The Virtual Hydrostatic Test

Mazuchowski, Edward L.; Franco, Dori M.; Berran, Philip J.; Harcke, H. Theodore

doi:10.1097/paf.0000000000000287

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…However, performance of the lung float test alone can lead to erroneous conclusions 34 . We therefore used the liver as a control for air produced by decomposition 32 . When combined with a careful evaluation of the lung morphology, stomach contents and brown adipose tissue, a reliable predictor of post-partum viability may be obtained.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Causes of death in newborn C57BL/6J mice

Capas-Peneda

Morello

Lamas

et al. 2020

Preprint

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22Neonatal mortality in wild-type laboratory mice is an overlooked welfare and financial 23 problem in animal facilities around the world. Causes of death are often not reported 24 and its causes remain unknown. 25 In this study, 324 newborn pups from two breeding colonies of healthy wildtype 26 C57BL/6 mice underwent post-mortem analysis with special focus on obtaining proof 27 of life after birth, evaluation of stomach contents and observation of congenital 28 abnormalities that could compromise survival. 29 Based on a combination of lung morphology findings, outcome of lung float test, 30 stomach contents and brown adipose tissue colouration, 21.6% of the pups found 31 dead were considered stillbirths. Of the livebirths, only 3.2% were observed to have 32 milk inside the stomach, indicating successful suckling. Congenital abnormalities were 33 diagnosed only in a small fraction of the pups analysed. These results suggest that 34 starvation was the most common cause of death, followed by stillbirth. 35 Keywords 36Neonatal mortality, Mouse, causes of death, C57BL/6J 37 High rates of pre-weaning mortality in laboratory mice are a widespread issue among 38 animal facilities worldwide. This represents a major welfare problem 33 , a significant 39 financial burden through lowered productivity and has an impact on the 3Rs by 40 increasing the number of animals needed and used for breeding. 41Rates of perinatal mortality are reported as higher in inbred strains, especially in 42 C57BL/6 mice, where they can reach 50% 19 . Attention to morbidity and mortality in 43 newborn mice occurs primarily in the context of phenotyping genetically modified 44 mice 2, 29, 45 . In contrast, knowledge about causes of neonatal death in breeding 45 colonies of healthy wildtype mice is limited and currently there are no agreed published 46 guidelines or strategies to address this issue. 47 Mice are an altricial species and pups are dependent on parental care within a 48 maternal nest during the first phase of their lives. The pups are born helpless, relatively 49 immobile, blind, hairless, capable of suckling but not able to otherwise fend for 50 themselves. They possess a very limited ability to produce heat by non-shivering 51 thermogenesis using brown adipose tissue (BAT) 6, 18 . Consequently, major causes of 52 neonatal mortality and low viability could be related to failures of parental care, such 53 as predation, starvation and hypothermia in addition to birthing accidents, congenital 54 defects and infectious processes.55Wild mice are communal nesters and females often share duties in the care for the 56 young 49 . This characteristic is maintained in laboratory mice and is often exploited by 57 housing mice in breeding trios, which allows for increases in the number of pups per 58 cage 47 and individual pup growth 15, 16 . However, this social conformation is more prone 59 to litter overlap 3 , the existence of a previous litter inside the cage, which is associated 60 with higher neonatal mortality 3 . 61There is a ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lung morphology was evaluated for degree of inflatedness, colouration and aeration. A lung float test was performed by removing a fragment of a lung lobe and a same size fragment of liver (as control for decomposition 32, 38 ) and putting both inside an Eppendorf tube filled with water. Whether the fragments sank or floated was recorded.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes of death in newborn C57BL/6J mice

Capas-Peneda

Morello

Lamas

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…More recently, the implementation of PMCT imaging has been used to detect the presence of gas in the infant. It is superior to plain radiographs in determining the distribution pattern of air in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and liver and has been shown to have good agreement with the lung flotation test (20, 27, 32). Gas in the stomach and upper gastrointestinal tract along with uniform gas distribution within the lungs on three-dimensional reconstruction of PMCT provides convincing evidence that a neonate has breathed naturally prior to demise and was, therefore, live born (20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The test is based on the premise that if an infant has breathed then the lungs will be inflated. Hence, if the lungs float when placed in water, this indicates that they are inflated and the infant had breathed and was Over time there have been innumerable variations to the procedure for performing the lung flotation test (25) including: variations in the temperature of the water used for flotation; flotation of the entire thoracic block, individual lungs, individual lung lobes, and/or pieces of lung; flotation of a piece of liver to assess for gaseous decomposition, where if the liver floats, the lung flotation test is considered inconclusive (27); flotation of the stomach and intestines to demonstrate air in the gastrointestinal tract attributed to swallowing, though it has since been recognized that air in the gastrointestinal tract can also be artefactual due to resuscitation or gaseous decomposition (6,7,28); and ligation of airways and/or pulmonary vessels prior to flotation (19,20,25,26).…”

Section: Lung Flotation Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Was the Infant Born Alive?” A Review of Postmortem Techniques Used to Determine Live Birth In Cases of Suspected Neonaticide

Phillips¹,

Ong²

2018

Academic Forensic Pathology

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The question of whether an infant was born alive has received much attention in the forensic literature. The volume of literature reflects the degree of controversy surrounding the techniques employed and their varied interpretation and utility. The majority of the investigation has been focused on the question "Has the infant breathed?" to determine if an infant was born alive by utilizing techniques that assess aeration of the lungs. However , caution must be employed when interpreting these techniques due to the well-recognized limitations in their interpretation, particularly in the presence of gaseous decomposition and/or resuscitation efforts. Although in some instances there may be irrefutable evidence that the infant was born alive, there is no single finding that can reliably be utilized to answer the question "Was the infant born alive?" in every case. Hence, the approach to postmortem investigation continues to include a wide range of observations, dissections, special techniques, and ancillary tests to assist the pathologist to form a considered opinion. There are a number of more recently described techniques which show great promise in assisting to answer this question including advanced imaging and immunohistochemical studies of the umbilical cord. It remains, though, that in many cases it is not possible to definitively answer this question and stillbirth should be assumed due to the potential legal implications of determining that an infant was born alive.

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“…Postmortem CT can be used for skeletal and lung assessment in fetal/neonatal death, but Arthurs et al [41] have found that because of poor soft-tissue contrast CT is less reliable than MRI, particularly in fetuses, unless specific skeletal evaluation is required. Postmortem CT has been used to identify small amounts of air in the airway and lungs in a neonate to help determine whether the child was alive at birth versus being stillborn [26,45] (Fig. 1); however, radiographs or MRI [46] could be utilized for this purpose, as well.…”

Section: Clinical Applications Of Postmortem Ctmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric postmortem computed tomography: initial experience at a children’s hospital in the United States

et al. 2019

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Postmortem CT might provide valuable information in determining the cause of death and understanding disease processes, particularly when combined with traditional autopsy. Pediatric applications of postmortem imaging represent a new and rapidly growing field. We describe our experience in establishing a pediatric postmortem CT program and present a discussion of the distinct challenges in developing this type of program in the United States of America, where forensic practice varies from other countries. We give a brief overview of recent literature along with the common imaging findings on postmortem CT that can simulate antemortem pathology.

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The Virtual Hydrostatic Test

Cited by 9 publications

References 8 publications

Causes of death in newborn C57BL/6J mice

Causes of death in newborn C57BL/6J mice

“Was the Infant Born Alive?” A Review of Postmortem Techniques Used to Determine Live Birth In Cases of Suspected Neonaticide

Pediatric postmortem computed tomography: initial experience at a children’s hospital in the United States

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