Biomedical subjects

C E Olmstead

Publications and source records attributed to C E Olmstead.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1988

Maturation of pyrogen-elicited fever in the kitten.

The febrile response to the endotoxin Salmonella typhosa was studied in developing kittens. We found that kittens younger than 30 days of age generated only a small rise in temperature in response to a standardized endotoxin challenge that consistently causes fever in adult cats. Some degree of febrile response was present at birth, but the dose of pyrogen necessary to elicit a fever was 10-15 times greater than that required in the adult. There was a gradual increase in both the magnitude and duration of fever as a function of age with the largest change occurring after 30 days of age. There was a direct relationship between the ability of the kitten to maintain its body temperature (Tbo) at the room ambient (Ta) and the magnitude of the elicited fever. However, increasing the Ta to thermoneutral (Ta = 30-32 degrees C) did not enhance the thermal response indicating that the failure to elicit the fever is not due to passive effects of Ta. These data suggest that the febrile response to an endotoxin develops over the first 6-7 weeks of the kitten's life and are discussed in relation to other physical variables of development.

Aging↗

PubMed1987

Neurological and neurobehavioral development of the mutant 'twitcher' mouse.

The present study described the neurological and locomotor development of the mutant 'twitcher' mouse (B57BL/6J-twi), an enzymatically authentic model of globoid cell (Krabbe) leukodystrophy. Comparisons were made on a neurological developmental battery and a series of behavioral tests, including open field, rotorod, and hangtime performance. Homozygous affected (twi/twi), heterozygous carriers (+/twi) and homozygous normals (+/+) were compared. Neurological development was slowed in twi/twi with some subtler differences between +/twi and normals. Twi/twi reached all functional milestones except grasp. There was a rapid deterioration of motor indices after 20 days of age. However, most sensory markers were preserved. On hangtime, there were significant differences from normal for both twi/twi and +/twi at 15 days of age and across the 15-30 day developmental stage, with the +/twi males slightly more impaired. On the rotorod, all animals were equally unable to stay on the rod at 15 days of age and neither male nor female twi/twi showed significant development. Male +/twi lagged significantly behind male +/+. In the open field, all groups were equally inactive at 13-15 days and showed similar increases in activity, rearing, and grooming until weaning. All groups peaked immediately after weaning and declined thereafter, with twi/twi showing the lowest activity. The data were discussed in terms of the relationship between the human disease and the animal model.

Animals↗

PubMed1979

Neurological development of kittens.

The neurological development of the kitten was studied from birth to 120 days of age. Three motor features present at birth disappeared within the 1st 45 days of life. The labyrinthine head and body righting reactions were present at birth; the latter matured only by 25 days of age when the air righting reaction (mature by 35 days) started to appear. Limb placing reactions developed progressively with proprioceptive components being present at birth whereas tactile components evolved slowly from early contact lifting to forepaws contact placing (60 days) and narrow plank walking (75 days). Standing and walking were well developed by 45 days. Eye opening occurred at 9.5 days and several eyeblink reactions (including blink to light) were present at birth. Adequate binocular coordination was seen by 47 days. Vision progressed parallel to the clearing of the ocular media which were fairly transparent by 32 days. Visually guided paw placing and the visuopalpebral blink reflex matured later (by 37 and 59 days, respectively). The external auditory canal and pinna were fully developed by 12 and 31 days, respectively; spontaneous and tactile pinna movements were present at birth; orienting to animal and nonanimal sounds was well developed by 6.5 and 18 days, respectively; spatial sound localization was developed by 16 days and differential responding to animal sounds matured by 24.5 days. Somatic responses and olfaction were present at birth but matured further thereafter. Playful interactions between kittens started by 10--15 days and well developed play behavior was seen by 36--40 days. In brief, all neurological functions mature progressively during the 1st 3 postnatal months.

Animals↗

PubMed1979