scholarly journals Improving Stereotaxic Neurosurgery Techniques and Procedures Greatly Reduces the Number of Rats Used per Experimental Group—A Practice Report

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2662
Author(s):  
Barbara Ferry ◽  
Damien Gervasoni

Techniques of stereotaxic surgery are commonly used in research laboratories by a range of students, technicians, and researchers. To meet the evolving requirements imposed by international legislation, and to promote the implementation of 3R rules (replacement, reduction, and refinement) by reducing experimental error, animal morbidity, and mortality, it is essential that standard operating procedures and proper conduct following such complex surgeries be precisely described and respected. The present report shows how refinements of our own neurosurgical techniques over decades, have significantly reduced the number of animals (rats) used in experiments and improved the animals’ well-being during the post-surgical recovery period. The current pre-, per-, and post-surgical procedures used in our laboratory are detailed. We describe the practical aspects of stereotaxic neurosurgery that have been refined in our laboratory since 1992 and that cover various areas including appropriate anesthesia and pain management during and after surgery, methods to determine the stereotaxic coordinates, and the best approach to the target brain structure. The application of these optimal surgical methods that combine reliable and reproducible results with an acute awareness of ethics and animal welfare leads to a significant reduction in the number of animals included in experimental research in accordance with ethical and regulatory rules as required by the European Directive on laboratory animal welfare.

Author(s):  
A. Zimmermann ◽  
C. Visscher ◽  
M. Kaltschmitt

AbstractFructans are carbohydrates consisting of fructose monomers linked by β-2,1- and/or β-2,6-glycosidic bonds with linear or branched structure. These carbohydrates belong to the group of prebiotic dietary fibre with health-promoting potential for humans and mammals due to their indigestibility and selective stimulation of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. This makes fructans interesting mainly for healthy food as well as animal feed applications. As a consequence of a growing public awareness for animal welfare, dietary fibre and thus fructans move into the focus as a fibre-rich feeding improving not only animals’ health but also their well-being. Against this background, this paper summarises the known effects of fructans focusing on pigs and highlights the state of the art in fructan production processes from plant material as well as selected current research lines. Additionally, an attempt is made to assess the potential of European fructan production for an application as animal feed. Based on this, challenges in the field of fructan production are addressed and alternative substrates for fructans are discussed and pointed out.


2021 ◽  
Vol 271 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-270
Author(s):  
Johanna Seifert ◽  
Catharina Meissner ◽  
Anna Birkenstock ◽  
Stefan Bleich ◽  
Sermin Toto ◽  
...  

AbstractOn March 11th, 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic. Governments took drastic measures in an effort to reduce transmission rates and virus-associated morbidity. This study aims to present the immediate effects of the pandemic on patients presenting in the psychiatric emergency department (PED) of Hannover Medical School. Patients presenting during the same timeframe in 2019 served as a control group. A decrease in PED visits was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic with an increase in repeat visits within 1 month (30.2 vs. 20.4%, pBA = 0.001). Fewer patients with affective disorders utilized the PED (15.2 vs. 22.2%, pBA = 0.010). Suicidal ideation was stated more frequently among patients suffering from substance use disorders (47.4 vs. 26.8%, pBA = 0.004), while patients with schizophrenia more commonly had persecutory delusions (68.7 vs. 43.5%, pBA = 0.023) and visual hallucinations (18.6 vs. 3.3%, pBA = 0.011). Presentation rate of patients with neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders increased. These patients were more likely to be male (48.6 vs. 28.9%, pBA = 0.060) and without previous psychiatric treatment (55.7 vs. 36.8%, pBA = 0.089). Patients with personality/behavioral disorders were more often inhabitants of psychiatric residencies (43.5 vs. 10.8%, pBA = 0.008). 20.1% of patients stated an association between psychological well-being and COVID-19. Most often patients suffered from the consequences pertaining to social measures or changes within the medical care system. By understanding how patients react to such a crisis situation, we can consider how to improve care for patients in the future and which measures need to be taken to protect these particularly vulnerable patients.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randhir S. Ranta ◽  
Vijay Kumar Sharma ◽  
Pankaj Gupta

The study pertains to the parenting stress, which is believed to be the resultant of child disability and further assesses the needs of the families across selected pockets of Himachal Himalaya. Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) and Need Assessment Scale were used for the purpose. For assessing the stress level among the parents, PQS was administered among two hundred parents having disabled children, herein called experimental group and two hundred parents with normal children, herein called control group. A three point Need assessment scale was used to measure the needs of 200 families on five different parameters. The result of t-test shows the significant difference between experimental and control groups indicating that the parents of disabled children experience more stress than their control counterpart. The study indicates that people need proper guidance and information regarding a child’s disability, nutritional requirements of a child, vocational training and child management. There is a need for proper counselling for parents suffering from stress and creating consciousness among parents of children with disabilities and in the society.


Author(s):  
Brij Bhushan Singh ◽  
Shubi Mirja ◽  
Samiya Husain

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of yogic practices on cardio-vascular efficiency. Material and methods: Total Forty (40) subject’s boys/girls were selected as the sample of the study through the random sampling and their age ranged between 20 to 25 years from the Department of Physical Education, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. The subjects were divided into two groups comprising 20 subjects in each group, namely group “A” (the experimental group) performs yogic practices (Asanas, Pranayamas and Kriyas) and group “B” (the control group) served as control. Statistical technique: for the assessment of the cardiovascular efficiency through Harvard step test pre and post-test was conducted and t-test was applied for the analysis. Result: revealed that there exist a significant difference between group A and group B, at .05 level of significance. On the basis of the pre and post-test among experimental and control group, experimental group found better than the control group on cardiovascular efficiency and significant result were found in this study.


2021 ◽  
pp. 28-31
Author(s):  
Urja S. Vaidya ◽  
Roshani S. Patel

Background: Sciatica is a radiating pain which is treated with manual accupressure and after a time electro accupressure came into introduction. Aim And Objective: Aim: To nd out the effectiveness of accupressure pen to improve the distance variable To nd out the effect of Objective: accupressure pen on pain and distance variable in sciatica patient To compare the experimental group to the control group On the basis of Method: inclusion and exclusion criteria 30 participants were selected. They were treated with electro accupressure pen for 3 alternative days / week for 3 weeks, after that re-assessment was taken with NPRS, Slump and Distance variables. The data was analyzed using SPSS Version Results: 21.Parametric test was used .In Group A improvement was seen Accupressure Conclusions: pen is effective to reduce pain and improve step length and stride length in Sciatica Patients


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfei Jin ◽  
Yuqing Wang ◽  
Hongwen Ma ◽  
Xu Tian ◽  
Wang Honghong

Abstract Aims To evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of positive psychological intervention (PPI) on the psychological capital, psychological distress, and life satisfaction among colostomy patients. Methods Patients (n=120) with permanent stomas were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups. Patients in the experimental group (n=60) received standard care and PPI, whereas patients in the control group (n=60) only received standard care. The psychological capital, psychological distress, and life satisfaction were measured and compared between two groups before the intervention, the immediate post-intervention, and follow-up. Results All 120 patients completed the study. The hope, optimism, resilience, psychological distress, and life satisfaction score of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at T1 and T2 (P<0.05). Self-efficacy score of the experimental group had no significant difference at the two-time points after the intervention than the control group (P>0.05). Changes in hope and resilience which belong to psychological capital mediated the intervention’s efficacy on changes in PPI on life satisfaction (β = 0.265, P=0.005; β = 0.686, P=0.002). Conclusions PPI could effectively improve psychological capital, psychological distress, and life satisfaction among patients with stomas. Besides, our findings add novel support that increased hope and resilience are the active ingredients that promote intervention change.


Author(s):  
Abhishek Yadav ◽  
Rajeev Mohan Kaushik ◽  
Reshma Kaushik

Abstract This prospective study assessed the effects of diaphragmatic breathing and systematic relaxation on depression, anxiety, and stress levels, as well as glycemic control, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). One hundred patients with T2DM were randomly assigned to two equal groups: Group A patients received conventional treatment for T2DM, and Group B patients received conventional treatment for T2DM plus training in diaphragmatic breathing and systematic relaxation and home practice of these stress-management techniques for 6 months. Stress, depression, and anxiety levels, blood sugar, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were recorded at baseline and after 6 months of treatment in all patients. Baseline characteristics were compared using the chi-square test and student’s t test. Changes in mental well-being and glycemic status were assessed for their significance in each group using student’s t test and compared between two groups using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Baseline levels of the respective change outcome and duration of diabetes were used as covariates in the ANCOVA. A significant decrease was seen in depression, anxiety, and stress scores in Group B, but in Group A only the stress score decreased after 6 months. A significant decline occurred in blood sugar (fasting, 2-hour postprandial, and random) and HbA1c in both groups after 6 months. There was a larger decrease in depression and anxiety scores and HbA1c in Group B than in Group A. The decrease in HbA1c was significantly correlated with the decrease in anxiety and stress scores in both groups and with the depression score in Group A. Thus, the addition of diaphragmatic breathing and systematic relaxation to conventional T2DM treatment appears to have led to improvement in mental well-being and glycemic control in patients with T2DM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e12587-e12587
Author(s):  
Sidra Afzal ◽  
Asad Parvaiz ◽  
Nida Javed

e12587 Background: : Although post mastectomy Immediate breast reconstruction has shown to improve physical and psychosocial well-being of breast cancer patients, this is not a usual procedure in Pakistan due to limited resources and lack of awareness. The aim of our study is to evaluate patient’s satisfaction/ aesthetic outcomes between the patients undergoing mastectomy alone (Group A) and the ones undergoing mastectomy followed by immediate reconstruction (Group B). Methods: This is a prospective study conducted at Shaukat Khanum Hospital Pakistan comparing aesthetic outcome, patient’s satisfaction and Quality of life between two groups using Breast Q module. All patients undergoing mastectomy with and without reconstruction between April 2017 to July 2019 are included. Sample size of 84 was calculated (42 in each group). Results: The mean Q score of satisfaction with the breast in group B is 82.64 and in group A is 35.82 (P = 0.001). The mean Q score of Psychosocial well-being in group B is 89 vs 44.95 in group A (P = 0.001). The mean Q score of Physical well-being in group B is 98.23 vs 90.41 in group A (P = 0.002). The mean Q score of sexual well-being in group B is 81.93 vs 43 in Group A (P = 0.001). [Mean difference in score of 5-10 - little change, 10-20 - moderate change, > 20 - significant change].The mean difference between two groups in satisfaction with breast , psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being is more than 20 with a statistically significant p-value, while in physical well-being the mean difference is 7.8 which falls in little change group. Conclusions: Our study shows that reconstruction helps breast cancer patients in providing comprehensive care in a manner that they achieve a higher satisfaction with their appearance, psychological and sexual well-being without compromising oncological safety and this should be practiced more in our country. Also patients education about these procedures should be raised to help them fighting against this disease


Author(s):  
Tatyana Yurievna Ledvanova ◽  
Yulia Borisovna Barylnik ◽  
Natal’a Valer’evna Filippova ◽  
Mariya Nikolaevna Nosova ◽  
Sergey Alekseevich Goryunov

The problem of preventing and reducing the level of occupational morbidity among agricultural workers is of particular importance, since occupational diseases are the cause of high disability and mortality rates of the working-age population all over the world. As a research task, the authors made an attempt to identify the features of the interdependence of the components of self-awareness and conflicts in value orientations for the manifestation of the phenomenology of disorders with further designation of the targets of psychotherapy. An experimental psychological study which included 40 agricultural workers with occupational diseases of the peripheral nervous system (experimental group) and without diseases (control group) was carried out using the multilevel personality questionnaire «Adaptability», the self-attitude test questionnaire by V.V. Stolin and S.R. Panteleev, and Schwartz's methodology «Value orientations». As a result of the study, it was found that in the subjects of the experimental group, in contrast to healthy individuals, the hyposthenic type of response prevails, there is the average level of neuropsychic tension, there is no tendency to reactions of the impulsive type, and a high negative and statistically significant relationship between the indicator of conflict in values and the level of personal adaptive potential is identified. The results of the study indicate that among agricultural workers with occupational diseases of the peripheral nervous system, accentuations of the character of the «inhibited» circle prevail, there is an increased level of anxiety and low tolerance to unfavorable factors of professional activity. The dominant personal values at the level of convictions are personal success in accordance with social standards and enjoyment of life, and at the level of behavior — understanding and protecting the well-being of all people and nature, preserving and increasing the well-being of loved ones. With an increase in conflict in value orientations, the adaptive potential of the respondents decreases, and a decrease in the level of self-attitude entails a decrease in adaptation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (32) ◽  
pp. 3039-3042
Author(s):  
Lekshmi Raj Jalaja ◽  
Stuti Lohia ◽  
Priyadarsini Bentur ◽  
Ravi Ramgiri

‘Obesity’ is defined as a condition with excess body fat to the extent that health and well-being are adversely affected and uses a class system based on the body mass index (BMI), by the world health organization (WHO). Anaesthetic management of morbidly obese is challenging, as there is an increased risk of perioperative respiratory insufficiency and supplemental oxygen must be given throughout recovery period. The incidence of morbid obesity continues to grow and anaesthesiologists are exposed to obese patients presenting for various procedures. The prevalence of obesity is on the upward trend worldwide. Obesity is a multisystem disorder, involving the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and therefore, undergoing a surgical procedure under anaesthesia may entail a considerable risk. Thus, a multidisciplinary approach is required in treating such patients. Quantification of the extent of obesity is done using the body mass index. BMI is defined as the relationship between weight and height (weight [kg] / height2 [m2 ]).


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