Patterns of spontaneous activity are valuable reflections of well-being in animals and humans and, because of this, investigations have frequently incorporated some form of activity monitoring into their studies. It is widely believed that activity monitoring, alongside assessments of general behaviour, should be included in initial CNS safety pharmacology screening. As the number of marmoset studies having actimetry as their focus, or as an adjunct, is increasing, we wished to evaluate an alternative approach to those commonly used. The method is based on miniaturized accelerometer technologies, currently used for human activity monitoring.Actiwatch-Minis were used to monitor the activity of two groups of differently housed marmosets for 14 consecutive days. Group A consisted of four mixed-sex pairs of animals and group B comprised eight group-housed males. Activity profiles were generated for weekday and weekend periods. The devices captured quantifiable data which showed differences in total activity between the two differently housed groups and revealed intragroup variations in the temporal spread of activity between weekdays and weekends. The Actiwatch-Mini has been shown to generate retrospective, data-logged activity counts recorded from multiple animals in a single arena by means of non-invasive monitoring.

Tadpoles in small, ephemeral pools whose duration and food content are unpredictable can potentially encounter substantial variation in diet composition and availability. We compared the effects of 10 days of food deprivation occurring early, midway and late in ontogeny on the metamorphic size and bioenergetic properties of Hyla chrysoscelis tadpoles. Tadpoles fed throughout ontogeny were controls. Metamorphs from tadpoles starved early and midway in ontogeny had the same snout-vent length and dry mass as controls, but the time to metamorphosis was extended by 8 and 19% respectively. Metamorphs of tadpoles starved late in development attained 85% of the length and 55% of the mass of controls, metamorphosed at the same time as controls, and suffered mortality 15 times greater than other treatments, perhaps because they were near the absolute minimum necessary level of energy reserves. There were no significant differences in percent organic matter, percent tissue water, condition index, and protein or glycogen concentrations between any experimental and control treatments. If food deprivation occurred early in development, the tadpoles caught up to the size of controls, but an extended developmental time would increase the risk of predation or habitat loss. If food reductions occur late in development, perhaps magnified by pond desiccation, tadpoles are stimulated to metamorphose at the same time as controls but at a smaller size. The bioenergetic composition of tadpoles at metamorphosis is unaffected by time of food deprivation.

Beneficial effects of nebulized NAC were apparent following inhaled sulfur mustard exposure. Further therapeutic benefit may result from a combination therapy approach.

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These findings are consistent with those seen in the early stages of acute lung injury (ALI).

Toxic industrial chemicals e.g., phosgene, are widely used as reactive intermediates in industrial processes. Inhalation exposure to these chemicals can result in life-threatening acute lung injury (ALI), to which no specific antidote exists. This study aimed to assess the potential benefit of steroids in treating phosgene induced ALI. Anesthetized pigs were instrumented, exposed to phosgene Ct 2000 mg.min.m(-3) (Ct is the product of concentration [mg.m(-3)] x time [min]), and ventilated with intermittent positive pressure ventilation before being randomized to study part 1: treatment with intravenous glucose saline (20 mL) or methylprednisolone (12.5 mg.kg(-1) in 20 mL) 6 h postexposure or study part 2: treatment with inhaled glucose saline (2 mL) or budesonide (2 mL of 0.5 mg.mL(-1) solution) at 1, 6, 12, and 18 h postexposure. Biochemical parameters and animal physiology were monitored to 24 h postexposure. The results show no change in mortality, lung edema, or shunt fraction; however, some beneficial effects on cardiac parameters e.g., stroke volume, left ventricular stroke work, were noted. Steroids were neither beneficial nor detrimental in the treatment of phosgene induced ALI. This study does not support the use of steroids alone as a treatment, but their use in a combined therapy strategy should be investigated.

Although normally regarded as a vesicant, inhalation of sulphur mustard (HD) vapor can cause life-threatening lung injury for which there is no specific treatment. Novel therapies for HD-induced lung injury are best investigated in an in vivo model that allows monitoring of a range of physiological variables. HD vapor was generated using two customized thermostatically controlled glass flasks in parallel. The vapor was passed into a carrier flow of air (81 L. min(-1)) and down a length of glass exposure tube (1.75 m). A pig was connected to the midpoint of the exposure tube via a polytetrafluoroethylene-lined endotracheal tube, Fleisch pneumotachograph, and sample port. HD vapor concentrations (40-122.8 mg. m(-3)) up-and downstream of the point of exposure were obtained by sampling onto Porapak absorption tubes with subsequent analysis by gas chromatography-flame photometric detection. Real-time estimates of vapor concentration were determined using a photo-ionization detector. Lung function indices (respiratory volumes, lung compliance, and airway resistance) were measured online throughout. Trial runs with methylsalicylate (MS) and animal exposures with HD demonstrated that the exposure system rapidly reached the desired concentration within 1 min and maintained stable output throughout exposure, and that the MS/HD concentration decayed rapidly to zero when switched off. A system is described that allows reproducible exposure of HD vapor to the lung of anesthetized white pigs. The system has proved to be robust and reliable and will be a valuable tool in assessing potential future therapies against HD-induced lung injury in the pig. Crown Copyright (c) 2007 Dstl.

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