Locomotion Score Research Articles

Social behaviour and transmission of lameness in a flock of ewes and lambs.

Sheep have heterogenous social connections that influence transmission of some infectious diseases. Footrot is one of the top five globally important diseases of sheep, it is caused by Dichelobacter nodosus and transmits between sheep when infectious feet contaminate surfaces, e.g., pasture. Surfaces remain infectious for a few minutes to a few days, depending on surface moisture levels. Susceptible sheep in close social contact with infectious sheep might be at risk of becoming infected because they are likely to step onto infectious footprints, particularly dams and lambs, as they cluster together. High resolution proximity sensors were deployed on 40 ewes and their 54 lambs aged 5-27 days, in a flock with endemic footrot in Devon, UK for 13 days. Sheep locomotion was scored daily by using a 0-6 integer scale. Sheep were defined lame when their locomotion score (LS) was ≥2, and a case of lameness was defined as LS ≥2 for ≥2 days. Thirty-two sheep (19 ewes, 9 single, and 4 twin lambs) became lame during the study, while 14 (5 ewes, 5 single, and 4 twin lambs) were lame initially. These 46 sheep were from 29 family groups, 14 families had >1 lame sheep, and transmission from ewes to lambs was bidirectional. At least 15% of new cases of footrot were from within family transmission; the occurrence of lameness was higher in single than twin lambs. At least 4% of transmission was due to close contact across the flock. Most close contact occurred within families. Single and twin lambs spent 1.5 and 0.9 hours/day with their dams, respectively, and twin lambs spent 3.7 hours/day together. Non-family sheep spent only 0.03 hours/day in contact. Lame single lambs and ewes spent less time with non-family sheep, and lame twin lambs spent less time with family sheep. We conclude that most transmission of lameness is not attributable to close contact. However, in ewes with young lambs, some transmission occurs within families and is likely due to time spent in close contact, since single lambs spent more time with their dam than twin lambs and were more likely to become lame.

Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling reveals dysregulation of purine metabolism during the acute phase of spinal cord injury in rats.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in drastic dysregulation of microenvironmental metabolism during the acute phase, which greatly affects neural recovery. A better insight into the potential molecular pathways of metabolic dysregulation by multi-omics analysis could help to reveal targets that promote nerve repair and regeneration in the future. We established the SCI model and rats were randomly divided into two groups: the acute-phase SCI (ASCI) group (n = 14, 3 days post-SCI) and the sham group with day-matched periods (n = 14, without SCI). In each group, rats were sacrificed at 3 days post-surgery for histology study (n = 3), metabolome sequencing (n = 5), transcriptome sequencing (n = 3), and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (n = 3). The motor function of rats was evaluated by double-blind Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) Locomotor Scores at 0, 1, 2, 3 days post-SCI in an open field area. Then the transcriptomic and metabolomic data were integrated in SCI model of rat to reveal the underlying molecular pathways of microenvironmental metabolic dysregulation. The histology of the microenvironment was significantly altered in ASCI and the locomotor function was significantly reduced in rats. Metabolomics analysis showed that 360 metabolites were highly altered during the acute phase of SCI, of which 310 were up-regulated and 50 were down-regulated, and bioinformatics analysis revealed that these differential metabolites were mainly enriched in arginine and proline metabolism, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, purine metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. Transcriptomics results showed that 5,963 genes were clearly altered, of which 2,848 genes were up-regulated and 3,115 genes were down-regulated, and these differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in response to stimulus, metabolic process, immune system process. Surprisingly, the Integrative analysis revealed significant dysregulation of purine metabolism at both transcriptome and metabolome levels in the acute phase of SCI, with 48 differential genes and 16 differential metabolites involved. Further analysis indicated that dysregulation of purine metabolism could seriously affect the energy metabolism of the injured microenvironment and increase oxidative stress as well as other responses detrimental to nerve repair and regeneration. On the whole, we have for the first time combined transcriptomics and metabolomics to systematically analyze the potential molecular pathways of metabolic dysregulation in the acute phase of SCI, which will contribute to broaden our understanding of the sophisticated molecular mechanisms of SCI, in parallel with serving as a foundation for future studies of neural repair and regeneration after SCI.

Lesions found at foot trimming of dairy goats: Baseline data for comparing lesions and locomotion scoring

Data on the foot lesions of housed dairy goats, especially those that are not lame, is sparse. In this study, visits were made to four farms for whole herd locomotion scoring after milking and to observe routine foot trimming. During trimming, the amount of trimming required for each hoof was recorded, alongside the presence of lesions. The process was repeated at the next routine foot trim on three of the four farms (on Farm 1 whole herd locomotion scoring after milking was not feasible). Across both visits, 3445 locomotion scores were recorded, alongside 3850 trimming and lesion records. There were large differences between farms and visits in the proportion of lame goats (6.7 to 25.5%) and in the proportion of goats which needed a substantial trim of all four feet (15.1–33.1%). Hoof lesions were observed in 65.5% of trimmed goats. We defined lesions by their site and presence of separation and/or granuloma, with white line separation being the most commonly recorded lesion (41.5% of goats). On all visits on the three farms which were locomotion scored, the number of goats recorded as lame was lower than the number observed with white line lesions, but the relative proportion ranged from 17% to 95.4%. Separations were much more common than granulomas, as granulomas were usually accompanied by separation. Toe lesions were much more likely to be associated with granulomas than white line lesions, with 91.5% of toe separations having granulomas but only 10.6% of white line separations. This study provides useful baseline data for comparing lesions and locomotion scoring between goat herds but also identifies areas where we need more data and more consensus.

Spatial behaviour of dairy cows is affected by lameness

Lameness is one of the major welfare problems on modern dairy farms, and additionally, it is difficult to control. Lameness is associated with changes in cow behaviour, and efforts have been made to automatically detect these behavioural changes. However, systems relying on a single behavioural variable are likely to fail. Indoor positioning could provide means to measure multiple behavioural variables with a single system. Our aim was to investigate how lameness affects the spatial behaviour of cows, measured with an indoor positioning system. In total, 71 lactating dairy cows were followed during a 7-month study period, with 48 cows in the study simultaneously. Cows were locomotion scored fortnightly with a 10-tier scale, and their daily time spent in the different functional areas of the barn, walking distance, and home range were calculated from the positioning data. Each locomotion score was merged with the 5-day average of the behaviour variables leading up to the scoring day, resulting in 376 observations in the final data. Linear mixed models were fitted with backwards stepwise elimination to test the associations between positioning-based daily behavioral variables and predictor variables comprising locomotion score, parity, lactation stage, breed and the proportion of missing positioning data. Increasing locomotion score was associated with increased time spent in the lying stalls (P = 0.0037) and decreased time spent in the alley (P < 0.0001). Positioning-based feeding time was confounded by parity (P = 0.011) as the model used to estimate the feeding time from the position data was less sensitive in classifying primiparous cows correctly as feeding or not feeding. Severe lameness was also associated with a shorter daily walking distance (P = 0.0447) and smaller core home range (P = 0.005). Proportion of missing positioning data affected only daily walking distance (P < 0.0001) and full home range (P = 0.0059), and distance-based variables seemed more sensitive to data quality compared to spatiotemporal variables. Our results show that indoor positioning of dairy cows has a potential to contribute to development of automatic lameness detection. However, reliability of positioning systems should be improved, and the amount of missing data should be minimised to improve the calculation of distance-based variables.

Selective Calpain Inhibition Improves Functional and Histopathological Outcomes in a Canine Spinal Cord Injury Model.

Calpain activation has been implicated in various pathologies, including neurodegeneration. Thus, calpain inhibition could effectively prevent spinal cord injury (SCI) associated with neurodegeneration. In the current study, a dog SCI model was used to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a selective calpain inhibitor (PD150606) in combination with methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) as an anti-inflammatory drug. SCI was experimentally induced in sixteen mongrel dogs through an epidural balloon compression technique. The dogs were allocated randomly into four groups: control, MPSS, PD150606, and MPSS+PD150606. Clinical evaluation, serum biochemical, somatosensory evoked potentials, histopathological, and immunoblotting analyses were performed to assess treated dogs during the study. The current findings revealed that the combined administration of MPSS+PD150606 demonstrated considerably lower neuronal loss and microglial cell infiltration than the other groups, with a significant improvement in the locomotor score. The increased levels of inflammatory markers (GFAP and CD11) and calcium-binding proteins (Iba1 and S100) were significantly reduced in the combination group and to a lesser extent in MPSS or PD150606 treatment alone. Interestingly, the combined treatment effectively inhibited the calpain-induced cleavage of p35, limited cdk5 activation, and inhibited tau phosphorylation. These results suggest that early MPSS+PD150606 therapy after acute SCI may prevent subsequent neurodegeneration via calpain inhibition.

Setting up girls for success in fundamental motor skills: The role of balance in 8-10 year olds

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between postural control and fundamental motor skills in girls. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 47 girls, aged 8–10 years. Postural control (postural sway centre of pressure) was evaluated during tandem stance, leading with dominant and non-dominant limbs with eyes open and closed, using an AMTI force platform. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition, examining total, locomotor and object control scores. Data were analysed using linear regression, adjusted for body mass index percentile and household income. For locomotor skills, significant relationships were found with a number of postural sway outcomes for adjusted and unadjusted analyses (r − 0.287 to r − 0.425, p ≤ 0.042). Total motor skill score was significantly related to postural sway in the tandem dominant eyes closed condition for unadjusted and adjusted analyses (r ≥ −0.294, p ≤ 0.04). In conclusion, our findings indicate that postural control may be important for fundamental motor skill proficiency and movement quality in pre-adolescent girls, particularly for locomotor skills. Our study provides evidence supporting the clinical practice of assessing postural control in girls presenting with motor skill deficits.

Mastery motivational climate intervention: Motor and social benefits for children with and without disabilities

This mixed-design study examined the effects of a mastery motivational climate intervention on the motor and social skills of underserved children with and without disabilities. A mastery climate was implemented for the intervention group consistent with the TARGET structure. Children, 24 children with disabilities (12 boys, 12 girls) and 52 without disabilities (31 boys, 21 girls), were assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development –second edition pre-and post-intervention. Along with the intervention, social skills were assessed using a qualitative approach; a checklist with five levels of personal e social responsibility behavior was used. Results showed that mastery motivational climate intervention was effective in promoting positive changes in locomotor and object control scores; the intervention group also showed higher performance in the post-intervention than the control group. Along with the intervention, the children in the mastery motivational climate group also adopted higher personal and social responsibility levels during the lessons. Positive correlations were observed between children’s motor development and their levels of responsibility. The mastery motivational climate intervention promotes positive motor and social skills changes for children living in vulnerability.

Pharmacogenetic inhibition of TrkB signaling in adult mice attenuates mechanical hypersensitivity and improves locomotor function after spinal cord injury.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signals through tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), to exert various types of plasticity. The exact involvement of BDNF and TrkB in neuropathic pain states after spinal cord injury (SCI) remains unresolved. This study utilized transgenic TrkBF616 mice to examine the effect of pharmacogenetic inhibition of TrkB signaling, induced by treatment with 1NM-PP1 (1NMP) in drinking water for 5 days, on formalin-induced inflammatory pain, pain hypersensitivity, and locomotor dysfunction after thoracic spinal contusion. We also examined TrkB, ERK1/2, and pERK1/2 expression in the lumbar spinal cord and trunk skin. The results showed that formalin-induced pain responses were robustly attenuated in 1NMP-treated mice. Weekly assessment of tactile sensitivity with the von Frey test showed that treatment with 1NMP immediately after SCI blocked the development of mechanical hypersensitivity up to 4 weeks post-SCI. Contrastingly, when treatment started 2 weeks after SCI, 1NMP reversibly and partially attenuated hind-paw hypersensitivity. Locomotor scores were significantly improved in the early-treated 1NMP mice compared to late-treated or vehicle-treated SCI mice. 1NMP treatment attenuated SCI-induced increases in TrkB and pERK1/2 levels in the lumbar cord but failed to exert similar effects in the trunk skin. These results suggest that early onset TrkB signaling after SCI contributes to maladaptive plasticity that leads to spinal pain hypersensitivity and impaired locomotor function.

Improving sow welfare and outcomes in the farrowing house by identifying early indicators from pre-farrowing assessment.

Poor outcomes reflect low performance during the farrowing and lactation periods and unanticipated sow removals. Since the period around farrowing has the highest risk for sow health issues, monitoring of sows in that time-period will improve both welfare and productivity. The aim of this study was to identify the most relevant risk factors for predicting poor outcomes and the implication for sow welfare. Identifying these factors could potentially enable management interventions to decrease incidences of compromised welfare or poor performance. Data from 1,103 sows sourced from two nucleus herds were recorded for a range of variables investigated as potential predictors of poor outcomes in the farrowing house. Poor outcomes (scored as binary traits) reflected three categories in a sow's lifecycle: farrowing, lactation, and removals. Univariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors in the first instance. Predictors from univariate analyses were subsequently considered together in multi-variate models. The least square means representing predicted probabilities of poor outcomes were then reported on the observed scale. Several predictors were significant across two different environments (farms) and for all three categories. These predictors included feed refusal (lack of appetite), crate fit, locomotion score, and respiration rate. Normal appetite compared to feed refusals reduced the risk of farrowing failure (13.5 vs. 22.2%, P = 0.025) and removals (10.4 vs. 20.4%, P < 0.001). Fit in the crate was significant (P < 0.001) for farrowing and lactation outcomes, and was more informative than parity. Sows with sufficient space had two to three times reduced risk of poor outcomes compared to restrictive crates relative to sow dimensions. Sows with good locomotion score pre-farrowing had two to three times less risk of farrowing failure (P = 0.025) and reduced piglet mortality (P < 0.001), weaned two piglets more relative to affected sows (P < 0.001), and were less likely to be removed before weaning (3.24 vs. 12.3%, P = 0.014). Sows with higher respiration rates had a significantly (P < 0.001) reduced risk of poor farrowing outcomes. This study demonstrated it is possible to predict poor outcomes for sows prior to farrowing, suggesting there are opportunities to decrease the risk of poor outcomes and increase overall sow welfare.

Measuring lameness prevalence: Effects of case definition and assessment frequency.

Lameness assessments are commonly conducted at a single point in time, but such assessments are subject to multiple sources of error. We conducted a longitudinal study, assessing the gait of 282 lactating dairy cows weekly during the first 12 wk of lactation, with the aim of assessing how lameness prevalence changed in relation to case definition and assessment frequency. Gait was scored using a 5-point scale where scores of 1 and 2 were considered sound, 3 was clinically lame, and 4 and 5 were severely lame. We created 5 lameness definitions using increasingly stringent thresholds based upon the number of consecutive events of locomotion score ≥3. In LAME1, a cow was considered lame when locomotion score was ≥3 at any scoring event, in LAME2, LAME3, LAME4, and LAME5, a cow was considered lame when locomotion score was 3 or higher during 2, 3, 4, and 5 consecutive scoring events, respectively. We also assessed the effect of assessment frequency on measures of prevalence and incidence using weekly assessment (ASSM1), 1 assessment every 2 wk (ASSM2), 1 assessment every 3 wk (ASSM3), and 1 assessment every 4 wk (ASSM4). Using LAME1, 69.2% of cows were considered lame at some point during the trial, with an average point prevalence of 31.8% (SD: 2.8) and average incidence rate of 10.9 cases/100 cow weeks (SD: 3.7). Lameness prevalence decreased to 28.0% when using LAME5. Survival analysis was used to assess the effects of parity, using these different case definitions. Parity is a known risk for lameness, such that case definitions and prevalence estimates should be stratified by parity to inform management decisions. Using the LAME3 criterion, primiparous cows had the highest chance of reaching 12 wk without a lameness event, and fourth and higher parities had the lowest. Weighted linear and quadratic kappa values were used to assess agreement between different assessment frequencies and lameness definitions; we found substantial to excellent agreement between ASSM1 and ASSM2 using LAME1, LAME2, and LAME3 definitions. Agreement was fair to substantial between ASSM1 and ASSM3 and low to fair between ASSM1 and ASSM4. Likewise, the agreement between LAME1 and LAME2 was fair in primiparous cows, substantial in second and third parity cows, and poor to fair in fourth and greater parity cows. We conclude that lameness prevalence estimates are dependent upon case definition and that the use of more stringent case definitions results in fewer cows classified as lame. These results suggest that routine locomotion assessments be conducted at least every 2 wk, and that cows should be defined as lame on the basis of 2 consecutive assessments.

Chondroitinase ABC Administration in Locomotion Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to conduct a comprehensive and complete search of electronic resources to investigate the role of administrating Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) in improving complications following Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI). MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases were searched until the end of 2019. Two independent reviewers assessed the studies conducted on rats and mice and summarized the data. Using the STATA 14.0 software, the findings were reported as pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 34 preclinical studies were included. ChABC administration improves locomotion recovery after SCI (SMD=0.90; 95% CI: 0.61 to 1.20; P<0.001). The subgroup analysis showed that the differences in the SCI model (P=0.732), the severity of the injury (P=0.821), the number of ChABC administrations (P=0.092), the blinding status (P=0.294), the use of different locomotor score (P=0.567), and the follow-up duration (P=0.750) have no effect on the efficacy of ChABC treatment. The findings of the present study showed that prescribing ChABC has a moderate effect in improving locomotion after SCI in mice and rats. However, this moderate effect introduces ChABC as adjuvant therapy and not as primary therapy.

Direct Ryanodine Receptor-2 Knockout in Primary Afferent Fibers Modestly Affects Neurological Recovery after Contusive Spinal Cord Injury.

Neuronal ryanodine receptors (RyR) release calcium from internal stores and play a key role in synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. Dysregulation of RyR function contributes to neurodegeneration and negatively impacts neurological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the individual role of RyR isoforms and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. To determine whether RyR2 plays a direct role in axonal fate and functional recovery after SCI, we bred Advillin-Cre: tdTomato (Ai9) reporter mice with "floxed" RyR2 mice to directly knock out (KO) RyR2 function in dorsal root ganglion neurons and their spinal projections. Adult 6- to 8-week-old RyR2KO and littermate controls were subjected to a contusive SCI and their dorsal column axons were imaged in vivo using two-photon excitation microscopy. We found that direct RyR2KO in dorsal column primary afferents did not significantly alter secondary axonal degeneration after SCI. We next assessed behavioral recovery after SCI and found that direct RyR2KO in primary afferents worsened open-field locomotor scores (Basso Mouse Scale subscore) compared to littermate controls. However, both TreadScan™ gait analysis and overground kinematic gait analysis tests revealed subtle, but no fundamental, differences in gait patterns between the two groups after SCI. Subsequent removal of spared afferent fibers using a dorsal column crush revealed similar outcomes in both groups. Analysis of primary afferents at the lumbar (L3-L5) level similarly revealed no noticeable differences between groups. Together, our results support a modest contribution of dorsal column primary afferent RyR2 in neurological recovery after SCI.

O8-1 24-Hour Movement Behavior and Fundamental Movement Skills in Pre-School Children: A Compositional Analysis

BackgroundStudies that have analyzed the association between the different movement behaviors and fundamental movement skills (FMS), have considered it in an independent manner, disregarding the compositional nature of 24-hour movement behaviors (24h MB). The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between the 24h MB and FMS in low-income preschoolers.MethodsTwo hundred and four preschoolers of both sexes (4.5±0.8 years old; 101boys) provided objectively assessed physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) data (Actigraph wGT3X), and FMS assessments (TGMD-2). Sleep duration (SD) was reported by parents through interview. Association of daily time composition of movement behaviors with FMS was explored using compositional data analysis (R Core Team, 3.6.1).ResultsOur data highlighted that no single movement behaviour significantly predicted locomotor, manipulative, or total motor competence. When data were considered as a 24h MB composition based on PA, ST and SD, adjusted for age, BMI and sex, the composition significantly predicted locomotor score (P > 0.0001; r2 = 0.31), manipulative score (P > 0.0001; r2 = 0.19) and total motor competence score (P > 0.0001; r2 = 0.35), respectively.ConclusionOur study suggests that the 24h MB composition is more important for adequate FMS then any individual, movement behavior. This represents an important finding, particularly for creating and optimizing interventions to benefit child health.

Anti-stress and Nootropic Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Coriandrum sativum Aerial Parts

The swimming endurance test, anoxic tolerance test, and basal activity by actophotometer were used to assess the antistress activity of a seven-day therapy (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) of the ethanolic extract of Coriandrum sativum (EECS) aerial parts. A method for measuring the in vitro antioxidant activity of hydroxyl radicals was used. In all of the examined models, Coriandrum sativum at both doses demonstrated antistress effects. In the anoxic tolerance test, swimming endurance test, and duration of stay on the rotarod, the EECS treated rats demonstrated enhanced swimming time, duration, and anoxic tolerance time, respectively. The C. sativum's potential to scavenge free radicals, which enhanced the cognitive effect, was utilized to determine the in vitro antioxidant activity. The results demonstrated clearly that the extract's in vivo adaptogenic performance and cognitive improvement were caused by its in vitro antioxidant activity. The EECS treated animals showed increase locomotor scores in basal activity by Actophotometer. The plant secondary metabolites flavonoids, glycosides, triterpenoids, and phenolic components may be accountable for the animals' improved swimming endurance, stress tolerance, and overall performance. This study gave evidence that the ethanolic extract of Coriandrum sativum has antioxidant, anti-stress, and nootropic activity, and that utilizing them by humans as nutraceuticals is beneficial and scientific. By stress reduction in animals, the antioxidant effect provides the pharmacological basis for supporting a healthy memory.

Maternal Ureaplasma/Mycoplasma colonization during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes for preterm infants.

IntroductionUreaplasma (U.) and Mycoplasma (M.) species have been related to pregnancy complications (including preterm birth) and worse neonatal outcomes. The aim of our work is to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants born to mothers with Ureaplasma/Mycoplasma colonization during pregnancy.MethodsPreterm infants with gestational age (GA) of ≤ 30 weeks were included in a retrospective follow-up study. To evaluate the effects of maternal vaginal colonization, we divided preterm infants into two groups: exposed and unexposed infants. All infants were assessed at 24 ± 3 months of age using Griffith’s Mental Developmental Scales (GMDS).ResultsAmong 254 preterm infants, only 32 infants (12.6%) were exposed to U. /M. colonization during pregnancy. Exposed infants and unexposed ones had a similar Griffith′s Developmental Quotient (106 ± 27.2 vs. 108.9 ± 19.5, respectively), without significant differences (p = 0.46). However, exposed infants had a significantly poorer outcome than their unexposed peers in terms of locomotor abilities (100.7 ± 28.3 exposed vs. 111.5 ± 26.1 unexposed, p = 0.03).ConclusionFor visual and hearing impairment, exposed and unexposed infants had similar incidences of cognitive and motor impairment. However, exposed infants had significantly lower locomotor scores than unexposed peers.

Impact of digital dermatitis on locomotion and gait traits of beef cattle.

Digital dermatitis (DD) is an infectious skin disease and a major cause of lameness that significantly impacts cattle productivity and welfare. However, DD does not always result in lameness and lameness scoring systems are not specific to hoof pathologies. Digital dermatitis detection protocols could be improved by including gait traits most related to DD. The aims of this study were to 1) determine the association between DD M-stage (“M” for Mortellaro), locomotion, and gait traits: arched back (AB), asymmetric gait (AG), head bobbing (HB), tracking up (TU), and reluctance to bear weight (WB), and 2) determine which traits are most associated with DD. Cattle (n = 480) from three feedlots were enrolled. Locomotion score (LS) and gait traits were assessed as cattle walked four strides along a dirt alleyway. Next, cattle were restrained in a chute, each hind foot lifted, and DD M-stage (absent, active, or chronic) determined. The association between presence of DD, LS, and gait traits were scored independently (n = 291). For both LS and gait the lowest score represents normal and the highest score severely altered. Digital dermatitis presence was associated with higher LS (P < 0.001). Odds ratios (ORs) for cattle with DD being lame or moderately to severely lame were 8.0 (P < 0.001) and 10.1 (P < 0.001) times more than cattle without lesions. Cattle with active lesions had the greatest odds of being lame (OR = 9.4; P < 0.001). Digital dermatitis presence was associated with all gait traits (P < 0.001), where AG (OR = 5.5; P < 0.001) and WB (OR = 5.8; P < 0.001) had the greatest OR for classifying cattle with DD as having altered gait. The OR for cattle with active lesions having altered gait was greatest for WB which was 6.0 (P < 0.001) times greater than cattle without lesions. The OR for cattle with chronic lesions having altered gait was greatest for AG being 6.5 (P < 0.001) times more than cattle without lesions. All gait traits had low sensitivity (Se) for detecting cattle with DD and varied from 6.7% to 55.8%. Locomotion score (Se 55.8%) and AG (Se 44.2%) were most predictive with positive predictive values of 76.6% and 74.3%, respectively. Specificity for all traits ranged from 94.1% for LS to 98.4% for WB with negative predictive values of 72.1% and 68.9%, respectively. In conclusion, LS, WB, and AG had the strongest association with cattle that had DD. Locomotion scoring that includes a focus on WB and AG is the best tool to detect DD in beef cattle.

Freedom to Move: Free Lactation Pens Improve Sow Welfare.

Simple SummaryPigs in Ireland are reared in intensive indoor systems, with sows normally confined in farrowing crates for a period of five weeks each time they farrow. This practice presents major animal welfare problems, with permeant confinement being banned at all other stages of production due to the negative impact on welfare. This study identified positive effects on sow behaviour and welfare when housed in free lactation pens compared with conventional farrowing crates. Such pens allow sows greater freedom of movement throughout farrowing and lactation, and this resulted in decreased locomotion score impact for sows housed in the free lactation treatment. This could be beneficial with regard to both sow longevity and sow welfare.Farrowing crates present a major animal welfare problem. This study investigated the effects of temporary confinement at farrowing on sow welfare and aimed to determine whether this type of system could improve sow welfare through increased freedom of movement. Sows were housed in one of two farrowing accommodation treatments: conventional farrowing crates (Control) or free lactation pens (Free). Sows in the Control treatment were confined from entry to weaning, a period of five weeks. Sows in the Free treatment were temporarily confined from before farrowing (approximately 24 h) until day 4 post-partum, after which time the crate was opened, and they had increased freedom of movement. Sow physical measures (weight, back-fat thickness, hoof score, locomotion score and tear stain score) were measured at entry to farrowing accommodation and at weaning. Salivary cortisol concentration was measured throughout lactation. Farrowing duration and sow posture (Days 1, 3, 7 and 34 after entry) were recorded. Between entry and weaning, locomotion scores significantly increased for sows housed in the Control treatment compared with those housed in Free lactation pens (p < 0.01). Sows in the Free treatment were observed to use all orientations in the pen, showing that when more space is made available to them, they will choose to utilise the space. Tear staining under the left eye was found to be less in Free sows at weaning (p = 0.05), indicating reduced stress. However, salivary cortisol concentration was higher in Free sows overall; cortisol is affected by both positive and negative stimuli, and so, this may be due to factors other than stress, such as higher levels of activity and mental stimulation. These results suggest that free lactation pens can benefit sow welfare; increased freedom of movement throughout lactation can improve sow locomotory health, and as suggested by improved tear stain scores, sow stress levels may be reduced in this type of system compared with conventional farrowing crates.

Delayed administration of elezanumab, a human anti-RGMa neutralizing monoclonal antibody, promotes recovery following cervical spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) elicits a cascade of degenerative events including cell death, axonal degeneration, and the upregulation of inhibitory molecules which limit repair. Repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMa) is an axon growth inhibitor which is also involved in neuronal cell death and differentiation. SCI causes upregulation of RGMa in the injured rodent, non-human primate, and human spinal cord. Recently, we showed that delayed administration of elezanumab, a high affinity human RGMa-specific monoclonal antibody, promoted neuroprotective and regenerative effects following thoracic SCI. Since most human traumatic SCI is at the cervical level, and level-dependent anatomical and molecular differences may influence pathophysiological responses to injury and treatment, we examined the efficacy of elezanumab and its therapeutic time window of administration in a clinically relevant rat model of cervical impact-compression SCI. Pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma and spinal cord tissue lysate showed comparable levels of RGMa antibodies with delayed administration following cervical SCI. At 12w after SCI, elezanumab promoted long term benefits including perilesional sparing of motoneurons and increased neuroplasticity of key descending pathways involved in locomotion and fine motor function. Elezanumab also promoted growth of corticospinal axons into spinal cord gray matter and enhanced serotonergic innervation of the ventral horn to form synaptic connections caudal to the cervical lesion. Significant recovery in grip and trunk/core strength, locomotion and gait, and spontaneous voiding ability was found in rats treated with elezanumab either immediately post-injury or at 3 h post-SCI, and improvements in specific gait parameters were found when elezanumab was delayed to 24 h post-injury. We also developed a new locomotor score, the Cervical Locomotor Score, a simple and sensitive measure of trunk/core and limb strength and stability during dynamic locomotion.

Impact of Calving Difficulty on Lameness in Dairy Cows

The aims of our study were to evaluate the associations between calving difficulty and lameness and their effects on milk yield and quality traits. A total of 4723 calving cases were evaluated for calving difficulty using a 4-point scoring system. Lameness was diagnosed with a visual locomotion score system from 1 to 30 days after calving in 333 fresh dairy cows. Cows were divided into non-lame cows and lame cows. Milk quality traits were registered using Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots. The normal distribution of all indicators was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk normality test. Normally distributed milk indicators were expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean. Differences between the mean values of their groups were determined using the Fisher’s least significant difference test. We categorized cows by health status, i.e., lame (LA) and non-lame (HL) cows, and according to calving difficulty (CD) (on a 4-point scale: 1—no problem, 2—slight problem, 3—problems requiring assistance, 4—considerable force and extreme difficulty). In the present study, calving difficulty increased the risk of lameness in cows by 2.09-fold (95% CI = 1.644–2.650, p &lt; 0.001). It was found that the mean standard milk yield in fresh dairy cows with calving difficulty was lower (−6.14 kg, p &lt; 0.001) than in the group where no assistance was required at calving. Similarly, herd affected milk fat (%) and the calving process—herd and the interaction between calving difficulty and herd—and lameness impacted the quantity of milk protein and lactose in cows. We found that severe lameness (3–4 points) (3.88–5.92% of cows) became more prevalent in those cows that had dystocia than those that did not (0.27–2.37% of cows).

The potential of gene therapies for spinal cord injury repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis of pre-clinical studies.

Currently, there is no cure for traumatic spinal cord injury but one therapeutic approach showing promise is gene therapy. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to assess the efficacy of gene therapies in pre-clinical models of spinal cord injury and the risk of bias. In this meta-analysis, registered at PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD42020185008), we identified relevant controlled in vivo studies published in English by searching the PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases. No restrictions of the year of publication were applied and the last literature search was conducted on August 3, 2020. We then conducted a random-effects meta-analysis using the restricted maximum likelihood estimator. A total of 71 studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Our results showed that overall, gene therapies were associated with improvements in locomotor score (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 2.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.68–2.47, Tau2 = 2.13, I2 = 83.6%) and axonal regrowth (SMD: 2.78, 95%CI: 1.92–3.65, Tau2 = 4.13, I2 = 85.5%). There was significant asymmetry in the funnel plots of both outcome measures indicating the presence of publication bias. We used a modified CAMARADES (Collaborative Approach to Meta-Analysis and Review of Animal Data in Experimental Studies) checklist to assess the risk of bias, finding that the median score was 4 (IQR:3–5). In particular, reports of allocation concealment and sample size calculations were lacking. In conclusion, gene therapies are showing promise as therapies for spinal cord injury repair, but there is no consensus on which gene or genes should be targeted.