Refinement of the motorised laminectomy-assisted rat spinal cord injury model by analgesic treatment

by Harikrishnan Vijayakumar Sreelatha, Hamza Palekkodan, Ansar Fasaludeen, Lissy K. Krishnan, Klas S. P. Abelson

Usage and reporting of analgesia in animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) have been sparse and requires proper attention. The majority of experimental SCI research uses rats as an animal model. This study aimed to probe into the effects of some commonly used regimens with NSAIDs and opioids on well-being of the rats as well as on the functional outcome of the model. This eight-week study used forty-two female Wistar rats (Crl: WI), randomly and equally divided into 6 treatment groups, viz. I) tramadol (5mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.05mg/kg); II) carprofen (5mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.05mg/kg); III) carprofen (5mg/kg); IV) meloxicam (1mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.05mg/kg); V) meloxicam (1mg/kg); and VI) no analgesia (0.5 ml sterile saline). Buprenorphine was administered twice daily whereas other treatments were given once daily for five days post-operatively. Injections were given subcutaneously. All animals underwent dental burr-assisted laminectomy at the T10-T11 vertebra level. A custom-built calibrated spring-loaded 200 kilodynes force deliverer was used to induce severe SCI. Weekly body weight scores, Rat Grimace Scale (RGS), and dark-phase home cage activity were used as markers for well-being. Weekly Basso Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scores served as markers for functionality together with Novel Object Recognition test (NOR) at week 8 and terminal histopathology using area of vacuolisation and live neuronal count from the ventral horns of spinal cord. It was concluded that the usage of analgesia improved animal wellbeing while having no effects on the functional aspects of the animal model in comparison to the animals that received no analgesics.

Investigating the relationship of COVID-19 preventive and mitigation measures with mosque attendance in Pakistan

by Hamza Umer, Muhammad Salar Khan

Social distancing served as a principal strategy to curtail the spread of COVID-19. However, congregational activities in mosques made it challenging to practice social distancing and led to a rapid surge in virus infections in several Muslim countries. This study uses nationally representative cross-sectional data from Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country, to examine the relationship of practicing preventive measures (such as social distancing, wearing mask and hand washing) and mitigation measures (like avoid going to the market, social gatherings, healthcare seeking, use of public transport, and long-distance travel) with mosque visits by utilizing logistic regressions. The results show that individuals adhering to preventive and mitigation measures also avoid visiting mosques and other religious gatherings. From a policy perspective, these results suggest that the government of Pakistan can avoid direct religious confrontation when it needs to minimize mosque visits to curtail the spread of the virus by implementing preventive and mitigation measures.