Point-of-care ketone meters may be used to estimate serum ß-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in healthy African penguins (Spheniscus demersus).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the agreement between 3 point-of-care (POC) devices and a reference laboratory for measuring ß-hydroxybutyrate (ß-HB) concentration in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) whole blood (WB) and plasma samples and the precision of each POC device for measuring ß-HB concentration in plasma samples. ANIMALS: 48 healthy African penguins. PROCEDURES: Blood was obtained from the right jugular vein of each penguin, and ß-HB concentration was measured on each POC device using fresh WB and heparinized plasma and at the reference laboratory using plasma. ß-HB concentration was measured in plasma on each POC device. RESULTS: All devices overestimated serum ß-HB concentrations on average by 0.46 mM relative to the reference laboratory. WB samples had less error than plasma for meters A and C. Meter A had the lowest total error observed (26.4%) and the lowest mean difference (0.19 mmol/L) relative to the reference laboratory. Controlling for other factors, the magnitude of disagreement was not affected by sex, age, packed cell volume, or serum total solids concentration. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: WB, not plasma, should be used for measurement of ß-HB concentration on the POC meters tested. Meter A showed good correlation with the reference laboratory for WB. The use of POC devices for the measurement of ß-HB concentration may be acceptable when laboratory analyzers are not available. Further research is needed for clinical application and the diagnostic value of POC meters compared with reference laboratories.

Mesenchymal stem cells accelerate bone allograft incorporation in the presence of diabetes mellitus.

Allograft (Allo) incorporation in the presence of a systemic disease like diabetes mellitus (DM) is becoming a major issue in the orthopedic community. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent stem cells that may be derived from adult, whole bone marrow and have been shown to induce bone formation in segmental defects when combined with the appropriate carrier/scaffold. The objectives of this study were to analyze the effect of DM upon Allo incorporation in a segmental rat femoral defect and to also investigate MSC augmentation of Allo incorporation. Segmental (5 mm) femoral defects were created in non-DM and DM rats and treated with Allo containing demineralized bone matrix (DBM) or DBM with MSC augmentation. Histological scoring at 4 weeks demonstrated less mature bone in the DM/DBM group compared to its non-DM counterpart (p < 0.001). However, there was significantly more mature bone in the DM/MSC group when compared to the DM/DBM group at both 4 and 8 weeks (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004). Furthermore, significantly more bone formation was observed in the DM/MSC group compared to the DM/DBM group at the 4-week time point (p < 0.001). The results of this study suggest that MSC are a potential adjunct for bone regeneration when implanted in an orthotopic site in the presence of DM.

The interaction of bombesin and corticotropin-releasing hormone on ingestive behavior in the domestic fowl.

An experiment was conducted to investigate if bombesin (BM) elicits its effects on feeding through the release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) and broiler cockerels were stereotaxically implanted with a 23-gauge stainless steel cannula in the right lateral ventricle. Birds were infused with 0 or 0.5 microg BM, 5 microg alphaCRF (a CRF antagonist), or a combination of both. Food and water consumption were monitored at 15-min intervals through 3 h postinjection. Food and water consumption were both significantly decreased by BM in both SCWL and broilers. In SCWL, alphaCRF had no effect on food intake by itself, but attenuated the effects of BM. In broilers, alphaCRF caused a slight, but significant, decrease in food intake, but also attenuated the effects of BM. Water consumption was not affected by alphaCRF in either broilers or SCWL. We conclude that BM may mediate its central effects on food intake in chickens through the release of CRF.