Corrin Hulls

Electroencephalographic responses of halothane-anaesthetised calves to slaughter by ventral-neck incision without prior stunning

Abstract AIM: To investigate whether the electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to slaughter by ventral-neck incision without prior stunning may be perceived as painful in halothane-anaesthetised calves. METHODS: Fourteen Angus steers were minimally anaesthetised with halothane, using an established anaesthesia protocol. EEG indices were recorded bilaterally for 5 minutes prior to and 5 minutes following ventral-neck incision. A single incision was made in the ventral aspect of the neck, severing all tissues ventral to the vertebral column including the major blood vessels supplying and draining the head. Changes in the median frequency (F50), 95% spectral edge frequency (F95) and total power of the EEG (Ptot) were used to investigate the effects of ventral-neck incision. At the completion of the experiment, brains of calves were examined histologically. RESULTS: During the 30 seconds following ventral-neck incision, the F95 and Ptot showed signifi cant changes (p<0.05) compared with pre-treatment values. The F50 increased significantly from recordings from the right side of the cranium. No gross or histological abnormalities were detected in the brains following slaughter. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the fi rst investigation of the noxiousness of slaughter by ventral-neck incision, using EEG spectral analysis. It demonstrated that there is a period following slaughter where ventral-neck incision represents a noxious stimulus.

Quantification of the effects of the volume and viscosity of gastric contents on antral and fundic activity in the rat stomach maintained ex vivo.

AimsThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of varying the rheological properties of perfusate on the volume and muscular activity of the various compartments of the rat stomach.MethodsImage analysis was used to quantify the activity of the ex vivo stomach preparations when perfused according to a ramp profile.ResultsThe area of the fundus increased to a greater extent than that of the body when watery or viscous material was perfused. However, initial distension of the corpus was greater and occurred more rapidly when viscous material was perfused. Only the fundus expanded when perfusion followed the administration of verapamil. The frequency of antrocorporal contractions decreased significantly and the amplitude of antrocorporal contractions increased significantly with increase in gastric volume. The velocity of antrocorporal contractions did not vary with gastric volume but varied regionally in some preparations being faster distally than proximally. Neither the frequency, amplitude or velocity of antrocorporal contractions differed when pseudoplastic rather than watery fluid was perfused. However, the characteristics of antrocorporal contractions changed significantly when the stomach was perfused with material with rheological characteristics that induce different patterns of wall tension to those normally encountered. Hence, the mean frequency and speed of propagation of antrocorporal contractions increased and their direction of propagation became inconstant.

A comparison of the organization of longitudinal and circular contractions during pendular and segmental activity in the duodenum of the rat and guinea pig

Background  Little is known of the spatiotemporal organization of pendular duodenal contractions.

Mucosal microfolds augment mixing at the wall of the distal ileum of the brushtail possum

Recent work suggests that mixing in the small intestine takes place in central luminal and peripheral compartments. However, while movements of villi have been described, the mechanisms by which peripheral mixing are engendered remain unclear.

Fluid mechanical consequences of pendular activity, segmentation and pyloric outflow in the proximal duodenum of the rat and the guinea pig.

We conducted numerical experiments to study the influence of non-propagating longitudinal and circular contractions, i.e. pendular activity and segmentation, respectively, on flow and mixing in the proximal duodenum. A lattice-Boltzmann numerical method was developed to simulate the fluid mechanical consequences for each of 22 randomly selected sequences of high-definition video of real longitudinal and radial contractile activity in the isolated proximal duodenum of the rat and guinea pig. During pendular activity in the rat duodenum, the flow was characterized by regions of high shear rate. Mixing was so governed by shearing deformation of the fluid that increased the interface between adjacent domains and accelerated their inter-diffusion (for diffusion coefficients approx. less than 10−8 m² s−1). When pendular activity was associated with a slow gastric outflow characteristic of post-prandial period, the dispersion was also improved, especially near the walls. Mixing was not promoted by isolated segmentative contractions in the guinea pig duodenum and not notably influenced by pylorus outflow. We concluded that pendular activity generates mixing of viscous fluids ‘in situ’ and accelerates the diffusive mass transfer, whereas segmentation may be more important in mixing particulate suspensions with high solid volume ratios.

Characterisation of the contractile dynamics of the resting ex vivo urinary bladder of the pig.

To characterise the area and movements of ongoing spontaneous localised contractions in the resting porcine urinary bladder and relate these to ambient intravesical pressure (Pves), to further our understanding of their genesis and role in accommodating incoming urine.

Characterisation of Mixing in the Proximal Duodenum of the Rat during Longitudinal Contractions and Comparison with a Fluid Mechanical Model Based on Spatiotemporal Motility Data

The understanding of mixing and mass transfers of nutrients and drugs in the small intestine is of prime importance in creating formulations that manipulate absorption and digestibility. We characterised mixing using a dye tracer methodology during spontaneous longitudinal contractions, i.e. pendular activity, in 10 cm segments of living proximal duodenum of the rat maintained ex-vivo. The residence time distribution (RTD) of the tracer was equivalent to that generated by a small number (8) of continuous stirred tank reactors in series. Fluid mechanical modelling, that was based on real sequences of longitudinal contractions, predicted that dispersion should occur mainly in the periphery of the lumen. Comparison with the experimental RTD showed that centriluminal dispersion was accurately simulated whilst peripheral dispersion was underestimated. The results therefore highlighted the potential importance of micro-phenomena such as microfolding of the intestinal mucosa in peripheral mixing. We conclude that macro-scale modeling of intestinal flow is useful in simulating centriluminal mixing, whereas multi-scales strategies must be developed to accurately model mixing and mass transfers at the periphery of the lumen.

Spatiotemporal organization of standing postprandial contractions in the distal ileum of the anesthetized pig.

Spatiotemporal (ST) mapping has mainly been applied to ex vivo preparations of the gut. We report the results of ST mapping of the spontaneous and remifentanil‐induced motility of circular and longitudinal muscles of the distal ileum in the postprandial anaesthetized pig.

Spatiotemporal mapping of ex vivo motility in the caecum of the rabbit

We used high definition radial, strain rate and intensity spatiotemporal mapping to quantify contractile movements of the body and associated structures of the rabbit caecum when the terminal ileum was being perfused with saline at a constant rate. This perfusion caused gradual distension of the caecum as a result of relative restriction of outflow from the ampulla caecalis. The body of the caecum exhibited two patterns of motility that appeared autonomous, i.e. occurred independently of any contractile activity at the inlet or outlet. Firstly, the pattern that we termed ladder activity consisted of an orderly sequential contraction of bundles of axially oriented circular muscle between the spiral turns of longitudinal muscle and proceeded either from base to tip or from tip to base at a similar frequency and velocity. Secondly, less-localised, rapidly propagating synchronous contractions of both circular and longitudinal muscle, which were more common when the caecum was distended, that were termed mass peristalsis. Movements of the ileum and sacculus rotundus occurred at the same frequency and were broadly coordinated. Distension of the distal sacculus occurred synchronously with contraction of the ileum and did not propagate in an orderly manner across the structure, i.e. was instantaneous. This pattern was consistent with hydrostatic distension. Contractions propagated through the ampulla caecalis in either an orad or an aborad direction at a similar frequency to, and broadly correlated with, those in the ileum. The frequencies of distension of the sacculus and of contraction in the ileum and ampulla were momentarily augmented during mass peristalsis. The authors conclude that there was some coordination between the contractile activity of the terminal ileum and the caecal ampulla during periods of ongoing inflow from the ileum and between these structures and the caecum during mass peristalsis.

Spatiotemporal Mapping Techniques Show Clozapine Impairs Neurogenic and Myogenic Patterns of Activity in the Colon of the Rabbit in a Dose-Dependent Manner

Background: Clozapine, an antipsychotic used in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, has adverse gastrointestinal effects with significant associated morbidity and mortality. However, its effects on defined patterns of colonic contractile activity have not been assessed. Method: We used novel radial and longitudinal spatiotemporal mapping techniques, combined with and monitoring of ambient lumen pressure, in ex vivo preparations of triply and of singly haustrated portions of rabbit colon. We identified the contractile patterns of mass peristalses, fast phasic, and ripple contractions and directly qualified the effects of clozapine, at concentrations of 10 μmol/L, 20 μmol/L, and 30 μmol/L, and of norclozapine, the main metabolite of clozapine, on contractile patterns. The effects of carbachol, serotonin and naloxone on clozapine-exposed preparations were also determined. Tetradotoxin was used to distinguish neurogenic from myogenic contractions. Results: At 10 μmol/L, clozapine temporarily abolished the longitudinal contractile components of mass peristalsis, which on return were significantly reduced in number and amplitude, as was maximal mass peristaltic pressure. These effects were reversed by carbachol (1 μmol/L) and to some extent by serotonin (15 μmol/L). At 10 μmol/L, myogenic ripple contractions were not affected. At 20 μmol/L, clozapine had a similar but more marked effect on mass peristalses with both longitudinal and radial components and corresponding maximal pressure greatly reduced. At 30 μmol/L, clozapine suppressed the radial and longitudinal components of mass peristalses for over 30 min, as well as ripple contractions. Similar dose-related effects were observed on addition of clozapine to the mid colon. At 20 μmol/L, norclozapine had opposite effects to those of clozapine, causing an increase in the frequency of mass peristalsis with slight increases in basal tone. These slightly augmented contractions were abolished on addition of clozapine. Concentrations of norclozapine below 20 μmol/L had no discernible effects. Conclusion: Clozapine, but not norclozapine, has potent effects on the motility of the rabbit colon, inhibiting neurogenic contractions at lower concentrations and myogenic contractions at higher concentrations. This is the likely mechanism for the serious and life-threatening gastrointestinal complications seen in human clozapine-users. These effects appear to be mediated by cholinergic and serotonergic mechanisms. Spatiotemporal mapping is useful in directly assessing the effects of pharmaceuticals on particular patterns of gastrointestinal motility.