Segmental Kinematic Coupling of the Human Spinal Column during Locomotion

As one of the most important daily motor activities, human locomotion has been investigated intensively in recent decades. The locomotor functions and mechanics of human lower limbs have become relatively well understood. However, so far our understanding of the motions and functional contributions of the human spine during locomotion is still very poor and simul- taneous in-vivo limb and spinal column motion data are scarce. The objective of this study is to investigate the delicate in-vivo kinematic coupling between different functional regions of the human spinal column during locomotion as a stepping stone to explore the locomotor function of the human spine complex. A novel infrared reflective marker cluster system was constructed using stereophotogrammetry techniques to record the 3D in-vivo geometric shape of the spinal column and the segmental position and orientation of each functional spinal region simultaneously. Gait measurements of normal walking were conducted. The preliminary results show that the spinal column shape changes periodically in the frontal plane during locomotion. The segmental motions of different spinal functional regions appear to be strongly coupled, indicating some synergistic strategy may be employed by the human spinal column to facilitate locomotion. In contrast to traditional medical imaging-based methods, the proposed technique can be used to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the spinal column, hence providing more insight into the functional biomechanics of the human spine.

Effect of royal jelly on in vitro fertilization and early embryo development following nicotine treatment in adult female rats

Objective:To scrutinize the protective role of royal jelly as an antioxidant on nicotine-induced changes in malondialdehyde(MDA)level,p53 expression,in vitro fertilization(IVF)rate,and early embryo development in adult female rats.Methods:A total of 56 adult female Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups(n=7 in each group).Group 1 served as an untreated control group,group 2,3 and 4 received nicotine at a dose of 0.50,1.00 and 2.00 mg/kg respectively,group 5 received royal jelly at a dose of 100.00 mg/kg,and group 6,7 and 8 received 0.50,1.00 and 2.00 mg/kg nicotine,respectively,with 100.00 mg/kg body weight royal jelly.Nicotine and royal jelly were administered daily for 49 days in the experimental groups intra-peritoneally and orally,respectively.At the end of the experimental period,p53 expression,IVF rate and early embryo development as well as MDA concentration were measured.Results:The IVF rate,number of cumulus oocytes,two-cell embryos and blastocysts decreased in the nicotine-treated groups in a dose-dependent manner.In addition,p53 mRNA expression and MDA levels increased in the nicotine-treated groups.Royal jelly co-administration led to partial improvement in the aforementioned parameters.Conclusions:Royal jelly may have a repro-protective effect in nicotine-administered female rats in terms of its anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic properties.

Bacteriospermia among smallholder artificial insemination boars in the Philippines and potential associated factors

Objective:To determine the prevalence of bacteriospermia,the bacterial load,and the potential factors associated with bacterial contamination in boar semen collected by local smallholder artificial insemination operators.Methods:Fifteen individual raw semen samples were collected from locally available artificial insemination boars owned by different smallholder boar operators within the 5th district of Leyte,Philippines and were subjected to standard bacteriological culture and identification,including a survey of potentially associated factors.Prevalence and bacterial count were determined accordingly,while boar characteristics and collection practices were clustered following agglomerative hierarchical clustering technique.Results:One hundred percent contamination with a bacterial count of(2.01±0.38)×10^(3) CFU/mL was observed.At least 73.33%of the samples were positive for Bacillus spp.,while other identified isolates included Enterobacter spp.,Staphylococcus spp.,E.coli,Pseudomonas spp.,Citrobacter spp.,and Klebsiella spp.Conclusions:Despite the high prevalence of bacteriospermia,the bacterial count is low.Nevertheless,on-farm practices on boar health and management,semen collection,and sanitation as well as the enhancement of basic protocols to control contamination should be conscientiously considered in smallholder artificial insemination operation.