Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) have become a growing problem for public health and clinical practice, given their increased prevalence due to the rise of sedentary lifestyles and excessive caloric intake from processed food rich in fat and sugar. There are several definitions of MetS, but most of them describe it as a cluster of cardiovascular and metabolic alterations such as abdominal obesity, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, glucose intolerance, and hypertension. Diagnosis requires three out of these five criteria to be present. Despite the increasing prevalence of MetS, the understanding of its pathophysiology and relationship with disease is still limited. Indeed, the pathological consequences of MetS components have been reported individually, but investigations that have studied the effect of the combination of MeS components on organ pathological remodeling are almost nonexistent. On the other hand, animal models are a powerful tool in understanding the mechanisms that underlie pathological processes such as MetS. In the first part of the review, we will briefly overview the advantages, disadvantages and pathological manifestations of MetS in porcine, canine, rodent, and rabbit diet-induced experimental models. Then, we will focus on the different dietary regimes that have been used in rabbits to induce MetS by means of high-fat, cholesterol, sucrose or fructose-enriched diets and their effects on physiological systems and organ remodeling. Finally, we will discuss the use of dietary regimes in different transgenic strains and special rabbit breeds.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been linked to a higher prevalence of sudden cardiac death (SCD), but the mechanisms are not well understood. One possible underlying mechanism may be an abnormal modulation of autonomic activity, which can be quantified by analyzing heart rate variability (HRV). Our aim was to investigate the modifications of short-term HRV in an experimental rabbit model during the time-course of MetS development. NZW rabbits were randomly assigned to a control (n = 10) or a MetS group (n = 13), fed 28 weeks with control or high-fat, high-sucrose diets. After anesthesia, a 15-min ECG recording was acquired before diet administration and at weeks 14 and 28. We analyzed short RR time series using time-domain, frequency-domain and nonlinear analyses. A mixed-model factorial ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Time-domain analysis showed a 52.4% decrease in the standard deviation of heart rate in animals from the MetS group at week 28, but no changes in the rest of parameters. In the frequency domain, we found a 9.7% decrease in the very low frequency and a 380.0% increase of the low frequency bands in MetS animals at week 28, whereas high frequency remained unchanged. Nonlinear analyses showed increased complexity and irregularity of the RR time series in MetS animals.

Rabbit exercise protocols allow for the evaluation of physiological and biomechanical changes and responses to episodes of acute or chronic exercise. The observed physiological changes are normal responses to stress, that is, adaptive responses to maintain or restore homeostasis after acute exercise. Indeed, the rabbit model is advantageous since (a) it has important physiological similarities in terms of the functioning of multiple organ systems, and can quickly induce alterations in pathophysiological conditions that resemble those of humans, and (b) it allows the implementation of a low-cost model in comparison with other large animals. When designing an exercise training protocol for rabbits, it is important to consider variables such as race, gender, age and, especially, training parameters such as volume, intensity, or rest, among others, to determine the outcome of the research. Therefore, the objective of this review is to identify and analyze exercise training protocols in rabbits in different experimental applications and the various physiological adaptations that are presented, with special focus in cardiovascular adaptations.

Although early mobilization is a cornerstone of modern critical care for reducing intensive care unit-acquired weakness, the duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of stay, its implementation remains highly variable due to the absence of standardized laboratory criteria to guide clinical decision-making. Therefore, this study aimed to generate safety recommendations regarding laboratory and blood […] Abstract Although early mobilization is a cornerstone of modern critical care for reducing intensive care unit-acquired weakness, the duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of stay, its implementation remains highly variable due to the absence of standardized laboratory criteria to guide clinical decision-making. Therefore, this study aimed to generate safety recommendations regarding laboratory and blood […]

Los aspectos morfológicos del componente tendomuscular del compartimiento posterior han sido descritos en algunos grupos poblacionales. Se evaluó mediante disección directa las características morfológicas y biométricas del compartimento posterior de 50 muslos de especímenes cadavéricos, en una muestra de población colombiana. El 2 % los músculos isquiotibiales se originaron en un tendón común, 58 % presentó un tendón común para el musculo semitendinoso (MSt) y cabeza larga del músculo bíceps femoral (MBF). El 40 % de la cabeza larga del MBF se originó en el margen lateral de la tuberosidad isquiática (TI) y el MSt en su superficie posterior. En el 98 % de los casos el músculo semimembranoso (MSm) se originó en el margen medial de la TI y se dispuso como una estructura medial del muslo. No se observaron variaciones en el lugar de inserción de los músculos isquiotibiales. El MSt presentó la mayor longitud (419,5 DE 33,2 mm); el tendón distal con mayor espesor fue el del MBF (8,5 DE 5,6 mm), mientras que el músculo semimembranoso (MSm) presentó el componente miotendinoso más ancho (22,4 DE 6,5 mm). No hubo diferencias morfométricas estadísticamente significativas con relación al lado de presentación. Los hallazgos obtenidos enriquecen los conceptos morfológicos de la región posterior del muslo, aportan a la cualificación de procedimientos de cirugía plástica, ortopédica y al diseño de programas de entrenamiento muscular específico en diferentes disciplinas deportivas.