International audience

International audience

peer reviewed | Although the respiratory tract of healthy and diseased cattle has been intensively studied during the past few years, only a few attempts to detect dysfunctions of bovine inspiratory muscles have been reported. Such technique would be useful in assessing the possibility of inspiratory muscle fatigue in the context of ventilatory failure. Fatigue in skeletal muscle is associated with characteristic changes in the electromyographic power spectrum. Power spectral analysis was therefore applied to cattle diaphragmatic electromyograms (EMGdi) to precisely determine the exact influence of motion and ECG artifacts, describe its basic frequency content, and extract a spectral index capable of providing an accurate warning of fatigue. The EMGdi was recorded via intramuscularly placed fishhook electrodes in 5 healthy young bulls during resting and stimulated respiration. The EMGdi and EGC signals were analyzed by use of power spectral density analysis after band-pass filtering (20 to 1,800 Hz). The EMGdi spectrum was concentrated in the band width 20 to 530 Hz. Electrode motion artifacts were absent, and it was always possible to find an electrode pair giving ECG-free EMGdi. Of the 12 power and frequency values used to quantitate the spectrum, the most stable was the centroid frequency. It was reproducible within and between calves and was only minimally altered by changing inspiratory load.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

peer reviewed | Although healthy and diseased bovine respiratory tracts have been intensively studied during the last years, to the authors' knowledge, there have been no attempts to objectively examine the inspiratory drive from the brain to the nerves and muscles and its transformation in pressure. Such technique would be useful in assessing the possibility of altered ventilatory drive or inspiratory muscle fatigue in the context of an animal with ventilatory failure. The relation among ventilation, airway opening occlusion pressure generated 100 milliseconds after onset of inspiration (Pawo100ms) and 6 indexes describing diaphragmatic electromyographic activity (EMGdi) recorded via implanted fishhooks was evaluated during free and impeded CO2 rebreathing in 6 young bulls. The best significant linear correlations (r > 0.8) with inspiratory center afferent stimulation, as judged by end-tidal CO2 concentration in expired air, were found for Pawo100ms, peak moving time average or variance EMGdi, and mean integrated EMGdi, whatever had been the respiratory impedance. However, with an inspiratory load, Pawo100ms responses systematically had greater increase for a given change in the driving EMGdi, implying dependence of the former not only on neural input, but also on configurational factors that determine inspiratory muscle excitation-pressure generation couplings. The reproducibility of EMGdi absolute values and changes was satisfactory up to 10 hours, but could not be repeated from one day to the other. It was concluded that, provided the constancy of the electrical coupling of the recording system to the tissue being studied is ensured, specific EMGdi and Pawo100ms values correlate reliably with amount of CO2 during free and loaded breathing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

peer reviewed

peer reviewed | Effects of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) on the nasal mucosa and somatic growth were investigated in pigs exposed to 4 NH3 concentrations (0; 25; 50; and 100 ppm) for 6 days in a specifically designed air-pollutant exposure chamber. Nasal lavage (NAL) was applied to quantify the ammonia-induced inflammatory response by measuring the number of neutrophils and the albumin (porcine serum albumin) concentration in the NAL liquid. In control pigs, these variables remained unchanged throughout the exposure period. In all other groups, an important ammonia concentration-related increase was recorded. The equation of the linear regression line established between the mean values of the number of neutrophils (x 10(3)) per milliliter of NAL liquid (y) recorded at the end of the exposure period and the ammonia concentrations (ppm) was: y = 69.7 + 3.3 [NH3] (r = 0.979; P < 0.020). The increase in the neutrophil count was significant (P < 0.05) at concentrations as low as 25 ppm. For albumin concentration nanograms per milliliter, the corresponding equation was: y = 574 + 14.3 [NH3] (r = 0.953; P < 0.045). However, the first significant change (P < 0.05) in this variable was only obtained for the higher concentration (100 ppm). In exposed pigs, a concentration-related depression of somatic growth was observed. The equation of the regression line plotted relating the individual values of the changes in body weight gain recorded over the exposure period expressed as percentage of the initial body weight (y) and the ammonia concentration was: y = 3.507-0.203 [NH3] + 0.001 [NH3]2 (r = 0.55; P < 0.010).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)