Infrared Thermal Imaging during the Estrous Cycle in Adult Wistar Rats.

The collection and examination method of vaginal smears is the standard for the determination of ovulation or phases of the estrous cycle of rodents used in research. However, this method is time consuming and may not be amenable to continual monitoring of a large number of animals. Infrared thermography has recently emerged as a noninvasive technique that requires relatively little handling of animals. The body temperature of rodents has been shown to correlate with the ocular surface temperature. This study aimed to evaluate the use of thermographic monitoring of the ocular surface for the identification of estrus in rats. Vaginal smears were collected from female Wistar rats (n = 22) for 14 consecutive days. Core body temperature was estimated by measuring ocular surface temperature using a thermal camera; vaginal temperature was measured using a digital thermometer. Average temperatures were calculated for each rat for each phase of the estrous cycle. The highest core body and vaginal temperature were measured during the estrus phase (37.2 ± 0.6 °C and 37.7 ± 0.6 °C, respectively). The temperatures then fell as the rat entered the diestrus phase (36.8 ± 0.5 °C and 37 ± 0.5 °C). The core body temperature was positively correlated with vaginal temperature (r = 0.697, P < 0.001). In conclusion, thermography is a less invasive method of determining estrus in rats as compared with vaginal smear collection. However, thermography is less accurate and requires at least a 12-d period of measurement.

Severe gestational diabetes mellitus in lean dams is associated with low IL-1α levels and affects the growth of the juvenile mouse offspring.

We investigated how maternal gestational diabetes (GDM) impacts the metabolic status of offspring. GDM was induced in CD1 mice consuming a fast-food diet (FFD) by repeated low-dose streptozotocin injections before mating. Offspring of normoglycemic standard chow or the FFD consuming dams served as controls. In 4-week-old offspring weaned to standard chow, plasma concentrations of extracellular DNA, inflammatory markers, and parameters of the cardiometabolic status (glycemia, liver lipid content; body, organ, and fat weight) were determined. Two-factor analysis of variance indicated that the male offspring of GDM dams manifest postnatal growth retardation and lower relative kidney weight. Regardless of sex, GDM offspring manifest the lowest IL-1α levels, and other inflammatory markers showed mild and inconsistent alterations. Offspring of dams consuming the FFD displayed higher liver triacylglycerols content. The three groups of offspring showed no significant differences in glycemia and extracellular DNA. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis indicated that male GDM offspring present lower kidney, body, and brown adipose tissue weights; lower IL-1α levels, and higher concentrations of GM-CSF and IL-10 compared with their FFD counterparts. The model failed to select discriminative variables in females. In conclusion, in mice, maternal GDM in the absence of obesity adversely affects the early growth of juvenile male offspring.

A considerable proportion of metabolic syndrome-free adults from Bratislava Region, Slovakia, display an increased cardiometabolic burden.

Although the dichotomous classification of metabolic syndrome (MS) enables the classification of individuals as MS-free or presenting MS, it is inconvenient for assessing cardiometabolic risk in MS-free individuals. Continuous MS score allows for estimation of cardiometabolic burden even in MS-free subjects. We used the scores to estimate the proportion of MS-free subjects on high cardiometabolic risk. A total of 876 subjects (62% females) of Central European descent, aged 20-81 years, were included. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria were employed to classify MS. Continuous scores were calculated. We used the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis to estimate the cutoff value to determine the proportion of MS-free subjects on increased risk. Using the waist circumference, 38% of males and 23% of females presented MS. ROC area under the curves (90%-98%) showed an acceptable performance of both scores to classify the presence of MS. Up to 18% of MS-free males and up to 10% of females displayed continuous score ≥ the relevant cutoff point. The waist-to-height ratio performed similar results. Both continuous scores were proven credible for assessing cardiometabolic risk in MS-free subjects. Clinically, this is important for earlier intervention. Despite minor differences between waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio, it would be appropriate to objectify it using reference population. Novelty: The first study using Z-MSS/siMSS (population-specific Z-score/continuous score of MS) to estimate cardiometabolic risk in Slovak adults. A proportion of MS-free Slovak adults is on high cardiometabolic risk. Difference between using waist circumference and the waist-to-height ratio does not seem to be major in our cohort.

Neurodevelopmental testing of mice in the neonatal period does not affect their locomotor activity, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviour in adolescence.

Neonatal life is a sensitive period of brain plasticity. There are concerns that pre-weaning handling may therefore alter behavioural phenotype in adolescence or adulthood. Since neurodevelopment tests require daily manipulation with pups, later behavioural outcomes might be biased by repeated handling during suckling period. The aim of our study was to assess whether daily neurodevelopmental testing would cause alterations in behavioural phenotype. Sixty-four CD1 mice were randomized to tested and not tested group. In the tested group, maturation of physical features and neurodevelopment were monitored daily from postnatal day 1-21 between 9 and 11 AM. After weaning, battery of behavioural tests to monitor anxiety-like, depressive, or repetitive behaviour was performed in all mice. We revealed no significant between-group differences in performance of these tests. Our data did not confirm the assumption that early neurodevelopment testing during suckling period affects behavioural phenotype in adolescence.