A; Joyner, Priscilla H; Hoover, John P; Payton, Mark E; Pogranichniy, Roman M

2008-09-01

Laboratory records of serology results from captive macropodidae sampled between 1997 and 2005 were reviewed to assess the seroprevalence of retrovirus exposure. Serum samples from 269 individuals (136 males, 133 females) representing 10 species of macropods housed in 31 North American captive collections were analyzed for retrovirus antibody using an indirect immunofluorescent assay. The prevalence of positive antibody titers comparing male versus female, between species, between age groups, and among animals with identified parentage was examined by nonparametric statistical analyses. Median age of animals at time of sample collection was 36 mo (range 2-201 mo). Total percentage seropositive was 20.4%. Serum antibody was detected in 31 of 47 (66.0%) tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), nine of 24 (37.5%) yellow-footed rock wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus), four of 11 (36.4%) swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), 10 of 80 (12.5%) red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), and one of 54 (1.9%) parma wallaby (Macropus parma). No individuals of western gray kangaroo (n=3) (Macropus fuliginosus), eastern gray kangaroo (n=19) (Macropus giganteus), common wallaroo (n=6) (Macropus robustus), red kangaroo (n=11) (Macropus rufus), or Matschie's tree kangaroo (n=14) (Dendrolagus matschiei) were positive for retrovirus antibody. These results demonstrate that five species of captive macropods have a history of exposure to retrovirus, with the highest percentage seropositive and highest statistical correlation in M. eugenii (pair-wise Fisher's exact test, alpha = 0.05). Additionally, one wild-caught M. eugenii was confirmed seropositive during quarantine period, indicating that retrovirus exposure may exist in wild populations.

Comparative Analysis of Mechanical Properties of PWV, NO and Ascending Aorta between WHY Rats and SHR Rats.

PubMed

Yu, Bo; Xu, De-Jun; Sun, Huan; Yang, Kun; Luo, Min

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to compare and analyze the tensile mechanical properties of the ascending aorta (AA) in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), for the purpose of providing a biomechanical basis for hypertension prevention. Pulse wave velocities (PWV) and serum nitric oxide (NO) concentrations were determined in 6-month-old WKY rats and SHRs (n = 21, n = 21, respectively). Then, 20 AAs from each group were obtained for longitudinal tensile testing. The maximum stress, maximum strain, and strain at a tensile stress of 16 Kpa were greater in WKY rats than in SHRs (p < 0.05). The aortic elastic modulus and PWV value were greater in SHRs than in WKY rats (p < 0.05 for both), while NO concentrations were lower in the SHR group than in the WKY group (p < 0.05). The AA tensile mechanical properties differed between the WKY rats and SHRs, and the tensile mechanical properties of the SHR model had changed. Ascending aorta; Hypertension; Mechanical properties; Pulse wave velocity; SHR rats; WKY rats.

A Low-Protein Diet Enhances Angiotensin II Production in the Lung of Pregnant Rats but Not Nonpregnant Rats

PubMed Central

Gao, Haijun; Tanchico, Daren Tubianosa; Yallampalli, Uma; Yallampalli, Chandrasekhar

2016-01-01

Pulmonary angiotensin II production is enhanced in pregnant rats fed a low-protein (LP) diet. Here we assessed if LP diet induces elevations in angiotensin II production in nonpregnant rats and whether Ace expression and ACE activity in lungs are increased. Nonpregnant rats were fed a normal (CT) or LP diet for 8, 12, or 17 days and timed pregnant rats fed for 17 days from Day 3 of pregnancy. Plasma angiotensin II, expressions of Ace and Ace2, and activities of these proteins in lungs, kidneys, and plasma were measured. These parameters were compared among nonpregnant rats or between nonpregnant and pregnant rats fed different diets. Major findings are as follows: (1) plasma angiotensin II levels were slightly higher in the LP than CT group on Days 8 and 12 in nonpregnant rats; (2) expression of Ace and Ace2 and abundance and activities of ACE and ACE2 in lungs, kidneys, and plasma of nonpregnant rats were unchanged by LP diet except for minor changes; (3) the abundance and activities of ACE in lungs of pregnant rats fed LP diet were greater than nonpregnant rats, while those of ACE2 were decreased. These results indicate that LP diet-induced increase in pulmonary angiotensin II production depends on pregnancy. PMID:27195150

A comparative study of functional 5-HT4 receptors in human colon, rat oesophagus and rat ileum.

PubMed Central

McLean, P. G.; Coupar, I. M.; Molenaar, P.

1995-01-01

1. The pharmacological properties of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), the 5-HT4 receptor agonists, DAU 6236 and SC 53116 and the 5-HT4 receptor antagonist, GR 1130808, were studied in the rat oesophagus, rat ileum and human colon. 2. 5-HT relaxed the longitudinal muscle of the rat oesophagus and rat ileum and the circular muscle of the human colon. Absolute values of relaxation were measured and showed the order of the maximum responses, rat oesophagus >> human colon > rat ileum with EC50 values of 189 +/- 15 nM, 157 +/- 4 nM, 306 +/- 72 nM, respectively. 5-HT also inhibited the spontaneous contractions of the human colon with an EC50 value of 119 +/- 1 nM. The effect of 5-HT on the human colon was not affected by methysergide (10 microM) or ondansetron (1 microM). 3. The use of the uptake and metabolism inhibitors, cocaine (30 microM) and pargyline (100 microM), did not increase the potency of 5-HT in the rat oesophagus or human colon. In the rat oesophagus, cocaine (30 microM) produced a reduction in carbachol-induced tone of 22.2 +/- 0.6% and reduced the 5-HT maximum effect by 52.0 +/- 0.4%. 4. The compounds, DAU 6236 and SC 53116, showed a different pattern of potencies and efficacies in the rat oesophagus, rat ileum and human colon compared to 5-HT. DAU 6236 relaxed the human colonic circular muscle with an EC50 value of 129 +/- 16 nM but its efficacy was less than that of 5-HT. DAU 6236 (1 microM) also antagonized the 5-HT-induced relaxation of the human colon with a dose-ratio of 9.9. In the rat oesophagus and rat ileum, DAU 6236 was inactive in the majority of tissues. In the minority of oesophagus tissues that did respond the EC50 value was 1.2 +/- 0.7 microM. DAU 6236 also antagonized the effect of 5-HT in the rat oesophagus in a non-surmountable fashion. SC 53116 relaxed the rat oesophagus with an EC50 value of 91 +/- 4 nM, with an efficacy less than that observed to 5-HT; however, at 200 nM it did not antagonize the 5-HT-induced relaxation of the rat

Rats.

PubMed

Aghdam, Amir Mahmoudi; Shahabi, Parviz; Karimi-Sales, Elham; Ghiasi, Rafigheh; Sadigh-Eteghad, Saeed; Mahmoudi, Javad; Alipour, Mohammad Reza

2018-04-30

Diabetes is a common metabolic disease which leads to diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Recently, the role of microRNA-96 (miR-96) in alleviating neuropathic pain by inhibiting the expression of NaV1.3, an isoform of voltage-gated sodium channels, has been shown. Peripheral nerve injuries result in NaV1.3 elevation. Exercise has beneficial role in diabetes management and peripheral neuropathy. However, the effects of exercise on miR-96 and its target gene NaV1.3 in diabetic rats are unknown. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of exercise training on the expression of miR-96 and NaV1.3 in diabetic rats. For this purpose, rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, exercise, diabetic and diabetic-exercise groups. Type 2 diabetes was induced by a high-fat diet and the administration of streptozotocin (STZ) (35 mg/kg, i.p.). The exercise groups were subjected to swimming exercise 5 days/week for 10 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, thermal pain threshold, determined through the tail-flick test, and the expression levels of miR-96 and its target gene NaV1.3 were determined by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR in the sciatic nerve tissues of the rats. Data of the present study indicated that diabetes diminished miR-96 expression levels, but significantly upregulated NaV1.3 expression in the sciatic nerve. On exercise training, miR-96 expression was reversed with concurrent down-regulation of the NaV1.3 expression. This study introduced a new and potential miRNA-dependent mechanism for exerciseinduced protective effects against diabetic thermal hyperalgesia.

Abstract numerical discrimination learning in rats.

PubMed

Taniuchi, Tohru; Sugihara, Junko; Wakashima, Mariko; Kamijo, Makiko

2016-06-01

In this study, we examined rats' discrimination learning of the numerical ordering positions of objects. In Experiments 1 and 2, five out of seven rats successfully learned to respond to the third of six identical objects in a row and showed reliable transfer of this discrimination to novel stimuli after being trained with three different training stimuli. In Experiment 3, the three rats from Experiment 2 continued to be trained to respond to the third object in an object array, which included an odd object that needed to be excluded when identifying the target third object. All three rats acquired this selective-counting task of specific stimuli, and two rats showed reliable transfer of this selective-counting performance to test sets of novel stimuli. In Experiment 4, the three rats from Experiment 3 quickly learned to respond to the third stimulus in object rows consisting of either six identical or six different objects. These results offer strong evidence for abstract numerical discrimination learning in rats.

Coordination strategies for limb forces during weight-bearing locomotion in normal rats, and in rats spinalized as neonates

PubMed Central

Giszter, Simon F; Davies, Michelle R; Graziani, Virginia

2010-01-01

Some rats spinally transected as neonates (ST rats) achieve weight-supporting independent locomotion. The mechanisms of coordinated hindlimb weight support in such rats are not well understood. To examine these in such ST rats and normal rats, rats with better than 60% of weight supported steps on a treadmill as adults were trained to cross an instrumented runway. Ground reaction forces, coordination of hindlimb and forelimb forces and the motions of the center of pressure were assessed. Normal rats crossed the runway with a diagonal trot. On average hindlimbs bore about 80% of the vertical load carried by forelimbs, although this varied. Forelimbs and hindlimb acted synergistically to generate decelerative and propulsive rostrocaudal forces, which averaged 15% of body weight with maximums of 50% . Lateral forces were very small (<8% of body weight). Center of pressure progressed in jumps along a straight line with mean lateral deviations <1 cm. ST rats hindlimbs bore about 60% of the vertical load of forelimbs, significantly less compared to intact (p<0.05). ST rats showed similar mean rostrocaudal forces, but with significantly larger maximum fluctuations of up to 80% of body weight (p<0.05). Joint force-plate recordings showed forelimbs and hindlimb rostrocaudal forces in ST rats were opposing and significantly different from intact rats (p<0.05). Lateral forces were ~20% of body weight and significantly larger than in normal rats (p<0.05). Center of pressure zig-zagged, with mean lateral deviations of ~ 2cm and a significantly larger range (p<0.05). The haunches were also observed to roll more than normal rats. The locomotor strategy of injured rats using limbs in opposition was presumably less efficient but their complex gait was statically stable. Because forelimbs and hindlimbs acted in opposition, the trunk was held compressed. Force coordination was likely managed largely by the voluntary control in forelimbs and trunk. PMID:18612631

Placenta hominis protects osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats.

PubMed

Chae, H J; Choi, K H; Chae, S W; Kim, H M; Shin, T K; Lee, G Y; Jeong, G S; Park, H R; Choi, H I; Kim, S B; Yoo, S K; Kim, H R

2006-01-01

In China, Japan, and Korea, placenta hominis extracts (PHEs) are used clinically for the treatment of osteoporosis. The anti-osteoporotic effect of PHEs was studied. The trabecular bone area and thickness in OVX rats decreased by 50% from those in sham-operated rats; these decreases were completely inhibited by administration of PHEs for 7 weeks. Osteoclast numbers and the osteoblast surface were enhanced in OVX rats, but PHEs had no effect on these phenomena. Serum phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in OVX rats increased compared to those in sham-operated rats, but the increases were not affected by the administration of PHEs. Thyroxine (T4) level was stimulated in OVX rats. The extracts inhibited the T4 level in the OVX rats. These results strongly suggest that PHEs be effective in preventing the development of bone loss induced by OVX in rats.

False Context Fear Memory in Rats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bae, Sarah; Holmes, Nathan M.; Westbrook, R. Frederick

2015-01-01

Four experiments used rats to study false context fear memories. In Experiment 1, rats were pre-exposed to a distinctive chamber (context A) or to a control environment (context C), shocked after a delay in a second chamber (context B) and tested either in B or A. Rats pre-exposed to A froze just as much as control rats in B but more than control…

Embryogenesis-promoting factors in rat serum.

PubMed

Katoh, M; Kimura, R; Shoji, R

1998-06-15

Regarding whole rat embryo cultures in vitro, rat serum as a culture medium is known to support the normal growth of rat embryos in the organogenesis phase. The purpose of the present study was to isolate the embryogenesis-promoting factors from rat serum as a first step in the development of a defined serum-free medium for a whole embryo culture system. Pooled rat serum after heat inactivation was fractionated into three major peaks (frA, containing a region of void volume, frB, and frC) by gel filtration. The 9.5-day rat embryos that were cultivated for 48 hr in essential salt medium containing frB (with a molecular size range of 100-500 kDa) revealed normal growth. Three proteins (27 kDa, 76 kDa, and 190 kDa) that had the embryogenesis-promoting effects were isolated from 3-hr delayed centrifuged rat serum by the ion exchange chromatography. The 76-kDa protein was found to be rat transferrin by immunoblotting. The 27-kDa protein was identified as apo-AI (the major apoprotein of high-density lipoprotein) by immunoblotting. High-density lipoprotein obtained from pooled rat serum by a NaBr density gradient ultracentrifugation was found to have a positive effect on embryogenesis. The 10-kDa protein was also identified as alpha 1-inhibitor 3 by immunoblotting. In addition, the embryogenesis-promoting effect of the fraction containing 27-kDa and 190-kDa proteins declined within a short period of storage at -20 degrees C. This decrease was countered by supplementing its fraction (D-2) with albumin isolated from rat serum. These results in the present study suggest that transferrin, high-density lipoprotein, and alpha 1-inhibitor 3 in rat serum may be embryogenesis-promoting factors, and that albumin appeared to play a role in the embryogenesis of rat embryos in whole embryo cultures.

Investigation of anti-cancer mechanisms by comparative analysis of naked mole rat and rat

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The naked mole rats (NMRs) are small-sized underground rodents with plenty of unusual traits. Their life expectancy can be up to thirty years, more than seven times longer than laboratory rat. Furthermore, they are resistant to both congenital and experimentally induced cancer genesis. These peculiar physiological and pathological characteristics allow them to become a suitable model for cancer and aging research. Results In this paper, we carried out a genome-wide comparative analysis of rat and NMR using the recently published genome sequence of NMR. First, we identified all the rat-NMR orthologous genes and specific genes within each of them. The expanded and contracted numbers of protein families in NMR were also analyzed when compared to rat. Seven cancer-related protein families appeared to be significantly expanded, whereas several receptor families were found to be contracted in NMR. We then chose those rat genes that were inexistent in NMR and adopted KEGG pathway database to investigate the metabolic processes in which their proteins may be involved. These genes were significantly enriched in two rat cancer pathways, "Pathway in cancer" and "Bladder cancer". In the rat "Pathway in cancer", 9 out of 14 paths leading to evading apoptosis appeared to be affected in NMR. In addition, a significant number of other NMR-missing genes enriched in several cancer-related pathways have been known to be related to a variety of cancers, implying that many of them may be also related to tumorigenesis in mammals. Finally, investigation of sequence variations among orthologous proteins between rat and NMR revealed that significant fragment insertions/deletions within important functional domains were present in some NMR proteins, which might lead to expressional and/or functional changes of these genes in different species. Conclusions Overall, this study provides insights into understanding the possible anti-cancer mechanisms of NMR as well as searching for

Thermal implications of interactions between insulation, solar reflectance, and fur structure in the summer coats of diverse species of kangaroo.

PubMed

Dawson, Terence J; Maloney, Shane K

2017-04-01

Not all of the solar radiation that impinges on a mammalian coat is absorbed and converted into thermal energy at the coat surface. Some is reflected back to the environment, while another portion is reflected further into the coat where it is absorbed and manifested as heat at differing levels. Substantial insulation in a coat limits the thermal impact at the skin of solar radiation, irrespective where in the coat it is absorbed. In coats with low insulation, the zone where solar radiation is absorbed may govern the consequent heat load on the skin (HL-SR). Thin summer furs of four species of kangaroo from differing climatic zones were used to determine how variation in insulation and in coat spectral and structural characteristics influence the HL-SR. Coat depth, structure, and solar reflectance varied between body regions, as well as between species. The modulation of solar radiation and resultant heat flows in these coats were measured at low (1 m s -1 ) and high (6 m s -1 ) wind speeds by mounting them on a heat flux transducer/temperature-controlled plate apparatus in a wind tunnel. A lamp with a spectrum similar to solar radiation was used as a proxy for the sun. We established that coat insulation was largely determined by coat depth at natural fur lie, despite large variations in fibre density, fibre diameter, and fur mass. Higher wind speed decreased coat insulation, but depth still determined the overall level. A multiple regression analysis that included coat depth (insulation), fibre diameter, fibre density, and solar reflectance was used to determine the best predictors of HL-SR. Only depth and reflectance had significant impacts and both factors had negative weights, so, as either insulation or reflectance increased, HL-SR declined, the larger impact coming from coat reflectance. This reverses the pattern observed in deep coats where insulation dominates over effects of reflectance. Across all coats, as insulation declined, reflectance increased

Effects of heroin on rat prosocial behavior.

PubMed

Tomek, Seven E; Stegmann, Gabriela M; Olive, M Foster

2018-05-04

Opioid use disorders are characterized in part by impairments in social functioning. Previous research indicates that laboratory rats, which are frequently used as animal models of addiction-related behaviors, are capable of prosocial behavior. For example, under normal conditions, when a 'free' rat is placed in the vicinity of rat trapped in a plastic restrainer, the rat will release or 'rescue' the other rat from confinement. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of heroin on prosocial behavior in rats. For 2 weeks, rats were given the opportunity to rescue their cagemate from confinement, and the occurrence of and latency to free the confined rat was recorded. After baseline rescuing behavior was established, rats were randomly selected to self-administer heroin (0.06 mg/kg/infusion i.v.) or sucrose pellets (orally) for 14 days. Next, rats were retested for rescuing behavior once daily for 3 days, during which they were provided with a choice between freeing the trapped cagemate and continuing to self-administer their respective reinforcer. Our results indicate that rats self-administering sucrose continued to rescue their cagemate, whereas heroin rats chose to self-administer heroin and not rescue their cagemate. These findings suggest that rats with a history of heroin self-administration show deficits in prosocial behavior, consistent with specific diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorder. Behavioral paradigms providing a choice between engaging in prosocial behavior and continuing drug use may be useful in modeling and investigating the neural basis of social functioning deficits in opioid addiction. © 2018 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Automatic Training of Rat Cyborgs for Navigation.

PubMed

Yu, Yipeng; Wu, Zhaohui; Xu, Kedi; Gong, Yongyue; Zheng, Nenggan; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Pan, Gang

2016-01-01

A rat cyborg system refers to a biological rat implanted with microelectrodes in its brain, via which the outer electrical stimuli can be delivered into the brain in vivo to control its behaviors. Rat cyborgs have various applications in emergency, such as search and rescue in disasters. Prior to a rat cyborg becoming controllable, a lot of effort is required to train it to adapt to the electrical stimuli. In this paper, we build a vision-based automatic training system for rat cyborgs to replace the time-consuming manual training procedure. A hierarchical framework is proposed to facilitate the colearning between rats and machines. In the framework, the behavioral states of a rat cyborg are visually sensed by a camera, a parameterized state machine is employed to model the training action transitions triggered by rat's behavioral states, and an adaptive adjustment policy is developed to adaptively adjust the stimulation intensity. The experimental results of three rat cyborgs prove the effectiveness of our system. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to tackle automatic training of animal cyborgs.

Automatic Training of Rat Cyborgs for Navigation

PubMed Central

Yu, Yipeng; Wu, Zhaohui; Xu, Kedi; Gong, Yongyue; Zheng, Nenggan; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Pan, Gang

2016-01-01

A rat cyborg system refers to a biological rat implanted with microelectrodes in its brain, via which the outer electrical stimuli can be delivered into the brain in vivo to control its behaviors. Rat cyborgs have various applications in emergency, such as search and rescue in disasters. Prior to a rat cyborg becoming controllable, a lot of effort is required to train it to adapt to the electrical stimuli. In this paper, we build a vision-based automatic training system for rat cyborgs to replace the time-consuming manual training procedure. A hierarchical framework is proposed to facilitate the colearning between rats and machines. In the framework, the behavioral states of a rat cyborg are visually sensed by a camera, a parameterized state machine is employed to model the training action transitions triggered by rat's behavioral states, and an adaptive adjustment policy is developed to adaptively adjust the stimulation intensity. The experimental results of three rat cyborgs prove the effectiveness of our system. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to tackle automatic training of animal cyborgs. PMID:27436999

Does rat fetal DNA induce preeclampsia in pregnant rats?

PubMed

Konečná, B; Borbélyová, V; Celec, P; Vlková, B

2015-02-01

Cell-free fetal DNA in maternal circulation is higher during preeclampsia. It is unclear whether it is the cause or the consequence of the disease. The aim of this study was to prove whether injected rat fetal DNA induces preeclampsia-like symptoms in pregnant Wistar rats. They received daily i.p. injections of water or rat fetal DNA (400 μg) from gestation day 14 to 18. Blood pressure, proteinuria, placental and fetal weight were measured at gestation day 19. Plasma DNase activity, proteinuria and creatinine clearance were assessed. There was no significant difference in any of the measured parameters. The results of this study do not confirm the hypothesis that fetal DNA might induce preeclampsia. This is in contrast to others using human fetal DNA in mice. Further studies should be focused on the effects of fetal DNA from the same species protected from DNase activity.

Architecture of interstitial nodal spaces in the rodent renal inner medulla.

PubMed

Gilbert, Rebecca L; Pannabecker, Thomas L

2013-09-01

Every collecting duct (CD) of the rat inner medulla is uniformly surrounded by about four abutting ascending vasa recta (AVR) running parallel to it. One or two ascending thin limbs (ATLs) lie between and parallel to each abutting AVR pair, opposite the CD. These structures form boundaries of axially running interstitial compartments. Viewed in transverse sections, these compartments appear as four interstitial nodal spaces (INSs) positioned symmetrically around each CD. The axially running compartments are segmented by interstitial cells spaced at regular intervals. The pairing of ATLs and CDs bounded by an abundant supply of AVR carrying reabsorbed water, NaCl, and urea make a strong argument that the mixing of NaCl and urea within the INSs and countercurrent flows play a critical role in generating the inner medullary osmotic gradient. The results of this study fully support that hypothesis. We quantified interactions of all structures comprising INSs along the corticopapillary axis for two rodent species, the Munich-Wistar rat and the kangaroo rat. The results showed remarkable similarities in the configurations of INSs, suggesting that the structural arrangement of INSs is a highly conserved architecture that plays a fundamental role in renal function. The number density of INSs along the corticopapillary axis directly correlated with a loop population that declines exponentially with distance below the outer medullary-inner medullary boundary. The axial configurations were consistent with discrete association between near-bend loop segments and INSs and with upper loop segments lying distant from INSs.

Camels, Cormorants, and Kangaroo Rats: Integration and Synthesis in Organismal Biology After World War II.

PubMed

Hagen, Joel B

2015-01-01

During the decades following World War II diverse groups of American biologists established a variety of distinctive approaches to organismal biology. Rhetorically, organismal biology could be used defensively to distinguish established research traditions from perceived threats from newly emerging fields such as molecular biology. But, organismal biologists were also interested in integrating biological disciplines and using a focus on organisms to synthesize levels of organization from molecules and cells to populations and communities. Part of this broad movement was the development of an area of research variously referred to as physiological ecology, environmental physiology, or ecophysiology. This area of research was distinctive in its self-conscious blend of field and laboratory practices and its explicit integration with other areas of biology such as ecology, animal behavior, and evolution in order to study adaptation. Comparing the intersecting careers of Knut Schmidt-Nielsen and George Bartholomew highlights two strikingly different approaches to physiological ecology. These alternative approaches to studying the interactions of organisms and environments also differed in important ways from the organismal biology championed by leading figures in the modern synthesis.

Population viability impacts of habitat additions and subtractions: A simulation experiment with endangered kangaroo rats

EPA Science Inventory

Species viability is influenced by the quality, quantity and configuration of habitat. For species at risk, a principal challenge is to identify landscape configurations that, if realized, would improve a population’s viability or restoration potential. Critical habitat patche...

Generation and characterization of rat liver stem cell lines and their engraftment in a rat model of liver failure

PubMed Central

Kuijk, Ewart W.; Rasmussen, Shauna; Blokzijl, Francis; Huch, Meritxell; Gehart, Helmuth; Toonen, Pim; Begthel, Harry; Clevers, Hans; Geurts, Aron M.; Cuppen, Edwin

2016-01-01

The rat is an important model for liver regeneration. However, there is no in vitro culture system that can capture the massive proliferation that can be observed after partial hepatectomy in rats. We here describe the generation of rat liver stem cell lines. Rat liver stem cells, which grow as cystic organoids, were characterized by high expression of the stem cell marker Lgr5, by the expression of liver progenitor and duct markers, and by low expression of hepatocyte markers, oval cell markers, and stellate cell markers. Prolonged cultures of rat liver organoids depended on high levels of WNT-signalling and the inhibition of BMP-signaling. Upon transplantation of clonal lines to a Fah−/− Il2rg−/− rat model of liver failure, the rat liver stem cells engrafted into the host liver where they differentiated into areas with FAH and Albumin positive hepatocytes. Rat liver stem cell lines hold potential as consistent reliable cell sources for pharmacological, toxicological or metabolic studies. In addition, rat liver stem cell lines may contribute to the development of regenerative medicine in liver disease. To our knowledge, the here described liver stem cell lines represent the first organoid culture system in the rat. PMID:26915950

Social exclusion intensifies anxiety-like behavior in adolescent rats.

PubMed

Lee, Hyunchan; Noh, Jihyun

2015-05-01

Social connection reduces the physiological reactivity to stressors, while social exclusion causes emotional distress. Stressful experiences in rats result in the facilitation of aversive memory and induction of anxiety. To determine the effect of social interaction, such as social connection, social exclusion and equality or inequality, on emotional change in adolescent distressed rats, the emotional alteration induced by restraint stress in individual rats following exposure to various social interaction circumstances was examined. Rats were assigned to one of the following groups: all freely moving rats, all rats restrained, rats restrained in the presence of freely moving rats and freely moving rats with a restrained rat. No significant difference in fear-memory and sucrose consumption between all groups was found. Change in body weight significantly increased in freely moving rats with a restrained rat, suggesting that those rats seems to share the stressful experience of the restrained rat. Interestingly, examination of the anxiety-like behavior revealed only rats restrained in the presence of freely moving rats to have a significant increase, suggesting that emotional distress intensifies in positions of social exclusion. These results demonstrate that unequally excluded social interaction circumstances could cause the amplification of distressed status and anxiety-related emotional alteration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genome Editing in Rats Using TALE Nucleases.

PubMed

Tesson, Laurent; Remy, Séverine; Ménoret, Séverine; Usal, Claire; Thinard, Reynald; Savignard, Chloé; De Cian, Anne; Giovannangeli, Carine; Concordet, Jean-Paul; Anegon, Ignacio

2016-01-01

The rat is an important animal model to understand gene function and model human diseases. Since recent years, the development of gene-specific nucleases has become important for generating new rat models of human diseases, to analyze the role of genes and to generate human antibodies. Transcription activator-like (TALE) nucleases efficiently create gene-specific knockout rats and lead to the possibility of gene targeting by homology-directed recombination (HDR) and generating knock-in rats. We describe a detailed protocol for generating knockout and knock-in rats via microinjection of TALE nucleases into fertilized eggs. This technology is an efficient, cost- and time-effective method for creating new rat models.

A comparative study of functional 5-HT4 receptors in human colon, rat oesophagus and rat ileum.

PubMed

McLean, P G; Coupar, I M; Molenaar, P

1995-05-01

1. The pharmacological properties of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), the 5-HT4 receptor agonists, DAU 6236 and SC 53116 and the 5-HT4 receptor antagonist, GR 1130808, were studied in the rat oesophagus, rat ileum and human colon. 2. 5-HT relaxed the longitudinal muscle of the rat oesophagus and rat ileum and the circular muscle of the human colon. Absolute values of relaxation were measured and showed the order of the maximum responses, rat oesophagus > human colon > rat ileum with EC50 values of 189 +/- 15 nM, 157 +/- 4 nM, 306 +/- 72 nM, respectively. 5-HT also inhibited the spontaneous contractions of the human colon with an EC50 value of 119 +/- 1 nM. The effect of 5-HT on the human colon was not affected by methysergide (10 microM) or ondansetron (1 microM). 3. The use of the uptake and metabolism inhibitors, cocaine (30 microM) and pargyline (100 microM), did not increase the potency of 5-HT in the rat oesophagus or human colon. In the rat oesophagus, cocaine (30 microM) produced a reduction in carbachol-induced tone of 22.2 +/- 0.6% and reduced the 5-HT maximum effect by 52.0 +/- 0.4%. 4. The compounds, DAU 6236 and SC 53116, showed a different pattern of potencies and efficacies in the rat oesophagus, rat ileum and human colon compared to 5-HT. DAU 6236 relaxed the human colonic circular muscle with an EC50 value of 129 +/- 16 nM but its efficacy was less than that of 5-HT. DAU 6236 (1 microM) also antagonized the 5-HT-induced relaxation of the human colon with a dose-ratio of 9.9. In the rat oesophagus and rat ileum, DAU 6236 was inactive in the majority of tissues. In the minority of oesophagus tissues that did respond the EC50 value was 1.2 +/- 0.7 microM. DAU 6236 also antagonized the effect of 5-HT in the rat oesophagus in a non-surmountable fashion. SC 53116 relaxed the rat oesophagus with an EC50 value of 91 +/- 4 nM, with an efficacy less than that observed to 5-HT; however, at 200 nM it did not antagonize the 5-HT-induced relaxation of the rat

Subretinal transplantation of rat MSCs and erythropoietin gene modified rat MSCs for protecting and rescuing degenerative retina in rats.

PubMed

Guan, Y; Cui, L; Qu, Z; Lu, L; Wang, F; Wu, Y; Zhang, J; Gao, F; Tian, H; Xu, L; Xu, G; Li, W; Jin, Y; Xu, G-T

2013-11-01

For degenerative retinal diseases, like the acquired form exemplified by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), there is currently no cure. This study was to explore a stem cell therapy and a stem cell based gene therapy for sodium iodate (SI)-induced retinal degeneration in rats. Three cell types, i.e., rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) alone, erythropoietin (EPO) gene modified rMSCs (EPO-rMSCs) or doxycycline (DOX) inducible EPO expression rMSCs (Tet-on EPO-rMSCs), were transplanted into the subretinal spaces of SI-treated rats. The rMSCs were prepared for transplantation after 3 to 5 passages or modified with EPO gene. During the 8 weeks after the transplantation, the rats treated with rMSCs alone or with two types of EPO-rMSCs were all monitored with fundus examination, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and electroretinogram. The transplantation efficiency of donor cells was examined for their survival, integration and differentiation. Following the transplantation, labeled donor cells were observed in subretinal space and adopted RPE morphology. EPO concentration in vitreous and retina of SI-treated rats which were transplanted with EPO-rMSCs or Tet-on EPO-rMSCs was markedly increased, in parallel with the improvement of retinal morphology and function. These findings suggest that rMSCs transplantation could be a new therapy for degenerative retinal diseases since it can protect and rescue RPE and retinal neurons, while EPO gene modification to rMSCs could be an even better option.

Safety of oral sulfates in rats and dogs contrasted with phosphate-induced nephropathy in rats.

PubMed

Pelham, Russell W; Russell, Robert G; Padgett, Eric L; Reno, Frederick E; Cleveland, Mark vB

2009-01-01

An oral sulfate salt solution (OSS), under development as a bowel cleansing agent for colonoscopy in humans, is studied in rats and dogs. In rats, amaximumpractical oral OSS dose (5 g/kg/d) is compared with an oral sodium phosphate (OSP) solution, both at about 7 times the clinical dose. OSS induces the intended effects of loose stools and diarrhea. In rats, higher urine sodium and potassium accompany higher clearance rates, considered adaptive to the osmotic load of OSS. OSS for 28 days is well tolerated in rats and dogs. In contrast, OSP causes increased mortality, reduced body weight and food consumption, severe kidney tubular degeneration, and calcium phosphate deposition in rats. These are accompanied by mineralization in the stomach and aorta, along with cardiac and hepatic degeneration and necrosis. The greater safety margin of OSS over OSP at similarmultiples of the clinical dose indicates its suitability for human use.

Isoproterenol effects evaluated in heart slices of human and rat in comparison to rat heart in vivo

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herrmann, Julia E.; Heale, Jason; Bieraugel, Mike

Human response to isoproterenol induced cardiac injury was evaluated by gene and protein pathway changes in human heart slices, and compared to rat heart slices and rat heart in vivo. Isoproterenol (10 and 100 μM) altered human and rat heart slice markers of oxidative stress (ATP and GSH) at 24 h. In this in vivo rat study (0.5 mg/kg), serum troponin concentrations increased with lesion severity, minimal to mild necrosis at 24 and 48 h. In the rat and the human heart, isoproterenol altered pathways for apoptosis/necrosis, stress/energy, inflammation, and remodeling/fibrosis. The rat and human heart slices were in anmore » apoptotic phase, while the in vivo rat heart exhibited necrosis histologically and further progression of tissue remodeling. In human heart slices genes for several heat shock 70 kD members were altered, indicative of stress to mitigate apoptosis. The stress response included alterations in energy utilization, fatty acid processing, and the up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, a marker of increased oxidative stress in both species. Inflammation markers linked with remodeling included IL-1α, Il-1β, IL-6 and TNFα in both species. Tissue remodeling changes in both species included increases in the TIMP proteins, inhibitors of matrix degradation, the gene/protein of IL-4 linked with cardiac fibrosis, and the gene Ccl7 a chemokine that induces collagen synthesis, and Reg3b a growth factor for cardiac repair. This study demonstrates that the initial human heart slice response to isoproterenol cardiac injury results in apoptosis, stress/energy status, inflammation and tissue remodeling at concentrations similar to that in rat heart slices. - Highlights: • Human response to isoproterenol induced cardiac injury evaluated in heart slices. • Isoproterenol altered apoptosis, energy, inflammation and remodeling pathways. • Human model verified by comparison to rat heart slices and rat heart in vivo. • Human and rat respond to

Metabolism of ochratoxin A by rats.

PubMed Central

Støren, O; Holm, H; Størmer, F C

1982-01-01

Albino rats were given ochratoxin A (6.6 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally or per os. Independent of route administration, 6% of a given dose was excreted as the toxin, 1 to 1.5% as (4R)-4-hydroxyochratoxin A, and 25 to 27% as ochratoxin alpha in the urine. The metabolite (4S)-4-hydroxyochratoxin A, which is formed by rat liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH, was not detected. Only traces of ochratoxins A and alpha were found in feces. Identical experiments were carried out with brown rats, since the Km value for the formation of the 4S epimer was considerably lower when brown rat microsomes were used. About the same ratios of metabolites and metabolite recoveries as those found for albino rats were found for brown rats. Brown rats were also given the two hydroxylated metabolites and ochratoxin alpha (0.66 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally. The three compounds were excreted in the urine; within 48 h, 90% recovery of ochratoxin alpha and 54 and 35%, respectively, of the 4R and 4S isomers were observed. PMID:7149712

Genetic profiling of two phenotypically distinct outbred rats derived from a colony of the Zucker fatty rats maintained at Tokyo Medical University

PubMed Central

Nakanishi, Satoshi; Kuramoto, Takashi; Kashiwazaki, Naomi; Yokoi, Norihide

2016-01-01

The Zucker fatty (ZF) rat is an outbred rat and a well-known model of obesity without diabetes, harboring a missense mutation (fatty, abbreviated as fa) in the leptin receptor gene (Lepr). Slc:Zucker (Slc:ZF) outbred rats exhibit obesity while Hos:ZFDM-Leprfa (Hos:ZFDM) outbred rats exhibit obesity and type 2 diabetes. Both outbred rats have been derived from an outbred ZF rat colony maintained at Tokyo Medical University. So far, genetic profiles of these outbred rats remain unknown. Here, we applied a simple genotyping method using Ampdirect reagents and FTA cards (Amp-FTA) in combination with simple sequence length polymorphisms (SSLP) markers to determine genetic profiles of Slc:ZF and Hos:ZFDM rats. Among 27 SSLP marker loci, 24 loci (89%) were fixed for specific allele at each locus in Slc:ZF rats and 26 loci (96%) were fixed in Hos:ZFDM rats, respectively. This indicates the low genetic heterogeneity in both colonies of outbred rats. Nine loci (33%) showed different alleles between the two outbred rats, suggesting considerably different genetic profiles between the two outbred rats in spite of the same origin. Additional analysis using 72 SSLP markers further supported these results and clarified the profiles in detail. This study revealed that genetic profiles of the Slc:ZF and Hos:ZFDM outbred rats are different for about 30% of the SSLP marker loci, which is the underlying basis for the phenotypic difference between the two outbred rats. PMID:27795491

Obesity-resistant S5B rats showed great cocaine conditioned place preference than the obesity-prone OM rats

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thanos, P.K.; Wang, G.; Thanos, P.K..

Dopamine (DA) and the DA D2 receptor (D2R) are involved in the rewarding and conditioned responses to food and drug rewards. Osborne-Mendel (OM) rats are genetically prone and S5B/P rats are genetically resistant to obesity when fed a high-fat diet. We hypothesized that the differential sensitivity of these two rat strains to natural rewards may also be reflected in sensitivity to drugs of abuse. Therefore, we tested whether OM and S5B/P rats showed a differential preference to cocaine using conditioned place preference (CPP). To also evaluate whether there is specific involvement of the D2R in this differential conditioning sensitivity, wemore » then tested whether the D2R agonist bromocriptine (BC) would differentially affect the effects of cocaine in the two strains. OM and S5B/P rats were conditioned with cocaine (5 or 10 mg/kg) in one chamber and saline in another for 8 days. Rats were then tested for cocaine preference. The effects of BC (0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg) on cocaine preference were then assessed in subsequent test sessions. OM rats did not show a significant preference for the cocaine-paired chamber on test day. Only the S5B/P rats showed cocaine CPP. Later treatment with only the highest dose of BC resulted in reduced cocaine CPP in S5B/P rats when treated with 5 mg/kg cocaine and in OM rats treated with 10 mg/kg cocaine. Our results indicated that obesity-resistant S5B rats showed greater cocaine CPP than the obesity-prone OM rats. These findings do not support a theory of common vulnerability for reinforcer preferences (food and cocaine). However, they show that BC reduced cocaine conditioning effects supporting at least a partial regulatory role of D2R in conditioned responses to drugs.« less

Cerveau isolé and pretrigeminal rats.

PubMed

Zernicki, B; Gandolfo, G; Glin, L; Gottesmann, C

1984-01-01

Cortical and hippocampal EEG activity was analysed in 14 cerveau isole and 8 pretrigerninal rats. In the acute stage, waking EEG patterns were absent in the cerveau isole, whereas sleep EEG patterns were absent in the pretrigeminal preparations. However, already on the second day the EEG waking-sleep cycle recovered in the majority of rats. Paradoxically, stimuli directed to the caudal part of preparations evoked stronger cortical and hippocampal EEG arousal than olfactory and visual stimuli. The behavior of the caudal part was observed in 25 preparations. Although in abortive form, the rats did show some locomotor and grooming behavior, and could be fed orally. The peripheral events of paradoxical sleep appeared only on the fourth or fifth day of survival of the cerveau isole rats. It is concluded that the activity of the isolated cerebrum of the rat is similar to that of cat preparations, but that functions of the caudal neuraxis are superior in rats.

Nutrition of orphan marsupials.

PubMed

Stephens, T

1975-10-01

Marsupial milk has been found to be high in fats, protein and ash compared to eutherian milk. The generally low lactose content of marsupial milk and the corresponding low intestinal lactase activity of pouch young marsupials, when considered with the incidence of diarrhoea and the occasional formation of cataracts in orphan kangaroos fed on cow's milk (which has a high lactose content), suggests that a lactose-free milk be fed to orphan marsupials. Of the lactose-free milk substitutes for children now available, it is recommended that Pregestimil, Glucose Nutramigen and particularly CFI be used for very young orphan marsupial herbivores (especially kangaroos), as these are both lactose- and sucrose-free. Isomil, Prosobee and Triglyde, containing sucrose, may be suitable for older kangaroos which are also ingesting solids and brush-tailed possums of all ages. The appropriate natural diet of the orphan marsupial should be available at the time when initial solid food ingestion would occur in the natural state. It is suggested that milk substitute continue to be given until the orphan animal reaches the age where, in the natural state, it would be full independent.

Neonatal pain and reduced maternal care: Early-life stressors interacting to impact brain and behavioral development.

PubMed

Mooney-Leber, Sean M; Brummelte, Susanne

2017-02-07

Advances in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have drastically increased the survival chances of preterm infants. However, preterm infants are still exposed to a wide range of stressors during their stay in the NICU, which include painful procedures and reduced maternal contact. The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, in response to these stressors during this critical period of brain development, has been associated with many acute and long-term adverse biobehavioral outcomes. Recent research has shown that Kangaroo care, a non-pharmacological analgesic based on increased skin-to-skin contact between the neonate and the mother, negates the adverse outcomes associated with neonatal pain and reduced maternal care, however the biological mechanism remains widely unknown. This review summarizes findings from both human and rodent literature investigating neonatal pain and reduced maternal care independently, primarily focusing on the role of the HPA axis and biobehavioral outcomes. The physiological and positive outcomes of Kangaroo care will also be discussed in terms of how dampening of the HPA axis response to neonatal pain and increased maternal care may account for positive outcomes associated with Kangaroo care. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences in postprandial inflammatory responses to a 'modern' v. traditional meat meal: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Arya, Fatemeh; Egger, Sam; Colquhoun, David; Sullivan, David; Pal, Sebely; Egger, Garry

2010-09-01

A low-grade inflammatory response ('metaflammation') has been found to be associated with certain chronic diseases. Proposed inducers of this have been aspects of the modern lifestyle, including newly introduced foods. Plasma TAG, and the inflammatory cytokines C-reactive protein (CRP), TNF-alpha and IL-6 were compared in a randomised, cross-over trial using ten healthy subjects before and after eating 100 g of kangaroo, or a 'new' form of hybridised beef (wagyu) separated by about 1 week. Postprandial levels for 1 and 2 h of TAG, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were significantly higher after eating wagyu compared with kangaroo (P = 0.002 for TAG at 1 h, P < 0.001 at 2 h; P < 0.001 for IL-6 and TNF-alpha at 1 and 2 h). CRP was significantly higher 1 h postprandially after wagyu (P = 0.011) and non-significantly higher 2 h postprandially (P = 0.090). We conclude that the metaflammatory reaction to ingestion of a 'new' form of hybridised beef (wagyu) is indicative of a low-grade, systemic, immune reaction when compared with lean game meat (kangaroo). Further studies using isoenergetic intake and isolating fatty acid components of meats are proposed.

Pressure hyperalgesia in hind limb suspended rats.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Parimal; Soulsby, Michael E; Jayroe, John; Akel, Nisreen S; Gaddy, Dana; Dobretsov, Maxim

2011-10-01

Spaceflight and simulated microgravity often associate with pain and prediabetes. Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced moderate insulinopenia rat models of prediabetes result in pressure hyperalgesia. The current study was designed to determine whether or not simulated microgravity induced by hind limb suspension (HLS) in rats lead to insulinopenia and pressure hyperalgesia. Adult male rats were divided into HLS (N = 20) and control, non-suspended (N = 16) groups, respectively. Bodyweight and hind limb pressure-pain withdrawal threshold (PPT) were measured at regular 2-5 d intervals for 7 d before and 12-13 d after HLS. Bodyweights and PPT of control and HLS animals measured on the day of suspension were not different. During the experiment, control rats gained 61 +/- 5 g, but maintained their PPT at the baseline level. Suspended rats gained 26 +/- 3 g of weight during the same time period and their PPT declined from 105 +/- 6 g to 84 +/- 6 g. Neither blood glucose nor pancreatic islet density and area were affected by HLS. However, the random plasma insulin of HLS rats was significantly lower than that of control animals (1.6 +/- 0.2 vs. 2.7 +/- 0.2 ng ml(-1)). The observed relationship between insulin and PPT levels in the HLS rats was similar to that observed in rats with STZ-induced insulinopenia. These data suggest that moderate insulinopenia may affect the rat's sensitivity to deep pressure directly, without affecting glucose homeostasis. In addition, our data suggest that HLS rats may develop peripheral neuropathy.

Differential effects of co-administration of oxotremorine with SCH 23390 on impulsive choice in high-impulsive rats and low-impulsive rats.

PubMed

Tian, Lin; Qin, Xingna; Sun, Jinling; Li, Xinwang; Wei, Li

2016-03-01

The effect of acetylcholine on impulsive choice is thought to be due to interactions between cholinergic and dopaminergic systems, but this hypothesis has not been proven. This study investigated whether D1-like receptors were involved in the effects of the muscarinic cholinergic agonist oxotremorine on impulsive choice in high-impulsive rats (HI rats, n=8) and low-impulsive rats (LI rats, n=8) characterized by basal levels of impulsive choice in a delay-discounting task. The results revealed that oxotremorine (0.05mg/kg) significantly increased the choice of the large reinforcer in HI rats, whereas decreased the choice of the large reinforcer in LI rats. The D1-like antagonist SCH 23390 produced significant reductions in the large-reinforcer choice in HI rats (0.01mg/kg) and LI rats (0.005, 0.0075, and 0.01mg/kg). SCH 23390 significantly inhibited the increase in the choice of the large reinforcer induced by oxotremorine (0.05mg/kg) in HI rats at doses of 0.005 and 0.0075mg/kg, but enhanced the effect of oxotremorine in LI rats only at the dose of 0.0075mg/kg. These findings suggested that D1-like receptors might be involved in the differential effects of oxotremorine on impulsive choice between HI rats and LI rats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The local effect of octreotide on mechanical pain sensitivity is more sensitive in DA rats than DA.1U rats.

PubMed

Yao, Fan-Rong; Wang, Hui-Sheng; Guo, Yuan; Zhao, Yan

2016-02-01

A recent study by the authors indicated that major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are associated with the differences in basal pain sensitivity and in formalin model between Dark-Agouti (DA) and novel congenic DA.1U rats, which have the same genetic background as DA rats except for the u alleles of MHC. The objective of the present study is to investigate whether there is a difference in the pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) model and local analgesic effect of octreotide (OCT) between DA and DA.1U rats. The hindpaw mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and heat withdrawal latency (HWL) were observed. The C unit firings of the tibial nerve evoked by non-noxious and noxious toe movements were recorded by electrophysiological methods in normal and PIA models in DA and DA.1U rats before and after local OCT administration. The expression of somatostatin receptor 2A (SSTR2A) was observed by immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrate that DA rats have a higher mechanical sensitivity than DA.1U rats after PIA. Local OCT administration significantly elevated MWT in DA rats under normal and PIA sate, but not in DA.1U rats. The electrophysiological experiments showed OCT significantly attenuated the firings of C units evoked by non-noxious and noxious stimulation in DA rats more than those in DA.1U rats both in normal and PIA states. In addition, the expression of SSTR2A in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord was significantly higher in DA than in DA.1U rats. All of the findings suggest a higher local analgesic effect of OCT in DA rats than DA.1U rats, which might be associated with the MHC genes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Rats socially-reared and full fed learned an autoshaping task, showing less levels of fear-like behaviour than fasted or singly-reared rats.

PubMed

Molina-Hernández, Miguel; Téllez-Alcántara, N Patricia

2004-07-01

During the learning of instrumental tasks, rats are usually fasted to increase reinforced learning. However, fasting produces several undesirable side effects. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that control rats, i.e. full-fed and group-reared rats, will learn an autoshaping task to the same level as fasted or singly-reared rats. The interaction between fasting and single-rearing of rats was also tested. Results showed that control rats and fasted rats acquired the autoshaping task similarly, independently of rearing condition or gender. However, fasted or singly-reared rats produced fear-like behaviour, since male rats group-reared and fasted (85% body/wt, P <0.05), male rats singly-reared (full fed, P <0.05; 12 h fasted, P <0.05; 85% body/wt, P <0.05), female rats group-reared (12 h fasted, P <0.05; 85% body/wt, P <0.05) and female rats singly reared (full fed, P <0.05; 12 h fasted, P <0.05; 85% body/wt, P <0.05) displayed reduced amounts of time exploring the open arms of the elevated plus-maze. In conclusion, control rats learned the autoshaping task to the same level as fasted or singly-reared rats. However, fasting or single-rearing produced fear-like behaviour. Thus, the training of control rats in autoshaping tasks may be an option that improves animal welfare.

Intelligence-Augmented Rat Cyborgs in Maze Solving.

PubMed

Yu, Yipeng; Pan, Gang; Gong, Yongyue; Xu, Kedi; Zheng, Nenggan; Hua, Weidong; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Wu, Zhaohui

2016-01-01

Cyborg intelligence is an emerging kind of intelligence paradigm. It aims to deeply integrate machine intelligence with biological intelligence by connecting machines and living beings via neural interfaces, enhancing strength by combining the biological cognition capability with the machine computational capability. Cyborg intelligence is considered to be a new way to augment living beings with machine intelligence. In this paper, we build rat cyborgs to demonstrate how they can expedite the maze escape task with integration of machine intelligence. We compare the performance of maze solving by computer, by individual rats, and by computer-aided rats (i.e. rat cyborgs). They were asked to find their way from a constant entrance to a constant exit in fourteen diverse mazes. Performance of maze solving was measured by steps, coverage rates, and time spent. The experimental results with six rats and their intelligence-augmented rat cyborgs show that rat cyborgs have the best performance in escaping from mazes. These results provide a proof-of-principle demonstration for cyborg intelligence. In addition, our novel cyborg intelligent system (rat cyborg) has great potential in various applications, such as search and rescue in complex terrains.

Intelligence-Augmented Rat Cyborgs in Maze Solving

PubMed Central

Yu, Yipeng; Pan, Gang; Gong, Yongyue; Xu, Kedi; Zheng, Nenggan; Hua, Weidong; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Wu, Zhaohui

2016-01-01

Cyborg intelligence is an emerging kind of intelligence paradigm. It aims to deeply integrate machine intelligence with biological intelligence by connecting machines and living beings via neural interfaces, enhancing strength by combining the biological cognition capability with the machine computational capability. Cyborg intelligence is considered to be a new way to augment living beings with machine intelligence. In this paper, we build rat cyborgs to demonstrate how they can expedite the maze escape task with integration of machine intelligence. We compare the performance of maze solving by computer, by individual rats, and by computer-aided rats (i.e. rat cyborgs). They were asked to find their way from a constant entrance to a constant exit in fourteen diverse mazes. Performance of maze solving was measured by steps, coverage rates, and time spent. The experimental results with six rats and their intelligence-augmented rat cyborgs show that rat cyborgs have the best performance in escaping from mazes. These results provide a proof-of-principle demonstration for cyborg intelligence. In addition, our novel cyborg intelligent system (rat cyborg) has great potential in various applications, such as search and rescue in complex terrains. PMID:26859299

Rats! Oh No, Not Rats!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strong, Gary E.

1987-01-01

Examples of problems encountered in a new library building--including rats and humidity--and a description of the library's collections provide a framework for this presentation of the California State Library's emergency management planning. Current preservation efforts are documented and the library's disaster and security plans are described.…

Development of acute hydrocephalus does not change brain tissue mechanical properties in adult rats, but in juvenile rats.

PubMed

Pong, Alice C; Jugé, Lauriane; Bilston, Lynne E; Cheng, Shaokoon

2017-01-01

Regional changes in brain stiffness were previously demonstrated in an experimental obstructive hydrocephalus juvenile rat model. The open cranial sutures in the juvenile rats have influenced brain compression and mechanical properties during hydrocephalus development and the extent by which closed cranial sutures in adult hydrocephalic rat models affect brain stiffness in-vivo remains unclear. The aims of this study were to determine changes in brain tissue mechanical properties and brain structure size during hydrocephalus development in adult rat with fixed cranial volume and how these changes were related to brain tissue deformation. Hydrocephalus was induced in 9 female ten weeks old Sprague-Dawley rats by injecting 60 μL of a kaolin suspension (25%) into the cisterna magna under anaesthesia. 6 sham-injected age-matched female SD rats were used as controls. MR imaging (9.4T, Bruker) was performed 1 day before and then at 3 days post injection. T2-weighted anatomical MR images were collected to quantify ventricle and brain tissue cross-sectional areas. MR elastography (800 Hz) was used to measure the brain stiffness (G*, shear modulus). Brain tissue in the adult hydrocephalic rats was more compressed than the juvenile hydrocephalic rats because the skulls of the adult hydrocephalic rats were unable to expand like the juvenile rats. In the adult hydrocephalic rats, the cortical gray matter thickness and the caudate-putamen cross-sectional area decreased (Spearman, P < 0.001 for both) but there were no significant changes in cranial cross-sectional area (Spearman, P = 0.35), cortical gray matter stiffness (Spearman, P = 0.24) and caudate-putamen (Spearman, P = 0.11) stiffness. No significant changes in the size of brain structures were observed in the controls. This study showed that although brain tissue in the adult hydrocephalic rats was severely compressed, their brain tissue stiffness did not change significantly. These results are in contrast with our

Toxicological Effects of Cypermethrin on Female Albino Rats

PubMed Central

Sangha, G. K.; Kaur, Kamalpreet; Khera, K. S.; Singh, Balwinder

2011-01-01

A study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of cypermethrin on reproduction of female albino rats. The experimental rats were fed cypermethrin at 50 mg/kg b. wt. continuously for a period of 2 and 4 weeks. Feed and water intake was also noted daily for control, vehicle treated and cypermethrin-treated rats. It was observed that there was no effect on feed and water intake in treated rats as compared to the control group. Chronic exposure to cypermethrin for 4 weeks resulted in loose fecal pellets and hyperirritability in the treated rats. Treatment related mortality also occurred at the 4th wk of treatment. Significant changes in body weight and various organ weights due to cypermethrin were observed along with disruption of estrous cycle in rats. The body weight gain in treated rats was lower at both 2 and 4 weeks as compared to the control rats. The weight of liver and spleen decreased, while that of kidneys increased as compared to the control rats. Thyroid and adrenal showed increase in weight at both 2 and 4 weeks of treatments. PMID:21430912

Impact of streptozotocin on altering normal glucose homeostasis during insulin testing in diabetic rats compared to normoglycemic rats

PubMed Central

Qinna, Nidal A; Badwan, Adnan A

2015-01-01

Streptozotocin (STZ) is currently the most used diabetogenic agent in testing insulin and new antidiabetic drugs in animals. Due to the toxic and disruptive nature of STZ on organs, apart from pancreas, involved in preserving the body’s normal glucose homeostasis, this study aims to reassess the action of STZ in inducing different glucose response states in diabetic rats while testing insulin. Diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats induced with STZ were classified according to their initial blood glucose levels into stages. The effect of randomizing rats in such a manner was investigated for the severity of interrupting normal liver, pancreas, and kidney functions. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of subcutaneously injected insulin in diabetic and nondiabetic rats were compared. Interruption of glucose homeostasis by STZ was challenged by single and repeated administrations of injected insulin and oral glucose to diabetic rats. In diabetic rats with high glucose (451–750 mg/dL), noticeable changes were seen in the liver and kidney functions compared to rats with lower basal glucose levels. Increased serum levels of recombinant human insulin were clearly indicated by a significant increase in the calculated maximum serum concentration and area under the concentration–time curve. Reversion of serum glucose levels to normal levels pre- and postinsulin and oral glucose administrations to STZ diabetic rats were found to be variable. In conclusion, diabetic animals were more responsive to insulin than nondiabetic animals. STZ was capable of inducing different levels of normal glucose homeostasis disruption in rats. Both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of insulin were altered when different initial blood glucose levels of STZ diabetic rats were selected for testing. Such findings emphasize the importance of selecting predefined and unified glucose levels when using STZ as a diabetogenic agent in experimental protocols evaluating new antidiabetic agents

Energy intake of rats fed a cafeteria diet.

PubMed

Prats, E; Monfar, M; Castellà, J; Iglesias, R; Alemany, M

1989-02-01

The proportion of lipid, carbohydrate and protein energy self-selected by male and female rats from a cafeteria diet has been studied for a 48-day period (36-day in female rats). The diet consisted in 12 different items and was offered daily, in excess and under otherwise standard conditions, to rats--caged in groups of three--from weaning to adulthood. Groups of control animals were studied in parallel and compared with the cafeteria groups. Cafeteria diet fed groups of rats ingested more energy and lowered their metabolic efficiency with age. Male rats ate more than females and increased their body weight even after female practically stopped growing. There was a wide variation in the aliments consumed each day by the cafeteria-fed rats. However, the proportion of lipid, protein and carbohydrate the rats ate remained constant. Male rats ingested more lipid than females. Carbohydrate consumption was constant in control and cafeteria fed groups of rats independently of sex. Protein consumption was higher in cafeteria rats than in controls, but the differences were not so important as with liquid. Fiber content of the cafeteria diet was lower than that of the control diet. The cafeteria diet selected by the rats was, thus, hypercaloric and hyperlipidic, with practically the same amount of carbohydrate than the control diet, slightly hyperproteic and, nevertheless, remarkably constant in its composition with respect to time. Cafeteria rats had a higher water intake than controls. All these trends were maintained despite the observed changes in the animals' tastes and their differential consumption of the ailments of the diet.

Glucocorticoids possess calcitonin-like antihypercalcemic properties in rats.

PubMed

Hirsch, P F; Imai, Y; Hosoya, Y; Ode, H; Maeda, S

1998-02-01

The interaction among parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and glucocorticoids on blood calcium (Ca) was examined. Prior studies had shown that adrenalectomy (ADX) reduced the fall in blood calcium in rats after parathyroidectomy (PTX). Convincing evidence was provided showing that the ADX effect in PTX rats was due to the loss of corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in rats; restoring physiological blood levels of corticosterone abolished the ADX effect in PTX rats. The initial attempt of the present study was to explain the failure of ADX or exogenous glucocorticoids to alter serum Ca levels in rats with intact thyroid and parathyroid glands or in thyroidectomized rats with functional parathyroid transplants (PTT). We found, as previously reported, that the 5-h level of serum Ca in rats with parathyroid glands was not affected by s.c. hydrocortisone (cortisol) or by ADX. It was also not affected by thyroparathyroidectomy (TPTX) or after both ADX and TPTX in rats with PTT. These results suggested to us that the glucocorticoid effect to lower serum was inhibited by endogenous parathyroid hormone (PTH) from the parathyroid gland and/or by normal levels of blood Ca. Both of these proposed mechanisms were examined and failed to explain the absence of the ADX effect as well as the glucocorticoid effect in normocalcemic parathyroid-intact rats, because an ADX effect was observed in TPTX rats given hypercalcemic doses of rat or bovine PTH 1-34 or calcitriol. Also, administered cortisol restricted the increased hypercalcemia induced by PTH in ADX-TPTX rats. Expanding on the results in TPTX rats with induced hypercalcemia, we found that neither the ADX effect nor the glucocorticoid effect occurred in thyroid-intact rats with or without functional PTT. These as well as previous results show that: 1. Glucocorticoids, like CT, restrict hypercalcemia in TPTX rats. 2. The ADX effect and its reversal by glucocorticoids in rats with induced hypercalcemia occur only in

Intracerebroventricular Injection of Rats. A Sensitive Assay Method for Endogenous Pyrogen Circulating in Rats (41015)

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

Rats:1A Sensitive Assay Method for Endogenous Pyrogen Circulating in Rats (41015)1-- / WALTER J.CRITZ ~fI~ U.S. Army Medical Resetirch Inshfute- riak...8217ohn iases. F’oPy Detrick, Frederick. Maryland 21701 OI! Abstract, Intracerebroventricular tics) injection of endogenous pyrogen (EPI into rats causes...the lower the con- in an alteration of the "set-point" for body centration at which the pyrogen can be temperature (2). Endogenous pyrogen is a

Transient dehydration of lungs in tail-suspended rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hargens, A. R.; Steskal, J.; Morey-Holton, E. R.

1985-01-01

The fluid balance in the lungs of rats exposed to head-down tilt is examined. Six Munich-Wister rats were suspended for 7 days and 10 Sprague-Dawley rats for 14 days using the technique of Morey (1979). The water contents of the lungs of the suspended and a control group are calculated and compared. The data reveal that the two-days suspended rats had dehydrated lungs; however, the lungs of the 14-day suspended and control group rats were similar. It is noted that the dehydration in the 2-day suspended rats is caused by general dehydration not the head-tilt position.

Hyperammonemia in anorectic tumor-bearing rats

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chance, W.T.; Cao, L.; Nelson, J.L.

1988-01-01

Plasma ammonia concentrations were significantly elevated by 150% in anorectic rats bearing methylcholanthrene sarcomas. Assessment of ammonia levels in blood draining these sarcomas indicated nearly a 20-fold increase as compared with venous blood in control rats, suggesting the tumor mass as the source of this increase in ammonia. Infusing increasing concentrations of ammonium salts produced anorexia and alterations in brain amino acids in normal rats that were similar to those observed in anorectic tumor-bearing rats. Therefore, these results suggest that ammonia released by tumor tissue may be an important factor in the etiology of cancer anorexia.

Electroencephalographic changes in albino rats subjected to stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercier, J.; Assouline, G.; Fondarai, J.

1980-01-01

Twenty one albino Wistar rats were subjected to stress for 7 hours. There was a significant difference in the slopes of regression lines for 7 nonulcerous rats and those for 14 ulcerous rats. Nonulcerous rats subjected to stress showed greater EEG curve synchronization than did ulcerous rats. If curve synchronization can be equated to a relaxed state, it may therefore be possible to explain the protective action of hypnotics, tranquilizers and analgesics on ulcers.

AGN-2979, an inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase activation, does not affect serotonin synthesis in Flinders Sensitive Line rats, a rat model of depression, but produces a significant effect in Flinders Resistant Line rats

PubMed Central

Kanemaru, Kazuya; Nishi, Kyoko; Diksic, Mirko

2009-01-01

The neurotransmitter, serotonin, is involved in several brain functions, including both normal, physiological functions, and pathophysiological functions. Alterations in any of the normal parameters of serotonergic neurotransmission can produce several different psychiatric disorders, including major depression. In many instances, brain neurochemical variables are not able to be studied properly in humans, thus making the use of good animal models extremely valuable. One of these animal models is the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) of rats, which has face, predictive and constructive validities in relation to human depression. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of the tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) activation inhibitor, AGN-2979, on the FSL rats (rats with depression-like behaviour), and compare it to the effect on the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) of rats used as the control rats. The effect was evaluated by measuring changes in regional serotonin synthesis in the vehicle treated rats (FSL-VEH and FRL-VEH) relative to those measured in the AGN-2979 treated rats (FSL-AGN and FRL-AGN). Regional serotonin synthesis was measured autoradiographically in more than thirty brain regions. The measurements were performed using α-[14C]methyl-L-tryptophan as the tracer. The results indicate that AGN-2979 did not produce a significant reduction of TPH activity in the AGN-2979 group relative to the vehicle group (a reduction would have been observed if there had been an activation of TPH by the experimental set up) in the FSL rats. On the other hand, there was a highly significant reduction of synthesis in the FRL rats treated by AGN-2979, relative to the vehicle group. Together, the results demonstrate that in the FSL rats, AGN-2979 does not affect serotonin synthesis. This suggests that there was no activation of TPH in the FSL rats during the experimental procedure, but such activation did occur in the FRL rats. Because of this finding, it could be

Neurotransmitter contents in the retina of RCS rat.

PubMed

Okada, M; Okuma, Y; Osumi, Y; Nishihara, M; Yokotani, K; Ueno, H

2000-12-01

Retinitis pigmentosa is a hereditary disease characterized by gradually developing degeneration of photoreceptors. The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat is an experimental model of retinitis pigmentosa. However, there is a paucity of information concerning neurotransmitter contents in the retina of RCS rats. Thus, we determined the retinal contents of neurotransmitters in RCS rats at 4 and 23 weeks postnatally and in age-matched congenic control rats. Dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) were electrochemically measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Neuroactive amino acids, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and taurine, were determined by means of an HPLC-precolumn derivatization method. Contents of DA, ACh, glutamate, aspartate and GABA in the retina of RCS rats 4 weeks postnatally were within normal ranges. At 23 weeks, the retinal contents of DA, glutamate and aspartate in the RCS rats were significantly lower than in the age-matched control rats, while the contents of ACh and GABA were unaffected even at this later stage. On the other hand, the retinal content of glycine in the RCS rats at 23 weeks was significantly higher than that in the age-matched control rats. It is interesting to note that the content of taurine in the RCS rats had already decreased at 4 weeks postnatally and the decrease was more marked at 23 weeks. The decrease in taurine content is probably the first sign of degeneration revealed by the retinal neurotransmitters of RCS rats.

The transcriptome of the medullary area postrema: the thirsty rat, the hungry rat and the hypertensive rat.

PubMed

Hindmarch, Charles C T; Fry, Mark; Smith, Pauline M; Yao, Song T; Hazell, Georgina G J; Lolait, Stephen J; Paton, Julian F R; Ferguson, Alastair V; Murphy, David

2011-05-01

The area postrema (AP) is a sensory circumventricular organ characterized by extensive fenestrated vasculature and neurons which are capable of detecting circulating signals of osmotic, cardiovascular, immune and metabolic status. The AP can communicate these messages via efferent projections to brainstem and hypothalamic structures that are able to orchestrate an appropriate response. We have used microarrays to profile the transcriptome of the AP in the Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Wistar-Kyoto rat and present here a comprehensive catalogue of gene expression, focusing specifically on the population of ion channels, receptors and G protein-coupled receptors expressed in this sensory tissue; of the G protein-coupled receptors expressed in the rat AP, we identified ∼36% that are orphans, having no established ligand. We have also looked at the ways in which the AP transcriptome responds to the physiological stressors of 72 h dehydration (DSD) and 48 h fasting (FSD) and have performed microarrays in these conditions. Comparison between the DSD and SD or between FSD and SD revealed only a modest number of AP genes that are regulated by these homeostatic challenges. The expression levels of a much larger number of genes are altered in the spontaneously hypertensive rat AP compared with the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto control rat, however. Finally, analysis of these 'hypertension-related' elements revealed genes that are involved in the regulation of both blood pressure and immune function and as such are excellent targets for further study.

[Subcutaneous transplants of juvenile rat testicular tissues continue to develop and secret androgen in adult rats].

PubMed

Yu, Zhou; Wang, Tong; Cui, Jiangbo; Song, Yajuan; Ma, Xianjie; Su, Yingjun; Peng, Pai

2017-12-01

Objective To explore the effects of subcutaneous microenvironment of adult rats on survival, development and androgen secretion of Leydig cells of transplanted juvenile rat testis. Methods Healthy adult SD rats were randomly divided into control group, sham group, castrated group and non-castrated group. Rats in the control group were kept intact, no testis was transplanted subcutaneously after adult recipients were castrated in the sham group; 5-7-day juvenile rat testes were transplanted subcutaneously in the castrated group, with one testis per side; Testes resected from juvenile rats were directly transplanted subcutaneously on both sides of the recipients in the non-castrated group. The grafts were obtained and weighed 4 weeks later. Then the histological features of the grafts were examined by HE staining; the expression and distribution of hydroxysteroid 17-beta dehydrogenase 1 (HSD-17β1) were investigated by immunohistochemistry; and the serum androgen level was determined by ELISA. Results The average mass of grafts obtained from the castrated group was significantly higher than that of the non-castrated group. Immunohistochemistry indicated that Leydig cells were visible in the tissues from both the castrated and non-castrated groups, but the number of HSD-17β1-posotive cells in the castrated group was larger than that in the non-castrated group. ELISA results showed that the serum androgen level was higher in the control group and non-castrated group than in the sham group and castrated group, and compared with the sham group, the serum androgen level in the castrated group was significantly higher. Conclusion The juvenile rat testis subcutaneously transplanted could further develop under the adult recipient rat skin, and the Leydig cells of grafts harbored the ability to produce and secret androgen.

Development of acute hydrocephalus does not change brain tissue mechanical properties in adult rats, but in juvenile rats

PubMed Central

Pong, Alice C.; Jugé, Lauriane; Bilston, Lynne E.; Cheng, Shaokoon

2017-01-01

Introduction Regional changes in brain stiffness were previously demonstrated in an experimental obstructive hydrocephalus juvenile rat model. The open cranial sutures in the juvenile rats have influenced brain compression and mechanical properties during hydrocephalus development and the extent by which closed cranial sutures in adult hydrocephalic rat models affect brain stiffness in-vivo remains unclear. The aims of this study were to determine changes in brain tissue mechanical properties and brain structure size during hydrocephalus development in adult rat with fixed cranial volume and how these changes were related to brain tissue deformation. Methods Hydrocephalus was induced in 9 female ten weeks old Sprague-Dawley rats by injecting 60 μL of a kaolin suspension (25%) into the cisterna magna under anaesthesia. 6 sham-injected age-matched female SD rats were used as controls. MR imaging (9.4T, Bruker) was performed 1 day before and then at 3 days post injection. T2-weighted anatomical MR images were collected to quantify ventricle and brain tissue cross-sectional areas. MR elastography (800 Hz) was used to measure the brain stiffness (G*, shear modulus). Results Brain tissue in the adult hydrocephalic rats was more compressed than the juvenile hydrocephalic rats because the skulls of the adult hydrocephalic rats were unable to expand like the juvenile rats. In the adult hydrocephalic rats, the cortical gray matter thickness and the caudate-putamen cross-sectional area decreased (Spearman, P < 0.001 for both) but there were no significant changes in cranial cross-sectional area (Spearman, P = 0.35), cortical gray matter stiffness (Spearman, P = 0.24) and caudate-putamen (Spearman, P = 0.11) stiffness. No significant changes in the size of brain structures were observed in the controls. Conclusions This study showed that although brain tissue in the adult hydrocephalic rats was severely compressed, their brain tissue stiffness did not change significantly

Methamphetamine enhances sexual behavior in female rats.

PubMed

Winland, Carissa; Haycox, Charles; Bolton, Jessica L; Jampana, Sumith; Oakley, Benjamin J; Ford, Brittany; Ornelas, Laura; Burbey, Alexandra; Marquette, Amber; Frohardt, Russell J; Guarraci, Fay A

2011-06-01

The present study evaluated the effects of methamphetamine (MA) on sexual behavior in female rats. In Experiment 1, ovariectomized, hormone-primed rats were injected with MA (1.0mg/kg, i.p.) or saline prior to a test for mate choice wherein females could mate with two males simultaneously. Female rats treated with saline returned to their preferred mate faster after receiving intromissions and visited their preferred mate at a higher rate than their non-preferred mate. In contrast, MA-treated female rats spent a similar amount of time with their preferred and non-preferred mate and failed to return to their preferred mate faster than to their non-preferred mate following intromissions. Two weeks later, the females received the same drug treatment but were tested for partner preference wherein females could spend time near a male or female stimulus rat. All subjects spent more time near the male stimulus than the female stimulus. However, the MA-treated rats visited the male stimulus more frequently and spent less time near the female stimulus than the saline-treated rats. Similar to Experiment 1, female rats in Experiment 2 were tested for mate choice and then two weeks later tested for partner preference; however, females received three daily injections of MA (1.0mg/kg, i.p.) or saline. Females treated chronically with MA returned to both males faster following intromissions than females treated with saline, independent of preference (i.e., preferred mate and non-preferred mate). Furthermore, MA-treated rats were more likely to leave either male (i.e., preferred or non-preferred mate) than saline-treated rats after receiving sexual stimulation. Although MA-treated subjects spent more time near the male stimulus than the female stimulus, they spent less time near either when compared to saline-treated subjects. The present results demonstrate that MA affects sexual behavior in female rats partly by increasing locomotion and partly by directly affecting sexual

Rat Bite Fever and Streptobacillus moniliformis

PubMed Central

Elliott, Sean P.

2007-01-01

Rat bite fever, caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis, is a systemic illness classically characterized by fever, rigors, and polyarthralgias. If left untreated, it carries a mortality rate of 10%. Unfortunately, its nonspecific initial presentation combined with difficulties in culturing its causative organism produces a significant risk of delay or failure in diagnosis. The increasing popularity of rats and other rodents as pets, together with the risk of invasive or fatal disease, demands increased attention to rat bite fever as a potential diagnosis. The clinical and biological features of rat bite fever and Streptobacillus moniliformis are reviewed, providing some distinguishing features to assist the clinician and microbiologist in diagnosis. PMID:17223620

Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of the Norway rat.

PubMed

Song, Ying; Lan, Zhenjiang; Kohn, Michael H

2014-01-01

Central Eastern Asia, foremost the area bordering northern China and Mongolia, has been thought to be the geographic region where Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) have originated. However recent fossil analyses pointed to their origin in southern China. Moreover, whereas analyses of fossils dated the species' origin as ∼ 1.2-1.6 million years ago (Mya), molecular analyses yielded ∼ 0.5-2.9 Mya. Here, to study the geographic origin of the Norway rat and its spread across the globe we analyzed new and all published mitochondrial DNA cytochrome-b (cyt-b; N = 156) and D-loop (N = 212) sequences representing wild rats from four continents and select inbred strains. Our results are consistent with an origin of the Norway rat in southern China ∼ 1.3 Mya, subsequent prehistoric differentiation and spread in China and Asia from an initially weakly structured ancestral population, followed by further spread and differentiation across the globe during historic times. The recent spreading occurred mostly from derived European populations rather than from archaic Asian populations. We trace laboratory strains to wild lineages from Europe and North America and these represent a subset of the diversity of the rat; leaving Asian lineages largely untapped as a resource for biomedical models. By studying rats from Europe we made the observation that mtDNA diversity cannot be interpreted without consideration of pest control and, possibly, the evolution of rodenticide resistance. However, demographic models explored by forward-time simulations cannot fully explain the low mtDNA diversity of European rats and lack of haplotype sharing with their source from Asia. Comprehensive nuclear marker analyses of a larger sample of Norway rats representing the world are needed to better resolve the evolutionary history of wild rats and of laboratory rats, as well as to better understand the evolution of anticoagulant resistance.

Hormonal changes in antiorthostatic rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Popovic, V.; Popovic, P.; Honeycutt, C.

1982-01-01

Hypokinesia, especially hypokinesia with negative tilt ('antiorthostatic hypokinesia'), mimics some of the effects of weightlessness. It is shown that cardiac output is increased during early exposure of rats to antiorthostatic hypokinesia. The increase of the stroke volume and of the cardiac output observed in the antiorthostatic hypokinetic rats is probably the consequence of a blood volume shift toward the chest brought forth by head-down positioning of the animals. It is also possible that struggling of the animals to escape from the harness and an increased metabolism contribute to the elevation of cardiac output. In order to study this hypothesis 'stress hormones' were measured in the antiorthostatic rats. Plasma levels of ACTH, corticosterone and prolactin were measured in the arterial blood (0.3 ml) sampled before, during and after hypokinesia from chronic aortic cannulas of the rats.

System Performance Simulations of the RatCAP Awake Rat Brain Scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shokouhi, S.; Vaska, P.; Schlyer, D. J.; Stoll, S. P.; Villanueva, A.; Kriplani, A.; Woody, C. L.

2005-10-01

The capability to create high quality images from data acquired by the Rat Conscious Animal PET tomograph (RatCAP) has been evaluated using modified versions of the PET Monte Carlo code Simulation System for Emission Tomography (SimSET). The proposed tomograph consists of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystals arranged in 12 4 /spl times/ 8 blocks. The effects of the RatCAPs small ring diameter (/spl sim/40 mm) and its block detector geometry on image quality for small animal studies have been investigated. Since the field of view will be almost as large as the ring diameter, radial elongation artifacts due to parallax error are expected to degrade the spatial resolution and thus the image quality at the edge of the field of view. In addition to Monte Carlo simulations, some preliminary results of experimentally acquired images in both two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D modes are presented.

Stress-related arterial hypertension in Gper-deficient rats.

PubMed

Luo, Ping; Wu, Mei-Mei; Gao, Po; Gao, Ting; Dong, Li; Ding, Xiao-Wei; Meng, You-Qiang; Qian, Jia-Hong; Zhang, Guo-Hua; Rong, Wei-Fang

2017-10-25

Numerous studies have demonstrated that estrogens may exert multifaceted effects on the cardiovascular system via activating the classical nuclear receptors ERα or ERβ and the novel G protein coupled estrogen receptor (Gper). However, some studies have reported inconsistent cardiovascular phenotypes in Gper-deficient mice. The current study was aimed to reveal the effects of genetic deletion of Gper on the arterial blood pressure (ABP) and heart rate in rats. Gper-deficient Sprague-Dawley rats were generated by utilizing the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique. ABP of 10-week old male (n = 6) and 12-week old female (n = 6) Gper-deficient rats and age-matched wild type (WT) rats (6 females and 6 males) were measured under awake and restrained conditions through the non-invasive tail-cuff method daily for 8 (females) or 9 days (males). In the male WT rats, ABP and heart rate were slightly higher in day 1 to 4 than those in day 5 to 9, indicative of stress-related sympathoexcitation in the first few days and gradual adaptation to the restrained stress in later days. Gper-deficient rats had significantly higher ABP initially (male: day 1 to day 5; female: day 1 to day 3) and similar ABP in later days of measurement compared with the WT rats. The heart rate of male Gper-deficient rats was consistently higher than that of the male WT rats from day 1 to day 8. Both male and female Gper-deficient rats appeared to show slower body weight gain than the WT counterparts during the study period. Under anesthesia, ABP of Gper-deficient rats was not significantly different from their WT counterparts. These results indicate that Gper-deficient rats may be more sensitive to stress-induced sympathoexcitation and highlight the importance of Gper in the regulation of the cardiovascular function in stressful conditions.

Encoding of sound envelope transients in the auditory cortex of juvenile rats and adult rats.

PubMed

Lu, Qi; Jiang, Cuiping; Zhang, Jiping

2016-02-01

Accurate neural processing of time-varying sound amplitude and spectral information is vital for species-specific communication. During postnatal development, cortical processing of sound frequency undergoes progressive refinement; however, it is not clear whether cortical processing of sound envelope transients also undergoes age-related changes. We determined the dependence of neural response strength and first-spike latency on sound rise-fall time across sound levels in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of juvenile (P20-P30) rats and adult (8-10 weeks) rats. A1 neurons were categorized as "all-pass", "short-pass", or "mixed" ("all-pass" at high sound levels to "short-pass" at lower sound levels) based on the normalized response strength vs. rise-fall time functions across sound levels. The proportions of A1 neurons within each of the three categories in juvenile rats were similar to that in adult rats. In general, with increasing rise-fall time, the average response strength decreased and the average first-spike latency increased in A1 neurons of both groups. At a given sound level and rise-fall time, the average normalized neural response strength did not differ significantly between the two age groups. However, the A1 neurons in juvenile rats showed greater absolute response strength, longer first-spike latency compared to those in adult rats. In addition, at a constant sound level, the average first-spike latency of juvenile A1 neurons was more sensitive to changes in rise-fall time. Our results demonstrate the dependence of the responses of rat A1 neurons on sound rise-fall time, and suggest that the response latency exhibit some age-related changes in cortical representation of sound envelope rise time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diseases Transmitted by Man's Worst Friend: the Rat.

PubMed

Fox, James G

2015-12-01

Historically, the rat has been considered a scourge to mankind, for example, rats infected with the plague bacillus that caused the Black Death, which accounted for millions of deaths in Europe during the Middle Ages. At least three pandemics (in the 5th and 6th, 8th through 14th, and 19th through 21st centuries) of plague ravaged civilizations, and the disease undoubtedly plagued humankind prior to recorded history. Also, numerous other diseases are spread to humans by rats; thus, a quote from Hans Zinsser's text Rats, Lice, and History, "Man and rat will always be pitted against each other as implacable enemies," conveys the general revulsion that society holds for the wild rat.

Decrease of hyperglycemia by syringaldehyde in diabetic rats.

PubMed

Kuo, S C; Chung, H H; Huang, C H; Cheng, J T

2014-01-01

Syringaldehyde is one of the active principles from the stems of Hibiscus taiwanensis (Malvaceae) that has been mentioned to lower hyperglycemia. However, the potential mechanisms for this action of syringaldehyde remain obscure. In the present study, we used streptozotocin to induce diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats) as type 1-like diabetic rats and fed fructose-rich chow to rats as type 2-like diabetic rats. Then, we performed the postprandial glucose test and applied the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp to investigate the actions of syringaldehyde. Also, the changes of gene expressions of enzyme relating to glucose homeostasis in muscle and liver were characterized. Syringaldehyde significantly decreased the postprandial plasma glucose in rats, while the plasma insulin was not modified by syringaldehyde. The glucose infusion rate (GIR) in fructose chow-fed rats using hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp was markedly improved by syringaldehyde. Additionally, repeated administration of syringaldehyde for 3 days in STZ-diabetic rats resulted in a marked reduction of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) expression in liver and an increased expression of glucose transporter subtype 4 (GLUT 4) in skeletal muscle. Our results suggest that syringaldehyde may increase glucose utilization to lower hyperglycemia in diabetic rats. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Curcumin Alleviates Diabetic Retinopathy in Experimental Diabetic Rats.

PubMed

Yang, Fang; Yu, Jinqiang; Ke, Feng; Lan, Mei; Li, Dekun; Tan, Ke; Ling, Jiaojiao; Wang, Ying; Wu, Kaili; Li, Dai

2018-03-29

To investigate the potential protective effects of curcumin on the retina in diabetic rats. An experimental diabetic rat model was induced by a low dose of streptozotocin combined with a high-energy diet. Rats which had blood glucose levels ≥11.6 mmol/L were used as diabetic rats. The diabetic rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: diabetic rats with no treatment (DM), diabetic rats treated with 100 mg/kg curcumin (DM + Cur 100 mg/kg), and diabetic rats treated with 200 mg/kg curcumin (DM + Cur 200 mg/kg). Curcumin was orally administered daily for 16 weeks. After 16 weeks of administration, the rats were euthanized, and eyes were dissected. Retinal histology was examined, and the thickness of the retina was measured. Ultrastructural changes of retinal ganglion cells, inner layer cells, retinal capillary, and membranous disks were observed by electron microscopy. Malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant capacity were measured by ELISA. Expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in retina tissues were examined by immunohistochemical staining and ELISA. Expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 in retina tissues were determined by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting. Curcumin reduced the blood glucose levels of diabetic rats and decreased diabetes-induced body weight loss. Curcumin prevented attenuation of the retina in diabetic rats and ameliorated diabetes-induced ultrastructure changes of the retina, including thinning of the retina, apoptosis of the retinal ganglion cells and inner nuclear layer cells, thickening of retinal capillary basement membrane and disturbance of photoreceptor cell membranous disks. We also found that curcumin has a strong antioxidative ability in the retina of diabetic rats. It was observed that curcumin attenuated the expression of VEGF in the retina of diabetic rats. We also discovered that curcumin had an antiapoptotic effect by upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulating

City rats: insight from rat spatial behavior into human cognition in urban environments.

PubMed

Yaski, Osnat; Portugali, Juval; Eilam, David

2011-09-01

The structure and shape of the urban environment influence our ability to find our way about in the city. Understanding how the physical properties of the environment affect spatial behavior and cognition is therefore a necessity. However, there are inherent difficulties in empirically studying complex and large-scale urban environments. These include the need to isolate the impact of specific urban features and to acquire data on the physical activity of individuals. In the present study, we attempted to overcome the above obstacles and examine the relation between urban environments and spatial cognition by testing the spatial behavior of rats. This idea originated from the resemblance in the operative brain functions and in the mechanisms and strategies employed by humans and other animals when acquiring spatial information and establishing an internal representation, as revealed in past studies. Accordingly, we tested rats in arenas that simulated a grid urban layout (e.g. Manhattan streets) and an irregular urban layout (e.g. Jerusalem streets). We found that in the grid layout, rat movement was more structured and extended over a greater area compared with their restricted movement in the irregular layout. These movement patterns recall those of humans in respective urban environments, illustrating that the structure and shape of the environment affect spatial behavior similarly in humans and rats. Overall, testing rats in environments that simulate facets of urban environments can provide new insights into human spatial cognition in urban environments.

Readiness of hospitals to provide Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and documentation of KMC service delivery: Analysis of Malawi 2014 Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) survey data.

PubMed

Chavula, Kondwani; Likomwa, Dyson; Valsangkar, Bina; Luhanga, Richard; Chimtembo, Lydia; Dube, Queen; Gobezie, Wasihun Andualem; Guenther, Tanya

2017-12-01

Malawi introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in 1999 as part of its efforts to address newborn morbidity and mortality and has continued to expand KMC services across the country. Yet, data on availability of KMC services and routine service provision are limited. Data from the 2014 Emergency Obstetric Newborn Care (EmONC) survey, which was a census of all 87 hospitals in Malawi, were analyzed. The WHO service availability and readiness domains were used to generate indicators for KMC service readiness and an additional domain for documentation of KMC services was included. Levels of KMC service delivery were quantified using data extracted from a 12-month register review and a KMC initiation rate was calculated for each facility by dividing the reported number of babies initiated on KMC by the number of live births at facility. We defined three levels of KMC readiness and two levels of KMC operational status. 79% of hospitals (69/87) reported providing inpatient KMC services. More than half of the hospitals (62%; 54/87) met the most basic definition of readiness (staff, space for KMC and functional weighing scale) and 35% (30/87) met an expanded definition of readiness (guidelines, staff, space, scale and register in use). Only 15 % (13/87) of hospitals had all KMC tracer items. Less than half of the hospitals (43%; 37/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at minimum levels (≥1/100 live births), and just 16% (14/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at routine levels (≥5/100 live births). Our study found large differences between reported levels of KMC services and documented levels of KMC readiness and service provision among hospitals in Malawi. It is recommended that facility assessments of services such as KMC include record reviews to better estimate service availability and delivery. Further efforts to strengthen the capacity of Malawian hospitals to deliver KMC are needed.

Readiness of hospitals to provide Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and documentation of KMC service delivery: Analysis of Malawi 2014 Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) survey data

PubMed Central

Chavula, Kondwani; Likomwa, Dyson; Valsangkar, Bina; Luhanga, Richard; Chimtembo, Lydia; Dube, Queen; Gobezie, Wasihun Andualem; Guenther, Tanya

2017-01-01

Background Malawi introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in 1999 as part of its efforts to address newborn morbidity and mortality and has continued to expand KMC services across the country. Yet, data on availability of KMC services and routine service provision are limited. Methods Data from the 2014 Emergency Obstetric Newborn Care (EmONC) survey, which was a census of all 87 hospitals in Malawi, were analyzed. The WHO service availability and readiness domains were used to generate indicators for KMC service readiness and an additional domain for documentation of KMC services was included. Levels of KMC service delivery were quantified using data extracted from a 12–month register review and a KMC initiation rate was calculated for each facility by dividing the reported number of babies initiated on KMC by the number of live births at facility. We defined three levels of KMC readiness and two levels of KMC operational status. Results 79% of hospitals (69/87) reported providing inpatient KMC services. More than half of the hospitals (62%; 54/87) met the most basic definition of readiness (staff, space for KMC and functional weighing scale) and 35% (30/87) met an expanded definition of readiness (guidelines, staff, space, scale and register in use). Only 15% (13/87) of hospitals had all KMC tracer items. Less than half of the hospitals (43%; 37/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at minimum levels (≥1/100 live births), and just 16% (14/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at routine levels (≥5/100 live births). Conclusions Our study found large differences between reported levels of KMC services and documented levels of KMC readiness and service provision among hospitals in Malawi. It is recommended that facility assessments of services such as KMC include record reviews to better estimate service availability and delivery. Further efforts to strengthen the capacity of Malawian hospitals to deliver KMC are needed. PMID:29085623

Functional atlas of the awake rat brain: A neuroimaging study of rat brain specialization and integration.

PubMed

Ma, Zhiwei; Perez, Pablo; Ma, Zilu; Liu, Yikang; Hamilton, Christina; Liang, Zhifeng; Zhang, Nanyin

2018-04-15

Connectivity-based parcellation approaches present an innovative method to segregate the brain into functionally specialized regions. These approaches have significantly advanced our understanding of the human brain organization. However, parallel progress in animal research is sparse. Using resting-state fMRI data and a novel, data-driven parcellation method, we have obtained robust functional parcellations of the rat brain. These functional parcellations reveal the regional specialization of the rat brain, which exhibited high within-parcel homogeneity and high reproducibility across animals. Graph analysis of the whole-brain network constructed based on these functional parcels indicates that the rat brain has a topological organization similar to humans, characterized by both segregation and integration. Our study also provides compelling evidence that the cingulate cortex is a functional hub region conserved from rodents to humans. Together, this study has characterized the rat brain specialization and integration, and has significantly advanced our understanding of the rat brain organization. In addition, it is valuable for studies of comparative functional neuroanatomy in mammalian brains. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cerveau isolé and pretrigeminal rat preparations.

PubMed

Zernicki, B; Gandolfo, G; Glin, L; Gottesmann, C

1985-01-01

Cortical and hippocampal EEG activity was analysed in cerveau isolé and and pretrigeminal rats. In the acute stage, waking EEG patterns were absent in the cerveau isolé, whereas sleep EGG patterns were absent in the preparations. However, already on the second day the EEG waking sleep cycle recovered in the majority of rats. Paradoxically, stimuli directed to the caudal part of the preparations evoked stronger cortical and hippocampal EEG arousal than olfactory and visual stimuli. The rats exhibited some locomotor and grooming behaviour and could be fed orally. It is concluded that the activity of the isolated cerebrum of the rat is similar to that of cat preparations, but that functions of the caudal neuraxis are superior in rats.

Effects of MK-801 upon local cerebral glucose utilization in conscious rats and in rats anaesthetised with halothane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurumaji, A.; McCulloch, J.

1989-12-01

The effects of MK-801 (0.5 mg/kg i.v.), a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, upon local cerebral glucose utilization were examined in conscious, lightly restrained rats and in rats anaesthetised with halothane in nitrous oxide by means of the quantitative autoradiographic (14C)-2-deoxyglucose technique. In the conscious rats, MK-801 produced a heterogenous pattern of altered cerebral glucose utilization with significant increases being observed in 12 of the 28 regions of gray matter examined and significant decreases in 6 of the 28 regions. Pronounced increases in glucose use were observed after MK-801 in the olfactory areas and in a number of brain areas inmore » the limbic system (e.g., hippocampus molecular layer, dentate gyrus, subicular complex, posterior cingulate cortex, and mammillary body). In the cerebral cortices, large reductions in glucose use were observed after administration of MK-801, whereas in the extrapyramidal and sensory-motor areas, glucose use remained unchanged after MK-801 administration in conscious rats. In the halothane-anaesthetised rats, the pattern of altered glucose use after MK-801 differed qualitatively and quantitatively from that observed in conscious rats. In anaesthetised rats, significant reductions in glucose use were noted after MK-801 in 10 of the 28 regions examined, with no area displaying significantly increased glucose use after administration of the drug. In halothane-anaesthetised rats, MK-801 failed to change the rates of glucose use in the olfactory areas, the hippocampus molecular layer, and the dentate gyrus.« less

Malignant transformation of thymoma in recipient rats by heterotopic thymus transplantation from HTLV-I transgenic rats.

PubMed

Tsuji, Takahiro; Ikeda, Hitoshi; Tsuchikawa, Takahiro; Kikuchi, Kazunori; Baba, Tomohisa; Ishizu, Akihiro; Yoshiki, Takashi

2005-07-01

Transgenic rats expressing the pX gene of human T lymphocyte virus type-I (HTLV-I) under control of the rat lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase type-I promoter (lck-pX rats) developed benign epithelial thymomas. When the thymuses of newborn lck-pX rats were transplanted into the subcapsular space of the kidney in other thymectomized lck-pX rats, similar tumors developed in the transplanted thymuses. Following the tumor growth, dissemination in the abdominal cavity and distant metastasis occurred. The tumors were histopathologically similar to the original thymomas, but prominent nuclear atypia and high mitotic activity were present. The Ki-67 index was twice as high as that in the originals. The tumors were transplantable into the subcutis of lck-pX rats, although transplantation of the originals never succeeded. All evidence indicated that malignant transformation of thymoma was induced by the heterotopic transplantation. Expression of the pX transgene in the transformed tumors were significantly reduced. Among host genes, the expression of p16ink4a/ARF, which was significantly upregulated in the originals, was never detected in the transformed tumors. Genomic Southern blots and PCR suggest that homozygous deletion of the p16ink4a/ARF gene may play important roles in malignant transformation in this model. Our model described here is a useful unique model for in vivo malignant transformation.

Architecture of interstitial nodal spaces in the rodent renal inner medulla

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Rebecca L.

2013-01-01

Every collecting duct (CD) of the rat inner medulla is uniformly surrounded by about four abutting ascending vasa recta (AVR) running parallel to it. One or two ascending thin limbs (ATLs) lie between and parallel to each abutting AVR pair, opposite the CD. These structures form boundaries of axially running interstitial compartments. Viewed in transverse sections, these compartments appear as four interstitial nodal spaces (INSs) positioned symmetrically around each CD. The axially running compartments are segmented by interstitial cells spaced at regular intervals. The pairing of ATLs and CDs bounded by an abundant supply of AVR carrying reabsorbed water, NaCl, and urea make a strong argument that the mixing of NaCl and urea within the INSs and countercurrent flows play a critical role in generating the inner medullary osmotic gradient. The results of this study fully support that hypothesis. We quantified interactions of all structures comprising INSs along the corticopapillary axis for two rodent species, the Munich-Wistar rat and the kangaroo rat. The results showed remarkable similarities in the configurations of INSs, suggesting that the structural arrangement of INSs is a highly conserved architecture that plays a fundamental role in renal function. The number density of INSs along the corticopapillary axis directly correlated with a loop population that declines exponentially with distance below the outer medullary-inner medullary boundary. The axial configurations were consistent with discrete association between near-bend loop segments and INSs and with upper loop segments lying distant from INSs. PMID:23825077

Core temperature of tailless rats exposed to centrifugation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monson, C. B.; Oyama, J.

1984-01-01

The role of the tail in the altered thermoregulation of rats during acute exposure to hypergravity was investigated, using groups of rats of two ages: 55 days (young) and 138 days (old). Rectal and foot temperature changes were measured in intact and tailless rats subjected to 1 h centrifugation of 2.8 G, with preceding (1 h) and following (1-3 h) 1 G periods. At 22 C, the loss of body heat from the tail per se does not measurably contribute to the hypothermia induced by hypergravity. However, the heat loss from the feet was greater in the tailless rats than in the intact rats from the young group of animals, although there was no significant difference between the tailless and intact rats in the old animal group. It is concluded that the inhibition of heat production is a significant factor in the hypothermia of centrifuged tailless rats, as it has been previously shown to be in the intact animals.

A digital rat atlas of sectional anatomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Li; Liu, Qian; Bai, Xueling; Liao, Yinping; Luo, Qingming; Gong, Hui

2006-09-01

This paper describes a digital rat alias of sectional anatomy made by milling. Two healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat weighing 160-180 g were used for the generation of this atlas. The rats were depilated completely, then euthanized by Co II. One was via vascular perfusion, the other was directly frozen at -85 °C over 24 hour. After that, the frozen specimens were transferred into iron molds for embedding. A 3% gelatin solution colored blue was used to fill the molds and then frozen at -85 °C for one or two days. The frozen specimen-blocks were subsequently sectioned on the cryosection-milling machine in a plane oriented approximately transverse to the long axis of the body. The surface of specimen-blocks were imaged by a scanner and digitalized into 4,600 x2,580 x 24 bit array through a computer. Finally 9,475 sectional images (arterial vessel were not perfused) and 1,646 sectional images (arterial vessel were perfused) were captured, which made the volume of the digital atlas up to 369.35 Gbyte. This digital rat atlas is aimed at the whole rat and the rat arterial vessels are also presented. We have reconstructed this atlas. The information from the two-dimensional (2-D) images of serial sections and three-dimensional (3-D) surface model all shows that the digital rat atlas we constructed is high quality. This work lays the foundation for a deeper study of digital rat.

Metabolic responses to head-down suspension in hypophysectomized rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodman, C. R.; Tipton, C. M.; Evans, J.; Linderman, J. K.; Gosselink, K.; Grindeland, R. E.

1993-01-01

Rats exposed to head-down suspension (HDS) exhibit reductions in maximal O2 consumption (VO2max) and atrophy of select hindlimb muscles. This study tested the hypothesis that an endocrine-deficient rat exposed to HDS would not exhibit reductions in VO2max or hindlimb muscle mass. Hypophysectomized (HYPX) and sham-operated (SHAM) rats were tested for VO2max before and after 28 days of HDS or cage control (CC) conditions. No significant reductions in VO2max were observed in HYPX rats. In contrast, SHAM-HDS rats exhibited a significant reduction in absolute (-16%) and relative (-29%) measures of aerobic capacity. Time course experiments revealed a reduction in VO2max in SHAM-HDS rats within 7 days, suggesting that cardiovascular adjustments to HDS occurred in the 1st wk. HDS was associated with atrophy of the soleus (-42%) in SHAM rats, whereas HYPX rats exhibited atrophy of the soleus (-36%) and plantaris (-13%). SHAM-HDS rats had significantly lower (-38%) soleus citrate synthase activities per gram muscle mass than SHAM-CC, but no significant differences existed between HYPX-HDS and -CC rats. HDS rats had an impaired ability to thermoregulate, as indicated by significantly greater temperature increases per unit run time, compared with their CC counterparts. Pretreatment plasma epinephrine levels were significantly lower in HYPX than in SHAM rats. Norepinephrine concentration was similar for all groups except HYPX-HDS, in which it was significantly higher. HDS had no significant effect on thyroxine or triiodothyronine. SHAM-HDS rats had significantly lower concentrations of testosterone and growth hormone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Source memory in the rat.

PubMed

Crystal, Jonathon D; Alford, Wesley T; Zhou, Wenyi; Hohmann, Andrea G

2013-03-04

Source memory is a representation of the origin (source) of information. When source information is bound together, it makes a memory episodic, allowing us to differentiate one event from another. Here, we asked whether rats remember the source of encoded information. Rats foraged for distinctive flavors of food that replenished (or failed to replenish) at its recently encountered location according to a source-information rule. To predict replenishment, rats needed to remember where they had encountered a preferred food type (chocolate) with self-generated (walking along a runway encountering chocolate) or experimenter-generated (placement of the rat at the chocolate site by an experimenter) cues. Three lines of evidence implicate the presence of source memory. First, rats selectively adjusted revisits to the chocolate location based on source information, under conditions in which familiarity of events could not produce successful performance. Second, source memory was dissociated from location memory by different decay rates. Third, temporary inactivation of the CA3 region of the hippocampus with lidocaine selectively eliminated source memory, suggesting that source memory is dependent upon an intact hippocampus. Development of an animal model of source memory may be valuable to probe the biological underpinnings of memory disorders marked by impairments in source memory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source memory in the rat

PubMed Central

Crystal, Jonathon D.; Alford, Wesley T.; Zhou, Wenyi; Hohmann, Andrea G.

2013-01-01

Summary Source memory is a representation of the origin (source) of information. When source information is bound together, it makes a memory episodic, allowing us to differentiate one event from another [1, 2]. Here we asked if rats remember the source of encoded information. Rats foraged for distinctive flavors of food that replenished (or failed to replenish) at its recently encountered location according to a source-information rule. To predict replenishment, rats needed to remember where they had encountered a preferred food type (chocolate) with self-generated (walking along a runway encountering chocolate) or experimenter-generated (placement of the rat at the chocolate site by an experimenter) cues. Three lines of evidence implicate the presence of source memory. First, rats selectively adjusted revisits to the chocolate location based on source information, under conditions in which familiarity of events could not produce successful performance. Second, source memory was dissociated from location memory by different decay rates. Third, temporary inactivation of the CA3 region of the hippocampus with lidocaine selectively eliminated source memory, suggesting that source memory is dependent upon an intact hippocampus. Development of an animal model of source memory may be valuable to probe the biological underpinnings of memory disorders marked by impairments in source memory. PMID:23394830

Anxiolytic Treatment Impairs Helping Behavior in Rats

PubMed Central

Ben-Ami Bartal, Inbal; Shan, Haozhe; Molasky, Nora M. R.; Murray, Teresa M.; Williams, Jasper Z.; Decety, Jean; Mason, Peggy

2016-01-01

Despite decades of research with humans, the biological mechanisms that motivate an individual to help others remain poorly understood. In order to investigate the roots of pro-sociality in mammals, we established the helping behavior test, a paradigm in which rats are faced with a conspecific trapped in a restrainer that can only be opened from the outside. Over the course of repeated test sessions, rats exposed to a trapped cagemate learn to open the door to the restrainer, thereby helping the trapped rat to escape (Ben-Ami Bartal et al., 2011). The discovery of this natural behavior provides a unique opportunity to probe the motivation of rodent helping behavior, leading to a deeper understanding of biological influences on human pro-sociality. To determine if an affective response motivates door-opening, rats receiving midazolam, a benzodiazepine anxiolytic, were tested in the helping behavior test. Midazolam-treated rats showed less helping behavior than saline-treated rats or rats receiving no injection. Yet, midazolam-treated rats opened a restrainer containing chocolate, highlighting the socially specific effects of the anxiolytic. To determine if midazolam interferes with helping through a sympatholytic effect, the peripherally restricted beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist nadolol was administered; nadolol did not interfere with helping. The corticosterone response of rats exposed to a trapped cagemate was measured and compared to the rats’ subsequent helping behavior. Rats with the greatest corticosterone responses showed the least helping behavior and those with the smallest responses showed the most consistent helping at the shortest latency. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the interaction between stress and pro-social behavior. Finally, we observed that door-opening appeared to be reinforcing. A novel analytical tool was designed to interrogate the pattern of door-opening for signs that a rat’s behavior on one

Genetic control of indirect airway responsiveness in the rat.

PubMed

Pauwels, R A; Germonpré, P R; Kips, J C; Joos, G F

1995-11-01

Many of the airway responses to endogenous and exogenous stimuli are caused by indirect mechanisms such as the activation of neurons and/or inflammatory cells. In the present study we compare the bronchoconstrictor and the plasma protein extravasation response to adenosine and tachykinins in two highly inbred rat strains, F344 and BDE. BDE-rats have a bronchoconstrictor response to adenosine at lower doses. Challenge with the A3-adenosine receptor agonist APNEA demonstrates that the difference in airway responsiveness to adenosine between BDE- and F344-rats is probably related to a higher number of A3-receptors on the airway mast cells of BDE-rats. In contrast, F344-rats have a higher airway responsiveness to tachykinins than BDE-rats. Tachykinins cause bronchoconstriction in F344-rats mainly by an indirect mechanism, involving stimulation of NK1-receptors and mast cell activation. In BDE-rats they cause bronchoconstriction by a direct effect on airway smooth muscle via activation of NK2-receptors. Finally we also observed a difference between F344- and BDE-rats with regard to the mechanisms involved in the plasma protein extravasation in the airways caused by substance P or capsaicin. In F344-rats but not in BDE-rats mast cell activation and the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine is partly responsible for this plasma protein extravasation.

Decline of umami preference in aged rats.

PubMed

Miura, Hirohito; Ooki, Makoto; Kanemaru, Norikazu; Harada, Shuitsu

2014-08-08

The effects of aging on the umami sensation were compared between the preference and neural responses from the greater superficial petrosal nerve (GSP innervating the soft palate) and the chorda tympani nerve (CT innervating the fungiform papillae) in the Sprague Dawley rat. A two-bottle preference test revealed that younger rats (5-12 weeks) preferred significantly 0.001 M 5'-inosine monophosphate (IMP), 0.01 M mono sodium glutamate (MSG), and binary mixtures of 0.001 M IMP+0.01 M MSG than deionized water. However, aged rats (21-22 months) showed no significant preference to these umami solutions compared to deionized water. Among the other four basic taste stimuli, there were no significant differences in preference between young and aged rats. Regardless of the age of the rat, neural responses from the GSP and CT produced robust integrated responses to all three umami solutions used in the two-bottle tests. These results indicate that the lack of preference to umami in aged rats is a central nervous system phenomenon and suggests that the loss of preference to umami taste in aged rats is caused by homeostatic changes in the brain incurred by aging. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tuberculosis Detection by Giant African Pouched Rats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poling, Alan; Weetjens, Bart; Cox, Christophe; Beyene, Negussie; Durgin, Amy; Mahoney, Amanda

2011-01-01

In recent years, operant discrimination training procedures have been used to teach giant African pouched rats to detect tuberculosis (TB) in human sputum samples. This article summarizes how the rats are trained and used operationally, as well as their performance in studies published to date. Available data suggest that pouched rats, which can…

Characterization of the Prediabetic State in a Novel Rat Model of Type 2 Diabetes, the ZFDM Rat.

PubMed

Gheni, Ghupurjan; Yokoi, Norihide; Beppu, Masayuki; Yamaguchi, Takuro; Hidaka, Shihomi; Kawabata, Ayako; Hoshino, Yoshikazu; Hoshino, Masayuki; Seino, Susumu

2015-01-01

We recently established a novel animal model of obese type 2 diabetes (T2D), the Zucker fatty diabetes mellitus (ZFDM) rat strain harboring the fatty mutation (fa) in the leptin receptor gene. Here we performed a phenotypic characterization of the strain, focusing mainly on the prediabetic state. At 6-8 weeks of age, fa/fa male rats exhibited mild glucose intolerance and severe insulin resistance. Although basal insulin secretion was remarkably high in the isolated pancreatic islets, the responses to both glucose stimulation and the incretin GLP-1 were retained. At 10-12 weeks of age, fa/fa male rats exhibited marked glucose intolerance as well as severe insulin resistance similar to that at the earlier age. In the pancreatic islets, the insulin secretory response to glucose stimulation was maintained but the response to the incretin was diminished. In nondiabetic Zucker fatty (ZF) rats, the insulin secretory responses to both glucose stimulation and the incretin in the pancreatic islets were similar to those of ZFDM rats. As islet architecture was destroyed with age in ZFDM rats, a combination of severe insulin resistance, diminished insulin secretory response to incretin, and intrinsic fragility of the islets may cause the development of T2D in this strain.

Is a woolen cap effective in maintaining normothermia in low-birth-weight infants during kangaroo mother care? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Trevisanuto, Daniele; Putoto, Giovanni; Pizzol, Damiano; Serena, Tiziana; Manenti, Fabio; Varano, Silvia; Urso, Eleonora; Massavon, William; Tsegaye, Ademe; Wingi, Oliver; Onapa, Emanuel; Segafredo, Giulia; Cavallin, Francesco

2016-05-26

Neonatal hypothermia is an important challenge associated with morbidity and mortality. Preventing neonatal hypothermia is important in high-resource countries, but is of fundamental importance in low-resource settings where supportive care is limited. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a low-cost intervention that, whenever possible, is strongly recommended for temperature maintenance. During KMC, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend the use of a cap/hat, but its effect on temperature control during KMC remains to be established. In the hospitals participating in the projects of the non-governmental organization CUAMM, KMC represents a standard of care, but the heads of the babies often remain uncovered due to local habits or to the unavailability of a cap. The aim of the present study will be to assess the effectiveness and safety of using a woolen cap in maintaining normothermia in low-birth-weight infants (LBWI) during KMC. This is a multicenter (three hospitals), multicountry (three countries), prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled trial of KMC treatment with and without a woolen cap in LBWI. After obtaining parental consent, all infants with a birth weight below 2500 g and who are candidates for KMC, based on the clinical decision of the attending physician, will be assigned to the KMC with a woolen cap group or to the KMC without a woolen cap group in a 1:1 ratio according to a computer-generated, randomized sequence. The duration of the study will be until the patient's discharge, with a maximum treatment duration of 7 days. The primary outcome measure will be whether the infants' temperatures remain within the normal range (36.5-37.5 °C) in the course of KMC during the intervention. In all participants, axillary temperature will be measured with a digital thermometer four times per day. In addition, maternal and room temperature will be recorded. Secondary outcome measures will be: episodes of apnea; sepsis; mortality before

Hypergravity modulates behavioral nociceptive responses in rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumei, Y.; Shimokawa, R.; Toda, K.; Kawauchi, Y.; Makita, K.; Terasawa, M.; Ohya, K.; Shimokawa, H.

Hypergravity (2G) exposure elevated the nociceptive threshold (pain suppression) concomitantly with evoked neuronal activity in the hypothalamus. Young Wistar male rats were exposed to 2G by centrifugal rotation for 10 min. Before and after 2G exposure, the nociceptive threshold was measured as the withdrawal reflex by using the von Frey type needle at a total of 8 sites of each rat (nose, four quarters, upper and lower back, tail), and then rats were sacrificed. Fos expression was examined immunohistochemically in the hypothalamic slices of the 2G-treated rats. When rats were exposed to 2G hypergravity, the nociceptive threshold was significantly elevated to approximately 150 to 250% of the 1G baseline control levels in all the examination sites. The 2G hypergravity remarkably induced Fos expression in the paraventricular and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus. The analgesic effects of 2G hypergravity were attenuated by naloxone pretreatment. Data indicate that hypergravity induces analgesic effects in rats, mediated through hypothalamic neuronal activity in the endogenous opioid system and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Pubertal neurocranium growth in thymectomized rats.

PubMed

Rino, W; Teixeira, D

1979-01-01

Differences in neurocranium growth at puberty were studied in rats of both sexes thymectomized and sham-thymectomized at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 days of age and in controls of matched age and sex; skull length, width and height, and skull base length and face length were measured. The neurocranium of the thymectomized rats was significantly smaller than that of the sham-thymectomized and control rats of both sexes and in all age-groups.

Impact of community-initiated Kangaroo Mother Care on survival of low birth weight infants: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Mazumder, Sarmila; Taneja, Sunita; Dalpath, Suresh Kumar; Gupta, Rakesh; Dube, Brinda; Sinha, Bireshwar; Bhatia, Kiran; Yoshida, Sachiyo; Norheim, Ole Frithjof; Bahl, Rajiv; Sommerfelt, Halvor; Bhandari, Nita; Martines, Jose

2017-06-07

Around 70% neonatal deaths occur in low birth weight (LBW) babies. Globally, 15% of babies are born with LBW. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) appears to be an effective way to reduce mortality and morbidity among LBW babies. KMC comprises of early and continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby as well as exclusive breastfeeding. Evidence derived from hospital-based studies shows that KMC results in a 40% relative reduction in mortality, a 58% relative reduction in the risk of nosocomial infections or sepsis, shorter hospital stay, and a lower risk of lower respiratory tract infections in babies with birth weight <2000 g. There has been considerable interest in KMC initiated outside health facilities for LBW babies born at home or discharged early. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to support initiation of KMC in the community (cKMC). Formative research in our study setting, where 24% of babies are born with LBW, demonstrated that KMC is feasible and acceptable when initiated at home for LBW babies. The aim of this trial is to determine the impact of cKMC on the survival of these babies. This randomized controlled trial is being undertaken in the Palwal and Faridabad districts in the State of Haryana, India. Neonates weighing 1500-2250 g identified within 3 days of birth and their mothers are being enrolled. Other inclusion criteria are that the family is likely to be available in the study area over the next 6 months, that KMC was not initiated in the delivery facility, and that the infant does not have an illness requiring hospitalization. Eligible neonates are randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention is delivered through home visits during the first month of life by study workers with a background and education similar to that of workers in the government health system. An independent study team collects mortality and morbidity data as well as anthropometric measurements during periodic home visits. The primary outcomes of

Purification and sequence of rat oxyntomodulin.

PubMed Central

Collie, N L; Walsh, J H; Wong, H C; Shively, J E; Davis, M T; Lee, T D; Reeve, J R

1994-01-01

Structural information about rat enteroglucagon, intestinal peptides containing the pancreatic glucagon sequence, has been based previously on cDNA, immunologic, and chromatographic data. Our interests in testing the physiological actions of synthetic enteroglucagon peptides in rats required that we identify precisely the forms present in vivo. From knowledge of the proglucagon gene sequence, we synthesized an enteroglucagon C-terminal octapeptide common to both proposed enteroglucagon forms, glicentin and oxyntomodulin, but sharing no sequence overlap with glucagon. We then developed a radioimmunoassay using antibodies raised against the octapeptide that was specific for enteroglucagon peptides without cross-reacting with glucagon. Rat intestine was extracted, and one presumptive enteroglucagon form was purified by following the enteroglucagon C-terminal octapeptide-like immunoreactivity through several HPLC purification steps. Structural characterization of the material by amino acid composition, microsequence, and mass spectral analyses identified the peptide as rat oxyntomodulin. The 37-residue peptide consists of pancreatic glucagon plus the C-terminal extension, Lys-Arg-Asn-Arg-Asn-Asn-Ile-Ala. This now permits synthesis of an unambiguous duplicate of endogenous rat oxyntomodulin for physiological studies. Images PMID:7937770

Possible neoplastic effects of acrylamide on rat exocrine pancreas.

PubMed

Yener, Y; Kalipci, E; Öztaş, H; Aydin, A D; Yildiz, H

2013-01-01

We investigated whether the acrylamide formed during cooking carbohydrate-rich foods at high temperatures causes neoplastic changes in rat pancreas. Azaserine, which is an amino acid derivative that has the ability to initiate neoplastic changes in rat pancreas, was injected into 14-day-old male rats once a week for three weeks. Acrylamide was given to both azaserine-injected and non-injected rats at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg/day in drinking water for 16 weeks after which tissue slides were prepared from the pancreata. Pancreas weights and body weights of rats treated with azaserine and acrylamide together increased significantly compared to the other groups. Moreover, the size, average diameter and volume of atypical acinar cell foci that developed in the pancreata of rats treated with azaserine and acrylamide together increased significantly compared to rats treated with either azaserine or acrylamide alone and control groups. Atypical acinar cell adenoma or adenocarcinoma was not observed in the pancreata of rats in any group.

Movement patterns of riparian small mammals during predictable floodplain inundation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Andersen, D.C.; Wilson, K.R.; Miller, M.S.; Falck, M.

2000-01-01

We monitored movements of small mammals resident on floodplains susceptible to spring floods to assess whether and how these animals respond to habitat inundation. The 2 floodplains were associated with 6th order river segments in a semiarid landscape; each was predictably inundated each year as snowmelt progressed in headwater areas of the Rocky Mountains. Data from live trapping, radiotelemetry, and microtopographic surveys indicated that Peromyscus maniculatus, Microtus montanus, and Dipodomys ordii showed different responses to inundation, but all reflected a common tendency to remain in the original home range until “forced” to leave. The reluctance of Dipodomys ordii to abandon the home burrow often resulted in death in situ, whereas individual P. maniculatus and M. montanus moved to nearby higher ground but not necessarily toward upland. This behavior could lead to occupancy of an island that disappeared as floodwaters rose. Peromyscus maniculatus climbed into sapling cottonwood, but the quality of such arboreal refuges was unclear. We found only weak support for the hypothesis that displacement was temporary; most floodplain residents, including P. maniculatus, disappeared over the flood period. No secondary effect from flooding on adjacent upland small-mammal assemblages was detected. Our data suggest populations of facultatively riparian, nonarboreal small mammals such as M. montanus and D. ordii generally experience habitat inundation as a catastrophy. Terrestrial species capable of using an arboreal refuge, such as P. maniculatus, face a more variable risk, determined in part by timing and duration of the flood event. River regulation can affect both sets of risks.

Neurophysin biosynthesis in normal rats and in rats with hereditary diabetes insipidus.

PubMed Central

Brownstein, M J; Gainer, H

1977-01-01

When [35S]cysteine was injected adjacent to the supraoptic nucleus (SON) in rats, it was rapidly incorporated into proteins in the SON. The [35S]cysteine-labeled proteins extracted from the SON were separated by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels. Twenty minutes after the injection of [35S]cysteine, two major labeled peaks (pI = 5.4 and 6.1) were found in the SON of normal rats; Brattleboro rats had only one major labeled peak (pI = 5.4). One hour after the injection, four major radioactive peaks were found in the SON of normal animals (pI = 5.1, 5.4, 5.6, and 6.1). Animals with diabetes insipidus had only two major labeled proteins (pI = 5.1 AND 5.4). Twenty-four hours after normal rats were injected with [35S]cysteine, all of the labeled peaks described above, except for the one with pI = 5.1, had decreased markedly in size and a small amount of labeled protein with pI about 4.8 was present in the SON. After 24 hr the posterior pituitary of normal animals contained two [35S]cysteine-labeled proteins with pI = 4.6 AND 4.8. The pituitaries of Brattleboro rats had only the pI = 4.6 labeled protein. These pulse-chase data, with data we have presented elsewhere, indicate that the vasopressin- and oxytocin-neurophysins are synthesized as parts of separate precursors (pI = 6.1 and 5.4, respectively). These precursors are converted into at least two intermediates (pI = 5.6 and 5.1) which, in turn, yield the vasopressin-neurophysin (pI = 4.8) and the oxytocin-neurophysin (pI = 4.6). PMID:269451

Intrauterine Growth Restricted Rats Exercised at Pregnancy: Maternal-Fetal Repercussions.

PubMed

Corvino, S B; Netto, A O; Sinzato, Y K; Campos, K E; Calderon, I M P; Rudge, M V C; Volpato, G T; Zambrano, E; Damasceno, D C

2015-08-01

To evaluate the effect of swimming in pregnant rats born with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and their offspring, IUGR rats were obtained using the streptozotocin-induced severe diabetic (SD) rats. In this study, the nondiabetic parental generation presented 10 rats and diabetic parental generation presented 116 rats. Of these, the mated nondiabetic female rats were 10 and the number of diabetic rats was 45. In relation to term pregnancy, there were 10 animals in the nondiabetic group and 15 rats in the diabetic group. In the offspring of SD rats (IUGR group), 43 females were classified as small for pregnancy age, 19 rats were classified as appropriate for pregnancy age, and 0 female was classified as large for pregnancy age. The nondiabetic and SD pregnant rats generated offspring with appropriate (control [C]) and small (IUGR) weight for pregnancy age, respectively. At adult life, the C group was maintained as nonexercised C group and IUGR rats were distributed into 2 subgroups, namely, nonexercised (IUGR) and exercised (IUGRex). The rate of mated rats in the IUGR group was reduced compared to the C group. During pregnancy, the IUGR rats presented hyperinsulinemia, impaired reproductive outcomes, decreased body weight, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperlactacidemia. The IUGRex presented reduced insulin and triglyceride levels. Thus, swimming improved lipid metabolism and increased insulin sensitivity. However, the offspring showed retarded growth, reinforcing the need to stimulate the exercise practice in women under supervision with different professional expertise to promote appropriate gestational conditions and improve perinatal outcomes. © The Author(s) 2015.

Same-Different Categorization in Rats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasserman, Edward A.; Castro, Leyre; Freeman, John H.

2012-01-01

Same-different categorization is a fundamental feat of human cognition. Although birds and nonhuman primates readily learn same-different discriminations and successfully transfer them to novel stimuli, no such demonstration exists for rats. Using a spatial discrimination learning task, we show that rats can both learn to discriminate arrays of…

Spatial learning in the genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rat stock and RLA-I/RHA-I rats: revisiting the relationship with unconditioned and conditioned anxiety.

PubMed

Martínez-Membrives, Esther; López-Aumatell, Regina; Blázquez, Gloria; Cañete, Toni; Tobeña, Adolf; Fernández-Teruel, Alberto

2015-05-15

To characterize learning/memory profiles for the first time in the genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rat stock, and to examine whether these are associated with anxiety, we evaluated NIH-HS rats for spatial learning/memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) and in the following anxiety/fear tests: the elevated zero-maze (ZM; unconditioned anxiety), a context-conditioned fear test and the acquisition of two-way active avoidance (conditioned anxiety). NIH-HS rats were compared with the Roman High- (RHA-I) and Low-Avoidance (RLA-I) rat strains, given the well-known differences between the Roman strains/lines in anxiety-related behavior and in spatial learning/memory. The results show that: (i) As expected, RLA-I rats were more anxious in the ZM test, displayed more frequent context-conditioned freezing episodes and fewer avoidances than RHA-I rats. (ii) Scores of NIH-HS rats in these tests/tasks mostly fell in between those of the Roman rat strains, and were usually closer to the values of the RLA-I strain. (iii) Pigmented NIH-HS (only a small part of NIH-HS rats were albino) rats were the best spatial learners and displayed better spatial memory than the other three (RHA-I, RLA-I and NIH-HS albino) groups. (iv) Albino NIH-HS and RLA-I rats also showed better learning/memory than the RHA-I strain. (v) Within the NIH-HS stock, the most anxious rats in the ZM test presented the best learning and/or memory efficiency (regardless of pigmentation). In summary, NIH-HS rats display a high performance in spatial learning/memory tasks and a passive coping strategy when facing conditioned conflict situations. In addition, unconditioned anxiety in NIH-HS rats predicts better spatial learning/memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Body fluid volumes in rats with mestranol-induced hypertension

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fowler, W.L. Jr.; Johnson, J.A.; Kurz, K.D.

Because estrogens have been reported to produce sodium retention, this study investigated the possibility that hypertension in rats resulting from the ingestion of an estrogen used as an oral contraceptive could be due to increases in body fluid volumes. Female rats were given feed containing mestranol for 1, 3, and 6 mo; control rats were given the feed without mestranol. The mestranol-treated rats had higher arterial pressures than the controls only after 6 mo of treatment. Plasma volume, extracellular fluid volume, and total body water were measured in each rat by the distribution volumes of radioiodinated serum albumin, /sup 32/SO/submore » 4/, and tritiated water, respectively. The body fluid volumes, expressed per 100 g of body weight, were not different between the mestranol-treated rats and their controls at any of the three treatment times. Due to differences in body weight and lean body mass between the mestranol-treated and the control rats, these volumes also were expressed per 100 g of lean body mass. Again, no differences were observed between the mestranol-treated rats and the control rats for any of these body fluid compartments at any of the treatment times. These studies, therefore, were unable to provide evidence that increases in body fluid volumes contributed to the elevated arterial pressure in this rat model of oral contraceptive hypertension.« less

Consensus–based approach to develop a measurement framework and identify a core set of indicators to track implementation and progress towards effective coverage of facility–based Kangaroo Mother Care

PubMed Central

Guenther, Tanya; Moxon, Sarah; Valsangkar, Bina; Wetzel, Greta; Ruiz, Juan; Kerber, Kate; Blencowe, Hannah; Dube, Queen; Vani, Shashi N; Vivio, Donna; Magge, Hema; De Leon–Mendoza, Socorro; Patterson, Janna; Mazia, Goldy

2017-01-01

Background As efforts to scale up the delivery of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in facilities are increasing, a standardized approach to measure implementation and progress towards effective coverage is needed. Here, we describe a consensus–based approach to develop a measurement framework and identify a core set of indicators for monitoring facility–based KMC that would be feasible to measure within existing systems. Methods The KMC measurement framework and core list of indicators were developed through: 1) scoping exercise to identify potential indicators through literature review and requests from researchers and program implementers; and 2) face–to–face consultations with KMC and measurement experts working at country and global levels to review candidate indicators and finalize selection and definitions. Results The KMC measurement framework includes two main components: 1) service readiness, based on the WHO building blocks framework; and 2) service delivery action sequence covering identification, service initiation, continuation to discharge, and follow–up to graduation. Consensus was reached on 10 core indicators for KMC, which were organized according to the measurement framework. We identified 4 service readiness indicators, capturing national level policy for KMC, availability of KMC indicators in HMIS, costed operational plans for KMC and availability of KMC services at health facilities with inpatient maternity services. Six indicators were defined for service delivery, including weighing of babies at birth, identification of those ≤2000 g, initiation of facility–based KMC, monitoring the quality of KMC, status of babies at discharge from the facility and levels of follow–up (according to country–specific protocol). Conclusions These core KMC indicators, identified with input from a wide range of global and country–level KMC and measurement experts, can aid efforts to strengthen monitoring systems and facilitate global tracking of

Consensus-based approach to develop a measurement framework and identify a core set of indicators to track implementation and progress towards effective coverage of facility-based Kangaroo Mother Care.

PubMed

Guenther, Tanya; Moxon, Sarah; Valsangkar, Bina; Wetzel, Greta; Ruiz, Juan; Kerber, Kate; Blencowe, Hannah; Dube, Queen; Vani, Shashi N; Vivio, Donna; Magge, Hema; De Leon-Mendoza, Socorro; Patterson, Janna; Mazia, Goldy

2017-12-01

As efforts to scale up the delivery of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in facilities are increasing, a standardized approach to measure implementation and progress towards effective coverage is needed. Here, we describe a consensus-based approach to develop a measurement framework and identify a core set of indicators for monitoring facility-based KMC that would be feasible to measure within existing systems. The KMC measurement framework and core list of indicators were developed through: 1) scoping exercise to identify potential indicators through literature review and requests from researchers and program implementers; and 2) face-to-face consultations with KMC and measurement experts working at country and global levels to review candidate indicators and finalize selection and definitions. The KMC measurement framework includes two main components: 1) service readiness, based on the WHO building blocks framework; and 2) service delivery action sequence covering identification, service initiation, continuation to discharge, and follow-up to graduation. Consensus was reached on 10 core indicators for KMC, which were organized according to the measurement framework. We identified 4 service readiness indicators, capturing national level policy for KMC, availability of KMC indicators in HMIS, costed operational plans for KMC and availability of KMC services at health facilities with inpatient maternity services. Six indicators were defined for service delivery, including weighing of babies at birth, identification of those ≤2000 g, initiation of facility-based KMC, monitoring the quality of KMC, status of babies at discharge from the facility and levels of follow-up (according to country-specific protocol). These core KMC indicators, identified with input from a wide range of global and country-level KMC and measurement experts, can aid efforts to strengthen monitoring systems and facilitate global tracking of KMC implementation. As data collection systems advance, we

Encoding changes in orbitofrontal cortex in reversal-impaired aged rats.

PubMed

Schoenbaum, Geoffrey; Setlow, Barry; Saddoris, Michael P; Gallagher, Michela

2006-03-01

Previous work in rats and primates has shown that normal aging can be associated with a decline in cognitive flexibility mediated by prefrontal circuits. For example, aged rats are impaired in rapid reversal learning, which in young rats depends critically on the orbitofrontal cortex. To assess whether aging-related reversal impairments reflect orbitofrontal dysfunction, we identified aged rats with reversal learning deficits and then recorded single units as these rats, along with unimpaired aged cohorts and young control rats, learned and reversed a series of odor discrimination problems. We found that the flexibility of neural correlates in orbitofrontal cortex was markedly diminished in aged rats characterized as reversal-impaired in initial training. In particular, although many cue-selective neurons in young and aged-unimpaired rats reversed odor preference when the odor-outcome associations were reversed, cue-selective neurons in reversal-impaired aged rats did not. In addition, outcome-expectant neurons in aged-impaired rats failed to become active during cue sampling after learning. These altered features of neural encoding could provide a basis for cognitive inflexibility associated with normal aging.

Beaming into the Rat World: Enabling Real-Time Interaction between Rat and Human Each at Their Own Scale

PubMed Central

Normand, Jean-Marie; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V.; Waechter, Christian; Giannopoulos, Elias; Grosswindhager, Bernhard; Spanlang, Bernhard; Guger, Christoph; Klinker, Gudrun; Srinivasan, Mandayam A.; Slater, Mel

2012-01-01

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) typically generates the illusion in participants that they are in the displayed virtual scene where they can experience and interact in events as if they were really happening. Teleoperator (TO) systems place people at a remote physical destination embodied as a robotic device, and where typically participants have the sensation of being at the destination, with the ability to interact with entities there. In this paper, we show how to combine IVR and TO to allow a new class of application. The participant in the IVR is represented in the destination by a physical robot (TO) and simultaneously the remote place and entities within it are represented to the participant in the IVR. Hence, the IVR participant has a normal virtual reality experience, but where his or her actions and behaviour control the remote robot and can therefore have physical consequences. Here, we show how such a system can be deployed to allow a human and a rat to operate together, but the human interacting with the rat on a human scale, and the rat interacting with the human on the rat scale. The human is represented in a rat arena by a small robot that is slaved to the human’s movements, whereas the tracked rat is represented to the human in the virtual reality by a humanoid avatar. We describe the system and also a study that was designed to test whether humans can successfully play a game with the rat. The results show that the system functioned well and that the humans were able to interact with the rat to fulfil the tasks of the game. This system opens up the possibility of new applications in the life sciences involving participant observation of and interaction with animals but at human scale. PMID:23118987

Beaming into the rat world: enabling real-time interaction between rat and human each at their own scale.

PubMed

Normand, Jean-Marie; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V; Waechter, Christian; Giannopoulos, Elias; Grosswindhager, Bernhard; Spanlang, Bernhard; Guger, Christoph; Klinker, Gudrun; Srinivasan, Mandayam A; Slater, Mel

2012-01-01

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) typically generates the illusion in participants that they are in the displayed virtual scene where they can experience and interact in events as if they were really happening. Teleoperator (TO) systems place people at a remote physical destination embodied as a robotic device, and where typically participants have the sensation of being at the destination, with the ability to interact with entities there. In this paper, we show how to combine IVR and TO to allow a new class of application. The participant in the IVR is represented in the destination by a physical robot (TO) and simultaneously the remote place and entities within it are represented to the participant in the IVR. Hence, the IVR participant has a normal virtual reality experience, but where his or her actions and behaviour control the remote robot and can therefore have physical consequences. Here, we show how such a system can be deployed to allow a human and a rat to operate together, but the human interacting with the rat on a human scale, and the rat interacting with the human on the rat scale. The human is represented in a rat arena by a small robot that is slaved to the human's movements, whereas the tracked rat is represented to the human in the virtual reality by a humanoid avatar. We describe the system and also a study that was designed to test whether humans can successfully play a game with the rat. The results show that the system functioned well and that the humans were able to interact with the rat to fulfil the tasks of the game. This system opens up the possibility of new applications in the life sciences involving participant observation of and interaction with animals but at human scale.

Antihyperglycemic effect of syringaldehyde in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

PubMed

Huang, Chia-Hsin; Chen, Mei-Fen; Chung, Hsien-Hui; Cheng, Juei-Tang

2012-08-24

The antihyperglycemic effect of syringaldehyde (1), purified from the stems of Hibiscus taiwanensis, was investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats) showing type-1 like diabetes mellitus. Bolus intravenous injection of 1 showed antihyperglycemic activity in a dose-dependent manner in STZ-diabetic rats. An effective dose of 7.2 mg/kg of 1 attenuated significantly the increase of plasma glucose induced by an intravenous glucose challenge test in normal rats. A glucose uptake test showed that 1 exhibits an increase of glucose uptake activity in a concentration-related manner. Moreover, an effect by 1 was shown for insulin sensitivity in STZ-diabetic rats. The compound was found to increase insulin sensitivity in STZ-diabetic rats. These results suggest that syringaldehyde (1) can increase glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity to lower plasma glucose in diabetic rats.

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN ORAL NICOTINE INTAKE IN RATS

PubMed Central

Nesil, Tanseli; Kanit, Lutfiye; Collins, Allan C; Pogun, Sakire

2011-01-01

To study individual differences in nicotine preference and intake, male and female rats were given free access to a choice of oral nicotine (10 or 20 mg/L) or water for 24 hours/day for periods of at least six weeks, starting at adolescence or adulthood. A total of 341 rats, were used in four different experiments; weight, nicotine intake and total liquid consumption were recorded weekly. Results show that rats can discriminate nicotine from water, can regulate their intake, and that there are readily detected individual differences in nicotine preference. Ward analyses indicated that the animals could be divided into minimum, median and maximum preferring subgroups in all experiments. The effect of saccharine on nicotine intake was also evaluated; although the addition of saccharine increased total intake, rats drank unsweetened nicotine solutions and those with higher preferences for nicotine, preferred nicotine over water with or without saccharine added. Nicotine reduced weight gain and the effect was more pronounced in females than males. The average nicotine consumption of adolescent rats was higher than adults and nicotine exposure during adolescence reduced nicotine intake in adult rats. About half of the rats which had access to nicotine as adolescents and also as adults had a persistent pattern of consumption; the behavior was very stable in the female minimum preferring groups and a much higher ratio of rats sustained their adolescent behavior as adults. The change in preference was more pronounced when there was an interval between adolescent and adult exposure; female rats showed a more stable behavior than males suggesting a greater role for environmental influences on males. In conclusion, marked individual differences were observed in oral nicotine intake as measured in a continuous access 2-bottle choice test. Age and sex of the subjects and previous exposure to nicotine are significant factors which affect preference in rats. PMID:21504750

Hypergravity suppresses bone resorption in ovariectomized rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikawa, Tesshu; Kawaguchi, Amu; Okabe, Takahiro; Ninomiya, Tadashi; Nakamichi, Yuko; Nakamura, Midori; Uehara, Shunsuke; Nakamura, Hiroaki; Udagawa, Nobuyuki; Takahashi, Naoyuki; Nakamura, Hiroaki; Wakitani, Shigeyuki

2011-04-01

The effects of gravity on bone metabolism are unclear, and little has been reported about the effects of hypergravity on the mature skeleton. Since low gravity has been shown to decrease bone volume, we hypothesized that hypergravity increases bone volume. To clarify this hypothesis, adult female rats were ovariectomized and exposed to hypergravity (2.9G) using a centrifugation system. The rats were killed 28 days after the start of loading, and the distal femoral metaphysis of the rats was studied. Bone architecture was assessed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and bone mineral density was measured using peripheral quantitative CT (pQCT). Hypergravity increased the trabecular bone volume of ovariectomized rats. Histomorphometric analyses revealed that hypergravity suppressed both bone formation and resorption and increased bone volume in ovariectomized rats. Further, the cell morphology, activity, proliferation, and differentiation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts exposed to hypergravity were evaluated in vitro. Hypergravity inhibited actin ring formation in mature osteoclasts, which suggested that the osteoclast activity was suppressed. However, hypergravity had no effect on osteoblasts. These results suggest that hypergravity can stimulate an increase in bone volume by suppressing bone resorption in ovariectomized rats.

Decrease in sweet taste in rats after gastric bypass surgery.

PubMed

Tichansky, David S; Glatt, A Rebecca; Madan, Atul K; Harper, Jason; Tokita, Kenichi; Boughter, John D

2011-04-01

The literature contains evidence that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery has an effect in humans on taste and preference for carbohydrate-rich foods. This study tested the hypothesis that RYGB affects sweet taste behavior using a rat model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either RYGB or sham surgery. Then 4 weeks after surgery, the rats were given taste-salient, brief-access lick tests with a series of sucrose concentrations. The RYGB rats, but not the sham rats, lost weight over the 5-week postoperative period. The RYGB rats showed a significant decrease in mean licks for the highest concentration of sucrose (0.25-1.0 mol/l) but not for the low concentrations of sucrose or water. The findings showed that RYGB surgery affected sweet taste behavior in rats, with postsurgical rats having lower sensitivity or avidity for sucrose than sham-treated control rats. This finding is similar to human reports that sweet taste and preferences for high-caloric foods are altered after bypass surgery.

Sudden decrease in physical activity evokes adipocyte hyperplasia in 70- to 77-day-old rats but not 49- to 56-day-old rats

PubMed Central

Company, Joseph M.; Roberts, Michael D.; Toedebusch, Ryan G.; Cruthirds, Clayton L.

2013-01-01

The cessation of physical activity in rodents and humans initiates obesogenic mechanisms. The overall purpose of the current study was to determine how the cessation of daily physical activity in rats at 49–56 days of age and at 70–77 days of age via wheel lock (WL) affects adipose tissue characteristics. Male Wistar rats began voluntary running at 28 days old and were either killed at 49–56 days old or at 70–77 days old. Two cohorts of rats always had wheel access (RUN), a second two cohorts of rats had wheel access restricted during the last 7 days (7d-WL), and a third two cohorts of rats did not have access to a voluntary running wheel after the first 6 days of (SED). We observed more robust changes with WL in the 70- to 77-day-old rats. Compared with RUN rats, 7d-WL rats exhibited greater rates of gain in fat mass and percent body fat, increased adipocyte number, higher percentage of small adipocytes, and greater cyclin A1 mRNA in epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue. In contrast, 49- to 56-day-old rats had no change in most of the same characteristics. There was no increase in inflammatory mRNA expression in either cohort with WL. These findings suggest that adipose tissue in 70- to 77-day-old rats is more protected from WL than 49- to 56-day-old rats and responds by expansion via hyperplasia. PMID:24089381

Exposure to Rats and Rat-Associated Leptospira and Bartonella Species Among People Who Use Drugs in an Impoverished, Inner-City Neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada.

PubMed

McVea, David A; Himsworth, Chelsea G; Patrick, David M; Lindsay, L Robbin; Kosoy, Michael; Kerr, Thomas

2018-02-01

Rat infestations are common, particularly in impoverished, inner-city neighborhoods. However, there has been little research into the nature and consequences of rat exposure in these neighborhoods, particularly in Canada. In this study, we sought to characterize exposure to rats and rat-associated Leptospira interrogans and Bartonella tribocorum, as well as risk factors associated with exposure, in residents (n = 202) of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. There was no evidence of exposure to rat-associated L. interrogans but 6/202 (3.0%) of participants were exposed to B. tribocorum, which is known to be circulating among DTES rats. We also found that frequent and close rat exposure was common among DTES residents, and that this exposure was particularly associated with injection drug use and outdoor income-generating activities (e.g., drug dealing). These risk factors may be good targets for interventions geared toward effectively reducing rat exposure.

Voluntary Sleep Loss in Rats

PubMed Central

Oonk, Marcella; Krueger, James M.; Davis, Christopher J.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Animal sleep deprivation (SDEP), in contrast to human SDEP, is involuntary and involves repeated exposure to aversive stimuli including the inability of the animal to control the waking stimulus. Therefore, we explored intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), an operant behavior, as a method for voluntary SDEP in rodents. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with electroencephalography/electromyography (EEG/EMG) recording electrodes and a unilateral bipolar electrode into the lateral hypothalamus. Rats were allowed to self-stimulate, or underwent gentle handling-induced SDEP (GH-SDEP), during the first 6 h of the light phase, after which they were allowed to sleep. Other rats performed the 6 h ICSS and 1 w later were subjected to 6 h of noncontingent stimulation (NCS). During NCS the individual stimulation patterns recorded during ICSS were replayed. Results: After GH-SDEP, ICSS, or NCS, time in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep increased. Further, in the 24 h after SDEP, rats recovered all of the REM sleep lost during SDEP, but only 75% to 80% of the NREM sleep lost, regardless of the SDEP method. The magnitude of EEG slow wave responses occurring during NREM sleep also increased after SDEP treatments. However, NREM sleep EEG slow wave activity (SWA) responses were attenuated following ICSS, compared to GH-SDEP and NCS. Conclusions: We conclude that ICSS and NCS can be used to sleep deprive rats. Changes in rebound NREM sleep EEG SWA occurring after ICSS, NCS, and GH-SDEP suggest that nonspecific effects of the SDEP procedure differentially affect recovery sleep phenotypes. Citation: Oonk M, Krueger JM, Davis CJ. Voluntary sleep loss in rats. SLEEP 2016;39(7):1467–1479. PMID:27166236

Transdifferentiated rat pancreatic progenitor cells (AR42J-B13/H) respond to phenobarbital in a rat hepatocyte-specific manner.

PubMed

Osborne, M; Haltalli, M; Currie, R; Wright, J; Gooderham, N J

2016-07-01

Phenobarbital (PB) is known to produce species-specific effects in the rat and mouse, being carcinogenic in certain mouse strains, but only in rats if treated after a DNA damaging event. PB treatment in the rat and mouse also produces disparate effects on cell signalling and miRNA expression profiles. These responses are induced by short term and prolonged PB exposure, respectively, with the latter treatments being difficult to examine mechanistically in primary hepatocytes due to rapid loss of the original hepatic phenotype and limited sustainability in culture. Here we explore the rat hepatocyte-like B13/H cell line as a model for hepatic response to PB exposure in both short-term and longer duration treatments. We demonstrate that PB with Egf treatment in the B13/H cells resulted in a significant increase in Erk activation, as determined by the ratio of phospho-Erk to total Erk, compared to Egf alone. We also show that an extended treatment with PB in the B13/H cells produces a miRNA response similar to that seen in the rat in vivo, via the time-dependent induction of miR-182/96. Additionally, we confirm that B13/H cells respond to Car activators in a typical rat-specific manner. These data suggest that the B13/H cells produce temporal responses to PB that are comparable to those reported in short-term primary rat hepatocyte cultures and in the longer term are similar to those in the rat in vivo. Finally, we also show that Car-associated miR-122 expression is decreased by PB treatment in B13/H cells, a PB-induced response that is common to the rat, mouse and human. We conclude that the B13/H cell system produces a qualitative response comparable to the rat, which is different to the response in the mouse, and that this model could be a useful tool for exploring the functional consequences of PB-sensitive miRNA changes and resistance to PB-mediated tumours in the rat. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toxicity and repellency to rats of actidione

USGS Publications Warehouse

Traub, R.; DeWitt, J.B.; Welch, J.F.; Newman, D.

1950-01-01

The antibiotic actidione was found to be highly repellent to laboratory rats and to significantly reduce gnawing attacks upon treated paperboards. Rats refused to accept food or water containing this material even under conditions of acute starvation and died of starvation and thirst,rather than accept water containing l.0 mg. of actidione per liter. The compound is highly toxic to .rats with the minimum .lethal dose by oral administration being approximately l.0 mg./Kg body weight. Paperboard treated with the compound resisted gnawing attacks by specially trained and motivated rats for periods of two hundred hours, although similar .untreated boards were pierced within thirty-to sixty minutes.

Absorption and distribution of lycopene in rat colon.

PubMed

Oshima, S; Inakuma, T; Narisawa, T

1999-01-01

Colonic absorption and distribution of lycopene, which inhibited rat colon carcinogenesis in our previous studies, were investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats. Three groups of six rats each with or without a single-barreled colostomy at the mid colon were given a single intragastric or intracolonic dose of 0.2 mL of corn oil containing 12 mg of lycopene. Twenty-four hours later, all rats were sacrificed and the blood and some tissues were collected. The contents of lycopene in the samples were assayed by HPLC. Lycopene was detected in an appreciable amount in the liver, but only in trace amount in the serum of all rats treated with an intracolonic dose of lycopene and in rats with an intragastric dose. After an intragastric lycopene treatment, lycopene was detected in the mucosa of the proximal colon and of the distal colon of the colostomized rats, whose distal colon had been excluded from the fecal stream. A large amount of lycopene was recovered in the feces. None was detected in any sample from the control rats treated with an intragastric or intracolonic dose of plain corn oil. The results suggest that lycopene is absorbed from the colon and also from the small intestine. It might be concluded that both ways of absorption contribute to a comparative amount of lycopene accumulation in the colon mucosa after ingestion of this carotenoid.

Carriage of Clostridium difficile by Wild Urban Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) and Black Rats (Rattus rattus)

PubMed Central

Patrick, David M.; Mak, Sunny; Jardine, Claire M.; Tang, Patrick; Weese, J. Scott

2014-01-01

Clostridium difficile is an important cause of enteric infections in humans. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding whether animals could be a source of C. difficile spores. Although colonization has been identified in a number of domestic species, the ability of commensal pests to serve as a reservoir for C. difficile has not been well investigated. The objective of this study was to determine whether urban rats (Rattus spp.) from Vancouver, Canada, carry C. difficile. Clostridium difficile was isolated from the colon contents of trapped rats and was characterized using ribotyping, toxinotyping, and toxin gene identification. Generalized linear mixed models and spatial analysis were used to characterize the ecology of C. difficile in rats. Clostridium difficile was isolated from 95 of 724 (13.1%) rats, although prevalence differed from 0% to 46.7% among city blocks. The odds of being C. difficile positive decreased with increasing weight (odds ratio [OR], 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.87), suggesting that carriage is more common in younger animals. The strains isolated included 9 ribotypes that matched recognized international designations, 5 identified by our laboratory in previous studies, and 21 “novel” ribotypes. Some strains were clustered geographically; however, the majority were dispersed throughout the study area, supporting environmental sources of exposure and widespread environmental contamination with a variety of C. difficile strains. Given that urban rats are the source of a number of other pathogens responsible for human morbidity and mortality, the potential for rats to be a source of C. difficile for humans deserves further consideration. PMID:24317079

Carriage of Clostridium difficile by wild urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and black rats (Rattus rattus).

PubMed

Himsworth, Chelsea G; Patrick, David M; Mak, Sunny; Jardine, Claire M; Tang, Patrick; Weese, J Scott

2014-02-01

Clostridium difficile is an important cause of enteric infections in humans. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding whether animals could be a source of C. difficile spores. Although colonization has been identified in a number of domestic species, the ability of commensal pests to serve as a reservoir for C. difficile has not been well investigated. The objective of this study was to determine whether urban rats (Rattus spp.) from Vancouver, Canada, carry C. difficile. Clostridium difficile was isolated from the colon contents of trapped rats and was characterized using ribotyping, toxinotyping, and toxin gene identification. Generalized linear mixed models and spatial analysis were used to characterize the ecology of C. difficile in rats. Clostridium difficile was isolated from 95 of 724 (13.1%) rats, although prevalence differed from 0% to 46.7% among city blocks. The odds of being C. difficile positive decreased with increasing weight (odds ratio [OR], 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.87), suggesting that carriage is more common in younger animals. The strains isolated included 9 ribotypes that matched recognized international designations, 5 identified by our laboratory in previous studies, and 21 "novel" ribotypes. Some strains were clustered geographically; however, the majority were dispersed throughout the study area, supporting environmental sources of exposure and widespread environmental contamination with a variety of C. difficile strains. Given that urban rats are the source of a number of other pathogens responsible for human morbidity and mortality, the potential for rats to be a source of C. difficile for humans deserves further consideration.

Xenotransplantation of uterine leiomyoma in Wistar rats: a pilot study.

PubMed

Sousa, Willane Bandeira de; Garcia, João Batista Santos; Nogueira Neto, João; Furtado, Pablo Gustavo Ribeiro; Anjos, Jonhnathan Adriano Araújo dos

2015-07-01

To evaluate whether xenografts derived from hysterectomized patients would implant successfully and lead to uterine leiomyoma in Wistar rats. This experimental study examined six female Wistar rats implanted with uterine leiomyoma obtained from patients who underwent hysterectomies at the gynecological surgery service of the HUUFMA. The rats were divided into two groups. Group I consisted of three rats in which the uterine leiomyoma had been implanted in the parietal peritoneum, and group II consisted of three rats in which the uterine leiomyoma was implanted in the subcutaneous tissue. The immunosuppressant mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was administered orally by gavage (at a dose of 40 mg/kg of body weight) to prevent transplant rejection starting 15 days before the transplant and continuing throughout the entire experiment. After four weeks, necrosis and neovascularization were evaluated histologically in both groups and were classified as either absent or present. Lymphocytic inflammatory infiltration was also examined and classified as mild, moderate or intense (by hematoxylin and eosin staining), and fibrosis was classified as grade I-III (by Masson's trichrome staining). Necrosis was absent from all three rats in group I and was observed in only one rat from group II. Neovascularization was present in two rats from group I and in only one rat from group II. The lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate was mild in two rats and moderate in one rat from group I, and it was moderate in two rats and intense in one rat from group II. Two rats from group 1 exhibited grade III fibrosis, and one rat presented grade I fibrosis. In group II, two rats presented grade I fibrosis and one rat had grade II fibrosis. When necrosis and neovascularization were evaluated as variables, group I demonstrated greater evidence of successful implantation when compared to group II, indicating that the peritoneal implantation technique produces better results than the subcutaneous approach (p

Calcium balance in mature male rats with unloaded hindlimbs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Navidi, Meena; Evans, Juliann; Wolinsky, Ira; Arnaud, Sara B.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: Calcium balances, regulated by the calcium endocrine system, are negative during spaceflight but have not been reported in flight simulation models using fully mature small animals. METHODS: We conducted two calcium (Ca) balance studies in 6-mo-old male rats exposed to a model that unloads the hindlimbs (HU) for 4 wk. Control (C) and HU rats were fed diets with 0.5% Ca in the first and 0.1% Ca in the second study. Housing in metabolic cages enabled daily food and water intake measurements as well as collections of urine and fecal specimens. At necropsy, blood was obtained for measures of Ca-regulating hormones. RESULTS: Both C and HU rats adjusted to housing and diets with decreases in body weight and negative Ca balances during the first week of each experiment. Thereafter, averages of Ca balances were more negative in the unloaded rats than controls: -8.1 vs. -1.6 mg x d(-1) in rats fed 0.5% (p < 0.05). This difference was not due to urinary Ca excretion since it was lower in HU than C rats (1.27 +/- 0.51 mg x d(-1) vs. 2.35 +/- 0.82 mg x d(-1), p < 0.05). Fecal Ca in HU rats exceeded dietary Ca by 4-7%, Restricting dietary Ca to 0.1% was followed by an increase in serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25-D) and greater intestinal Ca absorption than in rats fed 0.5% Ca. Ca balances in rats fed 0.1% Ca were also more negative in HU than C rats (-2.4 vs. -0.03 mg x d(-1), p < 0.05). Parathyroid hormone (PTH) was suppressed and 1,25-D increased in HU rats fed 0.5% Ca. C rats fed 0.1% Ca had increased PTH and 1,25-D was the same as in the HU group. CONCLUSION: After adaptation, Ca balances were more negative in mature male rats with unloaded hindlimbs than controls, an effect from increased secretion and loss of endogenous fecal Ca associated with increased 1,25-D in Ca-replete and Ca-restricted rats.

Whiskers aid anemotaxis in rats.

PubMed

Yu, Yan S W; Graff, Matthew M; Bresee, Chris S; Man, Yan B; Hartmann, Mitra J Z

2016-08-01

Observation of terrestrial mammals suggests that they can follow the wind (anemotaxis), but the sensory cues underlying this ability have not been studied. We identify a significant contribution to anemotaxis mediated by whiskers (vibrissae), a modality previously studied only in the context of direct tactile contact. Five rats trained on a five-alternative forced-choice airflow localization task exhibited significant performance decrements after vibrissal removal. In contrast, vibrissal removal did not disrupt the performance of control animals trained to localize a light source. The performance decrement of individual rats was related to their airspeed threshold for successful localization: animals that found the task more challenging relied more on the vibrissae for localization cues. Following vibrissal removal, the rats deviated more from the straight-line path to the air source, choosing sources farther from the correct location. Our results indicate that rats can perform anemotaxis and that whiskers greatly facilitate this ability. Because air currents carry information about both odor content and location, these findings are discussed in terms of the adaptive significance of the interaction between sniffing and whisking in rodents.

Whiskers aid anemotaxis in rats

PubMed Central

Yu, Yan S. W.; Graff, Matthew M.; Bresee, Chris S.; Man, Yan B.; Hartmann, Mitra J. Z.

2016-01-01

Observation of terrestrial mammals suggests that they can follow the wind (anemotaxis), but the sensory cues underlying this ability have not been studied. We identify a significant contribution to anemotaxis mediated by whiskers (vibrissae), a modality previously studied only in the context of direct tactile contact. Five rats trained on a five-alternative forced-choice airflow localization task exhibited significant performance decrements after vibrissal removal. In contrast, vibrissal removal did not disrupt the performance of control animals trained to localize a light source. The performance decrement of individual rats was related to their airspeed threshold for successful localization: animals that found the task more challenging relied more on the vibrissae for localization cues. Following vibrissal removal, the rats deviated more from the straight-line path to the air source, choosing sources farther from the correct location. Our results indicate that rats can perform anemotaxis and that whiskers greatly facilitate this ability. Because air currents carry information about both odor content and location, these findings are discussed in terms of the adaptive significance of the interaction between sniffing and whisking in rodents. PMID:27574705

Attenuation of Diabetic Conditions by Sida rhombifolia in Moderately Diabetic Rats and Inability to Produce Similar Effects in Severely Diabetic in Rats.

PubMed

Chaturvedi, Padmaja; Kwape, Tebogo Elvis

2015-12-01

This study was done out to evaluate the effects of Sida rhombifolia methanol extract (SRM) on diabetes in moderately diabetic (MD) and severely diabetic (SD) Sprague-Dawley rats. SRM was prepared by soaking the powdered plant material in 70% methanol and rota evaporating the methanol from the extract. Effective hypoglycemic doses were established by performing oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in normal rats. Hourly effects of SRM on glucose were observed in the MD and the SD rats. Rats were grouped, five rats to a group, into normal control 1 (NC1), MD control 1 (MDC1), MD experimental 1 (MDE1), SD control 1 (SDC1), and SD experimental 1 (SDE1) groups. All rats in the control groups were administered 1 mL of distilled water (DW). The rats in the MDE1 and the SDE1 groups were administered SRM orally at 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight (BW), respectively, dissolved in 1 mL of DW. Blood was collected initially and at intervals of 1 hour for 6 hours to measure blood glucose. A similar experimental design was followed for the 30-day long-term trial. Finally, rats were sacrificed, and blood was collected to measure blood glucose, lipid profiles, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH). OGTTs indicated that two doses (200 and 300 mg/kg BW) were effective hypoglycemic doses in normal rats. Both doses reduced glucose levels after 1 hour in the MDE1 and the SDE1 groups. A long-term trial of SRM in the MD group showed a reduced glucose level, a normal lipid profile, and normal GSH and TBARS levels. In SD rats, SRM had no statistically significant effects on these parameters. Normal weight was achieved in the MD rats, but the SD rats showed reduced BW. The study demonstrates that SRM has potential to alleviate the conditions of moderate diabetic, but not severe diabetes.

Attenuation of Diabetic Conditions by Sida rhombifolia in Moderately Diabetic Rats and Inability to Produce Similar Effects in Severely Diabetic in Rats

PubMed Central

Chaturvedi, Padmaja; Kwape, Tebogo Elvis

2015-01-01

Objectives: This study was done out to evaluate the effects of Sida rhombifolia methanol extract (SRM) on diabetes in moderately diabetic (MD) and severely diabetic (SD) Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: SRM was prepared by soaking the powdered plant material in 70% methanol and rota evaporating the methanol from the extract. Effective hypoglycemic doses were established by performing oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in normal rats. Hourly effects of SRM on glucose were observed in the MD and the SD rats. Rats were grouped, five rats to a group, into normal control 1 (NC1), MD control 1 (MDC1), MD experimental 1 (MDE1), SD control 1 (SDC1), and SD experimental 1 (SDE1) groups. All rats in the control groups were administered 1 mL of distilled water (DW). The rats in the MDE1 and the SDE1 groups were administered SRM orally at 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight (BW), respectively, dissolved in 1 mL of DW. Blood was collected initially and at intervals of 1 hour for 6 hours to measure blood glucose. A similar experimental design was followed for the 30-day long-term trial. Finally, rats were sacrificed, and blood was collected to measure blood glucose, lipid profiles, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH). Results: OGTTs indicated that two doses (200 and 300 mg/kg BW) were effective hypoglycemic doses in normal rats. Both doses reduced glucose levels after 1 hour in the MDE1 and the SDE1 groups. A long-term trial of SRM in the MD group showed a reduced glucose level, a normal lipid profile, and normal GSH and TBARS levels. In SD rats, SRM had no statistically significant effects on these parameters. Normal weight was achieved in the MD rats, but the SD rats showed reduced BW. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that SRM has potential to alleviate the conditions of moderate diabetic, but not severe diabetes. PMID:26998385

Postretrieval Extinction Attenuates Alcohol Cue Reactivity in Rats.

PubMed

Cofresí, Roberto U; Lewis, Suzanne M; Chaudhri, Nadia; Lee, Hongjoo J; Monfils, Marie-H; Gonzales, Rueben A

2017-03-01

Conditioned responses to alcohol-associated cues can hinder recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD). Cue exposure (extinction) therapy (CET) can reduce reactivity to alcohol cues, but its efficacy is limited by phenomena such as spontaneous recovery and reinstatement that can cause a return of conditioned responding after extinction. Using a preclinical model of alcohol cue reactivity in rats, we evaluated whether the efficacy of alcohol CET could be improved by conducting CET during the memory reconsolidation window after retrieval of cue-alcohol associations. Rats were provided with intermittent access to unsweetened alcohol. Rats were then trained to predict alcohol access based on a visual cue. Next, rats were treated with either standard extinction (n = 14) or postretrieval extinction (n = 13). Rats were then tested for long-term memory of extinction and susceptibility to spontaneous recovery and reinstatement. Despite equivalent extinction, rats treated with postretrieval extinction exhibited reduced spontaneous recovery and reinstatement relative to rats treated with standard extinction. Postretrieval CET shows promise for persistently attenuating the risk to relapse posed by alcohol cues in individuals with AUD. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

From engineering to editing the rat genome.

PubMed

Meek, Stephen; Mashimo, Tomoji; Burdon, Tom

2017-08-01

Since its domestication over 100 years ago, the laboratory rat has been the preferred experimental animal in many areas of biomedical research (Lindsey and Baker The laboratory rat. Academic, New York, pp 1-52, 2006). Its physiology, size, genetics, reproductive cycle, cognitive and behavioural characteristics have made it a particularly useful animal model for studying many human disorders and diseases. Indeed, through selective breeding programmes numerous strains have been derived that are now the mainstay of research on hypertension, obesity and neurobiology (Okamoto and Aoki Jpn Circ J 27:282-293, 1963; Zucker and Zucker J Hered 52(6):275-278, 1961). Despite this wealth of genetic and phenotypic diversity, the ability to manipulate and interrogate the genetic basis of existing phenotypes in rat strains and the methodology to generate new rat models has lagged significantly behind the advances made with its close cousin, the laboratory mouse. However, recent technical developments in stem cell biology and genetic engineering have again brought the rat to the forefront of biomedical studies and enabled researchers to exploit the increasingly accessible wealth of genome sequence information. In this review, we will describe how a breakthrough in understanding the molecular basis of self-renewal of the pluripotent founder cells of the mammalian embryo, embryonic stem (ES) cells, enabled the derivation of rat ES cells and their application in transgenesis. We will also describe the remarkable progress that has been made in the development of gene editing enzymes that enable the generation of transgenic rats directly through targeted genetic modifications in the genomes of zygotes. The simplicity, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the CRISPR/Cas gene editing system, in particular, mean that the ability to engineer the rat genome is no longer a limiting factor. The selection of suitable targets and gene modifications will now become a priority: a challenge where

ENU mutagenesis to generate genetically modified rat models.

PubMed

van Boxtel, Ruben; Gould, Michael N; Cuppen, Edwin; Smits, Bart M G

2010-01-01

The rat is one of the most preferred model organisms in biomedical research and has been extremely useful for linking physiology and pathology to the genome. However, approaches to genetically modify specific genes in the rat germ line remain relatively scarce. To date, the most efficient approach for generating genetically modified rats has been the target-selected N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis-based technology. Here, we describe the detailed protocols for ENU mutagenesis and mutant retrieval in the rat model organism.

Bacteria isolated from conspecific bite wounds in Norway and black rats: implications for rat bite-associated infections in people.

PubMed

Himsworth, Chelsea G; Zabek, Erin; Tang, Patrick; Parsons, Kirbee L; Koehn, Martha; Jardine, Claire M; Patrick, David M

2014-02-01

Bites associated with wild and domestic Norway and black rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) may have a variety of health consequences in people. Bite-related infections are among the most significant of these consequences; however, there is little data on the infectious agents that can be transmitted from rats to people through biting. This is problematic because without an accurate understanding of bite-related infection risks, it is difficult for health professionals to evaluate the adequacy of existing guidelines for empirical therapy. The objectives of this study were to increase our knowledge of the bacterial species associated with rat bites by studying bite wounds that wild rats inflict upon one another and to review the literature regarding rat bites and bite wound management. Wild Norway and black rats (n=725) were trapped in Vancouver, Canada, and examined for bite wounds in the skin. All apparently infected wounds underwent aerobic and anaerobic culture, and isolated bacteria were identified. Thirty-six rats had bite wound-related infections, and approximately 22 different species of bacteria belonging to 18 genera were identified. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate; however, the majority of infections (72.5%) were polymicrobial. Rat bites can result in infection with a number of aerobic and anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In humans, these wounds are best managed through early recognition and cleansing. The benefit of prophylactic antimicrobial treatment is debatable, but given the deep puncturing nature of rodent bites, we suggest that they should be considered a high risk for infection. Antibiotics selected should include coverage for a broad range of bacterial species.

Bacteria Isolated from Conspecific Bite Wounds in Norway and Black Rats: Implications for Rat Bite–Associated Infections In People

PubMed Central

Zabek, Erin; Tang, Patrick; Parsons, Kirbee L.; Koehn, Martha; Jardine, Claire M.; Patrick, David M.

2014-01-01

Abstract Bites associated with wild and domestic Norway and black rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) may have a variety of health consequences in people. Bite-related infections are among the most significant of these consequences; however, there is little data on the infectious agents that can be transmitted from rats to people through biting. This is problematic because without an accurate understanding of bite-related infection risks, it is difficult for health professionals to evaluate the adequacy of existing guidelines for empirical therapy. The objectives of this study were to increase our knowledge of the bacterial species associated with rat bites by studying bite wounds that wild rats inflict upon one another and to review the literature regarding rat bites and bite wound management. Wild Norway and black rats (n=725) were trapped in Vancouver, Canada, and examined for bite wounds in the skin. All apparently infected wounds underwent aerobic and anaerobic culture, and isolated bacteria were identified. Thirty-six rats had bite wound–related infections, and approximately 22 different species of bacteria belonging to 18 genera were identified. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate; however, the majority of infections (72.5%) were polymicrobial. Rat bites can result in infection with a number of aerobic and anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In humans, these wounds are best managed through early recognition and cleansing. The benefit of prophylactic antimicrobial treatment is debatable, but given the deep puncturing nature of rodent bites, we suggest that they should be considered a high risk for infection. Antibiotics selected should include coverage for a broad range of bacterial species. PMID:24528094