Femoral Strength after Induced Lesions in Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Rats are a common model for the study of bone healing, with the cranium, femur, and tibia being the bones studied most frequently. This study examines noncritical-sized lesions that would allow rats to continue to bear weight without the need for fixation but that are sufficiently large to enable characterization of the healing process. We compared the femoral bone strength associated with 3 lesion sizes selected for use in future studies. Sprague–Dawley rats (age, 10 to 16 wk) were used to assess the ultimate breaking strength, stress, and break force of normal, unmanipulated femurs. We then created lesions of 3 different sizes in the mid- to distal diaphysis of the left and right femurs and characterized the associated decreases in bone strength. Femurs (n= 85) for this study were collected through tissue sharing from rats used in other acute surgical procedures and were tested by using a 3-point bending flexural materials-testing machine. Our hypothesis was that, as a model for bone healing, 3 induced lesions of different sizes would show incremental and proportional decreases in femoral strength, with the intermediate-sized (1.5-mm) lesion demonstrating a decrease of 20% to 40%. A lesion of 1.5 mm yielded a decrease in strength of 17% for both the left and right femurs. The strength of left femurs carrying intermediate lesions was significantly less than that of control, uninjured femur bones. In addition to providing validation for our own future bone-healing project, these data are a useful baseline for other investigators studying bone healing in a rat femur model.Rodents, particularly rats, represent a reliable and affordable model for conducting basic research involving the skeleton.² Although biomechanical techniques for testing bone strength have been well documented, few studies define the theory, methods, and experimental procedures for evaluating the fracture toughness of bone (fracture resistance), especially whole-bone testing in small animals.¹⁰ This said, femurs are still the ideal rat and mouse bones to use to evaluate the fracture toughness properties in small-animal model studies.^4,10 Bending tests are useful to assess the mechanical properties of bones from rodents and other small animals.¹⁵ Even though this method of testing is referred to as a ‘bending test,’ the material (in this case, bone) is actually fractured to assess fracture toughness or breaking. For bending tests, long bones are loaded mainly in bending or compression during normal movement of the animals and are subject to both intrinsic and extrinsic large bending forces.^4,14 In rodents, locomotion results in alternating tension and compression on the cortex of weight-supporting bones during the gait cycle, with no limit on the magnitude or direction in which these forces can be exerted.⁸ This makes testing of bending, compression, torsion or any combination of methods potentially applicable. Therefore we chose to conduct 3-point bending testing on rat femurs. Bones were stressed to the point of fracture and the values required were recorded for computer-assisted analysis.In the testing of bone, the fundamental structural properties of greatest importance are stiffness, strength, and toughness.^8,10 Measured and calculated values of importance are peak force (ultimate breaking strength), fatigue resistance, stress, strain, break force, and energy to break. We chose to collect and compare peak force (measured data) as well as stress and break force (both calculated data). We made these choices because the most important biomechanical property from a clinical point of view is the peak force, which corresponds to the ability of a patient''s leg to resist high loading before a fracture or irreversible deformation occurs.Strength can be tested as tension, compression, bending, or shear.^8,10 Strength as a material parameter is defined as the ultimate stress at which failure occurs, but strength is defined structurally as the ultimate load (or force) when failure of the system occurs.⁸ In the current study, we tested the strength of rat femurs via 3-point bending. We hypothesized that the 1.5-mm lesion, which involved 39% of the bone circumference, would yield a 20% to 40% decrease in strength. In addition, the femurs with induced lesions showed a consistent decrease in strength, with larger lesions associated with lower peak force on both the right and left sides.     

Carriage of Clostridium difficile by Wild Urban Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) and Black Rats (Rattus rattus)

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.     

Effects of Individual and Coexisting Diabetes and Cardiomyopathy on Diastolic Function in Rats (Rattus norvegicus domestica)

The goal of this study was to evaluate diastolic intraventricular pressure gradients (IVPG) and 2-dimensional tissue tracking (2DTT) patterns during diabetes and cardiomyopathy. Rats (n = 60) were induced to become diabetic (DM group, n = 15) by using streptozotocin, to become cardiomyopathic (CM group, n = 15) by using isoproterenol, and to become both diabetic and cardiomyopathic (DMCM group, n = 15); control rats (CT group, n = 15) were injected with saline. Two months after induction, all rats underwent conventional echocardiography, IVPG, and 2DTT and then were euthanized for microscopic examination of cardiac fibrosis. Compared with the controls, all 3 treated groups showed diastolic dysfunction and delayed cardiac relaxation. DMCM rats showed the most pronounced cardiac abnormalities. In addition, CM and DMCM groups had showed decreased middle IVPG, whereas DMCM rats had decreased midapical IVPG. Although the overall IVPG of the CM group was normal, the middle segment was significantly decreased. 2DTT results showed that the DMCM group had a delay in relaxation compared with other groups. IVPG and 2DTT can be used to overcome the limitation of conventional echocardiographic methods and reveal diastolic dysfunction. DM worsened diastolic function during cardiac disease.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease identified by hyperglycemia.¹ DM and associated insulin abnormalities result in hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and multiple organ dysfunction.¹⁸ Diabetic cardiomyopathy is defined as abnormal myocardial structure and performance in the absence of other cardiac risk factors, such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, and significant valvular disease, in patients with DM.³ A previous study showed that diastolic dysfunction could result from DM; and cardiac fibrosis in the interstitial and perivascular areas was a hallmark of long-term DM.²³ Cardiac fibrosis in DM rats results from myocardial infarction.Cardiomyopathy can be induced in rats by using isoproterenol.¹⁷ Cardiomyopathy refers to the cardiac disorder in which myocardial abnormalities result from myocyte injury. Cardiomyopathy has several etiologies, including chronic hypertension, valvular abnormality, and toxin.¹⁵ Both DM and cardiomyopathy are fibrotic heart diseases, but their pathogenesis differs. Moreover, DM and CM cause fibrosis in different heart locations.The diastolic function of the left ventricle (LV) can be defined as the pull of blood into the LV under low filling pressure. Two groups have described the pressure differences that pull the blood through the mitral valve into the ventricle during diastole.^6,16 The difference of pressure between the LV and aorta during systole and the importance of regional pressure differences within the ventricle during relaxation has recently gained attention.^9,29 The diastolic intraventricular pressure gradient (IVPG) in the LV is closely related to LV relaxation. Deterioration of the IVPG is associated with abnormal LV blood flow patterns.²2D tissue tracking (2DTT) echocardiography is a promising technique that quantifies myocardial deformation by tracking the ultrasonographic speckle pattern of the cardiac cycle.¹³ Because of the importance of measuring diastolic function, we used conventional echocardiography, IVPG and 2DTT to evaluate the diastolic impairment without altering systolic function. We studied the relationship between mild (DM rats) and moderate (CM rats) cardiac fibrosis due to myocardial injury and infarction together with the severe fibrosis that develops due to the combination of DM and cardiomyopathy.Streptozotocin and isoproterenol were used to induce DM and cardiomyopathy, respectively. Both cause cardiac fibrosis, but the pathogenesis and affected location are different. Our study was designed to evaluate diastolic IVPG and 2DTT as diastolic indices. Our goal was to delineate IVPG and 2DTT patterns in DM, CM, and very severe fibrotic heart disease induced by combining DM and cardiomyopathy.     

The effects of environmental control on cognition in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The aim of this study was to allow nonhuman animals to control their environment using operant conditioning procedures and to assess the effect of control on cognitive tasks. The study tested 4 predictions: (a) rats (Rattus norvegicus) will control a light stimulus; (b) animals will exhibit preferences for particular stimulus strengths; (c) animals who exert control over environmental stimuli will show improved performance on cognitive tasks compared with animals who lack control; and (d) at the end of the operant phase, experimental subjects will have lower corticosterone levels than animals who lack control. Experimental subjects did show control over a light stimulus and performed significantly better over time in a discrimination task compared with subjects who could not control their environment. There was no difference in corticosterone levels between control and experimental subjects. The results will both contribute to our understanding of how control of environmental stimuli affects the welfare of animals in captive environments and aid in designing experimental conditions that will increase validity and reliability in research.     

Idiopathic megaesophagus in a rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Necropsy and histopathologic examination of a rat (Rattus norvegicus) revealed megaesophagus and gangrenous bronchopneumonia. The esophageal dilitation, mural atrophy with persistence of neural structures, regurgitation and bronchopneumonia seen in this case were similar to findings in other animals with megaesophagus.     

The major histocompatibility complex of the rat (Rattus norvegicus)

This review of the RT1 complex, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the rat, focuses on genetic, genomic, evolutionary, and functional aspects at the molecular level. The class I, class II, and framework genes are listed. The physical map of the RT1 complex as revealed by analysis of clonal contigs is compared with the human and mouse MHC, and the degree of orthologous relationship is outlined. Elucidation of the RT1 complex provides important information for using the rat as a model of experimental transplantation and complex diseases.     

A Two-Year Ecological Study of Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in a Brazilian Urban Slum

The Norway or brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is among the most ubiquitous of rodents. However, the lack of studies describing Norway rat populations from tropical areas have limited our understanding regarding their demography and seasonal dynamics. In this study, we describe seasonal pattern in the abundance, reproductive parameters, and morphometrics of Norway rat populations in Salvador, Brazil. Rodents were trapped over four seasonal trapping periods (2013–2014) from three valleys. A total of 802 Norway rats were trapped over the course of the study over 7653 trap-nights. Norway rat abundance was high, but there was no significant differences between seasons. The reproductive parameters (e.g. frequency of pregnant and lactating females) did not show statistical differences between seasons. Female rats collected in the rainy season were heavier and older than females from the dry season. Salvador rats had a high incidence of pregnancy and birth rate (estimated birth rate of 79 young per year) compared to previous studies. The information generated is critical for the understanding of the ecology of Norway rat, the main reservoir of Leptospira in Salvador. However, future studies examining the effect of rodent control programs aimed at reducing populations, and determining rates of recovery, will further clarify our understanding of population dynamics.     

Withdrawal: Muscle-derived Satellite Cells for Treating Type 1 Diabetes in Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The above article from Journal of Cellular Physiology, “Muscle-derived Satellite Cells for Treating Type 1 Diabetes in Rats (Rattus norvegicus)” by Yu Ren, Hefei Wang, Si Ha, Xingsheng Zhao, Xiao Wang, Yu Lan and Xiaoling Liu published online on 10 January 2018 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been withdrawn by agreement between the journal Editor in Chief Gary S. Stein and John Wiley and Sons, Inc. The retraction has been agreed because the authors are not responding to requests to finalize their article for publication in the journal as the Version of Record.     

Effects of welding fumes on haematological parameters of male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Welders or metal workers not being an exception are exposed to metals ions or oxides (fumes) at trace concentrations either through direct contact supplementation at occupational sites or indirectly through uptake from contaminated food, water or contaminated soil, dust, or air. The study aims to determine the effects of welding fumes exposure on haematological parameters in blood of experimental animals. The fumes were collected from welding sites during the activity by a skilled welder. 130 male experimental animals were utilized and made into 13 groups. 12 groups were given dosages calculated to correspond to real life workers exposure regimes and 1 group served as control. The dosages were administered intratracheally after been anaesthetized weekly for 12 weeks. The animals were sacrificed and whole blood samples were taken which was then subjected to haematological analysis. The parameters have revealed changes in values whereby RBC, WBC, % lymphocytes, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, PLT, PCT and P-LCC have exceeds the control groups values. There was an increase across the treatment groups. However, lymphocytes, MID, granulocytes, % granulocytes, MCHC and MPV have values which were less than the control and no different from one another statistically. This indicates that exposure to welding fumes could cause alterations to most RBC, WBC and PLT indices majorly by effecting an increase. Further studies should be carried out on the response of other markers of toxicity so as to have a broad perception of the effects.     

褐家鼠肥满度的研究

褐家鼠肥满度的研究杨再学,郭世平（贵州省余庆县植保站,５６４４００）ＲｅｌａｔｉｖｅＦａｔｎｅｓｓｏｆＢｒａｎｄ＇ｓＶｏｌｅ（Ｒａｔｔｕｓｎｏｒｖｅｇｉｃｕｓ）．￥ＹａｎｇＺａｉｘｕｅ;ＧｕｏＳｉｐｉｎｇ（ＹｕｑｉｎｇＣｏｕｎｔｙＰｌａｎｔＰｒｏｔｅ...     

Skull growth in the albino rat (Rattus norvegicus)

A longitudinal study of growth in the rat skull, based on serial radiographs, has shown that by the age of one month after birth, the braincase attains some 93% of its adult (fifth-month) size whilst the facial skeleton and mandible attain but 75% of their adult size. By the third month, growth in the braincase has virtually ceased, whereas significant facial growth continues until the age of five months.     

Polymorphisms detected in actin-related sequences of rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Southern blot hybridization of EcoRI digests of DNAs from 13 rat strains using human cardiac actin gene as a probe revealed polymorphisms in actin-related sequences of rats. EcoRI fragments of 11 kb, 7 kb, 6 kb, 5 kb, 4.5 kb and 4 kb detected in several strains were absent in the remaining strains. The presence of these fragments was suggested to be due to presence of extra sequences homologous to the actin genes, such as processed pseudogenes, in the particular strains. The 13 strains were assigned to each of 7 specific patterns of the polymorphic EcoRI fragments. It was concluded that the polymorphisms of actin-related sequences should be useful for genetic monitoring of laboratory rats.     

Polymorphic microsatellite loci of the rat (Rattus norvegicus)

The EMBL and GenBank DNA databases were searched for microsatellite sequences of the rat containing dinucleotide repeats of (CA)_n and (GA)_n. Among those obtained, 23 sequences were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to examine the size variation of the amplified fragment in inbred rat strains. All of the 23 microsatellite sequences varied in size among the strains tested. The 23 microsatellite loci in a pair of substrains separated from the same progenitor strain were then analyzed. Fragments identical in size were observed in all loci of the two substrains, indicating the stability of the microsatellite over a large number of generations. The microsatellite loci, therefore, should be useful markers for linkage analyses in the rat.     

Hemoglobin polymorphism in inbred strains of rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Hemoglobin phenotypes A and B were determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of erythrocyte lysates from 29 inbred strains of rats. Fourteen strains have phenotype A and fifteen have phenotype B, which are characterized by five and six hemoglobin bands, respectively. Breeding studies showed that the phenotypes are codominant and that they segregate in a simple Mendelian fashion in the (A×B) F₁×A backcross. Sex and hemoglobin phenotype assort independently, and the hemoglobin phenotype is not linked to the major histocompatibility complex (RT1) and to two erythrocyte alloantigenic systems (RT2 and RT3).This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant CA 18659.     

Influences of food type on food-carrying behavior in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

It is known that rats tend to eat a smaller/lighter piece of food at the food source but carry a larger/heavier one to the nest for consumption. This could be interpreted well in terms of the trade-off or motivational conflict between "feeding" and "risk avoidance", because eating food immediately satisfies feeding motivation while carrying food has an advantage to avoid predatory risk by keeping time spent outside the nest shorter. In the present study, influences of incentive factors of feeding motivation on food-carrying behavior were evaluated using three different kinds of food that were identical in weight. There was no significant difference in food-carrying tendency among the three kinds of food, though a significant preference was indicated among the food. The results suggest that food-carrying behavior is not influenced by food types.     

The influence of females upon aggression in domesticated male rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The aggression of adult male Long-Evans rats (Rattus norvegicus), toward males of the same strain, was tested before and after a 1-week period of cohabitation with a pair of intact females, ovariectomized females, or intact males, comparable to the females in size. Only cohabitation with intact females increased the aggression of resident males against unfamiliary male intruders. Female enhancement of aggression does not appear to be caused by sexual frustration of males, or a function of dominance-subordinance relations, per se. Increased aggression may be mediated by elevated testosterone production associated with mating.     

Ecology of Leptospira interrogans in Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in an Inner-City Neighborhood of Vancouver,Canada

Background

Leptospira interrogans is a bacterial zoonosis with a worldwide distribution for which rats (Rattus spp.) are the primary reservoir in urban settings. In order to assess, monitor, and mitigate the risk to humans, it is important to understand the ecology of this pathogen in rats. The objective of this study was to characterize the ecology of L. interrogans in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Trapping was performed in 43 city blocks, and one location within the adjacent port, over a 12 month period. Kidney samples were tested for the presence of L. interrogans using PCR and sequencing. A multivariable model was built to predict L. interrogans infection status in individual rats using season and morphometric data (e.g., weight, sex, maturity, condition, etc.) as independent variables. Spatial analysis was undertaken to identify clusters of high and low L. interrogans prevalence. The prevalence of L. interrogans varied remarkably among blocks (0–66.7%), and spatial clusters of both high and low L. interrogans prevalence were identified. In the final cluster-controlled model, characteristics associated with L. interrogans-infection in rats included weight (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07–1.20), increased internal fat (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.06–4.25), and number of bite wounds (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.96–1.49).

Conclusions/Significance

Because L. interrogans prevalence varied with weight, body fat, and bite wounds, this study suggests that social structure and interactions among rats may influence transmission. The prevalence and distribution of L. interrogans in rats was also highly variable even over a short geographic distance. These factors should be considered in future risk management efforts.