Pig cognitive bias affects the conversion of muscle into meat by antioxidant and autophagy mechanisms.

Slaughter is a crucial step in the meat production chain that could induce psychological stress on each animal, resulting in a physiological response that can differ among individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between an animal's emotional state, the subsequent psychological stress at slaughter and the cellular damage as an effect. In all, 36 entire male pigs were reared at an experimental farm and a cognitive bias test was used to classify them into positive bias (PB) or negative bias (NB) groups depending on their decision-making capabilities. Half of the animals, slaughtered in the same batch, were used for a complete study of biomarkers of stress, including brain neurotransmitters and some muscle biomarkers of oxidative stress. After slaughter, specific brain areas were excised and the levels of catecholamines (noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA)) and indoleamines (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and serotonin (5HT)) were analyzed. In addition, muscle proteasome activity (20S), antioxidant defence (total antioxidant activity (TAA)), oxidative damage (lipid peroxidation (LPO)) and autophagy biomarkers (Beclin-1, microtubule-associated protein I light chain 3 (LC3-I) and LC3-II) were monitored during early postmortem maturation (0 to 24 h). Compared with PB animals, NB pigs were more susceptible to stress, showing higher 5HT levels (P<0.01) in the hippocampus and lower DA (P<0.001) in the pre-frontal cortex. Furthermore, NB pigs had more intense proteolytic processes and triggered primary muscle cell survival mechanisms immediately after slaughter (0 h postmortem), thus showing higher TAA (P<0.001) and earlier proteasome activity (P<0.001) and autophagy (Beclin-1, P<0.05; LC3-II/LC3-I, P<0.001) than PB pigs, in order to counteract the induced increase in oxidative stress, that was significantly higher in the muscle of NB pigs at 0 h postmortem (LPO, P<0.001). Our study is the first to demonstrate that pig's cognitive bias influences the animal's susceptibility to stress and has important effects on the postmortem muscle metabolism, particularly on the cell antioxidant defences and the autophagy onset. These results expand the current knowledge regarding biomarkers of animal welfare and highlight the potential use of biomarkers of the proteasome, the autophagy (Beclin-1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio) and the muscle antioxidant defence (TAA, LPO) for detection of peri-slaughter stress.

Effect of animal mixing as a stressor on biomarkers of autophagy and oxidative stress during pig muscle maturation.

The objective of this work was to study the postmortem evolution of potential biomarkers of autophagy (Beclin 1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio) and oxidative stress (total antioxidant activity, TAA; superoxide dismutase activity, SOD and catalase activity, CAT) in the Longissimus dorsi muscle of entire male ((Large White×Landrace)×Duroc) pigs subjected to different management treatments that may promote stress, such as mixing unfamiliar animals at the farm and/or during transport and lairage before slaughter. During the rearing period at the farm, five animals were never mixed after the initial formation of the experimental groups (unmixed group at the farm, UF), whereas 10 animals were subjected to a common routine of being mixed with unfamiliar animals (mixed group at the farm, MF). Furthermore, two different treatments were used during the transport and lairage before slaughter: 10 pigs were not mixed (unmixed group during transport and lairage, UTL), whereas five pigs were mixed with unfamiliar animals on the lorry and during lairage (mixed group during transport and lairage, MTL). These mixing treatments were then combined into three pre-slaughter treatments - namely, UF-UTL, MF-UTL and MF-MTL. The results show that MF-UTL and MF-MTL increased significantly the muscle antioxidant defense (TAA, SOD and CAT) at short postmortem times (4 and 8 h; P<0.001), followed by an earlier depletion of the antioxidant activity at 24 h postmortem (P<0.05). We also found that mixing unfamiliar animals, both at the farm and during transport and lairage, triggers postmortem muscle autophagy, which showed an earlier activation (higher expression of Beclin 1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio at 4 h postmortem followed by a decreasing pattern of this ratio along first 24 h postmortem) in the muscle tissues of animals from the MF-UTL and MF-MTL groups, as an adaptive strategy of the muscle cells for counteracting induced stress. From these results, we propose that monitoring the evolution of the main biomarkers of autophagy (Beclin 1, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio) and muscle antioxidant defense (TAA, SOD, CAT) in the muscle tissue within the first 24 h postmortem may help the detection of animal stress and its potential effect on the postmortem muscle metabolism.

Autophagic and proteolytic processes in the Harderian gland are modulated during the estrous cycle.

The Syrian hamster Harderian gland (HG) is an organ that undergoes physiological autophagy in response to oxidative stress induced by porphyrin production. Porphyrin production in the HG has marked sex differences and is closely linked to reproductive function. In the present study, we observed that the estrous cycle and associated estrogen variations may affect oxidative-stress-induced proteolytic processes. In particular, significant changes in autophagic activity were detected during the estrous cycle. Notably, increased activation of macroautophagy as well as chaperone-mediated autophagy in the estrus phase coincided with a minimal antioxidant capability and the highest protein damage levels. By contrast, autophagic machinery was found to be blocked in the diestrus phase, likely due to mammalian target of rapamycin activation, which could be corroborated by the subsequent pS6K activation. Analogous results were observed regarding proteasome activity, which also showed maximal activity in the estrus phase. Interestingly, all these mechanisms were associated with important morphological changes in the HG during the estrous cycle. We observed statistically significant increases in Type II cells, which may be related to extensive autophagy in the estrus phase. Physiologically, this would result in a significant release of porphyrins specifically when females are more receptive. These data support the role of porphyrins as pheromones, as other authors have previously suggested, thus making the HG a scent organ. In addition, these results suggest a porphyrin-based approach to the treatment of porphyria during pregnancy, a condition for which no treatment is currently known.

[Traumatic spondyloptosis of L4-L5. A case report and literature review]. / Espondiloptosis traumática de L4-L5. Reporte de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

The term Spondyloptosis is used to describe a grade V spondylolisthesis, being a subluxation bigger than 100%. The trauma spondyloptosis binding L5-S1 is reported the most prevalent. It is rare in the cephalad lumbar segment to the lumbosacral junction. Two cases of spondyloptosis of L4-L5 have been reported until August 2010, caused by high energy trauma, both with the L4 vertebral body presented an anterior displacement of the vertebral body of L5. We report a patient with traumatic spondyloptosis of L4-L5 caused by a high-energy mechanism. The mechanism of injury and surgical management are described and the clinical evaluation is performed with a minimum follow-up of 8 months.

Artrodesis intersomática lumbar mediante cajas intersomáticas expansivas / Lumbar interbody fusion using expansive intersomatic cages

Objetivo: Se presenta un estudio retrospectivo sobre artrodesis intersomática lumbar y lumbosacra por vía posterior utilizando cajas intersomáticas expansivas.Material y método: Se evaluaron 36 cajas implantadas en 16 pacientes durante un periodo de 2 años y con un seguimiento medio de 13,6 meses. Las cajas estaban fabricadas en aleación de titanio no recubierto, con forma tronco-cónica y rosca exterior. Su estructura interna permite el relleno con injertos óseos y una capacidad de expansión de 4 mm preservando así la lordosis lumbar. Para la evaluación objetiva de la artrodesis se emplearon estudios estáticos y funcionales de columna lumbosacra con radiología simple, así como análisis de imagen mediante TAC en todos los pacientes. Se aplicó la escala de Prolo, para la evaluación de los resultados.Resultados: Se obtuvieron 10 resultados excelentes (62 por ciento), 5 (31 por ciento) buenos y 1 (8 por ciento) malo. Empleando estrictamente criterios establecidos radiológicos, la totalidad de los segmentos vertebrales resultaron en artrodesis (AU)

Patellar complications after total knee arthroplasty.

One hundred total knee arthroplasties implanted between 1989 and 1993 in 70 women and 30 men (average age 67.4 years) have been retrospectively reviewed. Six late patellar complications occurred: two fractures, two subluxations, one dislocation and one loosening. Four had a further operation. The patient's age, type of implant, lateral patellar release, thickness of the implant and the final range of movement were studied. Complications have been more common in men (8.7%) than women (5.2%) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). This may be because men make a greater functional demand on their arthroplasties. No other factors were relevant.

[Pediatric pharmacology: is treatment of children preceded by an adequate investigation?]. / Farmacología pediátrica: va la terapéutica infantil precedida de una adecuada investigación?

The articles published in 1985 in 9 journals (3 of Internal Medicine, 3 of Pediatrics and 3 of Clinical Pharmacology) are revised with the purpose of studying: a) Number of clinical trials published. b) Number of clinical trials published accomplished in children. Among the 533 trials published, 102 were done in children. The type of trial done is studied based on the methodology used, if healthy volunteers are included, if pharmacokinetics studies were done, the ages of the subjects, the number of subjects included, the sex and the way of obtaining the informed consent.